Proof that Filipinos are Poor in Customer Service

I was looking for a place to eat in Market Market a few weeks ago, and I chanced upon this interesting gadget at North Park Restaurant. Could this be proof that Filipinos are ingenious? Or is it proof that Filipinos just don't know what good customer service is?

First, my idea of good customer service in a sit-down restaurant is where the waiter or waitress attending your table serve you. When I say serve, I don't mean serve you food or kiss your feet. What I mean is that they should come around your table once in a while to refill your water, ask if you have another order, refill your drink, remove your used plates, comes to check on your table if everything is okay. This should be the norm. However, I find myself having to raise my hand every time I need a refill, or I have more order, or if I want napkin, or if I want the bill, or if I want some ketchup, some hot sauce. Maybe I'm just too demanding. But this is the norm I'm used to. In fact, good waiters and waitress upsell their products and come back if you want some dessert or anything else. Here in the Philippines, it seems like you are an inconvenience for being in their restaurant.

Okay, before you all get fired up about this, I'm not saying all Philippine restaurants are like this. Just the ones that I go to, like the ones in Greenbelt or Glorietta. And around Metro Manila. Perhaps 5 out of a 100 restaurants I go to are actually decent when it comes to service. My personal favorite for service is Bubba Gumps. They are so attentive, so fast, so nice...Oh, and Burger King! They're awesome! They can make your burger the way you want it...no pickles, extra onions and lettuce please. McDonald's crewmembers would flip out if you asked for extra lettuce. Haha.

Anyway, back to this picture. This gadget allows you to push the button and a waiter/waitress will see their electronic board that table #37 is in need of service. To me, that means they won't care about you unless you press that button. They take a more reactive approach. Me, I want proactive. If I want my tip to be bigger, I'd take a proactive approach. I'd come by your table, and I'd ask if there's anything else I can get for you. I'd keep refilling your water or softdrinks. I'd clear your table immediately so that you don't have leftover chewed food in front of you. I'd really do that. I have done that. Here, eat your shit, pay your bill, and go cause I have another customer coming.

This gadget to me is symbolic of a Filipino robot. Push the button, and I will respond. Otherwise, my battery is dead, and I will not pay attention to you.

Method to my Madness Revival

It's the new year, and it's time to plan things again. I've always been a new year's resolution fanatic. But most of my resolutions did not come to fruition. Perhaps a new year's resolutions are just like promises, which were made to be broken.

So far, I am achieving to resolutions. Quit smoking! Last cigarette was on January 1, 2 am. Go to the gym! It's been nine months. This week, I've been to the gym twice. It's a slow start, but hey, it's progress. In fact, I'm planning to go again tonight.

More resolutions. Be more patient. Be more understanding. Smile more. Sometimes, these things are very hard to do because of the country we live in. But I've learned, after having lived here for a little over a year now, that we just need to accept certain things we cannot change. Instead, we need to change ourselves, and then slowly change the people around us. So I have learned to love this country even more, but I have learned to hate it even more. There's an oxymoron for you! How can I possibly hate something more if I love it even more? Beats me. But I'm slowly discovering that myself. Thus, the title of this blog: Method to my Madness.

And through this blog, I will discover myself even more. But to discover is just half way. How do I change? How do I change the people around me? By writing things down, it's at least a start.

And with new year's resolutions, my blog is reborn. It is revived. The revival of my blog. To pour my thoughts and hopefully change the mindsets of people. It's a pretty lofty goal, but hey, I'm ready for it. I don't intend to change everyone's mindset. Just one at a time, that's all. Just one at a time.

Whatever Happened to my Perpetrators?

It's been several months now since I was mugged by some young thugs in Pasay, and I wonder what happened to my perpetrators. I called the police station several times wondering when I was going to appear in court for the trial. They just told me it was coming soon, that I should receive the letter of instructions (subpoena, I believe) in a few more days.

The letter never arrived. Perhaps it was stolen. Maybe not.

What probably happened is that the police officers took some bribe money from the "hold uppers" and released them without consulting with Ms. Justice. Oh well, I am in the Philippines after all.

Sometimes, I feel so guilty, so helpless, so confused, so bad about this situation. Why couldn't I do anything? After all, I am an educated person, and I have some money. But why did I not fight this? My friends advised me that it was going to be a dangerous battle. They told me to let this battle end, and fight another battle. True, I didn't want to get involved with the police. I didn't want to be in another dangerous situation.

I hope one day God will forgive me that I didn't fight this battle.

The Filipino and McDonalds

Am I an asshole? Am I asking for more than what I truly deserve? Some say I ask for way too much here in the Philippines. I should just shut up and accept what is and not to fight everything that the Philippines is not. And yes, sometimes, I do shut up. I do know how to pick my battles. I have learned this from one of my advisors in high school, Mr. Hendricks. He was also the one who told me to relax and not be so serious all the time.

Back to this thing of just desserts. Am I asking for too much here?

Just recently, I went to a McDonalds, the one near Greenbelt 2. I actually go there a lot, since it's near my condo, and when I'm lazy to cook, I just McDonald it. Yes, the fat, the grease, the salt. Can you feel the arteries clogging? Not a nice thought. Yuck. But on nights when you are just too damn lazy to fix a healthy meal for yourself, this is a great treat.

I'm probably one of their most frequent customers there. By now you are thinking, this guy must be really unhealthy. I actually eat a lot of chicken breasts and salads as well. I also go to the gym to burn all the calories. In fact, I love sports, and I play volleyball and basketball all the time. So, I think I'm pretty healthy. Sometimes, McDonalds is just so convenient. I actually prefer Burger King, because the burgers there are flame broiled, and the staff there is much nicer.

I digress.

I ordered a quarter pounder, and nicely requested from the cashier if they could put a small piece of lettuce in it. You see, I usually get a Big Mac, and it's got lots of shredded lettuce. This time, I wanted something different. I wanted a quarter pounder, but this quarter pounder has no lettuce. I thought maybe since they see me there all the time, they would grant my request of a lettuce leaf in my quarter pounder.

Obviously, they didn't want to put in a lettuce. The cashier confirmed with her manager, and NO, a big NO. Damn it. Just for a piece of lettuce. I didn't insist, though I guess I became an asshole at that time. What did I do?

I ordered my usual Big Mac. This time, though, I told the cashier to not put the lettuce in my Big Mac. Is there anything else, sir? Yes, I still want my quarter pounder. So I order a quarter pounder. But please put the lettuce, the one you're going to "hold" from my Big Mac, in the quarter pounder. The cashier confirmed with the manager. That was completely OK. No problem at all.

Do you see where I'm going with this?

When I saw my quarter pounder, I decided to change my order. Ms, I don't want the Big Mac anymore. Cancel that order. I just want the quarter pounder.

Voila!!! I got a quarter pounder with lettuce.

I would have paid for the lettuce, had she asked me for a charge from the beginning. In fact I pay eight pesos for barbecue and sweet and sour sauce all the time. I just got so upset, that after spending thousands of pesos there a month, they wouldn't grant me a piece of lettuce. If that makes me an asshole, then let it be. I felt good about it. I'm allowed to be a jerk once in a while, right?

In Memoriam, My Loving, Caring, Gentle Grandfather

Another death in the Family. I have attended funeral's before, but it was always the funeral of a friend or a friend of the family. My grandfather passed away last week. To my grandfather, I love you, and I will always remember you.

My grandpa is the first of my grandparents to move on.

He had seven children and a lot of grandchildren. We all respect him very much. I don't remember my grandfather ever scolding me. What I remember most about him is this: When I was a little kid, about eight or nine years old, he would put oil in my hair and brushed it neatly. He said I looked more handsome like that. He combed it and parted my hair, and it looked like a Jose Rizal hairstyle. Of all my fond memories, this is the one that sticks to my mind the most.

Even when he was already tired, weak, and old, he managed to motivate himself to go back to the US just so that he could finish the immigration of two of his kids. Three of his children were already in the US. My mom, his second child, was brought through the US through my dad. His second daughter made it to the US over 20 years ago through marriage. And almost 20 years ago, his youngest child, my uncle made it to the US through petition. He had four children left in the Philippines. Two were not eligible because they were already of age with families. The other two, he went back to the US to petition them and complete them.

About three years ago, he came back to the US to complete the petitions. And two years ago, I came back to the Philippines to bring him home. He was tired. He was ill. He could barely walk. He was already wheelchair bound. He wanted to rest. As much as he didn't want to travel to the US anymore because of his illness and his physical condition, he agreed to go back. In one year, the paperwork for his two other children were completed. I brought him home to the Philippines. This was my second trip back to the Philippines in twenty years. I was really really young when I left. Although two of his children didn't make it to the US, all his children are living comfortably. And with my grandmother, they created a happy little empire, with lots of healty grandchildren. I am the second oldest of them.

The whole family is reunited for the first time in over 30 years, unfortunately, without my grandfather. 18 People from the US, his children and grandchildren arrived a few days ago. It was a reunion for the whole family, a combination of grieving and rejoicing. And when the grieving is done, they decided that they are going to celebrate my grandfather's life. To celebrate the good man that he was. I myself will celebrate his life. I know that when I brought my grandfather a couple of years ago, I know that his illness would catch up to him. I let him know that I loved him very much, and we always talked about his grandchildren and his children, and how they happy they are, and how he was a big part in that. He just smiled and was silent.

At first, I had mixed emotions. I wanted to cry for the loss of my grandfather. But I know that I also prepared for his departure. I let him know how much I loved him and how I appreciated him as my grandfather. I know he knows I loved him.

So I will grieve for his loss. But I will do more than that. I will celebrate his life. I will let others know how good of a man he was. I will honor him in many ways through my projects. He will be remembered. I want others to be like my grandfather. He put others before himself. He sacrificed for the sake of his children.

I love you grandpa.