First rule in money management

In connection with the celebration of the International Women's Month, the head of a women's group said in a symposium: "Wives must learn how to manage the budget with their husbands." That is, of course, if there's something to be budgeted and to be managed."

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I recall what Helga, the wife of Hagar the Horrible (my favorite comics character), advised their daughter: "Right from the beginning you should teach your husband the first rule in money management ... He makes it, you spend it." Ugh!

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By golly, that was some reaction Mayor Tom O made on the Miss Cebu 2009 fiasco. Maybe he's got a lot of problems on his arrival and didn't want additional Burden on his shoulder.

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Before I get carried away by more matters of less consequence, I would like to thank my fellow columnist Judge Lorenzo Paradiang Jr. for his writeup last Saturday about me and my column . I would be lying if I say I didn't enjoy reading it. I also would not be telling the truth if I say I didn't read Sir Loring's column over and over again. To find out if there was an error but there was none. Hehe!

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My friend Teddy H. said he received a flyer about erectile dysfunction. This came from a clinic in the US. Teddy texted me: "How do you describe erectile dysfunction, Sir Jab?" I said another friend Ben Ypil describes it thus: "If she asks for a hotdog and all you can give is marshmallow, that is it."

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Still the innocent Teddy could not get what Ben meant. Well, it's because he's still in his 40s and the marshmallow syndrome has not yet set in. (Please do not ask me to elaborate. The fun is only up to that point.)

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One reader asked me: "Why aren't you punning much these days?" I said I'm wary about punning. In recent months, the proofreaders and encoders have been PUN-nishing me typo errors.

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Seriously now ... Over the years, scores of taxi drivers have been robbed and killed by their passengers. One cabbie shook his head as he recited the do's and don'ts for him to observe. Mostly don'ts. One of the don'ts says that no taxi driver should refuse anyone a ride. "So, bisan pag morag tulisan ang gustong mosakay dili balibaran," the cabbie said. "Kay kon balibaran dakong silot ang ipa-um-om kanamong mga drayber."

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In a manner of speaking, the taxi driver is some kind of a hero in his own right. He serves the public rain or shine and even during a storm. But as fate would have it, he, if unlucky, would end up robbed and killed by the passenger or passengers he had been kind enough to serve.

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Ervin Nuran (I hope I got the spelling right) phoned in this opinion: "Our city is progressive. Second to none, says Hizzoner. But this progressive city does not have its own covered sports venue or coliseum. Lupig ra ta sa mga gagmayng siyudad sa Mindanao. How about a coliseum at the SRP? One really big. One we really can be proud of. (Yes, how about it? -- JVJ)