Welcome Home!

Last night my wife and I were invited to dinner by her friend who had just returned to the Philippines, My wife’s friend has been living in Dubai for quite sometime now. I think she gets to go home every two years or so…not by design, but by choice. She asked us to proceed to “Sentro”. A restaurant that serves Filipino dishes with a unique twist. It was an enjoyable dinner between friends and I must say my wife and I don’t normally go out with our friends a lot. Usually I would go out with my friends and she would go out with her friends (not very often I might add). But as a couple you can count the number of times we go out together with mutual friends. To be honest I think Hertz (the one from Dubai) is the only friend that we have who had the pleasure of going to dinner with us. Actually it’s our pleasure, she’s footing the bill.

It’s funny don’t you think? When OFWs or any Filipino who worked or live abroad often times when they return here they are the ones usually paying for most of the meals that they partook with their friends and relatives. The usual reasoning that I often heard was “They came from abroad so they have more money that we do, so why do we have to pay?” and I must admit that I’m guilty as well, when it comes to dealings with “Balikbayans”. When my Aunt Minerva who was based in Las Vegas, Nevada in the U.S. came home last year with her husband because they were invited to a wedding, They would often go out to dinner with our other relatives and in 9 out of ten occasions they paid for all the expenses that was accumulated during that brief dinner. As usual apart from dinner there was of course the “pasalubungs” that they bought with them to give to their relatives (again another custom here in the Philippines). That’s not all! When they go to malls here accompanied with their relatives most of the time the people who accompanied them even had the gall to ask if they (the balikbayans) can buy them some stuff like clothes, toys for their children, shoes, etc. (I’m proud to say that my parents and my wife don’t do this.) But you get the picture right?

Most Filipinos think that balikbayans have gold in their pockets. And guess what? When the relatives went to the U.S. they expect the same people who to treat them like royalty there. Wow! No wonder some Filipinos doesn’t want to go back home here. Too much pressure! My cousin who lived in San Francisco for the most part of his life once told me, that some of our relatives think that just because they live in the U.S. they have lots and lots of money. This may be true. But! They had to work like a horse just so they can save money. My friend’s father who works as a distributor in the U.S. moonlights as a grocery bagger in the weekends! His wife has two jobs too. That’s how most people in the states live, 2 jobs and only a few minutes of rest. When they come home here in the Philippines to relax, they are besieged with other expenses that they don’t really need.

Thank God not all Filipinos are like that, but sadly most are.

Medical Malpratice?

Last March 16, 2008. West Contact Services Inc. The company that I have been working for as a Technical Support Representative for almost 4 years now, hosted an Annual Physical Examination. During that time the company invited a group of doctors to check our physical well being. Everything went smoothly for me. Although I got a nasty bruise on the inside of my elbow due to the botch blood collection which collapsed my vein (which happens sometimes), and all examinations went by quickly. Until, it’s time for the eye examination. The optometrist a lady with shoulder length hair, glasses and talks about a hundred words a minute. Which makes you think that your talking to a machine gun, ask me to sit on a chair and try to read the eye chart, which to my dismay is more or less 10 feet away from me. The standard is of course 6 feet. Naturally I wasn’t able to read the chart, which this “doctor” (and I use that word very loosely) told me that I need to wear glasses. Which doesn’t really surprised me because when I was a kid I started wearing when I was in kindergarten and ended when I was in my junior year of high school my doctor an OPTHALMOLOGIST told me that I didn’t need it any more. Any way, the “doctor” said that I have to wear glasses with a prescription of 120 on my left eye and about 50 on my right. She was pretty sure about it in less than 5 minutes. Then she used a machine which shows a picture of a tree in it. And after three minutes, she declared I have astigmatism. I asked for the test printout but what she did was to get a piece of paper and wrote down the prescription, which was odd. I ignored it then waited for her to release me so that I can go get my x-ray taken. The “doctor” suddenly let loose a volley of sales talk that I can order my glasses from her which she will gladly give a 50% discount. I suddenly have this urged to smack her on the face. But I restrained my self less I want to be look for a job soon. Anyway she told me that the frames can only be bought for only 1,500 pesos and the lens would go for another 1,500 pesos, because, according to her I spent my time working in front of the computer and my lenses needed to be multi–coated.. I was thinking 3,000 for a piece of eye glasses? Is she nuts? I declined the offer and went on my way. After that episode I can’t stop thinking about the condition of my eyes. It was always in the back of my head. Fortunately my mom trained me to never trust an optometrist. So with my HMO card I trooped to the nearest Healthway clinic and made an appointment to a real eye doctor an ophthalmologist. I waited eagerly for my turn. The doctor called for me and gave me another eye examination after I explain to him what happened, his diagnosis? I do have astigmatism but it’s really not that severe, and here’s the good part. I don’t need to wear glasses at all not unless I have frequent head aches or having a hard time to seeing things. He told me eyeglasses can’t remove astigmatism it doesn’t heal the condition either, it’s use to only help me see better. The doctor then proceeded to check my eyes thoroughly and declared my left eye should I wear glasses needs a prescription of 50 and my right eye doesn’t need to use eye glasses. I knew it! I knew that optometrist is a fraud! I never trusted her the moment I laid my eyes on her. She was just after sale! The ophthalmologist released me and ask me to return if and only if I’m have problems seeing thing and that will be the only time that he would recommend eye glasses to me. I skipped all the way to the exit.

That my friends why you should never trust optometrist, specially the kind that sells you eye-glasses and frames, immediately after the eye exam. My parents never trusted them and trained me and my brothers to do likewise. If you need to have your eyes checked go to an ophthalmologist the real doctor for the eye. Optometrist, are there to rip you off.

Unfortunately some of my friends fell victim to that optometrist which the company hired for our A.P.E the company should’ve check her out first. They were separated with their hard earned money just so that the “doctor” can earn and very dishonest living.