That scam called Familyfirst

I was walking with a friend in SM Megamall sometime in late 2003 when unwittingly I was approached casually by a man and a woman who were in their formal uniforms asking me if I am interested in listening to a promotion and by listening I will get an umbrella (it was raining then), a bag and wall clock.

I needed to meet someone in Robinson's Place Manila (a three hour ride considering Manila's traffic scheme) by 7pm and it's already 5 so I should simply say "no". But the freaks were insistent and my friend was easily "duped" so I went along.

There did I know that it was Familyfirst, the Berkley (not Berkeley as University of California in Berkeley) International Insurance backed pre-need company registered by the Securities and Exchange Commission. I used to hear stories about the company while I was working at PhilWeb. Philweb's main office is at The Enterprise Tower and share the same building as Familyfirst. People invited who become their policyholders are treated in a different way: they are introduced to the whole crowd in the office as if to say "Mr and Miss so and so has finally made up their mind and decided to join us. Palakpakan natin sila mga kaibigan!". Funny I told myself, but never cared as I would never let myself be part of the modus operandi. Until that fateful vacation in Manila.

Inside the office are tables with curious/forcibly driven inside/hypotized people who unexpectedly find themselves sitting in a corner listening to explanations by men and women with dignified faces; notwithstanding their SM to-buy and to window-shop list in their pockets has been forgone as they will be spending their next hour or so being brainwashed by the so called agents.

There I am approached by a smiling dude who keep on asking about my family, my work and my future plans. The super honest me telling that I have a credit card (his eyes shone brightly in excitement) and I work in Hong Kong has been a problem in the past. So he started to introduce the plans they offer. OK, I said "Sorry this is not in my plan. Can I go now?" He said, "OK, just a few more minutes because I need to explain further". With my mind on the friend who must have been passed for a rendezvous, I did not understand his blabberings. Ocassionally I would hear some people on other table stand up and are applauded by the crowd. Not me, why would I if I do not know if they deserve to be? I want some recognition but I hate to be applauded in this way. So I said to myself, the more they do so the more I would hate to apply in this offer.

I have always been inactive in spending for insurance policies. My first and only policy so far was applied in 1997, a good 8 years ago. Until my interviewer-friend here in Hong Kong offered one from AIA-Philamlife which I accepted without hesitation, that Manulife plan from Ma'am Eve (my friend Lawrence's mom) was my only policy in hand.

That simple "Please take our plan / No I won't but can I go now? / Wait I have to explain further" conversation dragged deeper into the night that my watch showed it's half past 7! I reached for my phone but for some reason the signal was not available. In the end my friend had to say sorry while the traveling bag was given to me.

I would have not posted this blog if not for another friend getting duped of a hard-earned 20,000 pesos. My friend showed me the papers which was signed and that there was a feeling of hypnotism that made her sign the papers so that she could get out of that hell, er office. With a simple wink of an eye, there goes the money that was not invested but kept in their coffers in their bid to retain a good financial stature (at the expense of their non members; those who want to quit but had already signed a no-refund document).

In the office I listen to DZBB's morning programs of Arnold Clavio and Ali Sotto as well as the programs of Mike Enriquez, Joel Reyes Zobel, etc and one of the issues tackled was this scam of Familyfirst. Tulfo would curse them but he himself is helpless as the operation is authorized by SEC and therefore could only warn people to be aware of these tactics.

To end up the supposed complain by my friend, the female manager named Mary Grace was told abuloy nalang namin 'yan sa inyo... My friend's interviewer is named Laurent.

So if ever you come to Megamall's Mega A section and somebody approaches you asking about your credit or atm card with no valid reason, either 1) scamper away 2) pretend to draw a gun from your bag 3) ask for help and shout saklolo!! hinoldap ako ng naka tie! 4) act like a misguided philosopher ("Sir do you have a credit card?", "Yes I have HSBC, Citibank, Metrobank, DBS, BPI, ikaw ilan sa yo?")

Woe to you... Familyfirst.

Being a godfather

Today is Black Saturday because Jesus Christ historically died and is buried somewhere under the responsibility of a wealthy man from Jerusalem who claimed His body and laid it to rest at a tomb covered with stone. But celebrations of Easter is pretty obvious in this city that never sleeps.

I was asked to be a godfather of my officemate Suzanna's two kids. It's an honor to be one. I have had my first inaanak also here in Hong Kong (Roy's son Raphael) as well as a couple of little boys in Davao. I had a few baptismal godfathers (ninong Rudy, ninong Tony) and a godmother (ninang Nida) whom I used to exchange letters while she was working in Malaysia and eventually met her on my 2002 vacation in Davao. My godfather Rudy is someone I looked forward to meet last Christmas but I learned he was out of town. He used to be a barber and I had my discounted haircuts during college. I heard a bad news about ninong Tony that I could only remember him in one of photos taken when I was about three. I have a confirmation godfather too. As with Filipino custom defining the role of godfather as a guide to spiritual growth is lesser known than being someone who will give gifts on Christmas. There is a widespread tale that godfathers try to evade their godsons who seek Christmas pleasures in the form of toys, food treats or even cash with the prodding of their proud parents.

On the eve of Easter Sunday there is a Mass which also include the baptism of new members of the Catholic community. In my high school days I often see older people baptized probably renewing their faith or as a convert from another faith. Children normally get baptized within six months of birth in the Philippines.

When Suzanna invited me, she said it was based on certain "qualifications" that I exemplified in the office. Apart from her and me, I only know two others who are probably not attending the Mass every Sunday. Suzanna, a Malaysian Chinese, also confessed the same and felt guilty about it.

The church where I attended was in Saint Anthony's in Pokfulam Road, just across the Hong Kong University. The Mass will be in Cantonese so both Suzanna and her husband David are worried I would get bored. But with the well-prepared church staff such as the ten or so altar guides, a wonderful chorale group as well as ushers and usherettes I got amazed. The masterful playing of violin reminded me of someone. In a typical Mass in Hong Kong served by Filipino communities the number is less than half. In short this is something I would love to see in a Hong Kong (Chinese) Catholic community.

I guess there were about fifty children and adults including David and the kids Eugene (2 1/2 yrs old) and Ernest (13 months). While the Mass was on going I could only try recalling what was the corresponding English portion of one part. I also found myself trying to read Chinese characters (I think I can read 21 characters, Simplified or Traditional Chinese). I wish I know how to speak or at least catch up with some words because I also wanted to laugh by the time the crowd responds to what the priest shares.

I thought the baptism process was done smoothly despite an ocassional onslaught of photographers wanting to click on their favorite subjects. I have to be cautious of what to do especially when I carried Eugene on the altar because the altar boys and the priest gestured to me in Cantonese and I have no way of arguing or asking them what to do to ensure Eugene's head is properly tilted so as not to soak his face with the Holy Water.

I feel a little sens of being a father as I carried Ernest on our way out of the church. It is in the feeling that I always stare on the child and make sure that he is safe walking in the aisle, not hurting the other kids on his side nor burn the candle droppings catch when he mishandles it. I did not mind if someone told me "m sai" (implying that I need not go in front as the child can manage on his own despite my belief of otherwise).



The rites ended with a good walk with the children, their nanny/photographer as well as their proud and grateful parents, on my way to the bus stop. As I boarded the bus on my way home a lot of things ran around my mind. It was a quite trip home, passing through Cyberport, Wah Fu, Chi Fu, Wah Kwai and Aberdeen. I also expect to be a quiet home as my housemates are still on vacation. I love the feeling. Thank God for this day I became steward of two more children.

My Holy Week

Today is Holy Thursday and I ought to be fasting. Yes I am feeling better but still too cautious about going out for the rains may come anytime. I just missed being one of the "apostles" on Our Lady of Mt Carmel's church. I was asked to be one by Annie, a fellow Davaoeno, who serves that church. But I got colds and cough the past few days. The weather hasn't been cooperative, and so is the usual routine at the office.

I had little choice but to pledge for next year's activity. I am lucky to be able to work and even stay late in the office today. I had a terrible experience at home last night and I think I'd prefer to stay home late than to go home.

No immediate plans for the four-day break except to take some rest. I wish I could delay my sickness but I cannot. Who would wish he would get sick anyway. Thankfully after five types of pill and an expectorant which tasted like those cough syrups I hate as a kid.

When I was in high school Holy Thursdays were spent at our church where I and my fellow KOTAS (Knights of the Altar Society) members -- the so called sacristans or altar boys -- would be spending the night at the Seminar House preparing for the procession early the next day. After having dinner, we would play around and tell horror stories that were fabricated or crossing the bounds of being too realistic (Many souls are left behind in the church after Requiem Mass. They are usually sensed with the ocassional gust of cold wind, sounds of piano playing, footsteps at the altar and so on.) There is a special bonding between us that as kids who were trying to set an identity to ourselves.

During processions, I would either carry the crucifix, while Rene or Jergen would don the candles, Dalton will have the incense and Joseph with the insence boat. Depending on the route, we would be tracking towards BRC via Relocation, Catalunan Pequeno, Maligaya Village and after a couple of hours we reach the destination of the Via Crucis with the devotees around town. It is not unusual to find somebody faint along the way. After that we found ourselves riding the priest's car on our way back to church, have some breakfast then head home and get the right sleep.

Fridays are very quiet. There was never a day I failed to listen to the radio and on this day almost everyone is off the air. Though it was only going to last for a day, I feel uneasy and can't wait for Easter Sunday so I could play my recorded tapes aloud. Fridays are meant for fasting and abstinence so we usually don't care to cook. Maybe porridge or dried fish. I guess I spent it playing Super Trump with Erwin. Or maybe hooked whole day to the television watching the forerunners of "The Passion of the Christ". We get used to the stories but we still watch it. After all, we can't play outside or too old maybe to play our baby toys.

There were tales I hear about Good Friday. They say that demons will appear because Jesus died, some would say that when you get injured it will never heal, while others say that you should not take a bath on this day.

The last time I had this experience was in 2000 when I was on my last months at UIC. In the succeeding years I was already in Hong Kong and life is different when you talk about Holy Week. It's not called a Holy Week vacation but Easter vacation because non-working days fall on Good Friday and Easter Monday. So here I am on a Holy Thursday working, while Jesus was at the Last Supper. Shops are open and there is not much fuss about commemorating an important day. Many Hong Kong people are non-believers. As far as I know we're only two in the office who are Catholics (I will be the godfather of her kid this Saturday) and my boss admitted he was a Catholic. So there you go.

While Hong Kong have lots of people who don't believe in God nor practice their faith, this place is also blessed with good hearted individuals. While many Filipinos would say Hong Kong people are identified with rude manners, I would beg to differ. They run a metropolitan city unscathed with corruption and scandals. There is order and respect for law. Yes this place is a real hell to poor and heaven to the rich and famous. Yet this is a place of opportunity, where hard work pays and is given due recognition (at least monetarily). It is a known fact that Hong Kong people are hardworking, attested by the people around me at this time (including one pregnant colleague) at 9.56PM.

OK, this is going to lead you nowhere. Sorry for keeping this blog relatively long.

Have a blessed Holy Week everyone...

Hajimemashite

What an eventful weekend here in Hong Kong. While I am limping with colds on the northern part of the island the alternative band R.E.M whisks its way through the crowd at Wan Chai Convention Centre. On the East has the gweilos going gaga over the Hong Kong Sevens held at Hong Kong Stadium. Fiji won over New Zealand with legendary Waisale Serevi at helm. The weather is still breezy which in my belief would not help in curing my ailment.

With my apparent disinterest in watching the band whose name earned my Hong Kong nickname, I was asked what band will draw interest in me. With the minimum cost of the REM ticket pegged at 388 HK dollars, it could already buy me a Sarah McLachlan DVD, Linkin Park / JayZ combo and REM's Monster album. I spent at HMV in Central and Causeway Bay listening to their albums. So when asked and if I get the chance I would like to watch the Cranberries, Third Eye Blind, Matchbox20 and Jars of Clay. Too bad Dimebag is dead and Toad the Wet Sprocket disbanded.

I have been reviving my craving for Japanese language. It's no secret I wanted to learn the language because of my strong affinity to Japan from my high school scholarship benefactors, earlier attempt to learn Nipponggo to my four Japanese pen pals during college. I like wasabi, sushi and ramen. I wanted to listen to Japanese conversations much more than Cantonese. I liked listening to Ayumi Hamasaki, Matsu Takako, Smap and Hikaru Utada. Too bad I never got a chance to come there though the closest was the shelved plan to visit my ex flatmate Jun along with Dodo and Karen. Good thing I bought a booklet on Japanese from Lonely Planet and after several months of hibernation, it got its commission duty.

Another good thing about it is that my officemate Ginny is a good Japanese speaker, having taught there for two years. I bring the booklet in the office and if we have lunch I try to communicate in Japanese. Quite awkward but it's worth trying. After all, even if the learning pace is much slower than talking to a non-English speaking Japanese acquaintance, we have a common ground to explain things. I have wanted to meet a Japanese friend here but I had no luck. Good thing my officemate is there.

A thought this Passion Sunday

I am struggling these past few days with colds. Maybe because during the colder days in the past week, I am unable to protect myself as I should. So as the temperature approaches 20C, my body has finally taken its toll.

Anyway after I went to the Hong Kong Central library, I took bus number 10 to Wanchai's Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church. On my way from Causeway Bay, I could see flocks of crowd dominated by Caucasians in casual summer attire, distinctively in the mood for the Hong Kong Sevens around the Hong Kong Stadium nearby. I also saw the team bus of the Russia on its way to the stadium. The traffic was fairly bad, nonetheles I got to the Church with ferns distributed at the lobby and I am two minutes ahead of the actual rites.

Inside the Church I chose to sit at the back instead of the middle rows in precaution of my ailment. Usual celebrities found in the church were there (the former Darna and Star TV anchor) and the Mass had its usual longer version of the Gospel where the entire duration of the Paschal Mystery is re enacted.

As I listen to re enactment I feel as if I need to castigate people in Jerusalem that in a span of less than a week, fresh from welcoming Jesus Christ at Palm Sunday, they immediately changed their minds and demanded His death. What could have driven them to change their minds? A faithful apostle like Peter could deny a master three times even though he would vehemently deny this when asked in the Last Supper. We can say w e won't be like Peter if we were in the situation. Jesus asks the apostles to sit while He was praying, yet after an hour they were found asleep. Judas Iscariot whose 30 pieces of silver was enough to sell his master to arresting Pharisees despite vowing not to lose faith the night before. As Christians, we can sometimes think that the behavior of the Jerusalem people are like us too. Every year we hear the same re enactment. But it was meant to be that way because we are reminded that just like the people at those times, we are also prone to betray the Lord in our modern way. Call it an excuse but we deny the Lord the way as Peter did, maybe a little differently. We sell the Lord like Judas did or doubt Him like Thomas did. We are like the Jerusalem people that we would chose to do things over what God wants us to do the same way as they chose to free Barrabas and have Jesus Christ crucified on the cross.

The ever outragious Nigerian scam (OK, Senegalese)

How dare this creature blaspheme just to siphone dollars from the rich and the gullible.

DEAREST IN THE LORD

Please endeavour to use this for the children of God.I am mrs.mary Kamase ko.From Senegal.My husband Rowland kamaseko,worked with the Senegalese embassy in South Africa for nine years before he died in the year 2002.We were married for 11years with out a child. He died after abrief illness that lasted for only four days.Before his death we were both born again christain.

Since his death I decided not to re-marry or have a child out side my materimonial home which the bible is against.When my late husband was alive he deposit ed the sum of $10.5m million , with a financial institution in Europe Presently this money is still with the financial institution.Recently,my doctor told me that I would not last due to cancer problem.

Though what disturbs me most is my stroke.Having known my condition,I decided to donate this fund to church or better still a christain individual that will utilise this money the way I am going to instruct here in.I want a church or individual that will use this to fund churches,orphanges and widows propagating the word of God and to ensure that the house of God is well maintained.

The bible made us to understand that blessed is the hand that giveth.I took this decision because I don't have any child that will inherit this money and my husband's relatives are not christains and I dont want my husband's hard earned money to be misused by unbelievers.I dont want a situation where this money will be used in an ungodly manner,hence the reason for taking this bold decision.I am not afraid of death because I know where I am going.I know that I am going to be in the bossom of the Lord.Exodus 14:14 says that the Lord will fight my case and I shall hold
my peace.

I don't need any telephone communication in this regard because of my health and because of the presence of my husband's relative's around me always.I don't want them to know about this Development.With God all things are possible nand as soon as I receive your reply,I shall give you the contact of the financial institution in Europe.

I will also issue you a letter of authority that will empower you as the original beneficiary of this fund.I want you and the church to always pray for me because the Lord is my shepherd.My happiness is that I lived a life of a worthy christain.Whoever that wants to serve must serve in spirit and in truth.

Please always be prayerful all through your life. Any delay in your reply will give me room in sourcing for a church or christain individual for this purpose.Please assure me that you will act accordingly as I stated here in.Hoping to hear from you soon.

Remain blessed in the name of the Lord.

Yours In Christ,try to reply with my alternative

e-mail address: maryseko1@yahoo.fr

MRS. MARY KAMASEKO

Hail the New Chief?

Hong Kong will have a new Chief Executive after its first handover leader steps down. Donald Tsang will assume as Hong Kong's acting Chief Executive after the unpopular Tung Chee Hwa tendered his resignation citing health reasons.

While I think Tung Chee Hwa may be constantly stressed out by repeated appeals for his resignation amid poor performance by his cabinet members: the Lexus fiasco of former Finance Secretary Antony Leung; Secretary for Security Regina Ip's unpopular stance on Article 23 which aims to curb press freedom in the name of security; and Secretary for Health Yeoh Eng Kiong's poor handling of the SARS epidemic in 2003. While the three mentioned officials left, Tung remained until his recent announcement. Tsang's brother who served as the head of the police force recently retired.

Tsang is a devout Catholic whose congregation is led by outspoken Bishop Joseph Zen. (St Joseph Church, which is close to the Government Offices is where Tsang hears Mass. It's where I also go to Mass especially during my early years here; the politician I often see there was former Democratic leader Martin Lee.) While they share the same faith, Zen refuses to guarantee good governance based on that context, hhich I believe many would agree. Tsang inherits various items from the Tung administration which many Hong Kong people don't seem to agree.

Based on earnings, Tsang will have to give up about HK$50,000 ($USD1=$HK7.8) monthly salary in the new position. He used to earn close to HK$300,000 a month. I used to wonder about this but I now think this was based historically.

With the economy picking up, the administration of Donald Tsang doesn't have much pressure than the entire term of Tung which spanned close to eight years, with the economic plunge, avian flu and SARS crisis.

Tsang, whose career government roles have gained praises from the West, may not hold the position that long. It has been announced that July 10 is the election of Hong Kong's new Chief Executive. Let's see how it goes.

SEA Games adrift

It is will be the Philippines' turn to host the Southeast Asian Games this December after a long absence in doing so. The last time we did was in 1991 when Cory Aquino was still the President. I remember I was in High School then. I kept a copy of Sports Magazine, along with its 1981 issue -- also hosted by Manila -- kept in the closet by my aunt featuring a brawl of the Philippine and Malaysian basketball teams. In 1991 the Philippines was in high spirits by capturing 91 golds, just one short of Indonesia's 92. It was Herman Suizo whose gold medal exploits won the 91st and tied the count, but Indonesia won the women's event to end the Games in the most closely contested medal tally ever.

Despite its runnerup honors, the Philippines bounced back with vengeance after finishing fourth in the 1989 Games held in Kuala Lumpur after Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia; it's also the last year the Philippine basketball team failed to win the gold by losing to Malaysia.

Lydia de Vega and Eric Buhain were the top heroes and the country is again on the ground after the heels of Mount Pinatubo disaster that scourged not only the country but also its neighbors. That was one of the most memorable sports events I would like to talk about apart from Onyok Velasco's and Arianne Cerdena's gold medal in Seoul Olympics in 1988.

But after those years, the Philippines seemed to slide in the standings and content only to finish behind Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia. Worse, tiny Singapore and vastly improved Vietnam caught up and are certain competition for that fourth spot. Poor Pinoy athlete: shabbily uniformed (look at those poorly chosen colors and oversized outfits), under trained (at the old Rizal Memorial), poorly sheltered (age old mattresses at their quarters), poorly paid (ask them how much is their allowance). All because of greed and corruption in the institution that a low budgeted agency like the Philippine Sports Commission is not spared by bureaucrats and their wives who prefer to be treated in high end hotels leaving out our campaigners abroad in the dark (ask Juvic Pagunsan on this). After Aparecio Mequi, I thought the leadership was in shambles until Buhain partially restored the pride of a Filipino athlete. But he too had no prior experience in managing a large sports body with bickering associations. He was an athlete who knew how it felt to be in a competition. Yet, presidential appointees who are in the post do not seem to know what they are doing and continue to press for reforms without any action.

Peping Cojuangco is a questionable person who won the leadership only because he had lots of allies and not because of his track record. These type of people should not be allowed to embarrass the country in its efforts to host the Games after 14 years. Once politician, always a politician. Look at Smart's withdrawal of funding. No website about the Games is online as of this writing. Let's see what the First Gentleman can do to save the face of the country.

A Decade of Yahoo!

Top search engines have a few striking similarities. Yahoo! and Google have double "o" trademarks (something Google playfully resemble to a wobbling eyeball) and are both founded by doctorate students of Stanford. But since Yahoo! came into the scene first and is now celebrating its first decade in the business, this piece of blog is devoted to them.

It's been ten years since Yahoo! roamed the Cyberspace with its trademark capital Y that has evolved from a search engine whose name stands for Yet Another Hierarchical Officious Oracle but later claimed that the name was chosen because "it is rude and unsophisticated" and thereby a new paradigm in online communications.

Founded by American David Filo and Taiwanese Jerry Yang, Yahoo! was an effort to address those "online yellow pages" concerns. The business emerged first as a solution to a problem by the then cyberspace navigators who could not find a one-stop resource for various directories of links on the web. The response from the local community was overwhelming and the founders realized they have a business potential in their hands.

After talking to capitalists, they were able to secure investment from Sequoia Capital whose other ventures included Apple Computer and Oracle. As a startup business they hired a fellow Stanford alumnus and ex-Motorola guy Tim Koogle. A second phase of funding enabled them to kickstart the business and launched the much-hyped IPO in late 1995 while having 49 employees. While continuously addressing the first requests of peers on "online yellow pages", Yahoo! thought it should not be limited in providing search results and classified directories. With money in their hands and wanting to attract more people to know the brand and eventually become their future customers, Yahoo! purchased Geocities in a way to attract web users to set up their own free homepage on the Net.

(I remember the old-fashioned Geocities neighborhood wherein you are going to choose an address from an array of blocks and areas such as Athens and Area51; mine was Yosemite/4986).

Yahoo! also acquired Rocketmail.com as a free e-mail service in its effort to position itself against competitor Hotmail which was bought by Microsoft at the time. Other services bought by Yahoo across the years were Hotjobs.com, Overture (formerly Goto), Webring and Broadcast.com. As a result, Yahoo! became poised to call itself a portal, meaning that online visitors can use various services offered by Yahoo! through its acquisitions: read news, build websites, post message at e-groups, search the web, stocks and weather, among others. Among these, Yahoo! e-mail and Instant Messenger were the runaway leaders used by a typical web surfer.

By providing such services to online viewers, Yahoo! also reached out to companies who want to attract attention by posting banner ads on certain web pages for a fee.

Intially, Yahoo! offers free listing of webpages on designated directories but as the submissions became huge, Yahoo! offered an alternative for express listing without having to wait for several weeks for a listing to appear. Yahoo! charges an annual fee of $299 for a website to be listed in its directories. Soon the constant battle to win attention evolved from banner ads to search result related links. With its acquisition of Overture, Yahoo! is in a position to offer paid listings where sponsors can see their links appear on top of every search engine results on certain keywords related to their products.

After the dotcom bust, emergence of Google and other challenges in the online world such as hacking, fraud and spam issues, Yahoo! is happy to celebrate its 10 years of stay on the web.

President for Life

One quick question, what country is ruled by one weird man? North Korea? Yes I expected that but try again. Libya? Hmm nice one. Cuba? Ditto. The answer I wanted you to speak up is Turkmenistan. Huh? You're frowning and ask is there such country that seems to be a fusion of Turkey and Afghanistan. It is one of the former Soviet republics annexed towards the early 1920s and gained its independence in 1991 when Soviet Union crumbled. Unlike many nations fighting for independence, Turkmen would have second thoughts of gaining freedom as standards of living declined steeply after the Russians crossed the border. And the culprit is the self-proclaimed Turkmenbashi or Father of Turkmen, Saparmurat Niyazov who elected himself as President for life in 1985.

Going back to the question, why is he weird when the previous paragraph apparently depicts him in the same rank as Joseph Stalin or Adolf Hitler and to lesser extent his distant relative, er, North Korean President Kim Jong Il. He is praised by his countrymen as the savior and will provide them with better lives despite a hungry majority, unable or unwilling to express their dissent.

The reasons for calling him weird is enumerated as follows:

1. He is an author of a book called Rukhnama which contains many of his quotes, some of which are kinda weird for the conventional wisdom. Other books include 'May The Turkmen People be Blessed' and 'The Five Centuries of Turkmen Spirituality'. It is a compulsory reading for schoolchildren and adults must read it on Saturdays.
   
2. He ordered the closure of all hospitals in the country except those in the capital city of Ashgabat. "Why do we need such hospitals?" he said. "If people are ill, they can come to Ashgabat." Last year he sacked 15,000 health workers.
   
3. He ordered the closure of the country's rural libraries saying that village Turkmen people cannot read anyway.
   
4. He glorified himself by building a huge mosque complex by a French company Bouygues worth $100 million.
   
5. He forbid men from keeping long hair or beards. It should not be uncommon in Turkmenistan, a Muslim country to wear such features.
   
6. He ordered the construction of an ice palace in the heart of his country, among the hottest spots in Asia. "Let us build a palace of ice," said President Niyazov, "big and grand enough for 1,000 people." "Our children can learn to ski," Mr Niyazov eagerly explained, "we can build cafes there, and restaurants."
   
7. If cows are sacred in India, Turkmenistan reveres melon. "This godsend has a glorious history that goes back centuries," it said, adding that its advantages were the product of Turkmenistan's "blazing sun, mild weather, productive land and tasty water, as well as peasants' kindness". Enough said.
   
8. In a more sane statement, he disallowed smoking in the country. He himself once was a smoker but has quit since he underwent surgery.
   
9. Avoid wearing golden teeth. "I watched young dogs when I was young. They were given bones to gnaw," he told the audience at Tuesday's ceremony. "Those of you whose teeth have fallen out did not gnaw on bones. This is my advice," he said, according the Interfax news agency.
   
10. He redefined youth age. Childhood ends at age 12. Adolescence ends at 25. Youth ends at 37.
    
11. He replaced the month January with the name Turkmenbashi while the rest will be named after Turkmen poets and writers.
    
12. He legalized polygamy as a Muslim country which used to be ran by the Soviet Union.
    

Pinoy Guinness

Just when you think Filipinos can't excel in many fields (we never have any world record in sports, though Paeng Nepomuceno is certified to be the best bowler of all time!), not so fast buddy. The Philippines and the Filipino people have something to be proud of, courtesy of Guinness Book of World Records.

Largest Aerobics Class
The largest aerobics display involved 48,188 participants at the Quirino Grandstand, Luneta Park, Manila, Philippines on February 16, 2003.

Most Couples Kissing Simultaneously
A total of 5,327 couples kissed simultaneously for 10 seconds on February 14, 2004, as part of the Close-up Lovapalooza festival in Manila, Philippines. The kissing began at the strike of midnight to celebrate Valentine's Day, led by the Manila Mayor Lito Atienza and his wife Evelina.

The 30,000-strong crowd that gathered for the "kiss fest" occupied a two kilometre stretch of Roxas Boulevard, causing serious traffic jams for a couple of hours. After the romantic fireworks, the record breakers celebrated with an actual fireworks display.

The count was conducted by marshals from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines.

Longest Snake
The reticulated python (Python reticulates) of southeast Asia, Indonesia, and the Philippines regularly exceeds 6.25 m (20 ft 6 in). The record length is 10 m (32 ft 9.5 in), for a specimen shot in Celebes, Indonesia, in 1912.

Smallest Freshwater Fish
The smallest freshwater fish is the pygmy goby (Pandaka pygmaea), a colorless and nearly see-through species which swims in the streams of Luzon in the Philippines. Males are 7.5 - 9.9-mm (0.28 - 0.38-in) long and weigh 4 - 5 mg (0.00014 - 0.00018 oz).
Shortest Adult Actor In A Leading Role
Filipino paratrooper and black-belt martial arts exponent Weng Wang, who starred in Agent 00 (Phil 1981) and For Your Height Only (Phil 1979), measures just 83 cm (2 ft 9 in) tall. Wang performs all his own stunts.

Most Widespread Computer Virus
Unlike previous headline-grabbing bugs, the "I Love You" virus was able to forward itself to every entry in a computer's address book. It was able to write itself over existing files, and to send valuable information - such as passwords - to its home site in the Philippines. Six months after it hit, more than 50 variants of the virus were still circling the globe.

Largest Shoes
There was an old lady who lived in a shoe… and this super size-753 brogue would make a good home for her and her many children. Filipino shoemaker Marikina Colosan Foot-wear needed over 244 m (800 ft) of leather (from about 30 cows!), 50 buckets of glue, 1 km (0.6 miles) of thread and 200,00 stitches to complete the world’s largest pair of shoes. The fab footwear is the equivalent of 250 normal shoes, and can fit at least 30 people inside – or one person measuring about 40 m (125 ft) tall!