Give Love on Christmas Day, (or Everyday)

In the spirit of Christmas, I want to share one of my favorite songs during the holiday seasons. I do have a soft heart. I do like some mushy songs. But this one has got a great theme: The simple tenet of love. There are times when we simply commercialize Christmas, busy buying gifts and preparing for parties, simply forgetting the true meaning of Christmas, which is, a celebration of the birth of Christ. John 3:16. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.

Wow, I really have a bible scripture on my blog. I learned this verse ever since I was 5 or 6 years old in my hometown in Ilocos Norte. I will never forget it, as my parents, my pastors, our church leaders drilled it into us over and over and over till we turned blue in the face. It worked. And as a result of my parents and granparents and aunts and uncles forcing and persuading me to go to church, I now impart some their influence to the public. Things happen for a reason, and they slowly reveal themselves to you, as time goes by.

Back to the basic tenet of love. This Christmas, as we buy our gifts, prepare for parties, enjoy the parties, unwrap gifts, eat and drinky merrily, dance wildly or gently, let's not forget that there is a greater community out there, people living in the streets, broken homes and families, sick and hungry children, war-torn villages, oppressed minorities, and the like who are sometimes forgotten by the "busyness" of Christmas. I hope that we remember them as well. Pray for them too.

As we share gifts and give love on Christmas day, I hope and pray that we will remember this love the next day. Giving love should be everyday. Damn it, I'm being to mushy. Here's the song lyrics.

Give Love on Christmas Day

(Verse)
People making lists
Buying special gifts
It's time to be kind to one and all
It's that time of year
When good friends are dear
And you wish you could give more than just a present from a store

(Chorus)
Why don't you give love on christmas day (on Christmas day)
Even the man who has everything
Would be so happy if you could bring
Him love on christmas day (on Christmas day)
No greater gift is there than love

People you don't know
Smile and nod hello
Everywhere, there's an air of christmas joy
It's that once a year
When the world's sincere
And you like to find a way to show the things that words can't say

(Chorus)
Why don't you give love on christmas day (on Christmas day)
Oh, the man on the street and the couple upstairs
All need to know that there's one who cares
Give love on christmas day (on Christmas day)
No greater gift is there than love

What the world needs is love
Yes the world needs your love
Why don't you.....

Give love on christmas day (on christmas day)
Every little child on Santas knee
Has room for your love underneath his tree
Give love on christmas day (on Christmas day)
No greater gift is there than love
What the world need is love
Yes the world needs your love
Why don't you...

Give love on Christmas day (on Christmas day)
Even the man who has everything
Would be so happy if you would bring
Him love on Christmas day (on Christmas day)
(fade out....)

Finally, a Great Waitress in the Philippines

I have been coming in and out of the Philippines for the last three to four years. Six months here. Two weeks there. A month here and there. And I've eaten at restaurants all over Makati and Manila. TGIFridays. Chilis. Outback. Itallianis. Most restaurants at Greenbelt Three. Some restaurants at Greenbelt Two. Some in Libis. Some in Malate. OK OK, everywhere in the greater Manila area. Oh and at Fort Ilocandia, which is considered as one of the better resorts in the Philippines.

And in these past few years, I've never experienced a really really really, and I mean really personable dining experience. It's always the what's-your-order-here's-your-food-thank-you-ma'am-sir-come-again type of service. Usually, it's the raise-your-hand-i-need-you type of service. They never want to talk to you; only when you raise your hand. If I had my own restaurant, I would never want to train my people like that. My employees will not be robots. They will be empowered.

OK, so what's the deal? What's the scoop?

Well, tonight, I had an excellent waitress. The best ever in the Philippines. And you know what? She was shorter than 5'2". And you know what else? She was not mestiza. And you know what else? She wasn't 18-22 years old. See Pinoys. See Philippines, you don't have to be taller than 5'3", meztiza, and 18-22 years old to provide great service. In fact, all the tall mestizas I've dealt with were bitchy wannabe's. No offense to mestizas, of course. It's just my observations. Not all mestizas are like that. I wouldn't want to commit what they call in logic, the fallacy of hasty generalization.

So what made this one an excellent dining experience? Our waitress actually stopped to converse with us: me, my business partner, and my Indonesian friend. She actually took the time to say, "how are you guys doing?" She actually asked us how are experience is so far in the Philippines. She smiled. She was friendly. She was sincere. Our food was brought on time. She kept refilling our drinks. It was warm. It was comfortable. And I saw her as a beautiful human being. Not some robotic server of a waitress. She was actually organic. So sad to say, when I go to restaurants in the Philippines, I always picture the waiters and waitresses are robots programmed to simply take your order and bring your check when your done. I know it's wrong to do that, but perhaps I have also been programmed to think that way.

I know there are some pretty good managers out there who train their employees to be human. But I also know that a majority of them train their employees to be robots. How sad. Next time I go to another restaurant, and I have a robot server, I will tell the manager to eat at Bubba Gumps; he may learn something there about customer service.

Thank you Bubba Gumps Green Belt Three. Thank you Malou. Great job. We'll come back soon. And we'll bring more people with us next time.

It's so Festive here in the Philippines

This is my second Christmas in the Philippines. It certainly is a different feeling when you're away from home during Christmas. But I've made new friends here in the Philippines, and they've become my new family. Last night, one of my best friends invited me to his company's Christmas party at TGI Fridays, and it was a night to remember. People were very happy and friendly, and despite the problems they may face daily, they were all happy to see each other or to meet new people.

Compared to the US, Filipinos celebrate Christmas with a bang. In the US, it seems more commercialized. But here, even the smallest house with a tin roof and unfinished walls has a Christmas decoration of some sort. There are lights everywhere. Then there are parties everywhere. People rehearse their dances, their songs, their performances. It's colorful, it's joyful, it's festive.

I come from a city of lights. Las Vegas. Neon lights everywhere, and the city is always awake. Twentyfour hours, seven days a week, there is always something to see or do in Las Vegas. That means I should be used to the lights by now. Well, I'm still fascinated with all these Christmas decorations I see at the malls, the high rise buildings, houses. I am more amazed in seeing the Christmas lights in the ghettoest part of some areas. This is almost symbolic for me. That despite all the struggles these poor families go through, they have joy in their hearts. They have hope. The lights shine from these humble homes as a beacon of hope.

Merry Christmas Pinoy.

Why do Filipinos in the US Suddenly Become Good Citizens?

I work out at Gold's Gym Glorietta, and every time I am there, some disrespectful, lazy bastard always leaves the weights on the bench and not return them to the racks. Signs everywhere saying to return them to their proper places, but it never works. The bench press always has the weights that the last person used.

I also work out at Gold's Gym, Las Vegas. And yes, there's the occasional weight left on the bench press. Keyword: occasional. Maybe even rarely. Here in the Philippines: Almost Always. Fine, I always remove them and place my own weights according to my strength. OK, where am I going with this? What's my story here?

I'm not trying to make the Philippines become the US. Not at all. We Filipinos have our own identity, which are still trying to figure out, I think. We shouldn't become like any other nation. We should develop our own, if not, find what it is. However, there are certain universal code of conduct that human beings follow. One of them is following rules. Another is, respect. One more, courtesy. Plus, safety. Putting the weights back to the rack, is following rules and is a sign of respect, courtesy, and safety conduct. Obeservation: my Gold's Gym in the US does it better than my Gold's Gym in the Philippines.

Gold's Gym US: There are some Pinoys that work out in this Gold's Gym, though most of them are white. Latino's, and Blacks. Why are Pinoys in the US so different from the Pinoys in the Philippines.

I rarely hear of any hardcore Filipino news in the US. No drugs, no shootings, no political corruption. Well, maybe the occasional crime here and there; and even then, they pale in comparison to the other crimes committed by Latinos, Blacks, and Caucasians. I can't remember a major Filipino criminal in the US. I'm sure there are some; I just haven't heard of any, or remember any. And I'm an avid news and current events television viewer.

So the hypothesis, what happens to the Filipino when they migrate to the US? Some miraculous thing happens over the air. There must be something in the air up there as they cross the Pacific or Atlantic Ocean, whichever way the plane took. All of a sudden, our beloved Pinoys are obedient citizens. They abide by the law, listen to instructions, follow rules and regulations, just like good little boys and girls.

What happened to the Pasaway Pinoy? How was he cured? Possible answers: In the US, someone is always looking at your actions, making you accountable for whatever course of actions you take. In a way, there is a bit more discipline. Here in the Philippines, the keyword is PASAWAY. I need not expound.

I write SINS, not TRAGEDIES.

Starting a Business is long Process here in the Philippines

You'd think that starting a business in a third world country would be really quick since not everyone follows rules and regulations anyway. You just find a space, put your business name on it, and you're in operation. Well, of course, it's more complicated than that. I don't quite remember the specific statistic, but I read somewhere, about a month ago, that the Philippines is 130s of 150 nations surveyed in the expediency of processing business papers. My experiences may tell you why.

SEC: The guy who tried reserving our name didn't know much about corporation, incorporation, partnerships, etc. We got our name reserved, and on the instructions, we were informed to go to CHED.

CHED: We went to CHED and informed them that we were sent there by SEC. CHED people were confused. But we figured it out; we did not need CHED endorsement. They sent us back to SEC.

SEC: I talked to a manager regarding the confusion. She was even more confused. I asked that instructions should not be made if they are not needed. She defended SEC by saying that the IT people who programmed it is now long gone. She was upset that I was calling her on it. A good manager would have thanked me for showing them a glitch in their system.

SEC: A week later, we were told to go back to SEC to turn in final forms; SEC person did not like our wordings. She thought that it should sound like the way they want it to sound. Fine, we retyped and retyped. Fortunately, there were typing services downstairs.

SEC: Thank God. We were final able to get out papers.

Barangay Hall: Told us to fill out paperwork first and come back tomorrow. We went back the next day. Their copy machine broke down. We walked around the area to find one. Hot and humid. We got the copies and turned in all forms.

Barangay Hall: Picked up all the completed paperwork.

Mayor's Permit: I don't want to expound here. But this is where it's taking years and years and years and decades. So much red tape. To make a long story short, we don't have the papers yet. We were bounced around by different departments. From the Business Permit area to the building inspection area to telling us they were going to inspect, to making typos on the paper that we had to fix, to double charging us for one quarter and for forcing us to buy the insurance to going back again to follow up to not yet finished to going back several time to let them know that we're still waiting to the promises unkept to the inefficiency. I could pull my hair out. But that won't be good for marketing.

I'm still alive. I probably aged 10 years since I've been here two months ago. Yikes.