Life turned out to be a bit odd

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Originally posted by Lancer
Dis, amen to that.

Rufus, I like it because of this... "Yeah, the Phils are more like the imagined children in your opening post. Nice as hell, really warm, really loving and trusting, full of a sense of play -- just like a little kid."

Seem to have a handle on this... "With no attention span, no focus on detail, no ability to think beyond the short term, no ability to follow rules, and a firm belief that they will always be forgiven, no matter how badly they behave -- just like a little kid."

Happily have nothing to do with this... "I guess the tone is set at the top, and certainly the top of this country -- the ruling elite -- behave like a bunch of spoiled, squabbling little kids."

Not being anywhere near Manila is a big plus too. Alot of Philipinos from Manila never go home because it was so miserable for them there. Philipinos from Bohol do go home, they love their lives they left behind and only did so for economic reasons. I love Bohol, it feels right.

Yeah, being in Manila has colored my perspective on the country; I really like getting out of town to the "real" Philippines. And being at the embassy doesn't help, since I spend most of my time dealing with the impossible-to-repect Philippine elite, who are driving this country even farther into the ground. But I've got to tell you: having to rely on and occassionally supervise people who have "no attention span, no focus on detail, no ability to think beyond the short term, no ability to follow rules" has been one of the bigger challenges of my professional life.

Still, I'm being posted next to the anti-Manila -- Singapore -- and a few months in "Disneyland with a Death Penalty" will probably have me missing teh Phils' easygoing charm.

[Lancer]

I noticed when I was in Hong Kong that there are very few happy, smiling people there. The streets were clean though and things seemed organized. I got a bad feeling of the place, like I wasn't welcome. First time I had that feeling in 5 months. Cathay put us up in a 5 star hotel, the airport regal, and all was orderly. The waiters and waitresses never smiled however. Food was great, place was immaculate...but I'd rather be home in Bohol. Man, I really miss it.

[Ted Striker]

Originally posted by Rufus T. Firefly


Yeah, being in Manila has colored my perspective on the country; I really like getting out of town to the "real" Philippines. And being at the embassy doesn't help, since I spend most of my time dealing with the impossible-to-repect Philippine elite, who are driving this country even farther into the ground. But I've got to tell you: having to rely on and occassionally supervise people who have "no attention span, no focus on detail, no ability to think beyond the short term, no ability to follow rules" has been one of the bigger challenges of my professional life.

Still, I'm being posted next to the anti-Manila -- Singapore -- and a few months in "Disneyland with a Death Penalty" will probably have me missing teh Phils' easygoing charm.

Rufus you been all of the world and know about State kinda stuff

All leaders seem to suck right now, does anyone out there actually SHINE as a good leader???

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Originally posted by Ted Striker


Rufus you been all of the world and know about State kinda stuff

All leaders seem to suck right now, does anyone out there actually SHINE as a good leader???

You flatter me, sir.

It's a good question. Nobody really leaps to mind. My soft spot for Turkey makes me think of Erdogan; he's had some missteps since he came to power in 2002, but he's so very, very, very much better than other recent leaders, and he's done so much for the country, that he surely deserves respect. But "shine"? Probably not.

What I am impressed are not leaders but whole societies that seem to have their acts together. Vietnam is #1 on my list of those; the place is really taking off, though that may be despite the leadership as much as because of it. (Though, in fact, Vietnam's leadership is doing impressive work in some aeras, like health care). But it's not like either Tran Duc Luong or Phan Van Khai stands out as a great leader; it's the country that stands out.

Actually, now that I do think of it, you know who does stand out? King Phumiphon Adunyadet of Thailand. Seriously. The guy's been on the throne since 1946 and has consistently acted as a voice for moderation, modernization, and, ironically, democracy. Thailand's in better shape economically and socially than all of its neighbors (save Singapore) and has a healthier democracy than any of them, and that's mostly due to the efforts of the King. He's somebody I want to know a lot more about.

[Dr Strangelove]

That reminds me of Spain's current king, Carlos. Shortly after his installment a group of army officers stormed the Spanish parliament and announced their intention to return Spain to a monarchy. The king marched into the building and demanded their surrender, then returned Spain to its elected government.

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by Lancer
I noticed when I was in Hong Kong that there are very few happy, smiling people there.

What do you expect? It's like New York City, but even more crowded.

People who are living in big cities don't smile often. They gotta keep all that sight and sound out of their head. It's hard work.

[Asher]

Also, they are living in China.

And some of them have British Accents.

What a miserable place.

[Ted Striker]

Originally posted by Lancer
Asian girls with that brownish blond hair they end up with just look blah. Dolores got some highlights and that looks ok though.

Yah I can't stand that either

Just looks weird

The dark black hair is one of their best features too

[Ted Striker]

Originally posted by Rufus T. Firefly


You flatter me, sir.

It's a good question. Nobody really leaps to mind. My soft spot for Turkey makes me think of Erdogan; he's had some missteps since he came to power in 2002, but he's so very, very, very much better than other recent leaders, and he's done so much for the country, that he surely deserves respect. But "shine"? Probably not.

What I am impressed are not leaders but whole societies that seem to have their acts together. Vietnam is #1 on my list of those; the place is really taking off, though that may be despite the leadership as much as because of it. (Though, in fact, Vietnam's leadership is doing impressive work in some aeras, like health care). But it's not like either Tran Duc Luong or Phan Van Khai stands out as a great leader; it's the country that stands out.

Actually, now that I do think of it, you know who does stand out? King Phumiphon Adunyadet of Thailand. Seriously. The guy's been on the throne since 1946 and has consistently acted as a voice for moderation, modernization, and, ironically, democracy. Thailand's in better shape economically and socially than all of its neighbors (save Singapore) and has a healthier democracy than any of them, and that's mostly due to the efforts of the King. He's somebody I want to know a lot more about.

Thanks for the analysis, was very interesting to read

Very surprising to hear about Thailand, I just don't know that much about it.

Turkey and Vietnam both get big

[Provost Harrison]

I'm sure you've got the King of Thailands name arse-about-***...it's Bhumibol Adulyadej...