Toilet Talk

http://blogs.gmanews.tv/tina-panganiban-perez/archives/2-Toilet-talk.html

It's where I spend my "ME time." It's where KP draws up inspiration for her scripts. I'm referring to... the bathroom.

Many of us take this "room" for granted but for those who do not have such a facility, being able to sit comfortably while disposing of their bodily functions is an acrobatic act as easy as, say, tiptoeing across a thin rope suspended in the air.

Several years ago, while I was still a beat reporter at the House of Representatives, I covered then House Speaker Jose de Venecia's visit to the MNLF's Camp Abubakar in Maguindanao. I answered the call of nature in the middle of - well, nature. The bathroom girls were allowed to use was made of wood and galvanized iron nailed together under a coconut tree. All of us were looking up the whole time, checking to see if someone was up there looking down on us.

On a recent trip to China, the girls I was with tried to avoid using the public toilets as much as we could. Even in American fastfood chains, the public toilets there are still mostly the squat-type.

In 2006, GMA Network sent me to the East-West Center's Jefferson Fellowship Program. One of our stops was India. As we were travelling to the Taj Mahal, we passed several fields where people "did their thing." They were spread out across the fields, each with his own water container. One man was even bold enough to take a spot by the roadside, his "cheeks" turned towards the passing motorists.

A study funded by the World Bank-Water and Sanitation Program and the United States Agency for International Development or USAID showed that 27 million Filipinos suffer the same fate. They do not have sanitary toilets and improved water sources for maintaining their personal hygiene. Both the World Bank and the USAID said it was an alarming situation. And it is, if you have more than 11,000 Filipinos, mostly children, dying from diarrhea and other water-borne diseases every year.

The French however are lucky. Their public toilets are airconditioned. But you'd have to pay to use them. When J, H and I were in Paris in 2003 to cover President Arroyo, trying out these public toilets was an adventure for us. We scavenged in our bags for coins to drop in the slot. We were like kids, clapping in delight as the door slid open and elbowing one another to get a better view inside.

Now, if only I can go to Japan to try out their high-tech, push button-controlled bathrooms...

Eeeewwww!!!!

When I was young, my mom would always remind me and my sisters and brother that talking when your mouth is full is unacceptable. Our attention would be called constantly on bad manners that we were unconsciously guilty of. Of course, I passed that on to my daughters.

But lately, I've been noticing a surge of commercials that go against everything my parents told me. One commercial showed a boy dipping his fingers twice in a bowl of food that was to be served to guests; another where a guy was talking while gargling; another where a girl burped, an action that solicited her parents' loving smiles. These are just a few. I'm sure you've noticed them. But am I the only one who's bothered, to say the least, about these commercials?

"Speechless" in China

Please visit http://blogs.gmanews.tv/tina-panganiban-perez/archives/1-Speechless-in-China.html.

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When I first traveled to China a few years back on official assignment, I didn't expect to encounter problems communicating with the locals. I was part of the media delegation that covered President Arroyo's visit and I knew I would be dealing more with the RTVM (Radio-TV Malacañang) people and the other reporters in the group. A short trip to the tiangge without a Chinese-speaking escort was not a problem - communicating with the vendors was done with a calculator.

When I returned to China a few days ago, I discovered that more Chinese speak English. It is now required in middle school - our equivalent of high school. We also had an escort from the State Council and a tour guide, who both spoke fluent English.

But speaking the English language is not a guarantee that communication would be easy. When my cameraman and I were shooting my stand-upper in Tiananmen Square in Beijing, we were accosted by several policemen and ordered to stop shooting. One of the policemen spoke English. I explained that we were invited by the Chinese Embassy in Manila and that my story was about China's preparations for the Olympics, but the policemen wouldn't hear any of it. The English-speaking policeman simply ordered us to stop and wait while he radioed his superiors. Several tourists gathered around us, curious as to what would happen to us. After several exchanges in Chinese over their two-way radio, the policeman gave us the go-signal to shoot.

Haggling for discounts at stores however was a breeze in all the places we visited - Beijing, Shanghai and Hangzhou. Even the peddlers on the streets understood the language although not all ventured to speak it. Some knew a few words in English but preferred to use the calculator.

The signs however were both amusing and confusing. Posted by the steps leading to a restaurant was a sign reading, "Be careful step."

At the entrance to the Great Wall, my companions and I had to think twice about buying souvenirs. The sign on the store said, "Your name carved in stone in 3 minutes." "Parang lapida," said one of the male reporters in our group. As we made our way to the first tower, we ignored a sign that said "Speaking cellphone is strictly prohibited when thunderstorm" because the weather then was fine. But rain or shine, tourists were advised to "pay attention to fireproof."

The tortuous climb up the Great Wall was followed by a sumptuous lunch of Chinese food. Ours was a set menu but the other patrons who decided to partake of the buffet were shown a sign that said, "Buffe breakfast, please take them as what you need in case of wasting, thanks for your cooperation." I felt the sign could also be posted in restaurants in Manila especially now that we are facing a rice crisis.

From Beijing, we traveled to Shanghai. We didn't encounter any difficulty finding the gate where we were to board, thanks to a sign that said, "12 minutes to the farthest gate. Please check your timings."

As precise was a sign in a museum in Shanghai that showed us the way out. "Go straight, turn left about 300 inches." It took the men in the group however a few minutes to compute how far they had to go.

Personalized postcards were also available in an exhibition hall. But the "system for individuation postcard" was not running during our visit. We were satisfied though with the photos we took with our digital cameras.

We also enjoyed our trip to the water village in Zhou Jia Jiao, about an hour away from Shanghai. Some residents sold silk products and we were assured these were genuine because a big sign was posted on the door, saying "Fakely penalize ten. Guarantee both quality and quantity." another store owner was even bold enough to stake her reputation on the products she sold by hanging a sign that read, "I'm sure of it's quality. Can be park of vacuum."

Back in Shanghai, we made a quick trip to a mall near our hotel in search of genuine apple ipods. We found an authorized Apple reseller but the only English sentence that the salesperson spoke was, "Sorry, no English." I was near frustration because I promised my daughters ipod shuffles to make them stop crying when I left for China. And this was the only Apple reseller I found so far. Then I noticed a customer glancing at our direction. When he turned to leave, I asked him if he spoke English. His name was Phillip and yes, he spoke English and would gladly act as interpreter. Not only did he do that, he told his friend to wait for him while he accompanied us to the cashier on another floor of the mall. From there, he went with us to the information desk to get the receipt so I can avail of Apple's international guarantee. And then he walked us back to the outlet and even double-checked if I had the receipt with me. He asked us several times if there was something else he could do for us. I said he had done more than enough and thanked him profusely. I told Phillip, "thank you so much. You're so nice," over and over again and I believe even the salesperson understood.

In Geometric Forms

Alex was talking non-stop about the people she knows and their talents - including a friend who was allegedly a math whiz. Then she said I was the most talented singer in the world. I'm not, but I was not about to contradict her. Then she ranted about not being a good singer. "Pag kumanta ako, magka-crack ang world in geometric forms."

Ingredients for a Stressful Day

I took the day off to celebrate my daughter's birthday. It was a peaceful, stress-free day when I got up from bed around noon. I had a wonderful lunch with my two girls.

Then I got on the internet. I was having luck on the Easter Egg Hunt on Facebook's Fluff Friends when my laptop just stopped working. It did not respond to any command or push of any button. Not knowing what to do, I removed the battery - despite the printed warning that I might suffer from electric shock. When I got the laptop working again, I couldn't connect to the internet anymore. I called my provider's hotline then the call got cut.

Then I get a call from A that we might have problems with the venue for my daughter's party on Easter Sunday. The village where the party is to be held declared Sunday "free swimming day." So I might have to share the pool - which I thought we would be able to use exclusively - with the whole village. Then I might have to pay more than what I was initially told.

Then I get a text message that I have to give the office a photocopy of my passport. Like I said, it was my day off and had scheduled several errands for the day and because of the other concerns that came up earlier today, I had finished not one of them. Not one.

So I go to the office with my daughters. I thought my luck had turned when the basement guard allowed me to park there for a few minutes. Then the people at the office were all smiles when they saw my daughters. I also saw A and she said something can be done about the venue and I might be able to pay less than the amount agreed.

Then my girls and I drive to the mall. As we reached the top of the flyover along Edsa, I suddenly lose power. Good thing the car was going fast enough to make it over the top. Then I lose my brake. Good thing I had lost speed then and was able to bring the car to the side of the road. I used the handbrake to make the car stop.

I was not as panicked as I thought I would be in that kind of situation and was able to drive the car home. My daughters agreed to cancel our trip to the mall. No tantrums, no tears - that's how well-mannered they are. I'm just worried about Gabby who said this was an unlucky birthday for her.

I Rock!

That's what my daughter Gabby told me today over lunch. I forgot what made her think so but hearing her say, "Mommy, you rock!" made my day. I smiled, not knowing what to tell her. And Gab, thinking I didn't believe her, said, "No, mommy. Really! You rock!"

Now, how many mommies can lay claim to that?

I wonder how the "lucky girl" is described by her children and grand children.

UP's No Smoking Policy

Today was a crazy day. I learned that the whole UP system is now implementing a no-smoking policy. Most of my friends were freaked out. During our time, which wasn’t that long ago (said with touch in cheek!), students weren’t really banned from smoking in the classrooms. Students just opted not to. There was at least one student who lit a cigarette in class, only to be told by the teacher that she can smoke only if she brings her own ashtray. Which she did the next day, which wasn’t really the teacher’s point.

Anyway, what happens now to a smoker stuck inside a UP campus? Does he or she have to drive out of campus to smoke? Are there smoking areas, at least, inside the campus? What about the dormers - can they sneak a light in their rooms? Are there any cigarette vendors left in UP? Is this even fair?