excellent customer service

he was already smiling when i walked inside the shop, a branch of a local apparel chain. I was just looking for a singlet or tank top for work out. he approached me. and i asked him whether they had one.

"sir, puro shirts lang dito. may collar o wala. ang uso ngayon yun mga v-neck."

couldnt help but notice the nice face and lean body. and what seemed like a very friendly demeanor. hmmm. i chatted with him some more.

"sando, sir, pang-workout siguro, no?"
"yup. pang gym"
"mukha ngang nag-gym kayo. ako rin dati kaso natigil nung pumasok ako dito"
"ah talaga? sayang naman. san ka nag-gym"
"sa may amin, sa bocaue"
"malayo rin pala inuuwian mo."
"sayang nga. may chest na ako nun at wala akong tiyan" (points to his chest and his stomach"
"kaso ang bilis nawala. sayang. puro kain kasi. haha"
"bata ka pa naman. madali mong matutunaw yan"
"sana nga. balak kong bumalik next month. may chest na ako nun" (now puts his hand on his chest. why is my mouth turning dry?)
"ganda na nga sana ng abs ko" (raises his shirt and shows me a nice torso, with enough hair rising from his jeans. i dont display my shock and amazement.)
"oh, eh ok pa naman"
"mas maganda nun sir."

suddenly, the a/c in the outlet seemed to be failing. I was starting to perspire.

"sige salamat. hanap na lang ako sa iba"
"sige sir. "
then i left the shop. it was getting too uncomfortable.

all i could say was... hooray for excellent customer service!

and this is not the first time this has happened.

SAHC: A Requiem for the Walkman

I think this started my gadget fascination. I was in 3rd yr high school when the Walkman was launched locally methinks. Gerry was one of the first to have one. I was drooling over it. He had a model newer than the one on the pic. I was amazed at how stereophonic actually sounds. when i wore those headphones, i was immersed totally in music. and back then, that included listening to new wave and xanadu.

and as much as i craved for it, it wasnt until a year after when i got mine. and i got this model, a bigger version but still portable. i loved it. beyond buying cassettes, i started combining songs by recording from vinyl, in effect, the precursor of the playlist. eventually, that became full of Madonna remixes.

now i read that sony has discontinued production. my first reaction: didnt they do that years ago with the advent of CD? i guess not as they officially close production of the Walkman just this oct.

my walkman gave me so many good memories. of sleeping late at night with the volume at 10. of passing time without getting bored, inside a bus or waiting for someone. of isolating myself and indulging in emo music, shedding tears looking at a rainy sky.

i do all that now, with the ipod and all its incarnations. so much that i have taken it for granted. that just so many years back, i didnt have that luxury.

i am reminded of the feeling, of the joy. goodbye, Walkman.

Sony ceases production of Walkman
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS • October 25, 2010

NEW YORK — The Walkman, the Sony cassette device that forever changed music listening before becoming outdated by digital MP3 players and iPods, has died. It was 31 years old.

Sony announced Monday that it has ceased production of the classic, cassette tape Walkman in Japan, effectively sounding the death knell of the once iconic, now obsolete device.

The Walkman is survived by the Discman (still clinging to life) and ironic music listeners who think using a Walkman in this day-and-age is charmingly out-of-touch.

It will continue to be produced in China and distributed in the U.S., Europe and some Asian countries. Digital Walkmans are also being made with models that display lyrics and have improved digital noise-canceling technology.

Still, if you're looking to chisel a date in the Walkman's tombstone, then Oct. 25, 2010, is as good as any. For many, that it's taken this long is surprising: "They were still making those?" Perhaps Oct. 23, 2001, the day the iPod was launched, is the better date of expiration.

But none of the success of Apple's portable music players would have ever happened without the cassette Walkman. Some 220 million have been sold since the first model, the TPS-L2, debuted in July 1979. (It retailed for $200.) At the time, transistor radios were portable, but there was nothing widely available like the Walkman.

am-bi-valent

when id see the hot bods in the gym, im torn between lust and envy. lust wins out if the guy is also dropdead handsome. i see some in ff fort. but more often, i end up envious of guys with average looks but with great bodies.

i always thought it would just be sexual desire that would be aroused in me in the presence of such heavenly bodies. but my own quest for that hot body has stirred up that green monster in me.

so im reduced to looking at what i have so far. sometimes getting disheartened. but not about to give up either. envy will push me to never give up. and will keep me from committing indiscretions!



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Wanted: Perfect Christmas Tree

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Everywhere I go.

And it's just October, given that it is the last week. At my parent's unit, we already put up the Christmas Tree, the belen, the lights.

Yesterday, pc and i were shopping for the perfect Christmas tree. Sadly, SM Our Home had that perfect tree last year. I even took a pic of it because when I wanted to buy it, it wasn't available anymore! And I don't like the new designs. Sigh. I have no idea where to find more trees.

So if you happen to know of a place where i can get an 8ft tall slim Christmas tree with big pine needles in Manila... please, inform me.

Wanted, badly :-)

nutrition counselling, first day

in my quest for the Holy Grail of vain men - the six-pack abs - i have tried fit for life, south beach diets. both actually worked for me. SBD was able to trim me down quite substantially from where i was before.

now, im trying something new, hoping to 'excite' my system into a new level of calorie-burning. i consulted with my ff trainor and he referred me to their nutrition counselor. 'what the heck', i thought to myself, i might as well try to hear what she has to say.

the initial consultation was quite fine. she asked me to recall what i ate the past 24 hours. then as i listed that, she asked me what my goals were, what diets i have tried. and of course, as i mentioned SBD, i could see her mildly shaking her head. i was about to be defensive and just dismiss this consultation. but i reminded myself i really have nothing to lose (save for a few thousand bucks) if i actually went along with it.

to her credit, she explained in very layman terms how the body needs the different food groups and her strategies for losing fat. though i wasnt as convinced, i might as well put my mind where my money is and just follow her to the letter.

she eventually gave me goals to pursue for the next 18 weeks. and gave me a preliminary computation of the calories of my previous 24 hour food intake. my total caloric intake was ideal at 1,500+ for that period. she wanted me to maintain that to achieve my goals. but she told me that the food group composition was all wrong (because i was still so SBD, meaning no carbs at all)

i signed up and scheduled our first meeting the other friday. henceforth, i will be consulting with her every friday.

on our first meeting, she weighed me as my "before" status. she noted my body fat, my BMI, etc. etc. then she gave me her recomm diet plan for the day. nothing really new. frequent meals at the desired caloric levels. distributing the food groups quite evenly for the different meals. emphasizing the need to bring carb back but under much control.

her goal is to get me to internalize the proper food servings per meal, the right portion sizes without having to compute for calories. that would be her job. so essential to this is the food journal. everything i eat i must write down. everything. i decided to use the 'notes' app of the iphone/ipad instead. and by the end of the week (thursday), i will be emailing her the journal entries.

i started religiously taking note of my intake. even taking pictures of my meals if i wasnt sure id remember them. and i became really conscious of portion sizes, especially for protein. i realized how i've been overeating protein sources, contributing to my current state of fatness.

so it seems like im off to a good start. im taking all of this seriously. only way i could really know if it works.

ill update you on what happens next...

i found it amusing

i treated the family for dinner. that's basically mom and dad, my sis and my bro-in-law, my niece and her boyfriend and pc. first time for all of us to get together, since my sis and bro-in-law were just in manila for a week. it was funny seeing how the family, all of us, were now speaking quite fluently in English, primarily because my niece, her bf and pc are all very comfortable speaking in that language.

though i must say that all of us in the family have a very good command of English, when we are left to ourselves, we still feel most comfortable speaking in Filipino, well with a spattering of English words here and there. typically Pinoy, typically Taglish. But my niece grew up in Dubai and she pretty much failed to really learn to speak Filipino. And both her bf and pc grew up in families where the conversations were pre-dominantly English (aside from some time pc spent in the u.s. growing up).

so i was really amused at how the family conversation suddenly took on an English turn! i whispered to my sister that this was our way of trying to improve the breed! LOL

then we had dessert. and during that time, the age gap became apparent. (additional info. my niece is 21, her boyfriend is 23. pc is 24. ) at one end was pc discussing animatedly with my niece and her bf about books including harry potter, and wii and games and even philosophy. and of course, our side of the conversation was more about family, about work, about the other siblings. and all three of them left to buy some ice cream at the korean grocery nearby!

my dad kidded me then as they were walking away. 'you cradle-snatcher!' 'look, tatay, i didnt take him from the crib. he willingly crawled out! besides, look at how different our conversations became with our new imports!'

no wonder the term now is 'blended family'! LOL

Turning Back

i have known her as a colleague in the church ministry. she is bright and perky. and she was very dedicated to the service. eventually, she became busy with her career. and we saw her less and less.

she fell in love with a former classmate, now a lawyer. and she was genuinely happy. soon i was informed of their coming wedding ceremony.

last week i found out she converted to christianity. i saw her baptism on fb. i was shocked. i couldnt imagine that this same girl, with her fervor and zeal then for the Catholic Church, was the same one being immersed in a pool for Jesus as a non-Catholic.

i dont know yet her reasons. i cant begin to imagine what reason would make her do what she did.

pc told me i probably expected much from her. and this was a letdown.

i am affected. and if i look inside, its not about her. its about me. im trying to find out why i feel betrayed.


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Thursdays with cc: Decisiveness

... is not stubbornness. im saying this based on my limited take of what PNoy has been doing as of late. He has been repeatedly accused of being wishy-washy. He blurtd out one thing one day and seems to have a change of heart the next. Then he'll stand firm supposedly on what he did say the first time.

Decisiveness is a very critical skill of a manager. You will need to make a decision among so many alternatives. You will use your logic and priorities to filter out bad options and be left with a few. And that final list would even be harder to decide on. Yet decide you must. And sometimes, you will only have minutes, sometimes, just seconds to make a decision. And even as you desire more information to make a choice, you will not have access to such. So you will need to make do with what is available and make that decision.

You will need to develop the wisdom to discern when that decision needs to be done now, or if you could buy more time. Your people will look up to you
for taking the bull by the horns when they see your firm resolve.

now let me contrast that with stubbornness. resolute firmness against better judgment. obstinacy inspite of evidence to the contrary. PNoy insisting that certain characters remain in their position despite contrary opinion. despite political capital being wasted. i have this feeling that he is being muleheaded to show that he is decisive. that he is no push-over. sorry. two different things. being stubborn is not decisiveness. it is simply misplaced focus.

discern the difference.

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week ending soon

this week seemed like it had 20 days instead of just seven. work has been stressful lately. the big kind of stress. not just deadlines. not just meetings. big audacious stress. strategic stress. bug bucks kind of stress.

with friday looming over the horizon, i can safely say that i have survived it. sanity put to the test a couple of times.

im winding down. a reflective mood now. out on my roof deck. a slight. breeze cools me but not enough to drive blood thirsty insects away. (egad, i hope its not the dengue vector kind)

if tomorrow brings the period to the sentence called cc, i would leave with a smile. morbid thought i know. its just that im realizing how blessed ive been. that i have 'sucked the very marrow of life dry'. it would with end with having provided as much as i could for my parents. i have seen the company rise to the top. ive enjoyed the laughter and company of true friends. i have allowed myself to enjoy what the world has to offer, with the sights i have seen, the experiences i have had. i have loved true. and i have finally found the love that i would bring with me to eternity.

at this point, this one little point in time, everything is in balance. there is so much gratitude. so much love. so much peace.

im looking at the horizon. from my vantage point, i see the crucifix that adorns the facade of the parish.

and though my ears are listening to the pluckings of piano strings, i hear Him telling me that all will be well.

'Trust me.'

i think he is telling you the same thing, too.

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belated teacher's day

a few days ago, it was teacher's day. quite timely, i received this morning an email from the dean congratulating me for achieving 5th in ranking in the school's faculty evaluation survey last semester.

im elated and humbled. i enjoy extremely what im doing, never mind the stress of preparing the lesson plan, the research, grading the exams, etc. etc. etc. it's really just an elective, but still, it is most gratifying to receive this feedback.

it lifted my spirits. it affirmed my retirement career choice.

to my students, thank you.


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skin on skin

im amazed at the explosion of personal care lines for men! so many brands are now competing for the looks-conscious male. nivea, gatsby, l'oreal, dove, master, splash, even watson's house brand! in the u.s. dove men+care is one of the fastest growing line of unilever.

i never liked dove. the moisturizing ingredient adds this oily layer on my skin. i feel 'unclean' when i bathe using dove because i dont like that greasy feel. after rinsing off the soap, i want to feel the dry traction of skin on skin. that makes me feel cleeeeean.

but i bought this new dove soap. im thinking it wouldnt have that anymore. and it was lightly masculinely scented. unfortunately, it still does, even if this variant had grains for scrubbing.

not like.


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irritable lately

a lot of things just get into my nerves so easily lately. disorder. stupidity. incompetence.

is it me or did all of the people around me just started deteriorating?

im ranting. sorry. it just seemed that people are conniving to ruin my day.

its sad that i let myself be affected.

yes, im allowing other people to determine my moods.

sigh. i feel like a puppet.


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mom me

i didnt think i could ever do it. even when i was way younger. id max out at twice in a night. best ever would be an hour rest in between. and was few and far between. a few times with some really hot dates. and a few more with my lovers.

now i discover that i am capable of multis. seriously, without the benefit of science and technology! in a span of three hours, i had four as my record. on consecutive days. my d*ck amazes me. pc amazes me. both of them, together, amaze me!

yes, this is a bragpost. dude, im a midlifer. im supposed to be seeing desire and capacity decline in that area. so im bragging about it while it still happens... because it is even happening!

im trying to determine some lessons here. for starters, i dont jerk off and would rather 'save it up' for the time pc and i to meet. right after an orgasm, i do feel that 'soreness', that 'pluheeese dont touch it muna'. the refractory period. but after a few minutes, soreness goes away and my d*ck is 'receptive' to touch again. but your partner needs to be patient. don't expect instant erections upon caress. may be if i was younger. sometimes, we ourselves become impatient. if, after a few strokes, our d*cks remain limp, we give up. we shouldn't. we should just enjoy the touch. and not even force another erection. it would happen naturally.

so there. multiple orgasms can happen. even to me. ill just enjoy this while it still happens.


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while having a massage

therapist: boss, kaibigan mo pala yun.
cc: sino?
yung kausap mo sa lobby
ah ... oo bakit?
silahis ba yun?
(lol) ewan ko! bakit mo naman natanong?
kasi boss, sa trabaho ko, may radar na ako sa mga bading. alam ko na kung sino ang ganun.
talaga? bilib naman ako sa iyo! (my eyebrow raised)
oo. halata ko siya. may naamoy ako. nung umpisa di pa halata. pero ngayon, parang bumibigay na.
(lol) ganun ba? di na ba maitago?
(laughs, too) oo boss! at marunong ako dumiskarte sa bading.
huh? anong diskarte ba ang kailangan?
kasi, iba-iba yan. may maselan. mayroon gusto hard. mayroon naman di talaga umaamin. di nagpapahalata.
(both my eyebrows are raised)
ah ok. ganun pala.
tulog ka muna boss. para ma relax ka.

he does give good massage.
it is a legit spa. absolutely no happy endings.
and even if there were, i wouldnt ask it from him.
because he is unattractive.
im just wondering.
is he trying to tell me something?
hmmm




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