Whatever the circumstances are,
No matter how evil men seem to lord it over,
Whatever setbacks we suffer,
Though misfortunes befall us,
However bleak and dark tomorrow may seem.

We will not cower,
We will stand up and fight,
We will not surrender,
We will not give up,
We remain hopeful and steadfast.

The days are coming:

Of prosperity and plenty
Of justice and peace
Of understanding
Of unity and equality.

Forward we go, all you who have this nation’s interest at heart
To those who love this country: toil, work and give it all your best
Dream of the great things we can do, how noble we can be

The Pearl shines.

A better future awaits, no matter what the present is.

This I believe.

The other day, J, an officemate gushed about a tabletop Christmas tree she bought from a department store. The first time she set her eyes upon the set (three small trees), she just had to have one. She knew they were perfect for her table.

She approached one salesperson and asked if she can have a set. The salesperson looked for the set and quickly announced that they do not have the complete set. One tree was missing. The only stock they had was the one on display.

But you know product displays usually go through several hands and abuse from customers checking the item out. J is the type of person who will not settle for second best. Much less, abused products. She asked nicely if the salesperson could re-check their stockroom. The salesperson headed off and returned after a few minutes, (with a face like saying “I told you already”) and declared, “Sorry Ma’am, we just don’t have any stock left.”

J left unamused.

As one unable to expect “defeat” easily, she went back and found Salesperson Number 2 (SN2). She observed that SN2 was already smiling and had that accommodating aura about him.

She related her desire to get the missing piece and asked nicely, that they just might have one item available. SN2 went to look for the item. It took a while but J waited patiently. At last, SN2 appeared, carrying - what do you know - just the item J was looking for!

Then the problem of the box came. Salesperson Number 2 searched again, but there was none. So, he said “I can make you one from some of the boxes. It would not be the same but it would serve the purpose.” (I imagine it was said in the same helpful tone). Naturally, J agreed. She got her complete table-top Christmas tree set in a box that was custom-made with real customer-care.

J was so overwhelmed with SN2’s service that she tipped him. He flatly refused, but you cannot refuse J. She forcibly placed the bill on SN2’s pocket despite his protests. You don’t normally tip the sales people in that store. It’s against their policy. Long story. All he could say was a sheepish “thank you” and that he was just doing his job.

So my officemate left happy with her victory and with the SN2’s excellent service. She recounted her experience to her sister who reprimanded her “You shouldn’t have tipped him. He could get fired.” Unable to bear the thought of being the cause of a good person’s firing, she went back and looked for SN2’s supervisor. J told the story to the supervisor and commended SN2 and explained that she gave him a tip and that it was her desire to appreciate the good service she was shown. (The ands indicate that she was going full blast, non-stop) THe supervisor thanked J and commented that they have also observed SN2’s good job. And that he will personally take care that SN2 doesn’t get fired because of J’s tip.

(By the way - J also told the supervisor about the bad rap she got from the first one, though she didn’t give him the name. But the supervisor already knew who it was.)

With December approaching, we’ll get a lot of stories like these. I hope we’d hear more tales like those of SN2’s.

This piece was inspired by I Heart Zappos via Seth Godin’s blog entry.

I wish we could find more companies like Zappos and more sales people like SN2.

It was an uneventful flight, a few air pockets but nothing scary. I was still a bit groggy from waking up early. It was just another plane ride, all part of my job. Little did I know that Dumaguete would be one of the most interesting places one could dream of going.

My host, Chester took me to Bethel Hotel from the airport. Located along the bay, one could see people taking an early morning stroll. I immediately sensed a quiet calm. Serenity. Something not all places I’ve been to possess. We entered the Café Filomena located at the far end of the lobby for breakfast. I opted for a “provincial” fare of danguit (small dried fish) and fried rice laced with bits of chorizo, peas and other thingies you usually put in there. The brewed coffee was good too.

A most delightful find was kabug – the Dumaguete equivalent of suman (rice wrapped in banana leaves). It was packaged similarly to the other sumans I’ve known. Peeling away its wrapping revealed the same look like the ones you can buy from any local market. But the difference lies inside. As my fork sliced through it, I expected some resistance.

Instead, I made a noticeable noisy clang with the saucer. It was a good thing that there were not too many people dining at that time. I dipped it with sugar and gobbled a morsel. I couldn’t believe it would taste so good. It had a “ricey” taste but left an almost-exotic tang in your mouth. I should have ordered the native chocolate with it. That would have made it more heavenly.
I breezed through the training I had to give. As I was about to leave the venue, my hosts gave me danguit and kabug and sylvannas to take home. (The sylvannas are so good that I regretted not ordering for more.)

My host took me around Silliman University, established 1901. We went to the cathedral where I took pictures of the bell tower. I went inside the church and took some pictures and said a short prayer to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. There was a bluish tinge at the sanctuary and altar. A blue sunshine-through roof or ceiling? There was a funeral mass there so I was not able to go nearer.

We ate at Jo’s Inato with bare hands. we only had an hour and a half before my flight and Chester wanted me to taste something I should not miss.

We immediately set off for dessert at Panda Ice Cream. We ordered Fried Ice cream, mocca flavored. This is one for the books. I really had to see and taste this. How can you fry ice cream? Wouldn’t it melt? When our order arrived, I thought, “Where’s my ice cream?” Sure enough, it was inside the “breading” which definitely had an egg component, I am not sure what else. It’s like waffles or pancakes. The ice cream core was not too sweet (though I would have wanted it to be), just right for most people. The other table had chocolate ice cream. If I had more time, maybe I would have tried that.

Once up in the air, I fell into a slumber, unable to eat airline peanuts nor drink the juice they served. It just seemed so ordinary after what I had.

I still wish I took more sylvannas home.

Don Bosco Technical College HS Batch 1986, invites you to “Pinacquiao ng ‘86, Bakbakan sa Busko” a fund-raising activity featuring the live broadcast of the Manny Pacquiao versus Marco Antonio Barrera boxing match on October 7, 8am, at the St. Dominic Savio Auditorium, DBTC.

The project will raise funds for our DBTC 86 batch’s projects, including the Don Miguel Solaroli Digital Library.

For the price of only P300, each ticket-holder is not only entitled to the live broadcast of the highly-anticipated grudge match between Pacquiao and Barrera, but food and drinks as well.

Some premium items will also be given away to lucky ticket-holders.

Since I’ve learned about podcasting a few years ago, I’ve always wanted to do my own podcast. Something in the line of positivity, good information. Something that would stand the test of time, not just a current-events-reporting-opinion recording. It didn’t take off.

A month ago, Fr. Stephen Cuyos, MSC and I teamed up and came out with Ang Santo Rosaryo - The Holy Rosary in Tagalog free and downloadable in Ogg Vorbis and mp3 formats. Just in time for October, the month of the Holy Rosary.

We hope that this is just the start.