some more consumer rights issues:

i now get what my college friend kristine was saying.  globe is sucking us dry.  i noticed, when i send long sms messages (those that are actually equivalent to 2-3 messages sent), i always get "message sending failed." so once, i tried to experiment and sent the same message to my own number, same result: "message sending failed."  but lo and behold, an sms arrived carrying 2/3 of my long message.  and so, na-send talaga yung 2 parts of the message, but just failed on the last part.  ergo, those "failed" messages are paid for pa rin! 

betty encountered worse, she sent me an sms before (short talaga).  "message sending failed" daw lagi.  but my inbox was filled with the same message (6x!); ergo, the "failed" message was really successfully sent! multiple copies pa tuloy kasi naturally, after a failed attempt, try to send uli si betty. 

and do you also have a hard time replying to smart numbers?  kris and i do.

am i in the mood to complain (for the –nth time for various reasons as this blog would attest) sa Globe?  write letters to their president and customer relations head?  on ordinary time, i would without hesitation.  but dang, life is just so hectic right now.  pause muna ang pagtaguyod ng consumer rights…

oh, pahabol. i was so pissed off at the Bench store in Robplace yesterday.  i purchased oil control paper (dang, these teenage glands…still at it) ‘coz my eyeglasses are sliding down often due to massive oil on my nosebridge — ok, i guess that’s too much info published, teeheehee.  after giving my payment, the person behind the cashier asked if i had 75 cents.  i said none.  then she handed me my change — which lacked 25 cents.  whatda?!  and so i chastised the cashier person:  it would have been better that she asked if i’d mind that she lacked 25 cents rather than me not having 75 cents made it my fault for her not to give me a whole peso coin to include my 25 cents change. 

to some, i might appear such a prude already.  being so nittygritty and all about simple matters.  yes, simple 25 cents "lang naman."  but take a paradigm shift.  sa simpleng 25 cents, basic service and simple respect is immediately discarded.

hay, what’s happening with people’s manners and consumer welfare? 

things just get so crazy livin’ life gets hard to do… — sunday morning, maroon 5

super hectic.  so much work; so many backlog readings; a lot of things happening with friends; a birthday to boot.  this is madness, madness i tell you!

but then again, this is berby’s world 2006. *ho-hum*

attended a wedding yesterday; had to go through parlor/make-up ‘nightmares’ again. i swear, ang hirap maging girl.  buti na lang "pretty effi" kami nina shey and betty (pretty can be used as an adjective to ‘effi’ or taken separately as a noun — hahahaha).    congrats to Glenn and Siops! 

Happy birthday, Mel! (dang, one week na lang, it’s my turn na.  can we freeze time? late twenties?  eeeeeeeeeew!)

life of a square is no fun…especially if you are not sponge bob!

• During Ems’ despedida dinner last weekend, we recalled some of our grade school mischief, crushes, and classmates/schoolmates.   We were like, “You remember …?” or “Whatever happened to …?”  One of those questions and its subsequent verification shocked me.  Leo asked, “O you remember Kelly Misa?”  I verified, “yung model?” Leo confirmed and said that she is the same Kelly Misa who was in lower batches than ours.  Para akong na-time space warp…and suddenly recalled the little girl who became a party-mate of mine in the student council for a couple of years (ewan ko ba, sa shy and quiet kong ito nuon, napapa-student council and class officer ako the whole of my grade school life!).  Her face then is still quite similar with how she is now, mas matured looking lang, siempre.  Hay, another case of someone younger we ‘knew’ from way back who made it sooo big already!  So, whatever happened to us; to me?!  Grabe, tumatanda at napag-iiwanan na talaga ng panahon! J

• In line with the previous note, Bets and I were looking at some photos in the Friendster pages of some of our batchmates.  They’ve been here and there &/or live a comfortable life abroad with houses/cars under their names na.  We then started wailing how pale we are in comparison; and that we’d never travel luxuriously nor buy the stuff they have with our respective salaries/lives here in this country!  If not for the inheritance from my dad, I really do not know where I’d be living right now.  If not for his car, I would not afford to buy myself such transportation.  Thus, Betty was asking, should we go abroad for ‘better’ lives na rin?

• I noticed major changes with my familiar stuff/places as I was driving home yesterday.  Trusty ol’ Prudential Bank along Vito Cruz (where my dad and I used to have an account since I was in highschool) is now BPI.  The institutional Pupung’s (where we spent several after-outreach meals) is now a sportshop.  The glass house at Vito Cruz corner Dominga burned down and in its place is a soon-to-open 7-11 store (Mel, the way you can give directions going to your Philippine house now is: turn right sa corner ng 7-11 from Vito Cruz!).  A building now stands beside the main chapel in SSC (Gate 1 area). DLSU has two new buildings — along Taft and along Vito Cruz (I’m so happy I no longer live within the area.  Massive traffic na, dried up pa all residential water pipes because of the water pumps for these additional structures!). 

• OK enough yakking, I’ve just been dumped three new cases to decide on.  Slavery J!

• In protest of the statements of Chief Justice Panganiban the past days, I am removing my photo with him taken last week.  Yes, he was a dissenter in the Echegaray case; but he need not pull down the whole collegiate body of the highest court of the land and say said decision was a mistake!  What the?! As some of my friends put it….six months na lang, six months na lang…

• Dang, it’s rainy season and the backside of our roof sprung a leak!  How to have it repaired with my busy sched and the fact that doing so requires a dry spell?

• It’s half the year already.  Checking on my Resolution to record all of my medicine/vitamins intake shows that I’ve been most sick last March as I took the most number of antacids, loperamide caps, biogesic, cough and colds medicines; while amazingly, the lone month this year that I did not take any antacid was May.  Now, that’s O.C.-ness recording!

• I learned something new the other day from Mitchico and an officemate: you call children’s dentist as pedodontist. Tada!

• I’m so happy for you, Aze!  Justice prevails.  May the evil be punished and goodness triumph! See you soon in Manila!

• With Cash and Carry’s renovation, I am now getting confused locating grocery items from the aisles I can go through even with a blindfold before.  Sayang, hindi na naabutan ni papa the supermarket’s new look.  To think he had been their daily (!) customer when he was alive.

• Wow, Senator Manny Villar is the new Senate President.  Galing (and yaman) naman niya to have held both top positions of the Philippine Congress (HOR’s Speaker during Estrada time and now Senate’s President).

• What’s with our volcanoes these days?  Bulusan (with its 5 craters!) is erupting; Mayon and Taal had significant volcanic earthquakes this week; and even Kanlaon in Negrosis acting up.  Tadadadan… And no, I did not visit Kanlaon recently; just the other three, so don’t pin these on me J!

• Four bombings in Metro Manila…why and what for?! 

• It’s June 14 already, two days already passed since our 108^th Independence Day commemoration; but I hope people won’t think displaying our National Flag is already out of fashion. Go and continue being proud/inspired with our flag!  Oh and note to those who just negligently disregarded/threw their Philippine flags away — that’s bawal under our Flags Law!

• Have you caught “Deal or No Deal” on TV?  Dang, nakaka-bobo!  Pinahabang version lang ng “Pera o Bayong” without the questions that would ATLEAST hopefully make people think (and consequently somehow makes ‘winning’ something the contestant ‘worked’ for).  Kudos to Kris Aquino ‘coz she can carry and make such no brainer show sound/look interesting.  But then again, isn’t it just tiring/irritating to see her at noon (Game ka na ba?), then at night pa?

• Kris just had a local vacation.  When he came back, Betty left for Tarlac (work related).  When she comes back, Kris will leave for an office-sponsored international vacation.  When he comes back, Betty will again head back to Tarlac (work related).  *Hmmmmph* You’re leaving me; you’re always leaving me!

• Fathers’ Day this Sunday.  Nakaka-miss si papa.  So those who have ‘deserving/worthy’ fathers, consider yourselves lucky!  Show your love! J

ika-108 ng kalayaan….mabuhay ang Pilipinas! 

I love my job.  Despite the long drive, the tons of brain cells I kill, the fistfuls of hair I lose due to stress, and the further degeneration of my eyes, I am nevertheless happy.  Happy because I am doing what I’ve always dreamed of doing — making a difference in this country…and not just working to make a company/someone rich or get away (lusot) with some illegalities/irregularities through my efforts.  I know I am working to hopefully contribute to the enrichment of our local jurisprudence and for justice to be served the best way/research I can. 

In reflection, my work is quite a huge and heavy responsibility that it can be intimidating and too morally burdensome (especially since our institution is the last resort for justice and equity); thus, it does take a lot from me.  But, the goosebumps I feel whenever I see our building and our national flag waving freely, and the happiness I get after a good day’s work, tell me that the physical pain and cerebral torture are well worth it. 

• Some advertisements:

From Riza: Try San Miguel Purefoods’ Eaji Snax Dips (nachos, fries, or ridges with the following dips – extremely cheesy garlic cheese, bbq mayo, sweet chili and salsa).

From Tita Vicky: visit Indulgence Salon at the 2^nd floor, Ali Mall. Opening will be on June 17.

• Last month, I received an sms message from 290 which said: “GLOBE PUBLIC SERVICE REMINDER: BEWARE of CALLS or TEXT that request for ur personal information like Name, Address, Contact no.  The sources of these calls and text messages may not be trusted.  Please report any suspicious activity to our 211 toll-free no. to validate.  Reported cases shall be investigated.”  Within the same minute, a friend of mine sent an sms asking for my address.  Ngii, na-praning tuloy ako. 
• I was given a Php 5.00 discount coupon for one (1) case of Refresh Flavored Drink at the National Bookstore in Robinsons Pioneer last Saturday, 03 June 2006.  The other day, I made a quick stop at Robinsons Supermarket, Ermita during my lunch break to pick up a few things needed at home.  Before checking out at the cashier, I remembered the coupon in my wallet and decided to use so by buying one case of Refresh Flavored Drink (to stock in my cubicle for the times I have baon that do not go well with just plain water).  However, the cashier, after verifying with a supervisor, told me that said coupon cannot be honored as there is yet no “Memo” pertaining to so.   I insisted for my discount coupon to be honored as it was validly issued with a stamped authorized signature and my usage of so is well within its expiration period.  Nonetheless, I just heard the same response: “Wala pa po kaming memo tungkol dito, ma’am.” Never mind!  I’d rather not delay the queue.  Just for the heck of it, I made further inquiries at the Customer Service Desk.  Unfortunately, I just heard the same excuse and the people behind said desk asked for my contact info so they will contact me when a Memo has been released. Thanks, but no thanks. Their ‘solution’ just made me feel cheap as it made me appear to be so insistent for a mere Php 5.00; whereas what I am fighting for is for the cashier to honor something duly issued by Robinsons Supermarket.  Yes, the matter may seem simple as the discount coupon is worth only Php 5.00 for a not so important grocery item.  Let me stress that I do not really care about the Php 5.00 discount I was deprived of; rather I am annoyed with the principle of them offering something and not honoring the same.  In other countries, mere stubs cut out from the newspapers are honored, no questions asked.  Here, especially issued coupons na nga, kadami-dami pang hassle.  Violation ng consumer rights!
• Hmmmm… the Death Penalty Law is gonna be repealed pretty soon (with Congress already approving the same).  Frankly, I am not very happy with the arguments for its repeal (sorry, AHRC!). 
• My left hand is getting more painful.  I swear, I dunno what else to do!  I take anti-gout meds to control my uric acid;  I already miss eating monggo and baguio beans; I do not buy eggplants at the grocery anymore; I hardly remember the taste of peanuts; and yummy broccoli are so minimal in my diet na.  The heck?!  Buti na lang left hand.  Kung tuloy-tuloy ang increase ng pain; I will not be surprised if I will have another surgery come October.  Dang! Betty said, I should have my endocrine system checked.
• Congrats, Ems!  Naks, expat ka na!
• Happy birthday, JM!
• Happy birthday, Vani!
• Happy 105^th anniversary to the Supreme Court of the Philippines!