Guitaramhine

This morning nagising akong sobrang lungkot. Sobrang namiss ko ang gitara ko. hay! Nibenta ko lang naman sya kasi wala na akong work at mahihirapan akong iuwi yun. Nevermind, this time may new work na ako, I can buy a new one. Even a Yamaha. Joke! But of course not this brand. Gusto ko lang naman eh magkamot ng daliri.

Part na ng mawawala sa buhay ng isang OFW sa abroad eh ang pagigigng updated sa OPM music scene or ang pag-attend ng gig or live concert. So minsan malaking tulong ang gitara. Simpleng kaskas at kanta kapag nalulungkot. Or minsan maghabi ng sariling song at kantahin. well, it doesn't matter kung maganda or hindi. Madalas kasi sa isip mo lang naisulat, ginawan ng himig at sinabayan ng pagkaskas ng gitara. Ayus na! Bumabalik lang yung memories ng pagbabanda-banda. Simpleng kaligayahan lang di ba. Limot na ang problema.

So sana magkaroon pa ako ng maraming time. Parating na ang pasko at Chinese New year, mahabang holiday at relax atmosphere. Pero kaakibat nito syempre ay ang lungkot kasi malayo ako sa pinas. Siguro panahon na ulit para bumili ng bagong gitara. Bumili na ng gamot habang maaga.

Gitara=Gamot

Senseless

Finally! after a very long time. I here again to post
something that I hope makes sense. Its been a while I
have been occupied by books,sports, tv, movies,videos
and just plain thinking & dreaming. I have been so lazy
these past few months and i am lost for what to think,
what to do and what to say. all i know is I have to, but
cannot find a reason why.

Anyway, moving forward.. Im about to go back to Manila
to have a 1 week vacation. I'm excited but for sure that
will be fast, and most of the my time will be spent at
home watching tV. hehehe... So I dont plan too much. And
for sure I will visit my favorate malls. That is just
7days, so this will be very fast. I Have to talk to
someone about future plans and aging problems. And will
spend the night thingking...

You might ask "what?"

I would say ".....a lot of things".

Hehehe.. you know me. Most of the time I want to spend
with my family. But since Im working here without them,
I'd rather spend it alone with myself. I dont want to
waste time together with some "ala intelehente" buddy
who just keep on talking senseless things based on their
senseless opinions. I'd rather talked or read with
constructive opinions. Rather than a baseless side
comments.Hehehe..

Did you notice that alot of people around you looks very
intelligent in making side comments...
Where actually they didn't know where they based their
comments.Or without even knowing the whole story. And
just coming up with a verdict.
But actually they are just playing to be smart. Look on
where they are.. their life?

Sometimes we need to see first ourselves, before we talk
about the others. Who we are to judge?

Arrrrghhh.. Im sick & tired.

Henry Sy Story

I have this in my e-mail for some time now and I thought of sharing it here.

******

A very inspiring story......

I found this in Tsinoy.com and thought of sharing it (for whatever it is worth). I thought that this piece may inspire you. Please pay attention to the last paragraphs. More than hard work, I think it is his belief in the individual's unlimited capacity to do things and his belief in God's goodness and generosity that propelled him to where he is now - plus of course - good work ethics.

BTW, Henry Sy made it to the Forbes list of billionaires.

I trust you'll enjoy this.

=================

On January 4, 2000, Henry Sy Sr. was given the "Management Man Of The Year 1999" Award. This is the speech he delivered on that occasion.

The Mall of Asia: The Greatest Project of My Life
By Henry Sy, Sr.

I sincerely thank the Management Association of the Philippines for this great honor. Friends know that I am not the honors and awards type of person. My personal style leans toward working, not speaking. In fact, speaking before you is more difficult than building a shopping mall.

What do I tell you, CEOs who are my peers? I will not talk about the future. Your forecast is as good as mine. I will tell you instead a little about my life and work.

For now, I still get my satisfaction from working in the malls and watching people shop and have fun in a clean, safe and exciting environment.

One newspaper said the SM shopping malls were the 1st to treat the working man the same way as his boss. Why not, their money looks exactly the same.

But the day will come when I will look at this MAP award and remember the work it honors and the kindness you have shown me today.

Early in life I learned from my parents, especially my father, the importance of discipline, hard work, and good credit. My father was a trader in China. Looking for better opportunities, he came to this country and opened a sari-sari store. At the age of 12, I followed him to Manila.

Fresh off a boat from China, I arrived at my father's store and saw his humble surroundings. I said to myself, "This world is not enough. It is just not good enough. I must build it bigger and better."

At that age, I started grade 1 again together with much smaller classmates. I asked my teachers if I could be promoted faster. My teachers agreed on the condition I scored over 90. Encouraged by them, I studied hard and always tried harder. I finished grade school in 5 years.

After Liberation, I started doing business in Carriedo. I bought shoes by job lots from American shoe importers and sold them retail. The Americans trusted me with their merchandise even if I had nothing to back me up because I always paid on time.

When I enrolled again, it was for college at Far Eastern University where I passed the qualifying exam. I took up Commerce, but I had to leave school after 2 years because of my growing business.

To improve myself further, I joined Jaycees and other organizations. It was in Jaycees where I first met many young promising business people and professionals.

My move to Makati was due to a Shoemart customer, who was a persistent real estate agent. She sold me one of the first lots in North Forbes. I moved my family there. As a result, I traveled daily between home and downtown. I saw the development of Makati from the time there was just 1 building along Ayala Avenue. I saw the potentials of the place and made my investments. When I opened my first store in Makati, my shoe suppliers, mostly from Marikina, and fellow shoe store owners from downtown Manila came to congratulate me. But some guests said behind my back, "Malulugi si Henry dito." {Henry Sy wouldn't gain from that business venture}

But I knew better, because I was traveling many times in the '50s and the 60's to Asia, the US and Europe. Travel at that time was not easy. Flying to New York took almost 40 hours with 6 stopovers. My traveling also made up for what I had missed in school.

While I was on my buying trips, I observed the merchandising trends, and in 10 years I saw the shopping center development across the US from east to west coast. I knew this could happen in the Philippines. So I thought of expanding beyond Makati.

I started with shoes, and with hard work and self-discipline, the business prospered. I moved on to the department store business, and again, things went well.

When I reached my goal, I moved on to the shopping mall. With the SM shopping malls, people tell me I changed Philippine lifestyle. Families and friends spend time together in the malls. They shop, dine, and have fun, whatever age they are and whatever budget they have. I thought SM City - North EDSA was big enough. I was wrong. So I had to make SM Megamall. But even Megamall is no longer big enough. So, I have to create something even better. It sounds easy, but these projects require good concepts, funds, time, hard work, discipline, and attention to details. I am hands on and personalized in my management style. I do not do things on impulse. I think long and hard for every project.

While I am not big with words, I am big and bold with my dreams and vision. By nature, I am curious and adventurous. I like the excitement of change and new and better ideas. I look for excellence in performance.

My basic strategy is to stick to my core business and to my area of expertise. My business is all related: retail, tourism and entertainment, shopping centers, real estate, and banking. Together they create synergy. In good times, I do my usual work. But in bad times, I work harder. Right after Martial Law in 1972, there was heavy capital flight. I decided to build Shoemart in Makati. After the Aquino assassination in 1983, there was a severe economic crisis. I started SM City, North EDSA.

During the coup attempts against the President from 1987 to 1989, I started to build Megamall. And now, in the middle of the Asian crisis, I am embarking on the greatest project of my life: the Mall of Asia. In life and in business, you need to be goodhearted and trustworthy. This is the way to build long term relationships. You have to have a dream, whether big or small. Then plan well, prepare your funds, work hard, and be very determined to achieve your goals. Another important thing is balance in life. When you succeed, do not change your lifestyle. Equally important, keep your feet on the ground.

As I move on in life and work on more dreams, I have realized something: there is no limit to what we can do. God is good and generous with His gifts to us. He gives us many opportunities and equal time everyday. It is for us to make full use of them.

In closing, I want to thank everyone who has helped the SM group through the years. I thank my family, my 6 children who are my teammates – and friends - in the office and at home, and most especially my wife of 50 years, Molly, who is my lifetime companion, treasurer, adviser and best friend.

Lastly, I thank God for the wonderful gift of life and the chance for me to experience it fully. I will see you all at the Mall of Asia.

Thank you very much.

History of Singapore

Hey, I've been working for almoste 3 years here in Singapore. Somehow..i love this island because of its peacefullness, no pollution, and efficient transportation and its very near to Manila. But what was the life before here in Singapore?

This is a summarized history till 2009

Written accounts of the early history of Singapore are sketchy and the names used to refer to the country are varied.

Early Names
A Chinese account of the third century refers to Singapore as Puluozhong, translating the Malay words Pulau Ujong, ie. "island at the end" of the peninsula.

The Javanese Nagarakretagama1 of 1365 identified a settlement called Temasek, ie. "Water Town", on Singapore island. A Chinese trader Wang Dayuan, who visited Singapore around 1330 referred to this settlement as Danmaxi, in reporting that there were also some Chinese found on the island.

The Sejarah Melayu or Malay Annals has the most colourful and vivid account of how Singapore got its present name. As the story goes, Sang Nila Utama (or Sri Tri Buana as he was more popularly known), ruler of Palembang (in present day Indonesia), landed at Temasek one day while seeking shelter from a storm. Sighting an animal he took to be a lion, he decided to establish a settlement which he named Singapura, i.e. "Lion City". The island became commonly known as Singapura by the end of the 14th century.

Early History
During the 14th century, Singapore was caught in the struggles between Siam (now Thailand) and the Java-based Majapahit Empire for control over the Malay Peninsula.

According to the Sejarah Melayu, Singapore was defeated in one Majapahit attack. Later, a prince of Palembang, Iskandar Shah, also known as Parameswara, killed the local chieftain and installed himself as the island's new ruler. But shortly after, he was driven out, either by the Siamese or by the Javanese forces of the Majapahit Empire. He fled north to Muar in the Malay Peninsula, where he founded the Malacca Sultanate. Singapore remained an important part of the Malacca Sultanate; it was the fief of the admirals (laksamanas), including the famous Hang Tuah.

By the early 19th century2, Singapore was under the rule of the Sultan of Johor, who was based in the Riau-Lingga archipelago. One of his senior ministers, the Temenggong, administered Johor and Singapura.

When the British East India Company founded their settlement in early 1819, through an agreement with Sultan Hussein Shah and the Temenggong, Singapore had around 1,000 indigenous inhabitants, consisting of Malays as well as the orang laut, i.e. sea nomads. These people were clustered around the Singapore River, Kallang River, Telok Blangah, and along the Johor Straits3. There were also some Chinese traders and gambier planters in the interior.

Founding of Modern Singapore
The British, who were extending their dominion in India, and whose trade with China in the second half of the 18th century was expanding, saw the need for a port of call in this region to refit, revitalise and protect their merchant fleet , as well as to forestall any advance by the Dutch in the East Indies. As a result, they established trading posts in Penang (1786) and Singapore (1819), and captured Malacca from the Dutch (1795).

In late 1818, Lord Hastings, Governor-General of India, gave tacit approval to Sir Stamford Raffles, Lieutenant-Governor of Bencoolen, to establish a trading station at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula. On 29 January 1819, Raffles landed on the island of Singapore after having surveyed other nearby islands. The next day, he concluded a preliminary treaty with Temenggong Abdu'r Rahman to set up a trading post here. On 6 February 1819, a formal treaty was concluded with Sultan Hussein of Johor and the Temenggong, the de jure and de facto rulers of Singapore respectively.

Singapore proved to be a prized settlement. By 1820, it was earning revenue, and three years later, its trade surpassed that of Penang. In 1824, Singapore's status as a British possession was formalised by two new treaties. The first was the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of March 1824, by which the Dutch withdrew all objections to the British occupation of Singapore. The second treaty was made with Sultan Hussein and Temenggong Abdu'r Rahman in August, by which the two owners ceded the island outright to the British in return for increased cash payments and pensions.

The Straits Settlements
Singapore, together with Malacca and Penang, the two British settlements in the Malay Peninsula, became the Straits Settlements in 1826, under the control of British India.By 1832, Singapore had become the centre of government for the three areas. On 1April 1867, the Straits Settlements became a Crown Colony under the jurisdiction ofthe Colonial Office in London.

With the advent of the steamship in the mid-1860s and the opening of the Suez Canalin 1869, Singapore became a major port of call for ships plying between Europe and East Asia. And with the development of rubber planting, especially after the 1870s, it also became the main sorting and export centre in the world for rubber.

Before the close of the 19th century, Singapore was experiencing unprecedented prosperity and trade expanded eightfold between 1873 and 1913. The prosperity attracted immigrants from areas around the region. By 1860, the population had grown to 80,792. The Chinese accounted for 61.9 per cent of the number; the Malays and Indians 13.5 and 16.05 per cent respectively; and others, including the Europeans, 8.5per cent.

The peace and prosperity ended when Japanese aircraft bombed the sleeping city in the early hours of 8 December 1941. Singapore fell to the Japanese on 15 February1942, and was renamed Syonan (Light of the South). It remained under Japanese occupation for three-and-a-half years.

Towards Self-government
The British forces returned in September 1945 and Singapore came under the British Military Administration. When the period of military administration ended in March 1946, the Straits Settlements was dissolved. On 1 April 1946, Singapore became a Crown Colony. Penang and Malacca became part of the Malayan Union in 1946, and later the Federation of Malaya in 1948.

Postwar Singapore was a contrast to the prewar country of transient immigrants. The people, especially the merchant class, clamoured for a say in the government. Constitutional powers were initially vested in the Governor, who had an advisory council of officials and nominated non-officials. This evolved into the separate Executive and Legislative Councils in July 1947. The Governor retained firm control over the colony, but there was provision for the election of six members to the Legislative Council by popular vote. Hence, Singapore's first election was held on 20 March 1948.

When the Communist Party of Malaya tried to take over Malaya and Singapore by force, a state of emergency was declared in June 1948. The emergency lasted for 12 years. Towards the end of 1953, the British Government appointed a commission under Sir George Rendel to review Singapore's constitutional position and make recommendations for change. The Rendel proposals were accepted by the government and served as the basis of a new constitution that gave Singapore a greater measure of self-government.

The 1955 election was the first lively political contest in Singapore's history. Automatic registration expanded the register of voters from 75,000 to over 300,000, and for the first time, it included large numbers of Chinese, who had manifested political apathy in previous elections. The Labour Front won 10 seats. The People's Action Party (PAP), which fielded four candidates, won three seats. David Marshall became Singapore's first Chief Minister on 6 April 1955, with a coalition government made up of his own Labour Front, the United Malays National Organisation and the Malayan Chinese Association.

Marshall resigned on 6 June 1956, after the breakdown of constitutional talks in London on attaining full internal self-government. Lim Yew Hock, Marshall's deputy and Minister for Labour, became the Chief Minister. The March 1957 constitutional mission to London led by Lim Yew Hock was successful in negotiating the main terms of a new Singapore Constitution. On 28 May 1958, the Constitutional Agreement was signed in London.

Self-government was attained in 1959. In May that year, Singapore's first general election was held to choose 51 representatives to the first fully elected Legislative Assembly. The PAP won 43 seats, gleaning 53.4 per cent of the total votes. On June 3, the new Constitution confirming Singapore as a self-governing state was brought into force by the proclamation of the Governor, Sir William Goode, who became the first Yang di-Pertuan Negara (Head of State). The first Government of the State of Singapore was sworn in on June 5, with Lee Kuan Yew as Singapore's first Prime Minister.

The PAP had come to power in a united front with the communists to fight British colonialism. The communists controlled many mass organisations, especially of workers and students. It was an uneasy alliance between the PAP moderates and the pro-communists, with each side trying to use the other for its own ultimate objective - in the case of the moderates, to obtain full independence for Singapore as part of a non-communist Malaya; in the case of the communists, to work towards a communist take-over.

The tension between the two factions worsened from 1960 and led to an open split in 1961, with the pro-communists subsequently forming a new political party, the Barisan Sosialis. The other main players in this drama were the Malayans, who, in 1961, agreed to Singapore's merger with Malaya as part of a larger federation. This was also to include British territories in Borneo, with the British controlling the foreign affairs, defence and internal security of Singapore.


The Malaysia Proposal
On 27 May 1961, the Malayan Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman, proposed closer political and economic co-operation between the Federation of Malaya, Singapore, Sarawak, North Borneo and Brunei in the form of a merger. The main terms of the merger, agreed on by him and Lee Kuan Yew, were to have central government responsibility for defence, foreign affairs and internal security, but local autonomy in matters pertaining to education and labour. A referendum on the terms of the merger held in Singapore on 1 September 1962 showed the people's overwhelming support for the PAP's plan to go ahead with the merger.

Malaysia was formed on 16 September 1963, and consisted of the Federation of Malaya, Singapore, Sarawak and North Borneo (now Sabah). Brunei opted out. Indonesia and the Philippines opposed the merger. President Sukarno of Indonesia worked actively against it during the three years of Indonesian confrontation.

Independence
The merger proved to be short-lived. Singapore was separated from the rest of Malaysia on 9 August 1965, and became a sovereign, democratic and independent nation.

Independent Singapore was admitted to the United Nations on 21 September 1965, and became a member of the Commonwealth of Nations on 15 October 1965. On 22 December 1965, it became a republic, with Yusof bin Ishak as the republic's first President.

Thereafter commenced Singapore's struggle to survive and prosper on its own. It also had to create a sense of national identity and consciousness among a disparate population of immigrants.Singapore's strategy for survival and development was essentially to take advantage of its strategic location and the favourable world economy.

Coming of Age
A massive industrialisation programme was launched with the extension of the Jurong industrial estate and the creation of smaller estates in Kallang Park, Tanjong Rhu, Redhill, Tiong Bahru and Tanglin Halt. The Employment Act and the Industrial Relations (Amendment) Act were passed in 1968 to promote industrial peace and discipline among the workforce.

The Economic Development Board was reorganised in 1968 and the Jurong Town Corporation and the Development Bank of Singapore were set up in the same year. In 1970, the Monetary Authority of Singapore was established to formulate and implement Singapore's monetary policies.

In 1979, after the shock of two oil crises, the Government started a programme of economic restructuring. This was achieved by modifying education policies, expanding technology and computer education, offering financial incentives to industrial enterprises and launching a productivity campaign.

Public housing was given top priority. New towns sprang up and Housing and Development Board apartments were sold at a low cost. To encourage home ownership, Singaporeans were allowed to use their Central Provident Fund savings to pay for these apartments.

With the British Government's sudden decision in 1967 to withdraw its armed forces from Singapore by the end of 1971, Singapore set out to build up its own defence forces. The Singapore Armed Forces Training Institute was established in 1966 and compulsory national service was introduced in 1967. A Singapore Air Defence Command and a Singapore Maritime Command were set up in 1969. In August 1967, Singapore joined Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand to form the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Singapore entered the 1970s as a politically stable state with a high rate of economic growth. The one-party Parliament that emerged from the 1968 general election became the pattern, with the PAP winning all seats in 1972, 1976 and 1980. In the 1984 and 1988 general elections, the PAP won all but two seats and one seat respectively.

Passing of the Torch
On 28 November 1990, a new chapter opened in Singapore's modern history. Goh Chok Tong became the second Prime Minister of Singapore when he took over the office from Lee Kuan Yew, who stepped down after having been Prime Minister since 1959. The PAP, however, continued its winning ways at the polls, capturing all but four seats in the 1991 general election. In the 1997 general election, the PAP won 81 of the 83 seats in Parliament.

On 28 August 1993, Singapore's first Presidential Election was held. Former Deputy Prime Minister and NTUC secretary general Ong Teng Cheong beat ex-accountant general Chua Kim Yeow to become the Republic's first Elected President.

He was succeeded by Mr S R Nathan who won on a walkover after two candidates had failed to meet the criteria for contest. Mr Nathan was sworn in as the Republic's second Elected President on 1 September 1999.

Custom Tax

Nabasa ko isa sa mga forum na ito regarding sa paguwi ng LCD TV sa pinas and medyo nakaka dismaya tingnan na ang mismong kababayan mo pa ang umaabuso at ng kokotong sa iyo...sabihin natin kahit 500Php lang siya.
Anyway, nag check ako regarding sa Custom tax and duty sa pinas para malaman kung magkano ba talaga ang babayaran natin in case sumobra yung mga dala natin ng 10K Peso duty exemption... Medyo vague para sa akin yung last paragraph since yung customer officer lang ang nakakaalam kung magkano ang babayaran mo. Ang sa akin lang naman maganda sana kung may amount or percentage specified na naka assign either per category (e.g. Electronics Category) or per item para naman hinde natin iisipin pag magbabayad tayo na niloloko tayo ng custom officer. So para doon sa hinde pa po aware sa Custom Tax and Duty...

Below is the excerpt of our Custom law from the Philippine Embassy Website

Balikbayan and Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) are entitled to a Ten Thousand (10,000,00) Peso duty exemption on their USED personal and household effects. Any excess thereof is subject to an ad valorem duty (Executive Order 206). In addition, OFWs are entitled to duty and tax-free privileges on their USED appliances limited to one of every kind provided the total value does not exceed PHP10,000.00. Any excess is subject to duty and tax.

The amount of duty to be paid shall be determined by the Customs Officer. Please have all your receipts and / or supporting documents ready for presentation to the Customs Officer.

Example Calculation..

Laptop 2,000 S $ = 2,000 times (php=sg$) value
2,000 * 33 = 66,000 php
66,000 - 10,000 ( For OFW excemption ) = 55,000
taxable is 50%
55,000 * .5 = 27,500 php
tax is 10% plus 10% VAT = 20 %
27,500 * .2 = 5,500 php dapat babayaran mong tax sa customs pag dating pinas...