Random Philippine musings

Pangit, I happen to like the Philippines - A LOT! It kind of reminds me of the USA pool scene (and Vegas) in the 60's and 70's, when everything was pretty wide open. You do have to be on your toes here and that will keep you sharp.

Yes, I've been taken advantage of more than once by my "family" here and I still love them all. I know that's hard for you to understand, but you haven't walked a mile in their shoes. I have a sense of what their life is like and I'm glad to make their little piece of the world a bit better for them. If I were wealthy I would try to do more for more people, but that's just me. I feel blessed to have had the good fortune that I've had.

For the most part the flooding has abated but not everywhere. The biggest event here in recent days was the loss of Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo in a small plane crash. He was a very popular politician here.

I did play the poker tourney yesterday and started well before getting cold decked with top two pair, when a guy hit a straight on the river. I was eliminated shortly after. Efren was there playing in the same 25-50p game that I had played in the day before. A few of my new pool buddies (I found out the guy who beat me in Banks is named Russin, a top card and pool hustler - my kind of guy) greeted me when I came in and asked me if I brought my cue and did I want to play some more. They were disappointed when I told them I was there for the poker tourney, no pool today. Russin askled me if I'd like to play some pool with his friend who was in a card game but had his back to me. Then the guy turned around and it was Effie. I told Russin I would play the guy any game at any time. We all got a laugh over that one!

I'm off to watch the Koreans battle the Chinese for the women's ten ball title today. The very best women play some high speed pool, and you can believe that! Their game may look a little different but they keep making the shots and running out, and that is the name of the game after all! If the top eight or ten women players entered major events like the U.S. Open they would open some eyes. That is the future of pool if it is ever to go big time in the sports firmament, open tourneys featuring the best players of both sexes!

But first I will be walking my little daughter to school to meet her teacher this morning. I have my priorities in order Mr. Pangit. :smile:
 
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Jay, what TF is a firmanent?

(You authors are so show-offy)

I can see you grinning ear to ear there. Enjoy!

BTW, how's your honey??? Progress? :eek:



KK9 <-- Instigating
 
Keep the stories coming, Jay! I love when you write about the Philippines.
I'm trying to picture what these places look like as you tell your tales. A couple of pictures and some more stories and I smell another book!
Magaling!!;)
 
jay helfert said:
I got here three days ago and spent most of the time so far with my delightful daughter. When she saw me for the first time (after nearly four months) she jumped on me and squeezed me tightly around the neck and wouldn't let go. I have to tell you that made my whole trip worthwhile :smile:.

Yesterday I made it over Robinson's Galleria Mall to watch the Women's World Ten Ball. First I took the MRT, part of the Manila area subway system, and the line to get tickets is a mile long. Being a senior citizen I sneak in the back way (I'm a smart rat!). Once on the train (only 15 pesos to ride - .35 cts.) it is jam packed and no one can even get in the door when the train finally leaves the station. Can you spell sardine? But it so beats taking a taxi, which is far more expensive (maybe 300P) and will always get bogged down in the most horrific traffic you've ever seen.

Once getting off at the designated stop, I have to walk, and walk some more, negotiating long up and down staircases en route to my destination, maybe a kilometer away. This is par for the course when traveling in Manila. I always lose weight here, as I'm walking literally miles every day! And that's a good thing.

At the ENORMOUS mall I walk deep in the bowels before finding POOL! In a back atrium the TV table is set up with seating for perhaps 150-200 people tops. No matter, as fans line every possible viewing area, including balconies four levels high! I visit with my commentary buddies, Biboy Soriano, Anthony ? and Bob Guerrera and they fill me in on what's up. This is the last day of qualifying in groups and then the field of 48 is cut to 24 for elimination play. I will say this this the folks at Dragon know how to stage a "SHOW." And imo that's a good thing! They are producing Pool for television and do a damn good job of making it exciting for the masses. That is why these women are big stars in Asia!

The first match is Xa-Ting Pan against Lyndall Hurley from Australia, what looks like a mismatch on paper. They are playing on a Yalin table, a nice looking copy of a Gold Crown V. The pockets look fairly soft and both players run out almost every open rack! They are actually playing quite good, as this is Ten Ball, not 9-Ball. It goes 4-4 before Pan takes charge and runs out the last two racks, both not easy. She can absolutely play; solid, steady and unflappable. I like how she looks under pressure, very composed and focused. The Chinese (and Taiwanese) have a Zen quality to their play that puts them above the pack for the most part. Just like the Koreans in women's golf, the Chinese women have become dominant in women's pool, and I can see why. Only a handful of foreign women (the Fishers, Jasmin etc.) can challenge them for the titles over here.

I was disappointed to see not one American woman over here. I'm reminded how far the state of American pool has sunken too. Yes, there are reasons, but this is a World Championship and we have ZERO representatives.

After the match, I head over to the Metro Club, the premier card room in Manila and the site of a major tournament starting tomorrow. Again another long walk and getting directions here is a crap shoot. I am pointed in one direction after another and finally find my way to the correct location, albeit on the other side of a busy thoroughfare. I inquire about getting to the other side and am pointed to an over-crossing far down the road. I notice one small break in the center median where the more intrepid are crossing the road. They wait for a small opening in traffic and make their dash, first to the median and then to the other side. I will join them. Scary but also exhilirating! I love to challenge my aging body to see if I can still run and jump. I'm happy to say that yes I can and make it across without a scratch.

Once inside the Metro Club I'm somewhat disappointed to see a relatively small, dark and dismal card room. I'm so used to the plush card casinos in Los Angeles and Vegas. But there are games and the money is flowing. I put my name on the board and soon find myself in a 10 and 20p game, with a 1,000p buy-in. It's like playing penny ante poker and after quickly losing my 1,000p buy-in (about $25) I quit. I NEED to play in something a bit higher. I wait my turn chatting with a gorgeous waitress, and I do mean gorgeous! I discover she is engaged to an American from Arkansas. Smart guy!

After a while they call me for the 25-50P game, with buy-ins up to 5,000p, a little more to my liking. They are playing fast and I pick up some good hands right away. They try to bluff me with big bets (1,000p and up), but the money still seems small to me and I refuse to fold hands like top pair. I'm winning nearly 10,000p in the first thirty minutes before they see I am one American who is hard to bluff (the only foreigner at the table). I got my training years ago sitting at tables in L.A. full of Vietnamese players, and they were all very strong players. Not so here, as I'm guessing only two or three guys at my table understand the odds and correct play. The rest simply try to out bet you.

I eat a luscious steak dinner served to me by Ms. Philippines herself. OMG she's so lovely! The total meal is about $10 and I give her a 50p tip. She is thrilled to get such a big tip! The game slows down, but not before I watch several players buy and buy more chips, pouring thousands of pesos into this game. The house is taking a big cut from each pot but this game is still beatable. I quit after a few hours ready to return to my hotel. I cash out 6,500 to the good (about $160), a nice score over here.

That's when I notice THE POOL TABLE hidden in a corner of the room. A game is in progress, some strange form of Eight Ball. Turns out that Rey-Rey, an excellent player who looks like a clone of Alex (turns out he's Efren's nephew) is spotting the other guy the side pockets to the full table. Rey-Rey must make ALL his balls in the side and the other guy can use all the pockets. I've never seen a game like this, a huge handicap. To be continued!
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Hello Jay,
Thank you so much for sharing. No representation from the USA! Wow!
Jay you are the Man! Thanks again.
Many Regards,
Lock N Load.
 
Great thread and great read.

My two favourite things, pool and poker. Sounds like the dream vacation.
 
jay helfert said:
Yes, I've been taken advantage of more than once by my "family" here and I still love them all. I know that's hard for you to understand, but you haven't walked a mile in their shoes. I have a sense of what their life is like and I'm glad to make their little piece of the world a bit better for them. If I were wealthy I would try to do more for more people, but that's just me. I feel blessed to have had the good fortune that I've had.
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This a very good line of thinking imo.

Jay, how long will you be in town? I think I will be coming over there on the 19th of sept for the asian poker tour stop.
 
sydbarret said:
This a very good line of thinking imo.

Jay, how long will you be in town? I think I will be coming over there on the 19th of sept for the asian poker tour stop.
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Syd, I'm here for the World Cup of Pool and then headed home on Sept. 10.

Yesterday I watched the final matches of the Women's Ten Ball. Ga Young Kim played super, defeating Yu Ram Cha in the semis and Siming Chen in the finals. Kim is playing better than ever, no more silly errors and easy misses like she used to have. Her game is solid and strong and her safety play would rival Johnny Archers. She totally shut down Cha with great safety after great safety. Cha was left to shoot at air!

Ga Young can play with anyone, man or woman, and watching her is like watching any top male pro play. She has Kelly Fisher's big game with more weapons (huge break and safety game). She may have missed one ball total in the two matches! Even Thorsten in the booth commentating was gushing about how strong she looked.

I'm ready to play some pool, so maybe today I will find some action. :rolleyes:
 
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KoolKat9Lives said:
Jay, what TF is a firmanent?

(You authors are so show-offy)

I can see you grinning ear to ear there. Enjoy!

BTW, how's your honey??? Progress? :eek:



KK9 <-- Instigating
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NPR Kat! I'm headed south soon to Cebu and Davao to meet my special friends. :smile:
The first five days here was all about time with my daughter. She comes first with me!
 
Are you really heading to Davao? I see Gandy Valle play at the Gaisano Mall beside the cinemas most of the time. You could check that place out.
 
darren_simion said:
At one point :D I was seeing this girl who worked at a food stall around that area. Id take a peek from time to time.
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I see. Thanks for the reply. I was asking my friends at PODs (Play or Dine - the name of the Bilyar place you were talking about) if they knew you but they didn't recognize your name.

My friend Art told me that Gandy has been there for 4 days now an was going there this afternoon.

--Jeff
 
Masirib5 said:
I see. Thanks for the reply. I was asking my friends at PODs (Play or Dine - the name of the Bilyar place you were talking about) if they knew you but they didn't recognize your name.

My friend Art told me that Gandy has been there for 4 days now an was going there this afternoon.

--Jeff
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Well my name really isnt Darren Simion :D He's my favorite Amateur boxer in the 90's.
 
Jay, I gotta hear some poker stories.
Alex is there now, shoving his chips.

regards
pt
 
KoolKat9Lives said:
Although I can appreciate the insight that I, an american, can take in from Pangit's post, I see what you are saying. I am attracted to positive people and always try to look for the good. Jay, from all that I know of him, has always done the same and found the good more often than not. But yet, Pangit related an insight to a country/culture of which I am not very familiar. That's educational, but may be treading on Jay's thread a hair.

There's bad EVERYWHERE. Choose what your focus is upon I say!

Keep the "diary" coming Jay!
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I really am positive...or at least I try to be. I'm a "Ninong" to far more than one child in the Barangay.

I've lived here for a long time 365 days a year. I'm not a tourist that comes here a couple times a year and "focuses" on the good things.

Great for tourism...not the real deal. As much as I love the PI...it's mostly poverty stricken, waist deep in Corruption.

It's not a new Fad, There is a long history.

I don't care about the Pool aspect...I'm talking about real people's lives.
 
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