the Call

After feeling the worst after declaring percentage cuts on salaries as a remedial measure to hopefully survive this economic crunch, the Chairman is finally back. He motions me over to his office so that I could report the updates.

He told me that we will need to go beyond "remedial" if we are to survive considering that Cebu is also not doing so well. I said that I wouldn't know since the Cebu office has not reported in their figures the entire time he was away. I told him that it seems that the Independent Republic of Amazing Cebu (IRAC) has turned totally defiant of the protocols.

Last night, as i stared at a jaw-dropping 280 guests crowd themselves at the MFC lobby (something I have not seen for the longest of time), I got the used to be usual text message from the Cebu branch office reporting in their stats. Knowing how hard it must have been for the defiant manager to be forced to report in, I responded "thank you", half sincere and half sarcastic.

A minute later I received a call from my weary-sounding counterpart expressing his "usual max-to-the-exag" emotional dilemma over the issue of salary cuts. I told him that I have expressed to the Chairman my recommendation that Cebu should not suffer the same fate since it is still an earning entity. He responds with his rhetoric on "fairness" and "family" which really got me quite ticked off knowing how "unfair" things are being ran down there.

Statements such as "I might not be here anymore when you visit", "I want to quit", and a host of other gibberish that are all too familiar anyway are the things I expected to hear. When all I wanted to hear was "I'm sorry, I failed to report my stats to you". Instead, I had a face filled in with concealer make up... the usual sooo, soooo Korean style of not admitting himself wrong.

Black Pipe - Nandito Lang Ako

Black Pipe finally visits me in my office and make good on their word that they'll record a song I wrote for them a couple of years back, "nandito lang ako" and it would hopefully be the start of the long overdue album I've been wanting them to have.

I didn't mind that I had to cancel a dental appointment, it was fun engineering for them and seeing the song come together. This is still a work in progress as you can see and I am hoping that the more they play original music, the sooner the band chemistry would come out and figure out the image and genre that's for them.

So below is the actual recording session in my office last Sunday. We patched the three instruments direct to the Fostex X-18 mixer straight to my sound card. For convenience, we decided to use my Yamaha DD65 drum kit. This recording also baptized my new (my wife's birthday gift)Greg Bennett Royale.

Additional tracks were later dubbed, the ad lib part and the other rhythm guitar for a fatter sound. With the Black Pipe down to three, August sings the song and Joey's girlfriend did the backing tracks.

I repeat... it is a work in progress.

Screen Golf @ MVP

The beauty of screen golf is that although it is still technically a video game like wii, the amount of energy and concentration exerted is virtually the same. less the walking and the riding, plus you can drink while playing golf. You can practice to a certain degree of accuracy and it allows you to pump yourself up before a game.

Last night, I was visited by an old friend, retired General and now Undersecretary Virtus Gil so that he may refresh his 17-year old golf skills. It was a pleasure seeing him not make any "comical" strokes. He was either very good during his days or he's a natural. Either way, i was impressed and told him that when I started, it was not as sane as his first screen golf game.



playing, betting and drinking with MVP resident golf pro Matthew Kim and Hoony Lim

the angel of death

Sad as it is to say... part of my job is to be the official "angel of death", a job that I've been identified with for the longest of time.

In the earlier years of this company, mismanagement and miscalculation has led to the overabundance of employees. By the time the miscalculation had to be set straight, no one wanted to make the announcement. The then vice president ran away, the Filipino General Manager ran away, and all the king's horses and men ran away as well.

I was tasked to be the one to break the news of retrenching all of those people whose names I had to call out like hosting a beauty pageant. Those who were called, survived and those who were not, perished.

During the time of SARS, I had to be the one to open up the discussion on alternatives if the business was to survive. The employees, understanding the situation although weary had no choice but accept the circumstance. In three and a half months, we were able to return to normal operational expense and the compay recouped.

Yesterday, after weeks of toiling over this decision, it had to be done again.

Once again, the "angel of death" descends upon the lonely theatre to discuss survival schemes that would allow us an extension to our lease on life. It was something that I did not want to do but had to... It was a task that no one else can do.

Yesterday, I hated my job.

another golf day @ club intramuros

It was the Ambassador's Cup Golf Tournament at Club Intramuros. We were given tickets by my Marketing Director's friend Gina who was part of the secretariat. So John, Jay, Chaddy and myself joined and it was the longest golf game we had in Intramuros. Not because we waited so long like the PTA-General Manager's Cup last year but because of the flight ahead of us.

The tournament was designed "shot gun" meaning we all start on different holes to allow ease of traffic. The flight in front of us had this newbie guy who took the term "social sport" to the max. He acted like a pro, had gear well beyond what was necessary and he significantly increased his phone bill by having conversations on the fairway. The boys called it "yabang style" or translated "arrogant aura".

Don't get me wrong, I'm a terrible golf player myself but I learned "manner" first before even taking my first swing on a fairway. My boys were having a laugh as we watched him bid his time pulling out expensive tees from a fine crafted leather case, set his ball, set up his address, take three practice swings and WHAM! Ground his club so deep into the ground and launch his ball 5 yards. He had the energy of a t-rex on his back swing and the strength of a mice on the front swing.

The rule for the day is that double pars should be picked up to prevent delay of game, but I guess that didn't apply to him. Funnier was hearing him quip to another player, "what happened?" after the other player had a bad shot... then he took the stand and WHAM! ... another fabulous 9 yard shot!

As rule, I am a comedian on the field because I know that the probability of a comedic swing is very high (really high). So might as well insult myself early on to prevent the ultimate humiliation of looking like an idiot by acting like a pro... and that's why the caddies love me.

For what its worth, we had fun out of his entertainment plus the fact that we got to sit a lot on the Intramuros grass and admire nature... I just pity the three other guys who shared the same flight with him... they must have been ecstatic.

my light moments

The other day was my former secretary's birthday and we celebrated it in advance by drinking at the MFC Bar. We asked how old she was and she said that she's too old at 31. I said "dont worry _____, you're face does not reflect your age, only your body".
Filipino version: "wag kang mag alala, ____. Hindi naman halata sa mukha mo ang edad mo, sa katawan lang..."

The other night on our way home, I commented to my best friend and my driver that my new (golf) grip has given me new callouses... my driver immediately commented "that is why i never change my brief".
Filipino version: "langya, ang sakit na naman ng kamay ko, ang dami ko nanamang bagong kalyo sa bagong grip na tinuro ni Matthew..." my driver: "kaya nga ako, sir, hindi ako nagpapalit ng brief,,,"

A Blast From the Past... and Present

It's a blast from the past... i recovered this video tape from my file of my days as a UN Volunteer. It was such a long time ago but I remembered those very productive days when I was stationed with the Bureau of Product Standards at the Department of Trade and Industry and I worked with some very nice people. Of course, after that assignment, I got to be stationed in hell and that was why I left the UN system.



When I found the tape, it was bundled together with things I did while I was still involved with development projects and it reminded me of days when I was so much in-love with doing my part to save the world.

It was a noble feeling. A feeling of high that makes you think of yourself as a relevant being facing odds as challenging as you see in the movies.

When I moved myself out of the "circle", it was because I felt helpless at the time. I felt that my "emotional" involvement with the project would compromise the over all "value" of the programs since most of it, if not all were all "funding"-centered. And I was too vocal about those things... (not to mention too vocal on most other things) so it won't be of any help raising hell with arrogant funding agency country representatives and their minions... executive directors and "mighty" development work "icons", demigods with degrees and so on and so forth.

By 2001, I was so burnt out that I had to go... and also because no one wants me for obvious reasons. To be honest, I didn't want them either for the more obvious or reasons... Making a career out of "under/un/development" was turning out to be a crime. Not for the foot soldiers whom I am sure are all head strong on their convictions, but those who has benefited sumptuously well from underdevelopment.

I left with the hope that I could feel relevant once again. Relevance that would be measurable and tangible... and I found it in 2001 when I joined this company.

But like all good things... well, I think you know what I mean...