June Pride

When I called my Dad the other day, I asked if my niece was in school that morning. He said no because she was still on vacation. I realized that the Philippine school year has not even started yet. But it should, soon.

Unlike here in the United States, schools in the Philippines open in June. After a brief Christmas vacation, classes resume usually after the Three Kings in January. And close in March. During my time, we did not have semestral breaks. I was told they started those in 2005.

I feel a little disappointed in myself because I haven’t finished packing the box that I have been meaning to send to my niece who will be in third grade this year. It contains a new school bag and other school supplies among other things. I also got her a pink rain coat because I know that the opening of the schools is also about the beginning of the rainy season.

I bet she is so excited. She goes to the same school that I went to. When I went back in 2007, her book bag was worn out and torn on the side so I bought her a backpack. She probably used it until the end of last year. I better hurry it up and send her box. It won’t get there until a few weeks after her first day of school.

There were several things me and my brothers used to do before school started. From first to third grade, we were required albums instead of notebooks. A pad of ruled paper fastened together and onto a folder that served as the softback. When we started using notebooks, we pulled out the spirals that held the pages together and then sewed the leaves back together with a yarn. It prevented the pages from tearing easily and if the notebook was going to last a year, the spirals would most likely bend to one direction inside the book bag making it hard to turn the pages.

The first day of school was something I always looked forward to. I used to put on my uniform and practiced carrying my packed school bag. My dad would always tell me that I’d ruin something before the first day of school. The closer the day got, the more excited I felt. I was like an anxious bride. And in the beginning of a new school year I had something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue.

‘Something old’ were my classmates of the previous year. In most (if not all) public elementary and high schools, the kids are grouped into sections according to learning speed. During my time, there were at least 35 students in each section and about 10-13 sections, the first being the ‘cream of the crop’ and the last needing the most assistance. So you see pretty much the same faces and  have the same  classmates unless a student makes a very recognizable and significant change in performance. They did happen but not very often. I grew up with more or less the same set of friends. The kids did not move or transfer schools as much as I have noticed they do here in the States. If there were transferees, they were seldom and usually settled in and stayed until they graduated.

Another ’something old’ were my uniforms. Elementary and high schools, public or private have uniforms. In grade school, our uniform was a white blouse with a sailor collar, black and white checkered skirt, white socks and black shoes. I certainly didn’t get new uniforms every year. In fact, I used one of my Kindergarten uniform skirts up until I was in third grade. Four years! They sure got old and way too short and I begged my mom to please buy me new ones. I think I cried everyday for a week and then she finally had new skirts made for me in the middle of the school year.

‘Something new’ were of course my school supplies. I loved the smell of new paper and pencils. One could have witnessed the makings of a nerd. I felt my mom used to buy supplies very late that it always got me worried. And she would always tell us, “Oh, you wouldn’t need that.” I’d say, “But Ma, that’s what the teacher told us to buy.” Then my mom would sternly say, “Michelle, I am a teacher. I know what you need”.

Usually my school shoes were new, too. I guess my mom didn’t have much choice because I of course outgrew my shoes almost every year. But they were not always new from the box. I was often given shoes that still had life in them. But they were certainly new to my feet! I used to polish them so it would not be too obvious that they were not brand new. A black Kiwi shoe polish and an old rag and presto! They were shiny and new looking!

‘Something borrowed’ were the books. The government provides public students with academic books. Definitely not new because those are lent and are expected to be returned at the end of the school year, and will be reused for the next. Our books then were old and needed restoration right when we received it. They used to not print enough, either. The books were distributed in ratio depending on the number of students. Often, it was ‘one book is to two students’. It was hardly ever ‘one is to one’.

‘Something blue’, make that somebody blue was usually my brother whose birthday is in June, around two weeks after school has started. So by the time our parents have spent on tuition fees, school bags, supplies, uniforms and shoes on all four of us, there was no more left for his birthday celebration. My mom used to console him by saying “at least you got new school stuff”. But so did the rest of us and it was not even our birthday. Many times, he felt disappointed on his birthday.

I imagine my parents felt as blue as (if not worse than) my brother. Tuition fees during my primary years did not get any higher than 60 pesos. I believe it doubled by the time I was in sixth grade. But things would all add up and always used up a budget that was already thin in the first place.

At a young age, I understood the meaning of and the feeling when ‘the pockets are empty’. So when there was ‘no more’, none of us siblings pushed either of our parents to produce. That’s why even when my things were not all new or I didn’t have everything that was written on the requirements list or when my brother didn’t have a party on his birthday, we still anticipated school. We were just glad that they put our education before anything else.

Education is a priority specially in poor Filipino households. Sometimes, they even sacrifice the food on the table as long as the kids get to go to school. Being able to send a child to school is a pride for the parents. You would usually hear them tell their kids, “Education is the only thing I can pass on to you.” They want their kids to have a better chance at life, something maybe their own parents were not able to do for them or for whatever reason they obviously did not get to live.

I know it is true that education is something parents anywhere in the world, always want their kids to have and being able to give them education gives unmatched pride and fulfillment. But growing up in the Philippines, I saw how it was always put first on the list.

Jose Rizal – MY Hero

“The dawn is not far. Spain opens the east for her beloved Philippines, and times are changing and I am positive that more are being done than we can imagine!”
Dr. JOSE RIZAL, Philippine National Hero

I started liking and loving Jose Rizal from that moment I read his book NOLI ME TANGERE. Of course, Rizal was quite subjective in writing it, since his motive was to gain feedback from his people by exposing in beautiful words the evils besetting his own country during that time, thus rallying the people for a peaceful revolution. NOLI ME TANGERE had also drawn ire from indignant censors because of its fearless expose on the colonial evils under the cloak of a literary masterpiece.

Fact is, Rizal has been the initiator of Philippine-German Cultural relations, a topic, which guides me also through the life as a German expat living in the Philippines. One can find a lot of literature regarding this topic.

Why do I mention this? A friend of mine in Manila sent me an email and invited me to fly to Manila. There might be something very interesting for me:

Up to June 28, 2009 is it possible to experience the musical satire “Rizal is My President” (Pilipinas… Marangal at Banal). It is directed by Raffy Tejada, the original songs aare by Noel Cabangon, and the script is by Joshua So, a Palanca Awardee. The musical satire based on the book “Rizal is My President – 40 leadership tips of Jose Rizal”.

Venues will be in Manila and Quezon City. For inquiries or reservations you might call Manila 02 – 631-5923 or 632-7553 or 687-1309.

I am sure, I try my very best to arrange my schedule and fly to Manila and watch the play “and believe in the dream again” – as a saying goes.

Soap making!

A few weeks ago Teacher Bebe invited me to go with her and see how to make a soap. I am glad I went with her. The lady that demonstrated how to make the soap told us that the soap that we were making was to be given to the poor people here in Davao and the native people here too. She will also show them how to make the soap so that they will know and that it will be cheaper for them later. I will share with you guys below on how to make soap and ointment.

Honestly, here in the Philippines, a lot of the government organizations are now going to the poor barrios to show the women there how they can make a living even if they are a stay at home mom. My sister is really active in GenSan in attending  some kind of seminars that the government offices are giving and she then shares her knowledge from the seminars with the ladies in her neighborhood and at the Barangay Hall where they will have meetings every week.

My sister learned how to make powdered soap, liquid soap, bar soap (soap use here in the Philippines to wash clothes), lotion and glass cleaner. I am going to learn from her too. Their group of women in GenSan is already making powdered soap and selling it to people. It’s nice to learn and try to apply and share the knowledge to the people here at the house too.

The body soap that we made there in the group was herbal. Really, you can use any kind of soap mix that you like, such as herbal (guava, camias (eba), akapulko) and some others. Cook the leaves or roots first and use the liquid (juice extract) from it, oatmeal, cinnamon, perfume or cologne that you like. During our soap making the lady that demonstrated used AKAPULKO (we call it asunting here).

How to prepare the Herbal Soap:

Utensils needed:

• Plastic pail (bucket)
• Wooden ladle or bamboo stick
• Glass or cup
• Mortar and pestle
• Cheesecloth or strainer
• Knife
• Chopping board
• Cooking pot (when preparing the concoction)
• Plastic molders (size & shape you prefer)
• Gloves
• Mask

How to Prepare a Concoction:

1. Wash the leaves thoroughly and chop or cut into small pieces.
2. Measure 1 glass of chopped fresh leaves and 2 glass of water.
3. Let it boil for 15 minutes (start timing when the water starts to boil.)
4. After 15 minutes, remove from fire and strain in a cheesecloth. Set aside and let it cool.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Caustic Soda
• 3 cups of Akapulko concoction or some other herbal that you want to use.
• 5 cups of cooking oil
• coloring powder ( optional)

Procedures:

• Prepare the materials and the utensils
• Measure 1 cup of caustic soda and the 3 cups of Akapulko concoction and pour into the bucket.
• Mix well by stirring continuously using the wooden ladle or bamboo stick. Just use one direction only when stirring. Stir until the caustic soda dissolved.
• Pour 5 cups of the cooking oil into the mixture. Just pour it slowly.
• Continue stirring until a consistency of a condensed milk is achieved.
• Pour the mixture into the plastic molders. Set aside and let it cool to harden.
• After 4-5 hours, remove the soap from the molders.
• Allow 30 days or more for the soap to age before packing.

Just a reminder. Using Caustic Soda can harm the skin after contact. Wash immediately with vinegar or anything sour and then rinse it with soap and water.

Soon I am thinking of making bar soap with oatmeal. A friend of mine gave us some oatmeal soap and we really like it a lot. And for the oil I will try the coconut oil it might be good for the skin. If any of you know some other ingredients that will work better please feel free to share it here. To all of you that wants to make the soap, HAVE FUN Guys!

I Hate Asia

I recently did a “visa run” as my 16 months in the Philippines were up.  After asking around, it became clear that Bangkok was the place to go for a visa run on a budget.  Bangkok is a modern city, except for the elephant in the street and the Chinese looking signs, I could have been back in the USA.

There were skyscrapers reaching into the sky, flashy lights, tons of traffic and people.    There were 7/11 stores, a McDonald’s every time I turned around and guys in suits talking about increases in profits and how to get more of them.

There were even more pretty girls than here in the Philippines, only problem is, there are so many white guys there that I didn’t get the same kind of attention there that I get in the Philippines, well not in the large numbers that I do here, especially in Bogo.

I did run into a bit of a problem though.  The cabbies in Bangkok will try to take you any place other than where you want to go.  Worse, if you don’t know where you want to go, they will take you any place that’s not close to where you are.

There are a ton of empty cabs in Bangkok, they are easy to get.  Never had to wait more than 30 seconds for one.  Each trip though, was a battle of one kind or another.

Read more

The new Philippine Office

Everywhere in the world, the office place has changed in the past decade or two.  The Philippines is no different.  I have seen dramatic changes in the Philippines in the years that I have lived here.

I originally moved to Davao City in 2002, after having lived in GenSan for a couple of years.  When I first moved to Davao, you would rarely see people out around town with a laptop computer.  Yes, from time to time you would see one, but it was rare.  I can recall times when I would see somebody in a Coffee Shop with a laptop, and others in the shop would even mention to them something like “oh, you have a laptop!  How nice!”  A laptop was a real luxury item, which was quite rare, and somewhat of a status symbol.

Oh, my, how times have changed in just 6 or 7 years.

Davao is, I have often said, sort of the Seattle of the Philippines.  Coffee is big in the Philippines these days, but much of that coffee trend got started in Davao City.  Davao is Ground Zero (or should I say Grounds Zero?) in the Coffee Culture of the Philippines.  Another thing that is tied in with all of this, and is also something that was pioneered in Davao City is WiFi in the Coffee Shops.  WiFi? For the uninitiated, it is Wireless Internet, which can be used by pretty much any laptop on the market today to connect to the Internet.  No, WiFi was not invented in Davao, but  Davao City was the first place in the Philippines where free WiFi was available in virtually every coffee shop in the City.  In many parts of the Philippines, you still have to pay for WiFi use, but in Davao it has been free for years.  It’s a thing that is used to attract people into your business.

A few weeks ago, I was in a coffee shop in Davao one morning.  I glanced around the shop and noticed that nearly a dozen people had laptops open and in use, surfing the net.  The thought came to me about how things have changed since the day when I moved to Davao, and a laptop was a real luxury item.  These days, a LOT of people have laptops.

On my last few trips to Blugre, in the Landco Building in Bajada, Davao City, I have noticed that there is a group of people who seem to have basically set up an office there.  The same people are there every time that I visit the place, sitting at the same table.  They have several laptops and are obviously engaged in business over the Internet while also holding meetings there and enjoying Blugre Coffee.  This would have been unheard of just 5 years ago, but these days, nobody gives it a second thought.  The coffee shops have virtually turned into the new Philippine Office!

One of the reasons I really feel good seeing this kind of development is because so many people back in the States always tell me how far behind the Philippines is, how it is such a poor country and the ways of business and life are so “way behind” the rest of the world.  My friends, it just isn’t so.  The Philippines is not moving into the 21st Century, it is already there!  Cellular phone use is huge here.  Laptop use as I describe is huge now too.  At least some of the people here in the Philippines are taking full advantage of technology and using it to improve their lives, improve the amount of money they earn, etc.

It’s a good thing to see.

Putting Objects in the Sentence Structure

Lesson 11 – Putting Objects in the Sentence Structure

We are going to put an object/s in our sentence. In Bisaya or Cebuano, before you put the an object, you need to have a marker before it. It is like an article.

Ug/og    -    is the marker for not specific object. In the previous lessons we have ug it means and.

Sa        -     is a marker for specific object, especially when we are using our possessive pronouns.

Formula:     Verb    +      doer      +       object    +      ………..

[table id=8 /]

[table id=9 /]

[table id=10 /]

Note: sa marker usually marks this possessive pronouns

[table id=11 /]

Note: About is bahin in Cebuano but in this sentence, it is understood.   The marker sa will take care of it.

Can I open a bank account?

Last week, a good friend whom I originally met from his participation on this site contacted me.  This fellow recently moved to the Philippines.  He will be living here for a while, but probably not permanently.  Because he doesn’t expect to be living here permanently, my friend opted not to go for a permanent resident visa.  Instead, he was able to obtain a Balikbayan Visa.

With a Balikbayan Visa, you can stay in the country for 1 year with no hassles at all.  No need to go do any kind of Visa renewals, no checking in at the Bureau of Immigration, no nothing.  Just enter the Philippines, get the Balikbayan stamp in your Passport, and stay for up to a year.  It is certainly a big convenience.  At the end of the year, you can even stay longer, because you can then convert your Balikbayan Status to a Tourist Visa and stay for another 16 months, although you will then need to do all of the normal Visa Renewals during that time.  But, all in all, getting a 28 month stay is a nice way to do it, unless you need to stay longer than that.

My friend told me that he was having difficulty opening a bank account and asked me what he should do.  I confirmed with him that he was here on the Balikbayan program, and he said that he was.  Well, that presents a small problem.

In the Philippines, under the law, anybody can open a bank account.  There are no legal restrictions from anybody opening a bank account of any kind.  Problem is, that is not how it works in practice.  You see, when a foreigner wants to open a bank account, the bank almost always asks to see an ACR (Alien Certificate of Registration).  An ACR used to be a piece of paper showing that you can legally reside in the Philippines.  Things have changed though, and now and ACR is a plastic card similar in looks to a credit card or a driver’s license.  You can only get an ACR if you are here under some kind of permanent visa.  A tourist cannot get an ACR card.

Since almost all banks are looking for an ACR card in order to open your bank account, it is not easy to open an account without an ACR.  Oh, I’ve heard of a few times when a bank has relented and opened an account without such a card, but only very few such incidents.  As I said, the law does not require an ACR card in order to obtain a bank account, but the banks do.  Since it is the bank that you are dealing with, you must generally meet their requirements.

My friend went on and asked me what he could do.  The only thing I could advise was that he should go from bank to bank and ask to open an account.  He may find one that will do it for him, or maybe somebody will forget to ask for an ACR card.  Other than that, I know of no way that you can open a bank account in the Philippines.

Good luck to you, my friend, and I hope that you find a bank that will help you out.  If you do, let me know, so that I can update this article and pass the news on to others who might have such a need.

Davao writers workshop 2009

Well its not often I feel like proud parent, especially when considering I am gay, but this week I felt just like it.

A few weeks ago Migs submitted an essay to the Davao Guild of writers and was accepted to go on a prestigious workshop at Ateneo de Davao University.  He was one of a hand full of people across Mindanao and beyond who was chosen to help fine tune their talents, and make them even more able to open up those talents.

The morning was open to special guests and families and me!! The speakers at that time were very well known national and local writers of influence, who between them held many international and national awards that seemed to go on for ever.

Prof Godofredo Rojo, Prof. Ricardo de Ungria, Prof. Jhoanna Lynn B Cruz,Mr Dominique Cimafranca, Dr. Majorie Evasco were the names of the people that the students listened to intensively.

All those chosen are now fellows , this in itself is a major help to their careers, and needless to say putting that on a resume will raise a few eyebrows.  As Migs was introduced I felt such pride that here I was with someone who was being so recognized by people that matter, and here I was the only foreigner in the room.

I was amazed that two of the fellows were under 18!  I so hoped that no one was going to ask me to make a speech for any reason, as if you are a foreign guest you usually get asked to say something.  Thankfully it did not happen, as the day remained focused on the needs of the fellows.

Those of you who have read older posts by Migs Bassig will know he has a huge gift of writing, and lately has had many published items appearing. I am so proud!!

As I sat and listened to the speeches, a lady next to me introduced herself as Aida Lourdes the founder of the Ford Academy of the Arts Inc., here in Davao City. She was a very willing participant in the mornings activities and bounded with energy, even though she was born in 1929!   A wonderful lady who has invited me to  her college for a tour.

That afternoon the fellows alone went to a new location in Davao, without the parents and special guests to have five days of in depth training and critiquing of work.

Migs was so pleased to be involved, really what an honor. At the end of the first day when I collected him from the hotel he was fully excited about his day and was looking forward to the next few days.

But life never goes to plan does it? Here we are now with something he has so worked hard for and life plays a bad card. What happened? Well fever and hospitalization is the answer.

That is the next article, and at the time of writing this Migs is still hooked up to THREE drips and confined to hospital.

Let's set a future path for LiP

Sometimes, the time comes when changes should be made.  I feel that LiP is at that point in it’s lifespan, and I want to make some changes to the site.  I feel that it is a good site already, but I want to make it even better than it already is.  I want you to help me do that.  The site is as good as it is, despite being relatively young, thanks to the participation of all of the writers on LiP, but especially thanks to the LiP Community.  Without the readers, there would be no reason to write.  Without participation by the readers through commenting and discussing the issues, the site would not have the character that it has today.

I have had some thoughts in my mind about what to do with LiP for about 6 months now.  I have been refining it in my mind over that time, and I feel that now is the time to let the cat out of the bag, discuss my thinking with the community and possibly take a step toward implementing what I have in mind.

Before I get started, let me give you a bit of history about discussions that I’ve had over the past couple of weeks.  I have laid out my idea to a few different people, and reactions have been mixed.  About half of the people have been very positive about what I want to do.  The rest have had mixed emotions, mostly liking the direction that I want to go with a bit of question.  So far, I don’t recall anybody being totally negative, or even mildly negative about the idea.

What I am thinking of doing is keeping LiP as it is, but also adding more.  Everything will remain the same, but there will be more content than ever before.  However, the additional content will be available as a premium service for people who are willing to pay a membership subscription to the site.  Let me repeat a little bit, for clarity.  The regular content that you are seeing now and that you read everyday on LiP will still be there, and it will still be free.  However, additional content will be available for paid subscribers.

Why am I thinking this way?  Because I want to make LiP better.  However, I already spend a great deal of my time working on this site.  I commit more of my personal resources to LiP than to any of my other websites.  At this point, I am at a point where I cannot commit more of my time to LiP for free.  We all have to make a living, and I hope that you understand that.  For those who do not wish to pay for LiP, that is no problem, everything that you have now will still be available for free.  For those who want more, it will be available for a price, and that price will go toward allowing the site to become even better.

Right now, on LiP, we publish usually 12 new articles every week.  I don’t recall a week when we had less than 12 new articles, but there are a few weeks when we have 13 or 14 new articles.  But, it is safe to say that 12 new articles are available on LiP each and every week.  My goal is to actually bring the free content up to 15 articles per week, and also providing an additional 6 to 10 new articles per week for subscribers.

What kind of content am I talking about?  Well, I am planning to start writing some additional articles myself, which would be for premium subcribers.  One feature that I want to include would be a sort of “weekly wrapup” article from me.  I would, in that article, go back and revisit subjects.  Sometimes when I write about a topic, and there is some really nice reader participation in the way of comments, my opinion shifts based on reading the thoughts of others.  In my wrap-up article, I would discuss what impact the article and discussion have had on my thinking, how I have shifted, or if I have not shifted at all.

Another thing in these premium articles is that they would often be “meatier” with more solid information than regular articles.  For example, if I take a trip to Cebu as I recently did, I would provide free articles with general information about the visit, but premium subscriber only articles with concrete information on where to stay, costs, and just more hard information.

Another type of content that I envision is the ability to say things that I might not normally say on the public area of the LiP site.  For example, sometimes when I write an article now, I cannot really say certain things, because I am a guest in the Philippines, and as a guest, I must bite my tongue on some issues.  In an area that is only available for subscribers, I would feel that I was able to write my opinion, even if I would not want to write it in a public area.

A third type of premium content that I envision is that I would like to post “news flash” type items several times per day.  For example, if a news story breaks, I might send out a one paragraph synopsis of the news, with maybe a quickie comment on what my opinion is about the news.

So, these are the types of things that a Premium Subscriber could expect to get for his money.  If I counted each of the “news flash” type posts as an individual post (although it would be a short one), you might get up to 20 or 25 posts per week that would not be available to other readers.

Now, I know what you are wondering about.  How much? Right?  Here is my thinking.  I would offer a one year subscription for $29.99, six months for $19.99 or 3 months for $12.99.  In addition, when people buy any of my books, I would give them a free subscription, the length depending on the price of the book.  Perhaps I would have contests on the site where the prize would would be a free 3 month premium subscription or something like that.  We are not talking about a huge amount of money here, an amount that should be affordable for most readers.  Let’s say that you buy a one year subscription, and I am giving you 20 articles per week, that means that in the course of the year you would get 1,040 articles for $29.99, or just $0.03 per article.  That is not much.

So, this is my idea for now.  It is not carved in stone.  I think that I have a good history of going to the community when I have changes in mind for the site.  It’s not a democracy where everybody gets to vote, but rather this is something I will decide, but only after hearing the thoughts of the readers.  In general, I think I usually come down on the side of what the readers ask for, but I just don’t guarantee that.  For example, if everybody said – “yes, we want all those extras, but for free.”  Well, I am sorry, I could not do that, because I have to be able to feed my wife and kids, and I already devote a lot of  time here.  But, to be honest, I have never really experienced a time when reader requests were unreasonable, and I think I’ve been reasonable in the way the site has been operated too.

Tell me what you think!

Credit Where Credit Is Due

Everyone who reads one or more of my articles knows the term “curmudgeon” fits me pretty well.  I try to call the shots as I see them and if someone is providing poor service or doing something really dumb I am certainly not shy at pointing out the problem.

But I’m not an unfair person, so when some business provides service that is “done right’ and even delights me rather than annoys me, it’s only the “right thing” to give credit where credit is due.

One of my pet peeves (and actually it’s more than just a peeve, Philippine businesses alone lose billions because of this simple error) are companies who refuse to answer emails.  This is especially apparent to folks thinking about visiting the Philippines.  They see a hotel or resort online and it looks like it might be a good place for them to stay, so they write for more information or to make a reservation and guess what?  The email just goes off into space … no response is ever made.  Now we know that there are technical glitches with email from time to time, but it’s actually pretty reliable overall.  We can surmise a lot of those businesses set up a way for clients to email them and then just refuse to take the time to answer.  It’s bad business.

This week I’m heading to Davao City for a few days with my wife and sister-in-law and two little nephews.  On my own I often don’t bother with reservations, if one hotel has no rooms the next one will.  But with several folks in tow, especially young children, better to have a roof over our heads in advance.

The first place I contacted, intending to stay there overnight is the beautiful Malagos Gardens which is located in Davao City but way out of the town proper, in a nature preserve/watershed area that is simply lovely.  The resort has a number of different price range cottages in natural forest setting, nicely manicured grounds and excellent food … I had lunch there last time I stayed in Davao.

They have a website and of course an email method for reservations, so I shot off a request … making a mental note that I would have to call in a day or so, because I “knew” I was going to get no response.

When I’m right, I am right and when I am wrong, I am wrong, and I was happy to be wrong this time.  An email came back in less that 24 hours from the Malagos Garden Resort marketing staff.  Prompt, direct and to the point.  Kudos to Michelle and her team there.  Can’t ask for better service than that … world class.

On our second night I wanted to try the Linmarr Apartelles and Suites in central Davao City.  I haven’t been there, but I thought I’d give it a shot, they are centrally located, convenient to shopping and the waterfront, having a kitchenette and dining area makes it much more convenient traveling with young kids than eating three restaurant meals per day, and (tip to other hotels who would like better bookings) they offer free airport pickup/drop-off and advertise their WiFi Internet access up front so people don’t have to search and ask … welcome to 2009

I sent off a request from Linmarr’s reservation page and I did not get an email response next business day.  Instead, a couple hours after I sent my email on a Friday afternoon (expecting a response on Monday), my phone rang (actually a rare event for me . Who was it?  Cheryl from the front office at Linmarr Apartelles and Suites, calling to confirm my reservation, get details on what sort of bed arrangements we wanted and get our arrival flight information for our airport pick up.  Again, I suppose one could ask for better service, but I am at loss to figure out how.  Kudos to Cheryl and her team – world class performance again.

Last but not least, many will recall my ‘Buy a Mailbox” article a few weeks back.  Remember I said that if the PhilPost mail carrier made it to my house two consecutive months in a row with my credit card bill, on time I would buy a lottery ticket?  Well, a week ago … 9 days before the due date, PhilPost was at the gate with the envelope from BDO … can’t ask for better service than that, now can you?  Thanks PhilPost.

Oh and I made good on the lottery ticket … bought one and it hit.  No, not the grand prize, but how many Lotto tickets ever win anything at all?

All in all, a pretty happy week for the ‘old curmudgeon’ … if things keep happening this way I’ll lose my official curmudgeon stripes.

photo credit: mrwhitepatch