I have a dream that one day, when foreigners think about Metro Manila, they do not think of the slums that are forever the image shown by international TV, but of this beautiful skyline that is perhaps one of the best in the world. I have a dream.
Author: Enrico Pangan
Filipino in Tokyo
My Second Car
When I was in Kagoshima, I got me a second hand Toyota Allion, which I reluctantly sold before moving to Tokyo. Just last month, I got me one of these. I need to save money.
Return of the Super Yen
Just how strong is the yen right now? It’s so strong it’s cheaper to buy a book from Amazon US than from Amazon Japan! I bought a book from Amazon US and it only cost me 3,283 yen and that includes international shipping. Buying the exact same book from Amazon Japan would cost me 4,459…
State of the Mutual Fund
After much hesitation, I decided to check the status of my mutual funds and see how it has been performing so far. I’ve been making regular monthly contributions for almost two years now. Gain/Loss Percentage: -28.61% Sadness.
Ateneo Beats UP in 2008 World University Rankings
The unthinkable has happened! Ateneo beats UP in the 2008 World University Rankings. My brother’s going to make fun of me when he sees this. Oh no.
Handkerchiefs and Undershirts
I started to rid myself of two non-essentials. First, handkerchiefs. Why use them when I can use tissue paper that’s readily available in most places? I got rid of this after a colleague vividly described how dirty a handkerchief can get after a whole day’s usage. Second, undershirts. I don’t think I need them especially…
Beautiful Angela Aki Song – Tegami
It’s been a while since a song brought tears to my eyes. I was watching NHK and there was this Latina looking lady singing a rather beautiful Japanese song. I wasn’t even paying much attention to the lyrics and I didn’t even know who she was but the melody of the song was just beautiful….
Not On Time
Eight years in Japan taught me how to be always on time. Now that I’m again surrounded by Filipinos, I’m having problems adjusting back to Filipino time. It’s not uncommon I see myself waiting for friends who are always oh so fashionably late. Even if I try to force myself to just come in late…
Rich Rico, Poor Rico
I was having this discussion with a friend on who is more likely to succeed – an employee or an entrepreneur. To get more insight, I tried to look for people I actually know and see who are successful and try learn from their example. Among people at work, the most successful are the employees…
Nippori to Narita in 36 Minutes
It looks like travel time from my place to Narita will be reduced by a whopping 15 minutes (!) although admittedly, the idea of saving 30 minutes (round trip) a year doesn’t sound very fantastic considering I only fly abroad about once a year. NRA Website (Japanese)http://www.nra36.co.jp
Tokyo Is The New Wall Street
With all these Japanese banks making their advances into American banks, I predict Tokyo is going to be the New Wall Street! All the world’s biggest banks will be based here and Tokyo will be the world’s biggest financial center! I told my gaijin friend this and he remarked it’s “actually not nice … it’ll…
We Have A Buyer
After a week of stressful waiting, Lehman Brothers Asia finally has a buyer. Nomura, Japan’s biggest brokerage firm, bought Lehman’s Asia units. What this means for me? I’ll be again working for a Japanese company. We’re no longer a Wall Street company as all connections to New York will be lost (Barclays bought Lehman Brother’s…
Enrico in Tokyo 