Mondays...and life's little tidbits.

Lousy Monday

It's Lundi de Pentecôte (Whit Monday) today but I'm at work. After over 130 years, or so I heard, of counting it as holiday on their already long list, the French government decided to cancel it down and consider it as Journée de Solidarité pour les Personnes Agées, meaning, we work but won't be paid. All the profits will be given to the benefit of the oldies. This measure was conceived after the summer heat wave hit the whole hexagon 2 years ago. But hey, where are the rest of my colleagues?? Strike na naman?

Baby Update

I had my first official ultrasound last week. It was overwhelming, the little hands, the tiny feet, the heartbeat....there's life in there and I saw it with my two teary eyes. He was actually the snob type, he generously showed us his back and slept the whole ultrasound session. Even the movement done by the doctor didn't wake him up. I guess he was tired with his UK vacation too hehe.

Some UK Photos

I've been browsing our UK photos and memories just flowed back in. Surprisingly, after being bitter, our photos just showed otherwise.

Here I am trying my shopping prowess in the Nottingham Market à la tiangge hehe, and flaunting this same jupe infront of the King's College in Cambridge. Hmm, cool!

Here is where we spend our siesta time, at the Hyde Park. London could pride itself with its green and spacious parks where one could easily forget city chaos.

In Wales, we arrived in this little bar and were surprised that nobody was inside. So we had the whole bar just for us. Erm, is it true that when a woman is pregnant, her husband follows the same process of...gaining weight? Are we on competition now?

On to our vagabonding escapades, we luckily saw this steam-engined train. Wow, still functionning impeccably! Yep, functionning! It's not in a museum!

And this Abbey ruins...

I've written on my previous entry that i was quite disappointed with what UK could offer at an exorbitant price. In terms of landscape, I guess the main difference is that, they have hills populated by thousand of sheeps (top photo), in France, we have cows!

Entretien de Carrière

I haven't passed my annual interview with my big boss (darn, I hope my salary increase will still see its daylight, have you heard about buntis discrimination?), and tomorrow, susmaryosep, the HR Director wants to see me. Ayun, I frantically searched my one-page CV from my lumang baul and updated it at once. Bless his eyes, I hope he's using our very own products to see what's written on my CV, I shrank my 6-year university life and 4.5-year career life to fit in a page!

Just wondering why he wanted to see me. Frenchguy told me he just met this guy once, and he requested for a meeting several times before he was granted. Heck, this guy just sent an email to me and voila, he's got a rendez-vous with me at once. Not fair hehe. Anyways, after choosing my best formal gear (oppps, frenchguy warned me not to be on jeans hehe) and updating my CV, I'll be off for tomorrow.

My UK Encounter

We should have known better. After several travels within and outside Europe, it's the first time that we went home half delighted.

First regret, our roundtrip tickets were marked 'Non Echangeable, Non Remboursable'. I was so gaga to find a promotional ticket for half a price that we even extended our planned vacation for a day more just to fit in with the dates.

Arriving in London, I was hit by a terrible headache, and nuls as we were, we didn't even know what kind of medicine I could take. Our last resort was to call back home. 'Allo Maman.' Lesson learned: Paracetamols are still ok for pregnant women.

Well, we're economic voyagers, ehem, with European attitude? In most of our vacations, we always have our tents attached to our backpacks. Here's our 'where to stay' list according to priority (and of course, weather condition):

1. Camping Sites - tents are always useful, especially for us, itinerant tourists.
2. Youth Hostels - during off-peak season, they could accommodate 'older' tourists. Just pay several euros in additional for non-members. In the UK, it was £3 per person per night. The only time we didn't try this option was in Amsterdam, hmmm, I guess ya know what I mean.
3. Gîtes (equivalent to Bed and Breakfast in the UK) - in France you could ask for démi-pension (including breakfast) or pension complete (including breakfast and dinner). Ideal for randonneurs (hikers). And you will not regret it, frenchies are known to be great in cuisines, and it's not a hearsay!
4. Hotels (no stars please) - that is, if we don't have any other choice.

In the UK, of course we opted to option #3, the B&B. Goodness gracious, would you believe that we paid higher or equal to what we paid in London than outside the capital? Ok, equality is good, but isn't it logical that the more we go out of the city center, the less we pay? Honestly, Cambridge, Oxford and Bath are not equivalent to London, right? And you just cannot ask me to visit only one place, much so, stay in the capital. It's like you asked me to visit the Philippines and get around Manila alone.

As we progressed in our itinerary, we found out that Wales is practicing the same price ranges. Haha, they were even surprised to learn that they're charging higher than London, whew! And that didn't motivate them to negociate the price. Nice try anyway.

Ok ok, as one of their souvenir shirts says, if you cannot get my joke, get the fucking out of my house. We tried, but our tickets say no! Lesson learned: if you've got vacations longer than 3 days, never take 'Non Echangeable, Non Remboursable' tickets. Take a normal one, at least you have an easy passport to get out of the dilemma and not be obliged to stay or pay another ticket.

The food. After I paid £42 for an ordinary meal, I told frenchguy to calm down. I never paid such amount for such kind of food even in Paris. Actually, that decision was revised when our choices were limited to jacked potatoes and jacked potatoes hehe.

The narrow roads, driving on the other side of the road, the parking fee...

Hmp, puro ako reklamo. There are nice things about our visits naman. It opened our eyes to another face of Europe. I finally saw where my Mr. Sentimental did his masters. Undergrounds are cheaper on weekends. No congestion tax on weekends. English breakfast is HEAVY breakfast, good for us. Chocolate Fudge was uhmmm sumptuous! Funny things like Tony Blair won the election but asked him to back out the next day. We generally had potable weather during the visit, only had the typical English weather in Wales, which was sad of course.

And finally, we appreciated more the fact that we live in France. Uhm, maybe next time, we have to forget about France when visiting another country, wad ya tenk?

Frenched?

No matter how adapted I am to the french culture and their way of life, am I Frenched? Nope, not really. I don't complain over small things!

I just received a document from their Social Security System a week ago stating all my pregnancy expenses will be handled by their organization, everything will be reimbursed at 100% from the 4th month till my baby turns two months. In return, I have to submit myself to series of medical visits (thus blood and urine analysis + ultrasounds) up to 2 months after giving birth, and so is my baby. Hmm, not enough to make me complain though.

Anyway, if it's not 100%, my complementary insurance will reimburse the rest. The company where I work pays a big part of my complementary insurance, do I have to complain?

I'll be sending my pregnancy file to the Caisse d'Allocations Familiales which in return will evaluate my financial situation. If they judge that I need financial aid, then I'll have monthly allowance from my 7th month till my baby turns 3. In addition to that, I should normally receive a welcome incentive amounting to a considerable euros. Do I have reasons to complain? Hmm, nada! But hey, I just checked and I don't think my financial status allows me to receive the monthly allowance, nor the welcome incentive. Will I complain now? Ah, I guess I would rather help than be helped in this case. The law here is, the more you gain, the more you pay (taxes!). Socialization daw. I'd rather work and have constant cash inflow than aim for government aid (and be pregnant every year to have the incentive! hehe).

So much things to be thanked for, just got no time to complain.

Bakasyon na naman..

I hate it when I have highlighted email messages which stays for days or weeks on my outlook to-do list, it’s either a WIP (work in process), or emails which demands calming down before clicking that reply button, or emails which demands availability for possible rendez-vous or an email which demands information to which I have no answer, or worst, no idea where in the world I could dig for possible answers.

One email has been hibernating in my inbox since two weeks now. You won’t believe it. It’s an email from our secretary asking everyone in the department to fix our summer vacations!

In the Philippines, funny how most of the people working in industries had formed an allergy to the word ‘vacation’. We always have the tendency to work more and play less. A lot even converts their vacation and sick leaves to, you got it, cash!

Here in Europe, aside from our daily agenda, vacation management is one skill indispensable in our corporate life. In the company where I work, the corporate calendar starts on June 1. That means to say that we have to re-zero our accounts at the end of May. As I have no vacations yet, I only have few days to liquidate - my RTT days (due to work time reduction, we gain in average 0.83 days/month vacation). And mind you, I still have 5 days!

June 1 marks my official 5 weeks paid vacation leave. It also marks my skill on vacation management! Hey hey, do you really think it’s that easy? Let me guide you how to organize a vacation in a European mindset:

1. Choose the best date – if you’re single, that simplifies the process. If you’re in a couple, synchronise the dates with your partner. If you’ve got children, then you have no choice, you only have scholastic vacations to choose from. Once the dates are chosen, then proceed to step 2.

2. Choose the activity – cultural, sportive, leisure, adventure, tourist itinerary visit, visit families or friends or just a mix of all of the above.

3. Choose the destination – note that Europeans don’t limit their long vacations to their own country, it normally stretches out to the whole globe.

4. Check weather reports – once destination is chosen, please don’t forget to check the weather. If forecasted weather is not to their liking, they don’t hesitate to go back to step 3.

5. Check for best deals – the best gear is of course the internet, where last minute prices, promotional packages and a lot of cheap stuffs are posted. Never neglect that most Europeans are kuripots. They want fun at the least possible price! Best deals include transportation and hotels.

Looks simple but not really. I just organized our May vacation, and now, I have to start thinking about our July vacation. Heck, can’t I just stay at home?

Wanted: Yaya

Reality is slowly getting into the picture. The question is, who would take care of the baby?

If only I was in the Philippines, for sure, di pa ko kinakasal, me yaya applicants na kagad ako, not even knowing if I’m baog or what!

Much as we want to be cool, this problem has been haunting us since we learned about the good news. It’s a known problem here in France, if you want your child to be enrolled in one of the nurseries here, better register now. I mean now, not 3 months before the D Day!

There are actually different options that we could take, it’s for us to measure the applicability of each solution to our current situation. Talking about anticipation!

Les Crèches (The Nurseries) – public or private, it could be a good solution for us. The fee though is exorbitantly high, and immediate registration is a must. They could normally take infants from 2.5 months to 3 years old, just in time when I finally restart my so-called active life.

Les Crèches Familiales ou Crèches à Domicile (In-House Nurseries) – it could be an ideal solution, considering our bébé will grow in a more agreeable environment. In fact, we will have to bring our child in the nanny’s place where she guards plusieurs children. The schedule could be more flexible too.

Les Assistantes Maternelles Agréées (Professional Nannies) – the same regime as that of in-house nurseries in terms of condition and flexibility but they are not under the community administration.

Nounou (Nanny) – another ideal solution but costs a lot higher. It’s like a personal yaya who would stay in our place while we’re out. She’ll do little house works too! Ideal if the couple have tight schedules. An advantage is that, our baby will grow in the same environment – in our own house. No early wake ups to go to the nursery. The problem is, will we entrust our very own abode to somebody else?

Jeune Fille Au Pair (Au Pair)– the best solution (well, for us). A young student who would want to learn another culture and language and willing to take care of babies and do a little household chores at the same time. The host couple will pay for her French lessons, food and lodging and some weekly allowance. The advantage: higher flexibility as she will stay in our house.

We have been contemplating for quite a while on which solution we should take, and Au Pair is gaining more votes. We only have 2 problems actually, 2 BIG PROBLEMS!

- None of his family resides near our place.
- Both of us could be in another part of the planet in one point or another because of our work.

I could of course slow down, but little voyages in Paris for a short meeting have been part of my routine already. Frenchguy, my workaholic counterpart does a lot more than me, responsibility oblige. Honestly, waking up early morning everyday to prepare your baby, bringing him to the nanny without forgetting to refill his milk, diapers etc etc, going out of work early to fetch him and other bladiblahblahs is not life. I guess we could do better.

But another problem resurfaced. I’ve heard that issuance of au pair visas has been stopped by the Philippine Government, and honestly I have second thoughts on taking European or American/Canadian au pairs. Don’t they love partying? I want somebody I know or my family knows, somebody I could trust. It will be an exchange program anyway, so both of us will gain from the experience.

Just wondering how other working moms cope up? YELP!!!

Life's Update

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Somebody pushes me to eat more, drink more, sleep more and work less. In the afternoon, after work, instead of lurking on the net, I stay bedridden in front of the TV with my eyes closed. I have sudden urges to eat citrus fruits with salt (frenchguy finds it weird), my taste buds are not functioning anymore. I have acne all over! I feel tired! Somebody is trying to invade me!

The Culprit: A 2.5 cm budding creature, diagnosed to be 8.5 weeks old, with a heart pumping at 171 bps and surprisingly capable to bring so much happiness to anyone hearing his existence.

Color Coding

A friend of mine just had her former ex-pinay-now-Amgirl mother-in-law here in France and this morning, she was so eager to finally tell me her inis and relief that her mother-in-law finally left. She was so fed up as her mother-in-law went overboard by being so mayabang, and most especially, as she was told to be tsimay look-alike for having that baluga color.

After doing everything to be as hospitable as possible, that was what she gained. Honestly, when she told me about her adventure with her mother-in-law, I just couldn't help myself from laughing. I was just knocked by the idea that after long years of being in America, this poor mother-in-law still have the same standard of color / social discrimination - branding morenas as lower class citizens and fair-skinned as socialites. Oh well!

Here in Europe, we could trace back this kind of social classification in the Medieval Ages where tanned population were mostly the farmers while the noble families stay as pale white as they could. They even apply talc powders all over their body to get even whiter.

Now, the trend has completely inversed. If you've got a tanned skin, that would mean that you could pay yourself a vacation. If you've got a perfectly uniform tan all over your body, that would mean that you could even pay yourself a vacation in one of the European Nude Beaches. Sosyal ka day! And finally, if you've got a tanned skin all year round, that would mean that you've got a lot of bucks to pay yourself an artificial tan (tanning cream, tanning bed, sun lamps). O di ba.

In my present entourage, everybody envies my natural tan. Hehe, i don't have to pay expensive vacations to have that.

Well, is stereotyping normal? Ewan. The last time I was in Pinas, I was really nognog as I just came back from a long vacation, and most of my colleagues had the same remark: Ay, nakakaitim pala sa France. Buti na lang, I'm not really affected with such remark, proof, I never used whitening creams.

There's one remark which affected me though: Ano ba yan, hanggang ngayon, di ka pa rin tumataba. Well, it's past tense now, no more vitamins, appetizers, food supplements, etc. I just learned to love and accept who I am, and who wouldn't, lahat sila dito, inggit sa kin. I could eat anything I want without worrying about my weight :).

Leave my job alone..

The world had changed and so is the old continent – Europe. From Europe de 15, it counts 25 members at present, with Turkey readying itself to be welcomed by the group. Its status though, presents like a floating big question mark which creates indifference vis-à-vis the European populace.

After Spain has voted Yes to European Constitution, France will be next in line by the end of May. But just before affronting this incomprehensible constitution, another issue has been dominating the headlines and of course, the pause-café conversations this past weeks – the Bolkestein Directive. It translates to service liberalisation inside the EU. The essence of it, if I were to dissect my entourage’s different views, is to create a job/manpower market inter-Europe to compete with the rest of the world and eventually prevent today’s rampant delocalisation, well, to at least keep the jobs inside Europe.

Is this really the best solution?

Ok, let me give you an economic perspective from a non-economist :) - MOI! Those were the days when the manufacturers dictate or impose the best product to their customers. Now, the golden rule is ‘the customer is always right’. Million bucks are allocated every year to understand what the client wants (thus the conception of a new product or new functionality to an existing product), to incite the customers to consume the said product (marketing) and finally, to make the product accessible to its target market (distribution). With the stiff and growing global competition, the client is confronted with different choices or solutions to only one demand, it’s for him to pick the best product which best responds to his need, budget and taste. Now as a customer, aren’t we satisfied to buy a 50€ DVD labelled Made in Asia rather than exactly the same product which is Made in France but costs thrice the price? Come on, be honest.

Now, what would this French DVD manufacturer do if he sees his sales trend go down? How would he keep his products on display inside the supermarkets and specialty stores? Either he sets higher quality and lower manufacturing cost targets to the detriment of his employees’ work conditions or opt for the radical solution – delocalisation.

Let’s do a recap, you were happy as a consumer right? What would you feel as an employee? Yeah, this is a sad fact of globalization. The world has changed, now, we have to cope up with it.

So what does this situation show? Well, it’s a concrete example of jobs flying to Asia. Now, could you blame these Euros if they want to keep the few remaining jobs inside their territory for themselves?

In fact, the directive proposes that every European citizen could freely work anywhere in Europe but would carry its country’s regime. This would mean a French employee could work in Poland and would have the same benefits and social charges as in France, and vice versa. I have heard different views on this topic which sounds more of a yelling insecurity to me, an uncertainty to what future awaits for them.

Well, all the people around me would surely vote NON on this directive. Personally, the way I see things now and if only I could cast my vote, I’ll surely vote NON.

Headache at Work

Since our target this year is for our new products to reach our market at the soonest time possible, the higher management decided to lighten up the work load of our R&D colleagues so they could focus more on R, as in Research. The D, the Development will be slowly but surely be transferred to Engineering. Well, this is a good point as we could see probable future problems and could immediately create an action plan. But the negative point is that, this is another work load for us, and since we, the Engineering Dept are not the supposed-to-be drivers of such project, we don’t have the final word and the communication path is all the more complicated now.

I’m conducting a feasibility plan in our pilot plant (reminds me of my college days) since two weeks now and this afternoon, I finally cracked up! How could a simple feasibility plan be as complicated for them? Well, sure we have loads of product tests but I did an impeccable planning so my operators won’t be lost, as they say here, it’s nickel chrome – but they were lost nevertheless. Well, now, don’t accuse me of language barrier, I speak French as I speak Zambal, no boasting!

The problem is, they don’t talk about organisational problems between them so I have to settle each problem one by one. And then, at the end of the chain, problems still persist! Hay naku, another problem is that, everybody thinks that they’re doing the right thing. And if you try to correct them, it’s as if you’re putting their competence in question, hello? Mga highblood tong mga taong to. Pano ko kaya sila dedeskartehan na di sila maooffend? Tapos feeling pa nila, me kinakampihan ako. Hay naku, ang hirap talagang ihandle minsan ng mga oldies (their age bracket ranges from 45 to retirable age). Hope tomorrow, they will do it the right way.

The Mess!

I arrived at home last Tuesday with all the drawers opened, all our clothes on the floor, all the papers messed up in all the corners of the house and our window and terrace door forced-opened. They took my laptop, our numeric camera, my jewelleries, and some dollars. They also broke my printer. The policemen didn't find any trace of fingerprints or whatever.

Now, the question is, do they really have to put all those mess up? My, they don't have to dig around the house to take what they have taken! Now, I have job till this weekend to put back our house in order! Grrr!

*These little bastards took my dollars but had the kindness to leave me my Pesoses and Bahts.

Tax Me Not!

Every French household has surely got that inevitable black plastic envelope in their mailbox early this week, which, if you don’t pay much attention, could easily be mistaken as publicités (advertising magazines). I automatically junked it in the yellow bin last year thinking it was one of those weekly dose of publicité again - inspite of the big ‘Pas de Pub, SVP’ on our mailbox. Thanks goodness we could declare it by internet. This piece of technology really does wonders.

Since it will be my first ever tax declaration, I guess it’s just normal to know where my hard-earned money goes. And so I learned:

1. To reduce the public deficit - this year's deficit is estimated at ~15%. One budget allocation which most nationalistic Frenchies could rant about is the budget for EU aide. Let's take a classic example: agriculture. A farmer from East Europe got a financial aid from EU and bought a top-of-the-class tractor, saw his productivity growing, and sold potatoes in France. Logically, a french buyer will purchase the less expensive potato (from East Europe) rather than the quality-guaranteed French potatoes. Buy French! - ah, if you've got a tight budget, what would you do?

2. To support the growth and employment - Well, this is a good objective. I just hope they could stop those companies from packing their baggages and install somewhere else.

3. To act for social justice - Among others, the government promises to improve the buying power of the French population. They already started by lowering the prices of basic commodities...hmm, this is kinda delicate and should be balanced. It shouldn't push the industries to produce outside to be able to sell at lower prices in France.

4. To ensure the financing of different priorities - On top of the list is RESEARCH. Two thumbs up! This step would ensure long-term solution, profit-generating activity, work for the population, and competitiveness vis-à-vis the international community. Isn't that great?

So where in the world do they get their budget to finance all these?

In fact, the biggest source of government income is the mighty VAT which represents ~42% of the total income. And why not, they tax 19.6% at a normal rate - the fifth highest in Europe - and 5.5% at a reduced rate.

Here’s Europe’s VAT ranking:

1. Sweden, Hungary and Denmark at 25%
2. Poland and Finland at 22%
3. Ireland and Belgium at 21%
4. Slovenia, Italy and Austria at 20%
5. France at 19.6%

And who would resist, everything is impeccable and inviting to encourage higher consumption, thus bloating the VAT fund. Tourism alone gets a good share of tax collection! I haven’t even talked about cigarettes…

The second biggest source is – hold your breath – tax on revenue (18%)! Surprised? Nope, not really. Now, take a plunge on these numbers and feel the weight of each percentage.

less than 4,334€ = 0%

4,335€ - 8,524€ = 6.83%

8,525€ - 15,004€ = 19.14%

15,005€ - 24,294€ = 28.26%

24,295€ - 39,529€ = 37.38%

39,530€ - 48,747€ = 42.62%

more than 48 747€ = 48.09%

No effect? Then try this: tax calculator

Now, here’s the lighter side, you get 20€ incentive if you declare it by internet, and what more is that, you get a longer deadline. I guess younger generations will opt for this solution, but not the older ones. They would rather do it the traditional way rather than ‘publish’ their bank account numbers on the net (even if the site promises security!)

Nouveauté? Audiovisual Tax will be equally declared on this formulaire. Yes, they pay to have a glimpse of what is happening in France and around the world. But hey, I’m wondering how much percentage of the population really pays this tax. Hehe, there’s no way out now, you French magouilleurs!

Another nouveauté? The fiscal rights for those who are bonded by PACS (or legal partners) are now aligned as to married couples (before, we had to wait 3 long years before we could have a common tax declaration (we are on our 2nd year)– that is to prevent fake marriages). Yehey! That would mean one year tax savings!

Most of the French population will surely disagree with me, but in all honesty, I'm generally satisfied with what the government does with my money. I'm worry-free! I don't have to worry if I get sick, if I get laid off, if I give birth, if I retire, not even for my future children's education and health. Pourvu que ça dure! (Let's hope it lasts!). These frenchies just don't realize the luck that they have. As Maxime Le Forestier wanted to convey in one of his songs:

Est-ce que les gens naissent égaux en droits

A l'endroit où ils naissent

Que les gens naissent pareils ou pas

On choisit pas ses parents, on choisit pas sa famille

On choisit pas non plus les trottoirs de Manille

De Paris ou d'Alger pour apprendre à marcher

Etre né quelque part Etre né quelque part

Pour celui qui est né, c'est toujours un hasard

Translation:
Are people born with equal rights
where they are born?
Are they born similar or not?

We don't choose our parents or our family.
We don't choose either the pavements of Manila,
Paris or Algeria to learn how to walk.
To be born somewhere. To be born somewhere.
For those who are born, it is always a fate/chance.

Hotel Scams

If you think your safe in a 5-star hotel in Makati, then think twice. An email has been sent to me by a friend, who, herself, was also a victim of this scam in one of our so-called first class hotels in Makati. Read this:

Subject: Shangri-La Hotel Incident: please read

My daughter and I departed from San Francisco Intl. Airport on January 14. 2005 and arrived in Manila at 5:15 am, Sunday Jan. 16. 2005. Prior arrangements were made for us to be picked up from the airport by Shangri-La Hotel Makati. Upon arrival, we were met by an unmarked Shangri-La car.

We checked in at 5:50 am. We were assigned Room 2704. Our luggages (4 Pcs) were brought to our room a few minutes later. Since this was a Sunday, we had the day to just rest and visit with some friends. We ordered room service (light breakfast) and got dressed. We left the hotel to attend Sunday Mass at 9:30 am and returned to our hotel room at 4 pm. We were then picked up by relatives from the hotel for dinner at 6:30 pm. We were back at the hotel room at around 9:45 pm.

As soon as we retired to bed, the nightmare began. At approximately 10 pm the telephone rang, in the dark, I crawled to answer the phone and on the other line the operator asked me if I knew a certain Abdul something and that there were 7 men wanting to go up to our room. I told her in an emphatic way that I did not want anyone coming up and that I did not know anyone by that name and that I was not expecting anyone that evening. She then told me to call the head of Security (a woman named Lourdes) from my cell phone while she waited on the other line. As soon as I connected to this Lourdes, she said she was a hotel employee connected with the Abu Sayaf and that all of the employees were in this together and it will not do me any good if I attempted to call for help! That they do this to a lot of hotel guests and that they take care of the Makati police, politicians, etc. At this time, fear had set in. She knew my name, and said that we should have been kidnapped earlier but if I just followed everything she ordered me to do, we would not be harmed. At this point, the main thing that occurred in my mind was the recent warnings to travellers especially American citizens to be aware of our surroundings for fear that we may be kidnapped for ransom. She also told me that our room was being monitored by housekeeping and security. There were instances wherein I raised my voice, and she was quick in warning me to calm down or I would get hurt! She also told me that if we attempted to leave the room, they would spray our room. I was basically trapped with this woman using my own cell phone. I was worried for our lives! She asked me how much cash and jewelry we had. She ordered me to go out of the hotel and catch a taxi not from the front of the hotel but to walk out to the street and catch a cab. There was a cab waiting in the corner, we got in, was ordered to go to a 7-11 store, have the cab wait, purchase several thousand pesos of Globe and Smart phone cards. She had me read each and every number and pin number over the phone. We rode the cab again, this time, she ordered us to withdraw some more cash from a 24-hour CitiBank ATM machine. Since I did not remember my pin number, my daughter used her card. We rode the cab again and was ordered to let the driver drive to another city (did not realize how seedy the area was until we got there) to F.B. Harrison, and go to another mini store and order the taxi to leave. A woman by the name of Lisa will pick up the money and phone cards. Upon reaching the mini store, my daughter heard the driver say, do you want me to stay for your security? Taking a chance, I shushed the driver to be quiet. I signalled for him to wait.

We then entered the store, and I asked this Lourdes, where this Lisa is. She then asked me why I told the taxi driver to wait. She obviously knew I had asked the driver to wait because she told me that was their driver! So we went out and told him to leave. While waiting for this Lisa, Lourdes ordered me again to purchase more phone cards, did the same routine of reading off all the numbers and pin numbers. After this process, she ordered us to step out of the store, turn left in a dark alley, and walk until we see this woman Lisa. We were walking but decided to stop because it was getting darker. I demanded where this woman was, so this Lourdes in a sarcastic voice, told me how do you expect to see her if you stopped walking? (They were obviously watching us). Before we handed over the cash, she instructed us to go back to the hotel and wait for her call. Then she ordered me to hand over my ‘Philippine’ cell phone to this woman.

We hailed another cab and returned to the hotel. As we were packing since we wanted to leave the hotel immediately, the phone rang again, and this time she told us the cash was not enough and handed over the phone to their ‘Commandant’. He sounded very scary and demanding. He ordered us to call the front desk and have more phone cards charged to our room and brought up. Once we had the cards, I read all these numbers and pin numbers again and was ordered to flush all these in the toilet. In the meantime, she warned us that if we told anyone about this, they knew our flight schedule and that they would kidnap us. Then she ordered that we open another suitcase to look for cash. Obviously, we did not have any cash. She told us to check out of the hotel before the 5 am shift because this shift could do this to us again. Even without her telling us this, we were so scared, we just wanted to get out of that hotel.

We checked out at 1:03 am and took a cab to go to our relative’s residence at Rockwell Makati.

We were both trembling all the way to our relative’s place. We were both trying to be brave for each other but in reality, we were so traumatized by this event. We consoled each other and thanked God that we are alive. It could have been worse. My daughter was so traumatized that she wanted for us to take the next flight out in the morning, but because I had several important meetings to attend to, she agreed to stay a couple of days. Under the advice of my client, we booked ourselves to return to the States on January 19, 2005, Wednesday instead of the original date of January 21, 2005.

The next day, we mentioned this to our lawyer friend, and he did a little investigation of Shangri-La Hotel, and apparently there were three other victims the same day and all of us were picked up by the Shangri-La Hotel.

We were still so scared of taking the ride to the NAIA Airport, but fortunately, our lawyer friend provided us with top security all the way to our airplane.

Apparently, this modus operandi targets balikbayans and not foreigners. They want money, and they get it. I don’t know if the owners of these big hotels or our Tourism Department are aware of this incident. Maybe not. I did a quick search on the net about a possible exposé or article on this incident and only found this which doesn’t give any detail at all. Are these kinds of stories taboo in our daily journals?

I just hope my friend will find the courage to tell the story and get over with the trauma this incident had caused her and her family.

What is happening to our country? Where are we going? Why are we, Filipinos, insist on pushing our beloved country into the ditch?

I hate to say this but: Mga kababayan, ingat po tayo sa ating kapwa kababayan.

PRINTEMPS

Spring season will officially ray its light on the 20th of March, that’s in two weeks time, and that would mean closet reorganization – thick pullovers and jackets a shelf higher – thinner pullovers and skirts on accessible shelves. I’m actually impatient to see those leaves and flowers sprout up from their dormant season – the glow of the sun as it gently caresses each petal, the birds coming back from their winter hideaway, longer daylight, more people crisscrossing in parks and centre-villles, the world transforming from grey to green and eventually, reopening of the very French terrace cafés. But with the snow endlessly covering the whole of France and the rest of Europe, I guess my thick pullovers will still conquer the lower shelves of my closet.

Never had I considered Dijon as a winter wonderland, but this year, I guess it merits to be nominated! Since December, snows come and go, as if they found a new playground, sometimes they rest, sometimes they don’t. Already in mid-march but snow downfall is still forecasted eventhough they’re not anymore le bienvenu.

Luckily, I succeeded to persuade frenchguy to buy a maison de ville (houses in the city center) rather than a maison de campagne (houses in the outskirts of the city). Roads are well salted (to increase the friction between the road and the tire) and well kept in villes than in the suburbs. Hmm, not really. Dijon had a heavy snow downfall last Friday and inspite of the efficient road maintenance, snow persisted.

As I take the same road itinerary everyday, I don’t really pay attention anymore on road signs or road conditions. I know it by heart. I can even go to work with my eyes closed. I know where the radars, the traffic lights, the policemen, and the schools are, hence I know where to decelerate. I was then in complete surprise (I was actually frightened!) when I glided and almost touched the parked cars as I shifted left to join the next avenue. That was my first ever car-slide! Lesson learned!

Well, enough for me. I already had a good dose of winter this year, but as I am writing this entry, the snow outside still continues to tease me. A big PRINTEMPS is printed on the 20th of my calendar, but the sole indication that it’s really coming is the longer daylight, other than that, everything reminds me of winter.

I survived!

With the current economic situation, hence the increasing unemployment rate, my entry to the current workforce is really un coup de chance, a rare opportunity I shouldn’t miss. What more is that, my employer weighed out every bit of a detail one should consider in evaluating the position status and the salary for an inhinyero like me. Well done, Madame!

After a year of tête-à-tête work experience with these hard-to-please frenchies, it’s inevitable for me to have a love-and-hate relationship with this 5-days-a-week journey I now consider LIFE.

I once tried to explain to my Mom and Dad how I work à la française and I thought they completely understood. But each time they ask me pertinent questions about my job or just the way I work, I just realize that it’s not at all the case.

So Mom, if you read this, just explain it to Dad. And Dad, if you read this, please be reminded that I’m not anymore working in our beloved Pinas and I don’t need that goddamn pension plan!

So there you go, let me explain myself:

March 1 – today marks the anniversary of my arrival in the busy world, in an industrial plot here in my adoptive country called France. My chronometer restarts. 41 more years to go before retirement.

May 1 – Labor Day. It was also my first day, well, with a permanent contract or what they call CDI here (Contrat à Durée Indéterminée). Ça s’annonce bien! (It starts well!) It was my first day and I was already on holiday.

Flexitime – yey, as long as I complete 35 hours per week, my quota is accomplished. Whether I work less (which is hardly the case), or I work more (which happens quite often especially when I’ve got an ongoing project) a day, my salary remains the same. Wala po akong OT. But the great thing is that, I’m the master of my time. I could arrive in my office at 9:30am or 7am and nobody cares. Anyways, I’ve got no salary deduction because I was late nor a salary increase because I was early. Fair deal, right?

Faire la Sociale – this was a tough initiation for a neophyte coming from another side of the planet like me. I mean, for those who work in an industry where time is gold and the only conversation you could have with your colleague is when you both are in a meeting. Here, socialization is allowed…and sans moderation!

Pause Café – 9:00, 13:00 (or after lunch), 16:00. I don’t know if they mark these planning on their agenda, but I assure you, they’re punctual. Here is where you could practice the above-mentioned faire la sociale thing. Well, not everybody of course follow this planning religiously, but I assure you, there are some!

Pause Cigarette – this is another thing for the faire la sociale application. When most of my men colleagues are out, surely, they’re on their smoking session!

Vacations – a friend of mine made a sarcastic remark telling me ‘hey, don’t you have but vacations there?’. Yep, in this part of the world, the rule is: We WORK in order to LIVE, not the other way around. Vacation is part of their culture and of course, their budget! Beware when you transact a business with them in July - August or anywhere between December and February, there’s a great chance that they’re on vacation.

Work Stress – beware, it’s contagious! Symptoms: You have sleepless nights. You succeed to sleep but you dream about your job. You have more pimples than before. Your favourite topic is your job. You complain about your job. You try to be organized but you work 12 hours a day or more. You work at home. You talk about work at home. You talk about work with friends.

Reserved Parking – I am entitled to one because my position status allows me to. I haven’t asked for it, I just park wherever is available. And if nothing is available inside the vicinity, I park my car outside at my own risk. My principle dictates me so. Heck, don’t other employees with lower classification deserve the same security?

Taxes and Social Security – the 22% deduction per month (revenue tax not included – I’ve got exemption for one year), plus the company’s participation which is double my contribution, covers taxes, social charges and social security. The company pays a complementary insurance for me too.

Stock Options - everybody got one here. Who wouldn’t? It’s known to be the best investment ever. Well, if you know how to play.

Work Accident – if you had an accident on your way to work (or vice versa), please be informed that it’s considered as work accident (thus company pays!). Just be sure that the accident happens on your normal route, and not on private accesses (such as universities, hospitals etc to shortcut the trajet).

Endless Negotiations – well, I find this particularly difficult. Everybody has got something to say. It’s kinda tiring and it delays much of our work. People management is certainly a tough job here. If there’s one which stresses me out, this is it!

Well, not bad. I survived!

My Share on Sustainable Development

The responsibility of the protection of mother earth, be it known, is not exclusive to industries alone. Each inhabitant has his own share of responsibility, whether we like it or not. Little measures, if done by many, would end up as a good tool for environment protection.

trash
Originally uploaded by analyse.

Here's my 10 hit list on how I help preserve mother earth.

1. Segregate - in France, they have this colour coding system which guaranties effective waste elimination. Green for bottles (vert pour les verres - easy to remember, right? Vert (green) and verres (bottles) have the same pronounciation), yellow for recyclable wastes such as plastics and papers, and gray for other domestic wastes. Each household is of course equipped with their own garbage bins which are furnished by the city or communal government.

2. Recycle - check the packages. If there's this recycle sign, then do it. Batteries for example, which don't fit with the green, yellow and gray segregation, could be eliminated by bringing them to the nearest electronics store where a bin is stationed for this purpose.

3. Re-use – problem with old stuffs monopolizing your drawers, cabinets and closets? Check if you could give them on charity agencies that could eventually send them to people in need. It may not serve you anymore, and elimination might not be the best solution yet.

4. Sell – vide-grenier: a day when French people empty their attics and resell those old / unused / unwanted stuffs which long been sleeping in their grenier. There are always those who seek what others wouldn’t want anymore: antique stuffs, stamp collections, old coins, old books, old maps, old rocking chair, old plates, old cups…vide-grenier is just about anything!

freeze
Originally uploaded by analyse.

5. Reduce fuel consumption - there are a lot of ways to limit fuel consumption and at the same time prevent throwing those bucks out of the window.

a. 19°C - it's the temperature best adapted to the human body. So if you're experiencing winter now, stop exaggerating, reduce that temperature and wear your pull-over now!

According to experts, an average of 21°C inside the house means energy optimisation. A meagre 1°C increase would mean 6% energy consumption, would you believe that? Here's a good temperature distribution for you:

Bathroom: 22°C
Living room: 20°C
Bedroom: between 18°C and 20°C
Halls and corridors: 17°C

b. Programmable thermostats - keeps temperature uniform inside the house. The best way is to manage the system:

Start heating an hour before waking up
Stop heating an hour before sleeping
Stop heating when you're out (mine stops at 7:30am and restarts at 5:30pm)

c. During summer, 22°C – 25°C on your air-conditioner will surely lessen your electric bills. You know, setting it at 18°C and wearing pull-overs on summer is simply ridicule!

d. Turn off the television and other electronic paraphernalias when not in use. Leaving them on standby mode is not the best solution as it still consumes electricity. Leaving a television on standby mode the whole evening, for example represents 2 hours of actual utilisation. Multiply those extra hours now with 30 to get your monthly extra charges for nothing.

e. Switch off those lamps - if not in use, better switch it off dude.

f. Take public transportation. If possible, take those public transportations. They are there to serve you. Not only you reduce your gas consumption a.k.a. budget, you also help limit gas pollution.

g. Take those bicycles out. Don’t you think it’s time for you to transform those fats into muscles? Here’s one practical solution for you.

h. Walk. If your destination is really near, please don’t bother to take that car key, walk! For a healthy lifestyle, an hour of leisure walking do wonders.

i. When you buy a vehicle, please take note of fuel consumption too. Don’t forget to have your vehicles controlled to ensure proper functioning, thus correct consumption.

j. Drive correctly. Yep, have you heard about economic driving? Be noted that each time you try to speed up, that translates to higher fuel combustion.

6. Plant a tree – for obvious reasons, right?

7. Product lifetime – as you must have noticed, product lifetime has decreased considerably nowadays, especially electronic appliances. Is it to accelerate the rate of consumption? Frenchguy has an old clock from his gradmom which is more than 100 years now. Every little part of it still works, to the enchantment of everybody in the family of course. I’ve got a decorative clock which I bought barely 2 years ago, it’s dead! When you buy, do you consider design and/or quality? Think about it.

8. Don’t throw anywhere – there’s a place for each waste, remember? Once upon a time, a friend of mine told me that he was charged with P500 fine for littering (a cigarette butt) at Buendia St, Makati. Everybody has got to learn their lessons, he learned it the hard way.

9. Preserve water – it’s one of our natural resources which is in real danger due to pollution and abundant use. I don’t want to propose flushing every 2 peepees because that would naturally cause air pollution, but get that economizer thing where you’ve got 2 buttons, one for half the volume, and another one for full volume. Do I have to elaborate in which cases you’ll have to use such button?

10. Stop farting – no kidding! A study showed that cows produce methane when they fart. Holy cow! Uh-oh, not me…

I must have forgotten some, or do things not listed which eventually go in this same purpose. One thing is for sure, I do my share, and I hope, you do too..

Concerned Citizen

Weekend Gimik

As jetlag accustomization (read: mental and physical alertness despite travels which could stretch out up to 26 long and tiring hours!) has been part of our professional life à la jetset, an effective way to fight this goddamn fatigue which miraculously works for both of us is to adjust ourselves at once with the actual time upon arrival at our destination. That is to say, adapt a life-on-the-go attitude as if everything is synchronized.

Frenchguy just arrived last Saturday afternoon from Thailand, just in time to have our lunch together. My pasalubong, a bunch of ripe mangos from Thailand was our mouth-watering dessert. Yummy yum yum! Needless to say that I would much prefer the not-as-delicious-as-our-Zambales-mangos from Thailand than the not-at-all-delicious-mangos from Brazil/Africa which are being commercialized here. I just hope Philippine mangos would one day reach the European markets..well, at least Dijon hehe.

After this sumptuous lunch, we then proceeded with our house decoration. Yep, frenchguy traffics a lot of Asian decorations each time he travels so each balikbayan drama with him means additional art expo in our saloon. What the heck, it’s thrice or so moins cher (less expensive) in this tsangge* haven. (*did I spell it right?)

The sun was still up when we finally finished our interior design session so we decided to grab a little relaxing gimmick. Bowling and billiards were on the menu, with of course the unbeatable San Miguel Beer. The rule, as always, was: loser pays. He paid. Wow, for a second, I thought I was in the good ole Philippines!

on sustainable development

picture taken from le figaro
Originally uploaded by analyse.

After 8 long years, the Kyoto Protocol has finally seen it's light today, the 16th of February 2005. 141 countries, eXcluding the USA and Australia have given their accord to protect mother earth by decreasing their emission of greenhouse gases to prevent global warming. A tough decision which engages not only big investments but most importantly, everybody's willingness to help protect mother nature.

So what is greenhouse effect all about? It's the rise in temperature of the earth's climate due to the emission of certain gases in the atmosphere or the so-called global warming. This is greatly penalized by of course the rampant industrialization experienced in the last decades leading to gross consumption of fossil fuels.

Eco-Efficacité was the subject of the training I attended to last week. It tackles our companies approach to sustainable development and how we could transcend this step in our respective subjects.

I conducted a comparative technical-economic study last year for one of my projects and this same study has been dissected to add its environmental impact, digging down even at the smallest percentage of uranium to produce one piece of our product. The choice could have been different if we were to implement this same project this year.

For us, this additional constraint will add up to the long list of our already-head-aching decision matrices that we have - launching delay to the market, budget, technical complexities, product quality, human ressources, etc - I know that project implementation will be all the more difficult, but I'm just glad that our company engages to be environment friendly and that stretches out to all our production sites worldwide.

My Valentine Blog

Don’t ever ask me why I blog on valentine’s day. I’m alone, period. Frenchguy's out of the country.

To be honest, I find this day too advertised, too commercialized, a day to spend those bucks out. Why wait for this famous February 14 to offer your valentinas their much-awaited red roses and candlelight dinner in the well-decorated rooftop of your kapitbahay?

Ha? Sourgraping? Sino? Ako? Hello?

Ok ok, so let me just reminisce the past valentines I had with my frenchguy..

2004: I was alone too..he's again out of the country. Hmmm, Am I actually getting used to it now? Well, it was actually un jour comme les autres (a day like all others) - when my daily itinerary was restricted to juggling between books, television and internet. So what made this day different from the rest? At exactly 7pm, the doorbell rang and infront of the main building door was a young lady whom i never met (our doorbell was equipped with a camera and an interphone). As I was told not to open doors to strangers, I didn’t answer pretending there was nobody and continued savouring my self-made rhum-cola. The doorbell rang again so I finally decided to answer. It was actually a flower delivery. Seconds later, my phone rang and it was frenchguy saying je pense à toi, je t’aime. *kilig*

2003: My university days. Went home late and was surprised to see frenchguy in his dressed-to-kill attire and our apartment in a romantic atmosphere. He actually took his afternoon to prepare a sumptuous dinner for us – better than any Bourgogne restaurants!

2002: Our first valentine together. Unluckily, he was in the Philippines on a project assignment (and later with my family) and me, on scholastic vacation, visiting romantic Venice alone, well, with a friend! We spent valentine together on the phone.

2001: On a Philippine setting (I was still working there and he was on a project assignment in our company). After work, we headed in a cozy restaurant, far from the curious eyes of our colleagues – were we hiding our relationship? Yep.

2000: We’re not officially together yet. Went out with other friends. Just on a Philippine gimik mode.

2005: I just had a phonecall from frenchguy asking me if I could be his valentine. Hangkoolet! Ok, we just fixed Saturday as our valentine date (he will arrive on the same day from Bangkok), starting off at the nearby bowling inn. Loser pays!

Roméo and Juliette was the valentine special in one of the channels this evening...naisip ko lang, if only there were chats, texts, blogs and cellphones during those times, things could have been different. Naku, ito na ba ang symptom ng SMV (Samahan ng Malalamig ang Valentine)?

Happy Valentine's Day Folks..

I've been Tagged !

CeliaK, a co-Malayan (geeze, baduy talagang pakinggan) just tagged me in this music même chain blog craze. At first, I just wanted to ignore it as I’m not anymore a die-hard music lover as I was back in my teens. Secondly, I hate chains (letters)! But then, I don’t want to be tagged as KJ (kill joy) so here I go:

What is the total amount of music files on your computer?

Don’t know exactly. I guess I have more in my car, does that count? … and oh, this ain’t a survey, is it? … heard about 3 years imprisonment and a 300,000€ fine (in france) because of illegal downloading.. beware guys and gals.

The CD you last bought?

Errrr, it was a compilation of ‘driving musics’ in 2 volumes that dates way back 1999!

What was the last song you listened to before reading this message?

Hmm, nice question. I was lazily humming it this morning. It should be the music aired at exactly 8:42 this morning at RFM.

Write down five songs that you often listen to or that mean a lot to you.

"Mon Fils Ma Bataille" – Daniel Balavoine – At first, I just loved the melody as I didn’t understand anything yet the first time I’ve heard it. Now, I love the music, the melody, the lyrics, the singer and everything about it.
"Belle Ile-en-Mer, Marie Galante" – Laurent Voulzy – same reason as previous selection. And yes, love it especially when frenchguy and I dance with this tune.
"Elle Danse" – De Palmas – he’s just mucho guapito and his songs have equally the same merits. Love this song too.
"La Solitudine" – Laura Pausini – it’s a challenge to sing it (I’m a hopeless soprano) even if I understand just a bit of it – this bella italiana just amazes me.
"Whiter Shade of Pale" – Annie Lennox – an all-time fave

Who are you going to pass this stick to (3 persons) and why?

Oh no, didn’t I say I hate chains!

mapuan ka ba?

Then read this. Or better yet, sign this online protest.

So much things has changed since I left this institution. Dati, just before graduation, tsismis na yang pagbebenta ng Mapua sa mga Yuchengco. Most of the organizations even formed the first ever rally inside the campus, but since we're not used to this kinds of protestations, ayun, we still continued with our reports/drawings or whatever sa bawat sulok ng CR. Wala lang, tsismis lang naman e. And then, nagkatotoo ang tsismis barely 2 years yata after i left.

After that, they closed Mapua High School, implemented quarter-mester program (P100,000 na daw per year!!!), added other IT courses, pati nursing courses...and now, they're changing the name!

So what's the big deal abouth that name-changing? Siguro naman everybody could relate with me that you're proud to be alumni of your respective universities. And yes, every Mapuan is darn proud to be one! In that name comes a reputation...

I just hope that whatever the decision may be..this new name could inherit the same legacy as what Mapua has proudly embedded to his graduates. Sabi nga ni Mr President..

"Mapua" has been synonymous with quality engineering education for a long time. In preserving the precious name "Mapua", this can remain true moving forward, even as "Malayan", we hope, will eventually become synonymous with quality education in general.

Reynaldo B. Vea,
Ph.D.President

where did my accent go?

My colleague's phone rang just as I entered my office this morning, opps, I should say OUR office as I'm sharing it with him. Once again, he forgot to divert his phone calls to his voicemail and he's on a meeting the whole day, darn! So before I could even start my daily morning habit - removing my winter gadgets (coat and scarf), hanging them at the corner, opening my PC, pushing the start button, and lastly opening my window - I frantically grabbed the phone and answered:

Me: Analyse, Bonjour.
Early Morning Caller: Good morning. Can I please talk to Colleague?
Me: Oh, Colleague won't be in his office the whole day, do you want to leave a message? May I know who's on the line please?
EMC: It's Khun EMC. (Khun = Mr, Ms or Mrs in Thai language)
Me: Oh hi Khun EMC, it's Khun Analyse.
EMC: Oh, sorry, I didn't recognize you, I thought you were French!

And this wasn't my first encounter with this troubling bizarroide remark!

Encounter # 1:

I was on vacation in my beloved Philippines and was chit-chatting with my sister (in our dialect of course) with our usual 7-11 midnight snack when she looked at me seriously and said You know what, you sound Bisaya! No kidding!

Encounter # 2:

I was on vacation (again?) in the énormes US and was chit-chatting (again?) with my friend and suddenly, she told me Funny, you sound like frenchguy! Darn it!

Encounter # 3:

Pause-café. A colleague told me Sérieusement, je trouve que tu n'as pas beaucoup d'accent. (Seriously, I think that you don't have a lot of accent). Waaaaaaaaaaaah!

I don't believe this happening. Naman, it's just 2.5 years that I could consider myself francophone and voila the result? Oh my..

Where did my accent go?

when french complains..

WHY DO THEY TREAT THEMSELVES LIKE A DOG? THEY ALWAYS BARK!

French people have always something to complain and brag about, and mind you, that adds up to their overly elevated stress intake during the day that normally ends up with stress overdose. More often than not, their stress is psychological, nothing but a magnified micro-stress that naturally transforms into a mega-stress.

It normally starts with il ne fait pas beau aujourd'hui (the weather is not good today) - this is one of the major and favourite discussions to start the day. This brief sentence will of course grow into a paragraph, then into a book, until it becomes the best-seller with millions of copies translated into different languages sold all over the world. Yes, I call them la population Big Deal! Did you know that they even claim that they're less productive when il ne fait pas beau et quand il n'y a pas de soleil (when it's not sunny), and take note, this phenomenon is depressing for many! The funny thing is that, when it's sunny, they would say c'est dommage de travailler quand il fait beau comme ça (too sad that we have to work when it's sunny like that)! Or c'est dommage de rester à l'intérieur avec un soleil comme ça (too sad to stay inside in a sunny day like that). Haha, they will never be happy!

Here's the hit list of the causes of their stress gathered from my private observatory:

1. La ligne - if I were to give a sole adjective to the frenchies, I would choose vain. Read: V A I N ! They're always preoccupied about their body's sculpture. They love to eat and it's a fact, it's part of their culture, right? They would talk about food on the table...and yes, about their balanced diet. So anything that could hinder that objective is part of their stress. They would blame the excess fats, salt, sugar or whatever...but take note, they would never compromise the quantity and quality of what they eat! Did you know that there's a pese-personne (weighing scale) in every french bathroom??? Well, for those single and looking especially.

2. Le travail - let's start with their boss. Do I have to elaborate?

3. Les dépenses - everything that touches their hard-earned money requires detailed weighing before passing to the act of spending. They always fined everything trop cher (too expensive). If they could pass without paying, they would certainly do..so if you see two french people in Paris trying to squeeze themselves together infront of the Metro entry...it's not only because they're oh-so-romantic, it's also because they want to get away by saving one Metro (underground train) ticket too.

4. Le travail - it's either they've got a lot of work...

5. Les nounous - the nannies! They're marked as endangered species here...there are even some cities where soon-to-be-moms start their nounou hunt at their first month of pregnancy! And yes, what have you - they're either angels or bitches.

6. Le travail - or they've got nothing to do...

7. Les tâches ménagères - the problem is, if both are working, who will do the chore? And if they do, of course everybody should know! They talk a lot here, just about everything infront of a cup of tea or coffee. I guess I have to pass a decree here: minimize la pause café (coffee break)!

8. Le travail - sometimes they love it..

9. Le conjoint or simply l'ami/e- if they don't have a partner, of course it's a problem. They would interest in every uninteresting stuffs just to find one. And if they have one, OMG, you would ask yourself why they still stay together. Yep, they lack discretion here!

10. Le travail - but most of the time, they don't!

Another remarkable observation about them is that it's too easy for them to say NO. This is of course in consequence with their 'complain first before you do' attitude. Imagine the negotiations you could have with a French counterpart? Well, on the other hand, if we consider the positive side, we could consider this attitude as a preventive action as they will lay down all the constraints in trying to evade from the possible difficulty. So as a negotiator, you will automatically add their 'presentiments' to your risk analysis. Isn't that great?

Well, not really...

Quand la Chine s’éveillera, le monde tremblera…Napoléon Bonaparte.

After a long silence, the sleeping dragon has finally waked up. The world has changed China, now brace yourselves, China will eventually change the world.

Historically, they know how to manage business. They know the ins and outs. You can find them in the four corners of the world and their forté is the word TRADE! Go to Chinatown and you will see what this word means.

Recently, China has been imposing in the world scene too. Their quest for space discoveries, gold medals in the olympic games, the arts, their growing investments..we’ve been talking about them in the net, in the magazines, in the newspapers..

With a demography equivalent to 20% of the total population in the world, China represents a promising market to all commercials and investors. Some Paris boutiques even have Chinese-speaking sales agents to welcome the next powerful population of the world.

Its take-off to the world market was definitively on time (China has joined the World Commerce Organization last December 2001), when all means of exchange has opened the doors to easier business trades – the net, competitive airfare prices, free trade – the liberalization of world trade.

It was no secret that the rest of the world was behind China’s explosive take-off – their market, their technology, their capital! China has provided its country and its people…and now, like a little bird learning how to fly, it has gained independence and now ready to explore the world on its own.

positive tidbits

Ok, I was quite negative on my last post so I'll try to balance now and be positive. It was probably the influence of the weather on me. Dijon was below freezing point from sunrise to sunset last week and that plus my daily dose of work didn't give me enough motivation to be on the lighter mode.

So what's up?

Les soldes d'hiver (winter sale) started 2 or 3 weeks ago and glad to say that inspite of my shopping phobia, I succeeded to find a winter coat for me..the negative point was that...it wasn't on sale! It was even in the nouvelle collection (new collection) section...but what the heck, there was nobody in there and I didn't have to push everybody so I could get my size. Wow, that was pretty quick..

Last week, I found an envelope on my desk..and surprise!...in it was a notice signed by the chefs (bosses) for ma prime exceptionelle (incentive) because of the good results I had with my Philippine project last year. Wow, not only it gave me enough miles to have a free round trip ticket Paris-Manila, it also gave me enough budget to buy my winter coat atbp and most importantly...the motivating words from my chefs: travail rémarquable - implication, rigeur, professionalisme et initiative - avis très favorable... excuse my french people but i want to savour it that way, as it is... too much adjective for me boosting my yoyo-like self-esteem. It was like i was in the middle of an applauding crowd while i was accepting my Oscar's best actress award..if you dont know the feeling, me either..but it was exactly like that...hmm, i hope they wont forget that during my annual interview e.g. salary increase!

by the way, la prime exceptionelle was taxable...eh merde!

Last Friday was the strategic meeting for our group held in a chateau (castle) way between Paris and Dijon. After the not-so-bad results for the year 2004 where one of my subjects is on warning zone (I hope they wont take my incentive back!), the objectives and forecasts for 2005 were equally presented. I was glad to know that a lot of the expansions will be destined to Asia and our Philippine sites will get a good share of the cake. That left me thinking about my future here, my professional evolution, the future of my future children. A lot of groups are in the desindustrialization phase and mass productions are en route to Eastern Europe or Asia. What job will be left for the future generations here?

Ok ok, before i get negative again...

Since we moved to our new house, every weekend was consacrated to petits travaux (repares, small jobs, etc) inside or outside the house. It was tiring but fun and fulfilling as we see the results transform our house into a new one. This coming weekend will be another itinerary for us - the mountains! Yahooo!

life is ironic

LIFE IS IRONIC. SOMETIMES, IT FORCES US TO MAKE A CHOICE, WHEN IN FACT, THERE IS NO CHOICE.

I have read this passage somewhere and that captured my attention and left me wondering about the irony of it. It may sound pessimist for some but a lot of us, in one point or another, could relate with this biting truth.

I will share to you a story of a friend who dreamt of having a better life with his chosen career but ended up tilling the lands - somebody else's land.

His family belonged to the lower class of our society - his father was a carpenter and his mother busied herself with farming jobs during planting and harvest seasons. As he was the bunso (youngest) in the family, his parents and his siblings decided to send him to school inspite of the financial difficulties. It was the only means to alleviate their social status.

Manila schools were of course out of the question, hence, he did a computer related study in our province's capital, thinking it will be a job of the future. Everybody in the family shared the same dream - a diploma - providing them motivations to work more.

Hélas, the diploma was on hand. It was time for him to prove himself in the real world. Unfortunately, he never landed in any job related to his line of profession. What was the problem?

Was he not competent enough?

I don't know. I don't think anybody could really answer that. He was never given the chance to prove his worth anyway. He was just exposed to the blatant discrimination of our society. A graduate from a never-heard school in a far away province trying his luck in the busy streets of Manila, who would hire him? Of course there will be some who would say, I was in the same shoes before and I nevertheless succeeded. Of course, of course. Lucky you. But were you really in the same shoes? He was a graduate of the new millennium when competition was stiff and discrimination was rampant.

And yes, to be positive, he triggered some small time jobs in Manila in order to sustain his basic needs...as a karpentero, kargador, waiter sa bar...

Did he exert enough effort to find a job?

Much more than you could imagine. Every CV and motivation letter he sent represented hard-earned pesos for him. Every refuse letter was a disappointment not only for him, more so for his family. Not only his stay in Manila was unproductive, most importantly, it was costly. He then decided to go home to the province - to work as a karpentero, kargador, waiter sa bar...but this time, less the charges.

Was he a loser?

I don't think so. The fact that he gave up in finding a job in Manila doesn't make him a loser at all. It was just the most practical choice at that point. He had no capital, he knew nobody, there was no opportunity - all these circumstances pushed him to move on and find another opportunity somewhere else.

Did he have the choice?

If you couldn't relate at all to his story, that means that you belong to the Elite Filipinos of our country. If you never heard of such kind of story, that means that you frequent the Elite Filipinos of our country. If you refuse to accept that such situations exist in our country, then I tell you, you've been dreaming for so long and it's time to wake up!

back to reality

Among the list of barriers preventing foreign investments in the Philippines, macroeconomic instability, corruption and poor infrastracture topped the list. Read more.

Any thoughts?

just dreaming..

I've been watching TV last night and Nepal was featured on one of the channels. The innocent landscapes untouched by the chaotic technology and the unblemished culture just captured the adventurer inside of me. I would like to explore what this country has to offer. I would like to walk around its little villages, talk and exchange smiles with its people, climb its mountains, breath its air..I would like to approach the alluring Mt Everest.

I have met one of the visitors of Nepal in one of my climbs, and his experience was still vivid in his mind...I would like to live the same experience...one of these days, I will be climbing one of its mountains!

I haven't been there but I start to love this country. It's one of the hike destinations I dreamed to explore.

tiger of asia?

The french and european leader in beauty products and perfumery distribution Marionnaud has been bought by a chinese business tycoon Li Ka-Shing, owner of AS Watson among others.

Read on.

An investor from a developing country to a developed country. A new twist in the global economy. It wasn't of course the first investment but this new development marks China's quest to conquer the business world. Not only it presents as a production haven for investors, it also highlights its intention to be one of the important actors in the competitive business world.

Looking back, there was a time when Philippines was the Tiger of Asia. Where are we now?

Cost of Living = Quality of Life

Among the millions of differences I had to get used to in living in another country, I particularly had a hard time getting accustomed to… vacations! I never had a vacation plan. I was used to my Philippine life where ‘long’ vacations had rare apparitions, that is, twice a year – Christmas and Holy Week! Needless to say that I’d rather spend those precious vacations with my family and friends in my hometown than spending it elsewhere.

But on second thought, if I had real long vacations in the Philippines, will I have the means to have a luxurious vacation? Could a simple employee as I was afford such getaway? Let me analyse…

I was a simple employee with an average salary and with a good independent life. Considering that I was just starting my career at that time, though I had total financial independence, I also had limited access to financial freedom and luxury. I could afford vacations, of course, but in a not-so-expensive scenario. Like everybody else, I had moral obligations towards my family, so before burning those bucks out in some cozy bars in makati or manila or even farther, I had to give my share to my sisters/brother in Manila. I committed myself to such charity to lighten my parent’s financial burden – the monthly bills are deadly!

Let me compare it with what I enjoy now.

I’m still a simple employee with an average salary and with a good independent life, redundant isn’t it? But the ratio between the cost of living and my purchasing power has increased. In the Philippines, it is sad to say that this ratio is in total disequilibrium. There is no balance between what you earn and what you have to pay. It seems to me that it is calculated on a survival basis. We live to work, well, for most.

Dollar earners would say that life there is not expensive. Euro earners will surely have a grand time with their 1€ = P74. But in reality, the cost of living is high! Terribly high!

I had a brief discussion with my mom this weekend. Since my parents are both retired now, no more children in school, I was trying to persuade them to finally enjoy their life and stop thinking about finances. I may sound French this time, but I guess they have completed their mission and deserve a break. My dad continues with his insurance thing and ventured his retirement money on business. It’s a good move, but then, as I’ve said, what will they do with their money? Their monthly pension should be enough to live correctly. They could even afford to have a little leisure on the side. But they just refuse this idea. – I know I will never succeed to change their mind – it’s the mentality. they would work as long as they could!

caring for mother earth

The tragedy caused by the killer tsunami still haunts me until now. After the typhoons in the Philippines, here we are again with another bigger catastrophe in Asia. I cant help but think about my family left in the Philippines, they're safe..but until when? I cant anymore stand watching those sufferings on TV.. my heart goes out for them.

As everybody has probably noticed, our climate has been changing: heavy rains experienced on a summer season and dryness on a rainy season. 3 consecutive typhoons on the month of December…?

On environment

It was in 1999 when I first encountered Environmental Management Systems (ISO 14001) in the Philippines through a conference offered by the Philippine Institute of Chemical Engineers (PIChE). In layman’s term, I’ll just translate it to a company’s engagement to protect the environment. Different big companies were represented during the conference…I was there on my own account.

The approach was, for me at that time, a bit ambitious considering the investments involved..and the question..will the Filipinos take this step seriously? Will they be willing to sacrifice part of their profit to venture for this cause? Of course this initiative doesn’t only mean expenses, it also mean long-term profits…but as written, it’s long-term.

Being a French filial and following the company’s global politic on environment and security, our production site in the Philippines is certified ISO 14001 (and OHSAS 18001 too). It’s comforting to see that their approach is even more structured than what we have here in France. Yes, finally, the Filipino can!

Carrefour’s initiative

When I was on vacation in Venice, I thought that this city was an agreeable place to visit, not only because of its beauty but also because of its cleanliness. No cars, no buses…non negligible knowing that transportation is number one on the list of pollutants. Another observation was that, shoppers bring their own baskets / plastic bags to minimize their wastes. That was a good way to environment protection, and I wondered when would France engage the same approach…

Like all other Tuesdays (discounts are offered for cartepass holders exclusively on Tuesday), I was in Carrefour last Tuesday to refill my stocks. When I was about to arrange what I bought, I was surprised to see no plastic bags where they used to be, so I asked the cashier for some so I could help her fix them. Well, actually, she explained to me that they already stopped (or should I say minimized as they still give some - just enough for what you bought unlike before when everything was open to customers) giving away plastic bags.

Two thumbs up for Carrefour for their initiative to environment protection. I’m sure all other supermarkets will adapt the same politic sooner.

My role as an individual

Needless to say that I do separate recyclable / non recyclable wastes at home - it requires a minimum effort to be environment friendly.

I had a 3-day training on Functional Analysis which was very interesting and in line with what I do. During process conception, environment and security are imperative functions which shouldn’t be omitted – not forgetting of course the quality of the final product.

As an engineer and working in an industry, I am of course aware that I am a hazard to the environment – but rest assured, I am certified ISO 14001 :) !

Visit to La Cité des Sciences et de l'industrie

Science buff as I am, during our one-day stay in Paris with my frenchman’s niece, I brought her to the Cité des sciences et de l'industrie (science and industry museum). Luckily, there was this animation on the changing climate and its causes. I wanted her to be aware thus, be responsible at an earlier age.

One thing that marked her attention was that, in the year 2500, if activities continue as they are right now, Paris will surely be below sea level!

How could we help preserve our environment for the next generation to come?