My 2011

I just finished a good year.

A lot of things happened this year.  I got to travel abroad again.  I lost my job and had two applications denied.  I became active in Ka-entrep.  I tried my hand at really being an entrepreneur.  I gave several lectures on entrepreneurship.  I made websites.  I went back to counseling.

This year will remain special for me not for the things that happened above but for what happened towards the end of the year.  It has always been my dream to earn my keep by writing.  I imagined my name below the titles.  My works would see print at last.

This year, the dream has began to come true.  I pray that it will continue to grow in 2012.

Pikon!

It's really interesting how the justices reacted to criticisms levied against them.  Are they being bullied? I don't see it that way.  I see a Filipino citizen albeit the country's top executive airing his disgust over the conduct of justice.  He has every right to do so according to our Constitution which in case the justices forgot includes a clause on freedom of expression.


Was P-Noynoy on the right track with his barangues?  Actually, it does not matter.  Evidence should always win over mere rhetoric.  But why did the "illustrious" justices react so strongly as to declare a court holiday.  What they did they think was to express their disgust over President Aquino's so-called attacks on their "good" office.  What they actually did was to delay further the implementation of justice for the affected cases.

It is sad that the reaction of our esteemed Supreme Court justices had much less aplomb than their office deserved.  Their recent actions indicate a tendency towards self-righteousness, something very dangerous for such a position.  They seem to exhibit the idea that "if we do it we are exercising justice but if you do it you are being tyrannic".

I like the editorial of .  It gives a very good background on the current situation.

Crazy Crazy Weather

So I step out of the house this morning for an appointment.  It looked like a lovely morning.  The sun was shining in the sky.  There were some clouds floating about.  I can feel the heat on my face as I walked.

And then it began to drizzle.  At first there were isolated drops.  then the drops came down a little faster.  Before I could get to the stop, they were hitting my almost dry hair quickly but the drops were just trickles.

And the sun continued to shine.

When I got to my colleague's house, the drizzle had stopped and I had to stay under a tree across from their gate because it was getting hot.  Finally, I got in and we went about our business.

When I was ready to leave, we realized that it was actually raining.  Well, I had no umbrella so my host lent me one.  When I alighted from the jeep at my own stop, the rain had completely gone.  I walked home, had lunch and washed the dishes before I went out again for my afternoon meeting.

It was just past noon so the sun was coming down hard on my head as I stepped out of the train station.  The meeting took almost three hours.  When I came out of the building, I realized that it had rained really hard while we were inside.  But then, as I walked back to the station, the sky was really clear.

Wonder when it will rain again.

Gadgets Galore

It's my wash day so I get the wash ready, separate the white from the colored, get the soap and bleach, etc.  I use a machine so I also have a little free time while waiting to finish a cycle so I also set up something to do for that.

After I get the washing machine going for the first cycle, I go back to my room upstairs to get my work.  I come back down with my arms full of gadgets.  I have a notebook PC (using it right now)), and of course my phone which stays close by.  Then I also grabbed the PSP because we have a game currently on it that I am trying my darndest to win over my nephew.

And I didn't bring the cords with me so it's all wi-fi.

Then the phone rings and our tech guy tells me he has a new project in my email that I have to make a proposal for.

Time to go to the office.

But the washing machine just buzzed.

Passing of the Guard

October 2011 saw three pioneers pass on to the next life.  First, there was Apple founder Steve Jobs.  A few days later, we receive news of the death of C and Unix creator Dennis Ritchie.  A couple of days ago, AI pioneer John McCarthy moves on as well.

These men applied their talents to move the computer industry forward.  Their deaths are not really losses because they have lived their lives well.  True, such occasions are cause for sorrow, specially for their loved ones.  However, we are thankful for their contributions to this industry.

Their influences are not to be compared.  In the world of computers, coopetition is very evident.  We build on each other's success.

The question is, what are you contributing to forward the industry?

Me on the Net

I made a google search using my name.  I was looking for a page where I was supposed to have been mentioned but I accidentally deleted the email where the URl was included.

What I found was a wealth of information about me.  The list included memberships in sites that I have forgotten about or have ignored for the longest time.  I also discovered that I was mentioned in several professional lists that I didn't even know existed or never bothered to check because I could not imagine myself being on it.

My favorite though was a link to the National Library.  I clicked it and copied the content.  I now know the ISDN and ISDB of a book that I co-wrote several years ago on databases for high school students.

Try this exercise and find out what people can find out about you on the internet.

The Storms

My brother commented to me and my sister via text message about the storm.  He said it reminded him of the 70s.  He meant a time when there were strong storms one after the other and school was out for at least a week.  We all remember a time when flood waters got into our house in the rolling hills of Quezon City, when we had to move some of our stuff from the first floor to the second level of the house.

I also remember exactly two years ago when storm Ondoy visited.  On the 26th of September 2009, I woke up to unrelenting rain that began the day before.  I remember a plea from my fellow teacher who asked me to rush to school because flood waters are rising and the students' experiments have to be saved.  I got dressed but when I tried going into the street, I found that the water was actually going up our driveway.  The streets were flooded to the thigh.

I remember going to school on Monday, the first in our department.  When I entered the lab, an eerie sight met my eyes.  The two refrigerators we use to hold experiments and food were lying on the floor like a pair of coffins side by side.  Chairs and papers were everywhere.  I opened one of the cabinets and found flasks full of flood water.  It took a week to get all of the glassware and equipment cleaned.

Storm Pedring is passing by.  Its winds are stronger than Ondoy's but until today it unleashed a lot less water.  PagASA said this is a well behaved storm following a consistent path.  Right now, it's pouring hard outside my room.  It's supposed to be on its way out.  Heck, it's supposed to be over the ocean already.

It sounds like the wind is whipping the heavy rain into a frenzy.  This should all be gone in the morning.  I pray.

New Addition to the Family

I had a client presentation yesterday but I had to move the schedule.  I just had to visit the infant ward at Capitol Medical Center.  My sister-in-law gave birth on Saturday just after midnight.  As expected, it was a baby girl.

She was asleep when I looked in on her.  She just learned to suck her mother's breast and with that came a full meal.  Naturally, she dozed off afterwards.  Unfortunately, she had an infection and so they kept her in the nursery for observation.  She should be ok by now, I still have not asked my brother.

A new born is always a joy.  

Turning Point

Keeping Score: Using the Right Metrics to Drive World Class PerformanceI got booted out of the call center where I worked a couple of months ago.  I failed some metrics and so, based on the rules, they had to send me packing.

This month, I applied to two call centers and I was denied on both counts.  I got to the final interview before they told me that I did not fit the profile they were looking for.  If I got that far then it must have been the way I answered the questions that did me in.  Or it must have been my answers.

A week after I was forced to resign, I told my sister that I was not keen on looking for another call center job.  Maybe I subconsciously failed my interviews then.

A Day of Visits

One of the goals of the Belgium trip was to study the situation and challenges of entrepreneurs in this country.  Tuesday has been by far the busiest day for us.

It started with breakfast at the Unizo office in Verne.  The customary breakfast was served of course; bread, cheese and jam with tea or coffee.  Then was the formal business of learning how each group operated.  It was a healthy discussion that felt a bit short.  We were on a tight schedule and we were already running late.  We had to start the enterprise visits.

First stop was a cheese shop.  Well, they sold mainly cheese but also carried fruits, wafels and wines.  They told us the story of how the shop was begun by the grandparents and how it grew until the time that the husband and wife took over.  We took the opportunity to load up on some take home stuff.

An interesting note was mentioned by one of the Unizo employees escorting us, Evelyn.  She pointed out pictures that were displayed in the shop windows.  They were pictures of other entrepreneurs in the area.  The business owners who participated took two pictures, one of themselves and their product and the other was a photo of a fellow Unizo member.

Next stop was lunch near the coast.  We had lunch at Resto Real.  It was a sumptuous lunch.  Enjoyable as it was, again it was big portions that we could hardly finish.  This was almost a fine dining restaurant.  The place was spacious and bright with glass walls on three sides.

Next, up was a graphic artist who just happens to be a city councilor as well.  That is a good point because being an entrepreneur, he understands the needs of the sector so he can consider these when he is helping to formulate regulations.  He was prepared for our arrival.  He had arranged glasses on the table and three bottles of a local apple juice were on the ready.  He also gave away copies of the magazine his company produces in which he writes 80% of the material.

We next went closer to the beach.  There was a shop called the Black Sheep.  The owner showed us how he makes ice cream.  We also saw how his wife prepared waffles and pancakes.  Of course, we sampled their cuisine on their terrace on the beach.  He was a jolly old man and that was most enjoyable.

From the Black Sheep, it was off to more animal products at the Fur Shop.  We saw how they repaired fur coats.  The shop actually started as a dance studio before the family dabbled in selling stuff for those who came to dance.  The surprise of the visit was that some of the stuff sold there was imported from the Philippines of all places.

Finally, it was off to dinner at the Tapa Tapa.  The owners told us how they were inspired by the Spanish tapas.

And then finally we went home, tired but happy really.

Trip to France

When Germain and Christine Fonteyne picked up Libay and me they showed us a map of the area and pointed out their village.  It turns out they were one kilometer from the French border.  So instead of going straight home, we proceeded to the border.  The border turned out to be mainly a street where France was on one side and Belgium was on the other.  We went a little further into France and then

That is one point about the European Union.  Aside from the visit to parliament, this border crossing was proof that Europe is one community.  As far as commerce is concerned, there is no question about a Belgian selling to the French or Germans for that matter.

Then we got hto their house.They gave us a tour of the grounds.  Christine  liked gardening.  She grew her own vegetables.  Germain also liked the outdoors.  He was building a swimming pool froma water tank.,  He was also preparing the grounds for summer campers who would be trekking up the Red and Black hills.

It was also interesting to note that Germain's married son wasliving next door.  They talked about their newest grandson and specially liked the idea that he came often enough.  They would have showed us the baby but the family was not home at the time.

And of course the day ended with a discussion around the dining table.

Parliament Day

The tour of Brussels would prove to be just a prelude to what would happen the next day.  When we walked around the city we had nothing on us but our wallets.  On the next morning, we understood what luggage really meant.

We checked out of the hotel early.  We were to move our bags to the Trias office.  Their volunteers would be the ones to take the bags via train to Westhoek where the bags and our host families would be waiting for us in the evening.  So first we had to go from the hotel to the office.

But it was rush hour.

In Brussels, there are no escalators going down into train stations.  The moving stairs only went up.  So we carried our luggage down the stairs going to the Metro station.  We weren't really rushing but lugging those bags around is not a walk in the park either.  Then there was the fact that the trains near our hotel did not go directly into the area where the offices were so we still had to change trains.  That meant climbing up ad down some more stairs.

Finally, we got out of the correct station.  We had to smile when we found out that the Trias office was the first door to the right when you got up to street level.

After meeting with Trias officials, we had to move to the Unizo offices.  That was not much of a rush although it was still a few blocks walk.  What happened after that meeting was the highlight of the day.

We finished the Unizo meeting a few minutes behind schedule.  The next stop was the European Parliament.  Since we were running late, Anna Marie literally run.  The race was on then and there was also a slight drizzle.  The girl did not believe in taking cabs or there were few cabs in the area.  Anyways, we rushed to the Parliament building.  

When we got to Parliament, there were the requisite security measures.  We were accommodated by the aide of Marianne Thyssen, a Belgian representative from the Christian Democratic party.  He explained how the EU system worked as far as legislation was concerned.  He showed us the session hall and allowed us a few shots too.  It really is interesting what cooperation can do.  I would also like to mention that culture does play na important role and should never be ignored.

After the meeting at Parliament, it was a leisurely walk back to the Unizo building,

But the day was not yet over.

Walking In The City

It was morning when we heard a knock at the door.  The other ladies were ready for breakfast.  My roommate Joy and I just got up.  Anyway, when we went down to the dining room they were gone.

As expected, we had bread and cheese.  There was a chocolate nougat for a spread.  I liked that a lot.  I had coffee and Joy had juice.  It really was good that we had a relaxing morning .  It was a walking day.

Trias rep Anne Marie picked us up at 9:30.  We first went to Circle des Voyagre for coffee and to discuss the schedule.  The drinks were good.  The discussion was even better.  The only part we were not so happy about was that there was not much time to venture far from Brussels.

After that, we met up with Unizo rep Evelyn who brought a couple of people.  One of them was a Filipina married to a Belgian.  She was our guest actually.  Over lunch she told us her story.  We asked her about how she coped with the difference in culture.  From her and her husband, we learned how open minded the Belgians are.  There are no negative stereotypes of Filipinos.  The Belgian or Brussels community is multicultural based on history so they easily welcome people from other cultures.  Of course there are not that much Asians, much less Filipinos in the country.

After lunch, we had a tour of Brussesls or at least the city center.  It was a walking tour so we were not expecting to get the suburbs into the picture.  That did not mean it would be a walk in the park.  The program was scheduled from 2:30 to 6 in the evening.  So from where we were, we first looked at the architecture in the area.  Brussels has a mix of old and new buildings.  What's interesting is how the Belgians reused old buildings.

There were residential buildings dating to the 1800s that were made of brick or chalk or limestone.  The old cobblestone streets were binded with lava rock.  The guided pointed out sidewalk tiles and wall additions that were placed at different times.  That day, there were still colorful decorations because there was a gay parade the previous evening.  It was a pity we did not venture too far from the hotel when we were looking for food.  If we did, we would have been able to watch the parade as well.

We visited a small church that began at the time of the reformation.  We also went to the cathedral which was built during the time of King Leopold.  The guide also mentioned other churches built at other times that are now within city limits.

We went through the old marketplace which is described as the center of activities of the city.  We also visited the grand market which is the current active marketplace, actually a tourist shopping district.  We also passed the more upscale shops.  Brussels is organized in such a way that the shopping distric and the office sector is well defined.

We went through a park that was said to be the former hunting grounds of kings.  It was outside the royal palace which was the office of the king but not his residence.

Finally, we had dinner in an Asian restaurant.  The others went on to explore and do some shopping but I went back to update this blog/

Quick Night Out

It was past 10pm when we got to Hotel Manhattan in Brussels.  It would already be 5am in Manila by then.  Most of us had been awake for almost 24 hours.  We were all tired from the long trip.  But for some of us, we were more hungry than tired.  So the five ladies in our party of nine decided to take a look around and see if we can not find some warm food.

But we were tourists so of course we had cameras on hand when we walked out of the hotel.  In the elevator, we just happened to meet a Frenchman named Jacques who was also staying in the same hotel.  While outside, he noticed we were clicking away and decided to help us out so all five of us can be in the picture at the same time.

After he had gone off, we noticed a car stopped in front of us and the men inside were loudly talking.  We all felt that they were discussing us.  Maybe it was just our stereotype but we feared they were considering us in a negative light.  So we stowed the cameras and walked on.

We walked into a convenience store and got ourselves some instant noodles.  I was going to buy chips but flavors like paprika and chili turned me off.  Anyway, the noodles were satisfying enough.

And we got back to the hotel in time to catch the announcement of the Eurovision winners.

Off to Belgium

So we are finally on our European adventure.  We got here last night.  Manila time that would be Sunday morning already.  We moved back in time.  Actually, we went back about six time zones.

KLM has some good services.  It starts with the free newspapers while waiting to board the plane.  Then there is the flight tracking system onboard.  I really liked that a lot, being able to track where we passed and what's below us.  The system also showed data about temperature outside, the speed of the plane, the distance we have gone and how far we still have to go, and how high we are flying.  I liked the graphics, the details of the display, the terrain.

KLM also has a good set of entertainment.  You get to watch movies and tv programs or listen to your favorite music.  There are also games for adults and kids.  There are even language courses so you can study how to talk with the people at youur destination.

Then of course there is the onboard meals.  We had two full meals, several snacks and lots of drinks. My seat was in the middle so I had to disturb my companion who was in the aisle seat several times to go to the lavatory.  Anyhow, the food was great.  We were full and we really felt full after we landed.

Finally, we landed at the Schipol airport in Amsterdam. After getting off the plane, we had to walk a long ways off to get to the exit.  I appreciate the fact that although there was a long line at passport control, it was a quick pass.  Then we had to get train tickets.  Our tickets were prepaid so we only had to get the ticket.  Then we had to find our platform and get on the right train.

It was still sunny outside when we boarded our train.  We enjoyed the view of the countryside of Holland.  We also got a view of the sunset.  Even after the sun started to go down, it was a long time before it got dark outside.  One of my companions said he was getting tired of waiting for the darkness.

At every station, we checked the station name.  Our station was supposedly the last station but we were not sure how far that would be.  We were all getting nervous, tired as we were from the trip.

At last, we got into Brussels.  Then we found out there were tyhree train stations in the city.  It's a good thing we were told we had to get off at the last station.  So we waited for the announcement that it was the last station before we got off.

Then we met our host or the representative of our host.  She guided us to the hotel by first getting us on the Metro.  Then we navigated the station with our luggages before we finally got to the street level near our hotel.

After three hours waiting to board a plane, fourteen hours in the air and four hours on the tracks, we were finally able to lie on our beds.  But the day was not over yet,

The Tempest of entrepreneurship

EIt's so hot today.  So scorching hot.  So what am I doing in the middle of the Quezon Memorial Circle?

I committed to do business every weekend here for at least two months.

Will I earn here?  Maybe not but past experience told me that there is an aftersales here that can be expected.  That is what I am after, the follow up sales.  I expect buyers who get my flyers will call me for more orders.  I expect that people will be so used to me being here, they will come looking for me and my products.

Is it good for my business?  Exposure is always good.  What I really expect to happen here is that i will develop a clientelle who will want to buy from me even after the two month period that I committed to.

So what am i doing here?  Planting seeds I hope.

At the Park

Yesterday we finally started our bazaar.

I'm referring to the Ka-entrep Entrepville eXchange at the Quezon Memorial Circle.  RC and the rest of the gang have been wanting this so long and it's finally here.  It started over a year ago when we began looking for venues for our bazaar.  Finally, the QC Parks Authority gave us slots.

Now the real work begins.  You see we were alloted exclusive rights to a certain area if we could come up with 40 paying tenants.  So far of the over 20 that pledged to join, only 12 appeared as of today.  We still need 30 participants to complete the Entrepville (Anybody interested call Joy at 4961349).

What am I doing at a bazaar?  Aside from helping the organization out, it's a chance for me to get to meet potential clients and expose myself to the opinions of the market.  While I hope I can sell enough to make a decent profit, I am more interested in return sales.

I heard it said that a bazaar is an incubator for startups.  If that is true then it would be a good place to make a market study.  Of course that depends on the market you will get.  The main question here is if it is the market you want to capture.  To answer that, you have to know where you want to take your products or services.  To do that, you first have to start with knowing what you are selling and what you are in business for.

It still boils down to good business planning.

New View

I got a new pair of contact lenses yesterday.  When I went for a check up I found out that my eye grade went down so this became necessary.  Well, when I put them on for the first time, it seemed like the world became just a little brighter.

When you put on new eye wear, how you see the world will really change.  Try it with shades of different color and you will see different details.  The glaring sun can hide some of these things so when the glare is removed, they pop right out.

We view life in the same way.  When we get new eye wear, it's like we are given a new perspective of looking at thing.  We see things that we might not have noticed before.  The glare of the sun could be likened to a way of masking reality.  Everything seems so nice and perfect that we fail to see the flaws in things or people.  So we move as if there is nothing wrong.  That is until reality bites.

When we are faced with hard times, changing the eye wear of our heart and mind might help us find soluti

Sleeping Beauty

Last night I slept for 14 hours straight.  Well, not exactly straight.  I went to bed at a little after 4pm yesterday intending only to have a nap before dinner.  When I opened my eyes it was dark and I could hear my sister and her son preparing supper in the kitchen.  A glance at the clock told me it  was almost seven in the evening.  Instead of getting up, I went right back to sleep.  My next conscious knowledge was of the brightness of morning peeping through the glass door leading from my room to the terrace and the clock saying it was 6 in the morning.

My sleep pattern has gone wild since I began working in a call center.  There are days that I sleep only one hour between two night shifts.  It's a miracle that I survive the second night.  Then on my day off I sleep a straight ten hours or more.  The 14 hours I did last night was the longest I have gone so far.

Sleep patterns are not the only things that have changed drastically since I started this job.  It's a wonder my weight has stayed constant actually because of the crazy way I eat nowadays.  I still get three meals a day.  Now, I also get lots of midnight snacks.  I eat breakfast at the office because around that time, I am actually still on duty.  When I get home, I grab lunch then try to go to sleep if I don't have anything else scheduled.  At night, I have dinner with the family before I take a nap.  Before midnight I run off to work where I regularly have about two cups of coffee and snacks all to help keep me awake and alert.

I've always considered myself a night person though so this is not a big headache.  Then again . . .

Sustainability

I just did a quick glance at my blog to see how my new post and new text shows up.  I noticed that I have had this blog for over two years.  Actually I've had the account longer than that since some time ago when I started this present blog, I erased all the contents of the one it replaced.

I have been blogging for close to ten years now but not continuously.  It started as a way to exercise some creative juices.  My former officemate showed me that he was posting his poetry online so I started doing the same.  I'd do it for months then stop.  This is actually the longest I was able to sustain it.

I must be improving.  Or maybe that comes with age (haha)

What's Up What's New

I learned this morning that my favorite restaurant has a new branch.  Cafe Bola put up a branch at the walkway between Ali Mall and SM Cubao.  That's convenient but they don't have the full menu yet.  I miss my favorites  like the cool fruit shakes (I lean towards chico and avocado but you should try the kamias) and the taro chips as well as the kangkong dip (I believe that's how you translate swamp cabbage).  Anyway, the staff said they will add more later on.

It's crazy at work.  We have overtime but no calls.  Then if we don't schedule overtime, the customers call at the end of your shift so you have to do overtime anyway.

Call center agents don't really get paid much bigger than most skilled workers.  The base pay is about the same generally.  However, call center agents get a lot of extra pay.  To start off, nearly all of them get night differential.  Then there is holiday pay (also with night differential).  Don't forget the overtime pay (on a holiday on top of night differential).  That could add up to a hefty sum, sometimes as much as 150% of base pay.

That's just compensation I think.  These guys work hard.  The very idea of altering your body clock to suit the working hours is already a stressful activity.  Then you have to contend with customers who may be irate or avoiding your call.  The agents deal with their problems to make life easier for them.  Each call brings on a different encounter and that could really be tiring.

Still, it's a living and a nice one at that.