A tale of three cities - my 2013 vacation

This year, I decided to splurge a little for my 55th birthday. The trip was supposed to be something out of the ordinary because my partner and I would be doing three different cities in two different countries in 11 days. Our flight on Delta Airlines and Air Canada was without a hitch. Delta Airlines Business Elite new lie flat beds offered exquisite rest for long hauls and you arrive in your destination well rested. And what's a vacation without the pampering? My recommendation to all vacation afficionados is to check out boutique hotels through tablethotels.com and see their recommendations. Boutique hotels have been my guide to what I believe are the best choices so you get most out of your buck! Not only do they have the plush amenities, grandeur and comfort one looks for, but the rest one truly deserves away from the madding crowd.

First stop was Vancouver, Canada.

Of all major cities in Canada, this was one place I had never been to.

Arrived on time and checked into Loden Hotel. Situated right at the front of Coal Harbor is this beautifully and intricately well appointed hotel. The Park Vista room was not that large but the view of the mountain and the sea was spectacle to behold and a great way to wake to every morning with its double walled floor to ceiling windows.

Vancouver reminded me of Sydney, Australia. Laid back, quaint and quiet city, Vancouver, British Columbia was technically the migration hub of thousands of Hong Kong citizens right before the turnover of Hong Kong to China. Many of the Chinese living in Hong Kong in 1996 had feared that when the British colony would be handed over to China in 1997, there would be repression of rights. Most of the affluent had taken their money out of Hong Kong and infused it into this state in Canada. The large financial influx had made properties in Vancouver soar disproportionately to its current value.

Right at the back of our hotel was Coal Harbor. The hotel concierge offered bikes for free and Stanley Park was a must see area, especially on pedals. Food in Vancouver ranged anywhere from Asian to Western. But you could tell that there were mostly Asian restaurants on almost every corner, especially Japanese cuisine. I highly recommend Wingyo, a Japanese fusion restaurant and Yew (located at the Four Seasons Hotel) for great seafood.

Arriving on a weekend meant that most of the stores would close early. Sunday was dedicated to visiting the outskirts of Vancouver. And Whistler was a 1 1/2 hr drive from the city. Although this was summer in North America, the splendor of the glaciers with a Peak2Peak ride was the highlight of the stop in this lovely city of Canada.

The last day was devoted to shopping and meeting up with Winnie and Jerry. The few hours of small talk on how life has been since they moved to Vancouver and how life is back in the Philippines went by so quickly.

Our next stop was Toronto. On board a delayed flight of Air Canada, we arrived almost 7pm considering the time difference of the east coast and west coast. Which meant that by the time we checked into Le Germaine Hotel, there was really nothing to do already for the day wasted. The CN Tower was the first pitstop of this leg. Dinner was at 360C Restaurant, in what was once the world's tallest tower.

Toronto is more of a mix of eclectic culture and far warmer too. It was cosmopolitan to a fault because the city tried to be something different from the rest of Canada. The Eaton mall was huge. Casa Loma was historical. The St. Lawrence Market was perfect. And the Distillery District offered fine food and great art.

The final day was dedicated to going to Niagara Falls - the view from the side of Canada (which of course was more spectacular than the US side). Dags picked us up towards lunch time and it was a half day reminiscing old times and new chapters in our lives.

The highlight of this leg of our trip was crossing the Canada-US Border by land (and back). After Niagara, we headed off for some outlet shopping at Buffalo, New York, dinner at the Anchor Bar (famous I believe for it's SUICIDAL Wings), and yes, a bit of reminiscing for Bob who had once worked for HSBC and trained in Buffalo. We got back to the hotel almost 1030pm and started packing for our very early flight to the US.

We arrived in New York City early and a special thanks to The Chambers hotel for allowing us to check in early. After the laid back Canadian trip, arriving in the city that never sleeps had excitement painted all over our faces. While we darted off to meet separate friends on various occasions, we still kept a few days and moments to ourselves enjoying what New York City had to offer. And while this may be our umpteenth time to be here, there are still places where we have not seen. Whether it was SOHO, Midtown, Uptown, Central Park or the Lincoln Center, the company we kept was highlighted with one hell of a memorable weekend of shopping, eating, and sleeping! More shopping, more eating and sleeping in late at The Chambers was such a relaxing experience! The hotel is just a short two blocks from Central Park and unbelievably hip and cool.

Topping it was the gay parade where you could palpably feel the celebration of freedom of expression regardless of sexual orientation.

I cannot thank enough Jojo and Charles who took time out for my crazy weekend in NYC. Jojo flew in from San Francisco just to meet up. Talk about jet setting. Both Jojo and Charles were my students in med school. Seeing how successful they are in their own endeavors puts pride in me that when people set out to seek their dreams, I was part of that journey.

The best part of this vacation?

Let's put it this way. I don't have relatives in the US or in any other part of the world. But the tons of friends (not just acquaintances) that I have will always tell me that anywhere I will be, I have been part of someone's journey. As I said in FB, time is a luxury we can never purchase. And when people spend time with you, it defines the depth of your value.

Until my next trip, thank you to my friends for one of the best vacations I ever had.

Simple living

At mass the other week, the priest told us that he had to attend to two burial masses the week before. The first mass was for a senior citizen who passed away at the age of 105. She died in her sleep at their ancestral and from old age. The priest was astounded at how long she lived. According to her children, their mother who stayed in the province ate mostly chicken, fish and vegetables and did not care about the stressors in life. She raised 7 children in accordance to what they had in the family.

The second mass was for a 40 year old man who kept himself totally fit at a very exclusive gym. He had a discount card to purchase all the supplements and muscle building protein shakes his body could take. He was a top executive at one of the biggest companies and was always on the go. He lived life, literally, to the edge. He collapsed during the workout, apparently had a massive coronary, and was dead right where he juiced up a sweat - in the gym. He left a 10 year old son from an estranged wife.

I remember my grandparents and some of the other senior citizens who grew up in the digital dinosaur age, the latter being a term of endearment from the younger crowd today for those who are not into technological gadgets. Obviously, there are commercials that make "lolo and lola" seem to catch up with technology, but let's face it, as my mom would say - "I don't need additional stressors in life".

Over the last two decades, technological advancement has made the world evolve at an excruciatingly rapidly phase. Mobile gadgets have evolved from touch screen to air shuffling. What was once sci-fi in the movies is now at our fingertips. And while many (if not most) of us are busy exploring the advances in technology and how to keep up with it, back at home it's a different story.

Kids have grown up differently. With all the advertisements and endorsements with the take home message of "buy me" or "you need me", the youth have engaged themselves in more materialistic goods. Being hip and chic with the crowd is cool and sassy. We're all into a wow factor or those being in a situation where we have our "moments". Trending has become the word of the day and "selfie" the pic of the week. Bullying has become a fad, hashtags (#) have become a following. Kids don't use the library anymore. Googling has become an accepted term for searching and "copy and paste" has become synonymous to plagiarism. Where Facebook is not just a fad but a must. Where "twitting" is your daily shout out and "Siri" is now your secretary on the go.

I grew up in the era of transition.

Where my childhood years were spent running in the beach or walks along Roxas Boulevard. Where birthdays would be a frugal celebration with my family. Where a surprise gift would be a spankingly new book to read or a set of Matchbox cars. Where watching a movie would be one of the best treats to a holiday. Where a new shoe or school uniform would come every other year.

As I hit college, the transition began. By the time I finished med school, technology had taken over. There was the beeper from EasyCall and the malls were finally booming at a rapid pace. Glorietta became the hip place to be. SM once a lessee now became a lessor. People began to travel more. The mobile phones came as large gadgets that looked more like war toys than the iPhones we have today.

Thirty years have passed since I graduated from med school. And the times have quickly changed. Not only the landscape of treatment in medicine but even in the academe. Today, each student has access to the internet and must be technologically savvy or is left behind. And the gears they carry include unlimited surfing with an android phone, a tablet and a state-of-the-art laptop. Some of the younger, more techie professors try to catch up with their students, who, definitely are a mile ahead of them in terms of technology.

The malls have sprouted in every nook and cranny of the metropolis and dormitories are now chic, boutique looking, spic and wifi capable. Where fast food junk has become the staple food and commercialism of every occasion the rule.

Patients who come in are now armed with more information at the palm of their hands - sometimes, more than what the doctor can handle. And with HMO care, some doctors rush to see patients in less than 60 seconds.

Life has become one hurried, harried, phase in our lives. Many have forgotten the meaning of making a life because they're more engrossed in making a living. With only 24 hours a day, many of us want more time.

More time...we toil to make more money so we can satisfy our material wants. As a friend of mine would say - "luho". And when materialism gets the most out of us, we become different people - much like a Jekyll and Hyde. Many spiral out of control. The more we make, the more we want. And the vicious cycle becomes disproportionate to the lives we were meant to live. In the equation of making a living, some of us learn to even question religion and drop God from the equation. There is no Sunday mass any longer. We make time for beautifying our skin or dumping money for a make-over but leer at the poor boy who sells "sampaguita" in the rain.

I've had really bad days in my life. For those who know my life story, I've had some of the worst days.

But I've had better days in my life as well. It's the bad days that keep me grounded to simple living. That money is there to earn but it is also there to spend. That materialism will get us a shot at fame, but at a price we dearly pay for.

If you took the time out to read this quite lengthy blog, you should have spent about 5 minutes going over what I said. Take another 5 minutes and reflect on your past and compare your life today. Then take another 2 minutes to hug your mom, dad, wife, husband, children or significant other for a minute and say how lucky you are that they are part of your life.

Those, my friend were the best 12 minutes of your life. And if you liked the 12 minutes spent, think about how far simple living would bring you.

[photo from livesimplechicago.wordpress.com]

Business ethics: The case of SM and the Philippine Government

Sy family to Sec. Abaya: You can build the common station anywhere, so long as it's named 'SM'






That was the headline on interaksyon.com. The issue stemmed from the building of the common station of LRT1 and MRT3 where SM North Edsa would be the common terminal for the metro train stations in Metro Manila.

Transport Secretary Joseph Abaya said that the government had decided to "ditch SM North EDSA as the common terminal for the Metro Rail Transit 3 and Light Railway Transit 1" after Hans Sy, son of business tycoon Henry Sy and President of SM Prime Holdings had said that the terminal should not only use North EDSA as the name for the common station, but must carry the symbol of SM as well. This, after SM had also given the government P200M ($5M) for bragging rights for the station's name. The station would also serve as the connection to MRT7.



http://www.interaksyon.com/business/63005/sy-family-to-sec--abaya-you-can-build-the-common-station-anywhere-so-long-as-its-named-sm



This is a good case for business ethics in school. To some, it would probably mean that the Sy's seem greedy at promoting their company's name and emblazooning the name of the company at the station meant that it would be promoting it's company for business purposes.

But here's the flip side of the issue. The Sy's have recently been cited by Forbes Asia as one of the top philanthropists in the country. "John Koppisch, senior editor of Forbes Asia, was quoted in the report as saying that they picked only 'true philanthropists who are giving their own money, not their company’s because donating shareholder funds isn’t charity.'"


"The magazine cited Sy for donating $7 million to De La Salle University to build an eco-friendly building and $112 million to an unnamed foundation. Sy is the founder and chairman of the SM Group of Companies that is engaged in retail, shopping malls, banking, hotels and property development."

Many schools and institutions have buildings named after major donors. UST for example has three buildings named after donors - Tan Yan Kee Building (a donation of tycoon Lucio Tan), Alfredo Velayo Building (housing the college of accountancy, and the Angelo King Auditorium in the Benavides Cancer Institute. De La Salle University itself has a whole building donated by the Yuchengco family and is called the Don Enrique Yuchengco Hall. Ateneo de Manila houses the Eugenio Lopez Jr. Center for Multimedia Communications, John Gokongwei School of Management Business Accelerator, Ninoy and Cory Aquino Center for Leadership, Ricardo Leong Center for Chinese Studies, Konrad Adenauer Asian Center for Journalism (ACFJ), and the Governor José B. Fernandez Ethics Center for Business and Public Service. These are but a few examples of donors whose names have been affixed to what they donate.

So here's the rub - what was so wrong in having the common station at North EDSA renamed to SM North EDSA?

We all know that these tycoons have provided food on the table by providing jobs, schools, and other philanthropic work through what they have earned. Something that is palpably lacking with government. The taxes we have paid our government that should be translated to the masses are inevitably visibly lacking. The donation or "bragging rights" the Sy's have extended to the government in building the common station at North EDSA on the property of the Sy's would certainly go a long way in terms of public service programs.

However one puts it, I always say that "beggars can't be choosers". The government should reexamine why, in the first place, it accepted the P200M before deciding to "return" the money of the Sys. The ethical dilemma here is a two way street - and government must justify whether the decision is one of conscience or of ego.

Ego will never feed a nation where 70% of its people live below the poverty line.

The Happy Pill

It's strange how people define what makes them happy.

To some, it may be tons of cash while to others, a simple dream fulfilled is all that matters.

I recall that my childhood years were filled with memories of both happiness and struggles. My parents made sure that we had food on the table, a house over our heads, and went to good schools. When my father passed away, he didn't have enough money in his savings for his own coffin. Which told you the kind of man he was. That all he worked for went to his children. That he was never stingy in any way. He was stern in rearing us to earn well for material things but those material things were meant for spending.

My parents toiled day and night to give us a better future...and they did not even blink when they had to give up even the last coin in their pockets. And while it hurt to see them squeeze the last centavo, they found happiness in giving till it hurt.

That's what made them happy.

It's the kind of happiness that defines love to the core.

It's the kind of happiness that when you recall those days, it puts a smile on your face and sheds a tear to your eyes.

It's the kind of happiness that requires no repayment.

It's the kind of happiness that makes you know, that you're important in someone else's life. When someone is willing to give up even the smallest piece of bread so that you've had your fill, that is called love.

There are many things that make me happy because I am not a materialistic person. I am most happy when I see my family together, spend senseless Tuesdays with my aging mother whom I fondly call Inang, be with my partner even for just a few hours in the week talking (or not talking) about senseless stuff, sharing dinner in a fancy restaurant with the whole family (did I mention that we love to eat?), getting a good massage at my favorite spa, and spoil my family to death.

Some people say that I have mellowed with age (or have aged and mellowed). As I got older in my profession, I came to discover a pill that suits all people regardless of age or illness. It's one that is a free supplement to whatever maintenance medicines I'm currently on. It's the only one that I can truly say, has no safety issues as it is absolutely safe. I call it the happy pill.

The happy pill does not recognize envy or greed. It has no fear of what others will say because it stands on solid principles of integrity of one self. It has no fear of where life will lead us because it knows that we just make each day a happy day so that when time is up, we're ready to leave this worldly earth.

I told myself that if I lived to be 60 I should be happy. No one gets the grace to live that long. My father didn't make it. He died at 59. Any more years after 60 is already a bonus. Anyone who lives after 70 has super extra lives. They're either destined to do more good or to do more bad (look at our politicians...hehehe).

But seriously, today, I've learned to live one day at a time. One dream a day. I've written a bucket list and am learning to cross out those that I have achieved. Then I move on. One goal at a time.

Yup. With my new found medicine, called the happy pill, I know that whatever I achieve, will be done in my time...in God's time. We all have our destiny.

This is mine.

Philippine Mafia in Politics - the Circus is back in town

The Philippine politicians (and mundane media people) call our political clans a Dynasty.

I beg to disagree. The right term is Mafia.

The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid 1800s in Sicily, Italy. Their common enterprise - protection racketeering. Every clan claims sovereignty on a territory where it operates various rackets ranging from money laundering to prostitution. A mafia engages in any illegal financial trade.

With that said, I vehemently disagree with calling our political clans a dynasty. Based on etymological definition, a dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family. However, dynasties are akin to affluence, influence, prominence and monarchical in class.

Most of our political clans have no class. Through some devious means, they have cajoled themselves into fame and fortune by using and usurping power through various ways.

The Estradas and Ejercitos are an example. By the power of the sperm of Erap, aside from bastardizing the political scenery, he has even put real-life bastards into political positions. And the restless masses go into a frenetic chant for Erap, Estrada or Ejercito.

Every three years, Philippine politics becomes a cavalcade. It's like waiting for the circus to come to town where the spectators eagerly await for all the clowns, acrobats, magicians and animals to give the best performance of this once in a lifetime show.

This year promises to be a repeat performance for all the mafias in the political arena in the Philippines. And nothing surpasses our show where celebrities and those mentally challenged or should I say, incompetent, have nothing better to boast than their wealth, their family name, their movie accomplishments, their endorsements and other quad media commercials, or that they're in the Philippines' top taxpayer list.

Let's stick to the obvious. Those that run for politics in this country do it not for love of nation but for propagating the spirit of creating a business enterprise where the children eventually inherit the earth, where the businesses in the local government units or the country are run by them or their relatives, where the promises during a campaign are left at that - empty promises. After the election, they go back to doing what they best do - steal, cheat, and lie. They have no cerebral capacity to even run a household but promise to run the senate!

Those who toil day and night and have the BIR check our income tax returns to the last digit (like me) don't even see the taxes we pay at work. The poor are still poor or poorer. The roads are dilapidated. There are more taxes in the form of expanded value added taxes. The streets are riddled with traffic enforcers who don't do anything except run after number coding cars. Public transportation is the pits in this country. It's not really what is right that's implemented but whom you know that gets their individual economies running.

This coming election is just another farcical exercise in futility. Unless every Filipino exercises the true meaning of a democratic election and intelligent electorate, we just go through another three years of some mafia or clown running this country.

In the end, we're actually to blame. Media in the Philippines, in all its true sense of owing it to the public has its own share of conflict of interest. After all, it's the money in the end that matters to all.

And that's why it's time to either migrate or prepare for a revolution.

Narcissism and Kris A.

It's been two weeks since the telenovela drama of Ms. Kris Aquino and the three sisters on ABS-CBN news. I don't know what there was to devote almost 30 minutes of the news show to Kris crying on national television about her spat with her ex-husband. Let me say it - my god - since when was the f*cking problem of Kris' love life even a national issue?

My mom had snatched the remote control of the TV from my hands while we were having dinner. While I was busy watching American Idol, my mother suddenly yanked the TV controls and said, "it's Kris' turn". What the?!?!?!! She said that James Yap had given his side and it was Kris' turn. What the?!?!?! Who the f*ck cared about their spat? Unless they killed each other and sliced Bimby into pieces somewhere in the pantry, I wouldn't give a f*ck with what they did with each other. But my mom had to hear the side of Kris. And while the Aquino sisters had their day on TV - all my mom could say was - MGA SINUNGALING!!!

I wanted to slap my mom silly, but yeah...acting does not befit the Aquino sisters. And why on earth did it even become a national issue that it had to hog the media? Was having sex with Kris by her ex-husband even something worth tackling on national TV?!?! Syet!! If it is eh mamatay na kayong lahat! I guess it's a sign that ABS-CBN is either desperate or the station is sinking fast that it had to gain media mileage through the saga on the life and times of Kris.

This woman needs psychiatric help. No decent person will go through an abusive relationship and dramatizing it on nationwide TV seems to be her past time. Remember the days when she had the spats with Philip Salvador (of whom the have a son, Josh) and then the gonorrhea episode of Joey Marquez? My golly - I believe Cory and Ninoy are glad they're not alive anymore to see their youngest turn out to be such a disappointment. Everything in her life has got to be about sex and her. She needs to be the star in everything she does and even doesn't do. It's not even about her brother the president. It's about her. She fits the Narcissistic personality disorder to a T.

The essential feature of Narcissistic Personality Disorder is a pervasive pattern of grandiosity, need for admiration, and lack of empathy that begins by early adulthood and is present in a variety of contexts. The DSM-IV-TR can be diagnosed if they have five (or more) of the following:
1. has grandiose sense of self-importance (e.g., exaggerates achievements and talents, expects to be recognized as superior without commensurate achievements)
2. is preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty or ideal love
3. believes that he/she is "special" and unique and can only be understood by, or should associate with, other special or high-status people (or institutions)
4. requires excessive admiration
5. has a sense of entitlement (i.e., unreasonable expectations of especially favorable treatment or automatic compliance with his/her expectations)
6. is interpersonally exploitative (i.e., takes advantage of others to achieve his/her own end)
7. lacks empathy: is unwilling to recognize or identify with the feelings and needs of others
8. is often envious of others or believes that others are envious of him/her
9. shows arrogant, haughty behaviors or attitudes

And the media frenzy that went viral (yes viral, because I was shocked that even Jessica Soho jumped into the bandwagon of getting and interview from Kris) and people talking about the latest Kris saga, scandal, and little Bimby caught in between with the three Crying Ladies at the backdrop was like a very very bad movie that we were all forced to take sides - either James Yap was telling the truth or Kris was. I think even the executives at ABS-CBN and GMA7 should also go on a sabbatical and see some shrink to have their heads checked!

At the end of the day, it's the boy called Bimby who's going to be eventually caught in deep shit. He's going to grow up as confused and angry as ever and believe me when I say that karma is such a bitch that it's going to find its way back to haunt the Aquino family.

Sa totoo lang - di na ito dapat pinatulan ng ABS-CBN at GMA7. I just lost all the remaining respect I have for Philippine media. It's a reflection of the priorities of the Filipino people and the Filipino culture. Everything has to be jologs. Everything has to be a telenovela script. We rear not only our children but our citizens based on psychiatrically impaired wannabes.

Seriously? This country has gone to the dogs.

I will not be surprised if Kris will run for government office one day. After all, she will be in good company among those with mental health issues when she joins the government circle.

What part of the English language do call center agents not understand?

Call Center agencies are a dime a dozen these days.

With the Business Process Outsourcing industry in boom, the quality of call centers as adjunct to the primary business have become a bane.

Today, I had my monthly conversation with the local call center for American Express credit cards. Today, our conversation lasted 40 minutes and 35 seconds. Yes, I keep a track of all my dealing with any call center I get in touch with. It's always a matter of he says, she says and you can never be too sure with what the agent on the other line will report. For the record, when you hear the voice that say "This conversation MAY be recorded...", you're hearing it correctly. It MAY be recorded. I'm not really sure if they even review the recordings, but based on my monthly conversation with Amex, I am certain that their call center has major quality issues.

My monthly conversation with Amex Credit Cards started last September 2012.

Yes, it's been that long.

Before I left for my US vacation, I inquired about my credit card (which was expiring end of the September 2012) AND my statement of account for the month of September. They informed me that my current card was still valid up to the end of the month and that the new one was still being "embossed" (and that was the second week of September 2012 already). OMG!!! I informed them that I was leaving the country and that IF and WHEN the card does not arrive on my return from the US by the first week of October, they can forget about delivering it and just cancel the card. I do this to all my credit cards because of fraud and theft issues with credit cards today. The agent acknowledged it and said that it would be ready within a week.

Obviously the card never came. And that's when my trip to their call center called hell, came into the picture. It was month after month of reliving the nightmare. It was month after month (although there were months that every two weeks I had to remind them that I requested cancellation of my credit card from my initial conversation with their agent in September) that I had to make them (and myself) relive the chain of events. It was like being called to court, hopefully perhaps on their part, that there would be a change in my story.

I had been billed with the annual fee of P3000 and the late and penalty charges that accrued not only because of a late bill payment (which was reasonable considering that it was partly my fault) but because the annual fee had been incorporated into the picture.

I don't know what part of the English language our call center agents do not understand, but I had no doubt that the English language was not part of the training in the understanding of the problem. I get the fact that we are the Philippines and that perhaps a majority of those employed in the call center industry are young and speak Taglish (which is NOT a language). But my instructions, explanations and communication was very clear.

It took them two months and 4 calls to cancel the card in November 2012. After I demanded to speak to a supervisor who refused to come to the phone initially. After 35 minutes of exchange argument, the supervisor attended my call and like a retard, repetitively asked if I wanted my card cancelled and if I did, all the earned points would disappear. Who the f*ck cared about whether the points disappeared or not? They gave away pathetic low cost, hard to achieve, cheap giveaways!

The point of BDO was that I had the card cancelled in November...strange because it became my fault this time around.

In January 2013, I received a text message from their call center that after all the investigation, a cousin of mine named Jordan Recson had received my statement of account and card on September 9, 2012. Hence, it was my fault. Watdfuk are these people talking about? I don't even have a cousin my that name!!! I don't even have a pet or a friend by that name!!! I don't even know the animal with that name!!!!

And no explanation could appease them...In February, I received another statement of account and the finance charges and late payment just keeps piling up.

It's exasperating to say the least, that with the advent of the call center industry, there is no more customer relationship between the customer that keeps these people's business alive and the people who run BDO or Amex (by the way, BDO runs American Express in the Philippines).

You cannot talk to higher ups who will take action on the matter. The pathetic call center agents are like trained guard dogs who screen their bosses from having a dog run after their thick hides. These call center agents are willing to take a bullet for even Henry Sy - bravo!!! The truth of the matter is that I'm not running away from them. Fair is fair. I don't owe them my annual dues because I had it terminated even before they allegedly sent anything to my house by an alleged animal called Jordan Recson.

I know that the jologs market love BDO. I despise it - for more reasons than just their lousy service. I will keep those in the lower socioeconomic class who love BDO the way they are. After all, birds of the same feather flock together.

And those who cannot even comprehend the simple English language have no business being in a call center. It's about time the BPO be transferred to countries where the kind of BPO service and understanding of the English language is more proficient than the Philippines.

I suppose this is my calvary and I hope it ends soon. Otherwise, on my way to Good Friday, I shall crucify someone at BDO, even if he is on a wheelchair.

[P.S. Incidentally, here's the site where I got the image from...it's another interesting read...
http://customersrevenge.blogspot.com/2011/12/bdo-we-find-ways-to-steal-your-money.html]