Again?! I just put away our christmas decors and it's about time again? That's probably why you'll see all sorts of people giving away envelopes and expect you to be generous. The other day the bill guy(guy who deliver cable bills every month) knock on our door, asking for an envelope. "What envelope? He said The Merry Christmas envelope?" Well, since I never receive one I sent him away. Plus, our cable sucks anyway.
The church is telling us the real spirit of Christmas - you know, the God's gift to us is His Son - but for some reason, the only thing that instill to us by the capitalist religion is the gift thingy, and everybody wants to be on the receiving end. A time to spend your 13th month pay because SM cut their prices to half on most items, and oh by the way, they extended their shopping hours too.
Christmas carolers sing Christmas songs with poker face. I mean, if you're going to beg at least show some spirit or enthusiasm, or show me that you deserve my one peso.
But anyway, thank God I'm going to be with my family this Christmas, that's all it matters to me.
Merry Christmas.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Politics.
A son asks his father, "What can you tell me about politics? I have to learn about it for school tomorrow." The father thinks a little and says, "OK, son, the best way I can describe politics is to use an analogy. Let's say that I'm a capitalist because I'm the breadwinner. Your mother will be the government because she controls everything, our maid will be the working class because she works for us, you will be the people because you answer to us, and your baby brother will be the future. Does that help any?" The little boy said, "Well, Dad, I don't know, but I'll think about what you said." Later that night, after everyone had gone to bed, the little boy was awaken by his baby brother's crying. Upon further investigation, he found a dirty diaper. So, he went down the hall to his parent's bedroom and found his father's side of the bed empty and his mother wouldn't wake up. Then he saw a light on in the guest room down the hall, and when he reached the door, he saw through the crack that his father was in bed with the maid. The son then turned and went back to bed. The next morning, he said to his father at the breakfast table, "Dad, I think I understand politics much better now." "Excellent, my boy," he answered, "What have you learned?" The little boy thought for a minute and said, "I learned that capitalism is screwing the working class, government is sound asleep ignoring the people, and the future's full of crap."
Friday, August 21, 2009
Going back...
Some friends - specially in the Philippines - think I that I was nuts for thinking of going back to the Philippines. Well, I'm no longer thinking, I'm coming back for real. Maybe I'm nuts, maybe my friends cared so much about me and my family that they think we're losing opportunities, securities, and all other good stuff.
Philippines is a lot less greener than the U.S. - I'm very much aware of that, I was born and raised in the Philippines. But being away for twenty years, having seen different places, cultures, I've learn a lot, and so, I started to think of contributing what I've learn and maybe make a difference. There's one side of me that wants to do something, of course not on a grand scale, but maybe a little caring can go a long way. I stumbled upon a poem a long time ago that keeps knocking on my head:
Little drops of water
Little grains of sand
Make the mighty oceans
And the pleasant land
And so the little minutes
Humble though they be
Make the mighty ages
Of eternity
This is not an easy road, the security and abundance of a greener pastures are enough to make me think twice about my intentions. And if you look at the despair of the people and the dilemma of the country that I chose to come back to -which seemed to be on the suicidal mode- makes you wonder what's really going on in my coconut.
I'm not trying to be a hero nor I've been waiting for a chance to be one. But there's a fire inside me, or a conscience-if you will - that compels me to do something, and I can't really go on living my life without answering this call. Some call it midlife crisis, but it's been with me for the past ten years.
Now I have to give it a try.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Buffet!
Walang 'ya, di kaya nabubulunan tong mga to? Yung iba halos nagkakalkal ng basura para kumain.
Grief Observed
A couple of months ago my brother lost his 17 year-old daugther to asthma. This is probably the most devastating thing that can ever happen to us parents. I remember when my brother called, begging for help to give him a ride to where his daughter was. His voice was crackling, his words were almost incoherent. I can't remember the last time I heard my brother cried - probably when we still very young-, but this time he cried in deep despair, helpless. As for me, not a single word of comfort came out of my lips, I can only grieve with him.
I can't believe I'm not going to see Pichie again when I come home. I'll miss her smiley face, her cute shy-type look. I wonder what family reunions going to be like without her.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Customer service crisis.
What happen to our customer service? Is it one of the effects global warming? a reverse effect of too much heat that produces cold behavior towards our fellowmen. Well, we'll just go ahead and blame the government for this, they're used to it anyway.
But I've seen this from time to time, in malls, restaurants, bars, you name it. The substandard customer service is all over the country and the sad part is, we are getting used to it. Consider some of my encounters while out and about browsing at the mall:
Me and my friend decided to go to a bar-resto in Muntinlupa, just beside Festival mall. A waiter lead us to a comfy little corner, and as he handed us the menu, he asked " tatlong beer sir?" My friend, whom by the way, a half artist half annoying philosopher looked around and quipped, "may nakita ka bang kasama pa namin?" I thought for awhile that he must have seen one of my imaginary friends, but that's not possible, there wasn't any x-ray machine at the entrance. Besides, I killed them after I graduated highschool(I know, they're with me that long). But sure enough, as we open the menu, there it is! in bold letters: 3 beers for P100. The comedy could've been avoided if the nice gentleman mentioned the promo. beforehand.
Another instance, me and wife(she's not imaginary, we already have two kids, but i think imaginary is much cheaper) went to a digital photo shop inside the mall. Three sales reps were giggling while watching something on the internet, another one is sitting behind the counter staring at the cash register. We stood for about a minute just to see if they can sense our body heat. Then after a minute or two, I decided to proclaim our presence because the sensor wasn't working. Then one by one, they slowly assumed their customer service position. One of the sales reps extended his hand without saying a word. So I shook his hand. He looked at me with a homophobic frown as his eyebrows collided, he says, "do you have it on a CD or USB?"
A couple of years ago, I was in Makati browsing around looking for a wrist watch. I went to a store in Greenbelt, I think. It was empty and only a sales lady standing at the door. So, I said "hi", but she didn't respond and she turned her face away. So, I wiped my face assuming there was something unpleasant on my face. As I looked around I noticed that she was watching me closely and giving me a hostile look. I slightly bend my knees ready to be tackled. To break the hostility, I asked her how much the wrist watch I was pointing at. Then suddenly, she walked pass by me without throwing a glance, and left some words that sounded like this, " mahal yan". To translate that to a market lingo, "get the hell outta here if you're not buying!"
I said, "good, neither one of us can afford it". I have some smart words to say to her but I decided to leave and drag my wounded ego out.
I'm not going to tell you my plight of buying a car, it was very painful, I ended up asking them for a pain reliever because dealing with them gave me a throbbing headache. My wife broke her water and she's not even pregnant.
I know that these people are just trying to make ends meet, just like you and me, but it's not a reason to do your job poorly. If you're a supervisor, please educate your people about your product and about customer relations.
Maybe our customer service reflects our country's dilemma. People are getting poor services from the people who sworn to serve them. They've been treated badly for a long time now that's why we are getting crap back when we deal with them - trash in trash out. This is going to get worst unless we dig deeper and realize that we can do something.
But I've seen this from time to time, in malls, restaurants, bars, you name it. The substandard customer service is all over the country and the sad part is, we are getting used to it. Consider some of my encounters while out and about browsing at the mall:
Me and my friend decided to go to a bar-resto in Muntinlupa, just beside Festival mall. A waiter lead us to a comfy little corner, and as he handed us the menu, he asked " tatlong beer sir?" My friend, whom by the way, a half artist half annoying philosopher looked around and quipped, "may nakita ka bang kasama pa namin?" I thought for awhile that he must have seen one of my imaginary friends, but that's not possible, there wasn't any x-ray machine at the entrance. Besides, I killed them after I graduated highschool(I know, they're with me that long). But sure enough, as we open the menu, there it is! in bold letters: 3 beers for P100. The comedy could've been avoided if the nice gentleman mentioned the promo. beforehand.
Another instance, me and wife(she's not imaginary, we already have two kids, but i think imaginary is much cheaper) went to a digital photo shop inside the mall. Three sales reps were giggling while watching something on the internet, another one is sitting behind the counter staring at the cash register. We stood for about a minute just to see if they can sense our body heat. Then after a minute or two, I decided to proclaim our presence because the sensor wasn't working. Then one by one, they slowly assumed their customer service position. One of the sales reps extended his hand without saying a word. So I shook his hand. He looked at me with a homophobic frown as his eyebrows collided, he says, "do you have it on a CD or USB?"
A couple of years ago, I was in Makati browsing around looking for a wrist watch. I went to a store in Greenbelt, I think. It was empty and only a sales lady standing at the door. So, I said "hi", but she didn't respond and she turned her face away. So, I wiped my face assuming there was something unpleasant on my face. As I looked around I noticed that she was watching me closely and giving me a hostile look. I slightly bend my knees ready to be tackled. To break the hostility, I asked her how much the wrist watch I was pointing at. Then suddenly, she walked pass by me without throwing a glance, and left some words that sounded like this, " mahal yan". To translate that to a market lingo, "get the hell outta here if you're not buying!"
I said, "good, neither one of us can afford it". I have some smart words to say to her but I decided to leave and drag my wounded ego out.
I'm not going to tell you my plight of buying a car, it was very painful, I ended up asking them for a pain reliever because dealing with them gave me a throbbing headache. My wife broke her water and she's not even pregnant.
I know that these people are just trying to make ends meet, just like you and me, but it's not a reason to do your job poorly. If you're a supervisor, please educate your people about your product and about customer relations.
Maybe our customer service reflects our country's dilemma. People are getting poor services from the people who sworn to serve them. They've been treated badly for a long time now that's why we are getting crap back when we deal with them - trash in trash out. This is going to get worst unless we dig deeper and realize that we can do something.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
