So, I'm from Baguio - and because I am from Baguio, my non - Baguio friends expect me to know much about the place - like where to go, where to stay, how much, etc. etc.
I'm a bad source for tourist information though, because I hardly go to the places where tourists frequent here in Baguio. In fact, I hardly go out.
But the latest query I got was this: "Where's a good dormitory-type place to stay in Baguio?"
My friend's office was to have a team building activity of sorts and because I'm from Baguio I should know this kind of stuff.
Fortunately, I've had a little experience on this. I have three recommendations, all good places, all accessible, all at the range of 150 to 250 per person per night
The venue of choice for large group lodging is Teachers' Camp - but you would have to make reservations in advance because it's usually fully booked during the peak months. Contact numbers below:
Teachers' Camp
Superintendent
Baguio City
074-442-3517; 442-6032
The Philippine Baptist Theological Seminary (PBTS) is also a treat to be lodged in - it has the pine tree laden ambience that Baguio should have. It's compound is not as expansive as Teachers' Camp - but it might just be the right amount of space one needs for a short quiet walk in the woods. There are many amenities within the compound - including a gym, a tennis court, and a cafeteria with indoor and outdoor tables. The outdoor tables are actually very nice - opening into a veranda and the compound's greenery for the view. Call 074-445-6063 for inquiries.
Maryknoll Ecological Sanctuary is a tourist destination in itself with it's ecopark and trail. Taking what is called a "Cosmic Journey," one may follow a trail that begins with the creation of light and ends with the habitation of humans into communities. Anyway, it's a nice place to be when you're in Baguio - but the lodging facilities are limited and the price slightly more expensive. The male and female dorms are around twenty beds each, I think. (074)442-4602 is the number to call.
There's my contribution to my friend's question. That should add to my good Baguio citizen points. :)
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Sunday, October 29, 2006
Oh My Gulay!
That's the name of a new vegetarian restaurant here in Baguio which is making quite a wave as I saw it featured on cable TV a few days back - although it's also co - located with VOCAS - the art gallery -- you really can't distinguish the two. So the best description for it would be an art gallery cum restaurant, and I think it's also a performance venue because of the presence of a stage - like structure on one area - and enough floor room for gong playing and community dancing.
It's one of them new stuff that's quite refreshing to have because you get to have somewhere new to take your tourist friends coming up from Metro Manila. But the place is also genuinely nice because it has a real "Baguio feel" to it.
What's more interesting is, the place is associated with Kidlat Tahimik (Eric de Guia, the artist and film maker) - whether as owner or conceptualizer - but a lot of the items are from the artist's Baguio house that was burned a few years back.
The restaurant and art gallery is located at the top of La Azotea in Session Road - that's five floors up, so you just keep walking the stairs until you get to a grilled gate that opens up to more winding stairs made of scrap wood and materials.
The -BER months are a nice time to be in Baguio - if in case you come up - this is one place worth the visit - while it's not yet cramped.
It's one of them new stuff that's quite refreshing to have because you get to have somewhere new to take your tourist friends coming up from Metro Manila. But the place is also genuinely nice because it has a real "Baguio feel" to it.
What's more interesting is, the place is associated with Kidlat Tahimik (Eric de Guia, the artist and film maker) - whether as owner or conceptualizer - but a lot of the items are from the artist's Baguio house that was burned a few years back.
The restaurant and art gallery is located at the top of La Azotea in Session Road - that's five floors up, so you just keep walking the stairs until you get to a grilled gate that opens up to more winding stairs made of scrap wood and materials.
The -BER months are a nice time to be in Baguio - if in case you come up - this is one place worth the visit - while it's not yet cramped.
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Gary Granada and His War with McDonalds
This has been circulating in emails - and you've probably received it too, but I'm posting it anyway. It's funny how this has escalated - but we cheer Gary on. :)
Sent: Friday, October 20, 2006 4:14:43 PM
Subject: McDonald's hires PR agency to invite Fr. Ben Moraleda and Gary Granada
On the evening of October 17, I got a call from Ms.
Bonjin Bolinao. She said McDonald's was sending a
letter to Kaalagad, inviting us to a dialogue. She
also asked me if it were possible to indicate in my
website that McDonald's already sent a letter to
Kaalagad (we received the letter the following day).
I promised her that I will publish her letter in my
website (http://garygranada.com ). I believe the only
way we may have an honest to goodness dialogue where
public concern is concerned is for the public to know
the facts. So I'm publishing and circulating this
letter, as well as my reply to Bonjin, in fairness to
everybody.
If you haven't yet, please read for a backgrounder
http://garygranada.com/5%20seconds.htm
--------------------------------
16 October 2006
KAALAGAD
Attention:
Fr. Ben Moraleda, Spokesperson
Mr. Gary Granada, Volunteer
Dear Fr. Moraleda and Mr. Granada:
On behalf McDonald¢s Philippines, we would like to
invite you to a dialogue with senior McDonald¢s
representatives on Thursday, October 26, at 9:30 AM at
Top of the Citi restaurant, 34th floor, Citibank
Center, Paseo de Roxas, Makati City.
McDonald¢s would like to discuss with your group their
efforts in addressing the various issues that you have
raised. They would also like to formalize their
commitment to your cause of reducing the use of
harmful substances in the quick-service industry.
Thank you for your attention. Please confirm if you
are available on the said date and time. Should you
have further queries, please contact Mr. Stevie
Martinez at 889-8332 loc. 131 or 0918-9258163.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
HCN Bonjin Bolinao
Managing Director
DDB Phils.
Ad Verbum PR
--------------------------------
And here is my reply to her letter (thru e-mail):
19 October 2006
Dear Bonjin,
I just read your letter dated 16 October, 2006. Thank
you for the invitation. Because we are a consultative
community, Kaalagad is currently consulting its
members and staff as well as our partners in order to
come up with an appropriate collective response.
Offhand, I would like to share with you my personal
view. (Kaalagad is drafting its official position.)
I am of the opinion that your letter is insincere,
insensitive and mercenary. It is insincere because
you write as though October 6 never happened. No
mention of the incident, no need for apology, no need
to explain why McDonald's acted the way it did.
It is insensitive because you picked a venue which is
one elevator ride from McDonald's's bosses' office,
while we have to commute all the way to Makati from
Quezon City. To add insult to injury, you picked the
very same building where we were harassed by your
security people and shabbily treated by your managers.
It is mercenary because I see PR written all over the
page. It is not even signed by McDonald's but by an
ad agency. We are not a 'market' that your college
advertising textbooks may have taught you to regard.
We are not a 'segment' of the market that you can
simply 'sample', 'profile' and 'contain' if need be.
Don't treat us like we are a PR problem. I cannot
take this veiled insult sitting down. So, to cut the
crap, I will excuse myself from any possible dialogue
with you or your client.
I have a very simple, doable and straightforward
suggestion to you though. Why don't you and
McDonald's use everything within your enormous
financial and media clout to discredit what I am
saying:
DON'T BUY MCDONALD'S BECAUSE:
1. McDonald's is arrogant - don't make them more
arrogant.
2. McDonald's uses styrofoam - don't encourage them
further.
I urge you to publicly discredit those two statements.
And I shall be very happy, even eager, to be
discredited and proven wrong if you really mean what
you say. Show proof in all your stores and offices
that contrary to what I am saying, McDonald's is a
humble giant that puts public welfare above profit.
That way, we all win!
I will publicly broadcast those statements. I know it
sounds laughable for I can't even afford to pay for
one column-centimeter of news item. A little-known
folksinger versus a transnational ad agency of a
transnational megacorporation is a like playing chess
blindfolded with one rook less. On the other hand, I
believe there are lots and lots of people who simply
seek goodwill and solidarity. And I suspect many of
them are fond of spaghetti and brewed coffee.
This will be the last time I'll write to you regarding
McDonald's, hell I don't get paid for writing letters
like you do.
Lastly, please do not take this letter as a personal
affront. Like you said over the phone, we have common
friends. I hope we are on the same page then, for
instance, in taking the illegitimate Arroyo government
to task over the specter of state-sponsored summary
executions and brazen political opportunism that has
become the norm in this country.
Tell you what, I hang out at Conspiracy (Visayas Ave,
Quezon City, across Shell, beside Equitable Bank,
landline 4532170). My favorite singers Cooky Chua and
Noel Cabangon (who by the way once did a commercial
for McDonald's) perform there. Our mutual friend
Conrado DeQuiros is a regular. You might want to
check the place out. Please let me buy you a beer, no
scripts, no agenda, but as real persons in a real way.
Sincerely,
Gary Granada
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To help collate comments on the McDonald's issue,
please log on to the
PHILIPPINE CIVIL SOCIETY FORUM
http://garygranada.com/cgi%2Dbin/phpbb/
CLICK Institutions
CLICK McDonald's
Or go straight to the topic:
http://garygranada.com/cgi%2Dbin/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=5
Thanks~
And please forward this information if you find it
relevant and appropriate, salamat po~~
Forwarded Message:
My Personal Ordeal with the Arrogant Managers of
McDonald's
5 seconds
My name is Gary Granada, I am a Kaalagad
volunteer, and I need 5 seconds of your time to help
reduce the use of styrofoam in fast food chains.
What was meant to be a nice and simple Saint
Francis Day motorcade-march to McDonald's turned out
to be a nightmare. We were rudely treated by
McDonald's, to put it mildly. Weeks before, we
already sought a dialogue with them to reiterate our
concern for their reluctance to reduce their use of
styrofoam, despite their pledge to seriously attend to
it during our dialogue in 2002! (Jollibee said the
same thing, and while we are not satisfied with their
response, at least they made some effort to shift to
other packaging and serving materials.) We wrote to
them, went to their office, made follow ups, waited
for a response. The most we got from them was 'you
wait for our call'. They never called, never wrote
back, but verbally said they will assign
representatives to receive our motorcade's
representatives.
When we got there, their representatives turned
out to be the Citibank Building's security detail.
Ill-mannered and impolite, they told us that they were
told by McDonald's that they were not expecting us.
One of our staff went up to their 17th floor office to
find out whether they were willing to sit down and
talk matters. Told to tell us to wait, we waited.
The giant that it is, the bosses of McDonald's
apparently regard little children, nuns, mothers,
priests and concerned consumers as their employees. We
asked how long we were supposed to wait and got no
straight answer. Finally they sent word for me to
come up, just me, no one else. I thought these people
must have seen too many spaghetti movies, perhaps they
thought they had a hostage crisis. I was led to a
conference room that could easily sit six or seven
people and was greeted by two bright boys.
Think about it. Naglakad kami papuntang
McDonald's, at pagdating namin doon, wala man lang
bumaba para kausapin kami ng maayos. At pinatawag ako
nitong dalawang batang managers!
It occurred to me that there were far more basic
issues that plague McDonald's than styrofoam. Like
common courtesy. So I explained to these rich young
rulers that the courteous thing to do was to go down,
greet the delegation and ask how they may be of help.
I even asked them where they were schooled, because in
the public school in an obscure town where I came
from, they manage to teach such things in Grade One.
Their bloated bright brains must have taken up the
space that was meant for their ears. It felt like
talking to an electric fan.
Meanwhile I insisted that somebody from
Greenpeace, the Ecowaste Coalition, Franciscan
Movement for Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation,
and the JPICC of the
Association of Major Religious Superiors of the
Philippines (our partners in the activity) be present
as well. They said they can only accommodate three
people at most. Fine. So I said I and our staff will
go down and we will send three people up. But at the
lobby, the three representatives we sent were barred
by security people from proceeding, again upon
McDonald's instructions we were told. It looked
hopeless.
We decided to wrap up the program when out of
nowhere a condescending woman materialized and
introduced herself as the media relations officer of
McDonalds. She said 'Why don't you go to Jollibee
instead, they're number One.' To which Father Ben
Moraleda replied, 'We did, and at least they are doing
something.'
On the side, irked by her audacity, Fr. Ben
quipped, 'And please take that hand of yours off my
shoulders, I don't like you.'
And all that commotion for a very simple and very
reasonable plan: that McDonald's reduce the use of
styrofoam by 50% within one year. McDonald's has once
again demonstrated its arrogance and incapacity to
appreciate the sincere and constructive efforts of
common folks to protect our environment. Unlike them,
we do not make money doing what little we can to help
make things a little better for everybody.
5 seconds, that's all I ask of you to help reduce
the use of styrofoam. Sa mundo ng mga mayayabang,
papansinin lang nila tayo kung tayo ay maninindigan.
Take 5 seconds to think twice before choosing where to
dine or order food.
WHEN YOU HAVE A CHOICE, DON'T CHOOSE MCDONALD'S
I feel sad for that woman and those two young
managers. So young, so successful, so ahead of their
game, so privileged; so rude, so arrogant, so lacking
in character, so bland. And I have since stopped
wondering why their burgers taste the way they do.
--------~~~---------
It will take a bit longer than 5 seconds, but it
will go a long way if you can email this page to
friends. Thank you~
GARY GRANADAMcDonald's
5 seconds
My name is Gary Granada, I am a Kaalagad
volunteer, and I need 5 seconds of your time to help
reduce the use of styrofoam in fast food chains.
What was meant to be a nice and simple Saint
Francis Day motorcade-march to McDonald's turned out
to be a nightmare. We were rudely treated by
McDonald's, to put it mildly. Weeks before, we
already sought a dialogue with them to reiterate our
concern for their reluctance to reduce their use of
styrofoam, despite their pledge to seriously attend to
it during our dialogue in 2002! (Jollibee said the
same thing, and while we are not satisfied with their
response, at least they made some effort to shift to
other packaging and serving materials.) We wrote to
them, went to their office, made follow ups, waited
for a response. The most we got from them was 'you
wait for our call'. They never called, never wrote
back, but verbally said they will assign
representatives to receive our motorcade's
representatives.
When we got there, their representatives turned
out to be the Citibank Building's security detail.
Ill-mannered and impolite, they told us that they were
told by McDonald's that they were not expecting us.
One of our staff went up to their 17th floor office to
find out whether they were willing to sit down and
talk matters. Told to tell us to wait, we waited.
The giant that it is, the bosses of McDonald's
apparently regard little children, nuns, mothers,
priests and concerned consumers as their employees. We
asked how long we were supposed to wait and got no
straight answer. Finally they sent word for me to
come up, just me, no one else. I thought these people
must have seen too many spaghetti movies, perhaps they
thought they had a hostage crisis. I was led to a
conference room that could easily sit six or seven
people and was greeted by two bright boys.
Think about it. Naglakad kami papuntang
McDonald's, at pagdating namin doon, wala man lang
bumaba para kausapin kami ng maayos. At pinatawag ako
nitong dalawang batang managers!
It occurred to me that there were far more basic
issues that plague McDonald's than styrofoam. Like
common courtesy. So I explained to these rich young
rulers that the courteous thing to do was to go down,
greet the delegation and ask how they may be of help.
I even asked them where they were schooled, because in
the public school in an obscure town where I came
from, they manage to teach such things in Grade One.
Their bloated bright brains must have taken up the
space that was meant for their ears. It felt like
talking to an electric fan.
Meanwhile I insisted that somebody from
Greenpeace, the Ecowaste Coalition, Franciscan
Movement for Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation,
and the JPICC of the
Association of Major Religious Superiors of the
Philippines (our partners in the activity) be present
as well. They said they can only accommodate three
people at most. Fine. So I said I and our staff will
go down and we will send three people up. But at the
lobby, the three representatives we sent were barred
by security people from proceeding, again upon
McDonald's instructions we were told. It looked
hopeless.
We decided to wrap up the program when out of
nowhere a condescending woman materialized and
introduced herself as the media relations officer of
McDonalds. She said 'Why don't you go to Jollibee
instead, they're number One.' To which Father Ben
Moraleda replied, 'We did, and at least they are doing
something.'
On the side, irked by her audacity, Fr. Ben
quipped, 'And please take that hand of yours off my
shoulders, I don't like you.'
And all that commotion for a very simple and very
reasonable plan: that McDonald's reduce the use of
styrofoam by 50% within one year. McDonald's has once
again demonstrated its arrogance and incapacity to
appreciate the sincere and constructive efforts of
common folks to protect our environment. Unlike them,
we do not make money doing what little we can to help
make things a little better for everybody.
5 seconds, that's all I ask of you to help reduce
the use of styrofoam. Sa mundo ng mga mayayabang,
papansinin lang nila tayo kung tayo ay maninindigan.
Take 5 seconds to think twice before choosing where to
dine or order food.
WHEN YOU HAVE A CHOICE, DON'T CHOOSE MCDONALD'S
I feel sad for that woman and those two young
managers. So young, so successful, so ahead of their
game, so privileged; so rude, so arrogant, so lacking
in character, so bland. And I have since stopped
wondering why their burgers taste the way they do.
--------~~~---------
It will take a bit longer than 5 seconds, but it
will go a long way if you can email this page to
friends. Thank you~
Sent: Friday, October 20, 2006 4:14:43 PM
Subject: McDonald's hires PR agency to invite Fr. Ben Moraleda and Gary Granada
Bonjin Bolinao. She said McDonald's was sending a
letter to Kaalagad, inviting us to a dialogue. She
also asked me if it were possible to indicate in my
website that McDonald's already sent a letter to
Kaalagad (we received the letter the following day).
I promised her that I will publish her letter in my
website (http://garygranada.
way we may have an honest to goodness dialogue where
public concern is concerned is for the public to know
the facts. So I'm publishing and circulating this
letter, as well as my reply to Bonjin, in fairness to
everybody.
If you haven't yet, please read for a backgrounder
http://garygranada.
------------
16 October 2006
KAALAGAD
Attention:
Fr. Ben Moraleda, Spokesperson
Mr. Gary Granada, Volunteer
Dear Fr. Moraleda and Mr. Granada:
On behalf McDonald¢s Philippines, we would like to
invite you to a dialogue with senior McDonald¢s
representatives on Thursday, October 26, at 9:30 AM at
Top of the Citi restaurant, 34th floor, Citibank
Center, Paseo de Roxas, Makati City.
McDonald¢s would like to discuss with your group their
efforts in addressing the various issues that you have
raised. They would also like to formalize their
commitment to your cause of reducing the use of
harmful substances in the quick-service industry.
Thank you for your attention. Please confirm if you
are available on the said date and time. Should you
have further queries, please contact Mr. Stevie
Martinez at 889-8332 loc. 131 or 0918-9258163.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
HCN Bonjin Bolinao
Managing Director
DDB Phils.
Ad Verbum PR
------------
And here is my reply to her letter (thru e-mail):
19 October 2006
Dear Bonjin,
I just read your letter dated 16 October, 2006. Thank
you for the invitation. Because we are a consultative
community, Kaalagad is currently consulting its
members and staff as well as our partners in order to
come up with an appropriate collective response.
Offhand, I would like to share with you my personal
view. (Kaalagad is drafting its official position.)
I am of the opinion that your letter is insincere,
insensitive and mercenary. It is insincere because
you write as though October 6 never happened. No
mention of the incident, no need for apology, no need
to explain why McDonald's acted the way it did.
It is insensitive because you picked a venue which is
one elevator ride from McDonald's's bosses' office,
while we have to commute all the way to Makati from
Quezon City. To add insult to injury, you picked the
very same building where we were harassed by your
security people and shabbily treated by your managers.
It is mercenary because I see PR written all over the
page. It is not even signed by McDonald's but by an
ad agency. We are not a 'market' that your college
advertising textbooks may have taught you to regard.
We are not a 'segment' of the market that you can
simply 'sample', 'profile' and 'contain' if need be.
Don't treat us like we are a PR problem. I cannot
take this veiled insult sitting down. So, to cut the
crap, I will excuse myself from any possible dialogue
with you or your client.
I have a very simple, doable and straightforward
suggestion to you though. Why don't you and
McDonald's use everything within your enormous
financial and media clout to discredit what I am
saying:
DON'T BUY MCDONALD'S BECAUSE:
1. McDonald's is arrogant - don't make them more
arrogant.
2. McDonald's uses styrofoam - don't encourage them
further.
I urge you to publicly discredit those two statements.
And I shall be very happy, even eager, to be
discredited and proven wrong if you really mean what
you say. Show proof in all your stores and offices
that contrary to what I am saying, McDonald's is a
humble giant that puts public welfare above profit.
That way, we all win!
I will publicly broadcast those statements. I know it
sounds laughable for I can't even afford to pay for
one column-centimeter of news item. A little-known
folksinger versus a transnational ad agency of a
transnational megacorporation is a like playing chess
blindfolded with one rook less. On the other hand, I
believe there are lots and lots of people who simply
seek goodwill and solidarity. And I suspect many of
them are fond of spaghetti and brewed coffee.
This will be the last time I'll write to you regarding
McDonald's, hell I don't get paid for writing letters
like you do.
Lastly, please do not take this letter as a personal
affront. Like you said over the phone, we have common
friends. I hope we are on the same page then, for
instance, in taking the illegitimate Arroyo government
to task over the specter of state-sponsored summary
executions and brazen political opportunism that has
become the norm in this country.
Tell you what, I hang out at Conspiracy (Visayas Ave,
Quezon City, across Shell, beside Equitable Bank,
landline 4532170). My favorite singers Cooky Chua and
Noel Cabangon (who by the way once did a commercial
for McDonald's) perform there. Our mutual friend
Conrado DeQuiros is a regular. You might want to
check the place out. Please let me buy you a beer, no
scripts, no agenda, but as real persons in a real way.
Sincerely,
Gary Granada
------------
To help collate comments on the McDonald's issue,
please log on to the
PHILIPPINE CIVIL SOCIETY FORUM
http://garygranada.
CLICK Institutions
CLICK McDonald's
Or go straight to the topic:
http://garygranada.
Thanks~
And please forward this information if you find it
relevant and appropriate, salamat po~~
Saturday, October 21, 2006
Google Talk Glitch
My colleague and I had to do some work when our office internet suddenly decided not to run. We had to do an emergency run to the nearest 24 hour internet cafe downtown. We gave a little sigh because things were already running - we had all our web tools up - Pbwiki, gmail, yahoo messenger, msn messenger, and google talk. I didn't have to do urgent work and my colleague said it's ok to leave her there.
I decided to go back to the office and try to have the internet up again. We had left the wires and computers in disarray because the customer service representative from SMART (and it took them 30 minutes before picking up the phone) asked me to disconnect and connect some wires, etc., which I obediently did - but with no results (thus the run to town).
So I did go back to the office - put the wires back where they used to belong, arranged the computer paraphernalia very orderly around where they were situated on the table - pressed buttons and clicked icons and voila! We have internet running in our office again!
I informed the situation to my colleague and we agreed that she can come back after finishing some tasks. She said she'll also need to delete our files saved in the terminal she used and clear the internet cache. Security measures, so to speak - but things just didn't run as smoothly. First, although the files in the terminal were deleted, she realized later on that her flash disk was missing - and it was most probably left in the terminal where she was working. Isn't that ironic. She's taking it very well, actually - had it been me - I would have agonized to high heavens. Later on, one of our colleagues who was working on another location sent a message saying she was receiving strange messages from my first colleague's google talk/chat account. I said, "I am quite sure it's not coming from her, because she's right beside me now."
It took us some figuring out, and we literally experimented to prove our hypothesis - google talk does not sign out automatically when you sign in on another terminal. In fact, you can sign in one account in three different terminals and they would all be running (that was what happened to us). If you had one recipient for your messages that person would receive all the messages that are being sent from three terminals. My colleague had not been able to sign out of google talk from the terminal in the internet cafe. When our other colleauge sent a message to her, the next person who's working on the terminal would notice the message "bubbles" that appear when a message is received. The next person happened to be two rowdy boys who seemed to have enjoyed toying with the features of google talk -they sent voice mails (which were not very nice), interacted in the chat windows, received my voice call (I was hoping we could ask them to look for the flash drive and keep it so we can come back for it in the morning - but then, they said it was nowhere - although it's quite dubious if they are telling the truth) and we were supposed to be at work!
I thought that was stupid of google (yes, we have our responsibilities, yes) - but still, yahoo messenger did it better - because we're humans - we forget things. If I forgot to sign out of yahoo after I left a place, I could look for a PC where I am, sign in, which signs me out from the other terminal, and then sign out from where I am so I can sleep soundly at night because I'm certain no stranger is sending offensive messages to my friends from my account.
Anyway, I was finally able to tutor our new boy "friends" on how to sign out from the account. That was some glitch.
I decided to go back to the office and try to have the internet up again. We had left the wires and computers in disarray because the customer service representative from SMART (and it took them 30 minutes before picking up the phone) asked me to disconnect and connect some wires, etc., which I obediently did - but with no results (thus the run to town).
So I did go back to the office - put the wires back where they used to belong, arranged the computer paraphernalia very orderly around where they were situated on the table - pressed buttons and clicked icons and voila! We have internet running in our office again!
I informed the situation to my colleague and we agreed that she can come back after finishing some tasks. She said she'll also need to delete our files saved in the terminal she used and clear the internet cache. Security measures, so to speak - but things just didn't run as smoothly. First, although the files in the terminal were deleted, she realized later on that her flash disk was missing - and it was most probably left in the terminal where she was working. Isn't that ironic. She's taking it very well, actually - had it been me - I would have agonized to high heavens. Later on, one of our colleagues who was working on another location sent a message saying she was receiving strange messages from my first colleague's google talk/chat account. I said, "I am quite sure it's not coming from her, because she's right beside me now."
It took us some figuring out, and we literally experimented to prove our hypothesis - google talk does not sign out automatically when you sign in on another terminal. In fact, you can sign in one account in three different terminals and they would all be running (that was what happened to us). If you had one recipient for your messages that person would receive all the messages that are being sent from three terminals. My colleague had not been able to sign out of google talk from the terminal in the internet cafe. When our other colleauge sent a message to her, the next person who's working on the terminal would notice the message "bubbles" that appear when a message is received. The next person happened to be two rowdy boys who seemed to have enjoyed toying with the features of google talk -they sent voice mails (which were not very nice), interacted in the chat windows, received my voice call (I was hoping we could ask them to look for the flash drive and keep it so we can come back for it in the morning - but then, they said it was nowhere - although it's quite dubious if they are telling the truth) and we were supposed to be at work!
I thought that was stupid of google (yes, we have our responsibilities, yes) - but still, yahoo messenger did it better - because we're humans - we forget things. If I forgot to sign out of yahoo after I left a place, I could look for a PC where I am, sign in, which signs me out from the other terminal, and then sign out from where I am so I can sleep soundly at night because I'm certain no stranger is sending offensive messages to my friends from my account.
Anyway, I was finally able to tutor our new boy "friends" on how to sign out from the account. That was some glitch.
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
TEXT UNWISE
October 17, 2006
I’ve been saving this TEXTWISE card that I got last August, so I could complain about it. It seemed like a good idea – you get to send text messages to numbers abroad at only five pesos – but it was actually P7.50 because you have to pay P2.50 to the local telco which you are registered with every time you text. So I got myself registered for the TEXT WISE services on a SMART number that I was using (I wonder if things were different if I had used my GLOBE number instead).
So I got this message welcoming me to Textwise! And telling me save my Textwise number (which was 378 for SMART) and wait for further instructions. I was then told to register the number of the person I was to text abroad – and I got a message that I successfully did the registration. Now here comes the tricky part: I started sending messages according to instructions and everything was fine. I get a message that my message was sent and the amount of my remaining balance. The thing is, the Textwise system informed me that my messages were sent, but my intended receiver has received zero of my messages – as evidenced by his non-response. And I did ask if he received any messages from me during the past two days, and it really was zero.
So I took the effort to call the Textwise customer service – and it was not very simple because I had to have this passcode so I could have a landline transaction, because apparently, the inquiries I have been sending to the mobile numbers stated for customer service concerns was not responding to me. I was finally able to talk to a Custormer Service Representative who told me they would have to check with their Technical team and that I can check after two days by calling them again! Of course I wasn’t able to call back, but seemingly the next text messages I sent to customer service were received because I got messages (and it was in mixed English and Filipino in the common tone, not formal – so there was actually a human being pressing the keyboard responding to me, which was nice.) So this message said that their system really confirms that my messages were being sent and the problem might probably lie in the telco of the number I was sending to abroad. And that’s it. My problem did not get solved – and I ended up with a card that I bought, thought to have used, but was useless anyway. After a month, I received a message that my card had expired. Thanks, anyway. I have now thrown the card away.
INVESTING ON INVESTING OFWs
PLDT and /SMART conducted an orientation of sorts for people for their SMART Bro Computer Station – Pangkabuhayan package last August 9, 2006.
Upon entering the venue, I was surprised that the participants that were already there and that were streaming in were women – that didn’t seem to look like serious business people that I expected. In fact, they looked a lot like simple housewives – and there were a lot of them.
When the program finally came to a start there were already around 60 persons in the room, a handful of which were men – and many of the women, it turned out were returning OFWs from Lebanon.
It was funny when the guy from SMART’s marketing department started talking about their product. The objective of the event, I guess, was to encourage the women to take up businesses, or to improve their businesses by availing of the SMART Bro Pankabuhayan package and the PLDT Internet Café Plus franchising offers – and I think it was also an orientation for possible sales agents of these products (I didn’t get to finish the program – so I really didn’t get to the part of the internet café plus and the sales agents’ orientation.) So the SMART person, with all his enthusiasm as a presentor was trying to engage the audience - albeit vainly. He was obviously trying hard to connect, and it was quite laudible, but he has had his booboos. First, he or a presentor before him said, in a sort of scoffing manner, “Who sends mail through the post these days?!” When the women were asked how they communicate with their loved ones while they were in foreign lands, all of them answered they send postal mail. Only three to four people raised their hands when asked if they send emails, and a woman beside me whispered to her companion, “We don’t even know what that is,” when the presentor asked what the internet was for.
Anyway, at some point the audience warmed up a bit, and the speaker did not seem too dejected anymore.
So, among the information I got from sitting halfway through this supposed orientation (I thought it was an orientation for people who have already applied), was the PGMA Training for Work Scholarship Program where people can avail of scholarship coupons to train for Call Centers or Medical Transcription when they pass certain assessment tests. Welding and butchering are also offered – all for the purpose of improving the livelihood of people.
TESDA was one of the major players in the event. The women OFWs were contacted through previous TESDA organized activities. It’s good that companies are targeting OFWs to be investors, rather than just consumers. The millions of pesos from OFW remittances and hard earned savings can be put to better use than buying the latest cell phone or the most fancy jewelry. OFWs also need to be given alternatives in terms of business opportunities. For most, the sari – sari store becomes the most convenient option – but they end up as one sari – sari store among the rows of sari – sari stores that are already in their barangays.
I didn’t get my Pangkabuhayan package from SMART Bro even after I have submitted my application and necessary documents. It took too long. I did get a Smart Bro regular service though – it was impressively quick. Twenty-four hours after application and payment of fees, the installation team was calling me. That didn’t seem like something that happens in the Philippines, but it did.
Sunday, October 15, 2006
Birthing Lupang Hinirang
A Campus Crusade for Christ – sponsored event last August 29, 2006 at University of the Philippines - Baguio.
I was glad when Alex asked me to include it in my prayers – that Christians are actually taking it among their agenda to include patriotism among the things that they should be concerned about.
Thursday, October 05, 2006
FIRST TIME IN EUROPE
092206
I read from somewhere that if you've been to Europe once, it is likely that you'll be able to visit it again.
Acutely aware of the doodad of a purchase that Superman did to fly me to the UK, I am nonetheless grateful.
I like going places. I like going places with someone even better. London and the parts of Britain I've been to were awesome. As I gaped at castles, cathedrals, works of art, I felt it was almost unfair that Europeans had things for thousands of years. There's always a sense of wonder for a certain location, the human achievement, the work of nature - and I remember places for feelings they evoke. Having traveled considerably, however, the sense of wonder becomes default - after a while places to me become familiar. The feelings blur and places as they are are just places. Streets are just streets and corners are just corners.
I read from somewhere that if you've been to Europe once, it is likely that you'll be able to visit it again.
Acutely aware of the doodad of a purchase that Superman did to fly me to the UK, I am nonetheless grateful.
I like going places. I like going places with someone even better. London and the parts of Britain I've been to were awesome. As I gaped at castles, cathedrals, works of art, I felt it was almost unfair that Europeans had things for thousands of years. There's always a sense of wonder for a certain location, the human achievement, the work of nature - and I remember places for feelings they evoke. Having traveled considerably, however, the sense of wonder becomes default - after a while places to me become familiar. The feelings blur and places as they are are just places. Streets are just streets and corners are just corners.
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