chronicles of rheiboy17 in the wonderful world of blogging

My 20-year Marketing Plan

2010-07-01T23:09:00.001+08:00

20 year marketing plan andal

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Chapter 8 Identifying Market Segments and Targets

2010-05-21T14:27:00.001+08:00

Chapter 8 kotler quiz slideshare

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Andal v49 Chapter 8 Kotler Keller: Identifying Market Segments and Targets

2010-05-07T23:44:00.001+08:00

"Men are born to succeed, not fail"

Andal v49 chapter 8 kotler for slideshare

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second engines

2009-11-21T11:28:00.004+08:00

I have an assignment this week in class, let me share to you a part of the story I submitted.

Have you ever watched a rocket leaving the earth? First it starts with a lot of fire. This is the first engine and as the fire grows bigger and the engine’s sound becomes louder, we know that the elevation will come next. The engine works as it gains speed. As the rocket progresses upwards there will come a critical moment where you blast off the first tank and the second engine starts. In due time, this big rocket is already up into space exploring the wide universe.

Leaders have passed their skills from their generation to the next. This is our culture of leadership. We lead and we learn. We need a new push to activate the “2nd engines” that will lead us further to new horizons.

In the coming elections, who's your second engine? Change will come......through us

heart obesity

2009-11-04T20:56:00.002+08:00

You might be wondering what's the title all about? it's actually how to describe my heart upon reading Yuan's journal. Here it is:

My Favorite Person

My Father is my favorite person.
He always plays with me.
He helps me do my homework.
He takes care of us.
He protects us.

Then he made a note in one paper after our math session, showed it to me,

"I love you Dady"

(wrong spelling for Daddy, alright. May pinagmanahan. But definitely made my heart "obese" instantly)

Napuwing ako. maalikabok sa bahay,haaay.

I love you, too. Son.

scary mathematics

2009-10-14T20:28:00.000+08:00

Yuan and Kyan just transferred to a new school this year. It was a big adjustment for Yuan - he was accepted for Grade II even if he is 6. The curriculum was way way advanced compared to his previous community school. In fact his Math textbook is intended for Grade III students! I know the adjustment period was difficult for Yuan - smallest and youngest and new(est) in class. It was indeed stressful for my Panganay.

It was equally stressful for mommy and daddy, too.

The first few Homeworks, Seatworks and assignements came - scores with more mistakes that you can easily assess "hula/chamba" factor contributed to some (or most) of the correct ones. Intervention must be done....

Everyday, upon arriving home, i open Yuan's bag and check for his notes, folders and assignments. He had quick improvements in all subject...except math. Addition of 4 digit numbers, Roman Numerals, Subtraction (with dreaded borrowing), Multiplication.

Everyday, i make 2 sheets of questions and post it in the board before i leave for office. Don't worry, it's not the sadistic type. I make sure that he will be able to answer math problems with some room for difficult ones in the latter part of the sheet. This is his assignment everyday after class. I will call home late afternoon to check if his done with his "homework-made-by-daddy".

.....and it's working. He is no longer scared of numbers. Division is just around the corner, but I'm confident Yuan can handle this. And Dad will always be at his side.

other subjects? I leave that to Marie :-)

yuan's christmas party 2008

2008-12-26T12:45:00.002+08:00

merry christmas! - yuan mari a. andal

maligayang pasko po!

2008-12-25T21:45:00.002+08:00

Maligayang Pasko! This year, i used the internet (Chikka server) to reply to my friends - i saved a few pesos and delivered the message just the same. Thanks to the wonderfulworld of cyberspace. Merry Christmas everyone!!!

(that's my eldest under the christmas tree a few years ago, very christmassy)

twilight

2008-12-11T17:16:00.006+08:00

After Bangkok Dangerous, i'm now on my next not-a-movie-but-a-movie-titled blog. Books for me are like diphenhydramine - with sedating effect. This will actually be my prescription for the insomniacs, hyperactive and zombees. It works for me, i just dunno if reading books has the same effect with the general public.

Enough of the introduction. okay. While i was stucked in Bangkok, Marie called me and said she watched a vampire movie - Twilight. Not just once but thrice! It was Edward Cullen's appeal that made her go back and watch it 3x. Hmmm, i wondered why (malamang pogi, ganyan din siya kay coffee prince at nagagalit saken pagsinasabi kong kamukha ni kuya kim atienza (matang lawin) si gong yu, hehehe)?

On my first day back in office, my friend gave me an audiobook version of the twilight saga. "Now, this is cool, let's see if this will keep me awake, cuz i will definitely not read the book version, knowing that the Twilight Saga is 4 books!".

Let me try this nonconventional way of "reading". And so i started. It was the unabridged version narrated by Llyana Kadushin. Is the audiobook version as diphenhydraminic as the visual book version? To my surprise, its not! This version actually made me "thirsty" for more. Such a lovely voice! A few minutes passed and twilight consumed me. It seems i'm under the spell of Bella's voice that i have to continue "hunting" the book. Ahhh, Bella, Bella, Bella. The accident-magnet Bella, my Bella.

I guess i have to stop from here. So? did i like this nonconventional reading you might ask? I'm now in Book 3 - Eclipse. Hooked. Enchanted. Bellafied.

(for the movie version..... i'll probably stick with the audiobook version for now, i'll probably wait for the clear dvd (blue ray daw) copy in Quiapo)the hunt is on!

Bangkok Dangerous

2008-11-29T23:45:00.011+08:00

"kailan ako lalaya? sa anino ng pag iisa? mga rehas lang ang tanaw, nanginginig sa seldang maginaw." - eheads (NGA PALA, NAKARATING NA KO PILIPINAS, SALAMAT SA DIYOS! -12/01/08)

How does it feel to be a prisoner in an invisible jailhouse? This is what i'm feeling right now. I flew here from Manila to attend a business meeting last Saturday. My flight back was booked last Wednesday afternoon. But Tuesday night, there was news that protesters blocked the International Airport leaving no choice but to stop business - all flights cancelled - until further notice. The people are demanding CHANGE. Let the prime minister step down his office and start a new era of good governance. The world will know their plea by demonstrating a peaceful protest in one of Asia's biggest airport (infact 18th bussiest in the world) - Suvarnabhumi.

Ok, this wouldn't probably take long....and so i thought. Today is Sunday, my 9th day in Bangkok. Both local and international airports here are closed. You have to go to Pattaya (+ 2hours) or Phuket (+12 hours) then fly to Cambodia or Vietnam or Malaysia or Singapore if your flight carrier can accomodate you. Everyday, the number of stranded tourists are in the thousands. 5 days post airport seige. Booking for train (earliset available booking Dec10!), car (hotel car to Phuket - 17,000 Baht!), bus (fully booked), boat or plane (prioritize nationals - Cathay for HongKong, SQ for Singaporeans, Thai Airways for those already booked) to any destination away from Bangkok is like joining the Amazing Race! Until finally, you're too tired of thinking all the possibilities.

Shop. Eat. Walk along the streets of Bangkok. Watch CNN. Sleep. Drink. Sleep. Watch CNN. Walk along the streets of Bangkok. Eat. Shop. Plenty of things to do. A lot of sites to see. But no matter what i do, the reality is - i'm stranded, i'm stucked in prison without the jailbars.

I want to go home. I miss my family.... ganito pala ang malayo sa mga taong minamahal mo, sigh....

You're my Hero

2008-11-03T15:12:00.004+08:00

This weekend was all "parteeyy" for my kids. Saturday, November 1. We went to a friend's son 1st birthday party. My 2 kids, both excited with their superhero costumes - green lantern and flash. The party was on the 7th floor a few minutes from the biggest government hospital in taft (yeah, you guessed it right) were my wife works (and i used to work). The place was perfect - swimming pool, overlooking crowded manila, cool breeze and bright lights in the bay area.

Too excited, the boys rushed inside the party place but immediately turned back upon seeing cookie monster and the clowns! haaaay, for some unknown reason, my kids don't like mascots (kung pwede lang sila ma banned sa mga party) even our very own jollibee! But of course, we can't stop the party just because my kids are afraid of these "monsters". So we managed to enjoy the event..... at the far end of the party room away from these creatures. haha.

Here comes the "bring me game". Definitely they still want to win and have a price (TOYS). Bring me a pair of white socks! (I have gray). Bring me three piso coins!(i have 500 bills, ehem, ehem). Bring me a receipt! (i gave one to my son, but he was not the first one to reach the clowns...we're at the far end, remember?) Bring me the longest belt! (my waist size is just 30, i gave it but obviously not winnable). Bring me a license! (still not the first one)... the game was such a sure hit to the crowds, but for my son, i saw in his eyes, he wanted to win atleast one so that he can have a precious lightning mcqueen prize (TOY).... i saw in him not happiness but a tinge of sorrow for not being able to get atleast one precious, which is like a world for him. I openned my wallet, getting ready for whatever bring me the clown will utter (Please God, give us a chance, all for my kids....)

Atlast, one last bring me.... Bring me your PINAKAMACHONG DADDY!!! Without any hesitation, i stood up, brought my son to the clown and proclaimed my self MR. SEXY! Nevermind the laughter from the crowd, but seeing my son getting his prize, the pure innocent laughter in his face, like in the credit card commercial, its PRICELESS.

After the party, my son told me, "thanks dad, you're my hero!" I may not be green lantern, flash or superman but i will endure anything, all for love.

The next day, November 2, there's another party.......

barya lang po sa umaga

2008-10-02T14:49:00.004+08:00

Oh i can feel the credit crunch!

I have to pay my 2 credit card bills this week. I overspent last month (learning #1: thou shall not swipe your card left and right, there's no such thing as plastic money, in the end, you have to pay for everything!)

ok, they were mostly house supplies - groceries, must-haves, and uhm, "other stuff" (learning #2: though shall not go to the supermarket without a list of must-buys, or else you will end up buying extras)

since i'm out of cash, i opened my alkansya and got a hefty 5,000 pesos of piso, 5 peso- and 10 peso coins! (learning #3: pag may isinuksok may madudukot)

Now, am on my way to bayad center. there's a long line of payees. here i am carrying a heavy plastic (i bundled the coins in 1,000s)..... "Tumatanggap kayo ng barya?" (Do you accept coins?). "Yes, po!", she said. Then i initially showed the paper bills and put the heavy plastic of coins in front of her kahera. "Five thousand po yan"

She looked at me, smiled. Looked at the people next in line. Looked at the ceiling (oh, God parusa ito!) then she immediately called for back up. (I never looked at the people behind me, i wonder how they reacted upon seeing me putting the heavy plastic of coins infront of the cashier? hmmmm....urghh)

Haaaay, after about 10-15 minutes, i heard the backup clerk who counted the coins saying, "Maam complete po!"

Thank you very much SM Taytay for accepting my coins, talagang service with a grin, este smile (learning #4 Though shall love your customers so that they will keep on coming back!).

Next month ulet!

horsie horsie

2008-08-28T13:21:00.006+08:00

Ang susunod na thema ay hindi angkop sa mga mambabasa edad disiotso pababa. Patnubay ng magulang ay kinakailangan.....

We had a "joy ride" in the village last week. A joy ride atleast once a week is one of our little family bonding moments.

While driving, i have to make a sudden full stop. Why? because two dogs are doing a LIVE SHOW "making love" in the middle of the street! Animals in heat sa init ng araw! With the undulating action, who am i to interrupt such act of procreation?

My smart kids, with a questionable look at their faces had their attention with the intimate dogs in front of us. "ay, daddy, look at the dogs, nag hohorsie horsie!"

stunned. a sudden silence from me and marie. i honked and interrupted their "horsie horsie", sorry guys. beep, beep! (i wonder how they felt? coitus interruptus! *wink)

I AM (LEGEND) doctor

2008-08-05T09:33:00.007+08:00

i am a member of pinoymd yahoogroups, and there has been a long email thread recently about the plight of doctors (salary, status, hirap ng buhay). I dont know if i met Carl during residency, but i sure can relate to him on the realities of training in that big hospital sa Taft Ave. Here's my response to his post.

and btw, this is not a will-smith-wannabe-post :-)

Dear Carl,

Wow, i wasnt able to read this the first time. It is a sad reality that not all of us are "Anak ng Diyos", people have the general notion that all Doctors are on the top tier of the society (financial-wise). And even if you want to tell them that we're no different from all the fresh graduates of the University, it's just hard to change such an established notion.

The truth is, having a diploma, additional two letters at the end of our name (and probably a few more post residency) a white coat and a stet hanging on our shoulders are not 100% ticket to success. We still have to work our way up and climb the long ladder to success.

The harsh reality of our economy not only affects the tambays in the kanto, the millions of mang pandoy and the countless indays. Doctors are not immune to experience the difficulties of establishing a practice.

On a positive note, we studied so many years to attain doctorhood. We met so many people along the way. All the prelims, midterms, removals, practicals, decuries and board exam made us logical people. So i'm sure all of us can pass this chapter of struggle in our career. In the end, its the benefit we contribute to the society that makes a mark to the lives of people we have touched and healed. One patient at a time.

Carl, hope you're all good in the new path you have chosen. Doctors are survivors. And to all of us, keep evolving, tandaan mo, hindi ka nag-iisa. Kudos Carl for this great contribution.

rheiboy17

Can't live without

2008-07-29T18:34:00.005+08:00

I remember when i was in grade school, the only people in the class with phone (landline) are those from the upper tier of the society. In a public school (i call it "Dela Salle Taytay") you can actually count those students who exchange phone numbers - those that belong to the "in" crowd. Yeah, i ask their numbers, too! because at the end of our "village" there is the good ole phonebooth, three 25 cents and your in the loop! (under time pressure though, cuz there's a long line of people waiting to use the phone booth)...

High school! Aha! zero backlog of PLDT connected the whole of Rizal to the civilized world. I was in a Catholic School then (let's call it "Ateneo de Cainta"). The masses are one with the affluent people now. You can call almost everybody, and you will really need a phonebook to store your classmate's (and friend's, and "phone pal's" numbers). Yeah, i used to have a pocket-sized book that i carry along ready to flash anytime once there's an exchange of phone numbers session.

College. This time a landline is not enough. the evolution of pocketbells, infopage and beepers! a one-line text to your friends and 'cool barkada' will always keep you in touch. communication is getting easier and smaller as we embrace the end of the century. uh, did i mention i received University awakening at the Royal, Catholic and Pontifical?

Post college. Cellular phones galore. I remember when the 2 network giants offer texting for free. text now and receive the message in an instant. no need to call an operator. communication in just a few buttons. death to beepers and all his friends (sounds like the latest album of coldplay huh). Text revolutionized our mobile life - from voting on tv shows, erap jokes, and even updates of the matalinong INDAY series. Everything you can get from mobile - news, chizmiz, games, ringtones, mms, movie snipets - wow. where was i? still with the yellow royal pontifical blood.

residency. The need to store evidence-based medicine at the palm of your hand is a must. volumes of books in a pocket sized gadget - PDA. Yup handhelds that is really a powerful device. Presentations, notes, books, chitnotes, quick reviews - all of them can be stored in just one device (external memory card is a must). 3 years of training under the four walls of maroon hospital. stinky? that's for you to find out. visit the place- its at the heart of taft avenue and if you get all sweaty inside, just proceed to the adjacent mall, viva la vida!

now? there's so many gadgets all over. ever heard of sandwich's hip music? "wala pa nung myx, wala pa nung mtv, wala pa nung internet, wa la pa nung ipod o mp3, wala pa nung cable, wala pa nung celfone, wala pa nung cd o dvd, meron lang beta max.....
today, there's so much instore for eveyone. you can personalize everything and chose whatever that fits your lifestyle. i love to live in this day and age. knowledge is really within reach.

so, what's next? hmmm....

(duke, i was FORCED to write this entry)

"12 Little things Every Filipino Can do to help our Country"

2008-06-18T10:09:00.007+08:00

I found a book worth sharing "12 Little Things every Filipino Can Do To Help our Country" - Alexander L. Lacson

1. Follow traffic rules. Follow the law.
2. Whenever you buy or pay for anything, always ASK FOR AN OFFICIAL RECEIPT.
3. Don't buy smuggled goods. BUY LOCAL, buy Filipino.
4. When you talk to others, especially foreigners, speak POSITIVELY about us and our country
5. Respect your traffic enforcer, policeman and soldier
6. DO NOT LITTER. Dispose your garbage properly. Segregate, Recycle, Conserve.
7. Support your Church.
8. During elections, do your solemn duty.
9. Pay your employees well.
10. Pay your Taxes.
11. ADOPT A SCHOLAR or a POOR CHILD.
12. BE A GOOD PARENT. Teach your kids to follow the law and love our country

Easier said than done, but the simplest act of goodness can really spell the big difference. Belated Happy Independence Day to all.

its been a while

2008-05-23T17:02:00.006+08:00

It's been a while.

I know i can give hundreds, make it thousands, of excuses why i suddenly put my blog into hiatus. oh well, if my blogpost can rant, he would probably cussed me for abandoning him.

if simon cowell can say his apologies before the anouncement of this season's American Idol, then I can pretty much say whatever i want (this is my post anyways). Sorry po, subukan kong magpost ng mas madalas.....

so what's up?

excuse #1 - briefly, i'm still in the wonderful world of corporate pharma but no longer in Global City Taguig (a.k.a. The Fort). I'm now in Makati Central Business District. Yup, am in a new company. And i thank all the people from company A for giving me all the necessary knowledge and skills to survive in this business. I definitely wouldn't be at Company B if not for the training and experience i got from Company A, i will be forever greatful.

excuse #2 - busy life. adjustment phase. some stuff to read. new therapeutic area. getting to know a lot of new faces. travel here and there. start anew. ilovemyjob.

excuse #3 - i cant think of any..... ah yeah, i'd spent a lot of time watching korean movies during weekends (Biscuit Teacher and Star Candy, The First Shop of Coffee Prince, A love Story in Harvard, Il Mare, Eraser In My Head, The Classic, Addicted, Sad Movie, and a lot more). Thanks to the very "accessible bangketa's" with the ever accomodating vendors selling "DVD, DVD, DVD"

excuse #4 - ..... i'll park for now. until my next blog, when? hmmmm.....

*wink

english 101

2007-08-28T06:53:00.000+08:00

I was in beautiful thailand last week with marsmyloves. Here are some points to ponder:

1. we have almost the same land area and population
2. same climate
3. same bumper-to-bumper traffic
4. they have tuktuk, we have our jeepneys (and tricycles)
5. their tourism business is way way booming than ours
6. their english needs some polishing though(there's some misunderstanding, especially pag tumatawad ka but they can communicate)
7. they have cheaper electricity (imagine 3 aircon in one house - monthly bill THB 1000 - just PhP 1500! fyi, philippines is among the most expensive in asia, why? i dunno why!!!!)
8. cheaper everything...

..... i think their economy is growing because they win a lot of tourists. come to think of it, our country can also offer the same plus, with our good english communication skills, they can easily roam around from aparri to jolo. this is one advantage that we have to invest on. because in the near future, as our neighboring countries improve their english (and ours' deteriorating), what more can we offer?

on the lighter side of life, read this:

My Friends,

Kakatawa 'to!

We've been friends for a long time ago. We come from the same alma
mother. Actually, our paths crossed one time on another. But it's only
now that I gave him a second look. I realized that beauty is in the eyes.
The pulpbits of my heart went fast, really fast. Cute pala siya. And
then, he came over with me. He said, "I hope you don't mine. Can I get
your number?"

Nag-worry ako. What if he doesn't give it back?

He explained naman na it's so we could keep intact daw. Sabi ko, connect
me if i'm wrong but are you asking me ouch?

Nabigla siya. Sagot niya, The! Aba! Parang siya pa ang galit! Persona
ingrata!!! Ang kapal niya! I cried buckles of tears.

Na-guilty yata siya. Sabi niya, isipin mo na lang na this is a blessing in
the sky. Irregardless daw of his feelings, we'll go ouch na rin.

Now, we're so in love. Mute and epidemic na ang past. Thanks God we
swallowed our fried. Kasi, I'm 33 na and I'm running our time. After 2
weeks, he plopped the question. "Will you marriage me?"

I'm in a state of shocked. Kasi mantakin mo, when it rains, it's four!
This is true good to be true. So siyempre, I said yes. Love is a many
splendor.

Pero nung inaayos ko na ang aming kasal, everything swell to pieces.
Nag-di-dinner kami noon nang biglang sa harap ng aming table, may babaeng
humirit ng, "Well, well, well. Look do we have here."

What the fuss! The nerd ng babaeng yon! She said they were still on. So
I told her, whatever is that, cut me some slacks! I didn't want this to
get our hand kaya I had to sip it in the bud. She accused me of steeling
her boyfriend. Ats if! I don't want to portrait the role of the other
woman. Gosh, tell me to the marines! I told her, "please, mine you own
business!" Who would believe her anyway?

Dahil it's not my problem anymore but her problem anymore, tumigil na rin
siya ng panggugulo. Everything is coming up daisies. I'm so happy. Even
my boyfriend said liketwice. He's so supportive. Sabi niya, "Look at is
this way. She's our of our lives."

Kaya advise ko sa inyo - take the risk. You can never can tell. Just burn
the bridge when you get there. Life is shorts. If you make a mistake,
we'll just pray for the internal and external repose of your soul. I
second emotion.

6 feet under and beyond

2007-07-08T13:57:00.000+08:00

its been a while. may 20th was my last entry here in blogosphere. yeah i've been a lurker, briefly browsing entries, but i cant make my own post. thousands of reasons, make it gazzilions of reasons, but i just cant.

now i just want to make a chronicle of what happened for the past 2 months.

- change of address, to far far away taytay, rizal. 30 kms from my office, 1 hour when youre lucky but 4 hours when on heavy traffic. the heck!

- a major continuing medical education held at PICC. All doctors must attend one, private practice is one thing, but "going back to school" and refreshing basic knowledge in the academy is another. We have to admit, the older you are, the more you get alienated from the techie stuff.

- 10 lectures, 6 different topics, 2 venues in 2 weeks! man, this is the cycle!

- farewell to my good ole buddy, chard..... from cainta, to dubai, now to canada. another makabayan who will definitely be successful in the land of caucasians. i understand why most people move out of the country..... i hope 10 - 20 years from now, they will go back (i pray that when that time comes, our country has changed for the better)

- my 2 kids got sick, admitted at the royal, catholic, and pontifical institution at the heart of manila. kudos to dr. iluminada lerma, you're the best. thanks to my present job, i didnt pay even a penny - everything covered! considering how hard it is for a doctor to have a practice.... "bawal ang magkasakit"

- we have 4 puppies.

- a lot of movies shown, but thank God atleast i get to watch TRANSFORMERS.
awesome!

ok, its an eyesore seeing my last post may 20th, now it will be july 8th..... when's the next entry...................we'll see.

bye for now.

good samaritans in UK

2007-05-20T08:49:00.000+08:00

UK is lovely! though i wasn't able to visit LONDON (which is the "real UK"), i got the chance to stay in Alderley Park (Macclesfield) and a day at Manchester. For not-so-geographically-pro (i admit, i am one) Alderley is a countryside (province). I love the place - beautiful (and very few) houses, huge lots, with cows and sheeps, vast grassland, few people, modern buildings/offices hiding on forests, few people, posh cars, few people, narrow streets and uh did i say few people? i did!

they say, alderley is the home for the rich, a house there cost 2M pounds (that's what the taxi driver told me), Posh and David Beckham used to live there (ok, i know the Philippines is not a football country). Simply put, Alderley Park is like Forbes park only multiplied in humongous british pounds!

But its not the place i remembered most. I took a train to Manchester on my last day. at the station, people told me that Manchester is different from alderley. Manchester is a city - and with it comes "all forces". People at the train station told me to be careful, beware of pickpockets, never to talk to strangers and check your wallet/belongings every once in a while. Ahh, the paranoia in me. With my Egyptian friend, we breezed Manchester with caution. If in alderley, you never saw a black guy - here in Manchester - you'll see people from all over - asians, blacks, middleeasterns, its like a mixed society (ok, ok, Manchester is a city, what do you expect).

at the end of the day, we went back with loads of goodies (oh well, my friend had loads, i just bought enough fyi - 1 pound = 96 pesos). we're always on the lookout for "bad elements". holding our bags and wallet tightly whenever passing through suspicious people. looking at each other knowing that we have to "guard our goods".

around 9pm (and there's still sun), we went back to the train station and went back to posh alderley. exhausted on the day trip, we went out to have dinner and by midnight started to pack things up. then i received a call - huh, me? who will call me here, i barely knew anyone?

I received a call from a man who told me that i lost my wallet in the train. to my surprise, my wallet is not in my pocket! the couple were sorry cuz they have to open my wallet (doesn't have money inside - only cards) so that they can contact me. they were asking on how they can give it to me. i told them that my flight will be 6am the next day. is it ok if i can just pick it up in their house. only to find out that they're place is 7 miles (around 20mins drive without traffic) from the hotel. I don't have any choice, i have to get the wallet this instance. so i told the unknown caller that i will call a friend (parang game show) to help me.

There's 6 Filipinos in the hotel (yes, we are definitely everywhere!), and its always nice to meet a kababayan (fellow countrymen) in a foreign land. i had TAGALOG chats with them everyday (for me, its cool to use FILIPINO abroad - para kang bisaya sa maynila ba, ganun ang feeling). i asked one to accompany me 7 miles from the hotel. so we went there around 2 am we found the place, the good Samaritans gave me the wallet, and as a token of my appreciation i gave them .... uh never mind, i gave them "something" for remembrance and invited them over to visit beautiful Philippines. the couple were sleepy already so we didn't have much time to chat.

Ahhh, my wallet, intact. complete. back to the rightful owner.

you see, i felt guilty feeling paranoid and all when i was at Manchester. and here, i found good Samaritans. no, they found me. my UK trip is over, but i will never forget those people - the Filipinos and the couple who got my wallet. There is hope to humankind.

UK is lovely! (spoken like a true Simon cowell)

globe imposible 3

2007-05-16T05:50:00.000+08:00

dear globe (all comes in trilogy)

thank you for the quick response. i already got my reimbursement. SM San Lazaro Globe people were so kind, friendly, accomodative and efficient. Such a pleasant site to visit........hmm, i wonder why? Sa globe, POSIBLE. smart din pala sila ano?

.....will end my rant here (for now, actually). :)

kind regards,
rant-tarat-a-lot

globe imposible 2

2007-05-01T08:35:00.000+08:00

dear globe

after i sent my email last saturday. i received a quick reply yesterday. in about six hours, i received a confirmation that i can now get the reimbursement at sm san lazaro! you see, i waited six months, i made an email expressing my disgust, and in six hours, i can now get my refund. amazing! sa globe POSIBLE! so? should i say now that globe people are actually smart afterall....... (it pays to rant....sometimes)

naaah, they should have done that months ago.

ps: they gave me an extra, i no longer need to reapply for my roaming everytime i fly abroad, they made my status permanent. am off to UK, see you guys after one week (talk about giving a price for their lack-of-"patient"-care)

kind regards
rant-arattarat

globe imposible

2007-04-28T14:14:00.000+08:00

i'm tired of going to the mall following up the reimbursement from globe, so i emailed them.....

good day,

i have two accounts from globe that i requested for termination last december 2006. I have continously followed up the status of my termination. The instruction was that i will receive a final bill, and then i can have my refund to any globe station.

i have inquired with globe sm manila, sm north edsa, and the last was at sm san lazaro. By coincidence (or maybe, just maybe, there's a ghost employee), from all the 3 globe stations, the officer-in-charge was either on leave or already out of the office. If i remember right, sm manila instructed me that i can go to any globe station and claim my refund. but a month ago, i went to sm san lazaro to inquire for that. i filled up a form regarding my termination of 2 accounts, and told me that they will inform me if the fund is already available for pick up. the personnel specifically told me that i cant get the refund instantly, the instruction given to me by the sm manila personnel was wrong!

now, i have never received any follow up from your company. sm san lazaro told me that they will text me or call me after two days. is 2 days equivalent to 2 months globewise?.

the terminated number i have are: 09178586199, the other one, sad to say this, but i have already forgotten because i'm not the one using it (and its been almost half a year!).

please do check my account: these are my mailing address from the previous account ......(privacy).........sta cruz manila
the other account is mailed at ........(my dad-in-law doesnt want a penpal, sorry)..... san pedro puerto princesa city palawan

i hope that someone will address my concern, its been almost 5 months now. if this is the way you handle reimbursements, then you better improve the system. your people from different branches are saying different instructions. Sa globe POSIBLE! then prove it! All the while i thought globe people are smart...... sigh.

kind regards,
rant-arattarat

Easter family (mis)adventure

2007-04-09T09:32:00.000+08:00

we just had a new addition to our family. at first, you have to spend some time with each other, sort of getting-to-know-each-other phase. know what to expect, listen carefully, gentle on maneuvering, speed up the acquaintance part, careful on sudden turns, get ready on tough times and rough roads, and if everything goes well, a nice break for a cup of tea will do.

and when you come to an unexpected twist of faith, bumps and bruises will definitely hurt.....

a quicksand along the way may stop you from getting to your destination.....

but perseverance conquers all.

all for my family. happy Easter!

eyeitis?

2007-03-29T15:16:00.000+08:00

my job entails a lot of computer usage.... come to think of it, most of the jobs now cant survive without this nasty, i mean handy gizmo. but too much exposure to the monitor really makes my eyes hurt. then the pain radiates upto the occipital area. geez headache, eye pain. my job is not physically demanding (hence the flabby abs - 6 packed pandesal rolled into one big bulge), but at the end of the day, i'm still blessed with such a nice job (unlike the one i saw at BW's post) though it's really tiresome.

uhgh, my table is a mess, my monitor is not helpin a bit.

let me hear some music....... ahhhhh, that's it. imagine i'm havin some quiet time away from the office, a vacation in a place such as this....

just imagine......

ok, back to work! a cup of tea will give me a quick fix!

of Korean movies

2007-03-19T07:55:00.000+08:00

Of Koreans and Movies.

During my residency days, I remember my batch mates set up a mini-movie house at our call room – an all-around laptop, an LCD projector, speaker, a white blanket placed on dilapidated wall and viola! Show starts after endorsement (which is around 8-9 pm, at least earlier that the last-full show at Robinson’s). All activities put on halt for a two-hour visual pleasure.

From jologs to classy. From English, Filipino and yeah, the most popular ones – Koreans. There has been a surged of everything-Korean on this part of the world. The Koreans invaded the Philippines (yes, they have out numbered the Japanese and Americans entering the country)! We have a Korean actress – sandara park, we have gazillion teleseryes from Korea - princess lulu, full house, sassy girl, etc etc etc (though I’m not an avid fan of teleseryes because you have to watch it daily – such dedication I cant afford). Now we have kimchi, K cars, Korean language studies and Korean Video Houses (take a walk along Ermita area, you’ll see lots of them).

Since I’m not fond of watching teleseryes (mini-series), watching a movie is the thing for me. And lo and behold – they have great movies. I think they have mastered the art of making quality films. You don’t have to speak their language and appreciate such masterpieces (ok, ok – subtitles is a must). After my residency, I have watched a handful. Their best at melodramas. The style of telling the story and presenting the TWIST usually near the end (which explains how, why and the whatevers of the movie) is totally brilliant! We are fond of watching western movies, it’s about time we try our neighbors’.

I just watched one this morning – Sassy Girl. They said, its part 2 of Wind Struck. Such a beautiful movie of love, relationship, pain and destiny. Don’t want to tell the plot, you have to see and appreciate, and remember – they always have a TWIST, which makes their movies worth watching until the end.

Ah, of rain and snow, of love and tragedy, of comedy and action. Their culture is not very different from ours, hence we can relate. Forget about their names (I didn’t remember a single bit) but watching every movie (or reading the subtitle at the same time), I assure you, they have movies far better than those made in Hollywood. Here’s some movies I recommend you watching.

Memories/Moments to Remember (50 first dates is no match with this one)
The Classic
Wind Struck
Sassy Girl
Sad Movie
Bungee Jumping in their own way
Am still looking for the Korean original “Lake House” - IL MARE

You have to watch the first 2 movies…..! So? How do you say hello? Ania sayo!

the morning rush

2007-03-15T08:31:00.000+08:00

i dont know if you guys still listen to the radio. since the advent of MTV (and people are more visually entertained rather than just plain audio) and internet, we tend to discover music in 3D now. This is not a bad thing (well, that's my opinion), i guess marketing strategies continue to evolve and plain audio is not enough anymore. Just like in one song "Video killed the radio star", i thought the end of radio is near.... but i'm wrong.

everyday, on my way to office (traffic along quiapo, taft, incredible EDSA and bearable nichols) i tune in to the radio. I'd say, its nice to have a company along the way. Imagine yourself driving without a radio on - you will notice the horrendous driving skills of jeepney drivers, taxis swerving left and right, and pedestrians crossing on green light (hey, dont get me wrong, i'm no saint driver either - guilty as charge! but in this crazy road, you have to unlearn what you got from driving school cuz you wouldnt survive in the track! - solution.... geez, suddenly my mind is in a halt). That's a lot of segway there. Going back. Yup, radio will stay. Now, i have no time to watch for MTVs, but i have an hour listening to the radio in the morning and another hour (or two) going home.

this blog is getting long, the morning rush is from RX with chico and delamar, but i often tune in to the controversial GOODTIMES with Mo Twister (plus sexy Maui is there now) at Magic. Just like television, the stations are competing to get the chunck of listeners in the morning. Its controversial versus wholesome, but with our short attention span we can simply press a button and change frequency. plain and simple. audibly entertaining. radio lives! (i should probably blog about this some other time)

what's in a name

2007-03-07T02:14:00.000+08:00

What’s in a name?

Yuan Mari. Kyan Rhed. April Rheiboy. Marie. Ryukym. Exactly, what’s in a name? For one, I remember during my high school days, one teacher told us that a name is the sweetest word to a person’s ear. Come to think of it, it’s true. Imagine being introduced to a crowd when suddenly the person who’s doing it forgot your name? That’s awfully awkward (you a**hole! Here’s my knife, catch!) And so you end up with a fake smile while uttering your name (huh, I’m sure this happens all the time). And vis-à-vis, I am guilty (countless occasions) of introducing people who I remember by face (tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon as I call it) not by name, hence embarrassingly putting them into anonymity on the spot! You know who you are guys, here’s my apology blog.

I don’t want this thing to happen with my kids. That’s why I gave them (WE gave our bundle of joys) unique names. Here’s their meaning.

Yuan Mari. Yuan is Chinese for original (we’re not Chinese btw, and its also their currency). He is our first-born. Actually, the original name was Yuan Luigi – sounds Italian, Luigi (from Mario brothers) fits quite all right with Yuan. Marie gave birth September 8 at the University of Santo Tomas Hospital, FYI September 8 is Mama Mary’s birthday – without hesitation, we changed Luigi to Mari (computer game is no match to Heavenly matters). Yuan Mari, our first-born. Original. Heaven sent.

Kyan Rhed. In less than two years, God gave us another blessing. Kyan means capable. You see, Marie was in her pre-residency training when we found out that she’s pregnant. Being a resident physician in the biggest government hospital in the Philippines is no easy task. It was indeed a challenge for my wife. She endured all these. She began to have premature labor contractions before her 30th week of gestation. Spotting during her duties. Kyan came out of the world preterm – but with all the stress our second kid and mom encountered, Kyan showed to everyone that he is capable - capable of living. He stayed for one week in the hospital – incubator, antibiotics, IV fluids and all. God is great!

Rhed? I don’t want to give Rheiboy (let me carry the burden to my grave, ok?) so we gave the name Rhed. Kyan Rhed. Capable. Great.

I pray that our third baby will be a girl (I’m sure Big Boss will grant our request), any name you can suggest?

farewell AJ

2007-03-05T07:44:00.000+08:00

We just have to wait for another season. Yup, just like sway, AJ was "out" friday in the world's most popular reality television show. Another "ethnic mutt" gone. I think the song had a curse though, the jazz lady (sang the same song) also made her exit. Sayang, galing pa naman bosses ni AJ. Yo! Ethnic Mutt! visit PI! O well, life goes on......

terror mom to super lola!

2007-02-27T12:46:00.000+08:00

How mom became grandma

Nothing is permanent in this world… but change.

I remember years ago (ok, let’s say more than 10 years…. or 20, I’m not good in math, especially when it comes to age and ageing!), when I was small and skinny and naïve on how the world works, my mom and dad were the guardians of whatever I do. My overprotective mom, such a character, overprotective to the nth power - to the point that in order for me to go out of the house I (well, not just me but that’s what my brothers and sisters do) sneak-out in the afternoon and go to the playground a few blocks from home – with the rusty slide, see-saw, dirt piles, grasses and all – and spend the whole afternoon, sweat and dirt and stain covering me. Funny thing is, when mom wakes up during her afternoon siesta, she knows where to find us. Haha, you’ll see mama rushing towards the playground, shouting our names, briefly pausing at the sidewalk to break a branch of an ipil-ipil tree, ready to whip our ass! Haha! Such a sight to the awe of our playmates (who sees mommy as the “terror mom”. Owe, I even hide my wound to mom whenever I get a mishap because she will definitely deliver her mantra - “sinasabi ko na nga ba, yang kakulitan mo! Yan ang napapala!” (I told you, that’s what you get for being naughty grrrr! – for my non-tagalog comrades). This was our schedule, we can go out in the morning until 10am, 10am-4pm inside the house (or prison, as what I recalled) 4pm –6pm – freedom! And by the way, during prison time, we are not allowed to bring inmates (friends). No visitors allowed! Yeah, those days, such a wonderful childhood. Thinking about it, mom was truly “terror mom”.

Years passed (here we go again). I’d say time, mellowed mommy. She’s not a terror mom after all. Having five kids, raising us all in one roof is such a Herculean task. Looking back, she’s not a terror mom (like my playmates call her); she’s a super mom!
My 2 kuyas are now engineers, ate is now a manager, little sister a pharmacist and me, a responsible Filipino citizen (and a netizen). We will never be on such stable ground today without “overprotective mom” who guided us along the way. Everything I owe it to terror mom.

We visit mom and dad every weekends (now lolo and lola to Yuan and Kyan). Nothing is permanent in this world but change. Terror mom allows my kids to go out and play outside the house (even during prison time 10-4pm), even calls the neighboring kids to play inside our house with Yuan and Kyan – playstation, run-around the house for as long as they like. Brings the kids to the playground (can you believe it!), and yeah no more breaking of ipil-ipil branches on sidewalk…… how mom became grandma, and how terror mom became the best lola in town (make it the whole wide world).

Love you Mommy, you’re the best. (Dad, love you too :) )

so who's the next American Idol?

2007-02-15T22:40:00.000+08:00

I just watched American idol final 24 episode. I remember last year, when I didn’t miss week after week after week - from start to finish. It was exactly this time that I was reviewing for the board exam and at the same time going on 24-hour duties “moonlighting” in historic Cavite (prior to my present job, I was hopping from one hospital to another rendering my “hands that heal” to the people in need of compassionate attention). Yup, multitask – work, entertain, leisure, review all rolled into one.

This time, I’m watching AI in the comforts of my own home. My moonlighting days long gone. But this time I have missed 2 weeks of Idol, can’t help it though, with my present job comes late hours in a meeting or reading must-knows all the time. No complaints, you win some and lose some, hence, I lost some AI episodes.

Final 24. Last year I saw Sway Panelo (a Filipino in the F24) booted-out, how a squirming operatic performer ruined josh groban’s song (I forgot her name, but she was the first one eliminated – to no surprise), how little Paris gave her all, I indeed became an ADDICT (and I’m sure its not just me), I was there alright, I viewed all the episodes up until the finale, where the wedding singer outshined the superstar. My personal favorite though was Elliot Yamin – a commoner with the great voice.

So who will be the next American Idol? Having missed the Hollywood week, and based on what I saw tonight, its going to be one helluva show. They’re all good! Emotions into consideration – I want the single mom to be in the finals. Loyalty to Asia – there’s an Indian guy and I think a Korean (a guy named Kim) in the final 24 – hope one of them can nail it, it’s about time an Asian be in the limelight. Jasmine Trias(Filipino Hawaiian) two seasons ago was 3rd, I’m sure the whole Filipino community in the US voted for her (pahpahrapahpah, love ko ‘to!). Beauty? Well, most of them are a feast to the eye – Barba and another one who looks like Mariah are standouts. Commoner appeal – I’d say Sundance and the other big guy (the one who said “the reason I call for this meeting blah blah”). And before I forget, that “little miss dolittle”, the one with a short neck (or does she have a neck, which reminds me, giraffe girl didnt make it, sigh), the back-up singer – she’s outstanding!

So who’s the next American Idol? We just have to watch the show week after week after week. (I hope I can……..)

can i have a date too?

2007-02-12T11:14:00.000+08:00

My weekend was a blast! After a very hectic week, 2 days off work is like heaven. At the same time my wife, (who, at the moment, is living the real doctors-for-the-people experience by being a resident in the biggest government hospital in the Philippines) had her weekend off. Enough time to spend our valentine’s ahead of the 14th plus quality time with the kids plus plus a visit with lolo and lola.

Valentine’s. We went to Makati and watched midnight cinema, curse of the golden flower (bosoms) – chow yun fat, gong li, jay chou. (I know, this movie is not for the season of hearts, I was actually inviting marsmyloves for a mushy “Holiday” movie, but it already started 30 mins). So, we watched a Chinese movie, I initially thought was dubbed in english (like the Jackie Chan’s) but to my surprise it wasn’t! Thank God there’s subtitles. I thought my date was ruined, but it turned out quite the contrary, my wife liked the movie and told me “I don’t need to watch mushy movies, I already have you” ahhh, I love you mars. J Walking along vibrant Makati district, you can see yuppies (young professionals) and highschoolers probably from their prom night. It was a nice evening, some enchanting evening indeed. Then we went to a joyride, its nice to drive without the traffic.

Sunday morning. Yuan was asking where did we go last night? We said ,we watched a movie at the “big tv”. “You had a date?” he asked. (At the age of 4, kids already know what date is?) Smart kiddo, “yeah we had a date”. “Are you getting married?” he added. “Yuan, we’re already married, that’s why we have you and Kyan.” Sometimes, you wonder, how do kids get ideas of dating, marriage, etc. if we think our lolos and lolas as old fashioned, how do kids think of us now? And the question of the day popped out! “Can I have a date too?” endless questions from a kiddo, sometimes you worry that you might actually run out of answers. And yes, it does happen! So, I carried little Yuan, put him in my lap and told him. “Of course! But always remember, you don’t have to hurry, you have all the time in the world, when you grow up, you will have plenty of dating (daddy will not fund it though, hehehe) but for now, you can only date mommy together with daddy and little Kyan. Deal? He smiled and gave me a confused look (I wonder why, hehe) ….. then, he went straight to the room and had a “date” with the playstation!

Happy Valentines! Marsmyloves, I love you!

diaspora of filipino MDs

2007-02-03T10:05:00.000+08:00

this is an email i received from pinoyMD, it is quite long (like most of us, i have a short attention span) but it was really written from the heart. inspiring, touching, very true indeed. missmed97, Congratulations and I'm sure you'll be successful in NZ, dont forget to look back ok? Kudos!

(fyi - pinoyMD is a yahoogroup)

just want to share my story..medyo mahaba pero tyagaan nyo na lang..

i was already applying for nz/australia since 2005. i even paid an
agency a handsome amount just to find the fastest way out of the
country. some said apply lang daw sa internet makakaalis na. yeah
right! may mga kilala ako naka alis na, ako two years na nagaaply
ah...andito pa rin ako!! i was thinking... malas ba akong tao? di na
ba ako mahal ni Lord? ano ba?!

im married with one kid, im the bread winner in the family. im
making enough here but im so sawa na, i want to secure my family's
future and i know it wont be here. i had been a silent member of
pinoyz2nz since last year. some said i should do my EOI first so
that may fallback ako. actually wala na akong fallback, ito lang. so
i lodge my EOI july29 '06, was selected aug2 but the decision didnt
become sucessful coz kulang daw ako ng points after recomputation.
para akong pinagsakluban ng langit at lupa. God, hindi mo na ba ako
talaga mahal? i read here somewhere sa forum about an inspiring
story of a housewife who after many months/years of applying thru
the net got a job offer and was on her way to nz. i said to myself..
ang swerte naman nito. ito lagi ang pinanghahawakan ko na someday...
someday ako naman ang susulat dito at magkukwento.

after the failed EOI, i didnt reapply coz nawalan ako ng morale but
i didnt stop. everyday i just send my cv to companies. walang sawa,
sige lang ng sige. kahit saang site. ano bang mawawala sa akin? eh i
really have nothing to start with, ok lang na mapudpod daliri ko at
magkakalyo sa kaka apply. sometimes i will be sending 50
applications per day therefore 50 negative replies rin dumadating.
nakakadepress na rin syempre, there's a time i will be going home
from the computer shop 12 midnight walking in the dark.. (wala
kaming computer, malayo ang internet shop at wala akong car).. i
havent had dinner and i was crying kasi i spent my last money on the
net for so many hours and wala naman nangyayari. i was into self
pity. mega depressed. what else can i do? i was praying, thats all i
can do... i was asking God to help me, give me strength to go on
kasi.. baka di ko na makaya. everyday ganito ang scenario and i
didnt stop.. i just went on. i was remembering the inspiring story i
read, in one of her lines she said 'isa lang naman ang kailangang
positive reply, ok na'. i held on to that line.. oo nga naman, isa
lang...isa lang.

sept21'06, a mail came saying they got my application last july pero
ngayon lang daw sila nakareply. palitan ng mga mails, send ng
kailangan nilang requirements. i wasnt getting my hopes up kasi ayaw
ko madepressed big time. kailangan ko daw maregister sa medical
council of nz, the MCNZ (btw, im a doctor)etc etc. by nov29 they
sent me a job offer, miracle #1. syempre nataranta naman ako! sabi
ko naku baka ito na ito!! pero it is dependent on my acquisition of
medical registration. sabi nila sila na daw bhala, all i have to do
i wait (i havent heard anybody na binigyan ng medical registration
ng nz kasi may mga exam pa ito at mahirap ma approve)i dont know how
i got it, even my employer was surprised! i got the authorization fr
medical council jan9. miracle #2! so now i can apply na a visa
because this is a requirement. everything is happening so fast!
first things first, medicals muna. im working in a hospital and
made a preliminary xray on myself na normal ako (syempre i have to
be sure) the reading of our radiologist was a "suspicious density on
the upper lobe", another radiologist read it and it is a "granuloma"
daw! nataranta na naman ako! if i have any findings on my medicals
automatic my visa would be jeopardized! God, pls help, if you really
want me to be in nz, you will get me there! kahit na ganito i pushed
thru with medicals, it was released in a sealed envelope after
4days. i was so nervous coz i know may findings ang 1st personal
xray ko, i dont know if the official reading will be negative.
milagro na pag nagkataon. and it was! miracle #3

so i went on with completion of docs, may mga minor balakid like NBI
ko i have to go to carriedo pa coz i have the same name with a court
case pero sige lang, i went with the flow. so finally i submitted my
application for working visa jan22, 45-60 days daw ang waiting time.
naku, pano na im expected in nz by feb12, at marami daw nadedeny sa
working visa. first time i heard from the embassy jan26 confirming
my identity and documents. guess what? the embassy called again
today feb1 !! in just 7days, the visa officer is telling me she is
stamping my visa approved!! miracle #4. i was crying..tears of joy.
until now im crying as im typing this... as in hagulhol, with
matching sipon, grabe. truly after all those hardships, the long
wait, the struggle, the self pity, the desperation, the insanity..
He will never forsake you.

last obstacle, the booking. my flight is not yet confirmed for
feb12. nakakahiya man aminin, wala pa po akong pambili ng tiket,im
praying hard na sana.. sana lang.. may dumating na miracle #5. im
positive it will. i know with His help i firmly believe, He never
fails. diba!

to those who have no JO, EOI stage, waiting for ITA, wala pang
interview, whatever process you are in, wag mawalan ng pag asa. i
know how you feel. i've been there. mas malala pa nga.
always remember, when you think you're already at the very end of
the rope, just tighten that grip, pray ka lang.. pray hard ka lang.
at ika nga, nasa atin pa rin ang gawa.

sa mga tumulong po sa akin, sa mga walang sawang nagbibigay ng lakas
ng loob at payo, mga tips on how to's. you know who you are...
malaki po ang naitulong ng forum na ito upang maibsan ang mga agam
agam, katanungan, fears and doubts. sana dumami pa tayo and continue
to help each other. return the blessing to others. mabuhay tayong
lahat and see you in NZ!

good luck sa atin.
God bless us all!

another side of credit card

2007-01-28T14:32:00.000+08:00

Another side of credit card.

This is not a sponsored post (I’d like to emphasize that).

I’ve been using Citibank since my residency days at PGH. My first card actually was standard chartered, but its hard to maintain two cards so I have to settle for one. Since Citibank gave me a higher credit limit, I chose to maintain Citibank (sorry SC, maybe this will give you an idea).

Perks of havin a card? Atleast you don’t have to bring big bucks in your wallet whenever you want to buy stuff. Downside? In this marketing-driven economy, with your credit card around, you tend to spend and spend (and spend, shop, buy, spend, shop, buy!) until it basically eats up your monthly salary!

Being a goody goody client of Citibank, my status was upgraded last year to gold – increase credit limit and yeah, it comes with a flashy gold card. There was not much of a difference from the silver status until recently when one of my friend (who is working in Citibank, and would always thank me for using the card often – talk about advertising and promotions!) introduced me to Citibank Premium Concierge.

This is sooo cool. You can practically ask/inquire about anything! Telephone numbers, where to get this and that, where to find a store in the city, a church in tagaytay, even schedules of now showing (and probably coming soon and next attraction) movies both in cable and cinema houses! I don’t know if there’s limit on what to ask, but so far, their service is superb! This time, having a Gold card is a plus!

So to Citibank, thanks for a very brilliant concept.

PS this is not a sponsored post, my advise to people out there - do not OVERSPEND! Always make sure that at the end of the month, you can pay your bills cuz if you don’t, geez, the interests will haunt your pockets the next month and the months to come!

and btw, HSBC just approved my application, they gave me a bigger credit limit and acquire mabuhay miles points for swiping their card - now this is competition. in a dog-eat-dog world of commercialism, the consumers are the true winners.....er are we? (got me confused there)

MENTALLY STIMULATING AND EXHAUSTING

2007-01-26T13:38:00.000+08:00

I told myself that this year, I will blog atleast once a day (along with my 2007 resolution of staying fit, jog 2-3x/week, healthy diet – which, as expected, I am unable to do). No particular topic, just write anything. But due to unforeseen circumstances – meetings, lectures, approvals and all – I basically parked blogging and indefinitely shut blogger world out.

This week is no exception. Anyone can make a book of complaints about everyday toxicities in life…. but that’s not me. I’m no saint either. I have come to a realization that its human nature to feel panicky as if the end of the world is near whenever there’s a deadline to beat. Its human nature to be “oscar the grouch” when things don’t turn out the way you expect it. Its human nature to say “I give up” when you’re sanity’s practically hanging by a thread. And I’m human.

But after all the complaints, morbid thoughts (is it suicidal tendencies?) and countless cussing, its human nature to say, “hey, I can do this.” Surprisingly, I did.

Ahhh, this is my life. This is my job. Mentally stimulating and at the same time, exhausting. Paradoxical indeed. I’m only human. We’re only human. And yes, I love my job and I’m facing the challenge!

see? blogging is therapeutic! i feel good!

blogger block out

2007-01-22T18:32:00.000+08:00

its been a week since my last blog. i have an excuse - first, my connection at home suddenly gone berzerk last week (even the landline - no dialtone! can you imagine that?). It was only yesterday, that SMARTBRO people (subsidiary of telecom giant PLDT) visited my house and fixed it. thanks to them, i'm online again (and my kids - disney surfin galore!). Second, i attended our BIZCON (business conference) at Sofitel Philippine Plaza (that's Westin near the famous film center that the marcoses built)PICC complex.

with one week off the blogworld, i thought i just let the day pass by and save ideas for my next blog. actually i stored a lot - hmmmn, shall i start with american idol season six premier telecast, or how the bizcon turned out, my (mis)adventures at sofitel philippine plaza, me - passing my AAP driving exam? and many more..... topics upon topics upon toppings!

now, in front of the computer, listening to coldplay i'm having a hard time to start! blogging is an art. Sponteneity is one aspect that keeps it different. just write whatever, whenever, whoever, whatsoever (did i repeat the first wh? uh i did!)

ok, i guess i have to write about my stored thoughts when the right time comes, for now...... this will suffice.

uh btw, the image is the dynamic medical affairs department of AZP! kudos for a jo9b well done.

is there somethin wrong huh?

2007-01-15T23:32:00.000+08:00

after the taiwanquake (well, every netizen actually in south east asia) noticed the intermittent internet connection since late dec2006. and yes, just like singleguy said, it can really piss you off.

the weird thing about this though is that some sites easily pops out, while others do not. like this one - gmail, blogger and google (obviously came from one creator) are sites i find difficult to access at a single click, early january its even worse! i usually get timed out. i already said this to ryeurn but i thought it was just nothin. until singleguy posted a comment sayin he's havin difficulty posting at blogspot.

oh well, i hope the cables are fixed by now. the connection may have gone haywire, but it will never stop me from blogging (it may slow me (us) down though)

welcome to the wonderful world of blogging.....

netizen in distress

2007-01-15T07:56:00.000+08:00

i have a deadline to beat. i was in front of the computer all night to finish some stuff and slept at the same time the sun was having his majestic entrace at this side of the planet.

12noon, my little rascals are jumpin all over me, askin me open the computer and play DISNEY! (sorry guys, give me a break, its weekend - kids rule and i allow them to use the net - weekdays is a no no). To my surprise (or dismay) i cant access the net! Imagine the reaction of my kids - the tantrums and all, no matter how well you can explain the situation to the kids, believe me it will not work! so i called the service provider - glitch again. taiwanquake really made an impact. i read in one daily's that their workin on it already - exploring the seabed and fixing the cables (reminds me of fix you by coldplay). fix it, fix it, please, please please.......

kids? you know how they are, after a while they will give up as if nothin happened. there they are - playing with their thorn, worn-out toys, incomplete train, robot without a head, etc etc etc. - easy to please (unlike you guys! OLD people you!)

ME? i have a deadline to beat. am now in a net cafe, sending my accomplished work-of-art to my boss. (extracharge though, sigh)

done.

american idol mania is back!

2007-01-10T22:45:00.000+08:00

last year idol fever reached the Philippine islands. after about four months of competition, mau marcelo bagged the title ( i was supposed to say crowned miss universe). not the typical singer you see on stage actually - she's on the heavy side (extralarge to be exact), dark complexion (she's half american - father is a puertorican of african roots)and not the classy diva that you expect (jologs to be precise). No matter what she looks like, her voice is WOW!

and speakin of idol fever, american idol season premiere will be on the 16th (probably 17th this side of earth)

i think it will be at STARWORLD (CABLE) and ABC5 (LOCAL). last season my bet was eliot yamin. i'd say he's not blessed with the goodlooks like ACE and the bald rocker i-forgot-his-name guy (who is also great), not as charismatic as the wedding-singer-like taylor hicks and not as star-quality-material as catherine mcphee (who gave me phee-ver). but eliot is eliot - great voice with the commoner appeal. and so he lost.

but mau marcelo didnt. so kuddos to our nation - not blinded by color, appreciating music at its finest.

idol mania is back in town! (i wonder how many filipinos will make it this time)

imagine coldplay the scientist

2007-01-08T19:29:00.000+08:00

weird, but everytime i listen to coldplay's music, i cant help bet reminisce yerteryears. imagine yourself walking and see your life movie pass through you, and you cant do anything cuz its already done. you just have to move on.... sad isnt it. and yet, after the music, you just want to repeat it again and again. paradoxical indeed. and i think life is just like that - TWISTED.

here's one, the scientist. an mtv gig (listen to it, reminds me of IMAGINE by john lennon/beatles)

here's the link to the MUSIC VIDEO (BACKWARDLY TWISTED) i dunno how they make their songs (and whoever conceptualize their music videos) but despite the "unexplainable" heavy feelin it gives you its addictive. sigh....

bloggitis anyone?

2007-01-07T20:13:00.000+08:00

i told myself that this year i will make anything-under-the-sun-that-my-mind-can-come-up blogpost everyday. blog-all-you-can, yah that was my initial plan...... until reality sets in.

everyday, i wake up early, eat breakfast, rush to the lrt station, squeeze myself in (together with 100,000 folks from all over the metro) ride a jeepney to the world famous EDSA and in less than hour (that is, if youre lucky) voila! am in the comforts of my office. turn on the aircon, set up the laptop, pray, launch microsoft outlook (pray again, hoping there's not many mails = work)then on with the job proper and so on and so forth......

before you know it, the day is over! during those hours, it always occur to me to post in my blogspot/blogpost friendster. "it can wait, after office hours, i will make one", "this is a good topic, i'd probably blog this later", "hmmm, nice pictures, i will post it in a while"

now i opened my blog, i cant believe that my last post was january 2! see, all planning, pumping creativity but no input - no action! the "later" fever.

i guess that's why im havin headaches, hyperthermic episodes, unexplained perspiration everytime i open the computer, reflex clicking of the favorites button to blogger and friendster. - all these, subtle manifestations of a rare form of communicable illness afflicting netizens with blog. BLOGGITIS! and the remedy - simple. write a blog and the symptoms will just go away.

ahhhhh, energized. now that's what i call quick relief. you havin bloggitis now?

back to earth

2007-01-02T17:20:00.000+08:00

after about two weeks of shutdown (well, its not actually a shutdown for me, since i visited the office during those days - the only difference though is that i was with my faded low-waist(ed) jeans, shirt and sneakers) everybody's going back to earth.

back to the hussle, busy, sardines-like travel to the office, snail-paced honkytonk ride at EDSA, beating the deadlines, and yah, coffee-gone-cold at the table. the christmas vacation is definitely a must for us lowly workers.

if i can only have a universal remote and in just one click freeze office time and get to do everything without deadlines, that will be cool, no, that will be excellent! if only santa clause grant my wish of having all the goodies for my kids, that will be satisfying. if only i can have a reloadable mind, that you just insert an SD card and can copy all data in a single push of a button, ey that will be brilliant!if only......

oh well, can't help but day dream. back to earth. i am a worker. and this year i will do my best for my family, job, community and country! (booyah, now that's the spirit!)

plus! uh, and i will continue blogging

not Lost in Translation

2006-12-31T03:57:00.000+08:00

i watched house of flying daggers today. a chinese movie (thank God there's english subtitles)about ancient martial arts of knives and swords with an impressive performance of zhang zi yi (and actors takeshi something and andy something something). Chinese movies are really amazing! Action-packed (i think they have mastered the use of slow motion and fast forward, plus the jumpin-like-flying stunts and weapons being hurled all over,tragic love (tri)angle, picturesque locations. And zhang zi yi, uh beatiful, a face everybody will love.

anyways, back in residency, i have watched a lot of korean movies. dunno the names though (how can you remember their names anyway?) from action, adventure, love story, and their tear-jerkers(the most popular ones). Worth mentioning are The Classic and Memories to Remember.

what am i drivin at? well, we filipinos love western movies (mostly holliwood films) so much, that we actually never noticed our asian neighbor's equally impressive (or should i say even better) masterpieces. This week alone i watched kung fu hustle, shaolin soccer, and house of flying daggers. and i think am going to watch more the coming days. i may never know (and i think may not learn to recall ever) the names of the actors/actress but what the heck, its the whole package that matters most.

speakin of movies, the 32nd Metro Manila Film Festival (all Filipino) is already on its 1st week, have you watched one yet? :)

happy new year to everyone!

a sexual guide to public speaking

2006-12-29T09:51:00.000+08:00

read this from "the lighter side" mar-apr 2006 issue, dont quote me for this one........

PARIS

people who are nervous about public speaking should first have penetrative sex to ease the stress, although masturbation is unlikely to have the same effect, an unusual study reported in New Scientist says.

Stuart Brody, a psychologist at Britain's University of Paisley, copared the impact of different sexual activities on blood pressure when a person later undergoes a stressful experience.

He asked 24 women and 22 men to keep diary of their sexual activities for 2 weeks. The volunteers then underwent a stressful ordeal that involved making speech in public and doing mental arithmetic out loud.

Volunteers who had penetrative sex during the previous week or so had the least stress, and their blood pressure returned to normal fastest after their test.

Penetrative sex was far more effective in this regard than masturbation or oral sex. But those who had abstained completely from any sexual activity had the highest stress levels and blood pressure of all.

Brody also did a psychological profile of the volunteers to seewhether they had an anxious or neurotic character, and evaluated their work stress and satisfaction with their partners. But even when such factors were taken into account, sexual behavior was clearly the best explanation for the stress responses.

"The effects are not attributable to the short-term relief afforded by orgasm but, rather, endure for at least a week," Brody said.

He believes that penetrative sex may release a special "pair-bonding" hormone called oxytocin, which accounts for the calming effect.

The research is reported in full in Biological Psychology. AFP

so what now? :)

on discipline (sa disiplina)

2006-12-28T12:01:00.000+08:00

drag down for english translation :)

kagabi, pag uwi ko ng bahay, tuwang tuwa si yuan at kyan. yehey dumating na si daddy (siguro yun ang iniisip nila). lahat ng pagod at antok mawawala makita mo lang ang mga bata. totoo pala sinasabi ng matatanda, na iba pala pakiramdam kapag nakikita mo na ang pinaghihirapan mo ay may patutunguhan. mga sakripisyo na kailangan mong gawin para sa ikabubuti ng mga taong mahal mo. haaaay, lumilipas na nga ang panahon.

ilang oras pa, naglalaro na kami, para kaming barkada, kaya lang dahil ako ang "panganay" ako ang magpapalugi. pwede ka nilang gawing kahit ano - kabayo, poste, tuod, target - basta kahit ano. makita mo lang na masaya sila, solve ka na! sa sarili ko, oras ko na rin yun para makabawi sa mga panahon na nasa trabajo ako at hindi sila kasama.

maya maya pa, ayun, sila naman dalawa ang nag-aaway, pinag aagawan ang celfone ko para makapaglaro, iiyak si kyan magsusumbong, kukunin mo yun celfone, iiyak naman si yuan. Haaay, humahanap ng kakampi. eh sinong kakampihan mo. Ang napagkasunduan namin mag-asawa (pinakamamahal kong si marie), kung ayaw nilang magbigayan, walang makikinabang. ayun, umiiyak ang dalawa. Mabigat man sa loob mo nakikita silang umiiyak, na parang pinagtabunan ng mundo, kailangan kang maging patas.

ilang sandali pa, tatahimik na ang dalawa, magkabati na muli si yuan at kyan. Kakausapin sila na parang mga kasing edad mo. "handa na ba kayong magbigayan?" tanong ko. sasagot ang dalawa ng "opo, tatay". ibibigay ang celfone (sa kwentong ito, celfone pero sa laruan at iba pang bagay rin ito ha) at makikita mo, para na silang mga anghel, tahimik na nanunuod ang isa, pagkatpos naman ng mga 5 minuto, ibibigay ni kuya sa pangalawa.

ayan, habang bata, natututunan na nilang magbigayan.

ang buhay tatay, ang buhay magulang, ibang iba pala kapag ikaw na ang nagdidisiplina.

time and chance happeneth to us all.

last night, yuan and kyan were so happy seeing me home. yahoo, daddy's here! with the kids, i feel energized. Its true what the old folks say - such a nice feeling when you see the fruits of your hardwork, enjoyed by the ones you love most. o yah, indeed time goes by..

a few hours more, we're playing like bestbuddies, since i am their "big brother", i'm always their target - their horse, post, airplaine, slave - anything! their enjoyment is my reward. For me, this is my chance to catch up and spend quality time.

and then the usual, the two will fight on whose going to play with my celfone. Kyan, being the younger one will cry in protest, i will get the phone from yuan and give it to kyan. As expected, Yuan, feeling deprived, will cry. So what now? My wife (marie, love you so much) and I agreed not to give it to anyone. If they will not share the celfone to each other, no one can play. Loud cry of disappointment from yuan and kyan. Looking at them crying like hell is not easy, it pains me. As if, the weight of the world is on their shoulders (and mine, too). But i have to be firm.

the two eventually surrendered, silent and patient (tired of crying?). I approached them and talked as if they were of my age. "Are you ready to share with each other?" i asked. "Yes, daddy". I gave the celfone (in this story its the phone, but its the same with toys, books, crayons etc). Looking at them, their like angels, peaceful and quiet. Yuan first while kyan is patiently watching, then after 5 minutes its Kyan's turn.

now that's more like it. learning the value of sharing.

ahhh, life as a daddy, living as parent, i can say it really is different when you're now in-charge of discipline.

peso rallies to highest in nearly six years

2006-12-28T08:22:00.000+08:00

everyday upon opening my computer, i usually check daily news. usually headline has always been bad news - thats' what usually sells ( i wonder why people love reading bad news - uh man by nature is nossy?) but this time, its exactly the opposite - peso rallies to highest in nearly six years! this is good news. amidst the charter change, calamities, political bickering and price increases atleast there's something light you can read in the paper.

yup 6 years ago, president Joseph ERAP Estrada was still in power, it was a roller coster or should i say "like in the movies" good-will-prevail-leadership-that-did-not-happen era. He was eventually oustered and faced charges (which btw, the court proceedings is progressing at a snail pace - nothin unusual). The exchange rate was around 49. slowly, similar to other SEA currencies, we're gaining against the green buck.

there are always 2 sides of the coin, exporters are complaining since a stronger peso means less income and more competition from other countries. personally, i want our peso to appreciate even further. not drastically, but at a stable pace, so that everyone can adjust.

kudos to our overseas filipino workers who pumps dollars to the country. all your hardwork is helping your families here live a better and more comfortable life. i hope in time, the country can generate more jobs, so that there's no need for most people to go abroad.

i'm realistic to say that in my lifetime i may not be able to see the country in economic glory. the days when we were second to japan (40-50s) in asia was half a century ago. but i pray that as a nation, we unite and keep the spirit of EDSA people power alive - towards nation building. Yes, the Filipino can!

little andal family's christmas joy ride

2006-12-26T14:31:00.000+08:00

merry christmas!

we left manila 24th and reached taytay rizal early evening. taytay is 2 hours east of manila, famous for textile and sash factories. streets, especially at town central, are narrow that's why most people have motorbikes - ergo, traffic everywhere. this is the place where i grew up - my elementary and high school years.

antipolo is the hometown of my father-in-law, famous for cashew nuts (which i bet came from palawan) and native rice cakes. Most devotees flock during May 1 and December 8 and walk their way up to the Shrine of Antipolo (the place is an upland) and pray for the patron Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage. I remember our "jeep" being blessed here (see, it's not just people being baptized but vehicles as well :)

christmas is family. this is my chronicle on how my little andal family went on a joy ride to visit and celebrate Christ's birth with the people we love most. A famous philosopher once said.... "family always comes first" - adam sandler in click. Merry Christmas, Maligayang Pasko, Feliz Navidad!

here's the link merry christmas everyone!
(you can double click the title as well)

uh, you can also view this in my friendster sandbox, fourth clip!

Again, Merry Christmas, Maligayang Pasko, Feliz Navidad!

diaspora of filipinos

2006-12-23T14:36:00.000+08:00

i was reading the newspaper a week ago and it was reported that around 1.1 million filipinos got a job abroad this year - includes nurses, doctors, seamen, teachers, engineers and domestics. yup, our brains going out of the country to get better paying jobs. most of them will return dollars to the country - our life source. no wonder everywhere you go, you will always see a filipino.

i just came from a despidida party, my batchmate is going to australia early next year to pursue his pediatrics training. our chief resident in pgh will take USMLE early next year. and most of my batchmates in UST medicine are now working in the US as nurses or as MDs. Looking at their friendster pics, chatting at YM and answering their emails at yahoogroups, i think their coping quite well. life may be different in a foreign land, but atleast they are well compensated. The baluts, menudo, bagoong, sinigang may not be available all the time but what the heck, this is the life they chose, an investment for their future as well as their children's.

its nice to see them having reunions and catchin up activities. in a way, its like home away from home. wish you all the goodness life has to offer.

and to jon cu, hey mate! i know you're used to being "down under", i never knew you were a good cook (im still wonderin if you secretely sprinkled hashish/cannabis in your menu, their f*@?#n' great)! show the aussies how a compassionate, dedicated, hard workin filipino (with matchin alar-flaring and cuss) doctor you are. i believe in you.

and uh btw, to all the filipinos in diaspora, dont forget to look back........

boleh

2006-12-22T13:33:00.000+08:00

i was about to write a eulogy to hobster (the fortune lobster i got from kris kringle) but somethin came up....

i met a friend from overseas who, in a way, gave me insights on how to adjust well in my corporate world. i spent almost half my life in the academics and now, being in a pharmaceutical business, is absolutely new to me. the work is mentally stimulating but at the same time exhausting.

he is also new in the business but pharmacy is his forte. he was like a one-stop shop - you enquire, he will respond. eventually, its no longer med info i'm asking - i can virtually ask anything under the sun, surprisingly, he has some answers!

from chinese music, blogging, net tips, link and more to bragging, wolfing, narcisism, nationalism and parenting. conversations were never dull.

then he told me, he's leaving this world (the business i mean). i was initially stunned, i thought he loved his work so much and simply state that this is "time management" but he has his reason - very valid indeed - for the future of his family. well no one can contest to that. they're heading towards the green fields down under.

leaving is always sad. but everytime a door closes, there will always be an open window. in this high tech world we live in, distance is relative. i remember what the little prince (exupery) said "in my world everything is so small, that if you go straight ahead you can't get any farther"

thanks chang!

ting rheiboy de hua (whatever)