My friend Tony's GF used my name in 2006 to get a Globe postpaid line. However, in 2008, there was a little issue which prevented me from getting my own line, so I used Tony's name to get one. My two-year contract ended in February 2010. It was a Globe employee plan.
I told my friend to transfer the ownership to me after the contract expiry, so we called Globe. The reps told us that the plan had to be changed first to a regular G-Text 500 and we agreed. In April 2010, they offered to give us a Loyalty plan: just P250/monthly (consumable) plus 75 free text messages. Not a bad offer, very affordable. The reps assured us that there would be no lock-in period and that we could still go to any Business Center and process the transfer of ownership -- and keep the same benefits, plans and applicable rebates. We called the hotline several times just to confirm that and they all said the same thing.
Yesterday, Tony and I went to Globe Business Center in SM Pampanga. We brought our IDs, COEs, payslips and proof of billing (credit card statements) and guess what happened.
The lady rep (who was extremely unfriendly) told us that we could not get the same plan and that we would need to upgrade it. I told her that we've spoken to several reps on the hotline and they ALL assured us that the transfer could be done smoothly without any change on the Plan. She condescendingly explained that she was just following the process.
To cut the story short, I got mad and told her to just cancel the service IMMEDIATELY. She then told us to wait for a call from Globe. That was when I got really pissed. They did that in February, March and April and it took months of waiting. I told her I did not want to go through that hell again. I reiterated that WE ONLY WANT TO TRANSFER THE SERVICE (same plan) TO MY NAME. PERIOD! Since there was nothing she could do (or WILLING to do), I asked her to just cut the line. She did it.
See? I have been given run-around bullsh*ts since February and there she was... pwede naman palang i-cancel agad!
Upon reaching home, I called their hotline again to verify the cancellation. Again, the rep explained why we'd have to upgrade the plan, so and so. I told him to just make sure the account is totally closed. He said it's just a temporary cancellation and it would take another 3 months. In short, Globe would still try to talk us into keeping the account. I said, "Huwag na, just permanently cancel the service." He then OFFERED to transfer me to the Cancellations Department (something they never did before).
And so I talked to a Cancellations rep. This time, he ASSURED me that I could go back to the Business Center and HE would give me an exception. He said I would be able to keep the same plan under my name.
That was when I completely lost faith in Globe's business strategy. Or, perhaps, their employees are just not very good in decision-making. They could not determine when to stick to the policy and when to make the exception right away. In my case, they made me MAD AND FURIOUS first.... then finally, they tried to win me back by giving in to my simple request.
I only wanted to continue using the same service under the same plan. I have been a loyal customer and I never had a late payment -- even once. But sorry, Globe lost another customer today due to people's poor business judgment.
Pwede naman pala, ginalit pa ako. Ayoko na nga!
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Friday, June 25, 2010
CATS in Manila!
CATS, dubbed as the greatest musical of all time, will be in Manila and our very own Lea Salonga will be playing Grizabella!
The musical will showcase the music of Andrew Lloyd Webber and is based on “Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats” by T. S. Eliot. It introduced the song standard "Memory".
The musical first opened in West End in 1981 and then in Broadway in 1982. Each time directed by Trevor Nunn and choreographed by Gillian Lynne, it won numerous awards, including both the Laurence Olivier Award and the Tony Award for Best Musical. The London production ran for twenty one years and the Broadway production ran for eighteen years, both setting long-run records. Actresses Elaine Paige and Betty Buckley became particularly associated with the musical. One actress, Marlene Danielle, performed in the Broadway production for its entire run (from 1982 until 2000).
Cats has been performed around the world many times and has been translated into more than 20 languages. In 1998 it was also made into a television video.
The Manila run of Cats is entitled "Cats Now and Forever" and here are the show details:
Performances will start on July 24, 2010 for a strictly limited season. The musical will be staged at the Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP).
Ticket Prices:
Matinee
SAT (3:00pm)
SUN (2:30pm)
PhP7000 PhP5000 PhP3500 PhP2000 PhP1000
Evenings
TUE, WED, THU (8:00pm)
SUN (7:30pm)
PhP6000 PhP4500 PhP3000 PhP1500 PhP750
Evenings
FRI, SAT (8:00pm)
PhP7000 PhP5000 PhP3500 PhP2000 Php1000
Ticket Prices are exclusive of Ticketworld fees.
SHOW DATES (as of April 2010)
SAT July 24 Matinee
SAT July 24 Evening
SUN July 25 Matinee
SUN July 25 Evening
TUE July 27 Evening
WED July 28 Evening
THU July 29 Evening
FRI July 30 Evening
SAT July 31 Matinee
SAT July 31 Evening
SUN August 1 Matinee
SUN August 1 Evening
TUE August 3 Evening
WED August 4 Evening
THU August 5 Evening
FRI August 6 Evening
SAT August 7 Matinee
SAT August 7 Evening
SUN August 8 Matinee
SUN August 8 Evening
TUE August 10 Evening
WED August 11 Evening
THU August 12 Evening
FRI August 13 Evening
SAT August 14 Matinee
SAT August 14 Evening
SUN August 15 Matinee
SUN August 15 Evening
Most Filipinos have not watched any world-class musical or stage play before, but at least for two decades now, we have been paying attention to the latest in West End (London) and Broadway (New York City) and even watching the Tony Awards every year.
This all started when our country's pride, Lea Salonga, got the role of Kim in Miss Saigon and won several prestigious awards.
This time, let us not pass this very rare chance to see the greatest and most colorful musical of all time - Cats Now and Forever!
For more information, visit:
http://facebook.com/catsinmanila
http://catsinmanila.tumblr.com
The musical will showcase the music of Andrew Lloyd Webber and is based on “Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats” by T. S. Eliot. It introduced the song standard "Memory".
The musical first opened in West End in 1981 and then in Broadway in 1982. Each time directed by Trevor Nunn and choreographed by Gillian Lynne, it won numerous awards, including both the Laurence Olivier Award and the Tony Award for Best Musical. The London production ran for twenty one years and the Broadway production ran for eighteen years, both setting long-run records. Actresses Elaine Paige and Betty Buckley became particularly associated with the musical. One actress, Marlene Danielle, performed in the Broadway production for its entire run (from 1982 until 2000).
Cats has been performed around the world many times and has been translated into more than 20 languages. In 1998 it was also made into a television video.
The Manila run of Cats is entitled "Cats Now and Forever" and here are the show details:
Performances will start on July 24, 2010 for a strictly limited season. The musical will be staged at the Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP).
Ticket Prices:
Matinee
SAT (3:00pm)
SUN (2:30pm)
PhP7000 PhP5000 PhP3500 PhP2000 PhP1000
Evenings
TUE, WED, THU (8:00pm)
SUN (7:30pm)
PhP6000 PhP4500 PhP3000 PhP1500 PhP750
Evenings
FRI, SAT (8:00pm)
PhP7000 PhP5000 PhP3500 PhP2000 Php1000
Ticket Prices are exclusive of Ticketworld fees.
SHOW DATES (as of April 2010)
SAT July 24 Matinee
SAT July 24 Evening
SUN July 25 Matinee
SUN July 25 Evening
TUE July 27 Evening
WED July 28 Evening
THU July 29 Evening
FRI July 30 Evening
SAT July 31 Matinee
SAT July 31 Evening
SUN August 1 Matinee
SUN August 1 Evening
TUE August 3 Evening
WED August 4 Evening
THU August 5 Evening
FRI August 6 Evening
SAT August 7 Matinee
SAT August 7 Evening
SUN August 8 Matinee
SUN August 8 Evening
TUE August 10 Evening
WED August 11 Evening
THU August 12 Evening
FRI August 13 Evening
SAT August 14 Matinee
SAT August 14 Evening
SUN August 15 Matinee
SUN August 15 Evening
Most Filipinos have not watched any world-class musical or stage play before, but at least for two decades now, we have been paying attention to the latest in West End (London) and Broadway (New York City) and even watching the Tony Awards every year.
This all started when our country's pride, Lea Salonga, got the role of Kim in Miss Saigon and won several prestigious awards.
This time, let us not pass this very rare chance to see the greatest and most colorful musical of all time - Cats Now and Forever!
For more information, visit:
http://facebook.com/catsinmanila
http://catsinmanila.tumblr.com
Monday, June 7, 2010
Smart Bro: Does it Rock or Suck?
I have been using Smart Bro (Wireless Broadband) for almost 2 years now and I have been satisfied with the service except for a few issues.
Once, I lost the signal but it came back after less than 24 hours. Understandable. After several months, it went down again and since I am into technical support, I was able to do a few tweaks here and there and it worked.
The only other issue I have is the antenna cable. With just a little movement, it will be unplugged. In short, it does not fittingly snap right into the port. They should do something about it.
However, Smart's good image was shattered when I had another technical problem. Here is what happened.
Thursday, May 27 - I was online until 4:30 PM before I packed up and went home to Pampanga.
Friday, May 28 - I got back to Makati at 11:00 PM and hooked up my laptop to get online. The Internet was down. I double-checked the physical connection, re-seated the cable, checked my Ethernet adapter, checked network settings, did a loopback test, checked the laptop for any socket error. All was fine, but the Internet was down.
Everybody in the family is using Globe so I could not call Smart Bro Customer Service. Fortunately, my roommate Lance came by and let me use his Smart cellphone. I was told by an agent that the Base Station was down, so I turned my laptop off to prepare for my 2:00-11:00AM shift.
Saturday, May 29 - After my shift, I used the office phone to call Smart Bro Customer Service. They guaranteed me that the Base Station was back up.
When I reached my apartment, I tried the Internet again but it remained down. That's when I noticed that the Smart Bro antenna adapter did not have the led light on. In short, there was no power. Thus, my laptop could not detect the signal.
I went out to buy a Smart SIM card so I could call *1888 (Smart Bro hotline) again. That was when an agent, Manuel Ico, set up a dispatch for Sunday (May 30th) at 3:00PM.
My company would throw a Summer Flair activity at the NBC Tent in Fort Bonifacio Global City at that same time but I agreed to the dispatch because I had no other choice. I thought I would just dash to the NBC Tent around 5:00PM. After all, the technician would just bring me a new adapter.
I tried convincing the agent to just let me visit the nearest Smart Wireless Center and pick up the adapter but he firmly told me to wait for the technician.
Sunday, May 30 - My friend and I waited. At 3:45PM, I began to have some doubts. I called the hotline and a lady agent told me that she could not find any record of my appointment. She found a note, though, saying that I agreed for an appointment but no time was specified. Therefore, the technician could come from 8:00AM to 8:00PM.
That was when I felt betrayed. I was still calm but one could tell by the tone of my voice that I was just holding back. The agent promised to contact the "Support Group" and that someone would contact me. Of course, no one did. They never do. That I should know.
My friend and I continued waiting and by the time it was 6:00PM, I had lost hope of catching up for the Summer Flair.
By 8:25PM, I called the Smart Bro hotline again. This time, another agent provided the most provoking information. She said that she could not even find the appointment and no notes were posted on the account whatsoever. She even laughed when I mentioned that the other agent said that the technician could come anytime, making a comment, "Sir, pagka ANYTIME, it means the technician could still come since it's just 9:00PM."
I asked, "Do you honestly believe that your technicians could go to a customer's house around midnight?" She said "YES!" with conviction. Then, she said she would try contacting the "Support Group" again.
I was really furious so I asked for a Supervisor. The agent put a Supervisor named RJ on the line and we began talking.
Supervisor RJ told me that the "Support Group" operates from 8:00AM to 8:00PM, which gave me the impression that the lady agent only bullshitted me when she said that she would contact the "Support Group," knowing fully well that it was already 9:00PM at that time.
That was when Supervisor RJ "maneuvered" and reasoned out that the "Support Group" might be on overtime. I let that "palusot" pass.
Supervisor RJ promised that he would look into it and send email to the "Support Group." He further asked me to call again the next day at 8:00AM to make sure that I get the earliest available dispatch slot for Monday.
Monday, May 31 - I woke up at 7:30AM and called the Smart Bro hotline at 7:55AM. You know how long it takes to go through the menu and wait for an agent. In short, I got an agent and to my dismal surprise, she told me that she could not find any note -- again! No dispatch. No email from Supervisor RJ. At about 8:55AM, she told me that she could not even contact the "Support Group" because they were still unavailable. I asked for the Support Group's contact number so I could call them myself. She said she couldn't give me their direct number. Imagine how upset I was.
Finally, when all hope was lost, I asked the agent how to cancel the service. She said it should be done at the Smart Wireless Center. That was when I said, "I'll just go to the Smart Wireless Center then! Thank you!" and I hung up.
I had wasted almost 3 rest days already and I missed the Summer Flair. So, I decided to go home to Pampanga to spend the next 24 hours there and forget about the horrible customer service I got from the Smart Bro hotline.
When I reached home at 6:00PM, I decided to call the Smart Bro hotline one last time. A lady agent apologized and she sounded sincere, unlike the others who were really rude. The previous agents sounded as if they just wanted to get rid of me.
Unfortunately, this lady agent called the elite "Support Group" and the earliest appointment she got was for Thursday (June 3rd) and there was no specified time. I told her that if no one showed up, I would definitely cancel the service.
Tuesday, June 1 - Around 11:00AM, I got a text from a Smart Bro technician saying he was already at our street. I felt really annoyed because I was still in Pampanga and the appointment was rescheduled for Thursday.
Fortunately, my roommate Billy was at the apartment. After a couple of text messages and calls, Billy met the guy and got the replacement adapter. That afternoon, I went back to Makati and hooked up my laptop to the antenna using the new adapter. I'm back in business!
Thus, I diagnosed my own problem, suggested the solution and the problem was fixed. Thanks but no thanks to Smart Bro hotline. Their service sucks bigtime!
Once, I lost the signal but it came back after less than 24 hours. Understandable. After several months, it went down again and since I am into technical support, I was able to do a few tweaks here and there and it worked.
The only other issue I have is the antenna cable. With just a little movement, it will be unplugged. In short, it does not fittingly snap right into the port. They should do something about it.
However, Smart's good image was shattered when I had another technical problem. Here is what happened.
Thursday, May 27 - I was online until 4:30 PM before I packed up and went home to Pampanga.
Friday, May 28 - I got back to Makati at 11:00 PM and hooked up my laptop to get online. The Internet was down. I double-checked the physical connection, re-seated the cable, checked my Ethernet adapter, checked network settings, did a loopback test, checked the laptop for any socket error. All was fine, but the Internet was down.
Everybody in the family is using Globe so I could not call Smart Bro Customer Service. Fortunately, my roommate Lance came by and let me use his Smart cellphone. I was told by an agent that the Base Station was down, so I turned my laptop off to prepare for my 2:00-11:00AM shift.
Saturday, May 29 - After my shift, I used the office phone to call Smart Bro Customer Service. They guaranteed me that the Base Station was back up.
When I reached my apartment, I tried the Internet again but it remained down. That's when I noticed that the Smart Bro antenna adapter did not have the led light on. In short, there was no power. Thus, my laptop could not detect the signal.
I went out to buy a Smart SIM card so I could call *1888 (Smart Bro hotline) again. That was when an agent, Manuel Ico, set up a dispatch for Sunday (May 30th) at 3:00PM.
My company would throw a Summer Flair activity at the NBC Tent in Fort Bonifacio Global City at that same time but I agreed to the dispatch because I had no other choice. I thought I would just dash to the NBC Tent around 5:00PM. After all, the technician would just bring me a new adapter.
I tried convincing the agent to just let me visit the nearest Smart Wireless Center and pick up the adapter but he firmly told me to wait for the technician.
Sunday, May 30 - My friend and I waited. At 3:45PM, I began to have some doubts. I called the hotline and a lady agent told me that she could not find any record of my appointment. She found a note, though, saying that I agreed for an appointment but no time was specified. Therefore, the technician could come from 8:00AM to 8:00PM.
That was when I felt betrayed. I was still calm but one could tell by the tone of my voice that I was just holding back. The agent promised to contact the "Support Group" and that someone would contact me. Of course, no one did. They never do. That I should know.
My friend and I continued waiting and by the time it was 6:00PM, I had lost hope of catching up for the Summer Flair.
By 8:25PM, I called the Smart Bro hotline again. This time, another agent provided the most provoking information. She said that she could not even find the appointment and no notes were posted on the account whatsoever. She even laughed when I mentioned that the other agent said that the technician could come anytime, making a comment, "Sir, pagka ANYTIME, it means the technician could still come since it's just 9:00PM."
I asked, "Do you honestly believe that your technicians could go to a customer's house around midnight?" She said "YES!" with conviction. Then, she said she would try contacting the "Support Group" again.
I was really furious so I asked for a Supervisor. The agent put a Supervisor named RJ on the line and we began talking.
Supervisor RJ told me that the "Support Group" operates from 8:00AM to 8:00PM, which gave me the impression that the lady agent only bullshitted me when she said that she would contact the "Support Group," knowing fully well that it was already 9:00PM at that time.
That was when Supervisor RJ "maneuvered" and reasoned out that the "Support Group" might be on overtime. I let that "palusot" pass.
Supervisor RJ promised that he would look into it and send email to the "Support Group." He further asked me to call again the next day at 8:00AM to make sure that I get the earliest available dispatch slot for Monday.
Monday, May 31 - I woke up at 7:30AM and called the Smart Bro hotline at 7:55AM. You know how long it takes to go through the menu and wait for an agent. In short, I got an agent and to my dismal surprise, she told me that she could not find any note -- again! No dispatch. No email from Supervisor RJ. At about 8:55AM, she told me that she could not even contact the "Support Group" because they were still unavailable. I asked for the Support Group's contact number so I could call them myself. She said she couldn't give me their direct number. Imagine how upset I was.
Finally, when all hope was lost, I asked the agent how to cancel the service. She said it should be done at the Smart Wireless Center. That was when I said, "I'll just go to the Smart Wireless Center then! Thank you!" and I hung up.
I had wasted almost 3 rest days already and I missed the Summer Flair. So, I decided to go home to Pampanga to spend the next 24 hours there and forget about the horrible customer service I got from the Smart Bro hotline.
When I reached home at 6:00PM, I decided to call the Smart Bro hotline one last time. A lady agent apologized and she sounded sincere, unlike the others who were really rude. The previous agents sounded as if they just wanted to get rid of me.
Unfortunately, this lady agent called the elite "Support Group" and the earliest appointment she got was for Thursday (June 3rd) and there was no specified time. I told her that if no one showed up, I would definitely cancel the service.
Tuesday, June 1 - Around 11:00AM, I got a text from a Smart Bro technician saying he was already at our street. I felt really annoyed because I was still in Pampanga and the appointment was rescheduled for Thursday.
Fortunately, my roommate Billy was at the apartment. After a couple of text messages and calls, Billy met the guy and got the replacement adapter. That afternoon, I went back to Makati and hooked up my laptop to the antenna using the new adapter. I'm back in business!
Thus, I diagnosed my own problem, suggested the solution and the problem was fixed. Thanks but no thanks to Smart Bro hotline. Their service sucks bigtime!
Thursday, February 18, 2010
My Terrible Roommate - Part 2 of 2
My first post on this topic was incomplete. Abebot did more embarrassing and really annoying things.
For instance, I remember when I accompanied my sister Sarah, her husband Dindo and their daughter Dindi to watch a benefit concert at the Araneta Coliseum. It ended around midnight so I convinced them to spend the night at our Makati apartment before going back home to Pampanga, so I made the bed in the living room. Of course, Abebot and the other guys slept in the bedroom.
Tony did the same thing when he took his family to Villa Escudero. They slept in the living room. That was when I took photos of my very smart inaanak, Hailley Lois.
By morning, my niece Dindi was awaken by Abebot's noise. His intermittent movements, clicks, bangs, screeches and stompings would really annoy you. And he drags his slippers.
By 9am, I woke up and Dindi told me that he saw one guy walking here and there, ironing his clothes in the living room (just 1-2 meters away from our mattresses) and was just wearing an underwear!
That was absolutely disgusting! Abebot's rudeness is indeed unspeakable. He did not even care that we had 3 visitors and that a 7-year-old innocent girl was watching him.
That's what Abebot is. Everyday, he walks around just in his underwear. Maybe he thinks he is sexy. Or, maybe he thinks he could attract any of us (yuck!). Or, maybe he wants to show off his flawless skin as a result of his nightly 3-hour rituals.
The apartment caretaker comes in, fixes the shower, door or sink and Abebot walks around in his legendary underwear. I told you, nothing new there. But I did not expect that he would still do it in front of my niece. That was the worst thing he had done to date, for me.
I have met so many people in life and I have not seen a real guy doing that in public. May kahihiyan pa naman ang iba, marunong silang makibagay sa sitwasyon at makiramdam sa mga kasama nila. But then again, I'm not sure if Abebot is a guy, este... if he is one of those guys.
Come on, you can do your own thing if you own the room or if you live alone. You can be naked if you want. We've all probably done that at least once - in our own room.
But Abebot is shameless. Well, maybe he thinks he owns the place and we don't exist.
Yesterday, he was watching TV again and I could hear him laughing and commenting on the show. Well, that's nothing new to me. Then, he took a 2-hour shower and went out in his jogging outfit. Our new colleague, Billy, was coming in and asked where he was going. He said, "Nakaka-inspire ang mga nagja-jogging sa Ayala eh." Then he hurriedly left. That was around 5pm. He came back midnight.
I will not comment on that jogging gig. Baka na-inspire nga naman sya sa mga tao dun. Whether those were guys or gals, I don't know. I don't want to speculate.
As usual, lagay pa rin sya nang lagay ng basura sa tabi ng lababo: balat ng mangga, melon, tinik ng isda, buto ng manok, plastic, cottonbuds, wrappers, etc. And as usual - for more than 3 years now - he just waits for others (especially me) to throw the trash away.
While I was logged on YM last night, a friend of mine, Jenny, popped a message and told me that she had read my previous post then commented, "Ang tiyaga mo! Kasama mo pa rin yang si Abebot?"
I have 2 purposes why I still stay with these guys (including Abebot). First, I want to set an example for him to realize what he is doing and to teach him to discern what is good and bad. Second, I believe that cleanliness is godliness (NOT next to godliness). I pity Abebot and I want him to know the importance of cleanliness - which is a part of godliness.
And I have 4 reasons why I have not left them. One, it's expensive to keep a decent, accessible place in Makati. Nagtitipid po ako. Second, the other roommates are fine. Third, it's my principle to always do a good thing whether alone or with other people. Para wala na lang gulo at basta kaya ko naman, ako na lang ang gagawa. God never forgets a good deed. That's my inspiration. I will reap what I sow. Fourth, I like the place. It is neat, affordable (since we're 5), accessible and quieter than most places -- if Abebot has not arrived, of course.
However, I am human and I still have the emotions and senses that other people experience. With a terrible roommate like Abebot, your elastic patience and understanding may just reach its limit. Baka makapatay ka!
For instance, I remember when I accompanied my sister Sarah, her husband Dindo and their daughter Dindi to watch a benefit concert at the Araneta Coliseum. It ended around midnight so I convinced them to spend the night at our Makati apartment before going back home to Pampanga, so I made the bed in the living room. Of course, Abebot and the other guys slept in the bedroom.
Tony did the same thing when he took his family to Villa Escudero. They slept in the living room. That was when I took photos of my very smart inaanak, Hailley Lois.
By morning, my niece Dindi was awaken by Abebot's noise. His intermittent movements, clicks, bangs, screeches and stompings would really annoy you. And he drags his slippers.
By 9am, I woke up and Dindi told me that he saw one guy walking here and there, ironing his clothes in the living room (just 1-2 meters away from our mattresses) and was just wearing an underwear!
That was absolutely disgusting! Abebot's rudeness is indeed unspeakable. He did not even care that we had 3 visitors and that a 7-year-old innocent girl was watching him.
That's what Abebot is. Everyday, he walks around just in his underwear. Maybe he thinks he is sexy. Or, maybe he thinks he could attract any of us (yuck!). Or, maybe he wants to show off his flawless skin as a result of his nightly 3-hour rituals.
The apartment caretaker comes in, fixes the shower, door or sink and Abebot walks around in his legendary underwear. I told you, nothing new there. But I did not expect that he would still do it in front of my niece. That was the worst thing he had done to date, for me.
I have met so many people in life and I have not seen a real guy doing that in public. May kahihiyan pa naman ang iba, marunong silang makibagay sa sitwasyon at makiramdam sa mga kasama nila. But then again, I'm not sure if Abebot is a guy, este... if he is one of those guys.
Come on, you can do your own thing if you own the room or if you live alone. You can be naked if you want. We've all probably done that at least once - in our own room.
But Abebot is shameless. Well, maybe he thinks he owns the place and we don't exist.
Yesterday, he was watching TV again and I could hear him laughing and commenting on the show. Well, that's nothing new to me. Then, he took a 2-hour shower and went out in his jogging outfit. Our new colleague, Billy, was coming in and asked where he was going. He said, "Nakaka-inspire ang mga nagja-jogging sa Ayala eh." Then he hurriedly left. That was around 5pm. He came back midnight.
I will not comment on that jogging gig. Baka na-inspire nga naman sya sa mga tao dun. Whether those were guys or gals, I don't know. I don't want to speculate.
As usual, lagay pa rin sya nang lagay ng basura sa tabi ng lababo: balat ng mangga, melon, tinik ng isda, buto ng manok, plastic, cottonbuds, wrappers, etc. And as usual - for more than 3 years now - he just waits for others (especially me) to throw the trash away.
While I was logged on YM last night, a friend of mine, Jenny, popped a message and told me that she had read my previous post then commented, "Ang tiyaga mo! Kasama mo pa rin yang si Abebot?"
I have 2 purposes why I still stay with these guys (including Abebot). First, I want to set an example for him to realize what he is doing and to teach him to discern what is good and bad. Second, I believe that cleanliness is godliness (NOT next to godliness). I pity Abebot and I want him to know the importance of cleanliness - which is a part of godliness.
And I have 4 reasons why I have not left them. One, it's expensive to keep a decent, accessible place in Makati. Nagtitipid po ako. Second, the other roommates are fine. Third, it's my principle to always do a good thing whether alone or with other people. Para wala na lang gulo at basta kaya ko naman, ako na lang ang gagawa. God never forgets a good deed. That's my inspiration. I will reap what I sow. Fourth, I like the place. It is neat, affordable (since we're 5), accessible and quieter than most places -- if Abebot has not arrived, of course.
However, I am human and I still have the emotions and senses that other people experience. With a terrible roommate like Abebot, your elastic patience and understanding may just reach its limit. Baka makapatay ka!
Friday, February 12, 2010
My Terrible Roommate - Part 1 of 2
When I was hired by America Online in Clark in 2003, I met some guys who eventually became my closest friends in life. Today, some of them have become so busy that we seldom communicate but a few still manage to stay connected. To be fair, let me recognize these guys who continuously amaze me – Juan, Omar, Frank, Joel and Yay. However, even though Tony is not very expressive, he has been with me since September 2006 – we literally live in the same apartment – and that puts him on an entirely different position. I mean, I have spent more time with him, technically. In short, we’ve been through a lot.
In 2006, my two younger brothers and I were renting a small room in Makati until Tony squeezed in. However, due to the inconvenience brought by irkingly abominable bed bugs (surot), we thought of finding a better place.
One evening, I got a text from Tony, asking me if we would consider renting an apartment with his two college friends. Apparently, they already found a unit in Olympia, Makati (Malolos St. corner Zapote Rd.)
Despite my brothers’ hesitation, we moved. After all, the location was great and the apartment was nice.
Now, here is the REAL story.
We left the room in Washington even though we still had 2 months (paid deposit). In short, we wasted that money. Why the rush? Tony’s friend (let’s just call him “Abebot”) needed to move immediately.
Abebot told Tony that he was in dire need of a new place. He had all these appliances, kitchen utensils, cabinets – various stuff. So Tony called me and asked if I could guide Abebot and help him unload all his stuff temporarily in Washington (before we move to Olympia). I directly texted and called Abebot and offered to meet him at the corner of Buendia and Ayala Avenue.
It was already 8:30pm and my work would start at 11pm. I was supposed to be sleeping but I sacrificed my sleep in the name of sincere friendship.
Abebot kept me waiting until 10pm, standing in front of RCBC Tower and when I felt really tired, I called him. He said, “Ay, Rob! Di na pala ako tutuloy sa inyo. May kapatid ako sa Pasay, dito ko na muna ipapakilagak ang aking mga gamit.” I heard no sorry or thanks.
It was okay. I just ignored what happened. I went back to our room, walking from Ayala to Washington.
After a few days, we decided to go straight to the owner’s house in Damarinas Village to sign the contract. Alan (Tony’s other friend), Abebot and I went there. Tony was caught up in a serious problem at work so he could not join us. Abebot’s father was driving a van. Apparently, Abebot was already planning to move his stuff from Pasay to the new apartment that same evening.
After the contract signing, Alan went home to Cavite. Abebot’s father drove straight to Pasay without even asking me whether I had other things to do or not. In short, I was forced to go with them, only to find myself going up and down a long, steep staircase, sweating heavily.
His father even kidded me, “Si Abebot talaga… kunwari may bola pa, di naman nagba-basketball.”
Oh boy! He had all sorts of “abubot”, from cotton buds to facial cream, from ironing board to frying pan and a whole lot more. His things were really heavy, the streets were crowded and the van could not park closer to the apartment.
Abebot had me. I had to do that to be a good friend.
There was still a little space so they decided to pick up some of Tony’s things. I fixed his computer table, packed his bags and collected his dirty clothes. One of my brothers hopped in with two bags of clothes.
I had to rush, prepare to work and minutes later, I was enroute to my office – sleepless and really tired.
The rent was P8500/month. We paid 1 month advance and 2 months deposit for a total of P25500. That’s P4250 x 6 persons.
My brother Daniel, I and Tony gave P4500 each. We were supposed to get back P250 each. That’s P750.
After my shift come morning, I went back to the new apartment. All had gone to work but I could not sleep because they left the things scattered all around. I spent my whole day cleaning up our new house. Finally, around 6pm I was able to rest and sleep.
Now, here is another issue. Abebot texted me saying, “Rob, okay lang ba na binigay ko na lang sa Tatay ko yung tig-P250 nyo? Kasi malayo pa ang inuwian nya.”
I felt annoyed and betrayed. Naisahan na naman kami. But I did not react. I tell you, I’m one of the most patient people you could find. In the name of friendship, I did not make it a big deal.
My brother Manuel sensed that something was wrong. In less than a month, he decided to move out.
Thus, it came down to just 5 guys; Me, Tony, Alan, my brother Daniel and Abebot.
Abebot religiously watches telenovelas (Jewel in the Palace, Dyesebel, Darna, Marimar, Tayong Dalawa, Jumong), Piolo’s concerts, Tagalog movies and showbiz-related shows like SNN. Also, he never dines with us.
On the other hand, the rest of us enjoy watching action and sci-fi movies or TV series and eating together. We really get along and even go for short walks at times.
In fairness, when he is with Tony, his face lights up and he looks really happy. Only when he is with Tony. Wala siyang pakialam sa amin at sa aming mga gamit.
As a Call Center employee, I work at night and sleep during the day. However, when it’s too hot, I wait until about 6pm before I go to bed.
That’s when my dilemma starts. Abebot comes, not minding anyone who badly needs to sleep. He turns the TV on in full volume, walks in and out of the room, turns the light on and off, picks and drops various things noisily and spends about 3 hours every night doing his facial rituals.
Most guys would go home, relax for a few minutes, take a shower for about 10 minutes and be done. But Abebot likes walking around the place while brushing his teeth. He walks around wearing just his stinky-looking underwear and he is really, really noisy. He plays the radio on his cellphone loudly. He closes the plate rack cover abruptly and it really awakens me. And he literally plays with water at the sink.
Little by little, I realized why my brother Manuel moved out. He could not stand the things Abebot did. I am convinced that he is rude, insensitive, inconsiderate, egocentric and heartless.
One late afternoon, I was sleeping. It was hot so my personal electric fan was on. Here came Abebot, grabbed my electric fan, pointed it at him while he was ironing his clothes and did not return it. I woke up when he shut the door, my body sweating all over. That devilish creature!
In more than 3 years, Abebot has never helped clean the apartment. He leaves his garbage near the sink every evening and waits for others to throw the bags out. Of course, I do it most of the time.
When my mother was sick, I would be gone for 2 weeks, 1 month or even longer and when I came back, I would still see the same bags of decaying garbage near the sink!
I tried to post reminders and even cleaning assignments but Abebot never respected or followed them. His rudeness goes down, even beyond Hades.
A rat died in the room but no one bothered to find it. I discovered that it was stuck under Abebot’s mattress and – as usual – he did not care. This Abebot is a real pain in the ass!
One day, Reynon told me that Abebot used my plate and spoon to eat. When I came back, I saw it lying around the sink – gumigitata! I left printed notes to remind everyone that we all have responsibilities in the apartment. Nothing happened. I ended up washing my utensils. From then on, I separated them. I hid them in a small cabinet.
One time, Abebot texted us, saying, “Guys, bumili ako ng electric fan. Magbabayad bawat isa ng P110.”
The thing is, I already have my own eletric fan in the living room, which they also use. Then I discovered that Abebot just did not want to share with them his electric fan. The new electric fan was for the other guys in the room and Abebot shamelessly made the decision without consulting any of us – but charged us with P110/each.
As if karma is indeed true, Abebot’s electric fan broke down just after a few days. Holding his pride, he immediately bought his own air cooler. Of course, he is the only one using it. And again, just 2 weeks before this writing, the air cooler broke down again. Now, he is using the same electric fan that was for us.
The stories about Abebot seem endless. He would hide his water container inside the dirty cabinet under the sink with all those crawling roaches. After a few weeks, he moved it to yet another weird place – inside his laundry basket, covered with his dirty clothes. Very selfish and paranoid! Uniquely demonic by nature.
Abebot would buy a bottle of Joy and a scotch brite and he would definitely charge it to us, including his taxi fare.
The rest of us have never had an issue with money. We would buy stuff for the apartment and we’re cool. That’s it. Wala nang kwentahan. I wish Abebot could see that but obviously he does not.
I pay the Meralco bills but Abebot is often “dedma”. He knows that we are supposed to put in our contributions before the due date but he’s like a king who does not have any responsibilities or obligations. He thinks he is above all rules.
One early morning, I went home and found Abebot watching a TV series on his laptop. As usual, he did not even look at me, as if I did not exist. Fine. But wait, it’s not fine. He unplugged my SmartBro and ruined the files I was downloading and he put an 8-inch box on top of my laptop!
I asked, “Ikaw ba nagtanggal nito?” And he innocently (but gloatingly) replied, “Ay! Para saan ba yan?”
Ang sarap sakalin, batukan at ilampaso sa sahig na puno ng asin, di ba? He works for Smart and he does not know what a SmartBro adapter is??? And did I mention that we have 10 electrical outlets in the living room? Why, of all outlets, did he unplug my laptop?!
That was when I recalled Weird Al’s song “You Don’t Love Me Anymore.” Is the guy (or gay?) simply satanic? What kind of upbringing did he have? Or is he just an isolated idiotic, moronic, psychopathic case?
He is lazy, selfish, uncooperative, weird and uniquely mental. He puts the knife pointed side up. He soaks the electical pot in the water. He sweeps the dirt and leaves it on the doorway. He screams when watching TV. He talks on the phone so loudly without minding others. He plays loud music near a sleeping person (like me). He watches TV in full volume even at midnight and laughs alone. He screams upon seeing a cockroach. Yet, he goes to the gym and owns a basketball even if he does not play the game. Props!
You will know it was him who last used the restroom if you see the pail full of water and soap and a braid of hair is blocking the drain.
He could open a salon with his cabinets full of beauty products. And don’t forget, he buys Piolo and Sam’s CDs, sings (and dances) to the tunes and watches their shows. Add the telenovelas and showbiz-oriented shows he can’t miss.
Alan told me that Abebot has been “wooing” Tony since their college days. Well, I don’t have any comment on that. Maybe, Alan was just joking. Maybe not.
In December 2008, I texted Abebot because he did not give his share on the rent on time. I did not know that he was in Davao with his family. He said, “Sinira mo ang bakasyon ko, nakakawalang-gana, ang aga-aga pa naman.”
He was like a talkative lady market vendor who picks a fight. Then he sent nasty, degrading comments and personally maligned me through text. Di ko sya pinatulan. What did I do? I just reminded the arrogant guy (gay?) about his rent. He was so pathetically embarrassing!
We bought a TV. It is ours. But Abebot fixed it in the room so I could not move it to the living room. Tony realized that it’s not fair with me so he bought an extension cord for the antenna and helped me position the TV in the living room.
Abebot moved the TV back to the room. Kinuha ko uli nung isang araw na naman, tutal wala sila. He moved it back to the room again. Once more, I moved it to the living room one Sunday noontime to watch Manny Pacquiao's boxing fight.
On the third time, he hid the extension cord so I could not find it anymore (although, I found the cord after 5 days, but not the connector) and he threw the box away (the one serving as TV rack). Then, he took the remote and brought it home in Rizal for more than a week!
Tell me, don’t I have the most terrible roommate? He is a certified psycho! I rest my case.
In 2006, my two younger brothers and I were renting a small room in Makati until Tony squeezed in. However, due to the inconvenience brought by irkingly abominable bed bugs (surot), we thought of finding a better place.
One evening, I got a text from Tony, asking me if we would consider renting an apartment with his two college friends. Apparently, they already found a unit in Olympia, Makati (Malolos St. corner Zapote Rd.)
Despite my brothers’ hesitation, we moved. After all, the location was great and the apartment was nice.
Now, here is the REAL story.
We left the room in Washington even though we still had 2 months (paid deposit). In short, we wasted that money. Why the rush? Tony’s friend (let’s just call him “Abebot”) needed to move immediately.
Abebot told Tony that he was in dire need of a new place. He had all these appliances, kitchen utensils, cabinets – various stuff. So Tony called me and asked if I could guide Abebot and help him unload all his stuff temporarily in Washington (before we move to Olympia). I directly texted and called Abebot and offered to meet him at the corner of Buendia and Ayala Avenue.
It was already 8:30pm and my work would start at 11pm. I was supposed to be sleeping but I sacrificed my sleep in the name of sincere friendship.
Abebot kept me waiting until 10pm, standing in front of RCBC Tower and when I felt really tired, I called him. He said, “Ay, Rob! Di na pala ako tutuloy sa inyo. May kapatid ako sa Pasay, dito ko na muna ipapakilagak ang aking mga gamit.” I heard no sorry or thanks.
It was okay. I just ignored what happened. I went back to our room, walking from Ayala to Washington.
After a few days, we decided to go straight to the owner’s house in Damarinas Village to sign the contract. Alan (Tony’s other friend), Abebot and I went there. Tony was caught up in a serious problem at work so he could not join us. Abebot’s father was driving a van. Apparently, Abebot was already planning to move his stuff from Pasay to the new apartment that same evening.
After the contract signing, Alan went home to Cavite. Abebot’s father drove straight to Pasay without even asking me whether I had other things to do or not. In short, I was forced to go with them, only to find myself going up and down a long, steep staircase, sweating heavily.
His father even kidded me, “Si Abebot talaga… kunwari may bola pa, di naman nagba-basketball.”
Oh boy! He had all sorts of “abubot”, from cotton buds to facial cream, from ironing board to frying pan and a whole lot more. His things were really heavy, the streets were crowded and the van could not park closer to the apartment.
Abebot had me. I had to do that to be a good friend.
There was still a little space so they decided to pick up some of Tony’s things. I fixed his computer table, packed his bags and collected his dirty clothes. One of my brothers hopped in with two bags of clothes.
I had to rush, prepare to work and minutes later, I was enroute to my office – sleepless and really tired.
The rent was P8500/month. We paid 1 month advance and 2 months deposit for a total of P25500. That’s P4250 x 6 persons.
My brother Daniel, I and Tony gave P4500 each. We were supposed to get back P250 each. That’s P750.
After my shift come morning, I went back to the new apartment. All had gone to work but I could not sleep because they left the things scattered all around. I spent my whole day cleaning up our new house. Finally, around 6pm I was able to rest and sleep.
Now, here is another issue. Abebot texted me saying, “Rob, okay lang ba na binigay ko na lang sa Tatay ko yung tig-P250 nyo? Kasi malayo pa ang inuwian nya.”
I felt annoyed and betrayed. Naisahan na naman kami. But I did not react. I tell you, I’m one of the most patient people you could find. In the name of friendship, I did not make it a big deal.
My brother Manuel sensed that something was wrong. In less than a month, he decided to move out.
Thus, it came down to just 5 guys; Me, Tony, Alan, my brother Daniel and Abebot.
Abebot religiously watches telenovelas (Jewel in the Palace, Dyesebel, Darna, Marimar, Tayong Dalawa, Jumong), Piolo’s concerts, Tagalog movies and showbiz-related shows like SNN. Also, he never dines with us.
On the other hand, the rest of us enjoy watching action and sci-fi movies or TV series and eating together. We really get along and even go for short walks at times.
In fairness, when he is with Tony, his face lights up and he looks really happy. Only when he is with Tony. Wala siyang pakialam sa amin at sa aming mga gamit.
As a Call Center employee, I work at night and sleep during the day. However, when it’s too hot, I wait until about 6pm before I go to bed.
That’s when my dilemma starts. Abebot comes, not minding anyone who badly needs to sleep. He turns the TV on in full volume, walks in and out of the room, turns the light on and off, picks and drops various things noisily and spends about 3 hours every night doing his facial rituals.
Most guys would go home, relax for a few minutes, take a shower for about 10 minutes and be done. But Abebot likes walking around the place while brushing his teeth. He walks around wearing just his stinky-looking underwear and he is really, really noisy. He plays the radio on his cellphone loudly. He closes the plate rack cover abruptly and it really awakens me. And he literally plays with water at the sink.
Little by little, I realized why my brother Manuel moved out. He could not stand the things Abebot did. I am convinced that he is rude, insensitive, inconsiderate, egocentric and heartless.
One late afternoon, I was sleeping. It was hot so my personal electric fan was on. Here came Abebot, grabbed my electric fan, pointed it at him while he was ironing his clothes and did not return it. I woke up when he shut the door, my body sweating all over. That devilish creature!
In more than 3 years, Abebot has never helped clean the apartment. He leaves his garbage near the sink every evening and waits for others to throw the bags out. Of course, I do it most of the time.
When my mother was sick, I would be gone for 2 weeks, 1 month or even longer and when I came back, I would still see the same bags of decaying garbage near the sink!
I tried to post reminders and even cleaning assignments but Abebot never respected or followed them. His rudeness goes down, even beyond Hades.
A rat died in the room but no one bothered to find it. I discovered that it was stuck under Abebot’s mattress and – as usual – he did not care. This Abebot is a real pain in the ass!
One day, Reynon told me that Abebot used my plate and spoon to eat. When I came back, I saw it lying around the sink – gumigitata! I left printed notes to remind everyone that we all have responsibilities in the apartment. Nothing happened. I ended up washing my utensils. From then on, I separated them. I hid them in a small cabinet.
One time, Abebot texted us, saying, “Guys, bumili ako ng electric fan. Magbabayad bawat isa ng P110.”
The thing is, I already have my own eletric fan in the living room, which they also use. Then I discovered that Abebot just did not want to share with them his electric fan. The new electric fan was for the other guys in the room and Abebot shamelessly made the decision without consulting any of us – but charged us with P110/each.
As if karma is indeed true, Abebot’s electric fan broke down just after a few days. Holding his pride, he immediately bought his own air cooler. Of course, he is the only one using it. And again, just 2 weeks before this writing, the air cooler broke down again. Now, he is using the same electric fan that was for us.
The stories about Abebot seem endless. He would hide his water container inside the dirty cabinet under the sink with all those crawling roaches. After a few weeks, he moved it to yet another weird place – inside his laundry basket, covered with his dirty clothes. Very selfish and paranoid! Uniquely demonic by nature.
Abebot would buy a bottle of Joy and a scotch brite and he would definitely charge it to us, including his taxi fare.
The rest of us have never had an issue with money. We would buy stuff for the apartment and we’re cool. That’s it. Wala nang kwentahan. I wish Abebot could see that but obviously he does not.
I pay the Meralco bills but Abebot is often “dedma”. He knows that we are supposed to put in our contributions before the due date but he’s like a king who does not have any responsibilities or obligations. He thinks he is above all rules.
One early morning, I went home and found Abebot watching a TV series on his laptop. As usual, he did not even look at me, as if I did not exist. Fine. But wait, it’s not fine. He unplugged my SmartBro and ruined the files I was downloading and he put an 8-inch box on top of my laptop!
I asked, “Ikaw ba nagtanggal nito?” And he innocently (but gloatingly) replied, “Ay! Para saan ba yan?”
Ang sarap sakalin, batukan at ilampaso sa sahig na puno ng asin, di ba? He works for Smart and he does not know what a SmartBro adapter is??? And did I mention that we have 10 electrical outlets in the living room? Why, of all outlets, did he unplug my laptop?!
That was when I recalled Weird Al’s song “You Don’t Love Me Anymore.” Is the guy (or gay?) simply satanic? What kind of upbringing did he have? Or is he just an isolated idiotic, moronic, psychopathic case?
He is lazy, selfish, uncooperative, weird and uniquely mental. He puts the knife pointed side up. He soaks the electical pot in the water. He sweeps the dirt and leaves it on the doorway. He screams when watching TV. He talks on the phone so loudly without minding others. He plays loud music near a sleeping person (like me). He watches TV in full volume even at midnight and laughs alone. He screams upon seeing a cockroach. Yet, he goes to the gym and owns a basketball even if he does not play the game. Props!
You will know it was him who last used the restroom if you see the pail full of water and soap and a braid of hair is blocking the drain.
He could open a salon with his cabinets full of beauty products. And don’t forget, he buys Piolo and Sam’s CDs, sings (and dances) to the tunes and watches their shows. Add the telenovelas and showbiz-oriented shows he can’t miss.
Alan told me that Abebot has been “wooing” Tony since their college days. Well, I don’t have any comment on that. Maybe, Alan was just joking. Maybe not.
In December 2008, I texted Abebot because he did not give his share on the rent on time. I did not know that he was in Davao with his family. He said, “Sinira mo ang bakasyon ko, nakakawalang-gana, ang aga-aga pa naman.”
He was like a talkative lady market vendor who picks a fight. Then he sent nasty, degrading comments and personally maligned me through text. Di ko sya pinatulan. What did I do? I just reminded the arrogant guy (gay?) about his rent. He was so pathetically embarrassing!
We bought a TV. It is ours. But Abebot fixed it in the room so I could not move it to the living room. Tony realized that it’s not fair with me so he bought an extension cord for the antenna and helped me position the TV in the living room.
Abebot moved the TV back to the room. Kinuha ko uli nung isang araw na naman, tutal wala sila. He moved it back to the room again. Once more, I moved it to the living room one Sunday noontime to watch Manny Pacquiao's boxing fight.
On the third time, he hid the extension cord so I could not find it anymore (although, I found the cord after 5 days, but not the connector) and he threw the box away (the one serving as TV rack). Then, he took the remote and brought it home in Rizal for more than a week!
Tell me, don’t I have the most terrible roommate? He is a certified psycho! I rest my case.
How does a day start @ SM?
Yesterday, I got off from work at 9am and I had to find the nearest Mr. Quickie to have 3 keys duplicated. It’s just that after months of seemingly desperate search for roommates, my ad posts at www.olx.com finally paid off. We now have Billy Joel (yes, his parents named him that!) who moved in last night and his friend, Lance, will follow tomorrow. They are the newest addition to our apartment, which makes us now 5 in total.
So before I left my workstation, I googled “Mr. Quickie” and found a small branch at The Landmark. Well, all their branches that I’ve seen so far are small. Duh!
Anyway, that’s not the issue. It was only 9:15am and malls open at 10am! Where would I go? Fortunately, there was my co-worker Louie (we call him Bro. Louie – remember the song?) Yes, I’m talking about the song in the 80’s which I don’t actually know; I just heard it from my “older” first-generation cousins. Hah!
Louie wanted to go shopping but he had not had his breakfast so I offered to accompany him. He had never eaten dumplings before so we went to Paotsin at SM Makati Supermarket (which opens earlier than the mall proper) and enjoyed our yummy shark’s fin meal. He liked it, as far as I could tell. Paotsin should pay me a nice commission for being a great endorser.
Then, I did not realize (it never crossed my mind) that even SM conducted Flag Ceremony. Yes, inside the mall. At least, I’ve never seen one before.
Out of curiousity, Louie and I participated in the Flag Ceremony. Of course, we stood still during the National Anthem singing. I actually saw some people putting their right hands on their left chest. That’s when I thought that Filipinos are still loyal to our country. Well, not all, but others still are.
Afterwards, I thought the crowd would just dismantle or disengage, but I was wrong. The Security Team had their own ceremony, folding of the flag, oath-taking, reciting of the code and customer service pledge — which I paid attention to. That led me into thinking — if only these people could really live up to their sworn duties… if only shoppers could display the same sense of dedication to their jobs, families and friends… if only politicians could do the same… and if only this could last throughout the entire day… and the following days — then, what a wonderful world!
But then again, I woke up back to reality. It was already 10:10am, the malls have started welcoming shoppers and Louie and I went on our way to The Landmark to find the Mr. Quickie branch there. Apparently, Louie changed his mind and did not want to do any shopping anymore.
Upon entering The Landmark, I asked the guard to tell us where Mr. Quickie was. He told us to go out again and go left around the mall and presto — Mr. Quickie had just opened. It was a small outlet (as always) at the left side of The Landmark. There were 2 customers claiming their shoes so I waited for my turn. When I showed the friendly lady the 3 keys, she hurriedly brought them to the guy (is that what we call “locksmith”?) who frowningly told her to return 1 of the 3 keys. The lady said the 3rd key (which was for the main gate downstairs) could not be duplicated.
I politely asked whether they just ran out of stock or if it could not be duplicated at all. In fact, we were able to have that key duplicated at another Mr. Quickie outlet (Makati Cinema Square) several months back.
But the locksmith was loud and just interrupted us and said, “O sige, i-du-duplicate ko yan, pero walang refund pag di gumana. Sinabi nang hindi pwede eh. Pare-pareho lang lahat ng branch. Kung ano ang supply namin, pare-pareho lang kami!”
My goodness! I had a quick surge of blood pressure. What was wrong with him? I was only telling the girl that we had had that key duplicated already before. Meaning, it could be done. Well, to avoid confrontation and so as not to ruin my day, I just told the lady to duplicate the other 2 keys and I would take the 3rd one at their other branch.
Then, Louie and I went home. My heart was still pounding. But I recalled the nice scene I witnessed at SM Makati earlier that day and I put on a smile on my face again. I told myself to just ignore it and move on. When I got at my apartment, I tried the duplicates and they worked, made a couple of calls, had a 5-way call conference with my family and went to bed.
But still, that locksmith guy at Mr. Quickie was a moron, don’t you think?
So before I left my workstation, I googled “Mr. Quickie” and found a small branch at The Landmark. Well, all their branches that I’ve seen so far are small. Duh!
Anyway, that’s not the issue. It was only 9:15am and malls open at 10am! Where would I go? Fortunately, there was my co-worker Louie (we call him Bro. Louie – remember the song?) Yes, I’m talking about the song in the 80’s which I don’t actually know; I just heard it from my “older” first-generation cousins. Hah!
Louie wanted to go shopping but he had not had his breakfast so I offered to accompany him. He had never eaten dumplings before so we went to Paotsin at SM Makati Supermarket (which opens earlier than the mall proper) and enjoyed our yummy shark’s fin meal. He liked it, as far as I could tell. Paotsin should pay me a nice commission for being a great endorser.
Then, I did not realize (it never crossed my mind) that even SM conducted Flag Ceremony. Yes, inside the mall. At least, I’ve never seen one before.
Out of curiousity, Louie and I participated in the Flag Ceremony. Of course, we stood still during the National Anthem singing. I actually saw some people putting their right hands on their left chest. That’s when I thought that Filipinos are still loyal to our country. Well, not all, but others still are.
Afterwards, I thought the crowd would just dismantle or disengage, but I was wrong. The Security Team had their own ceremony, folding of the flag, oath-taking, reciting of the code and customer service pledge — which I paid attention to. That led me into thinking — if only these people could really live up to their sworn duties… if only shoppers could display the same sense of dedication to their jobs, families and friends… if only politicians could do the same… and if only this could last throughout the entire day… and the following days — then, what a wonderful world!
But then again, I woke up back to reality. It was already 10:10am, the malls have started welcoming shoppers and Louie and I went on our way to The Landmark to find the Mr. Quickie branch there. Apparently, Louie changed his mind and did not want to do any shopping anymore.
Upon entering The Landmark, I asked the guard to tell us where Mr. Quickie was. He told us to go out again and go left around the mall and presto — Mr. Quickie had just opened. It was a small outlet (as always) at the left side of The Landmark. There were 2 customers claiming their shoes so I waited for my turn. When I showed the friendly lady the 3 keys, she hurriedly brought them to the guy (is that what we call “locksmith”?) who frowningly told her to return 1 of the 3 keys. The lady said the 3rd key (which was for the main gate downstairs) could not be duplicated.
I politely asked whether they just ran out of stock or if it could not be duplicated at all. In fact, we were able to have that key duplicated at another Mr. Quickie outlet (Makati Cinema Square) several months back.
But the locksmith was loud and just interrupted us and said, “O sige, i-du-duplicate ko yan, pero walang refund pag di gumana. Sinabi nang hindi pwede eh. Pare-pareho lang lahat ng branch. Kung ano ang supply namin, pare-pareho lang kami!”
My goodness! I had a quick surge of blood pressure. What was wrong with him? I was only telling the girl that we had had that key duplicated already before. Meaning, it could be done. Well, to avoid confrontation and so as not to ruin my day, I just told the lady to duplicate the other 2 keys and I would take the 3rd one at their other branch.
Then, Louie and I went home. My heart was still pounding. But I recalled the nice scene I witnessed at SM Makati earlier that day and I put on a smile on my face again. I told myself to just ignore it and move on. When I got at my apartment, I tried the duplicates and they worked, made a couple of calls, had a 5-way call conference with my family and went to bed.
But still, that locksmith guy at Mr. Quickie was a moron, don’t you think?
Addicted to "24" for the 8th time!
My friends and I waited for about a year for the 8th Season of “24″ — for us, the greatest show to ever grace the TV screens. I remember when my very good friend Chris Tamashunas came back home from the US and brought a paperbag with 4 Seasons of Smallville and 4 Seasons of “24″. I didn’t know anything about the latter at the time and my friends were all so hooked to Smallville then (who would not have a crush on Kristin Kreuk!?)
But hey! Smallville is pretty cool and the plot is generally positive. It is now running on its 9th Season and that says a lot about the show’s credibility.
Anyway… when I’ve finished watching all 4 Smallville Seasons, I had no choice but to try a “24″ DVD. And that’s when all this crazy addiction started.
It is the only TV show that I watched from Episode 1 to 24 — nonstop! On other occasions, I even jumped to the next Season and I was really glued to my seat — no sleep, no food, no bath. Hahaha!
I did a lot of research about the show and I learned that even US government officials (including US Vice-President) and Microsoft boss Bill Gates watch the show. A lot of my friends would not even want to give it a try at first but when they did, you could just imagine them not wanting to go to bed or work because they could not stop watching on and on and on…
And surprisingly, “24″ is not just for my guy friends. Even their wives and girlfriends got addicted to it. And at times, they would even fight over and about it. Hehehe. Seriously, it’s true.
What is with “24″ anyway? Well, it is near perfect — if not actually perfect. At least, for a TV show. I challenge anyone to spot a flaw on their script on any scene on any episode on any season. Kiefer Sutherland became a household name in the US and in many countries around the world. “Jack Bauer” became an icon. In fact, you could find his action figure in many toy stores everywhere in the US and other countries. Not to mention that the critically-acclaimed show has already won several awards and gained recognition.
To those who have no background on “24″ yet – It is now running on its 8th Season (like mentioned above – duh?!) and each season has 24 episodes, and each episode takes place in an hour — literally! So if it says “The following takes place between 1am and 2am” that means that each scene is really happening in real-time, by the minute and by the second. If there is a 4-minute commercial in between scenes, then the clock would pick up where the commercial left off.
So, the entire story in one season took place in a 24-hour period. Check the outdoor shots, the sunlight, the time on the clock in Manhattan or any small detail of the scene, you will notice that it really corresponds to the time intended for that episode. After watching 24 episodes in 24 weeks, you would realize that you actually watched a continuous 24-hour day.
What more can I say? It’s hard to put in words. For us, “24″ is the greatest and the best TV show ever. Although, let me say that it is not for “bopols” or “baduys” out there. It is not a teen show like Gossip Girl, Secret Life, 90210 or Melrose Place. It is nowhere near “Twilight” or “New Moon,” either (duh!?) Other popular TV shows like Prison Break, Brothers & Sisters, Lost, Heroes, Chuck, Fringe, Vampire Diaries, True Blood, One Tree Hill, Desperate Housewives and Sex In The City would not hold a candle to it. And even my all-time favorite Smallville and the new musical comedy drama series Glee — I hate to say this – are not even worthy of a comparison.
“24″ may not be the most popular show in terms of audience share (although, it is often in the Top 5) but the show itself is sensible and intended for serious intellectuals who actually use their brains while watching. YET, it remains very suspenseful and entertaining at the same time. You could hardly predict the twists and turns and you would definitely be surprised (if not shocked!) by each Season’s ending.
So here I am, busy downloading “24″ torrents again. And guess what? For their 8th Season premiere, they aired 2 episodes in one evening and another 2 episodes the next evening — the producers’ way of telling me “Brace yourself and be addicted again!”
Three (3) episodes followed, 17 more to go. I just can’t wait!
But hey! Smallville is pretty cool and the plot is generally positive. It is now running on its 9th Season and that says a lot about the show’s credibility.
Anyway… when I’ve finished watching all 4 Smallville Seasons, I had no choice but to try a “24″ DVD. And that’s when all this crazy addiction started.
It is the only TV show that I watched from Episode 1 to 24 — nonstop! On other occasions, I even jumped to the next Season and I was really glued to my seat — no sleep, no food, no bath. Hahaha!
I did a lot of research about the show and I learned that even US government officials (including US Vice-President) and Microsoft boss Bill Gates watch the show. A lot of my friends would not even want to give it a try at first but when they did, you could just imagine them not wanting to go to bed or work because they could not stop watching on and on and on…
And surprisingly, “24″ is not just for my guy friends. Even their wives and girlfriends got addicted to it. And at times, they would even fight over and about it. Hehehe. Seriously, it’s true.
What is with “24″ anyway? Well, it is near perfect — if not actually perfect. At least, for a TV show. I challenge anyone to spot a flaw on their script on any scene on any episode on any season. Kiefer Sutherland became a household name in the US and in many countries around the world. “Jack Bauer” became an icon. In fact, you could find his action figure in many toy stores everywhere in the US and other countries. Not to mention that the critically-acclaimed show has already won several awards and gained recognition.
To those who have no background on “24″ yet – It is now running on its 8th Season (like mentioned above – duh?!) and each season has 24 episodes, and each episode takes place in an hour — literally! So if it says “The following takes place between 1am and 2am” that means that each scene is really happening in real-time, by the minute and by the second. If there is a 4-minute commercial in between scenes, then the clock would pick up where the commercial left off.
So, the entire story in one season took place in a 24-hour period. Check the outdoor shots, the sunlight, the time on the clock in Manhattan or any small detail of the scene, you will notice that it really corresponds to the time intended for that episode. After watching 24 episodes in 24 weeks, you would realize that you actually watched a continuous 24-hour day.
What more can I say? It’s hard to put in words. For us, “24″ is the greatest and the best TV show ever. Although, let me say that it is not for “bopols” or “baduys” out there. It is not a teen show like Gossip Girl, Secret Life, 90210 or Melrose Place. It is nowhere near “Twilight” or “New Moon,” either (duh!?) Other popular TV shows like Prison Break, Brothers & Sisters, Lost, Heroes, Chuck, Fringe, Vampire Diaries, True Blood, One Tree Hill, Desperate Housewives and Sex In The City would not hold a candle to it. And even my all-time favorite Smallville and the new musical comedy drama series Glee — I hate to say this – are not even worthy of a comparison.
“24″ may not be the most popular show in terms of audience share (although, it is often in the Top 5) but the show itself is sensible and intended for serious intellectuals who actually use their brains while watching. YET, it remains very suspenseful and entertaining at the same time. You could hardly predict the twists and turns and you would definitely be surprised (if not shocked!) by each Season’s ending.
So here I am, busy downloading “24″ torrents again. And guess what? For their 8th Season premiere, they aired 2 episodes in one evening and another 2 episodes the next evening — the producers’ way of telling me “Brace yourself and be addicted again!”
Three (3) episodes followed, 17 more to go. I just can’t wait!
How Globe saved me... with a Nokia E63
My youngest brother Daniel is a brilliant computer programmer and engineer. He worked for Hewlett-Packard a few years back and was given a Globe HandyPhone account during his tenure there. It’s a corporate account so whenever he called 211 (Customer Service), he would not be getting the automated menu. He would get a human being right away! That was really awesome, considering that most of us these days would waste a minimum of 5 minutes waiting on the line, going through the long, confusing labyrinth of options that sometimes even go on circles.
Anyway, he did not spend a year at HP because he was offered a better job in Singapore. So he entrusted his phone to my younger sister at home. The Plan was P800 G-Flex. Consumable.
After 2 years in the contract, we decided to stop the subscription. I called Globe on January 10th (billing cut-off date) to cancel the service. That was when a Globe representative made the “save” attempt.
They offered me a plan — it was tempting, I would say. P499/monthly with Unlimited calls to Globe and TM lines PLUS 300 free texts to other networks. A text overage would be charged P0.50/message and a call to other network would be charged P5.00/minute.
I thought that was a generous and competent offer, especially so, we all use Globe in the family. All my close friends use Globe, as well – except for two (Joel and Omar use Sun). You see, Globe plays a really big part in my network of relatives and friends.
To cut the story short, I agreed to the offer and the lady agent told me to wait within 3 days for the Loyalty Team’s confirmation. So I did.
Three days have passed. Four days, still no call from the Loyalty Team. I called 211 again and another agent told me to wait 3-5 business days. What a safe alibi, right? That agent probably just wanted to get rid of me.
A week passed by, I still got no call. On the 12th day, I decided to give them an ultimatum. I told the agent that if nobody would call me in the next 3 days, I would totally cancel my Globe service.
The following afternoon (13th day), an agent from the Loyalty Team told me that my new plan would be effective starting January 26. I asked about the phone unit that I requested, Nokia 2730 Classic. He told me to follow it up, that I would need to call them from time to time.
By the way, that Nokia 2730 Classic would not be free. The free units were so basic and I did not like them. I would shell out P1,600 to get the Nokia 2730 Classic. That’s fine with me.
On the 19th day, I still got no call concerning the Nokia 2730 Classic phone so I called Globe one more time. I was shocked when the agent told me that I had not indicated my preferred unit. That was ridiculous! Noticing my upset tone of voice, the agent rechecked the notes and finally acknowledged my request. She confirmed that I did ask for a Nokia 2730 Classic.
I was just on lunch so I had to make a quick decision. I asked if there were other available units. The agent mentioned Nokia E63 and I hurriedly asked for the cash outlay — it was P3,600. Of course, that would entail another 2-year contract. She read the features to me and they sounded great so I gave her my go-signal. She said somebody would call me (again) to confirm the order but she assured me that the unit was all set to be delivered. That was earlier today.
When I got back to my apartment, I googled Nokia E63 (sorry, I used to be updated with all the current trends in cellphones — not anymore). I was actually impressed with the specifications. The Nokia E63 is really great. It has all the major features I need in a phone — 2 MP camera, bluetooth, Wi-Fi, FM radio, 3.5mm audio jack, QWERTY keypads, etc. Now, I’m getting excited. Pasensya na, mababaw lang ang kaligayahan ko. Di ko na hangad makabili ng iPhone 3GS. At hindi naman ako kagaya ng iba dyan na naka-iPhone nga, wala namang load. (No offense there).
But… when will I have this stylish, intricate and classy Nokia E63? Should I wait for another billing cycle before they drop it off my doorsteps?
Another 15 days later…. Globe called me, and guess what? The guy told me that the information I got from the 3 previous agents was incorrect. The cashout for the Nokia E63 is gonna be P7,800! And he really sounded demanding, unlike the other agents who sounded apologetic and cordial. Despite my disappointment, to end this episode of my life, I agreed. The agent said the phone would be (actually, might be) delivered on Tuesday, February 16th.
I will wait and see.
Globe… Worldwidest! Abot ko ang mundo… kung nandito na ang cellphone ko!
Anyway, he did not spend a year at HP because he was offered a better job in Singapore. So he entrusted his phone to my younger sister at home. The Plan was P800 G-Flex. Consumable.
After 2 years in the contract, we decided to stop the subscription. I called Globe on January 10th (billing cut-off date) to cancel the service. That was when a Globe representative made the “save” attempt.
They offered me a plan — it was tempting, I would say. P499/monthly with Unlimited calls to Globe and TM lines PLUS 300 free texts to other networks. A text overage would be charged P0.50/message and a call to other network would be charged P5.00/minute.
I thought that was a generous and competent offer, especially so, we all use Globe in the family. All my close friends use Globe, as well – except for two (Joel and Omar use Sun). You see, Globe plays a really big part in my network of relatives and friends.
To cut the story short, I agreed to the offer and the lady agent told me to wait within 3 days for the Loyalty Team’s confirmation. So I did.
Three days have passed. Four days, still no call from the Loyalty Team. I called 211 again and another agent told me to wait 3-5 business days. What a safe alibi, right? That agent probably just wanted to get rid of me.
A week passed by, I still got no call. On the 12th day, I decided to give them an ultimatum. I told the agent that if nobody would call me in the next 3 days, I would totally cancel my Globe service.
The following afternoon (13th day), an agent from the Loyalty Team told me that my new plan would be effective starting January 26. I asked about the phone unit that I requested, Nokia 2730 Classic. He told me to follow it up, that I would need to call them from time to time.
By the way, that Nokia 2730 Classic would not be free. The free units were so basic and I did not like them. I would shell out P1,600 to get the Nokia 2730 Classic. That’s fine with me.
On the 19th day, I still got no call concerning the Nokia 2730 Classic phone so I called Globe one more time. I was shocked when the agent told me that I had not indicated my preferred unit. That was ridiculous! Noticing my upset tone of voice, the agent rechecked the notes and finally acknowledged my request. She confirmed that I did ask for a Nokia 2730 Classic.
I was just on lunch so I had to make a quick decision. I asked if there were other available units. The agent mentioned Nokia E63 and I hurriedly asked for the cash outlay — it was P3,600. Of course, that would entail another 2-year contract. She read the features to me and they sounded great so I gave her my go-signal. She said somebody would call me (again) to confirm the order but she assured me that the unit was all set to be delivered. That was earlier today.
When I got back to my apartment, I googled Nokia E63 (sorry, I used to be updated with all the current trends in cellphones — not anymore). I was actually impressed with the specifications. The Nokia E63 is really great. It has all the major features I need in a phone — 2 MP camera, bluetooth, Wi-Fi, FM radio, 3.5mm audio jack, QWERTY keypads, etc. Now, I’m getting excited. Pasensya na, mababaw lang ang kaligayahan ko. Di ko na hangad makabili ng iPhone 3GS. At hindi naman ako kagaya ng iba dyan na naka-iPhone nga, wala namang load. (No offense there).
But… when will I have this stylish, intricate and classy Nokia E63? Should I wait for another billing cycle before they drop it off my doorsteps?
Another 15 days later…. Globe called me, and guess what? The guy told me that the information I got from the 3 previous agents was incorrect. The cashout for the Nokia E63 is gonna be P7,800! And he really sounded demanding, unlike the other agents who sounded apologetic and cordial. Despite my disappointment, to end this episode of my life, I agreed. The agent said the phone would be (actually, might be) delivered on Tuesday, February 16th.
I will wait and see.
Globe… Worldwidest! Abot ko ang mundo… kung nandito na ang cellphone ko!
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