HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Here in the Philippines, it is currently 12:28AM January 1, 2009 as I'm writing this post. Everyone in the world, Happy New Year and may we all have a properous year ahead of us!

RAINY HOLIDAY

The vacation I had to Virac for Christmas turns out to be a big disappointment. Well, really also a mix of a bit of goodness to it. The whole time we were there it was raining almost every single day, and the couple of days it did not it still was gloomy and cloudy. My hopes of visiting at least one beach and soak some sun spiraled into pfft.

We ended up being at home most of the time, either watching TV or playing video games. At night, though, as if to taunt me the weather seemed fine and permitted us to go to the Christmas Cheers, a variety show pioneered by Virac held from the 16th-23rd of December and then again continues to 26th-30th of December. The show is held at the town plaza, and there are no seats provided so you have to stand the whole three to five hours show each night. The venue also is open-air save for the stage, so you also have to brave the elements.

I'm not really an internet person who spends most of the time online, although I have the ability to connect online almost anytime and anywhere with my phones. We also have purchased a Smart Bro prepaid kit, so we can go online with our notebook computer, but then the connection available is nothing but regular GPRS and the almost to a trickle of 3G during the night. It seemed many people from Virac who are now living in big cities, especially Metro Manila, have chosen to come home for the holiday and the massive demand for the 3G network setup by the two telecom networks-- Globe and Smart, couldn't cope up with the demands on peak hours. There still is no HSDPA signal available in the island. The biggest disappointment with connectivity was on Christmas eve when we were trying to have video chat or at least do video calls with some relatives who were not able to come home.

Among other things, we also have hoped to see some old friends we have missed the past couple of years. It's not that we have not been home the past two years, but all those times we have gone home we were too occupied with other things to pay them a visit. This vacation is actually no different than the previous. Well we didn't make an effort this time to contact them at least as our attempts before have been wasted. We then have to be contented only with Friendster.

Before we know it, we again have to be back to the city. I could have stayed for at least two more days, but then again I have given up on the weather ever clearing up.

As I am writing this, I currently am in the office trying to survive the next eleven hours of my shift, and it's only a few hours before the new year comes in. I couldn't possibly aford to be absent from work again as I don't have anymore paid leave allotment. I have used them all up even before the Christmas vacation I took last week.

Anyways, I have to look on the brighter side of things to pull it through today. So, Happy New Year to everyone and hope we all have a prosperous new year.

Kagharong

A long-time tradition comes with the celebration of Christmas here in Virac that is as old as the Spanish times. It is a re-enactment of how Joseph and Mary came house to house in Bethlehem for a quick rest as she was about to give birth. Dialogs are done in singing, but rather it being on a stage, it's done instead in front of houses where there is a balcony. When I was young my parents made it a point to have us see the play as most folks then value the tradition. I also can remember then that it is required that Mary be on a donkey or a horse, while now the whole troupe is transported on a truck with all the necessary equipments. The re-enactment is aptly called "Kagharong", or Housemasters. I heard that the same tradition is also done in Samar, but I don't have an idea how long they have had it. Ours, on the other hand, as evidenced by the songs used, is really old. Last night, Christmas eve, I was able to watch the tradition again and was amazed by the magic of the songs, as it brings back memories of my childhood and thoughts of that of my parents as well back in the 30's and 40's.

Eating Like A Horse

We dropped by some of my wife's relatives when we visited their village in the province. One of which we chanced upon having their dinner, and as customary to Filipinos, they invited us to join them. They were apologetic though about having nothing to offer than "ginataang gabi" or taro leaves in coconut cream and "tuyo" or dried salted fish. We dismissed the apologies and told them that in fact we missed eating such. We actually are too shy to admit that we do miss terribly having those for dinner. Or maybe it was bluntly evident afterwards when we realized we had each four serving of rice. I wouldn't think twice having them for lunch at work if they were available at McDonald's.

Coming Home

I was planning on taking pictures of our island's coast from the ferry on our way home, but the weather was not permitting and my wife an I slept through the whole ferry ride. That is for the fact that we didn't get enough sleep as we have to brave taking a regular non-airconditioned bus. There was no other choice for us as it was a very last minute decision for us to come home. Tickets get sold out weeks even months in advance. The bus stopped four times to fix the gears as it failed, but the main disappointment was the uncomfortable seats that we had to bear throughout the whole 12-hour journey, which should have taken only 8-10 hours. That and the fact that we have to go through the perpetually in repair South Superhighway. We almost did not make it to the last ferry out, as we were informed trips to the capital town Virac were on hold for the meantime. On the ferry, I had to go to the bathroom once and was able to chance upon the opportunity to take the picture above. We made it home safe later and hoped the weather will clear up in the few days we're home to be able to go a beach.

I'M COMING HOME

After much deliberation and weighing of the pros and cons, I finally have decided that we should come home to Virac for Christmas, my wife and I. Our workforce management team has decided to declare the 23rd and 24th of December as critical workdays, so it will be a big offense, earning a step in the progressive counselling, to be absent those days. I guess I don't care that much anymore about the job, what with all the politicking on the floor. Besides I have an alibi on standby, and it is that I will sprain my ankle on a trip to Virac and won't be able to come back to Manila until after the 28th of December. I will have a medical certificate from our family doctor to back it up.

Well, I'm looking forward to basking in the sun on a beach in our island home, if the weather will permit. It was long time coming as I was supposed to come home last May this year. We don't have much money to bring with us, but then we won't be needing that much as my brother whose a bit well off than most of us sibs will be home too.

I need to getaway from American callers who more often than not are spoiled brats, from one of our team managers who's a fashion roadkill, from my supervisor's really sweet sheepish smile, from my bullying team mates who are "pitikeros" and "pitikeras", and most of all from an Avaya callmaster. My head is spinning from the pressure and stress on the job, and that's what I need a quick break from. Well, alongside my daily doses of fastfood meals, road pollution, the more than an hour commute to and from work each working day, addiction to malls, and the sight of the crowded Metro Manila itself.

I have to do this. Not only for myself but for me to get myself together-- I have not been performing good at work lately. Largely because of too much stress and the insensitivity of the client on our plights, which is the refusal not only to upgrade our salaries and incentives to be at least a fourth of our counterparts in the US. I guess being in the third world country doesn't deserve you at least half the respect of what people from the first world get.

Come what may now, I'm going home for Christmas.

Binagoongang Porkchop (Porkchop In Shrimp Paste)

This is one of my favorite dishes and one that I love cooking. It's simple to prepare yet quite tasty. Basically it is a variation of "ginisang bagoong" or sauteed shrimp paste.

You need the following- 1 kilo porkchop, chopped onion, chopped garlic, 7-10 pieces of tomatoes chopped, 7-10 pieces of jalapeno peppers, 4 tbsp olive or vegetable oil, & MSG (optional). Preparations beforehand are to fry until slightly browned the porkchop & to wash the shrimp paste once on a strainer to remove excess salt. In a wok, sautee the garlic, onion, & tomatoes. When the tomatoes are already soft, crush to make a paste.

Put in the pork and sautee for about 10 minutes. Sprinkle the MSG according to taste and then mix in the pepper just before turning off the fire. To make the dish more spicy, the pepper can be sliced, or if you don't want it spicy substitute with bell pepper instead. A variation of the dish is to add cream. But if you are to add cream, omit the tomatoes from the ingredients.

WARNING! This dish is not fit for people who are suffering from hypertension or heart disease.

CATANDUANES

Catanduanes is an island off east Luzon in the Bicol region. It is more popularly known for its reputation as the "Land of the Howling Winds", as most storms entering the Philippines either hits this island province or affects it. It faces the Pacific Ocean, thus the susceptibility to storms brewing near its shores. Travellers going to the island are mostly either surfers or backpackers avoiding the usual tourist spots in the Philippines. The islanders doesn't have a traditional culture to boast of aside from that already known of the whole Bicol region, and the festival held annually is nothing but a copy of what other provinces generally do.

The remoteness of the island also makes it not a very popular destination among traveller who only wants a quick getaway. Although there are two airports in the island, commercial flights are only available to one of them and are not so much an option most of the times because of weather related issues. The best way to go there is by bus from Metro Manila to Tabaco city in Albay, and then by ferry boat (Ro-Ro) to either one of the two commercial ports-- Virac and San Andres ports. Travel by bus can be from eight to ten hours, and the the ferry ride to San Andres is for around two and a half to three hours while to Virac, the capital, is approximately four hours. Three ferry trips are available daily from Tabaco, with two going to Virac and one to San Andres. To have a preview of what to expect in the island, the recommended ferry will be the one leaving early morning in Tabaco to Virac.

Transportation options within the island are abound-- from tricycles for short distances; to jeepneys, vans and buses for travelling from town to town. Major roads are paved with a few stretches only needing some maintenance, so going around is not that hard. Most natural attractions though will have you go through rough roads for a few miles. Accommodations are mostly only available in the big towns like the capital Virac, and also the nearby town San Andres and possibly a few of the other nine towns with resorts. Otherwise, you will need a tent and camp out in beaches or near the barangays or villages. Food can be purchased almost anywhere there is a village, but don't expect anything grandiose than just rice and viand. In places near the coast or estuaries, you may be able to get your fill of seafood.

Because it is on the edge of Pacific Ocean, the island is popular among surfers during the monsoon season from around September to January. The Majestics in Puraran in Baras town is known the world over as one of the best surfing spots in Asia, topping even Siargao as the premier surfing destination of the Philippines. Well, Puraran itself is a beautiful place with white sand beach and sparkling clean waters. It has been a setting for some commercial print photo shoot for famous clothing namebrands. An annual international surfing competition is held there sponsored by the local government. It is said that surf in Puraran can rival that of North Shore in Maui during the surf season. There are a few resort operating in the cove of Puraran. It is best to go off-season if you are not into surfing, as the room rates are almost half of what it regularly is. The amenities are pretty basic but liveable. And then again this area is only from forty-five minutes to an hour away from the capital town-- where better lodging are widely available.

Well, otherwise, the island is surrounded by miles of stretches of fine white sand beaches available to you anytime. The nearest of which is no more than fifteen minutes away by car or tricycle. Most beaches are still undeveloped, but those that are either have fully-functional resorts with anything from the basic to at least three-star accommodation. Many of these resorts are in remote locations so it can be a pain to get to. Exploring the undeveloped beaches is also an option if you can get a guide. There is currently no existing tourism company or at least a government-run facility (except the Department of Tourism) to provide you guided tours. The best beaches are actually still not developed so it is a lot better to have a guide. One which I personally have been to was a village called Bitaogan in Bato town-- it can be reached in about an hour by land via rough terrain, or about half an hour with a boat from the shore of downtown Virac. The sand in the beach of Bitaogan is as fine as Boracay, although not as white; and the water is so clear that even on the edge of the reef you can see the fishes down to the bottom several meters below. The sea is so teeming with fishes that seafood is really abundant. At night you can camp at the beach and have the view of Virac shoreline with all the downtown lights.

The waters all around the island is still clean and can be swam to. Even the shore of downtown Virac, the capital, is pretty clean that during summer people flock to them to dip and cool down. Below is a picture of the breakwater adjacent to the port of Virac, which will be what you will first see as you unboard from the ferry.

Pollution is still not a problem in the island. If the sky is clear, expect to see beautiful sunsets and sunrises. At night, even in downtown Virac, the nightsky especially if the moon is full can be breathtaking.

If ever you get too tired of the beaches, the nearest waterfall can never be too far away. Within the capital town itself there are already several options like Danicop, Buyo, Dugui, San Vicente to name a few. The most popular of the waterfalls in the entire island is Maribina falls and Solong falls.

There are likewise a lot of rivers and streams throughout the whole island. It's topography is very rough and mountainous, so there is an abundance mountain for inland bodies of water to source from. There are a few rivers that are wide and deep enough for white water rafting, although this sport has not been heard of in the province. Even underground rivers are abound, but these too have been largely unexplored so it may be dangerous to go to. The waters are pretty clean still for most, but the most popular ones tend to be a bit cluttered comes summer when there are a lot of people going for a swim.

Still a water attraction, there are several estuaries and mangroves in the island where migratory birds can be found. Birdwatching is not a very popular activity in Catanduanes as of yet, because coming of birds from mainland Asia is not very regular. There are some years wherein there are thousands upon thousands of them to be found in estuaries, and then there are some years that only a few or even none comes. Two of the most notable mangrove/estuaries are the biggest in the island-- the one in Agojo Marine Park Sanctuary in San Andres town, and the other in between the boundaries between Viga and Payo towns, where the bulk of prawns and crabs supply sold in the island and imported to nearby provinces come from.

For pilgrims of faith, Catanduanes is haven to several old churches built by the Spanish colonizers. The most notable of which is the Bato Cathedral; nestled up a small elevation near the banks of the Bato River, it provides a vantage point for a great view of the sunset and the length of the river up to its delta by the bay.

The Cathedral in the capital town itself is also an old edifice, and another one is the Viga town cathedral. There is also a church named Batong Paluay in San Andres town where a miraculous stone is enshrined. It is said to be that this stone have been attempted to be taken by the Marcoses in the 70's. The stone was found several or so decades ago and it was just a speck then. It has since grown to be more than five times the original size when it was found. The strange thing with the stone is that it has the Our Lady Of Sorrow painted on it, which did grow with the stone and revealing details in time. Used to be you need to have a magnifying glass before you can appreciate the details, but now it is very much visible to the naked eye. The image was not damaged as the stone grew, for if it had been painted on it surely will have all cracked up.

To the east of the island in the town of Bagamanoc, there are several small islets of historical interest. One of which has been used by the Americans during the occupation as a Long Range Navigation Base. The beach surrounding this islet has fine white sand as well, and the water is crystal clear.

If everything else fails, there's always the forest covers and the rolling green fields to run to. The central part of the island is still in very much pristine condition and there's a big possibility of some places to have been untouched for centuries even. Several years ago, we volunteered for a sort of an expedition into the center of the island where the rain forest is. We were supposed to mark the old trees as properties of the government and can never be sawed for lumber. We saw trees that are so big all fifteen of us then could not wrap around its circumference with our arms stretched out.

There are also a lot of caves in the island. The most popular of which is the Luyang cave in San Andres town. It has on it a park built in and the view of the forest cover and the ravine below it will take you off your feet. Big trees are present despite the area being close to the urbanized portions of both San Andres and Virac towns. This cave joins a labyrinth of caverns leading to several openings and where some underground rivers may be accessed from.

When I was in the island I tend to overlook these things and was more interested in getting out to see other places. As you may have seen yourself from the pictures, I have been a fool all those times.

FastFood Idiot

No more than an hour ago, I lined up on queue Mc Donald's outlet at the PeopleSupport Center in Ayala, Makati for a quick bite. It was my lunch break, but it was very early in the morning as I am on the graveyard shift. I know I don't dress up for work and usually only come as I would if I'm just strolling in a mall, but I don't think I look that bad to be discriminated upon.

The soonest I got up next to the counter, the two crews smiled on me and asked what I wanted to have. As I was on the phone with my wife, I quickly told them I want their Cheeseburger Value Meal with an upgrade to large fries. The cashier sort of mirrored to me what I ordered but I didn't hear it the first time, so I said goodbye to my wife on the other end and verified with them what they were trying to tell me.

"Are you sure you want to have Cheeseburger Value Meal and not Burger McDo (which is of lesser value) instead?", one of the crews said, still flashing a seemingly painted on smile.

"You heard me right the first time", I said thinking they may be only offering it as they are maybe having a promotion with that Value Meal, "--I want Cheeseburger Value Meal with large fries and regular Coke."

Ever smiling, the other crew asked me again, "Are you sure you want large fries and not regular fries instead?", which ticked me right off. I demanded to speak to a supervisor or a manager, upon which they both have profusely began apologize to me.

"I don't know what's on both your minds or if you're insulting me", I said, "but let me just educate you that it is rude to offer a customer to downgrade from what they have originally ordered. If I were your supervisor, I would have terminated you from your job right there and then."

I'm not really the kind who discriminate on people, as we have been taught by our parents when we were young to be respectful of every single person we meet. Those people like the fast food crews from hell I just dealt with simply just makes me wonder what kind of parents they have had to have grown that way. Their parents couldn't have been any better, I think. It couldn't possibly for a reason that they were raised in a poor environment, as I have met people raised in slums but with utter respect towards others unlike these two.

This is not to rant because I have been insulted, I merely am just showing how people can be unwittingly rude because of their stupidity. Definitely, such a practice of offering a downgrade from what the customer originally asked is a big no-no in sales, even with food vendors that do have customers coming to them willingly. And, yes, even if they are as popular as Mc Donald's. This makes me wonder if these crews have been trained at all.

Similar thing happened to me with Jollibee in Farmer's Cubao some months ago. We were on our way home from visiting a relative in Laguna and decided to stop by in Cubao as it was already late to cook for dinner when we get home.

We ordered for two two-piece chicken meals with upsize Cokes. To our surprise, the cashier asked us-- "Do you want to have Sarsi instead (which is a cheaper cola drink), for you to make some savings?" I explained to then, apologetically even, that we both don't like the taste of Sarsi and confirmed with them I want to have Cokes with the meals. That said and done, they have issued us the receipt and they prepared our orders while waiting at the counter.

When they finally handed us our meals, we even thanked them as we're about to go to our table. As a habit, I normally first take a sip on a drink before having my first bite. I noticed the drink tasted different, so I took out the receipt to check on the drinks billed. It was, much to our dismay, a Sarsi. I hurried back to the counter and excused myself to the customer the cashier was attending to. I gave her the drinks and told her I did reiterate myself we wanted Coke and not Sarsi, then asked for her explanation why we ended up being served with Sarsi.

"Sir," she said, "we have billed you already for Sarsi, so we can't change it for you. We only did that because we though you may want to save some money."

I was fuming mad already, so I said, "Are you insulting me? And what right have you got to switch my preferences on me without informing me about it? Where is your supervisor?"
"Sir, she's on a meeting right now, I'm sorry," she said almost with teary eyes. "It will be taken against my pay if we change your drinks to Coke, sir, so if you please have pity."

"Well, to begin with, if you were not stupid enough to mess up my order, I wouldn't be demanding for you to change it back to what I wanted. I only will go if you change it to Coke. Or if you don't want to pay for it, get me your supervisor."

"Sir, we're not allowed to get our supervisor for such a petty complain," she retorted.

"You call insulting a customer a petty complain? It could cost you your job!", I was beginning to feel pity for her at this point. I paused for sometime to get composed. Indeed it may cost her the job if I push through with the complaint. Pulling myself together, I told her-- "Okay, let me pay for large Cokes and you go to hell with these drinks you have given us. But learn from this, you idiot-- do not discriminate your customers for they may be earning far more than even your manager on this site."

I did write Jollibee customer service about that incident, but they responded I need to provide them the official receipt, which I no longer have.

All in all, these things happened because they thought I could not afford to have those upgrades. Basically it is discrimination and maybe due to that I have darker skin tone than many here in Metro Manila. I could take indirect discrimination but not something as in-your-face as this. This strengthens further my observation that Filipinos are getting more and more stupid.

YES To Offshore BPO

US President-elect Obama have explicitly said in his speeches about his being against the offshore BPO industry. He view the industry to be anti-American as it provides employment opportunities to other countries instead of keeping it within the US soil. This pronouncements have sent ripples throughout the outsourcing world, especially in India, and have earned varying reactions ranging from concerns to affirmations.

For the past few weeks, I have been monitoring the situation and particularly am after the response of companies who outsource some aspects of their business offshore. None of them have issued a statement regarding Obama's apparent plan to give tax holidays only to companies who keep all their businesses and human resource needs within the US only. With the current economic condition of the United States, it is quite vague how the government can offer tax holidays; yet it still is something to ponder upon for those companies trying to project an image of being patriotic of sorts.

Well, tax holiday is not that big a break compared to how much these companies can save by outsourcing offshore. Definitely that is a huge factor to consider-- it is known that outsourcing offshore saves these companies at least half the cost of what they otherwise have to spend if they are to stay within the United States for the same services. The Obama administration will have to shell out something more than just tax holidays to entice these companies to return using services from within the US, such as lowering the minimum wage to compete with those offered in BPO giant India, or even the Philippines.

Another question to consider is will Americans be amenable to taking up such kinds of jobs, which they otherwise consider to be less desirable? Whether these companies admit it or not, the main attraction of outsourcing countries are that the human resource are more hospitable than Americans. Americans regards highly of themselves and would not take flak from say a customer raging about a service that was not much to their liking. Filipinos exudes in patience that they will try and continue working with a customer who's impossible to reason with even if the latter themselves have caused the trouble to begin with. Many Americans do consider working in a call center below their threshold, which on the other hand is the exact opposite here in the Philippines. Or at least this is the case for now.

Another thing that'll be hard to compete with offshore for the Americans is the persistence in the case of telemarketing services-- I have read somewhere that the main difference between American and Indian telemarketers is that it is hard to teach the former to at least give one rebuttal and the latter to stop after the third rebuttal. Teaching a certain demographic something it is not accustomed to can cost time and money as it can be likened to learning a new language, or even new culture altogether. It wouldn't be a good thing to invest to knowing that afterwards you still have to cover for higher salary standards.

All in all it boils down to that BPO caters to businesses, and business could only be mixed with so much politics and patriotism-- it still has to survive and be able to generate income. On top of priority of any business is to be able to operate at lesser cost and more returns. Such could not be sustained right now by opting to be inshore, it simply follows the logic of "a bird in hand is worth two in the bush"-- the infrastructure and skills are already set and running offshore, why risk on something you're not too sure about?

*picture taken from http://www.cca.com.ph/