Red Box Disaster

It was a bad night at Red Box Greenbelt last Friday, December 10, 2010. My friends and I are not the type who gets easily annoyed over service fiascoes in establishments we go to. We do understand that there are queues, shortage of goods and manpower, and other common, related problems, and most of the time, we let these things slide. It's part of the business. However, we can only tolerate so much. We wouldn't have expected much, except that Redbox Greenbelt is supposedly a reputable company, and I do believe that we have every right to complain.

First, one of my friends made the reservation for a party of seven, two days prior via telephone. She asked if there's anything else that we needed to do to secure our reservation and Red Box Greenbelt said that there was none, and that we just needed to show up on that day on time. And so, we did. To our immense surprise, upon arrival, we were told that we didn’t have any reservations. NO RESERVATIONS? So ano yun? Multo yung nakausap namin? Ganun? Needless to say we were disappointed, but still calm enough to request priority for the next room available. Luckily a room freed up, so we were accommodated, but that was about to be the best thing we were going to get from them for the rest of the evening.

Our food and drinks came in late. We're not talking minutes here; we're talking HOURS. Dishes were served cold (one was supposed to be CRISPY calamares, not a seafood salad), and came after two HOURS of countless follow-ups. The drinks came after an hour and, to our extreme disappointment, the servers were very rude (Sila pa ang galit, were they kidding me?!). Imagine, we were already hungry and thirsty by then, plus we had to pay for a substandard, highly expensive food, at kami pa ang tinarayan? Wow. We were nothing but polite to them throughout the evening, and that was just plain mean of them.

Next, we asked for glasses of water. After waiting for an hour, and still without water, we finally had enough. We then asked for the bill. My friend asked them to take the calamares out of the bill (How could we pay for a stale food that could not be eaten anymore?) and to please give us the water that we requested 60 minutes prior. Wow, tinaasan pa kami ng kilay nung supervisor. He was the new guy, but the supervisor prior to him was the nice one. Unfortunately, we weren't able to get this new guy’s name, but we do remember his face.

When we asked why it took an hour to bring us the water, one of the servers even managed to deliver a sarcastic "May shortage ho ng tubig kasi." Really?! Were we rude to them? No. We merely asked. If one could not answer respectfully, it’s better if he just keep his mouth shut. Even the bill took 45 mins to get to us. I don't get the problem here. We could’ve just walked and sneaked out of the damn room if we were "sira ulo" (you know what I mean). I seriously don't get it.

It is not acceptable to say that the poor service was due to being undermanned, which is foreseeable given that this is a holiday season and it was a weekend at that. I also understand that they must have been all tired accommodating everyone. But hey, so were we from our own jobs. Everybody's tired, but that's work. Believe me when I say that there are a lot more clients worse and more discriminating than us, and if they at Red Box can't handle the pressure, then they should look for another job. And if one is in a service industry, no matter how tired he may be, there is no excuse and no excuse at all for being rude to his customers. We, the guests, were there (shelling out our hard-earned money) to have a good time. If we just wanted to stress ourselves the way Red Box Greenbelt did, then we ought to have just stayed at our respective offices, where, at least, we would get paid for our trouble.

In the future, if this is the type of service to expect from them, wow, then it is so not worth the money. No more repeats for us nor for our friends.

So far, this is the worst experience we’ve ever had from any establishment. We would have let it slide had the staff been gracious, understanding or a little bit apologetic. Red Box Greenbelt should address this concern. Pwede na malas lang kami at kami ang napagbuntungan ng galit ng mga servers at nagkataon na pangit lang yung service na nakuha namin. Totally understandable, but hey, we’re paying guests. We deserve to be treated decently, at the very least.

In all fairness, I would like to commend Ms. Monica, the supervisor at the time we got in. We spoke with her earlier that time, to air our complaints and she was very apologetic, accommodating and professional. I couldn't say the same about the others.

YELLOWCARD Live in Manila

YELLOWCARD LIVE IN MANILA

February 20, 2010

A-Venue, Makati Avenue, Makati City

Tickets are available at any Ticketworld Outlets.

Prices:

Gen Ad: P1,800

VIP: P3,500

Brought to you by DAYLY Entertainment.

Yellowcard is an American pop punk band known for their hits "Ocean Avenue", "Only One" and "Light Up The Sky". Their latest album When You're Through Thinking, Say Yes is due for release by March 2011.

DOT's "Ugly" Ad

While I appreciate the effort that the Department of Tourism did for the betterment(?) of our tourism logo (No not really, but I'm going to pretend to be very civil about it), a lot of people have aired their complaints about it. For those who say that "Ang hirap sa mga Pinoy, puro reklamo, di muna subukan etc", well that is a valid and acceptable defense. However, I know that when putting up a project, say a business, if the numbers don't look good from the initial run, there is no logical excuse whatsoever to continue with it and say "Malay mo, magpick up eventually". That is just plain idiotic. This is how I see the brouhaha over the logo: If the people's initial reaction, is overwhelmingly negative, then why oh why should it be considered? It's like selling a really good perfume named "Bantot".

It is hard to deny the fact that many of the complaints have bases.

First, the new logo looks so much like the tourism logo of Poland. Really? Whaa--the--why?! The font and the style look so much the same. Adding a smiley face on the tree, changing it from a pear to coconut tree and adding a tree hugging tarsier does not mean that it does not look the same. IT STILL DOES. We still have unsolved issues on plagiarism (that's another story) do we need another? Does plagiarism sound good on TV? Maybe it does; it's becoming a fad.

Second, "Pilipinas Kay Ganda" sounds so much like an afternoon or noontime variety show. What's next? Ask Vice Ganda to do the opening theme for the TV Ad? (I'm a fan of Vice Ganda) Whatever happened to WOW Philippines? I like that. It was cheesy but nice. It sums up the characteristics of our country in just one word. Plus it is catchy. Making a slogan is similar to titling a song; you don't want to put too many words into it. It has to be something that can easily be said and understood, unless you are Celine Dion and you can very well carry the song titled It's All Coming Back To Me Now. (Whew!)

Third, focusing on the domestic market does not necessarily mean that we have to alienate the foreign tourist. We have got to admit that, even though domestic tourists make up the bulk of the tourist arrivals, it is still the foreign tourists who have more dough to spend on tourism. We need their money. So, it would be best if we can try to sell our country using a language that they can understand. DOT argued that they want to attract those who want to learn more about our culture. Yes, that is acceptable, but we are limiting our market. Again we need their money! We cannot limit ourselves to only those who want to learn more about our culture, we also need those who don't give a sh*t and just want to have fun, because that is what travelling is about for most people.

Fourth, at the risk of sounding like a snotty brat, the slogan sounds cheap. There I've said it. You can now throw the stones. But before you do, let me just say, it sounds so cheesy! Are we writing a poem here or something? Is it a title for a new declamation piece for the Linggo ng Wika (Week of the Filipino Language)? Are we aiming for the Kundiman era?

Well I'm running out of reasonable objections without sounding rude and demeaning. I still want to show appreciation for the effort placed in that ad. It must have been really hard to conceptualize a marketing ad, on which the future of Philippine tourism depends, only to be egged at and booed by the spectators.

At least they got feedback early.

**(Last I heard they are pulling out the ad. The advertising company hired to conceptualize the project presented that slogan as a draft, but DOT apparently insisted on releasing it despite objections. Oh well.)

Dear M Diary #1 "Get a Move On,He's Not That Into You"

Dear M,

I like this guy. Let's just say I feel that emotionally I'm more mature than him. We go out from time to time, but never just the two of us. We have a lot of fun together. Malambing, mabait, funny, matalino, minsan papakita siya ng extra "care" you know, so feeling ko, he kinda likes me din. There are so many mixed signals, that confuses me. And I feel na mejo hirap siya mag open up, alam mo yun. So I want to take it slow din. Baka din kasi masira yung friendship, pero gusto ko sabihin din sa kaniya nafefeel ko. So I don't know what to do, should I just wait it out, and baka madevelop into something else, or tama na maghanap nalang ng iba? HELP!

Cara

Dear Cara,

Hi Cara, thank you for sharing your thoughts with me and I sure hope I could help you out with this one.

So ano nga uli problema mo? Hindi pa ba obvious sayo yung sagot? Meron ka pang should I wait it out na nalalaman? Honey the only thing you're waiting for here, is another heartbreak, plus diving into the realms of alcoholism. (I should know..been there! Hahaha!) IT'S NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. He's NOT INTO YOU. Masakit ba? Pero you've already said it. If he likes you, I mean really likes you, he would go out of his way to be alone with you, to go out with you, to do things with you. Eh dun pa lang malabo na eh.

Second, what mixed signals? Are you even sure there are signals? You know, I'm a girl, and I know that girls get so analytical when it comes to "signs" and "signals"..that's why I love talking to guys better. Baka naman ikaw lang nakakakita ng signals ineng? Ate, buksan mo mga mata mo. There's no such thing as mixed signals, it's either "he likes you" or "he doesn't"..usually there's no in between..kung meron man..ang tawag dun "meantime girl"..do you want to spend the rest of your life as a meantime girl? Siyempre hindi! You deserve so much better.

Thirdly, hirap siya magopen up? Maybe, that's true, there are people like that. But if he likes you, i mean really likes you, bakit kelangan yung move manggagaling sayo? Bakit kailangan ikaw yung mag take it slow? He has to be the one to initiate where you are both heading..and the way I'm reading it, siya alam niya kung saan siya pupunta..eh IKAW, alam mo ba? Hindi. Do you want to have a meaningful relationship with someone who can't even tell you where your relationship is heading?

Lastly, girl, there's no such thing as "masisira ang friendship" kalokohan yun ate. Saan ba nagsisimula ang isang magandang relasyon? Diba sa pagkakaibigan? If he really likes you, i mean really likes you, the hell with friendship, pwede pa din naman kayo maging friends and maging lovers eh. So what's stopping him? It's the fact na, he doesn't want you ENOUGH to want to risk anything. He's NOT into you ENOUGH to want to take a move on to the next level. Yun lang yun.Di ka niya gusto.

Girl, I'm sure you're smart, you're beautiful, you're charming and attractive. And I know how it feels, to get your hopes up over someone and then fall flat on your face in the end. But you deserve better, you deserve to be treated like a Queen, you don't really have to do anything. There's someone out there, who will go out of his way to tell you that he likes you and you wouldn't have to worry about all these things. And the more time you spend over this someone, who I'm sure is great but does not like you enough, the less time you can get to spend it with that even greater "someone out there". Get a move on. He's not into you, and it's ok. Doesn't make you less of a person or a woman. It's just a simple fact. You're great, you need someone who knows and appreciate how great you are.

P.S.
::You know, it's true that when you look at everything outside the box, you get to see things clearer, unbiased and with a fresh perspective. This is true, sometimes when we are in difficult situation, that we know the solution to, we still refuse to accept or get a move on, because we know that once we does, we will get hurt..a lot. Only by doing this, we're going to get hurt anyway, we're just delaying it for a few more months or days.

We often do this bullshit thingy of delaying pain, when it comes to love, or whatever we want to call it. Kasi masarap maniwala na merong happy ending etong napili nating sitwasyon, kahit na wala naman talaga. Minsan masarap umasa na, matatapos din lahat ng problema natin, kung magiging maayos lang to.Kaya naisip ko na, I have to practice "looking outside the box"..Hahaha!

Pagtatapat 101

Nanood ako Spiderman 2 nung isang araw, at imbes na mamangha ako sa skills ni Spidey eh kinilig na naman ako sa love story ni MJ (though sa cartoons di naman ganun). Anyway, naisip ko kung bakit patok ang mga tipong My Best Friend's Wedding, You've Got Mail, Dawson's Creek sa mga tao (aminin sinubaybayan mo love story ni Joey at !), ay dahil dun sa nagkadevelopan theory ng pag-iibigan. Actually hindi ako fan nito, totoo, dahil naexperience ko na yan, mahirap pag one sided lang.
Hahaha! Anyway.. kung halimbawa magtatapat man ako naisip ko paano ko sasabihin..

*dream bubble*

"Chong, alam mo natutuwa akong kasama ka. Nakakatawa ka kasi. Para akong nasa comedy bar tuwing kasama kita. Bukod sa nakakatawa na in itself yang mukha mo, natatawa ako sa mga hirit mo, sa mga biro mo, kahit na hihingi ka lang ng patis eh natatawa na ako..
Hindi ako nabibighani sayo. Utang na loob. Maghunus dili ka. Pero gusto kita. Masaya ako pagkasama kita, kahit na madaming mali sayo, at ayoko na isa isahin, mas lamang pa din yung mga tamang bagay sayo.

Napapasaya mo ang araw ko, para kang si Simba, nakakaaliw, pero habang tumatagal, nakakabilib. Bakit si Simba, aba malay ko?! Problema ko pa ba yun? Para kang beer, sa una ang sarap isuka, pero kalaunan, hindi mo na mabitiwan.

Hindi man eto ang pinaka romantic na pagkakasabi ko sayo ng nararamdaman ko, pero lahat ng sinabi ko totoo. Gusto kita, hindi lang dahil napapasaya mo ako, kung hindi dahil ikaw yan. Wala nakong hihilingin pa, walang labis,wala ng kulang. Sakto lang. Hindi ka perpekto, wag na wag mo iisipin na perpekto ka. Masama yun. Pero kaya kita nagustuhan, dahil hindi ka perpekto. Dahil kahit na hindi ka perpekto, nagiging perpekto ka sa mata ko. Sh*t ang corny.

So Chong, bago pa tuluyang masira ang gabi ko sa pagsabi mo na bangag lang ako, gusto ko sana malaman mo, na sana bigyan mo ako ng pagkakataon na mapasaya ka katulad ng pagpapasaya mo sa akin. Wag ka matouch masyado, di pa naman natin kailangan mahalin ang isa't isa. Hinay hinay lang, masyado kang excited. Madaming pang oras para jan chong. Pagkakataon lang ang gusto kong hilingin sayo. At pambayad sa iniinom nating beer."

ASTEG diba? Kung sa akin sasabihin yan.. Hypothetical lang naman. Wala lang. Nakakatuwa lang diba? Sunod wedding proposal naman gagawin ko. Hahahaha!Bakit nawawala mga friends ko sa YM? Baka navirus-an na naman ako. Peste.