Jack's Rice

closed until further notice...

2009-04-06T03:13:00.001+08:00

drive...

2006-08-07T13:29:00.000+08:00

the west wing was one of my favorite tv shows. paraphrasing toby zeigler, who was talking about what it takes to be president, "we are not handed anything. we have to rise and grab the opportunities. it takes a little more drive, a little more hubris, a little more self confidence and an inkling that the gods has conspired in our favor for us to get to that. "

and thats what makes the president lead all the other men.

Classes II

2006-06-29T13:05:00.000+08:00

today at class, i found myself sitting silently while my groupmates were animatedly discussing the merits of our "essentials of effective management" case study. granted that i do think that "management" is something that is soft and that anyone of us could wing his way by, i was in a situation where the group case studies where what has to be done.

and i did not rise to the occasion. personal realization: i am an introvert.

======================

the ease of the preparatory classes was very misleading. the classes were way intense. for example, in our economics classes, there were a couple with MS in economics and i suspect, there was a PhD also. and of course, as is always pointed out, economics in University of Chicago is something else - what with 9 of the last 11 nobel prize winners (or something like that) coming from the school.

as one of my classmates drunkenly said after a couple of beers, "i am not as smart as you guys here". and i replied, "yes, that is exactly how i feel".

Outsourcing Fair - Manila

2006-02-19T11:29:00.000+08:00

Went to the outsourcing fair in last Thursday and Friday. Wow! I never imagined myself to be excited by something like a fair but this was something..

There was a palpable buzz in the area, of energy and of promise.

Among the speakers were the founder of GoogleTalk, the head of McKinsey Phils and an Indian CEO of an outsourcing firm.

Our company being a vendor of outsourcing services, we were on the lookout for outsourcing customers. Several companies and institutions were there offering services in matching vendors like ourselves to customers in mostly US/Japan/UK/Netherlands.

Among the claims that kept being pronounced by different speakers was the statistics that several independent studies/surveys showed that Philippines was ahead of India/China/EasternEurope in terms of cost and quality of service. And that several firms (Skype, Dell, IBM, etc.) relocated their outsourcing headquarters from India to the Philippines.

Very inspiring.

imbitado kayong lahat

2006-02-03T13:09:00.000+08:00

Its quite official already.

My gf and I are getting hitched on December 30, 2006.

my christmas and new year

2006-01-15T12:46:00.000+08:00

I just spent the most of my 6 week holiday in the UK doing nothing. Spent some time just wandering around in Edinburgh, it was a pretty city. Spent most of my walking around in Leeds. I went to the library for internet access (max of 2 hours daily). I went to Borders regulary to read, and I finished some books but did not buy any (thirld world thinking, i guess). Had walks in the several parks, armed with bread/nuts to feed the ducks, the pigeons and in Hyde Park, a friendly pack of squirells. Watched a pantomime show expecting no-words-just-action only to find that for the English, pantomime more or less refers to a kids show. I watched football games as it seems it was the only subject of their sports pages and sport shows, and I think I was able to like it and became a fan :). Their farmers market were cool and had all sorts of fresh goodies for about the price of a decent newspaper - I learned to properly roast pork and fowl and was also able to make the accompanying wine/apple sauce from scratch.

One result of this is the nagging thought that I might be slacking, what with doing nothing for about two months. Friends were working, raising families and doing important things while I was there, well, doing nothing. My consolation is the thought that 'going slow' can sometimes be healthy; to take stock of things before proceeding anew.

Outsource World New York

2005-11-25T10:31:00.000+08:00

from The Philippine Star:

American companies looking for outsourcing partners in OutsourceWorld New York cited the Philippines’ strong affinity with the Western culture as the country’s distinct advantage in business process outsourcing.

"The Philippines‚ unique selling proposition is it is the closest to American in Asia. Americans in general find the Filipinos easy to work with compared to other countries in Asia," according to American outsourcing expert Richard Mills, chairman of Chaire Associates Executive Search.

As a previous US colony, much of the Philippines’ social, political, and educational system was patterned after the US. American English was taught to young Filipino students and even the basic form of government was patterned after the American model.

The Philippines’ track record and roster of major international companies with operations in the country likewise left a positive impression to American firms participating in OutsourceWorld New York.

According to Senior Trade Undersecretary Thomas G. Aquino, head of delegation of the US trade mission, "many American companies were surprised to know that a number of Fortune 500 companies are already using the Philippines as outsourcing destination of their non-core functions such as financial and accounting services, human resources, logistics, content management and publisher services."

Some of the well-known American brands with outsourcing projects in the Philippines are American Express, FedEx, Intel, Microsoft, Dell, Kodak, General Motors, MCI, Procter & Gamble, and Verizon among others.

Firms outsource in the Philippines because of the English language capability and competitive IT skills of its people, government support to IT services, and reliable telecom infrastructure.

As more and more US firms focus on core competencies, opportunities abound for niche back office services.

"We saw opportunities in outsourcing application support and maintenance, technical support, business analysis, accounting, HR, insurance processing, bank processing, medical transcription, legal services, animation and other non-core back office processes," added Aquino.

Programa Technologias Informacion of the Fundacion Chile said that the solid English speaking contact center industry presents partnership opportunities with Chile for the Spanish-speaking requirements of Philippine US clients.

The Philippines was represented by 17 BPO companies in OutsourceWorld New York, namely ADEC Solutions, Inc., Advanced Contact Solutions, Inc., Ambergris Solutions, Inc., Berthaphil Business Park, Business Process Outsourcing International, Inc. (BPOi), Comfac Global Group, Diversified Technology Solutions International, Inc. (DTSI), Eximius BPO Services Inc., Exist Software, Pointwest Technologies Corporation, Quisumbing Torres, SENCOR, Teledata Philippines, Inc., Transprocure Corporation and Virtual Assistants. Telco giants Innove Communications and the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT) are supporting the project as sponsors.

Recognition!

2005-11-24T13:51:00.000+08:00

In the Oracle website, there is a portion that lists Oracle Partner Success Stories. A project by Fountainhead is described as a success story in one of the case studies.

This is very exciting! It is a major recognition in the value of our work.

Now, when my mother asks me what it is that I do for a living, I could tell her that it is something that a major company like Oracle takes time out to do a case study of. And label a 'success story'. Hehe...

Outsourcing..

2005-11-09T09:11:00.000+08:00

got this from Boo Chanco of Philippine Star

When Sen. Mar Roxas was still DTI Secretary, I asked him what he was doing to prepare us to meet the challenges of globalization. Why wasn’t he, I asked him, choosing the industries where we have competitive advantage and give them full support to be world class players. He told me he didn’t want to "play God" in the sense of deciding which industries lived and which ones died. He said he wanted the market to determine that.

I thought that was a cop out. Many other countries are choosing their "champion" industries and lavishing them with support to make them competitive in the globalized world market. I thought he was just afraid to offend the vested interests behind the 50-year old "infant industries" that should have faded away a long time ago. So I asked Mar again what industries he thought have enough promise… one where we have or could easily have competitive advantage?

Mar quickly answered that outsourcing is it. From IT, to call centers, to business process outsourcing and medical transcription… Mar thought we have a future in these businesses. He thought we have competitive advantage in providing these services even as he acknowledged that we have to work double time to improve needed skills in English proficiency and in higher level IT skills as well. He was concerned about the 3 percent hiring rate of call centers as well as the low rate of passing of our IT graduates in international certification tests.

Today, perhaps thanks to the initial efforts of Mar and his successor, Cesar Purisima, we have accomplished much in developing outsourcing as a potent domestic job creator. We have done well enough to attract a lot of international attention. But the question is, have we done enough to be competitive in the long term? What more can we do?

A recent article in the quarterly journal of McKinsey Consultants gives us some answers. The Philippines, the McKinsey study concedes, is emerging as an important supplier of labor to the global offshoring market. But its research shows that even as "the country has marked advantages, it must overcome significant obstacles to compete with nations such as India."

The stakes are high. The McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) estimates from 2003 to 2008 alone, an additional 2.6 million offshore services jobs will be created around the world, offering a valuable source of employment and exports for the low-wage countries that capture them.

Offshoring has already made its mark in the Philippines. In areas where there are a number of call centers, businesses that cater to the workers, like fast food outlets and 24/7 convenience stores, are doing well. It also revived our down and out property market almost by itself. There are even entertainment places (like night clubs) that operate at 6 in the morning when the call center workers are just calling it a day. McKinsey estimates that in 2003 we supplied $1.7 billion worth of offshore services to the world economy and around 100,000 people are today employed in call centers.

Available skills and low costs are reasons often cited for the country’s emergence as an offshoring location. Among the 10 countries examined by McKinsey, "the Philippines has the second-lowest hourly wage for offshoring professionals, at 13 percent of the US level; the salaries of Indian workers were the lowest, at 12 percent; wages in Malaysia are around twice that level."

McKinsey also observed that "the Philippines has a larger pool of workers suitable for multinational companies than its relatively small population of 88 million would suggest. For every 100 college graduates with finance and economics degrees from countries in our sample, executives of multinationals said they would hire 30 in the Philippines, compared with just 15 in India; the corresponding figures for generalists and life science researchers, respectively, were 25 versus 10 and 20 versus 15.3."

The Philippines even compares favorably on the suitability of its engineering graduates for employment with multinationals – a particular strength for India. Moreover, a higher percentage of the Philippines’ population than of India’s has earned a college degree.

The advantage of India is that given its billion or so population, they graduate hundreds of thousands of college degree holders each year. The sheer number gives it the muscle to take on in coming business from the West. We, on the other hand, quickly hit the ceiling of potential qualified workers that could be hired.

McKinsey also notes that "the Philippines lags behind other potential destinations on five additional criteria that companies consider when choosing an offshore location…Of the countries we studied, it has the poorest risk profile – a legacy of natural disasters, security threats, and data theft – and very few third-party vendors. As a potential domestic market for services, the Philippines attracts only a fraction of the enthusiasm China and India generate."

Also among our negatives noted by McKinsey for which Ate Glue should take responsibility are, "the country’s subpar business environment suffers from strict labor laws, high levels of corruption, and a surfeit of bureaucracy. Obtaining approval to open a call center in the Philippines, for instance, takes twice as much time as it does in India or Malaysia. Another drawback is a paucity of direct flights from the Philippines to distant markets such as the United States."

I didn’t think availability of managerial talent is a problem but from what McKinsey found out, it apparently is. "Management talent is also scarce in the Philippines, partly because its offshoring industry is still in the early stages of development and has yet to develop many managers. Furthermore, the country’s economy is dominated by small and midsize companies that are often family owned and don’t produce much management talent. The Philippines has a large diaspora that could be a potential source of managers, but these emigrants tend to take non-managerial jobs (as contract workers and nurses, for example) so they return home without suitable experience."

McKinsey recommends a number of things that government must do to attract more offshoring business. "Improving the infrastructure would be one place to start. Of the countries we examined, the Philippines has the highest electricity prices and one of the most expensive telecommunications systems. Although the country has enjoyed some success developing ‘cyber parks’ (special zones with concentrated world-class infrastructure), it should expand this effort and pay more attention to enhancing their physical and digital security."

... frustrations

2005-10-10T07:22:00.000+08:00

I was talking to my mother this weekend. She told me that she got to talk to one of our neighbors in the village when they were both walking up the road.

Apparently, one of the neighborhood houses got sold. And when the buyer was about to go and live in his purchased home, she found out that it was being rented by a policeman. And this policeman refused to leave the place. "Ayaw umalis."

In retrospect, it appears that the previous owner tried all he can to evict the policeman from his house. But hey, for disputes like this in the Philippines, there is not much you can do. Report to the law enforcement? - no one honestly believes that reporting this to the police would result in anything good.

It reminds me of one of the tenants of my cousins. He was also a policeman. And he also refused to vacate when his contract expired. It took a friend of another cousin, a Lieutenant Colonel, who had to visit the tenant and mention that he was a soldier and that, "sabi nila, tapos na daw ang contract mo, a. kailan ka magmo-move-out?".

If simple business arrangements like these can not be honored and implemented as it should be, I can only imagine the manipulation, backhandling and sleaze that it would take to resolve bigger business disputes...

Fire in the Hole

2005-09-22T10:20:00.000+08:00

The place I used to live burned down when I was away visiting the opening of Disneyland Hongkong. When I came back, my place looked like it was covered from the floor to the ceiling with black paint. In my room, everything was gone and there was a big pile of burnt stuff in the middle. Only the frames remained in my room door. The concrete walls cracked open like potholes on the road and the plumbing melted. Whatever was left, it got soaked and mixed with the soot, ash and the remnants of the fire extinguishers.

On the other hand, it gave me an excuse to rebuild my wardrobe and renew my library.

And most importantly, nalinis na lahat ang mga ebidensya laban sa akin. :)

Sabong Di Cada

2005-07-30T21:09:00.000+08:00

With the cheap and widely available pirated cds and dvds, I was always curious why there are video rental business that keep opening up. Anyway, my father who is more familiar with how things used to be, went a video rental store to borrow something that we could watch, the last time I went home to Baguio.

He borrowed two VCDs, one was a cheesy Jennifer Lopez film (which was pirated; so I guess, the owner would have recouped his inventory cost by the second lending and anything beyond that would be pure profit) and the other a locally produced film called "Sabong Di Cada". And by locally, I don't even mean the horde of Baguio artists but rather the villagers from a remote place called Cada, up in the less populated parts of Benguet that borders Mountain Province.

Now, I never thought there would be such a thing as a locally made film. This one appears to have been written, directed, produced, acted and generally concieved by a Charismatic group based in Cada. The language was in the vernacular (Kankanaey) and the actors were all locals. There was the obligatory filming of the traditional ceremonies, gong-playing, dancing, pig-slaughtering, you know the picture. But it was much more than that. It talks of the general situation of the Filipino family. It effectively expresses the angst and aspirations of the young Filipino.

Though you could tell right away that it was very low-budget and amateurish, I thought that it was the type of production that would be appreciated by the art-film crowd. With English subtitles, it may even put up a strong showing in the international film festivals. The storytelling was great and the context of the Cada way of life is simply unique. I grew up in a town very similar to Cada (Sagada) and there were lots of attempts to film the traditional Sagada way of life but there was never a complete film that was produced. Make no mistake, I have watched quite a number of documentaries and features and theater productions about Sagada which were very good, but never structured in a film format like "The Flower of Cada" (Sabong Di Cada).

Kudos to the makers of this film. It is a very good work. Clap-Clap-Clap!

Now, these video rental stores must be on to something great. I might go visit one sometime, who knows when I might chance upon a great find like the "Sabong Di Cada".

A take on the Ayala Rallies

2005-07-20T22:41:00.000+08:00

Anyone who takes their news about the Philippines only through CNN, BBC, GMA7, ABS-CBN, www.inq7.net, and www.philstar.com would think that the Philippines is in the midst of turbulent times, that danger and uncertainty is in the air and that there is far more dramatic events that there actually is.

My current work is located in the 22^nd floor of the PSE Tower 1 Building. This is the tall building fronting Ayala Avenue that has an array of spherical stones lining up the pond-like atrium.

Now, this is the only tall building in the middle of the so-called Makati Triangle, the area encompassed by Ayala Avenue, Makati Avenue and Paseo de Roxas. This is the main area that the demonstrators held their rallies.

During that time, we had an American guest who flew into town to train us on some work-related software. There were constant breaks during the training sessions so we could gawk at the growing crowd of people gathering in the streets. Our guest, who was quartered in a nearby hotel, was understandably afraid and, he asked some of our colleagues to accompany him on the short walk to his hotel “in case something happens” because he had to pass through the rally crowd. It was understandable as there was even a “No to US Intervention!” banner flying just below our window.

After two or three days of the non-stop demonstrations, this is what he had to say:

“It was nothing to be afraid of; it was not a board-your-door-and-windows kind of thing. I’ve seen people demonstrate for worse reasons. English hooligans smash store windows and burn cars whether their team loses OR wins. Riots that leave a lot of people dead or injured is not rare after professional sports events in the United States. Compared to the environmentalists in the United States who throw blood on anyone wearing fur, these rallies are pretty decent… I actually wished I had a picture taken of me in the crowd waving…”

Anyway, I was relating this story to our project manager when he quipped that this American guys’ project manager was supposed to fly to Manila for a meeting but instead detoured to Hong Kong (and invited the Manila team to meet him there) because “of the situation in the Philippines”.

Another colleague involved in the conversation exasperatingly remarked, “Asus. Masyadong nanonood ng CNN at BBC yang taong yan.”

How’s this for a Baseline…

2005-07-16T22:39:00.000+08:00

Namingsan, mangisistulyaan si Mama.

(Background: tulo day sinbebsat, naulila da ay nasapa – inmey nanaoy is asin si ama da id ka-Ilokoan daet egay et nakasa-a. Si alapomi ay inada, maid besat na, ya dat ulila gedan isunga maid katulong nay mangtalaken issan tulo ay an-ak na. Malagip ko san is-istulyan alapo mi id kasin ay ad-ado kano nan mangwani ken sya en ipa-bag-en na is insik san tuloy an-ak na ay bababai ta waday kataguanda.)

Esay agew kano, isdin timpon di gubat, mang-mangan da mama issan baey da id Demang. Dat nawanada nan eroplanon di hapon ay menbomba. Wada kano san am-ama ay bumala ay menbugaw ta menbakwit am-in nan umili. Et menkakamo ya mentagtag kano nan umili ay umey issan liyang ay pagbakwitan. Da mama ay sinbebsat ya si alapomi et makitagtagda ta naligat iman di maalan di bomba. This part is then the vivid memory of my mother: ninsaldeng kano si inana danat baa-en si mama, tay sya nan kainuy-aan ken daida ay sinbebsat, et kanana en sumubli kanos mama ta ena isaltek nan baey ya tangban san kankanenda ta adi sumgep nan aso ta baka umey na aminen san kanenda. And the prospect of wastage, amidst all the chaos and rush to evacuate the surroundings, made my mother go back to cover the food and lock the door. Et waay sya nan kauudian ay kinmaan issan ili tay istulyaena ay bugbugawan kano nan ipugaw sya ta iyoyoko na ay tumagtag ya ta nan ketang nan daanena na adi kano ilan nan alpolano sya..

Letter of the Year

2005-06-14T17:42:00.000+08:00

This was something I was always looking forward to. Yehey!!!

==========================================================

Date: Tue, 14 Jun 2005 10:26:43 +0800
From: "Ria Sugita"
Subject: University of Chicago GSB Asia Campus
To: "Jack"

Dear Jack,

Greetings from the University of Chicago GSB Asia Campus! How are you? I hope you are doing fine.

I would like to thank you once again for applying to the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business Executive MBA Program. You have been terrific to work with!

Unfortunately, due to the high volume of applications we received this year, and the high percentage of early offers of admission that were accepted, we are not able to offer you a place in class commencing June 2005. However the good news is, that we will be offering you a place for the June 2006 / AXP7 intake. A letter will be sent to you soon where you can confirm your attendance for next year's intake.

Once again, I am sorry that we cannot offer you admission for this year but I hope that you will join us next year. Please feel free to contact me if you would like to talk to me more about this.

Thank you again Jack and I look forward to welcoming you to next year's intake.

Best regards,

Ria

Ms. Ria Sugita
Associate Director, Marketing
University of Chicago GSB Asia Campus
101 Penang Road, Singapore 238466
Tel: 65 6238 2115

Visit our website: http://ChicagoGSB.edu/execmba

June 04, 2005

2005-06-05T17:35:00.000+08:00

Today was the wedding of a friend. It was well planned and very nice. Our friend was pretty and had the wonderful radiance of a glowing bride. Congrats and good luck to the couple! And as the old folks say, may you have many, many kids..

It had me thinking of my own. So fiancee and I have agreed to wed "next year". We have no idea of the exact date yet though. I was sort of waiting for my admission in the University of Chicago GSB and was hoping to married on the campus chapel on the day of my graduation. But then, the admission officials had a different idea. So there goes my only plan.

Also, no agreements yet whether ceremonies will be held in Sagada or in Manila; Anglican or Catholic; straighforwardly simple or not at all simple. But I'm sure she would always be amenable on gong-playing or whatever rituals the old folks would want to do.

From someone who did not attend his own college graduation nor even had a graduation picture, I lack appreciation on the notion of preparing for a wedding months in advance. Then again, I love the wife-to-be and would do whatever it takes to make the big day special :)

====

Another with today, I saw her again after quite some time. She was part of the bride's entourage. We got to talking and joking and catching up with each others lives. It was cool. When one of her aunts saw us and said one of those comments that only old folks in the community could say with a straight face and get away with, I observed my own reaction and there is only one thing I could say. Whatever hangups I used to have because of her are just that, something that I used to have. When I told my friend Bevs about it, she said that those are some of the signs telling me that I'm ready to get married.

Sheesh. I have to stop. It might get mushier and I never had the intention of writing about those things in my blog. Hehe.

Things that suck

2005-04-07T23:32:00.000+08:00

The Apprentice is just so fake. As fake as the idea that Donald Trump is a very rich guy. This is the guy that declared bankruptcy some years back. In the middle of the previous season, another of his business had a much publicized bankruptcy. This is a smoke and mirrors kind of guy. He looks rich, lives rich, acts rich and is exactly the hollywood idea of rich. Then again, it can be said that that is precisely what the TVs and movies are for.

The Apprentice reminds me of the fakery of "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" of Robert Kiyosaki. It is a good show to watch and a good book to read because they take one good idea and harp on it. But thats just it, not like what they claim themselves to be - the notion that "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" reveals the secrets of the rich and that "The Apprentice" reveals the lessons of running a big business.

Other things I also think suck (i add things in this list over time):

Local interest rates that border on usury. Most personal loan rates from local banks charge around 30-40% total interest in about 3 years. I had a BS Math friend that computed the effective interest using NPV and compounded interest and she got a figure around 15% p.a. (to think, my sister in the US got a car loan at an effective interest rate of 5% p.a. Another is the local credit card rates. Add all sort of charges and dont be surprised to be charged in the vicinity of 40%-50% p.a. Also, just recently, our company experienced some collection problems, thus liquidity became a problem. So we had to borrow some big money from the local '5-6' merchant. It was 12% a month plus a 5% finders fee. Whew!

On Being Jack

2005-03-17T23:27:00.000+08:00

(Hi Diklaw!)

I have a name that is quite different from the regular names. It is so uncommon that simply appending @yahoo.com or @gmail.com to my name would generate my email address. No need for the name388@ or firstname_lastname@ that those, unfortunately named with the more standard names, have to resort to in order to achieve uniqueness in places like yahoo or gmail or hotmail. Like Eminem or 50 Cent or The Game, any mention of my name and you can be pretty sure it is referring to no one else but me. Google my name and the closest proper noun it gets is a town in Cameroon and a Jewish artifact of some sort.

In the course of conversations, it is entirely a different thing. There are certain disadvantages in having an uncommon name. When i tell a new acquaintance my name, I might as well have told then it is Krzyzewski (say what?). Conversations like the one below have happened numerous times:

Me: Pabili ng isang tall na frapuccino.
Starbucks cashier: Whats you're name, sir? (para isulat sa cup)
Me: (I mention my name)
Cashier: I'm sorry?
Me: (I mention my name again)
Cashier: Par-what? (while leaning forward with the ear tilted towards me)
Me: (I slowly mention my name for the third time with exagerated emphasis on each syllable)
Cashier: Fernan?
Me: Jack na lang ho.

Thus the evolution of my name Jack...

dog stories

2005-03-12T21:41:00.000+08:00

Edward and Fred, two grown men, were arguing over something. Fred was with his young daughter Domay and Edward was with his dog Brownie. On the heat the moment, Fred lunged at Edward. Domay sensed this and went between the two men with the intention of preventing a fight from escalating. (But to the dog, it might have appeared as something else.) As it happened, the dog saw this, proceeded to join the meelee, defended his alpha dog and bit Domay on the leg. It was quite a bite and Domay received several stiches from the hospital.

A while back, I saw Domay limping and asked her why. And this is what she told. The dog was simply protecting his master.

Which reminds me of another dog incident two Christmases ago. At that time, we had three dogs: one dog that we have had for more than 10 years now and two of her fully grown puppies. It was Christmas and my father and I decided to 'christmasen' one of the two fully grown puppies. We had the dog all stringed-up and my father just delivered the killer blow to the dogs head. On seeing that, the puppie's mother, our dog of 10 years, growled and bit my father at the heel. Hehe. Mothers' instincts..

Anyway, we still proceeded to butcher the grown puppy and made yummy adobo, nilaga and dinuguan out of it. After eating, I decided to give my leftover dog bones to the mother dog to see what she will do.

She ate the bones.

Hehe. If I were a writer, I would have been inspired to write a song and a poem out of these instead of just a blog entry :-)

the adventures continue

2005-03-09T22:19:00.000+08:00

It happens again. Pumunta akong Insular Life headquarters sa Alabang kanina to finalize a deal that we have been emailing back and forth for quite sometime. I had to give my ID to the reception and my conversation with the barong-clad guard at the counter went:

Guard: Saan kayo?
Me: Ahhh.. (di ko agad naisip yung name)
Guard: Messenger ho kayo?

To think, naka-long sleeves and slacks ako..

One of the boys...

2005-03-02T14:31:00.000+08:00

I think I am the kind of person that do not inspire deference from the first look. I think that I'm the kind of person that exudes some sort of negative physical vibes to certain people who I meet for the first time.

=*=

Tipong pagpunta ko sa planta ng Pepsi-Cola Philippines sometime ago, the guard at the gate assumed I am not someone who is meeting the IT manager:

I was walking up to the gate when the guard blocked my path, "Saan kayo?"

"Sa IT." That is what I usually visit in our customers, the Information Technology (IT) department. It can also be called Information Systems (IS) department. Its the same, IT or IS or any other names..

"Saan?"

"Sa IT."

"Kanino?"

"Kay Bong Tanamayor, IT Manager."

"Sa IS. IS kasi sabihin nyo. IT kayo ng IT. Walang IT dito."

Honestly, I don't think the guard was disrespectful or rude. He may well be that, but I think that I project this persona of a 'probinsyano' and 'simpleton' that the guard simply does not effect his "respectful" persona or his "im-at-work" mode when he was talking to me. Like the maids and other househelps, we know they are there but there is no effort to be decent or respectful to them; we simply behave as ourselves in their presence.

I think I have this effect on people, I strip them of their pretensions. That is why I have this unusual number of similar experiences.

=Starbucks=

Once, I went to the Starbucks in Emerald Avenue, Ortigas and told the girl at the counter, "Miss, isang kape nga. Maliit."

Counter girl: "Bosing, 60 pesos ang kape dito. Diretso ka dyan sa kaliwa (pointing outside the Starbucks) may canteen dyan."

When I was relating this to my business partners, they said I should have complained to the manager or at least slap a bundle of thousand peso bills on the counter. My girlfriend said I should have retorted with some witty comeback. I did nothing of the above. In fact, I think the counter girl was simply, honestly being helpful, being emphatic.

=Travel Agency=

Ako: "Bili ako ng isang roundtrip ticket puntang Singapore."
Agent (looking at me): "Sabihin nyo sa amo nyo, kailangan ng passport."

=Property Sales Agent=

While taking a look at the booths and displays of condos, houses and lots in one of those property agents in SM Megamall, I approached one of the salesmen:

Ako: "Pwedeng humingi ng pricelists?"
Salesman (after looking at his notebook): "Wala na ho kaming available na mga low cost housing."

=Acebedo Optical=

Ako (pointing to a particular frame): "Magkano to?"
Saleslady (pointing to the cheaper plastic frames): "Mahal yan sir. Dito ho kayo pumili."

=*=

Of course, there are certain upsides of stripping strangers of their pretensions. I could also say that I probably get an unusual number of random kindness from strangers. I will write a blog on this aspect one time...

Encounters with an Oracle

2005-02-28T12:15:00.000+08:00

When my girlfriend had to go Singapore for work reasons, I found myself going alone on a long planned trip with a big group that I only met for the first time. I was expecting to be isolated and uncomfortable with the group since I know no one of them.

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“Taga saan ang mga Ibanag?”

“Dito sa may Cagayan area.”

“Taga-saan yun mga may buntot?”

Not sure I heard it right, I go, “Alin, yung mga taga-Bontoc? Sa may Mountain Province naman yun.”

He was persistent, wide-eyed and apparently serious, “Hindi, taga saan dito yun mga may buntot?”

“Ahh.. Uh, yung may buntot sa harap pag lalake? Haha. Kilala nga yata sila dito na malalaki.. Haha”. I tried to look polite.

Sheesh. There is no faster way to lose interest in a conversation than this. I am talking to an ignorant bigot here. That is the thing about talking to someone you know nothing about, you can get surprised real bad.

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In Kalinga, our destination, we were waiting for the rest of our group when 6 guys stepped down the bus to join us. I notice that they were all men, glamorously lady-like men. Our guide, the outfit operator comes to us and says, “Their major concern is if they will be accepted here. Let us accept them.”

Apparently, where they last vacationed, some locals where not too happy with their group and have jeered/shooed away/threw stones at them. Hmmm.

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I got to know some of the people from my group during the trip. One of them was a self-proclaimed oracle. His friends say that 9 out of every 10 predictions that he says come true. We decided that on that night, we would get him drunk and ask for his predictions. Little did we know that his predictions would make one guy in our group cry, one couple to start fighting right there and most of us agreeing that his guesses on us were quite accurate and promised to keep tab if his prophesy would indeed reveal themselves in the near future.

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We were drinking that night and were quite smashed when one of the girls I found quite pretty and sexy stood up, hushed us and offered a toss: “To great life, great sex and great love.”

Two other girls concurred: “To great sex, to great sex and to great sex.”

Hehe.. I perspired a bit. This is getting interesting. And hopeful that this would end in one of those unforgettable and totally unexpected endings you would keep telling your friends about and maybe even write about :>

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The self-proclaimed oracle began. He described one of our group as “si Masarap”. And he goes, “Yang dalawang yan (him and his girlfriend), lugi yung babae. Pinakikisamahan lang sya nung lalake. Pag nakakita ng iba yan...”

Whereas, just a few minutes ago, the girl was talking about floral arrangements for their wedding. “Kung matuloy kami.” Cooed the girl. While the guy just smiled. But said nothing.

When we were really drunk, one friend of the guy said that the gay oracle was quite accurate. Score one for his predictions. Note that we didn’t know each other and were just drinking in one big group because we had to while away the night for the trip the next day.

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He described one couple as nearing break-up. The girl and the guy both drunkenly professed their protestations and insisted they were solid. And while they were both doing so, they got into a disagreement and remarkably, began quite a fight that ended with them excusing themselves from the group so they can talk privately.

Quite dramatic. Score two for his predictions.

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And so it went… As for me, the oracle foretold that I was quite secure and happy and would get married soon. Pleased to hear that; and please to be blissfully drunk.

on rafting, kayaking and boredom..

2005-02-19T20:44:00.000+08:00

The work was kind of getting boring. I would wake up listlessly in the morning. I would go to the office and go through the motions of work. The overtime would come, and I would go home late.

The work is starting to appear less and less interesting. I am starting to stop caring about the work. The energy is starting to bottom out.

When I found myself asking a doctor friend for ecstasy so I can enjoy the parties better, I was like, shit, has it become this bad?

You see, the company I am starting to lose interest in is the one I started. I shouldn’t be losing interest in something I started. I shouldn’t stop caring in something I know I really care about.

Baka naman tipong lo-bat lang to. Maybe, mag-recharge lang ng battery, ayos na.

It was in this frame of mind that when some friends decided to go rafting in the Chico River in Kalinga, I jumped at the chance to join them.

We took the Victory bus in Kamias to Tugegarao, Cagayan. Our host there would be Anton; he owns a rafting outfit that got featured in some of the local travel/tv shows.

First day activities included exploring the Callao caves. We got ourselves all muddy, crawled in between tight rocks, climbed up a steep rock formation using ropes with knots that can be grabbed to pull yourself up, climbed down a sturdy tree using ropes tied around your waist and butt, and for lunch, had some inihaw sa tabi nung river. It was fun and I was loving it.

After lunch, came the formal instructions on the basics of kayaking. We were paddling like crazy as Anton showed the various techniques of paddling, navigation and such. And nuggets of information like, “The bottom of the river is not your friend. Do not fall.” We then spent some 4-5 hours kayaking in the Pinakanawan River. Anton says it is a government-protected site and it seems the Cagayan government did a good job protecting as the water was crystal clear and the riverbanks were unspoiled.

By nightfall, we drank beer and dried ourselves in the riverbanks while waiting for our ride home. Ang galing. Nakaka-relax.

We started the second day with a 3-hour jeepney ride to Kalinga for the Chico River. This river is quite a character in itself – it was the heart of the protest movement against Marcos at its heydays. This is where Macliing Dulag came from (he is supposed to be the first hero martyrred for environmental reasons, not political). Not only that, the Chico River is very beautiful, virginal even.

Chico River is perfect for white water rafting. You could see the white foams created by the water slamming violently all over the river. Anton says it makes for good world-class rafting.

There were about five teams who started, one team per raft. It was not yet one hour after starting that one team over-turned. And then another. Pretty soon, every one of us has rolled-over. And it was fun! As Anton says, you do not fully enjoy rafting unless you have capsized.

It was also difficult. There are points where we had to bring our rafts to the riverbanks and go survey the river downstream before going at it. There was one point, called the Washing Machine, where we bumped into a huge rock, capsized and got caught in a mini-whirlpool.

No one was seriously injured in all these. All got thrown overboard. Most got scrapes and bumps. Most drank some of the river water. A couple of flip-flops were washed away. A sunglass fell or “donated to the river” as the guide would say. But everyone was okay. Everyone liked it and everyone wanted to go back and do it again. Everyone had his own rafting story to tell.

As they say, in midst of rafting do we truly feel alive.

And alive I was. This is what I needed. Fully re-charged na nga pagbalik ng Maynila. I have no doubt pagbalik ko work sa Monday, the energy, the interest and the creative juices will be back as they used to be.

... on Jack's Rice

2005-02-16T20:03:00.000+08:00

Restaurants along the Halsema Highway have this thing about "Rice". For instance, Morning Star Restaurant, one of the more famous dining stops in this rugged and lonely roadway, would serve a special dish called Morning Star Rice. Jack's Restaurant would serve Jack's Rice. And being unfamiliar with these eateries, a traveler is advised to go for these "Rice" meals. Most often, it is their most impressive dish.

Halsema Highway is arguably the Vegetable Highway of the Philippines. It originates from La Trinidad, Benguet and goes all the way to the Bontoc area. And it winds through kilometers of vegetable gardens through most of it. Those cabbages, beans, tomatoes, carrots, potatoes in your refrigerator most probably passed through these roads. Most of the traffic here would consist of jeeps, elfs, pickups and trucks filled with vegetables. Carved in the sides of mountains, Halsema is a narrow road with significant sections that are only one lane - often with a vertical drop inches away from the wheels of the passing vehicle. It winds through most of Benguet and Mountain Province, passing through villages with a handfull of houses, rural communitites and the occasional settlement with just one or two houses.

I think that the Halsema Highway is one of the last unexplored frontiers in the Philippines. Unlike Sagada that is at one of its nodes, tourists do not intentionally visit the Halsema Highway. Thus it is unsullied by these tourists, letting it maintain all its gentle roughness and geniune charm. This is a place where the locals listen to folk and country music - most wouldn't know who Britney Spears is but would recognize such country music stars as Alan Jackson or Garth Brooks. This is a place where leather jacket and cowboy boots (with spurs) is high fashion and is the definition of formal attire. This is a place where to partake in an 'inuman' session would mean drinking Ginebra San Miguel with water as chaser - I once asked for San Mig Lite only to be laughed at, "Walang ganyan dito." When a newcomer arrived for a drink, and was informed that I asked for San Mig Lite, there was much dirisive, albiet good-natured laughter.

This is the place where a kilo of cabbages could sell for PHP2.50; sayote are routinely fed to the pigs; and when a road slide closes the highway and prevents the gardeners from transporting their goods, you can see sacks of carrots, tomatoes, potatoes being given away to anyone who would like them because the only other option is to just to let them rot besides the road. This is also the place where pears, persimmons, peaches, strawberries, mulberries and blackberries are common everyday fruits. And a place where gardeners often complain that their vegetables are destroyed by frost, hailstones and below-10-degree-celcius temperatures.

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Anyway, I always wanted a blog of my own and after several false starts, I hope to keep this one going... :)