I read about this British chef getting fired on a popular American TV show for lying about his credentials. I find it incredible that no one caught him out before his show even aired.

When I worked in Ortigas, there was this girl in Finance who worked for the company for at least 2 years before she got the sack. Her CV says she has a degree in Accounting from UST. She even worked with the Head of Finance in another company. So she’s apparently experienced and has got good references if her boss took her with him in a second job. She was gregarious and was always brown-nosing to our Company Director’s wife (doing odd jobs like donning Winnie the Pooh costume for her kid’s bday party). I don’t know how anyone found out she’s not a degree holder because I was certainly not asked to produce my diploma, thus it wasn’t a routine check.

Then in my last job, I overheard a contractor speaking to the development manager about the content of his CV. As he was freelancing, he said it was necessary for him to dress up his CV to get that interview. So he puts in technologies and owns up to skills that he doesn’t know (much less understand). He says “it’s easy enough to read up on it when I really need it”. Du’h!

On that day I realised why a developer sent me a mock “Dummy’s Guide to DOS” picture, which he says that contracted web developer needs. This “experienced” web developer was asking how to go from drive c: to d: in a Windows DOS console.

A friend said that lying and cheating are genetic traits. One more reason why the Pinas’ political dynasties do need culling.

It was never going to be easy for Gordon Brown, for starters he’s Scottish. Okay maybe that one’s just my opinion, but we all know he’s going to live under Tony Blair’s shadow for a long time to come. In fact, according to news during his first few weeks in office his rating was lower than David Cameron*, the pompous elite Conservative Party’s Shadow to Brown, which encouraged the Tory to challenge him to a General Election (kind of a snap election). Obviously, Brown didn’t bite, which some will see as weakness. Don’t be fooled though, it’s not like there’s any real alternative.

Unfortunately for him, his first few months in office and his government’s immediately rocked by the Northern Rock saga.

Brown’s team decided to loan money to the sick bank and it caused uproar. Up to now they’re still trying to save it. I will not pretend to follow the current events in the UK (or anywhere else), so I do wonder why the UK government’s bothering to save this institution. I mean, shouldn’t they sort out the pensions crisis before saving some private organisation?

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I’ve always come across magazine articles about singletons being left behind as all their friends succumbed to the ball-and-chain married life. They voice varying opinions about not wanting kids, or envying stable relationships, or wanting to “settle” but not liking the idea of a marriage certificate, etc etc.

How about happily married folks who often look back and sigh?

Well, sometimes I do.

I enjoyed my single life and independence so much, that now and again I find myself, thinking what it would have been like to stay single all these years.

A singleton friend from America stayed with us recently. I was really looking forward to it as much as she did. It was her 3rd time over & she was going to hook up with some “bloke” she met last time she was here. We booked her post-bday bash and we planned a night-out. Hubby volunteered to stay with Kelvin (long story).

The eve of my FIRST proper nightout in London, I realised a number of things:

One, I don’t have anything to wear. All my clothes were office-wear and those that aren’t, aren’t “glam” enough. Que horror. I can’t turn up at a nightclub in my jumper!

Two, I have self-imposed curfew. I tried my best, but my involuntary reflex was to keep checking my watch and my phone. Every hour I “touched base” with hubby to confirm where we were.

Three, when the suggestion came up to move to the party to a house somewhere along the Docklands, I can’t join them. I found myself actually telling my friend “it’s not my scene” anymore. I wouldn’t belong in a singleton’s party without my hubby. The atmosphere will not be the same for me.

Coming home I told hubby that I’d love to accompany my friend on her Europe trips. But I know she will not enjoy it as much as I would. I’d have to bring Kelvin with me or the entire family, and being single once I know that’s not “her scene” either.

When you’re single and adventurous you don’t want to be lumbered with a child. It’s going to cramp your style if you’re on the prowl. And how is she supposed to see the night-life in area if we turn around and tell her she’d have to go on her own or that we can go but only for 2-hours?

I am finally enjoying my married-with-a-kid life in London. I have managed to attend drink-do with my current officemates. I thought it’s not far-fetched to think I can start going on night-outs. The logistics are hazy but I thought I could invite a few kindred spirit, perhaps hubby and I can book a trusted nanny…

It really just hit me how different my life is now.

One of the evils of Democracy is the “red tape”. It’s in every bureaucratic (thank you spell checker!) organisation you have the misfortune of dealing with.

True, I laughed my ass off when I read this email about a Filipino employee trying to obtain a TIN from the Philippines’ BIR (anyone have a copy of that email - pa-forward naman uli it’s a classic worth re-reading when you’re down).

I raise my middle finger subconsciously every time I go the London’s Philippine Embassy. As soon as you step in their compound (that needs an overhaul, please!) I am transported to the hateful memories of queueing and waiting and watching our dear civil servants walk like zombies then be super-sonic when it’s 10 minutes to: lunch time or end of day. I faced our legal counsel one time while he was munching a Burger King and he’s happily chatting to someone-who-should-not-be-there-while-I-discuss-my-personal-life.

Yes, I do love (!) visiting the basement of the Embassy where you’re reminded that the Philippines is indeed poor, we cannot even maintain our Official HQ. I mean, you’d be scared to piss in the toilet & you’ll definitely hang on to your dear life when you try to climb down the stairs.

Then if your business is not done within the right hour, you are reminded how pitiful you are by begging/bribing/cajoling the clerks into “please, please madam put your super-expensive stamp on my paper before you have your adobo & we freeze outside”. Ok we do not freeze outside, we’re sometimes forced to “come back tomorrow”.

Anyway, you know what? Red tape & all the stupidity hate frustration that goes with it, is not only for the sick countries of the world.

I received an Inland Revenue letter saying I have to pay them back some Tax Credit because they apparently overpaid me. Ok, fine I will. So I called & waited. When I got thru, I answered 6 different security questions & then the operator said I failed one of them so I have to call them back. WTF?! Can’t you ask me again? Nope, “I already told you what you have to do & we cannot go any further”. 1-2-3-4… am still counting coz talagang imbyerna ka ha.

Fine I called again. This time I answered all the questions correctly. Then I stated my purpose & the clerk says, “Oh ma’am you have to dial another number for that request”. AARRGGGHH.

1-2-3-4-5-6-7…. Fine. I dialled that number. Gone thru another 6 security questions (by this time I wish I could just replay recorded answers). Then I stated my purpose hoping that this will be it! Nope. But thankfully, she could put me through directly to the correct department (how many of you are familiar with this phrase?).

Deep breaths, deep breaths. Finally after some more security questions (which I’m thankful for - honest - just exasperated), my request was dealt with!

People remember, this is a call that is meant to GIVE THEM money. I cannot imagine how it would be if I was to request for money or complaint. Que barbaridad.

image from: home.aanet.com.au/hcrosby/

Scarlett Johansson said she wants to go to Iraq to entertain the soldiers. When asked what she’d do, she said she’ll probably just go on stage and “ooze sex appeal”.

How do you intentionally ooze sex appeal?

At any rate, I wish I could say the same thing & not have people throw up. You know something along the lines of:

“I’m not going to prepare for the management meeting, I think I will just sit there & ooze sex appeal”

Somehow though I get the feeling, that will not work. It doesn’t work with hubby when I want to distract him and forget about my credit card bills.

On another note…

We saw the Transformers movie last week and it was all that I dreamed about & more. It wasn’t even violent. Kelvin was transfixed. Daddy, I think, felt left out because he’d tap either Kelvin or myself & we’d both tell him to “shush”.

Shia LeBouf was perfectly cast. The action sequences were superb. The animation was SUPER FANTASTIC. And Bay didn’t disappoint die-hard fans like myself, he kept the well-known supporting characters: StarScream and Bumblebee. The 3D look they gave Optimus Prime had me reeling. He’s so… sexy. Did you see how he managed to “spike” one of the Decepticons? That’s the first time I’ve seen my hero become violent. In the 80’s TV version, they fly, drop bombs, chase each other & punch. No mortal combat.

The pouting girl was a distraction. I could almost forgive her skimpy top because at least she wasn’t wearing 5-in stilettos & still be driving tractors!

Some of the dialogues are pretty lame (dumbed down script?) but I’m nit-picking, the film is flawless in its genre. It’s not about Hamlet, it’s about alien life forms morphing into trucks and jets.

I came in ready to be disappointed, not wanting to get my hopes up, but at the end of the film, I wanted to jump up & clap! It was an amazing experience to see my hero on the big screen & doubly-great that my son “digs” it as much as I.

So this film is not just a must see, it’s a must see-again-and-again. I’m waiting for the DVD, or a sequel, or a TV-version?

I love you, Optimus Prime!

My probationary period is over & thus like an acceptance to some exclusive membership, some of my benefit certificates started arriving. Goody.

Then I opened the healthcare policy. Three (3) things were wrong with.

First. It was addressed to hubby when I’m supposed to be the main policy holder.
Second. I was not even mentioned in the policy, just my husband & Kelvin.
Third. It was missing the dental & optical plans.

Total screw up. Our company hired a benefits service company to handle all our benefit packages. I can only surmise that when I emailed our administrative staff to “do not include my hubby & son on my healthcare plan”, it was interpreted either by the service company or the health care provider that my hubby, being a man, is the member of the technology team not Mrs.

The service’ account manager called me to clarify what happened & then tried to get away by saying the original instruction was to include all family members. I asked her how that explains my missing name & my husband being the policy holder?

I could, of course, be jumping to conclusions here but it’s happened several times to me before. I work in IT so I must be a man. Letters addressed to Mr D S…, my hubby’s name is Joel! And he doesn’t work in Central London, he’s a nurse, people!

Funny though sometimes I get addressed as Dr, too. Why? Who knows.

I find it odd, sometimes disturbing, when people congratulate others when being granted Visa’s. Back in the days when people pay professional-queuers to stand in line in front of the US Embassy, you get strangers wishing you luck, giving you tips, grilling you after the interview, and commiserating or congratulating you when you get the result.

I wonder if it’s the same across the globe for all “third-world” citizens. Are we all so eager to enter a “first world” country we have to celebrate or despair depending on the pendulum’s swing?

Sometimes it’s sickening esp when you see Pinoys literally begging the consul, or you overhear stories of mad attempts to bulk up their “show money”. It angers me a little but then with poverty everywhere & hopelessness in their lives, you can’t really blame them.

When will it happen that we’ll get these westerners beg us to let them in? Actually can we even impose a required visa for Americans instead of giving them this universal passport to our country? You know, just to balance it out a little.

Forgive my mumblings I stumbled on a blog with each & every comment congratulating the blogger on her US visa approval.

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For the record, I also hate the Third World - First World labels!

This seems to be true for our Pinoy nurses no matter where they are. Much more apt to those I have met here in the UK. They left Pinas because their salaries cannot support them and their families. Staying in Pinas meant their dreams will remain just that. Our nurses in the Middle East moved here, too.

When the UK opened its doors, those “lucky” Pinoys did all they could to come over. Some are still trying to get in eventhough NHS has stopped hiring. Those who have been here for 4-5 years are now either permanent residents or are British citizens. I’m sure at least 80-90% of them have debt in the form of loans (for that mansion in Pinas) and multiple credit/store cards, or even a mortgage and/or a new car.

However, they also realise that the health service in the United Kingdom is akin to that of Pinas - it’s very low-paid. Unlike the fire service, they cannot go on strike to demand more money. So they are stuck. Then it hit most of them that the cost of living is “too high”, especially since everyone insists on living in & around London. Add to the fact that the culture is quite different from that of their real American dream.

So we have a list of enumerable complaints. The houses are too small. The facilities are antiquated. The weather sucks (compared to California). The cars are too expensive. Applying for a decent mortgage is near impossible. All these are heard everywhere from every Filipinos’ mouth, of course those are in comparison to the lives of their bros/sis/cousins in America, in Canada, or in Australia.

I have a number of friends who flew to America and Oz and many are to follow this year, their kids in tow. There goes the noc Filipino again searching for a better life. But is it really that bad? Here we get free medical and dental (to an extent for adults, free for kids til 18 y/o). We now have 1 year maternity leave with pay, paternity leave has been extended to 3 months. We have parental leaves. Most companies do not impose a set number of allowable sick leave. We have proper bank holidays and nurses are allowed 1 month vacations where they have a total of more than 35 days off in a year! Yes sometimes education sucks, but it’s the same anywhere. You have to find your child a decent school (free or semi-private or private). Eventhough it’s a common notion that Europe has far to go in terms of racial equality, there is racial integration in London and Human Rights count for something not just lip service.

It boils down to contentment. It is difficult to please everyone & of course if you don’t feel comfortable where you are, you move. I’m just thinking that some Pinoys seem very difficult to please. Or perhaps some of them didn’t know what they were getting themselves into when they jumped on their first plane to UK. Let’s hope they know now.

Now this is what I like in developed countries, it is rare that consumer complaints are not responded to. At the very least you will receive an apologetic letter and most likely, you get compensated.

When I blogged about my nightmare trip home via c2c, I said I will file a complaint & I did. I received a proper email response after 7 days. The letter was long. The girl explained what caused the problem, what action they took to resolve it, and admitted to their shortcomings. At the very end, she asked that I give them suggestions on how to better improve their services and also send them an address they can send some compensation through. I did. I outlined some suggestions like linking directly with the bus companies and other train operators to mitigate severe disruptions like what we experienced. And of course I included my home address.

Yesterday I received 3 rail network vouchers worth £10 each! Well, those more than covers the extra £6 I forked out to get home that horrible night. I looked at the expiry dates and they are valid for a year. Great. I’m certainly one happy compensated passenger.

I also got similar treatment from Amazon. I pre-ordered the clip-on iPod Shuffle and the site said it will be delivered after 3 weeks or something. It was for hubby’s xmas gift last year. Only when November arrived did I realise that the player hasn’t arrived. I checked my Order Status and there was no comment, I checked my email addresses in case I missed a notification, I didn’t. I wrote a strongly worded complaint to Amazon. To cut the story short, they gave me a £5 voucher to spend on Amazon as compensation for the delay & their lack of feedback.

I doubt if I can ever expect this level of customer service in Pinas, unless you scare the hell out of them.

The other day I sent an email to everyone in the office & I used LMK (i.e. Let me know) at the end. Our COO, whom I adore, asked me later on what it meant. Then laughed when I told him.

Working in IT I just always fall in the ass-u-me role all the time when it comes to things like these.

When I was inducting a couple of DLSU interns years ago, I used “FYI” in a statement. A hand came up asking what it was. I “assumed” they knew because presumably they’re into texting (they won’t stop even when told & most of them are brats) and also chats.

Oh well.

On the otherhand, I often encounter NB (nota bene) here in London. Normally in Manila, we tag them as spelled out “note:”. Maybe NB is used in Pinas, too I just didn’t encounter it in my former workplace?