Losing Temper Anyone?

[Inspector]

I am curious if any posters here have lost it living in the Philippines at some point. I ask because taking a cab back from Macton the other night I finally was close to actually losing it totally with the driver. Simple story, and happens to all at some point. We get back after another 2 hour flight delay, both tired. We hit the metered stand, get our ticket and tell the driver.... Minglanilla (yes, far and I always offer a little extra). I notice he does not put his meter on and I say the meter is not on...he says 500 pesos. I say, turn around and drop us back off (we JUST took off and I could of even walked back to the stand)...so he says he will turn it on, and turns on the meter. So, we get close to the SM Mall and he says, 400 pesos. I then began to lose it...cursed him in Brooklyn, suggesting he had his chance to drop us off while I was telling him he WILL fecking drive us to Minglanilla...finally calmed down and had him drop us off at the KMK at SM Mall, as I did not want to have him know where I lived. But damn, I was fecking PISSED...and this driver was shaking saying ok, ok..ok. Now understand, I am NOT a bully type person, and you will never see me in a altercation with people for the sake of being larger then they are, especially little filipino types who I ignore when they are drunk and say things to me as I am walking away.... as I would much rather challenge a larger man for the sport when I was younger (wrestling, boxing, after school who's the toughest), but all that live here have had to at some point.... lost it, at least past the eye roll. So...aside from being normally grumpy old men as we all are, hahaha...discuss the times you have LOST it, and were close to LOSING it totally. And let's be honest...we all like to say we are calm in every situation, but most all living here, are here is because of sh&t that bugs them enough in their home country...enough to allow them to move to a third world country full time. Hell, one time I was invited to a pizza party, and found out some foreigner was going to fight another...because of some words on a message board. I sort of laughed when I seen the potential combatants, certainly not going to sell any tickets to that match (although I would put my money on the older ex marine)...but there you had two expats losing it with EACH other. I am sure the culture, or service ect in this country has to have gotten somebody pissed off at some point. Any losing it stories out there?

[Jim Sibbick]

Yes. I have lost it before. It acomplishes absolutely nothing at all.In western countries, the squeaky wheel gets oiled. Get upset in a store in a western country and the management comes running. In the Philippines, angry foreigners get ignored. Or worse still, one time I ended up with a guard waving a gun in my face. Best to just grin and bear it.You only have to pay the meter, no matter what the taxi driver asks.If the meter wasn't started, it is a free trip.Just make sure you can see the meter as you take off. Some drivers hide the meter behind a little door so some meters are already hundreds of pisos before you start.As you say, you were worried about letting the driver know where you live. That is your answer to whether or not you should lose it in the Philippines.Regards: Jim Sibbick

[Jim Sibbick]

I just re read your post and realised you are asking for examples.I was in the lift (for Americans that is an elevator) at the Cebu Century Hotel, when a Filipino got in and lit up a cigarette. I said.......can't you read? It says no smoking! The Filipino appoligised and put out the cigarette. I exited the lift on the fourth floor. The lift only went up another level to a night club with a guard on the door. As I exited the lift, the Filipino yelled abuse at me. So, I ran up the stairs and met the lift as the lift doors opened. We had a bit of push and shove in front of the lift door then guard become involved. So the guard and I had a bit of push and shove as well until he pulled out his gun and started waiving it in my face.The police were called. When they arrived, they heard the guard's side of the story and the hotel's desk clerk side of the story and the night club owners side of the story and my side of the story. They didn't get the smoker's side of the story. During the police questioning, i noticed the smoker sneaking out. And he was sneaking too!At this point, I had been staying in the hotel off and on for about 9 years so the desk clerk seemed to take my side. I had been a regular at the night club and seemingly friends with the night club owner and drunk with her after the club had closed on several occasions but she seemed to be taking the guard's side, which pissed me off. In the end, the police just said, can't you work it out yourself. So the guard and I shook hands and the police offered to take me home. I said I was home so they confirmed that I did indeed live at the hotel and then left.Being pissed off about the night club owner not taking my side, I never went back inside the night club again. Which doesn't matter because it was raided in about 2006 and never opened again. Apparently the Japenese were getting blow jobs with their karaoke. Over the following nights and weeks, I did go up to the 5th floor because I wanted to have a few more words with the guard...... but I never ever saw him again.Regards: Jim

[ekimswish]

We were handling a bunch of stuff regarding changing my wife's name after marriage, and applying for a Taiwanese visa as well, and because I was leaving to Taiwan soon, this was the last day for me to get the stuff done at the Taiwan embassy in Makati. I forget the name of where we were, handling the Filipino name change stuff, but it was far from Makati and getting late in the afternoon. We got out and jumped in a taxi and I told him where we needed to go and when we needed to get there, and first he told me it was impossible, too late. Then his car breaks down after only driving half a block. We got out and decided to get another taxi, already pissed off with this guy because he first told us he couldn't do it, and then his car broke down, but he was asking for 40 or 50 pesos or something, I can't remember. It could've been higher. I didn't want to pay him at all, or at least only half what he was saying, and we got in a huge yelling match, swearing at each other and stuff. My wife was scared, and telling me to just pay him and leave. I think I might've crumpled the money and threw it at him. Then we jumped in another taxi who I told the same information to, and before he could give me the same response as the other guy, I told him he'd get 300 pesos if he drove normal, and 500 if he drove like a mad man. 300 was already double what the meter would've read, so he went for broke, earned his 500, gave me a thrill of a ride, and we made it on time!

[Inspector]

I just re read your post and realised you are asking for examples.Regards: Jim

Thanks Jim...yeah, I still had my street smarts and common sense come back to me after I wanted to do.... well......this. :DThanks for sharing your story, there have been grumpy days here, but that cab driver really ticked me off. I have witnessed other foreigners go off the deep end and embarrass myself, once at the SM Mall where some European guy told the counter girl at the French Baker she was stupid simply because the bag was not doubled, causing me to ask him politely if he was born an a**h*le or did he work on it. Needless to say, he moved along and I joked with the girl...then yelled at her as well.... for putting two bags on my rolls when all I needed was one.Who puts double bags on three poppy seeded rolls? :thumbsup: