A few random thoughts since I haven't played any pool the last couple of days. I lost a lot of confidence after that match in Cebu. I won but I felt like I stunk!
If you think traffic in Los Angeles is bad, then you wouldn't believe the every day traffic here. HORRENDOUS does not even begin to do justice to navigating these mean streets. Riding in a cab is like participating in a demolition derby, and trying to avoid all the other cars heading in your direction. It's scary just to sit in the back seat and watch. These cab drivers would make excellent race car drivers! It's like one long obstacle course with our cabbie bobbing and weaving his way around the track. Buses, taxis, trucks, trikes and even bicycles all bouncing around from lane to lane (actually there are no lanes per se), all barely missing each other with only inches to spare. How there are not more accidents I don't know. I mean they are all literally within inches of each other and then you throw some crazy pedestrians into the mix.
People actually walk between vehicles while crossing these very busy streets. They seem to have some form of immunity and have faith the drivers will slow to let them pass. It's amazing to see so many people walking in and around moving vehicles. I've learned to do it as well, using my best New York style jaywalking tricks to get across the street. I move a little faster than a filipino though! When I see a young woman walk between two large buses, my heart goes up in my throat. If one driver does not see her, she would be crushed. If there was road rage here, a thousand people a day would get shot. Taxis cut off buses and trucks with a mere beep of the horn. Slow moving trikes will block all traffic to cut across four lanes of moving vehicles to make a turn. Bicylists ride on busy streets right along with the flow of traffic and after hearing multiple horn beeps may move over two or three feet just to barely allow enough room for a car to pass. In the good ole USA they would be run down rather quickly! To say it's crazy is a massive understatement. I never want to own a car or motorbike and drive here!
There are well armed guards everywhere! Every hotel has an armed doorman (or two). Every 7/11 and convenience store has one as well. In front of banking institutions you usually see two heavily armed guards and one more inside the doorway. Shotguns (loaded and ready) and M-16's seem to be the weapon of choice for these guys. They always appear so casual to me, even holding the door for me when I enter. They know foreigners are not the ones to worry about here. The filipino robbers are also well armed (.45 caliber pistols their weapon of choice) and usually work in teams of four or six, aboard motorcycles (two per bike - a driver and a gunman) for fast getaways. They also mean business, bullets often fly and there is usually a body count after a major robbery. Armored cars seem to be the favored targets and they also have two or three well armed guys inside.
Most murders here are often politically motivated, all about money and power. I'd rather not comment too much on this subject as journalists are often the target. I'm sure there are far more murders in Manila every year than any city in the USA. Fortunately foreigners are rarely the target. They prefer to get our money by deception or selling bogus goods, like fake Viagra, Cialis or U.S. sliver dollars made in China out of lead and silver plated. All the best fakes come from China, who knock off everything and anything of value, like watches, purses, shoes etc. etc. I have been successfully pick pocketed on the commuter train and jeepney. Both times I got off easy as they missed the real money which I keep well hidden.
You must be constantly on your guard over here for petty thievery. I was on a jeepney the other day that was stuck in traffic. A lady across from me was talking on an expensive I-Phone and a guy reached in the open side of the jeep (he was walking alongside us) and grabbed for it. He almost got it too, fumbling when he had it in his hand, the phone falling back onto the floor of the jeep. The guy quickly disappeared into the crowd. The lady picked up her phone, visibly trembling. I purposely dress down here (shorts and tank top) and carry a cheap phone, worth maybe $20. The thieves aren't after junk like that. But if I've been shopping (like yesterday with my daughter) I keep a tight grip on our bags. When we travel in the trike afterward and I put the large bag carrying all her new clothes on the back, I hold the strap in my hand at all times. To leave it unattended is to invite a thief to make a grab for it.
It's just how life is here and I accept the good with the bad. All my years of poolroom education hold me in good stead here. It's the more well heeled visitors who are targeted more often here. The ones who stay in the upscale hotels, wear expensive clothes, drive (or have a driver) expensive cars and live in gated communities. I prefer to remain as low key as possible, living among the filipinos and not apart from them. I walk these streets every day and hear comments like "Hey Joe" all the time. I look them in the eye and may parry back a Hey Joe to them. I walk past the street hustlers with a firm 'no thanks' and rarely give money to the street beggars, although I will ocassionally give a coin to a kid or two. By now I'm a familar face in Pasay where my daughter lives, some people even referring to me as the Billiard Guy. I've played pool in every little poolroom in Pasay by now, many of them now closed with new ones constantly opening.
The great majority of the people are genuinely friendly and fun to talk to and banter with. Even some of the 'outlaws' are fun for me to kid around with. I joke with them too, defusing any threat to me. They know I like to play pool for money and they respect that. Very few foreigners will ever play in the poolrooms I go to. Many of these places are hang outs for young thugs, kind of reminds me of my youth in Dayton and Cincy. I've gambled with all the young neighborhood champs, playing Rotation, with many of the local tough guys betting against me. I play hard and I play fair, never giving an inch on the pool table. That's how I've earned my respect over here, both winning and losing. I wouldn't have it any other way. I hope I can go out the same way I came in, putting my ass on the line every day. I guess I just like living on the edge. That's where life really is, when you're putting something at risk. That's why people skydive, race cars and motorbikes, and get in the ring. For me it's a hot pool game in some dive for 500P a game and a big crowd sweating every shot. That's how I get my nuts off!
