By ARTEMIO DUMLAO

Let us resume this “Point and Shoot” column, after a long vacation, with a light yet educating piece.

Circulating in the Internet, it was emailed to me and presumably to countless others. But not all have email access, so let our readers be entertained yet “educated” too.

Rest assured that “Point and Shoot” won’t veer away from its original aims. Watch this space next week.

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PHILIPPINES – The only place on earth where…

…every street has a basketball court.

…even doctors, lawyers and engineers are unemployed.

…doctors study to become nurses for employment abroad.

…students pay more money than they will earn afterwards.

…school is considered the second home and the mall is considered the third.

…call-center employees earn more money than teachers and nurses.

…everyone has his personal ghost story and superstition.

…mountains like Makiling and Banahaw are considered holy places.

…everything can be forged.

…all kinds of animals are edible.

…Starbucks coffee is more expensive than gas.

…driving 4 kilometers can take as much as four hours.

…flyovers bring you from the freeway to the side streets.

…crossing the street involves running for your dear life.

…the personal computer is mainly used for games and Friendster.

…colonial mentality is dishonestly denied!

…4 a.m. is not even considered bedtime yet.

…people can pay to defy the law.

…everything and everyone is spoofed.

…even the poverty-stricken get to wear Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger (peke or fake)!

…the honking of car horns is a way of life.

…being called a bum is never offensive.

…floodwaters take up more than 90 percent of the streets during the rainy season.

…everyone has a relative abroad who keeps them alive.

…wearing your national colors make you baduy (poor dresser).

…even the poverty-stricken have the latest cell phones (and where GSM means galing sa magnanakaw or “great stealing maneuvers”).

…insurance does not work.

…water can only be classified as tap and dirty – clean water is for sale (35 pesos per gallon).

…the government makes the people pray for miracles. (Amen to that!)

…University of the Philippines is where all the weird people go.

…Ateneo is where all the nerds go. La Salle is where all the Chinese go.

…University of Asia and the Pacific is where all the irrelevantly rich people go.

…fast food is a diet meal.

…traffic signs are merely suggestions, not regulations.

…being mugged is normal. It happens to everyone.

…rodents are normal house pets.

…the definition of traffic is the “non-movement” of vehicles.

…cigarettes and alcohol are a necessity, while the lottery is a commodity.

…soap operas tell the realities of life while the news provides the drama.

…actors make the rules while politicians provide the entertainment.

…people can get away with stealing trillions of pesos, but not a thousand.

…being an hour late is still considered punctual.

Grabe na talaga ‘eto!

The following is plain ludicrous: The Philippines is the only place where… everyone wants to leave the country!#