When I was a boy, my Nanay would always impress upon my young mind that I had to study hard to escape poverty, or I might become a kubetero. One recent morning, when I was having a coffee chat with Reggie in his home in Chicago, he’s the husband of my sister-in-law, I told him about that kubetero story… Read More »
“You could leave with dreams and expectations that by their nature were counter to your own best interest. Better to go with an open mind and take what comes and see what you can make of it.” – David Guterson, The Final Case. I love the detective/mystery (D/M) genre. My first introduction was Perry Mason, the crime and… Read More »
Despite the return to normalcy in school learning that no longer requires online learning, masking and physical distancing, more students are still struggling and feeling unhappy, nervous, or worried about the future. Around 36,000 students in Grades 6 to 12 took part in a survey (by TDSB, 2021) and the findings are worrisome. Students who reported they were… Read More »
The answer is “Yes,” however, the existential question is, “Can you live without social media?” How social media works: Me: “I prefer mangoes to oranges…” Random Person (hiding behind an anonymous account): “So basically, what you’re saying is that you hate oranges. You also failed to mention pineapples, bananas, and grapefruits. Educate yourself!” You can never win on… Read More »
When interviewing candidates or meeting someone at a professional event, I can tell how involved they are in managing call centres. How? By the words they use. Specifically, I am referring to terminology call center professionals use, such as AHT (Average Handle Time), ASR (Automatic Speech Recognition), CTI (Computer Telephony Integration), and SLA (Service Level Agreement). Code-like acronyms,… Read More »
If Ka Doroy Valencia, dubbed by Associated Press then as one of the most influential journalists in the Philippines during his time (1913 to 1987), had his “Over a Cup of Coffee” column, then we had our “over a bowl of butong pakwan” session in our home. Complete with Marites stories. Woe to the one who did not… Read More »
La Coutts Toronto was a corporate sponsor at the 13th Edition of the International Fashion Encounter, held at Mercedes Benz Downtown Toronto on September 22n. We were there to witness the glorious merger of local & international designers to complete the International Fashion Encounter. “LA COUTTS TORONTO is committed to pushing the boundaries of fashion and redefining… Read More »
Carpe diem (Latin), literally, “Pluck the Day” or “Seize the Day” (English). It is interestingly, the motto of U.S. Army leaders. It means there is an opportunity to seize the day, to alter the future, to improve readiness, to make formations and weapons more lethal, and to regain battlefield superiority over any foe in any domain. However, since… Read More »
Wildflowers play an important role in our ecosystems. Not only they beautify our surroundings, but these plants have also a big impact in soil health to pollination, and to us as humans. Pollinators: like bees, insects, and birds, depend on many species of wildflowers for food. In turn, these pollinators help provide our food. In fact, around 75… Read More »
Working in a newspaper during those early years of martial law in the 70s was not so complicated and fearsome; all the papers had to do was publish “positive stories” about the workings of government and country– and follow Malacañang’s directives. Those martial law years were the heyday for press releases, but some people called them “praise releases.”… Read More »