Introducing Myself

Kumusta po kayong lahat? Ako si Marcus Auerlius sa Blogger Beer.

I want to thank Dean for inviting me to contribute as an author to Philippine Commentary. I have done so through the years as a commentor but now Dean grants me a higher visibility venue. A quick bio. Kano ako sa Wisconsin -- ako ay cheesehead talaga. I lived in the United Arab Emirates for six years where I quickly gravitated to the OFW community there and managed to learn some Tagalog, and more importantly, I met my wife who is from Cebu. I have been to the Philippines twice and am hoping to travel there again soon and am looking for a good excuse to visit regularly and make others pay for the trips!

My political tendencies are American conservative. I grew up in a Republican household, veered left in college, and at the end of my college days I returned "home". Educationally, I am a mathematician and physicist, professionally I am a software application developer, and religiously I am a Roman Catholic.

No promises, but I plan to lend my perspective to events of mutual concern to the USA and the Philippines. Expect observations of Filipino culture by an American, first hand accounts of Filipino culture in America (and the UAE), my experiences in the Philippines, my descriptions of American culture, responses to posts here, and current American events especially those of a nature that stand to impact the Philippines. I will try to keep my posts weighty, but as it is with beer sometimes light is best.

Tama na! Onto my first entry of import.

Boxing is not popular here in the US, many view boxing as brutish, corrupt, or both. In addition, the rise of alternate fighting leagues such as the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) League draws people away from boxing. The last problem boxing faces is most people are only interested in the the heavyweight division.

Most of you probably do not want to hear this, but the most famous Filipino here in the US is still Imelda Marcos with her gigantic shoe collection. Periodically I still hear jokes about that collection. However, among sports enthusiasts and boxing fans Manny Pacquiao is quickly replacing Imelda. Major sports periodicals (ESPN The Magazine, Sports Illustrated, The Sporting News) have published feature articles on Manny. In addition, Jim Rome a nationally synidcated sports talk radio show host frequently talks about Pacquiao, his fights, and with Manny's trainer Freddy Roach.

Sports and boxing fans often refer to Manny as the greatest current pound for pound fighter. Commentary after the Cotto fight has most boxing experts putting Manny in the top 20 boxers of all time! If he fights and beats Floyd Mayweather Jr. then his status moves up and could very well crack into American popular culture (search out "Manny Pacquiao and Jimmy Kimmel" on YouTube for a high profile but awkward TV appearance).

Manny Pacquiao is doing the Philippines proud and I am proud to have been a longtime fan of his!

Marcus Aurelius