YAHUU!

Got this letter in my inbox today:

Dear Mr. Xxxxxxxxx Xxxxxxx,

Congratulations! You have just won an LG 15" Flat TV for visiting the LG Electronics
Philippines website at www.lge.com.ph

You may claim your prize/s at: LG Electronics Philippines, Inc.
15 Francisco Legaspi St.,
Maybunga Pasig City.

Simply look for Mxxxxxx Cxxxxxx (Receptionist).
You may also call xxx-xxxx for any questions and inquiries.

In claiming of prizes, Winners will have to present this printed LG e-mail
notification & photo copy of any Valid ID's with picture on the following days Mon-Friday 8:00 am to 12:00 pm. All delivery charges will be shouldered by the winners.

If you wish your prize be claimed by a representative. He/She should bring
this printed LG e- mail notification, your valid ID, an AUTHORIZATION LETTER indicating the complete name of your representative with your signature and his/her valid ID.

Deadline for claiming of prizes is 30 days from notification.

Thank you very much for you continued support of LG Electronics and our
endeavors. Once again, congratulation and enjoy your new LG appliance.


Sincerely,


Marketing Department
LG Electronics Philippines Inc.
632 641 4181 loc 304
promoph@lge.com
http://www.lge.com.ph

What a nice Christmas gift!!

60 Minutes

I'm standing in the middle of Changi Airport. I have sixty minutes to burn until my next connecting flight. Can't do internet forever because the terminals limit you to fifteen minute per session. And I'm hungry na.

TARA NA, BYAHE TAYO!

After a couple of months of planning, my wife and I will finally get our vacation. We're leaving for tomorrow for Bohol and spend the weekend there. I haven't been to Bohol, so I really don't know what to expect. I've read a lot of vacation reviews and from what I've seen so far, the place seems to be interesting. Finally, a chance for me to experiment on our new digital camera. I'll be putting up the pics soon, along with the rest of what's in my drive, once we get back.

After Bohol, I'll be leaving on a tour of our subcons in Asia. Next week, I'll be having a meeting in Malaysia then afterwards, me and my boss will be doing our yearend visits to facilities in Taiwan, Indonesia, and Hongkong. Hmm... you think I should've just scheduled the Bohol vacation after all these work trips?

Remembering My (Corporate) Past

My former company made a big decision last night. The current CEO is stepping down to become the company's chairman (shouldn't that be a step up?) and the current president is moving forward as the new CEO. All this change is happening as the computing industry continues it's struggle to rebound from two years of a hard recession.

The first thought that came to my mind was, "Ha! Yari na kayo!" I have left the company almost two years ago but I still feel bitter. I can go on and on about how sorry I felt working for that company but I know it's not going to do me any good. In the end, I'll just feel depressed. Having moved to another company, I know I should feel lucky. I now have a job that pays a lot better; that gives me an opportunity to give solid contributions; that provides me a sense of satisfaction; and most of all, gives me more time to enjoy other things in life, such as time with my wife.

As I think about this announcement, I take time to think instead of the good things that happenend to me while I was in Intel. I was able to meet my wife. I was able to live and work in the States for a while. I learned a lot of skills that makes me so marketable today. I was able to meet some of my closest friends. Now I know it wasn't that bad after all. In fact, it was quite an adventure.

I WANT!

This. No, not her. Her tattoo.

Go Ara!

Do You Mind? (also entitled: Boycott Dome Coffee)

Imagine this. My wife and I, together with a couple of her office friends, went out for coffee and drinks last Friday night. Eastwood was beginning to get boring, and we don't want to drive out all the way to Makati. I remembered that a highschool friend was having a gig at Whistestop, so why not Ortigas area instead?

When we got to Edsa Shang, we found out that there's a street party going on. So instead of Whistlestop, we decided to stay at Dome instead. The plan was girls were going to have coffee, the boys would be having beer. We were going to stay outside to enjoy the music, and it makes it so much easier if anybody wanted to go dancing.

Right across from Dome is International Sushi. Turns out that they have a beer promo going on: For three hundred pesos, you get a bucket of six beers plus two more bottles! Sulit! So we ordered beer from International Sushi and the girls ordered their lattes.

The beers arrived first. We were barely on our first couple of gulps from our bottles when I noticed a couple of the waiters from Dome inconspicuously eyeing us. Syempre deadma lang kami. What's a couple of beers?

Maya-maya eto na... One of the waiters approached me and said, "Sir, do you mind? We're also selling beer in Dome." Okay, but so what?

"So, what are we going to do now? Our beers are here, and besides, the ladies who are with us bought coffee from you." I said.

At this point, it's plain to see that the waiters didn't have a plan on resolving the problem when they brought it to our attention. Are they really serious in turning us away just because we bought beer from another place?

"We'll just cancel the coffee. We'll just transfer to another place instead."

I was waiting for a response from the waiter, but I didn't get any. I really don't know what he wanted us to do, and I was hoping he would have a suggestion, like letting us stay, perhaps, since the ladies already had their coffee ordered, and suggest that for the next round of beers to get it at Dome instead.

So we cancelled the coffee and transferred someplace else. It turns out that International Sushi was taking orders from almost the rest of the place, so for the remainder of our night, we gorged on cheap beer. The girls? They bought their coffee from Cinnzeo instead. It was just as good as Dome's, cheaper pa.

What's with Dome? Is it just me or is there really something wrong with the way I approached the problem? Will they really refuse to seat us just because we bought beer from another place? We were seated outside, mind you, and at no point did we bring the beer inside the shop.

Taking the argument a step further: What if, instead of beer, the boys bought coffee from Cinnzeo instead? Remember, the girls still ordered their coffee from Dome. Will Dome's waiters still accost us for that? Or what if we all bought coffee from Dome and cinnamon rolls from Cinnzeo? Is there still something wrong with that?

Whatever it is, I'm not going back to Dome in the near future. Ang labo nyo, Dome. And you know what I did after we transferred to another table? Nilagyan ko ng sumpa yung tables na inupuan namin. Sabi ko hindi magkakaron ng customer yang table na yan. True enough, even as we left Edsa Shang at 1 in the morning, Dome's tables in the front of the store remain unoccupied. Buti nga sa kanila.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CECIL!

Ei girl. Of course I won't forget it's your birthday tomorrow. And if I can get an MP3 of this song by Friday, we will dance to it on your party.

By Your Side
Sade

You think I'd leave your side baby
You know be better than that
Think I'd leave you down when you're down on your knees
I wouldn't do that
I'll tell you, you're right when you're wrong
Ah, ah, ah, oh, oh, oh, oh
And if only you could see into me

Ohh, when you're cold
I'll be there hold you tight to me
When you're on the outside
Baby, and you can't get in
I would show you
You're so much better than you know
When you're lost, you're alone
Can't get back again
I will find you darlin' and I'll bring you home

And if you want to cry
I am here to dry your eyes
You know time, you'll be fine

You think I'd leave your side baby
You know be better than that
Think I'd leave you down when you're down on your knees
I wouldn't do that
I'll tell you, you're right when you're wrong
Ah, ah, ah, oh, oh, oh, oh
And if only you could see into me

Ohh, when you're cold
I'll be there hold you tight to me
Ohh, when you're alone
I'll be there by your side, baby

Ohh, when you're cold
I'll be there hold you tight to me
Ohh, when you're alone
I'll be there by your side, baby

Guess what (TV, Movie) this song was played? :)

2 Farts

They always arrive about quarter to seven, them in their big F-150 truck. I can only assume that they're Americans, judging by the white color of their skin and the diplomatic plates hanging proudly on their vehicle. Oh, and they're also loud, laughing boisterously at whatever it is they're talking about.

I call them the two old farts. And I hate everything about them. I hate the fact that they always park their big truck blocked on the gasoline station driveway, making it impossible for the other properly parked cars to get out. I hate the fact that they're the only guys that gets the door opened for them AND gets a salute each from the coffeeshop guard. Now, almost anybody can get the door opened for them; but the salute? No, you have to be one of the old farts to get that. The old farts have the door opened for them on their way out. The old farts automatically get an ashtray on their table. The old farts get a lapdance from the Starbucks girls. Well, maybe I'm getting way too ahead on the last one but I wouldn't be surprised if one or both of the old farts already has the cellphone number of that cutie behind the counter.

So what's behind all this anger for these two guys, you might ask? Because I know, that for the third time in as many Wednesdays, I will be asking them to kindly move their truck so that I can go on my way to the office. The third time! The nerve of these two people coming to the Philippines and acting as if they owned the whole country! Do they actually allow illegal parking now in America?!

My coffee's almost finished and it's almost 7:30. I should be going but I'm pretty damned sure they're just halfway through their drinks. Time to rattle at the asses of these two old farts.

For those who want to know, this is at Starbucks Fort Bonifacio, early morning of November 3rd, 2004.

Misplaced Priorities Can Mislead A Nation

Looks suspiciously like an urban legend but I'm gonna post it anyway.

"He who can take no interest in what is small willtake false interest in what is great." John Ruskin

Jasmine Trias visited the Philippines very recently.Everyone was agog waiting to welcome her. The excitement was remarkable as the media and many of our"kababayans" flocked to the airport to see her. This scenario is typical of Filipinos. Sadly, it reflects our country's misplaced priorities.

Contest of the Mind. Another young girl came back tothe country just a couple of weeks ago. Her name is Faye (not her real name for very sensitive reasons). Unknown to her countrymen, this eleven year old girl brought honor to the Philippines. She represented the country in the Intercontinental Science Quiz Net inAustralia. Out of 57 countries represented, Faye garnered First Place for the Philippines. Germany came in second while the United States came in third.

In stark contrast to the hooplah extended to JasmineTrias, Faye's arrival did not make any noise. Not apeep.

In an earlier competition, "Mathematics for the YoungAsians" in Indonesia, Faye also came out in the Top Five. But just like the Australian event, this feat did not receive any recognition in our country at all.

Our interests seem to be set on other "priorities." We are more interested in promoting celebrity guests instead of educational and intellectual pursuits. Indirectly and quite obviously we are teaching our children that development of the external image takes priority over educational achievement.

Faye's story is inspiring. She comes from a broken family. Her father falsely claimed that he was unmarried when he married her mom. When her mom found out, she decided to raise up her daughter alone.

Despite the difficulty, Faye in no way used it as an excuse for complacency in her studies. In grade school, she was a consistent honor student. She took every academic requirement as a challenge. And she delivered. At one time, she submitted a project thesis in Australia that won "The Best Physics and ScienceAward". The award qualified the Philippines to be one of the top 10 countries that would compete in Australia, among the 57 countries that joined.

Considering her family's financial constraints, she and her mom asked help from our government for their trip to Australia to claim the "Best Physics" award and to join the Science competition. They saw this challenge as a rare opportunity offered to Faye and her country, considering that only two Asian countries qualified - Japan and the Philippines. Unfortunately, our government had other priorities.

Mother and daughter then tried to ask help from individual senators and congressmen. All turned them down except for one who was willing to help, on condition that Faye should give public credit to the senator for supporting her even in the earlier competitions she joined. Out of integrity, the mother could not accede to this arrangement. Thus no outside help was found.

Faced with this situation, Faye and her mom took outall their savings and went out of their way to secure by themselves the additional finances needed. The only driving force behind them was their desire to give honor to God and to the Philippines.

With the little resources they had, they went to Australia on September 17, 2004 for the competition. They claimed the trophy and cash award for the "BestPhysics" thesis Faye submitted in Sidney and then flew to Brisbane for the quiz competition.

No kababayan welcomed them in Australia except for a kind Filipina they met in the plane who assisted them. As they were checking in at a hotel, the "kind" Filipina who volunteered to help them disappeared, taking with her Faye's and her mother's bags, passports, and plane tickets. At that point, they literally had nothing left except for the few pieces of clothes and their faith in God. They had to sell the extra clothes left to be able to buy food.

In need once again, they sought help from some of theFilipino officials in Australia but to no avail. Oddly, the Filipino officials there were too busy withother priorities, not minding to help a young girl and a mother who had no other desire but to bring honor to our country.

Given a budget for only a one night stay at the hotel, mother and daughter had to check out the following day. Leaving their luggage on deposit and without money for transportation fare, they decided to walk two kilometers to the competition venue on their native Filipino costumes.

If walking a two kilometer distance was bad enough, how much more would be walking the distance on their native costume along the highways of Australia!

Upon arrival at the competition site, Faye and her mom were very surprised when they discovered that the delegates from each of the other countries were well supported by a band, a cheering squad, and a flag, while Faye only had her mother and the anxiety of lost passports and plane tickets. Worse, representatives of each country were required to decorate their booths.

With only the three-piece costume they had on, Faye and her mom were even more surprised when the organizing committee awarded their booth as "The MostCreative" booth.

In the early part of the competition, Japan, Brazil and Spain were eliminated. As the only Asian country left to compete against six Western nations, the Philippines was cheered on by Japan. Faye was encouraged by her Japanese cheering squad, but in her heart, how she wished that she had her own countrymen to cheer her on.

When Faye finally won first place and Philippine national anthem was being played, she prayed silently thanking God for making her a Filipina. Despite all the painful experiences she had with her country, her priorities did not waver. A Japanese diplomat was the one who helped Faye and her mom to secure temporary pass so they could return to the Philippines. The money they won was just enough for their fare backhome and their temporary passport. When Faye was relating this story before a crowd, she said, " Let us love our nation, for nobody else will."

Faye did not allow her painful experiences to tear down her loyalty to her country. She is not a celebrity but a servant out to serve her fellow Filipino.

A Small Way to Greatness. Our concept of leadership in this country is pitifully skewed. We mistakenly think that leadership is about "lording" it over other people. Christ corrected this distorted thinking when he said, "You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you, instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all - Mark 10:42-44

Sadly, we are far from the precept of this truth. Itis no surprise then that we have a dearth of real leaders in this country-leaders who would set the nation's interests above their own. In the same way,our concept of citizenship is damaged. Those seeking for social good for themselves are never willing to grant the same good to others. Hence it is common for us hear stories of Filipinos who take advantage of their fellow citizens. We want to be served, but we are unwilling to serve.

We dream of becoming like Jasmine Trias. We want our children to be like her. We would rather spend on things that would make us look good instead of things that would make us grow in character. We prefer stardom glitter over service-oriented endeavors.

Quite the contrary, Faye spend sleepless nights studying to win the competition because she knows her priorities. Unlike Jasmine Trias, Faye did not receive a hero's welcome when she came back, but, young as she is, she keeps calling on Filipinos to love the Philippines because every Filipino is a valuable gift of God.

Life, really is not a matter of intelligence but amatter of setting our priorities right. The question is, what's our focus on "grand" things that make us superficial or on simple things that lead us to greatness?

Faye's story reminds us all to look within ourselves. This eleven year old girl could have complained to the media, but she did not. She went out of her own small way to bring greatness to this land.

Right priorities grant us wisdom. When properly set, priorities point us to the right people we need to invest in, the right use of our energy, the right resources to draw from, and the right endeavors to support.

From the words of Faye's mother, " We all wanted towin, but success is not measured through by merely winning. It is measured through our hearts, if it is truly attuned with God all the time. It is all that really matters for we have only an Audience of One. Whatever we have achieved, big or small, remember one thing: it is for God and God alone. The King of the Kingdom of a higher world.

YOKO NA

I'm so tired. I've been up since five this morning. My manager gave me some work yesterday afternoon and I was so stupid to commit that I'll be sending it to him this morning. I planned on working on the presentation last night, so that all I have to do is send it to him first thing today. But I cooked last night and I was so busog. I decided to just go to work early today. Thing is, I realized that today is Wednesday, color coding day. Ayun, I have to leave the house by six.

I got in the office early. Kaya lang I was feeling so sleepy so I decided to chat for a while. Then came my 8am phone conference. Followed by more urgent emails. Then other phone calls asking for this and that. Until I totally forgot all about it. Then my boss called at three in the afternoon, asking for it. Buti na lang I was quick to make palusot.

Grabe, I just finished sending it. I hope everything is in order. I hope I didn't miss anything he wanted. I just want this sleep na.

But I can't go to sleep yet. My highschool friend is on vacation from the States and he's leaving on Saturday. We're supposed to meet at Eastwood, but I don't know what time they'll be meeting. Hay, buti na lang I'll be staying up late for a nice reason. I gotta get something nice to eat later. I gotta drink at least two beers and one 7&7. I think I earned it.