Cruise from Shanghai to Japan

Ben Contreras

OH, the cruise. I thought it would be as I expected.

It was my first cruise but not for my siblings. It’s only because it was a reunion that I agreed to join. Seven of us, two sisters and five brothers, my wife, my two sisters-in-law and two nieces composed the group.

From Shanghai, we took the Quantum of the Sea of the Royal Caribbean International, the second largest in its fleet accordingly, to Japan.

At first, the food looked okay but after three days, well, the food was just a so-so. I expected a cruise to Japan with Japanese food. It was not. Grrr… there were no sashimi but only sushi. There were no lobsters and big shrimps but these were only available per order — that means, you have to pay for it. The steak, well, they have that for fine dining only but not the kind of steak described to me once by my nephews during their cruise to the Caribbean countries. The worst part of it was… I cannot reveal because it’s too embarrassing for me.

Japanese sell their products with a price tag. In China, you buy things like in a “tiange.” A thing priced to you at6 200 Yuan can be eventually bought at 100 or lower. Where did it all start? Who taught who? We will never know. I guess, in business, everybody wants to get the best of his goods.

Honestly, what fancied me can be bought in the Philippines. Chinese products have flooded the Philippine markets a long time ago.

I remember going to a famous place in Divisoria, Manila. I was surprised to see Chinese goods selling cheaper than in China. I asked the salesgirl, “Why so?” She answered: “Sir, alam mo naman kung bakit. Wala nang puhunan ang mga iyan. Iba kasi ang ipinasok (referring to drugs).”

Anello is a brand name for bags. My wife bought one for her niece who gave money to buy it. As for shopping, there was so little for that. The good ones, I cannot afford, the cheaper ones were aplenty here. So, why but them there?

Like I said, Japanese are a disciplined people, progressive because their government is not corrupt. Anyone, even just accused of any wrongdoing or immorality, resigns from his or her post, gets jailed or commits “hara-kiri”. Here, pakapalan na lang ng mukha.

It took us a while to plan, took years to wait and when it finally came, things just happened so fast and for all we know, it’s time to say goodbye again.

But wait a second. My daughter Kathy, son-in-law Troy and baby Koleen are home for a week or so. They arrived in Manila in Dec. 17, stayed two days in a hotel before going to my brother’s house in Quezon City.

I was resting on a sofa after a series of movies in my room. Koleen came from behind and I thought it was my daughter Kathy. They made fun of me, but they (mother and daughter) really look like twins. It was only when we’re here in CDO that I knew they took a video of that.

Koleen is now 14. At her age, she already has a book to her credit published through the Bookorama* Student Publishing Program, a hard copy of which was given to me as a gift. The title is, “Through the Sound of Music.” It tells of “a girl shunned by others, a boy judged by his past and a music that connects them.”

I started reading it in Manila but decided not to finish it as early as possible because I wanted to always have something to look forward to, and that’s reading the book again.

Does it run in the blood? Perhaps, yes. But Koleen was a lot smarter than her “angkong.” So proud of her!

***

Going back to what I said in my recent column, our President can only succeed in his governance if he starts cracking the whip starting from his own family, then to his men and women in the government. He has to set the example, otherwise no one, not even his allies, will believe he is serious.

Eighteen months have passed. When businessmen complain of corruption still going on and some getting worse, it could only mean that the President has no full grasp of the situation. Many around him still think “weather, weather lang.”

A friend once asked me, “Why are you like that to your own son?” I said, “Let me liken my son to my hand that has become cancerous. If I don’t cut it off, the cancer will spread to my whole arm and probably, the whole body. To save the whole family, one has to be sacrificed.”