Please see below my entire email to UST. I dunno if it will fall on deaf ears, so I'd rather share this with my friends.
November 24, 2008 sent to medicaltourism@usthospital.com.ph:
I want to file a complaint against one staff in your Billing Department, assigned in Window 7. She's an aged lady with a permanent frown on her face. This incident happend last Saturday, November 22. (Kindly check who was in Window 7 on the afternoon of the said date.)
My fiance was diagnosed with Stage III Dengue and has been confined in your hospital since Wednesday afternoon, November 19. Last Saturday, November 22, I wanted to make sure his Philhealth requirements were complete, so I went to the PHilhealth window of your Billing section. The staff there told me I needed to retrieve several documents from our office (my fiance & i are officemates)in order to process his PHIC requirements in time for the billing. The staff in the PHIC window suggested that I could have the remaining documents faxed and I just have to pay them. I frantically called up the office and pleaded with our accounting supervisor to go back to the office and fax documents to the billing section's fax number.
Our acctng supervisor texted me that she already faxed to the said number. I POLITELY asked the lady in Window 7 if she knew where that certain fax number was, because there was an fax for Philhealth. With a sour expression on her face, she got up, checked the fax and handed me 2 pages. I paid for it and then confirmed with our supervisor if it was just 2 pages. She said it was 5 pages, and that the person who answered the fax confirmed having received 5 pages. So I again politely asked the lady in Window 7 if there wasn't any other pages left, and she irritatedly looked at me and said, "Wala na nga eh, yan lng tlga ung andon." I just said thank you and again pleaded with our supervisor to re-fax the 3 remaining pages.
(By this time the pressure on my part was great because our office was already supposed to be closed by this time -- I was the only reason why they couldn't close up.)
Then our supervisor texted me that the billing department's fax line is busy, so she couldn't get through. I approached the lady in Window 7 to supposedly ask if there was another fax number. I barely got the words, "Mam, ung fax po..." when she looked at me and cut me off, "Pra san ba yang pinapafax mo?!" I was stunned and told her, "for Philhealth po." It turns out that the staff in the Philhealth window was talking to someone over the fax line. The lady, assuming that the Philhealth guy was talking to MY office, told me sharply, "Eh un na nga ung kausap nung tga Philhealth eh!! Galit pa nga ata opisina nyo eh! Yun na oh!" she said, her nguso pointing irritatedly to the fax machine. I was barely able to tell her what our company name was when she said , "Oo nga! un nga eh!" so I scrambled out of her window. Confused, I called up our supervisor and asked her if she was on the fax line with UST, but she told me, "Hindi ah, busy nga eh, hirap maka-connect." The lady in window 7 really did not bother to check, she just thought of me as a nuisance, when in fact I used all politeness and pakikisuyo when dealing with her. Despite having a long line, I just made a request to the Philhealth staff to give me a new number, all this time causing delay in our office also.
I would just like to remind you that at that the fact that people are there in the Billing section preparing Philhealth requirements means that someone close to them was/is SICK. Sick enough to get confined and file a claim through Philhealth. Most, if not all, are dealing with paying large sums of money, and so the last thing that we need is MORE STRESS FROM YOUR VERY OWN STAFF -- the very same people who are supposed to guide us on what to do.
For sure, there are some people who may not be as educated as I am who will be asking questions from them, because NOT EVERYBODY IS PRIVY TO THE PROCEDURES OF HOSPITALS. I hate to think what this lady does to other people who seek her help.
Whatever happened to your mission to "provide the best quality healthcare possible, especially to our less fortunate brothers and sisters..."? If that lady in your billing section does not have the patience to deal with a polite and educated person like me, then we can certainly expect she will barely have patience to answer basic questions from those who barely know what to do.
I'd like to turn the tables on her, see what she would do if one of her loved ones got really sick and the hospital billing staff SNUBS her face off and REFUSES to assist her.
I look up to UST Hospital as an institution who will take care of our needs. I was born there, in fact. I hate to lose my respect for it just because you have a dragon lady in your billing department. But unfortunately, it's experiences like these that we tend to remember. Instead of remembering how your nursing staff were prompt in attending to our needs, I'd remember how your billing staff made life hard for me. Yes, I'd remember, and would likely NOT forget. See how important customer service is?
I know I came quite close to losing my fiance, 1 month before our wedding. But I most certainly do not need any further stress from the hospital which saved him.
A very disappointed customer,
Eva
Monday, November 24, 2008
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Ola, Chinabank ATM Center!!!
"ATM Center, good morning, this is evaaaaaa...."
Yup... a little over two years ago this was my morning, noon and afternoon to whoever may be calling our local line. That was the tip of the iceberg for my life at ATM Center.
Having crossed career paths, I have since left the banking industry to join my co-geeks at the IT industry. I've been exposed to several seminars and workshops on IT technology sales -- one of which ironically brought me closer to my previous home.
Yesterday, I "walked the familiar walk" in Makati, towards Fraser Place, for an IT sales
workshop. After 8 confusing hours, I texted a former colleague of mine and asked if he wanted to meet up with me by Chinabank's entrance. Mi amigo, King, and another former officemate (and now supervisory trainee) Aimee forced me to go up to get that ATM Center feeling again. I reluctantly agreed, since I knew my former boss was having a meeting in the pantry, and the chances of her seeing me was kinda high. But my reminiscing feeling got the better of me, and we boarded the elevator up to the 14th floor.
By the time I stepped inside the office, it was like a time space warp... Everything was the same... just like my feeling when I went back to my university early this year. I sat near my former table, and my officemate was even showing me what used to be my computer during my eBanking days. I recognized some of the employees there, all of whom shrieked when they saw me, but most of the others there were already after my time. What surprised me was that AJ, the newbie in recon that I helped train as I was leaving, was the most senior recon analyst left in our section....and even she was already resigning...
In the 15 or so minutes I spent there, I made sure to take something with me as proof of my return, haha.
Mommy Jelai, Moi, AJ BadingerZ,
Mi Amigo Kingkong (err... anong ginagawa
mo mi amigo?)....
This time with blo0ming blo0ming Tessa
(wid mi amigo doing the "nguso" look)
...and as I was leaving, one pahabol picture of the gateway to my previous life.... (Oi bakit nga ba wala pang chorva yang christmas tree? dati September pa lng kuntodo borloloy na yang Christmas tree na yan ah!)
Ciao, ATM Center! Till we meet again!
Yup... a little over two years ago this was my morning, noon and afternoon to whoever may be calling our local line. That was the tip of the iceberg for my life at ATM Center.
Having crossed career paths, I have since left the banking industry to join my co-geeks at the IT industry. I've been exposed to several seminars and workshops on IT technology sales -- one of which ironically brought me closer to my previous home.
Yesterday, I "walked the familiar walk" in Makati, towards Fraser Place, for an IT sales
workshop. After 8 confusing hours, I texted a former colleague of mine and asked if he wanted to meet up with me by Chinabank's entrance. Mi amigo, King, and another former officemate (and now supervisory trainee) Aimee forced me to go up to get that ATM Center feeling again. I reluctantly agreed, since I knew my former boss was having a meeting in the pantry, and the chances of her seeing me was kinda high. But my reminiscing feeling got the better of me, and we boarded the elevator up to the 14th floor.By the time I stepped inside the office, it was like a time space warp... Everything was the same... just like my feeling when I went back to my university early this year. I sat near my former table, and my officemate was even showing me what used to be my computer during my eBanking days. I recognized some of the employees there, all of whom shrieked when they saw me, but most of the others there were already after my time. What surprised me was that AJ, the newbie in recon that I helped train as I was leaving, was the most senior recon analyst left in our section....and even she was already resigning...
In the 15 or so minutes I spent there, I made sure to take something with me as proof of my return, haha.
Mommy Jelai, Moi, AJ BadingerZ,
Mi Amigo Kingkong (err... anong ginagawa
mo mi amigo?)....
This time with blo0ming blo0ming Tessa
(wid mi amigo doing the "nguso" look)...and as I was leaving, one pahabol picture of the gateway to my previous life.... (Oi bakit nga ba wala pang chorva yang christmas tree? dati September pa lng kuntodo borloloy na yang Christmas tree na yan ah!)
Thursday, October 16, 2008
IRONMEN
Yesterday, Jemmi & I had lunch at ATC (something we RARELY do) because we wanted to avoid payday lines in ATMs after office hours. I was wearing an Ironman shirt (that i bought at the kids section @ SM). After withdrawing, we were about to go up to Food Choices when Jemmi suddenly suggested, "Burger King?" I immediately agreed and we set out for Burger King's direction. We spotted a two-seater table by the glass wall and I told Jemmi to go and order while I guard our table. As I was nearing the table, I noticed a family (a mom, 2 grandmas and 2 little boys) at our nearby table. Then, as I was about to sit, the younger boy (maybe about 4 yrs old) suddenly pointed at me and shrieked,
"Ummm mama mama mmmmm". (Yeah he was babbling to his mama and pointing at me.)
I was surprised and I initially thought the kid was saying the table was actually occupied by them, so I waited for his mama to say so. But she was equally puzzled and told the boy, "Why baby? No, don't point, don't point!"
But the kid kept on pointing at me even as I was already sitting down. He finally mumbled something like "...Aynyonman..."
So then it dawned on me that he was pointing at my Ironman shirt. I laughed and said,
"Ahh, Ironman?" Pointing to my shirt. His mom and grandmas smiled at me and said, "Ahh, si Ironman pala, hehehe."
So then the kid stopped pointing at me and I was smiling at his family, when my eyes fell on his older brother (who was about 6 or 7 years old). He was sitting in between his two grandmas, and, to my utter disbelief, he was wearing the exact same Ironman shirt I was wearing.
I couldn't help it, I blurted out, "Ay, pareho pla kami ng t-shirt .....!" (gesturing to the older brother)
All at once, the mom and the two grandmas looked from the older brother to me, and laughed heartily, as I was grinning myself. They were saying that was why the younger boy was pointing at me. I commented sheepishly, "Ay, nabubuking kng san ako bumibili ng t-shirt hehe!" and they were smiling at both of us. The older boy even stood up, craned his neck to check out my shirt, smiled widely and said, "We're the same!" "Yes," I answered, smiling back. "We're the same!"
Yes, we were the same... the 7-year old boy and the 27-year old girl were the same. hahahaha! I would have been humiliated if it were an adult, but it was a cute little boy and the incident was d@mn funny. By the time Jemmi got back from the counter, I was struggling to keep a straight face -- moreso while I was telling her the story. She was snickering and glancing at the boy then at me, causing the boy to look at me and "our" shirt and smile again.
My only regret was that I wasn't able to take a picture with the boy -- I was really tempted to ask for a picture for my blog but I wasn't sure how his mom would react -- knowing some moms are overprotective when it comes to the exposure of their kids over the Internet.
Nevermind the 20-year age gap... it only took one shirt to turn me into a 7-year old kid -- nevermind if it was a boy. Haha!
"Ummm mama mama mmmmm". (Yeah he was babbling to his mama and pointing at me.)
I was surprised and I initially thought the kid was saying the table was actually occupied by them, so I waited for his mama to say so. But she was equally puzzled and told the boy, "Why baby? No, don't point, don't point!"
But the kid kept on pointing at me even as I was already sitting down. He finally mumbled something like "...Aynyonman..."
So then it dawned on me that he was pointing at my Ironman shirt. I laughed and said,
"Ahh, Ironman?" Pointing to my shirt. His mom and grandmas smiled at me and said, "Ahh, si Ironman pala, hehehe."
So then the kid stopped pointing at me and I was smiling at his family, when my eyes fell on his older brother (who was about 6 or 7 years old). He was sitting in between his two grandmas, and, to my utter disbelief, he was wearing the exact same Ironman shirt I was wearing.
I couldn't help it, I blurted out, "Ay, pareho pla kami ng t-shirt .....!" (gesturing to the older brother)
All at once, the mom and the two grandmas looked from the older brother to me, and laughed heartily, as I was grinning myself. They were saying that was why the younger boy was pointing at me. I commented sheepishly, "Ay, nabubuking kng san ako bumibili ng t-shirt hehe!" and they were smiling at both of us. The older boy even stood up, craned his neck to check out my shirt, smiled widely and said, "We're the same!" "Yes," I answered, smiling back. "We're the same!"
Yes, we were the same... the 7-year old boy and the 27-year old girl were the same. hahahaha! I would have been humiliated if it were an adult, but it was a cute little boy and the incident was d@mn funny. By the time Jemmi got back from the counter, I was struggling to keep a straight face -- moreso while I was telling her the story. She was snickering and glancing at the boy then at me, causing the boy to look at me and "our" shirt and smile again.
My only regret was that I wasn't able to take a picture with the boy -- I was really tempted to ask for a picture for my blog but I wasn't sure how his mom would react -- knowing some moms are overprotective when it comes to the exposure of their kids over the Internet.
Nevermind the 20-year age gap... it only took one shirt to turn me into a 7-year old kid -- nevermind if it was a boy. Haha!
Monday, September 15, 2008
See for Yourself: Pinoy Dream Academy's Miguel vs. Liezl
Here you go. found vids of 3rd placer Miguel's performance:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FBmS7lzVjc
And 4th placer Liezel's performance:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouWYR8aPmv4
see for yourselves, and ponder if the placements were indeed agreeable.
Pinoy Dream Academy Season 2 Results: What the heck happened?
1. Laarni 2. Bugoy 3. Miguel 4. Liezl 5. Van 6. Chris
I wanted Bugoy to win. But when he didn't, i was surprised that someone with an attitude problem won. I do hope the young ones won't think that it's ok to be pasaway coz even they can win a prestigous competition like this.
However, as this is a talent competition, not a school for good manners and right conduct, I grudgingly accept Laarni's victory, seeing that the girl indeed has TALENT, and lots of it. I just hope she improves that attitude of hers.
Let me reiterate, this is a TALENT COMPETITION. Which is why, what I CANNOT ACCEPT is the fact that Liezl is merely 4th place. How in the world did Miguel manage to win 3rd place?!?!
Ahhhh. Text votes. Yes. The power of the people.
Ok, let me suppress the urge to burst with sour personal opinion and stick to the facts:
Attitude: Liezl was generally charming. Miguel was ok too, actually, except for the fact that he voted for himself as being number 1 when it was obvious that at least 1 scholar was better than him. Altho one teacher DID say that they should aspire to be the "Big Dreamer"...but aspiration is different from reality.Ok, this part could be subjective. But read on.
Talent: Liezl had been star scholar for several weeks in a row. Did Miguel ever become top scholar? (I'm really asking, i'm not sarcastic). If he has, was it as often as Liezl? No one can deny these facts.
Gala Night Performance: Miguel has a good voice. He's like Jay-R and is good for RnB grooves and stuff. Liezl is a performer. Her rendition of Aretha Franklin's R-E-S-P-E-C-T rocked the house. Mr. Ryan Cayabyab & Mr. Joey Reyes were dancing in their seats!!!! The crowd went wild -- listen to the applause (is it on youtube now?) And it was also obvious from Toni Gonzaga's comment about the people giving respect to Liezl. The crown obviously loved it. Check youtube, if the video's up. Judge for yourself.
So can anyone please tell me what Miguel has that Liezl doesn't? What did he do to surpass Liezl?
Except for money for text votes, that is.
(I mean, it's not like Eric Santos who really WOWED the crowd during his final performance, right?)
(My blog, my rant, but i'm sure i share the same thoughts with a lot of people.)
However, as this is a talent competition, not a school for good manners and right conduct, I grudgingly accept Laarni's victory, seeing that the girl indeed has TALENT, and lots of it. I just hope she improves that attitude of hers.
Let me reiterate, this is a TALENT COMPETITION. Which is why, what I CANNOT ACCEPT is the fact that Liezl is merely 4th place. How in the world did Miguel manage to win 3rd place?!?!
Ahhhh. Text votes. Yes. The power of the people.
Ok, let me suppress the urge to burst with sour personal opinion and stick to the facts:
Attitude: Liezl was generally charming. Miguel was ok too, actually, except for the fact that he voted for himself as being number 1 when it was obvious that at least 1 scholar was better than him. Altho one teacher DID say that they should aspire to be the "Big Dreamer"...but aspiration is different from reality.Ok, this part could be subjective. But read on.
Talent: Liezl had been star scholar for several weeks in a row. Did Miguel ever become top scholar? (I'm really asking, i'm not sarcastic). If he has, was it as often as Liezl? No one can deny these facts.
Gala Night Performance: Miguel has a good voice. He's like Jay-R and is good for RnB grooves and stuff. Liezl is a performer. Her rendition of Aretha Franklin's R-E-S-P-E-C-T rocked the house. Mr. Ryan Cayabyab & Mr. Joey Reyes were dancing in their seats!!!! The crowd went wild -- listen to the applause (is it on youtube now?) And it was also obvious from Toni Gonzaga's comment about the people giving respect to Liezl. The crown obviously loved it. Check youtube, if the video's up. Judge for yourself.
So can anyone please tell me what Miguel has that Liezl doesn't? What did he do to surpass Liezl?
Except for money for text votes, that is.
(I mean, it's not like Eric Santos who really WOWED the crowd during his final performance, right?)
(My blog, my rant, but i'm sure i share the same thoughts with a lot of people.)
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
How do you know if he's 'The One'?
My soul-sister (who is currently based in Hawaii) and I had a semi-sensible chat a couple of days ago... I was bugging her to come back home and we were talking about my wedding preparations when she suddenly said,
"actually, yan nga ang madalas kong tanong sa mga kakilala kong ikakasal 4:35 PM
pano nila nalaman na yung tao na yun ang "the one" 4:35 PM "
Hmmm... this was a challenge to say in less than a hundred words (hey it's hard to chat using long paragraphs ha) but I knew I had the answer. She even followed it up with,
"di ko alam kung kelangan may magical feeling 4:35 PM"
Kasi nmn daw, nagtanong cya sa mga kaibigan nya, and more often than not, their reply will just be,
"Bsta, alam mo lng..." or "Hindi ko maexplain eh..." So ibig daw ba sabihin, pag na-explain mo ung feeling hindi sya ung "the one"?!?
Hindi nmn dba?
So then, I replied,
"...there's no magical feeling tlga. It's the peace, contentment and happiness you feel with the person and the feeling of wanting to grow old with him 4:42 PM
It's seeing a future with him, not a fairy tale future but a real one, with kids, problems, triumphs 4:42 PM
it's looking forward and seeing yourself on a rocking chair, simply talking with him during your golden years 4:43 PM
it's being able to, as you said, have a mature kind of relationship wherein you complement each other, you understand each other and you have a certain level of trust that you haven't experienced with anyone. 4:43 PM
it's being secure when you're with him, knowing that you can entrust your life and your future kids' lives in his hands, knowing fully well that he will be able to take care of you 4:44 PM
i know these are ideal scenarios, pero dba, if deep in your heart you cannot see these things with that person, ibig sabihin may doubts pa tlga"
So hindi nmn mala nobela ang sagot ko. as I said, pigil pa ako jan dahil mahirap sa chat. Pero I'm happy to say na sobrang naintindihan ako ng aking soul-sister coz she feels the same way for her current boyfriend, whom I really like for her, and whom I really do believe is the one for her. (at hindi din malaki ang bayad ng bf nya sakin for saying this ha... dahil binigyan ko cya discount sa service fee ko eh haha!)
So how do you know if he's the one? sometimes its as if we cannot quantify it in terms of words or descriptions -- maybe because we cannot find enough conflicts or differences that stand out and make us believe he is NOT the one. (you know, the kind of negating reasoning where you prove that the coffee is hot by stating that it is not cold)...
But don't you think that it could also be the overwhelming feeling of peace, that you cannot think of how to put it into words because maybe there are simply no need for words.
My soul-sister mentioned that I have been the only one who had given her a straight answer. Well, it is probably due to the fact that I am quite articulate myself -- however it doesn't mean that those who could not give an answer are already mistaken or confused. It might just mean they can't put it into words, dba?
I'm happy for those who truly believe they have found their "One".
I believe I have found mine too...
in fact, he's marrying me soon... :D
Powt, come home na! I need your measurements, and I need my kaladkaring friend back! :D
"actually, yan nga ang madalas kong tanong sa mga kakilala kong ikakasal 4:35 PM
pano nila nalaman na yung tao na yun ang "the one" 4:35 PM "
Hmmm... this was a challenge to say in less than a hundred words (hey it's hard to chat using long paragraphs ha) but I knew I had the answer. She even followed it up with,
"di ko alam kung kelangan may magical feeling 4:35 PM"
Kasi nmn daw, nagtanong cya sa mga kaibigan nya, and more often than not, their reply will just be,
"Bsta, alam mo lng..." or "Hindi ko maexplain eh..." So ibig daw ba sabihin, pag na-explain mo ung feeling hindi sya ung "the one"?!?
Hindi nmn dba?
So then, I replied,
"...there's no magical feeling tlga. It's the peace, contentment and happiness you feel with the person and the feeling of wanting to grow old with him 4:42 PM
It's seeing a future with him, not a fairy tale future but a real one, with kids, problems, triumphs 4:42 PM
it's looking forward and seeing yourself on a rocking chair, simply talking with him during your golden years 4:43 PM
it's being able to, as you said, have a mature kind of relationship wherein you complement each other, you understand each other and you have a certain level of trust that you haven't experienced with anyone. 4:43 PM
it's being secure when you're with him, knowing that you can entrust your life and your future kids' lives in his hands, knowing fully well that he will be able to take care of you 4:44 PM
i know these are ideal scenarios, pero dba, if deep in your heart you cannot see these things with that person, ibig sabihin may doubts pa tlga"
So hindi nmn mala nobela ang sagot ko. as I said, pigil pa ako jan dahil mahirap sa chat. Pero I'm happy to say na sobrang naintindihan ako ng aking soul-sister coz she feels the same way for her current boyfriend, whom I really like for her, and whom I really do believe is the one for her. (at hindi din malaki ang bayad ng bf nya sakin for saying this ha... dahil binigyan ko cya discount sa service fee ko eh haha!)
So how do you know if he's the one? sometimes its as if we cannot quantify it in terms of words or descriptions -- maybe because we cannot find enough conflicts or differences that stand out and make us believe he is NOT the one. (you know, the kind of negating reasoning where you prove that the coffee is hot by stating that it is not cold)...
But don't you think that it could also be the overwhelming feeling of peace, that you cannot think of how to put it into words because maybe there are simply no need for words.
My soul-sister mentioned that I have been the only one who had given her a straight answer. Well, it is probably due to the fact that I am quite articulate myself -- however it doesn't mean that those who could not give an answer are already mistaken or confused. It might just mean they can't put it into words, dba?
I'm happy for those who truly believe they have found their "One".
I believe I have found mine too...
in fact, he's marrying me soon... :D
Powt, come home na! I need your measurements, and I need my kaladkaring friend back! :D
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Please help find this 3 yr old boy who was abducted last night...
Please help find this boy... This was posted in my yahoo groups and I saw the news about him on TV last night... here's the link of his tita's multiply site:
http://melquita.multiply.com/photos/album/348/HELP_My_Nephew_Was_Abducted
Here's the blog post. Please do visit the blog to see pictures of
the kid... and pray tayo for his safety, he's sick pa nmn... sana makita na cya!
Spread the word nlng po...
Eva
----------------------------------------------------------
http://melquita.multiply.com/photos/album/348/HELP_My_Nephew_Was_Abducted
Here's the blog post. Please do visit the blog to see pictures of
the kid... and pray tayo for his safety, he's sick pa nmn... sana makita na cya!
Spread the word nlng po...
Eva
----------------------------------------------------------
My pamangkin, Kuya Ken's son Matthew, where we took the other half of the business namesake was abducted last night at Festival Mall in Alabang.
Name: Matthew" Chu-chu" David Samudio
Age: 3 Years Old, Can barely speak straight.
Address: 16 guyabano st umali rd. summitville subdivision putatan muntinlupa city 1770
He was last seen at Tom's World Arcade in Festival Mall Alabang, around 8pm yesterday July 22, 2008 wearing Green Checkered Polo, Maong pants and Green Mr. Bean Slippers.
When we reviewed the surveillance camera in said mall, there was this chubby impoverished looking girl around 12-13 years old wearing a dirtied pink top with floral design and a reddish jogging pants who summoned my nephew and then whispered something to him, then my pamangkin who is very "bibo" readily took her hand as they went out of the said premises.
Guys, I need your help with this, if you know people in the media, police or government agency who might be able to HELP us locate my nephew, I'm begging you, please, please help us. Or at the very least, please pass this message to as many people as possible, who knows where the abductors might have taken him... Matthew is a very sickly kid, he rarely eats unless his yaya feeds him and he was about to have an operation for fluid in his right testis.
If there are any news or lead that can locate my nephew, please help us... Sobrang kawawa ang pamangkin ko, who knows how they are treating him...I dont want this thing happening to any kid so please help my nephew. PLEASE. You can contact my brother at 0923-638-4632.
Thank you so much and God Bless you!
Name: Matthew" Chu-chu" David Samudio
Age: 3 Years Old, Can barely speak straight.
Address: 16 guyabano st umali rd. summitville subdivision putatan muntinlupa city 1770
He was last seen at Tom's World Arcade in Festival Mall Alabang, around 8pm yesterday July 22, 2008 wearing Green Checkered Polo, Maong pants and Green Mr. Bean Slippers.
When we reviewed the surveillance camera in said mall, there was this chubby impoverished looking girl around 12-13 years old wearing a dirtied pink top with floral design and a reddish jogging pants who summoned my nephew and then whispered something to him, then my pamangkin who is very "bibo" readily took her hand as they went out of the said premises.
Guys, I need your help with this, if you know people in the media, police or government agency who might be able to HELP us locate my nephew, I'm begging you, please, please help us. Or at the very least, please pass this message to as many people as possible, who knows where the abductors might have taken him... Matthew is a very sickly kid, he rarely eats unless his yaya feeds him and he was about to have an operation for fluid in his right testis.
If there are any news or lead that can locate my nephew, please help us... Sobrang kawawa ang pamangkin ko, who knows how they are treating him...I dont want this thing happening to any kid so please help my nephew. PLEASE. You can contact my brother at 0923-638-4632.
Thank you so much and God Bless you!
Friday, July 18, 2008
“I Got Your Back.” – A Military Themed Prenup
“I Got Your Back.” – A Military Prenup Pictorial
The Beginning…
- Jon was a former corps commander back in high school and
- I’ve always wanted to be Lara Croft. (haha.)
After much anticipation, we arrived at
First Location : Those that Run or Fly
Lara Croft meets Guile. Workin’ it by the humongous tank behind us.
This shot was actually easy enough for us. We just had to stand and look back. But what I didn’t realize was it was kinda hard for Jomel, since he had to crouch down low to get this angle. I swear the barrel of that tank didn’t look that big when we were standing below it (or maybe it was? Hmmm…).
The concept for this shot was just relaxing by the chopper, and I think that was what Jon was doing. Hahaha.
If the concept of the previous shot was “relaxing by the chopper”, I’m guessing the idea behind this one is “flirting by the chopper”. That exchange of smiles beyond words is very natural between the two of us. I’d say we were already relaxed and really ourselves during this shot – of course, except for the gun-dangling-from-our-hands part. No, we don’t usually do that. Haha!
I think my fiancé almost swept me off my feet with this one. :D
It is actually in these series of shots (with me wearing Jomel’s G-Shock watch!) that we came up with the title for this blog, “I Got Your Back”, primarily because in the shot above, I seemed to be looking out for enemies (while trying to transform into catwoman), while in the next shot…
Jon looks like a real swat operative trying to cover for me while I’m lounging by the wings – literally. While in real life, especially in marriage, husbands and wives are supposed to “cover each other’s backs”, giving what the other may need in order to fill in each other’s shortcomings. Yes, I know, it’s always easier said than done, either in Military or in Marriage.
Women sometimes have to take control. Sometimes lang! (IF we can help it hehehe!)
By this time we were feeling the heat of the sun and the humidity around us. Luckily, the ambiance of the shots was supposed to be hot and humid!
We were actually resting at this time. I was telling my fiancé that I was feeling hungry and thirsty, and he was telling me we would get something to eat after the shoot. This was, for me, the most relaxed shot, since we were just chillin’ down there… yep, right under the military tank looming over us! Relaxing, eh?
Jon Bond and his Bond Girl playin’ it hot under the scope! I can’t imagine how Jomel even thought about this shot. There was a replica for a certain type of artillery that had scopes. Jomel went behind the scope and simply instructed Jon and me to stand in front and to kiss. We had no idea what he was trying to do until he showed us the proofs. Nice, huh?
To the naked eye, this is simply a kiss through a chopper’s window. But as with every picture, this one also has a story to tell. Both Jomel and Jon told me that if you look closely, the seats inside the chopper had traces of bloodstains on it. Of course, I didn’t want to take another look inside, but it nevertheless got me wondering, how many lives were lost and saved inside this chopper? As I look into this picture, what comes to mind is a whole new life with a whole new meaning for my fiancé and I, as seen through life and loss, war and gain, joy and sorrow.
So we packed up from our first location and drove around and round the Camp, trying to find our main man Jay’s contacts if they’d let us access to their trucks. The concept of the second location will be involving a military truck, whether in a garage or warehouse or parking lot. The problem was, the only military trucks we usually see are either running towards us or parked in areas we don’t have access to. Besides, photographing military logistics is dangerous, lest we give bad elements an idea of what’s inside, right? So we almost gave up on our mission to have a truck shoot when Jay, the dedicated friend that he is, really really sought person after person until finally, after almost an hour of driving around and talking to lots of comrades, Jay finally gave us the go signal. We were in! Thus, the location of these shots is, yes, unmentionable.
Jomel went around the location a few times, trying to conceptualize possible shots given what we had. He had to forego the floodlights, since there was no readily available socket and having bright lights would attract unwanted attention. Thus, we had to shoot in near darkness, with light illuminating only from one corner of the place.
This shot was done in almost darkness, courtesy of a military jeep’s sidemirror.
This is how we’d look like if someone spied on us using night vision lenses. So how did it feel to be sitting on the fender of a bad-a$$ military truck? Let’s just say if I lose my balance, it won’t be a pretty sight. I was struggling to keep my balance in this shot, while my fiancé was effortlessly displaying his machismo at my back.
Hmm… Wanna know what Jon was doing by the military truck in the dark? You’re guess is as good as mine! (This was one of Jomel’s creative shots, where we ended up really laughing afterwards.)
Our “Prenup meets FHM” shot. Lean over. Project. Grab her leg. This was one of the last few shots for the night, and one of the shots I felt comfortable in.
A tender moment captured by the window frame of the military truck. This was not scripted – we simply thought Jomel was still adjusting his camera and doing test shots.
Pain and weakness. That admonishing look I got there is one I’d give anybody who would cause pain to my loved one. (I didn’t think I could pull off this emo shot, since I wasn’t used to “emoting” in front of the camera. Good thing Jomel didn’t pressure me into it. He simply told me the concept, and demonstrated how I was supposed to look at him, and viola! Emo shot.)
This set (in the unmentionable location) was done in around half an hour since we were in a restricted place. But from the output, no one would ever guess we were under time pressure.
After a grueling half day we wrapped up just as rain started to fall. Finally, Jon and I, our main man Jay, our photographer Jomel and his assistant heartily had a (long overdue) dinner in one of the lutong bahay canteens inside the Camp.
Whoa. It all happened so fast as I realized it was back to reality the next day. It was a very different experience, something I never thought I would have to go through. It was worth all the preparations, the conceptualization, the heat and exhaustion. It was worth the fatigue Jon & I experienced as we all went back to work the next day.
As I look back at these pictures, I would always recall the stories behind it, the trouble we had to go through to do it… As the cliché goes, “Pictures mean a thousand words” but I beg to disagree. I attempted to tell each picture’s story with this blog, and I have currently reached 1,621 words (and counting), but I know I could never put everything into writing. Each picture’s story is not in a document but is in my heart, expressed not through words but through emotions, and saved not as a file but as memories. Something that even a crashed hard drive could not take away from me.
To the three J’s who were instrumental in this Prenup Shoot:
Thank you Jomel, for capturing the memories.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
DLSU: 6 years after my college life ended
Jeez. It's been 6 friggin' years?! Yeah, I guess so...
I went back to DLSU on an official business trip: To submit payment and finalize confirmation that my office is joining their Job Expo... The same Job Expo that gave me my first job in Chinabank. The last time I was in a DLSU Job Expo was when I was one of the students collecting application forms and hoping for a free pen or candy from the companies (anyone remember accenture and their cute pens? haha). Now, we're the ones giving out application forms -- I'm not sure of the freebies though!
So then from the moment I got past the guard in South gate, it was a trip down memory lane for me... Luckily I blended with the students since I was wearing the standard school outfit of jeans, baby tee and flip flops. I made a quick stop at the Alumni Office to have my DLSAA card renewed. I relished waiting in line at the accounting department when I paid the Job Expo slot and the DLSAA card renewal fee. I had to shuttle back and forth between the buildings to submit receipts for the Job Expo and stuff. Then I became aware of the one thing that was distinctly different from the time I was there -- it was looming over me, and I was properly impressed by its presence...
The Yuchengco Building.
I vaguely remember it being basically complete while I was doing my undergrad thesis. But it just dawned into me I have never been inside it.
Past it, I managed to take a shady picture of the SJ walk... one of the spots where I used to just sit with my friends and people-watch...
It was the same... after all this years, the feeling was still the same... I couldn't believe I was there, and I could have been easily one of the students on their first week back in school... Looking for textbooks and writing notes in their new filler notebooks (for those who actually make notes, like me).
I don't know if other people could relate, and I'm fairly sure it's normal to have a torrent of emotions flooding through me at that time.. It was surreal, because I started to take in the familiar surroundings, I started to feel like one of them again, one of the students who had to face textbooks and quizzes and machine projects... I clearly remembered me and my friends walking through the very halls I was walking on, going to get something to eat in breaks between classes. I haven't been able to go to our building itself since it was far and I had limited time, but I bet it would all the more be surreal.
In a burst of Animo spirit, I bought a little something I've been meaning to buy: a DLSU jacket. I got the one from the Marketing department, a track jacket with modern DLSU initials...
Oh, and catch the renewed DLSAA ID. Hah. I could now go anywhere I wanted to, on campus.
So there. I may have left school to conquer (conquer? more like creep into) the corporate world. But I realized, all the more at that time, that unless the experiences were traumatic, you never really leave your college life behind...
Somehow, it will still be there, ready to be re-lived and resurrected even with a simple sniff of old college campus air....
Animo La Salle!!!
I went back to DLSU on an official business trip: To submit payment and finalize confirmation that my office is joining their Job Expo... The same Job Expo that gave me my first job in Chinabank. The last time I was in a DLSU Job Expo was when I was one of the students collecting application forms and hoping for a free pen or candy from the companies (anyone remember accenture and their cute pens? haha). Now, we're the ones giving out application forms -- I'm not sure of the freebies though!
So then from the moment I got past the guard in South gate, it was a trip down memory lane for me... Luckily I blended with the students since I was wearing the standard school outfit of jeans, baby tee and flip flops. I made a quick stop at the Alumni Office to have my DLSAA card renewed. I relished waiting in line at the accounting department when I paid the Job Expo slot and the DLSAA card renewal fee. I had to shuttle back and forth between the buildings to submit receipts for the Job Expo and stuff. Then I became aware of the one thing that was distinctly different from the time I was there -- it was looming over me, and I was properly impressed by its presence...
The Yuchengco Building.
I vaguely remember it being basically complete while I was doing my undergrad thesis. But it just dawned into me I have never been inside it.
Past it, I managed to take a shady picture of the SJ walk... one of the spots where I used to just sit with my friends and people-watch...
It was the same... after all this years, the feeling was still the same... I couldn't believe I was there, and I could have been easily one of the students on their first week back in school... Looking for textbooks and writing notes in their new filler notebooks (for those who actually make notes, like me).
I don't know if other people could relate, and I'm fairly sure it's normal to have a torrent of emotions flooding through me at that time.. It was surreal, because I started to take in the familiar surroundings, I started to feel like one of them again, one of the students who had to face textbooks and quizzes and machine projects... I clearly remembered me and my friends walking through the very halls I was walking on, going to get something to eat in breaks between classes. I haven't been able to go to our building itself since it was far and I had limited time, but I bet it would all the more be surreal.
In a burst of Animo spirit, I bought a little something I've been meaning to buy: a DLSU jacket. I got the one from the Marketing department, a track jacket with modern DLSU initials...
Oh, and catch the renewed DLSAA ID. Hah. I could now go anywhere I wanted to, on campus.
So there. I may have left school to conquer (conquer? more like creep into) the corporate world. But I realized, all the more at that time, that unless the experiences were traumatic, you never really leave your college life behind...
Somehow, it will still be there, ready to be re-lived and resurrected even with a simple sniff of old college campus air....
Animo La Salle!!!
Friday, May 30, 2008
Gangsters @ Ronco Beach Resort: Disturbing the Peace Part III
The morning after...
I woke up to a fairly sunny day...
Most of us were already up and about. We ate leftovers from last nyt's feast, along with leda's chiz whiz packs.
The beach was more or less beside a mountain, and the beach house we were staying at was more or less resting on that mountain. So the owners of the beach put up a steep walkway at the back of the house going up the mountain (I'm just calling it a mountain for lack of a better term, but it was hardly a mountain). Up there was a platform where the scenery is better. The group hung out there right after breakfast... nagpapababa ng kinain, so to speak.
Yup, that's Tarzan over there.
After the morning hike, the group decided to swim. Again, I was merely a spectator to the event, especially since Jon decided to join in.
But it was ok, I was able to get pictures of them horsing around.
I even captured Jon tackling Myke...
...and Myke pushing Dan into the water haha!
Even at a distance, the group knew I was taking a picture of them. Haha!
After taking a bath, we prepared to leave to have lunch in Tagaytay. It was just as well that we decided to check out early because it started to rain.
We wanted to eat at Leslie's. We wanted Bulalo. But alas... the place was packed!!
You know what the reception told us? 30mins waiting time. Nuh-uh. No can do for our tummies!
So instead, we went to nearby Cafe Lupe. Total contrast: we were the only ones there so mucho mucho service. Hahaha!
The rain mellowed to a drizzle. But it was still foggy.
Taal Lake was foggy, but you can still see the cages or whatever those floating things are... (yeah, what are those anyway?)
Ahh..the fog cleared enough to get a nice picture of Taal Volcano.
After there, we headed home and made a couple of stops to Colette's to buy pasalubong for out families.
There ends our Calatagan adventure. As we went back to work (and therefore to reality) the next day, we continue to reminisce the time and the gossip that happened --
Drunken confessions.
Puking sessions.
Shared blankets.
Tender sleeping moments.
(Yikituuuuuuuuu!!)
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