Learning is not always fun, but it is almost always beneficial. Even though I have lived in the Philippines for over 8 years now, I learn new things about life in the Philippines regularly. Sometimes I learn the same lesson many times over, because I forget what I learned previously. Forgetting lessons is not a good thing, but it happens.
A couple of weeks ago, I got an e-mail from a lady who is a businesswoman. She wanted to sell me something. Actually, the product that she was selling is something that I was very interested in, and have been actually thinking about buying. I am not going to say what the product is, because what I write in this column might lead to embarrassment for the person, and really the product itself is not important.
So, after receiving the e-mail, in which the lady asked if we could have a meeting, I talked to Feyma about it, and we both agreed that we would meet with the person. Because of the fact that I already had my Mindanao Tour scheduled, I had to put off the meeting for nearly 2 weeks, but I did go ahead and schedule the meeting with the lady. I e-mailed her back, gave her my address and suggested a day and time for the meeting. I actually had to re-arrange my schedule a bit in order to accommodate the meeting, but I was OK about that. What this lady had to offer was something that I was very interested in. She agreed to the day and time that I suggested, Friday at 10am.
On Friday morning, when Feyma and I got up from bed, I reminded her that we had a meeting at 10am. She made sure that she was ready for the meeting, as did I. At 9:45, I got an e-mail from the lady. She said:
Sorry, I have to cancel the meeting. Our company is having an emergency meeting. Can we meet next week?
Frankly, I was upset. To wait until 15 minutes before the meeting to cancel it is, frankly, poor business practice. I had re-arranged my schedule for the day in order to meet with the lady, and after all she was trying to sell something to me.
I e-mailed her back and told her that it seemed that she didn’t really value me as customer, and it appeared that she felt that her meeting at work was more important than meeting with me. If she had given me a day or more notice, I would have felt OK about this, but 15 minutes notice? That is very un-professional, in my opinion.
Well, it ended up that she canceled her meeting at work and got to my house about 20 minutes late, but did come that day. I applaud her for that.
The lesson to me here is that here in the Philippines, client meetings are not that important. They can be canceled at the last minute. Frankly, I had experienced this before, but the lesson has not yet sunk in to the point where I expect such things to happen.
Will I purchase anything from this person? Well, I haven’t decided yet. I will say that my confidence in her and her company has been shaken a bit. I mean, if she is like that when she is trying to sell me, what will the company be like after the sale? I have little confidence in their after-sale service.
What do you think?
Hi Bob- If you take the positive aspects from your experiance at least she did have the grace to say she could not make the meeting time. In addition she did realize you were not happy and albeit late she did make the effort to please you. I think she was torn between pleasing her boss and pleasing the potential customer, the boss paying her salary and you maybe making a purchase. Buying something from someone is about trust as you say and I think she showed you consideration by changing her schedule. If the product is good I'm sure you will forgive this small transgression particularlly from your previous experiances in the Philippines.
And incidentally Bob its great me sitting in the UK playing the devils advocate with your business empire experioances. 😆
Hi Jim – Thanks for sharing your insight. I agree, and in fact, I was surprised that she came to meet with me, although I did have a previously set appointment with her. I expect, though, that if I had already made the purchase, she would have opted to meet with her boss instead of me! 😆
Hi Bob,
I would have to agree with you on this, with the exception..if this product or service is well worth the aggravation you get from the company supplying it….lol…but that is just money talking to me..lol.
No..all kidding aside, I am also one that believes in good business practices, and to be true to your word. I could see a family emergency prohibiting the meeting, but not a company meeting. I know I have read about the way some business is run in the Philippines…meetings are set up and then there are "no shows".
Moving from Washington, DC area to the South Florida area almost 12 years ago, I noticed this happened a lot with the service workers here in FLA. They would either be real late for appointments or not show up at all…but that is living in south Florida. Surprisingly, I have gotten to be use to it now.
Having owned my own businesses and managed others, I never accepted this practice…its just not good business.
So I guess when I move to Philippines, I will have to take my "patience" out of the closet again and get use to it…lol. But only for a short time…because I won't put up with it too much.
Take care,
Danny 😀
Hi Bob – At least you received a 15 minute notice. What with "Philippine Time" and other things that get in the way of life, there's no guarantee that any pre-arranged happening will ever occur. 🙄
For me, if someone says 10:00 AM and hasn't shown by 10:30 AM, I lock up and leave; and see the ball as being in their court! 😆
There is a reason why the phil-chinese are economically ahead in the RP….they have a very good grasp of how to run a business.
Hi Danny – Thanks for your comment. The thing on this product is that the supply of it is extremely limited. There are only 2 or 3 companies in the entire country where this is available, so that limits the ability to "shop around" very much. I am like you, I don't really put up with these kind of tactics. However, since moving to the Philippines, I have become more "relaxed" in my personal policies on these things, otherwise I probably would have ended up in the hospital, or dead by now from the stress! 😆
Hi Paul – Ha ha… yep, that 15 minute notice was really special! I agree with your policy about locking up and leaving! That is something that I would tend to do too!
Hi Brian – Interesting observation! 😉
Im sure you are aware of the saying Bob "Only in the Philippines" i think that sums up your story. Im living in Davao now, i went to a bank last week as i wish to open an account, i asked the requirements and the desk clerk said you just need 2 forms of ID. So this week went across town to the bank(its a trek from where i am) and saw a different sales clerk who said no sir you also need a household bill with your name on it and or the landords name(im renting) and the rental contract as well as the 2 forms of ID. I said to him why did'nt the lady say this to me last week. Sorry sir i was away on vacation and if i was here you would of seen me.
when doing anything here i always think i will not succeed in what i want to do until my 2nd or 3rd visit at such places of business.
Hi graham – Welcome to the Philippines! Ha ha… the land where even what should be easy can be difficult! It is unfortunate, indeed, that these are the kind of ways that things work here!
For me Bob I noticed the difference in treating customers between Manila and Gensan in particular. I noticed that people who are in-charge of taking care of inquiries or sales are not that really concerned about their clients. They actually make you feel like you owe them for coming in and inquiring. I really feel that! I have been basically in sales all my life and when an inquiry comes in, I scurry to entertain it! I guess it's all about a company's management's directions on how they want their clients treated.
Hi Cathy – Very interesting comment,thanks for sharing that. I didn't think about it, but I really believe what you say that in Manila companies are probably a little more service oriented, simply because there is more competition there than in smaller towns or in the Provinces. Many companies in the Provinces basically have no competition, so they don't have to be customer oriented much at all.
Good comment, Cathy, thanks for sharing it! 😀
a thought just occured to me. davao really is still that small town/city so a lot of the habits & demeanors are of a provincial feel. am i wording this correctly? im trying to be PC here.
i sometimes forget this after seeing all the growth & development that has been occuring in the city.
a sheep in lion's clothing, if you will.
you hear words like "metro davao" & world class city. but that laid back manana attitude is still there. i see a lot of business practices (including the press, hotel industry & local govt) that would be considered amateurish in many cities. hopefully, dabawenyos grows out of their bad habits but retain the charactistics that i enjoy about the city & the people.
Hi macky – I think that what you say is very true, and accurate. It is also probably as PC as you can put it! 😆
Hi Bob,
I agree with Macky. Davao is still provincial in many ways. I also felt this way about Manila. It IS the Philippines after all! 😆 Every time I go to visit, I sort of prepare myself for these experiences, I laugh it off or throw a fit, depending on my mood.
Re this woman, I won't do business with her. Something isn't quite right there. If there was an "emergency meeting", why did she reschedule for the following week, not later in the day? You may be in for more disappointments if you continue to deal with her. If her product is that important to you, maybe you can go directly to her boss. Or, I hope she's learned her lesson not to mess with you. 😆
kinda derogatory but I saw a T-shirt on an ozzy a few trips back, obviously he was in the PR awhile…anyhow it read "Welcome to the Philippines…where common sense has been banned and the monkeys have taken over".
I've been a silent reader of this blog and what i noticed thought, is there are positive things being said about the country and then there's the opposite of it, a lot of them are more on the negative side of it.
my reply will stir some anger and i'm sorry to say this but i am just being realistic.
when you people will ever understand, you choose to live in a 3rd world country and yet you keep comparing it to the 1st world, you choose to live in a developing country and yet you keep looking the comfort of your own country, philippines is not america, you cannot find an american attitude in the body of the filipinos.
philippines has been screwed by the spaniards for over 300 years, and by the american for 50 years, then the japs, then by marcos for 20 years. philippines has been into trouble for many-many years, and now, it is being screwed by the politicians, the filipinos are trying to get on their feet, there's so much for them to learn, so much adjustment they need to do in order for them to welcome people from other nations.
what's the point of living in the philippines if you'll keep comparing it to your own country? or finding all the negative things about the country? what's the point of going in there in the first place if you keep whinning for about almost everything? after all, philippine is a very young country and a third world nation, so don't expect them to provide you the comfort you used to.
the above post does not reflect the entire philippines, there's a lot of filipino out there who do not have the manana attitude and you will be surprised when you deal with them.
there's one place i know of, where you can actually get all the things you want, they can provide you with all the comfort you need. and that is "your own country"
Hi Tina – I understand completely what you are saying. Thanks for leaving your comment.
Hi Brian – Sorry, but I just can't agree with that one. 🙁
Hi MikeV – Honestly, I am very pro-Philippines. Sure, I have columns that are positive, and I have others that are not, but frankly, I am very bullish about the Philippines. I live here because I love it here. The country is certainly not perfect, but I know of none that are. Besides, this blog is not really about the Philippines, it is about the life of a foreigner living in the Philippines. There are good things and bad things about living here, nothing wrong with that. What I know for sure is that I don't want to live anywhere else in the world, this is the place that I live by choice.
I can say for certain that you are wrong about one thing, MikeV – there is really nowhere on earth where anybody can get everything they want – such a place does not exist. There is nothing wrong with pointing out problems, it is generally just an observation so that others who think they might want to live here think about the move and it's implications before actually doing it.
Hi Bob,I appreciate your frustration about the said appointment.However you may be surprised to know that this sort of thing is becoming more common in the west. I have my suspicions why,(many have no passion in what they do,its just another job).Many so called managers do not realise,that praise,with held,when deserved, is more damaging than critisism.I also find the title, customer care,which has been banded around here for the last decade a complete joke.In fact its the reverse in most cases,once they have your money, they DON'T CARE.Having worked in sales some years ago,and being taught "The customer is king", "The customer pays your wages",and to arrive for appointments 10 mins early.It amazes me how standards have dropped here,and i think many need to go back to sales school.I think we can forgive Phils a little as they have a lot learn.I am sure of one thing thing though,if you wish to be successful anywhere in the world and compete world class,you must put the customer first, always. The referalls that come afterwards pays dividends.I am not knocking any nation,but as an example in that part of the world,in Singapore punctuality is an obsession and very impressive.Regards Chas.
Hi chas – There is no doubt in my mind that bad business practices happen everywhere in the world. I did not say, or feel that what I pointed out in the column is "only happening in the Philippines" but I was just writing about my experience.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
I am always fascinated and keeps me wonder about your articles, i can sense your intentions giving people a “heads-up” living in the philippines, however, you really amazes me each time you “experienced” something that is out of the ordinary or when you get frustrated on how things are done in the philippines, don’t ake my opinion as a personal attack, just like you, i have my own share of experience living in the states and how things are done there, i have my own observation towards the american people and how they upset me, in any case, none of my own experiences reflects the entire nation.
numerous time, you keep mentioning that you’ve been living in the philippines for 8 years, what i cannot understand though is that, it appears to me that you have not adjusted yourself completely living in the philippines, it seems to me that 8 years is not enough for you to understand the people of the philippines or how things are done there to upset you.
you choose to live in a 3rd world country and to make it worst you choose to live in a province where lifestyle is far more different from the main city like manila. do you really expect the people of davao to have the same attitude like the americans or the manileno?
although your experience with the lady you mentioned in the article is a personal experience, your reader seemed to translate your experience differently, it seems , some of your readers concluded that there is a “Philippine Time” or the “Filipino time” such branding does not exist and whatever you experienced from some filipinos does not relfect the entire nation. there’s only one kind of “time” that i know, the local time and the GMT time, if your business associates is not punctual with her appointment with you, then, it is a problem that you have to deal with her. I don’t believe that there is what you called a “filipino time”, look around the philiipines, there are plenty of wealthy filipinos out there (probably much richer than you or your readers) they succeed in their business and life because of their professionalism in business.
it only took me a couple of months to understand the american people, the way things are done in the states, there are things there that really upset me, and sometime things are not done the way i want it, however, those experience i had is a learning tool for me to adjust myself, thus, it makes me less upset or not at all.
have you expereinced in the states, you call a service man and they will tell you they will arrive in 40 minutes, then the whole day passed and there’s a no show? or what about, you called a serviceman to fix something small in your house then they’ll charge you with a huge amount but the problem hasn’t fixed? or how about, you ordered a home delivery just to find out they deliver a wrong food and they still make you pay for it? i was conned several times in the states than i was in the philippines, now i take all my experience as a learning tool, and now, i know exactly how to deal with the americans. as a result, i have less frustration.
i lived in new zealand for a few years, in my first month, i drove a car and parked it in a public parking lot, when i came back, i have a 40 NZD parking ticket? for what? parking in a public parking lot? of course it upset me because that is not the things are done in my home country, then it happened again the next day, i had 2 parking tickets in 4 days. it really upset me a lot but then i took my experience as a learning tool and adjusted myself accordingly, now everytime i parked in a public parking, i always keep in mind that i might get a ticket soon.
in my observations, americans tend to complain a lot, they whine for almost about everything, if they could not find or get the convenience they are used to, they will simply complain instead of adjusting themselves. i’ve met a lot of americans who lived in different part of the world, and when they tell you stories, all they can tell is how bad the country is or how things a are done differently or how the country is not up to their standards, and i can understand why the americans is like that, americans only know one country and that is the USA, for them there’s nothing else in the world exist but america, they always tend to expect other nation to provide them what they are accustomed to. americans are not well flexible when it comes to living in another country.
think about this, for an american to visit the philippines, they only need to buy a plane ticket and off they go.
a wealthy filipino who just want to visit the US and do not have a desire to live in the states need to go to a very difficult application, they need to provide the embassy with all sort of papers like bank account, property title and it will takes months and months for them to have a tourist visa, literally filipino need to go through a needle hole. despite all these, filipino will not complain on how they are treated, and then, here’s the american who just waited for a few hours in BI office to renew their visa in the philippines. all you can hear from them is their whinning.
all i am trying to point out is, if you really want to live in other part of the world, you better prepare yourself, do not look for something you accustomed to, forget about your home country, be flexible, don’t whine and get upset if things are not done correctly or the way you wanted it, after all, you choose to live outside america, so don’t go and look for america in a foreign country. if things upset you and you get a lot of frustration, the solution is go home to your origin country.
Hi Bob, I won't do any business with this woman. LiP has brought up already several write ups about Philippino time. Okay, this might happened once, even twice – but if this happened more times, i wouldn't even try to keep the contact , because it will never be a good business or customer care service. And Bob, very good answer to MikeV. And additional: such things also happened in my home country Germany – and, i would act the same way as above mentioned… 😉
On the one hand, I could say that you were lucky to even get an email. It's very difficult to get Filipno business people to resond to an email, much less initiate one. I had a similar experience afew months back when an insurance company made a significnat error and when dfirst I called, and then my wife, wthey refused to speak with us because everyone was 'in a meeting'. that;s ok, though, renewal time is coming up and they will pay in future years by getting none of our business … their choice.
I have to say i was a bit taken aback by Mike V's comments. Bob, your original message was in no way complaining about the Philippines in particular as much as it was illustrating a frustrating and unacceptable business transaction.
Mike, would you care to share with us where it is you live, where everything is perfect? I did not come to the Philippines in order to complain about it. I do feel honest discussion of things wrong … and things right … is interesting, and sometimes educational.
I wish everyone here could have gone with me to the bank yesterday, where I withdrew some money, then went to pay my electric bill and thence to the supermarket. The service I got from all concerned, including the bank teller knowing my name, asking about the health of my mother-in-law, the greetings I shared wth the bank manager, the smile from the lady at the bill pay desk and the conversations I had with several clerksin the supermarket made my afternoon.
Just sign me living here and blooming where I am planted
bob, brian –
you misunderstood me when i said " there’s one place i know of, where you can actually get all the things you want, they can provide you with all the comfort you need. and that is “your own country”"
what i am trying to say is, if you don't want to get frustrated when doing things in the philippines OR if you cannot get the things you want in the philippines, or if you keep comparing it to your home country, there is one place i know where everything that you are looking for can be found, and that is your "home Country"
in your "home country" you can find the things you are accustomed to, the things you want, the things that are up to your standards.
Hi Klaus – Thanks for your comment, and I feel the same way.
Hi Dave Starr- Great input there. I agree and was surprised that I got that e-mail!
MikeV – You are certainly entitled to your opinion, I have no problem with that. However, I am also entitled to my opinions, and I am free to express my opinions, regardless of what you think. Frankly I really don't need you to analyze me and make a decision on where I should or should not live. I love living in the Philippines, especially living in Davao. I could never live in Manila, nor would I. I am perfectly capable of making my own life decisions, Mike, so no need to decide for me.
bob – it seems to me, you failed to understand my post, you failed to see the points i am trying to make, i am not trying to make a decisions for you and i care less for where you lives, my post is merely a comparison between different countries and its people, the frustration i had living in the so-called "First world country" where you portray them as if inefficienfy doesn't exist in those countries. to a very simple term, the post is about how "NOT to get upset by Adjusting one's self attitude" living in a foreign land.
apparently, you are taking my post as a personal attack.
it is clear to me, that you will only entertain replies that can make you feel appreciated and makes you feel important. you are not open to opinions that will hurt you or your home country. a typical american isn't it?
i don't care if i get banned in here, i am just showing you, how you and some of your reader takes the issue as one side only – how good the western people are and how bad the rest of the world.
Hi Bob,
In my line of work, I have at least 3 to 4 appointments per day. So when one gets screwed up, the rest of the day will suffer. Let me share some of my experiences with the group.
A client called me up and we agreed to meet around 10am. By 10:30am, I called her up because she did not show up on the agreed time. Then she told me, "mam, i'm on way now." I asked her, where in Davao are you right now? Then she replied, I'm still in Mintal.
We agreed to meet in a mall in Bajada by 10am. At 10:30am, she's still on her way from Mintal. 🙂 Frustrating huh? ha ha…
So I said, let's reschedule tomorrow because I have other schedules and I cannot be late because my other clients will "kill me". Meaning, they'll cross me off their list of favorite brokers. he he…
Seriously though, for me a client's appointment is sacred. It's better for me to wait than for them to wait on me. So unless, I am sick or I have a family emergency to attend to, I try to be there ahead of time or on time.
John told me one time, I wonder how you handle these things on a daily basis, specially when you don't smoke or drink.. ha ha ha… I told him jokingly, now you understand why patience is a virtue..
It is very frustrating but I've learned a lot of things over the years. The most important thing is that "being late" is a big part of the Philippine culture. It should be easy for me to adjust to that, being a filipino. But the truth is, it's not.. I feel bad sometimes because it seems like there's no respect for other people's time. But I cannot dwell on that. So I tell myself, Ok Lea just try to understand and move on… It's so sad but that's the way it is.
Your comment Bob is exactly the reason why I show up in my appointments on time. Most of us (sales people) I guess, don't understand that our actions will speak for itself. And of course, client's respect is gained through it.
Thanks for letting me share Bob. Please say hi to Feyma for me!
Lea
I was just reading the posts here from MikeV and I can't resist not to reply. At first, I wanted to comment based on what he posted, but when I checked his website, he's just one of those ( I assumed) rich, spoiled, no manners kids who live in Metro Manila who kind of live their lives as if they live in the West/US. What's funny, is that they thought that the more rude, spoiled, no manners they look like, they thought it's "cool". This kid doesn't realize that only famous rappers can get away with that in the US, others even ended up in jail. So, bottomline is, Bob, don't even waste your time to reply on his comments. I already wasted mine. 🙂 He's not your target market anyway.
However, to reply on the original post, I will give the lady, a benefit of the doubt, for the first time only. As they said "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me."
to MIKE V!
I was reading your post I truly Agree what you says…I Hate a whinner especially if your living in a third world country?for long years? well,some expat living there should already knew or been adjusted.
Mike V! I reaaly like your comments.thats a lesson to learn also living in different part of country.Hey Lady Lea! Chill out!! We are not in Iraq?
Smile
Lea – apparently, you didn't read or perhaps understand the entire post and you didn't see the point i am trying to make, i am not bashing bob or anyone here, ok, just to make everything direct to the point.
It is not only in the philippines where punctuality is a problem, even in the so-called "first world country" it is also happening. to portray the philippines is not a place for having a business is just simply unfair, i am just refering to bob's article and i quote him.
"The lesson to me here is that here in the Philippines, client meetings are not that important. They can be canceled at the last minute."
for me, what bob said here seemed to suggest to anyone that philippine is not a place to have a business.
instead of just pinpointing the lady he had troulbe with, bob and some of the reader assumed that the entire nation is at fault, as if every filipino in the philippine cannot be relied on having a business.
remember philippine is just 60 years old (for being independent), and 60 years is quite impressive considering we had all kind of troubles, war, insurgency, calamity, martial law, corruption etc..etc..
Hi Bob,
i know this is off-topic but I think this is worth to discuss.
The philippines is catching up.
Taguig is now becoming a NEW CITY
http://youtube.com/watch?v=yipje8gmyws&featur…
http://youtube.com/watch?v=QRBIjEvrH8s&featur…
The old fort bonifacio is now becoming the new central business district
http://youtube.com/watch?v=e_DjdrdpmvE&featur…
The laguna area is now becoming a city too
http://youtube.com/watch?v=oyj8H7RP4hM&featur…
The Muntinlupa is catching up as well.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=00XQZE_BU4Y&featur…
and of course the Makati Business District
http://youtube.com/watch?v=6U-Qh17LyUU&featur…
I think this is worth to have an article, i am sure there are many western people out there who never set foot in the philippines and they probably think that philippines is still the land of terror and poverty.
This video only proves that filipinos can achieve to improve the country.
I have a german friend who used to live in philippines for a very long time, before he left the country, he told me "Never stop believing in your country, your country is still young and your people is just starting to learn, one day, your country will stand proud."
I never stop believing in my country and it makes me proud to see the changes philippines is going through.
i hope, you can make an article about this.
Hi MikeV – I understand what you are saying. To be honest and frank, though, I really don't care much.
Hi Lea – I appreciate your thoughts on this, and I agree with you completely.
Hi Lea – Oh yes, I looked at MikeV's website. That's why I don't take him seriously.
bob – you still don't get it do you? and now you are saying you don't care? is that because you knew i have a point and you knew i am right, but since I hurt your *ego* and it hurts your country, it is okay for you to say "you don't care much" but when it comes to whining, you can easily write an article about it and fault the country for it? are you seeing yourself? do you think you're unbiased about what you see and what you think?
you don't take me seriously because I hurt your "ego" and i literally opened your eyes about the reality and you can't handle it!
The problem with you people is, you think you are the saviour of our country, you think the philippines will not grow without you, you think you are the superhero of the filipinos, tell you what, you feel you are "somebody" in davao, come to manila and other big cities and you will find yourself a nobody. you keep telling the whole world how you love to live in the philippines and yet you keep whinning about it, common sense tells me, if you have a lot of things to whine about the country, the solution… catch a plane and go back home. oopss. you would not want to do that because you will just become a *nobody* in the states just like everyone else there.
piece of advice, you can only achieve the true happines living in the 3rd world country if you let your frustration out of your mind/body and understand the people of the country, after all, philippines is for the filipinos and not for the americans or whoever who cannot adjust themselves living in there.
oh well…
Lea – you are in agreement with bob's opinion, however, what you missed is bob just generalize the entire country for being unreliable when it comes to business, however, you just said yourself that you are prompt with your clients? or perhaps your client is prompt with you too when they need to conduct a business with you, again you probably looked at yourself on how you conduct a business but never looked at the client's side for being on time
it seems to me your agreement with bob is very contradicting, should the reader and other people here not to conduct a business with you because you lived in the philippines and perhaps you are a filipina married to "foreigner" – if you are a filipina, you just looked down at your own people and country, the likes of you is the main reason why other nation perceive filipinos as an a** kisser or a sell-out.
Mike V
calm down man, Bob is writing about his experiences and Lea is contributing and entitled to her opinion the below……..comments from you……………..
"it seems to me your agreement with bob is very contradicting, should the reader and other people here not to conduct a business with you because you lived in the philippines and perhaps you are a filipina married to “foreigner” – if you are a filipina, you just looked down at your own people and country, the likes of you is the main reason why other nation perceive filipinos as an a** kisser or a sell-out."
your points get lost in the rant, keep it sane, and we can follow what your point is,
thats my opinion, all the very best
rick b
Bob
i posted above and then something Leah wrote niggled me and i also checked mike v's web blog site, sorry now i tried to comment on his rant, the guy is an idiot
Mike V – I’m not sure if you’re replying to my post or Lea Walker’s post. Regardless who, you’re entitled to your own opinion, so the rest of us. At least you care about how “foreigners” perceived Pinoys. Sometimes truth hurts. And sometimes what’s acceptable doesn’t make it right. Peace out! 🙂
Bob – good or bad, still a publicity. 🙂 Mike V’s post tells you that you’re also attracting younger readers. 🙂
hi bob –
it's hot in here, or is it just me??
😆
Hi Mike V,
I guess there's a confusion here. I think you are referring to the other Lea in this forum?
If you read my post, I said I feel sad about the tardiness here in our country because it seems like there's no respect for other people's time. I am basing my comment through the daily experiences I have had in my line of work.
What we call "Filipino time" really exist. But there are still people in our country who do come on time. 🙂
I hope you were not referring to me when you said probably, I look down on Filipinos because I'm married to a foreigner. I don't look down on anyone. Have never done that and will never do. The thing is my observation is based on what I've experienced and I have had a lot of our countrymen not showing up on time.
But as mentioned in my previous post, I try to understand and move on.
Thanks and God bless!
Lea C. Walker
Hi MikeV – Don't worry about me, my ego (nor any other part of me) is not injured. The thing is, what you think is just meaningless to me. I am happy with my life, and why would I let you spoil that? Do you get it? 😆
Hi rick b – Don't lose any sleep over MikeV. He has problems, I'd say.
Hi dans – indeed, it's a bit toasty!
Hi Lea – Thanks for your comments. Honestly, I do not perceive Pinoys badly. if I didn't like Filipino people, I wouldn't want to live here! 😆
Hi Lea C. Walker – If MikeV felt that I tagged "all" filipinos in my column, that was not my intention. I agree that Filipino time is a real thing that happens a lot (even most Filipinos will tell you that), but people in all countries are sometimes late, cancel appointments and such. It just happens more here, in my opinion (and MikeV, please not, that is my opinion). Thanks for dropping by Lea.