Marcus Can Blog

I’m now done with the Enron Ethics class paper I’ve been doing for days. But there’s more on queue. And one that I’m doing right now is a research on corporate governance, still on Ethics class which quite frankly I feel suddenly overwhelmed about this subject. I’ve been seated for just  more than an hour or so and I was surprised to see that I’ve so far written quite a lot about it.  As I went looking for videos on youtube about this subject matter, a video not actually related to it came to mind. It’s Conan O’Brien visiting Intel’s Santa Clara plant.

While I ponder and sigh as I look at the ever familiar cubicles, thanks to what we used to call as Copy Exactly! if you’ve seen one, highly likely you’ve seen the rest located in some other parts of the world. But of course, being there is another thing, I began to realize that what I’m looking at must have something in common. Well, Intel (at least the Philippine site) will be totally gone (I don’t know exaclty when) soon and so will be Conan – although he’ll probably part with $40 Million which could actually be equivalent or less to what was spent by Intel to…

Man, what coincidence. I’ll surely be missing both.

Mood: 4/10 Honks! (misses Intel somehow. So I think I’ll use this video in the class regardless)

The job is about to start. In fact , last night I received the hit list. Eagerly and expertly, I studied the faces just like how I was trained. The facial features of the target got imprinted on my mind like a permanent tattoo. I looked at the eyes of each subject squarely without any hint of fear nor pity. Today I will see them.

This morning, I woke up early. In the darkness and chilling weather, I ran like hell to warm my body up. Stride after stride I mentally review today’s order of battle. I just can’t help but smile while every procedure seamlessly appears as if stored in an un-erasable digital format. I lifted weights and each time the adrenalin rush brings excitement and explicit thoughts. Hmmm. I’m really looking forward for this first mission. Few more hours I’ll execute it. Right now, I can already smell success.

Disclaimer: Not to be taken seriously. But then again…*LOL*

Mood: 3/10 Honks! (now if only these flabs can turn into well-defined muscles)

A month have past since I got into this job. The moment I learned, from one of my facebook contacts, that it does exist, I grabbed the opportunity to get to know more about it. I just love writing and so it didn’t take much time before I signed up. Few weeks later, I attended the training.

During the training in one of the buildings along commercial avenue in Alabang, I was surprised to see that there’s a lot of people, who are actually interested to be in this program. Our batch was composed of retirees, teachers, event organizers, freelance writers, ex-call center agents and even those with current jobs and not surprisingly, several bums just like me. There was even one complete family who attended.

So what is this job all about? It’s a form of business process outsourcing (BPO), and basically, it’s the call center’s non-voice counterpart. It’s a bum writer’s dream as it entails one to work at home without the nosy bosses and ill-tempered co-workers, not that they existed before. Hahaha. Anyway, despite those attractive perks, until now I find it an odd job.

As much as I love writing, I soon realized that editorial abstracting is a different discipline from plain blogging. It requires a lot of reading and comprehension to form an acceptable, if not good, abstract. It starts with having what they call a journal that is accessible through the company’s website. This journal contains files that may either be articles, book reviews, news briefs, instructional articles, and photo essays just to name a very few. These files in pdf format should then be read, identified if what article type it belongs and finally, an abstract should be written out of it. The abstract length ranges from one sentence to 300-500 characters maximum, depending on the article type. Once done, these abstracts are then emailed to the company and which they then send it back to whoever (and wherever in the US) customer in abroad requested the abstract to be written.

The customers abroad are actually publishing companies who outsource these writing jobs here in the Philippines. These companies send articles that ranges almost anything under the sun. Yes, you read it right. It’s anything under the sun. Proof of it, the first journal I got was actually about GLBT. And I learned just then, that GLBT stands for Gay, Lesbians, Bisexual and Transgender, so imagine my surprise when I saw pictures of male caucasians tongue-tied in a bar and that I’m expected to write about their events and experiences. What’s funny is that I’m writing it for a fee with the highest being P16. And yes, once again, you read it right. 16 Philippine peso ($0.35).

But don’t retreat yet, unless for reasons of receiving a GLBT, the P16 fee is per article. Each journal may contain several articles and as you get the hang of it, the more abstracts you can write and the more journals you accomplish in a day. Soon you’ll be earning according to your phase and will be surprised how much you’ve actually accumulated and received as payment.

So far I’ve written abstracts about law, sports, treasure hunting, agriculture and lately, Russian-related articles. I’m expecting they’ll soon assign what I’ve listed as my topic of interest – economics, business & industry, religion, education. But then again, they say that it’s unlikely to be followed and that journals will be assigned according to availability. Well, I’ll take anything but no more GLBT please.

Mood: 3/10 Honks! (survived half-day of being home alone with the hyper Marcus)

I woke up today with a hope of a very good day but it just wasn’t meant to be I guess. I was supposed to bring my car to Makati for an exam in one of the companies I’m applying for. And one of the compelling reasons is just about being paranoid about the recent confirmation of an AH1N1 case here in the Philippines. The morning show on TV though answered my dilemma of bring the car or not. It said not – one part of the already confusing Makati streets is close for a celebration. Bad sign number one.

Anticipating worse traffic I was already on a bus by 6:30 am. Just a few minutes later it was jam-packed worse than sardines and worst, the person standing right behind me was coughing as if he’s the only one inside the bus – this is why I really would want to avoid public transport. But then again do I have the choice? A couple of hours and some sore butt later, I was already in Ayala avenue and true indeed, the jeepney terminal has a very long queue of mostly mean looking passengers. Bad sign number two.

Realizing that I still have more than an hour to spare, I decided to walk going to my destination as traffic then was at a crawling phase. Ganito nga sila sa Makati (This is how they are in Makati) – an irritating line of the info commercial which is clearly a plug for a presidential candidate. The nerve. The leather shoes I was wearing making the long (more than 2 km, if I’m not mistaken) walk tiring. The thick polo shirt plus a white t-shirt inside completing the torture.

More than thirty minutes of brisk walk later, I arrived ahead of time; more than enough for me to grab a quick McDonald’s hotcake; and still more than enough for me to get me back to the right elevator inside the PBCom tower. Soon enough, I was among the eTelecare hopefuls waiting in their comfy lobby – while trying to get the feel of who’s the closest competition. Hahaha. By past 10 am, the two part examination took place. I think I can confidently say that I aced it. I was among those few who passed. But wait.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t prepared that the interview will be done past lunch – I was already hungry the moment I finished my exam by 11 because the view of the Krispy Kreme donut shop is right below me from the tower’s 12^th floor. We were made to wait back in their lobby but it doesn’t feel cozy this time. My hunger and the strong air-conditioning making the anxiety worse. The interview didn’t happen not until 1 pm.

Good thing that the interview was quick. Bad thing is that my answer in the application sheet seems to have worked against me (although I expected it). I answered the question, “are you willing work on rotation?” with NO. Because I just really can’t especially now that I’m getting serious with my first two MBA subjects. So once again, I heard the ever familiar line, “don’t call us, we’ll call you.” Bad sign number three.

I immediately walked out of the building with only one goal at that moment – grab some Krispy Kreme; and grab I did – I got an assorted dozen to go.

***

I arrived home by 3 pm and after having consumed 3 donuts while inside the bus. After a few chit chat with my waiting wifey and kid, I felt asleep. By 5 pm I woke up, eager to continue the attack on the Krispy Kreme, but this time with a well deserved hot coffee to go with it. And guess what, it wasn’t meant to be.

Just I was about to lean back on the couch and savor the steaming beverage, my good neighbor called out. He said he noticed that one of my car’s tires is completely flat. I got out, feeling bad about not having finished the coffee in the mug. The moment I saw the tire, I already had a bad gut feel about it. I changed it with the spare tire and headed to the nearest true vulcanizing shop. My hunch was right – its sidewall was intentionally punctured. Damn. Several things were already running inside my head. Bad sign number four.

After leaving the tire shop, I went straight to the Dasma police station to have the incident blottered because this time this isn’t just a mere malicious scratch which I had observed to appear every morning since the day I got into trouble with some of the board members in my intent to unify them. What makes me really feel bad is that it’s been months already after I resigned (trying to stay away from the worsening relationship) and until know some of the people here in our village still would like to make their views heard, sadly, through an unfair and cheap act – puncturing my car’s tire. Although, I have other thoughts why they did it. Hope I’m wrong.

I’ve already seek the help of some of my immediate neighbors and I’m just really hoping that the incident won’t happen again – and that whoever did this will come up and face me instead to talk about whatever they have against me. But until then, I just consider them cowards who would rather poke a defenseless tire. It’s bad, but the truth is, there are just some people who are worse than the poor butt hole.

Hopefully, tomorrow will be a better day. Hopefully, tomorrow, I’ll savor the remaining Krispy Kremes. Hopefully…

 Mood: 6/10 Honks!

 “Tell me why I don’t like Mondays” – Bob Gelfof and Johnny Fingers

“I hate Mondays” – Garfield

Yesterday was the weirdest Monday that I can recall…so far. Here’s why:

1. On my way to work the discussion over the radio was about an episode of the Oprah show where she approved of her guest’s suggestion of having to introduce teenage girls to the vibrator – and to mention that several Filipina girls called agreeing to such. I now wonder what else I’d hear this morning.
   
2. The parking lot was already full when I arrived. If my memory serves me right, it’s been months since it has become one of the deserted place in our company. For a moment I actually thought that our company isn’t closing after all. Hahaha. Wishful thinking, huh.
   
3. I’m starting my first day of the week listening to one of my most hated things to do – selling (outbound call center account) – and which for some, weird, reason I ended up enjoying the simulation activity. Isn’t that great? So does this mean that I do have the potential to sell?
   
4. Lastly, after reading one farewell email coming after the other, it has finally dawned on me that this is my last week at work, together with other identified employees. It now feels I’m starting to be sucked into the deep void of the bumhood black hole.
   

Well after conceding to the fact that this is really it, I had to excuse myself from our call center training just to compose my own farewell message. Here’s what I wrote in haste:

Friends and co-workers,

This is my last week at and I’d like to say the following: Thank you, Sorry and Goodbye.

Thanks. For the wonderful years I had with every people I work with. Thanks to my past and present mentors, colleagues and subordinates. Rest assured that every encounter I had with each and every one of you gave me experience and knowledge, and it has made me a better person than I was years ago.  Of course, I would like to thank my very recent group who welcomed me like I was already one of the experienced engineers – I really appreciate that. Thanks for the opportunity.

Sorry. I apologize to those whom I might have offended in one way or the other; it’s just some times the word constructive doesn’t come together with confrontation. And while I’m at it I’d like to say to those who have offended me (or at least they think so) as well that I won’t be leaving with any hard feelings.

Goodbye. I’d like to say goodbye those who are yet to leave – whether they like it or not. And lastly, I’d like to say good luck to everyone whether you’re continuing to Vietnam or be pursuing a different life after Intel.

Keep in touch. See you around folks.

Although I hate the fact that it isn’t a resignation letter (I’m still yet to write my first), I sent it out of course to almost everyone I’ve worked with; but like one lit up fuse flickering slowly towards a barrel of explosives, I became sentimental, somehow, about the whole thing while I was already on my way home. All of a sudden I find it ironic that at the start of this week is the beginning of the end of the long years working for what I’ve known as a great place to work. Hasta la vista Intel folks.

***

I figured later in the day that the reason why the parking lot was full is because some of my co-workers are already processing their clearances and some brought their car along with them.

There also was a job opportunity expo which was participated by a number of companies and probably the representatives parked their vehicles ahead of some of the employees like me; and this is one thing that will be missed by most because if there’s one company that doesn’t have reserved parking slots, it would be Intel. “Sorry boss, you’re late…go park somewhere.”

***

The sight and feel of yesterday’s job opportunity expo was unexpectedly great – may be because there isn’t much crowd unlike in the malls. The participating companies range from several business franchisors to cater to those who have finally decided be entrepreneurs; the ever familiar semiconductors were also present for those who haven’t got enough of the manufacturing environment; and of course there were call center companies which lately have become one of my interests. Well, Isn’t that great?

Ready for the call centers?

Mood: 4/10 Honks!

“There are no menial jobs, just menial attitude.” – Francis Kong (March 15, 2009)

“Globalization and its effect are caused in part by Intel’s product.” – J.

Yesterday, I ended my 3-day Career Continuation Workshop (CCW) session which is just one of the transition training provided by the company for those leaving, involuntarily. Unknown to most, especially to my new group, it was actually my second time to have such training. Last year I stopped attending after I applied for an internal position and eventually got accepted. This time it’s different. This time there’s no way but out. And with that realization, I became more serious and participative during the training despite the familiarity.

Another thing that’s unknown to some of my colleagues and co-employees, being retrenched for me is a familiar thing already. I left my previous company going through the same process but of course a whole lot different especially on the aspect of preparation. Back then, even if I have a hint that in a matter of days I’ll be retrenched, I was clueless of the exact date. The good thing about it though is that I was already hired at Intel but negotiated to report to a later date and was granted a 2-week allowance. Waiting for the D-day was like freefalling in the dark not knowing when impact will happen. I can’t exactly recall how the news was given, but everything happened so quickly. It started one sunny morning just when everyone was coming in to work. We were instructed to gather at the outdoor basketball court, listened to the brief announcement and were told how to go about the whole process. Just approximately two hours after, I was technically jobless. I can’t imagine how awful it would have been if it happens to me today (or last year). And this is where Intel made a difference…very significant difference. It hired DBM.

DBM which stands for Drake Beam and Morin, is an outplacement consulting and career transition services company with a very interesting history. It was founded on 1967 by two psychologists, Drake and Beam after they saw the need to help soldiers after the world war. They realized that since most of these soldiers have been taught about nothing but to fight (and probably to shoot and kill in the process), the moment the war ended they basically doesn’t have anything capable doing with the current skills they have. So in order for them to fit in to the post-war environment and make a successful transition, these two shrinks decided it was time to intervene. And the rest was history (Morin, came to partner with them later).

Last year, when I was identified as one of the affected employees, I actually had some reservations about this whole DBM training because I was thinking what training could I have had possibly missed at Intel? I’ve attended technical training, soft skills sessions, people management, time management and any other management-ending training…except maybe for the one starting with anger. Hahaha. That being said, I felt prepared enough to leave in three months time. I was wrong.

The DBM sessions opened my eyes and mind to a wider unexplored concept. It introduced me to things which I will surely regret had I stuck to my pride and stubborn self. I learned about things that could help me cope up with the outside world – a fitting term, having been “isolated” inside Intel for a decade or so (and to think that others spent more time).

DBM’s well-prepared, structured and interactive training presented me with so many questions. “What is an informed decision making process? What are my skills? Or do I have other potential skills still waiting to be discovered? How do I put these in my resume? What’s the employment trend now? What are my options? What is my net worth? How will I prepare for this change I’m facing and deal with the transition that follows it?” But thanks to our persevering, patient and professional trainers (and their staff) I already have my answers for each one. I’m quite sure that the remaining 176 days of DBM engagement, I’ll learn more.

Just before the CCW ended, our facilitator led the familiar retrenchment prayer. I silently prayed it last year but with the high hope that I’ll be able to still continue my Intel employment. It happened. Yesterday though was a different matter. With my head bowed down, I still sensed that among the other participants is someone with a lump in his/her throat, heavy with emotion as each word in the prayer sinks in. I was one of them.

Mood: 4/10 Honks!

“The only way to improve the quality of your life is to improve yourself. If you want to grow your organization, you must grow as a leader. If you want to have better children, you must become a better person.” – John Maxwell

By the last months of 2008 and until now my blog site’s hits picked up. The rate of visitors has increased a lot compared to early part of last year and that of course put a smile on my face. I attributed the improvement to my recent availability and frequent online activity. I’ve visited old contacts’ blogs, became active in several networks like multiply.com and Friendster, wrote more frequent than before and my wife has been promoting it as well to her colleagues and even her manager – which left me wondering if I’d be thankful or not for exposing me up to that level. Anyway, she left a comment and it was one of the most flattering comments I ever had.

That visit and comment though just didn’t add one more blog hits. From then on, I got challenged since I now know who’s been reading, who visited and what probably the expectations of my visitors and readers are. The pressure to write sensible blogs with acceptable composition (at least) started. I also began to check what were my latest posts and if I violated some of the company’s confidentiality. The good thing is I didn’t but the bad thing on the other hand is that due to the urge to write more, I seem to have written blogs with so much wordiness yet with less appealing topics, that even I hated it. Surprisingly, the hits kept on rising.

Now I’m becoming worried than ever. I’ve asked myself if I know who’s been coming back, why they come back, what their interests are and how they learned about my site in the first place. With that in mind and similar other observations I have from the blogging world lit my thinking bulb – it’s time I profile my visitors and/or readers.

Lurkers. They are often times blessings in disguise – they increase network traffic. And they make up the biggest percentage of your website hits. The problem with having them though is that most of the times they don’t leave any (good or bad) comments which keep you guessing what they are so interested about that they keep on coming back. Among these lurkers are:

• Spammers.
• Advertisers.
• Friends and family members who either hates or doesn’t know how to sign up.
• Enemies who would love to see you fail.
• English grammar teachers who are searching for the “I-kill-me-moment” for their next day classes. “Class, please visit crisn.wordpress.com and find as much grammatical error as possible in his post…”
• Copycats who secretly grab your ideas and plagiarize it in their own blog site (thanks at least for pingback that they get caught somehow).
• Journalists who are desperately trying to meet the deadline and hoping that a keyword or tag from your post will light up their own light bulb.
• Your current boss looking for violations in confidentiality.
• Your next employer.
• Your colleagues – wondering if you’re the same person they know especially if you’ve kept your writing skill (or the lack of it) secret.
• Your ex-lover.
• Your wife.
• Bloggers whom you visited and commented.
• Social engineers and “Phishers”.

Same feathers. Looks familiar? Yes, because it’s from the famous, “birds of the same feathers flock together” cliché. These are visitors and/or readers who may be also members of the internet forum or egroup you’re currently in. More often than not they don’t necessarily mean that they love your site, subject matter or even your writing style. More likely, they are just there hoping to exchange links and probably get some ideas in the process. So beware and don’t immediately edit that blogroll of yours unless you’re totally convinced that they deserve that sweet spot in your blog site.

Niche audience. Friend or foe, these are the people that you want in your blog site. They are those who have the same interest as yours and can fully relate to your blah, blah, blahs. They understand your jargons and other fancy terms. Unlike lurkers though, they usually keep in touch with you either through comments or emails. With them, the likelihood of an exchange of useful ideas is very high. These are among the people that you should maintain and have a close relationship with. Either add them to your favorites or add them to your blogroll.

The 3 Fs. Take that naughty smirk away because these aren’t what you think they are. They actually are your Family, Friends and Fans all at the same time – by force or by choice. hahaha. Although they aren’t as frequent as the lurkers, their visits are usually well-meaning and their praises are true. Just a warning though especially if you’re the type who can’t take criticisms. This group of people (or person) may give blunt comments that will hit you like your mother’s whipping spank – it will hurt, but whether you like it or not it is for your own good. So appreciate and cherish their comments but listen and act accordingly to their criticisms.

As my employment time is counting down my blog hits however is going up. While laid off, Blogging I guess will be my main occupation, paid or not, as I try to figure out what my next move will be. It is therefore a wise thing to give extra attention to know my visitors and/or readers because through it I get to feel what to improve, how to improve it and hopefully perfect it in the end – no matter when it will be and no matter what it will take. After all, I love writing and I’d be all smiles when the day comes that I do what I really love to do.

Mood: 3/10 Honks!

Last night I was checking wordpress after wondering if there are others like me who wrote about layoffs during this recession period. After clicking my layoff tag, the answer became clear – there’s just a lot of us. Here are the URLs that I’ve visited and some excerpts of their blog. (The last two aren’t from authors who directly experienced it but still the reason why captured them is because the emotions and the message are so well written despite being brief. Please check them out.)

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http://opentosuggestions.wordpress.com – Les, Oklahoma

“When I pulled up to the house tonight, my wife met me at the curbside with a smile and helped me carry my 3 boxes in eco-friendly Walmart bags into the house. We’re a team in everything we do. It’s great to have her by my side.

I go to bed tonight ready to meet tomorrow. “

http://gotlaidoff.wordpress.com  - Anonymous, San Francisco

“was just laid off from Accenture, and I have to admit I felt betrayed. The emotions you go through are similar to the grieving process, except depression comes first. I was determined not to dwell on it for too long, so I booked it to Vegas. Yup, good old fashioned denial was what I needed to keep my wits about the situation. When I got back, I was angry, but that got me to stage four in the grieving process- bargaining. “

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http://passingperiod.wordpress.com  - Jacksonhmills

“I’m mad that I was laid off, and I think it’s a shitty situation, but I’m not going to cry a river. In fact, I didn’t give anyone the benefit of seeing any tears. You know, except for a few people on the street, when it finally hit me.

I worked at the company for 19 months. I assumed my job was safe because I was busy. In hindsight, the work I was doing was not up to par of someone with four years’ experience copywriting “

http://chipdesignart.wordpress.com – From a chip design engineer

“how do i get busy, and what i do today, how do i spend my time?

Do i partition  a day to cry, get depressed , eat and sleep or i schedule in a different way…

Huge transition when my outlook calendar gets overlapped to no entry in my calendar… what next?? “

http://sensoryreplays.wordpress.com – Rob, Middle East

“four of my co-workers just got removed from our rig crew, they were sent to our base camp in dammam this morning without any advance notice and i really am not sure what the personnel department will decide for them, either they get transferred to another rig or sent straight to the house.  it’s just saddening. “

http://careeradventure.wordpress.com – Kristi Daeda

“Everywhere you go nowadays, it seems someone has lost their job.  Your brother, your cousin, your dry cleaner’s daughter…  The bright side for the unemployed?  The stigma of job loss is dissolving.  Chances are if someone hasn’t experienced it personally, they’ve either known someone, or watched competent peers go through it in their own companies. “

This morning after waking up from a long night sleep due to a sudden headache – probably due to reading about layoffs or the hot choco I had before dinner – I read a reply coming from Les (the first blogger):

Crisn ~
It’s like were all sailing along on the same ship, but it’s hairy because we’re sailing in low water. I’m finding it helpful to think of all humankind as a big family, all in this together. As far as I’ve seen in my 52 years, everything eventually works out. Most of us manage to still keep a roof over our heads and have food to put in our mouths. We at least cover the basics. We may not always get what we want, but that’s a lesson so many of us, including myself, still need to learn anyway. I hope you stay employed through these thin waters. However, If you run aground, come back here and we’ll help each other get through these hard times. ~ Les

That’s just well said and my point exactly why I think that keeping our network open during these hard times is a good idea so we can express what we think, help other people in some ways and show that indeed, “no man is an island.”

Mood: 3/10 Honks!

Last week, one of the training I attended discussed about job search. And one of the activities was for everyone to write on a card how they got to know our company and how they applied here. Some of the choices are: walk-in, wanted ads and networking (and others I can’t exactly remember). I was one of those who had my card written with networking. And surprisingly I was among the majority who had the same cards as well.

That activity was somewhat an eye-opener as when our instructor flipped the next page of the Powerpoint presentation it displayed the statistics of job search methods. Amazingly, the figure showed that more than 60 percent of successful job search (and eventually becoming hired) was due to referral from friends, colleagues, classmates, schoolmates, neighbors and some relatives. The rest of the methods are divided into the remainder of the pie chart.

Coming out of that session, I began to realize that no matter how busy we are, our network just had to be constantly visited or updated. From then on, I felt the need to open the communication lines – whatever the medium may be. I need to act fast before I become a no-one among my network and become the weakest or at least the faintest – i.e., not visible – among the link.

***

Thinking about my network, I compare myself to a spider that has been in hibernation. Now, I was all of a sudden awakened from my comfortable spot in the middle of the web. The hunger and urge to check on what has happened around so far kicked in. I need to see if some of the webs need repair, or if there are trapped insects that may be enough to serve as a meal.

The reason why I choose this analogy is because the spider and its web have elements that well reflect networking.

The webs are my connections to my contacts. And I’m pondering right now if there was any damage (albeit small) done due to my inactivity? Have I been too busy that led me to forget to check in on friends? Have they eventually took me out of their “favorites” list? Hopefully, it isn’t too late.

And of course, the insects in the silk trap may be considered as updates from friends, technological development on my field of study or even trends. It may even be job opportunities that my network has offered (yet ignored) to me.

Isn’t it now a good time to spin the web.

***

My recent obsession with Photography may therefore be considered as a blessing in disguise. Why? It pushed me to get active in one of my networks – i.e., multiply.com. It is right there where I get to learn some tips from enthusiasts who have spent time, effort and money to satisfy their craving for at least one nice shot.

So coming back to my multiply.com site didn’t just make me check on my contacts. Re-visiting it actually put a smile on my face when I saw the last photos I posted – prior to the Basic Photography class pics. And to let you know what these photos are, let me tell you another analogy:

Life Is Like A Bullet

Bullets have goals too. That is, for them to serve their purpose they need to be fired – come to think of it, they’ll be the only ones who won’t raise an eyebrow in front of Donald Trump when he says, “You’re fired!”

And to achieve that goal, the way into it must be identified.

Like people, some bullets are real…

..And some bullets aren’t. They are the posers.

Unfortunately, the posers in our midst do have the same ambition like us. Sometimes they may get in our way to reach the goal.

And sometimes, they may even have actually found the gate ahead of us just a step short of achieving the the main objective.

Sooner or later though, someone will find out all about him.

And when the real deal takes over, it will make it to the headlines.

Credit: Spiderweb photo by Jon Sullivan

I have forgotten all about this issue that has created another stir among “majority” of the Filipinos led supposedly by our nationalistic and caring brethren here and abroad. But just as I was about stretching my yet sleepy self out of bed I heard it from the news again.

This is about the discrimination issue being raised when a comedy show somewhere in Europe featured a maid being made to perform an indecent act in front of his British master. This short scene once again made it to our national news; both print and broadcast. Everyone jumped in the bandwagon like ants smelling an open sugar container. Everyone called foul. And once again everyone called for an apology from the British.

This news is not new though. The recent one I can recall was when actress Teri Hatcher’s character made a remark questioning the credentials of Filipino doctors during one of the Desperate Housewife episodes. This one too angered “all” Filipinos. Some even rallied behind to have the show and Teri Hatcher banned here in the Philippines. Of course, do I need to mention that an apology was demanded from Teri Hatcher?

News such as this is like an irritating itch to me. I hate it but I’m amused with it as well. Why? Because most of us are quick to point out discrimination coming from foreigners but have totally forgotten that it has been actually happening here in our country. We’ve stereotyped people coming from the provinces and treated some with less respect.

If someone speaks with thick Visayan accent, most will call them Dong. I learned from a friend that this is an insult especially if used in Cebu – also a Visayan province. And not only that, most shows portray their household drivers, maids or sidekicks as Bisaya. We enjoy seeing them being slapped in both comedy and the dreaded telenovela shows. To everyone, having a thick Visayan accent is synonymous to being illiterate or ignorant. How rude.

So what are we going to do with it? I’m from Bacolod where most will immediately call one coming from there as Bisaya. Should I demand then an apology from the rest of the fair skinned, fluent Tagalog-speaking Filipino? Should I waste my time and effort to get my message across? Unfortunately, I just did. To tell you frankly, I don’t give a damn. Hence, unless we get our acts together here in treating the rest of our countrymen fairly, let’s not be surprised and stop feeling discriminated if foreign shows brand us as cooks, janitors, gasoline attendants, dog-eaters, fake doctors, fake nurses and illiterate sexy maids. Live with it.

 What do you think? Please vote.

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Here’s what I read from yesterday’s Francis J. Kong article that made me relate it to my subject matter:

From the Albany Journal, 1890 comes this material…A true Christian never looks down on anybody, and yet this habit of looking down on the less fortunate acquaintances is common enough to make the following advice given by the Albany Journal to its young readers, very timely:

“Don’t look down on a boy because he wears shabby clothes; when Edison, the inventor first entered Boston, he wore a pair of yellow breeches in the depth of winter.

“Don’t look down on a boy because his home is plain and unpretending; Abraham Lincoln’s early home was a log cabin.

“Don’t look down on a boy because of the ignorance of his parents; Shakespeare, the world’s poet, was the son of a man who was unable to write his own name.

“Don’t look down on anyone; not just because some day they may outstrip you in the race of life, but because it is neither kind, nor right, nor Christian.”

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Did you know that?

Recently I discovered some fascinating facts:

*There’s a book in the bible called Job. (from my mother who sent me a personal message for my Playing With God blog)

*A man named Expeditus did exist. And guess what, he is the now the saint for people with urgent cases. (seen among the statues inside the humid Dasmarinas church)