Sweet spaghetti sauce and, for that matter, the
sweetness of other normally savory dishes
Food handlers who take orders and don't write anything
down (of course, the orders arrive wrong in some way!)
Dirty road or street signs that can't be read even
during daytime, and are all but visible during the night.
Trucks with bright lights at the REAR, which blind
drivers of vehicles trailing behind.
The popular and incorrect reply to a phone caller: "for
a while". It is doubly bad when the caller is left on hold or
unattended for a period of time.
Too many needlessly leaking faucets or pipes in a
country where water is scarce and also expensive.
Devil-may-care littering by the rich in Alabang as they
stand on a street corner and discard a Marlboro pack, and by the
working class who carelessly discard paper anywhere they please.
The "territorial" need to fill all spaces with loud
music: a small kiosk has a blaring stereo as does each shop beside
it. There may be TV or stereo vendors in the main area of a mall
playing their music, and on top of this cacophony the mall itself
may have music playing.
Taxi drivers who refuse to use the meter and blatantly
overcharge you because you are a foreigner.
The apparent unwillingness of most vehicle drivers to
execute 90 degree turns, preferring instead 45 degree turns that
block traffic and alter rights of way.
Food servers who obviously have never read their own
menus because they can't explain a thing about them.
Lettuce heads which are more akin to Brussels Sprouts in
size and to truffles in price.
Inclination of tradesmen to defer maintenance up to the
point there is failure or breakdown. They seem to prefer to repair
or replace the item in question even if there is no downtime or
service breakdown.
The silly and convoluted payment and queuing techniques
at Landmark and other seemingly enlightened retail establishments.
Junk food, which has taken over from native fare, and
blue jeans and T-shirts that have replaced native dress.
The sign on some trucks "No smoking within 50 feet" when
most of the population knows metric and not English measurement. Filipinos in their 30's and older seem to speak better
English than those in their 20's. (Why?)
Too many claims of high blood pressure by too many
workers
Staples - letters stapled into envelopes or multiple
staples in each bag of purchases.
Excessive demands of personal servitude by Filipinos who
can afford it - such as the man at Polo Club who had his manservant
tie his shoes for him while he sat in a chair.
Yayas who treat their charges as if they were still
toddlers.
Poorly equipped gardeners who are expected to cut a lawn
using hand clippers.
When asked for directions, the respondent may roll the
eyes and 'point" with his puckering lips in a general direction. No
explanations, and that is your reply.
Rich kids with amahs who place small white towels onto
their backs and under their shirts.
