August 24, 2007
Just how big is the Filipino outrage towards Malu Fernandez? My not-so-substantial post about her has been solely responsible for a huge spike in my blog's traffic, currently at over 400 visits just for today! I have never had this many people (people that I don't know!) visit my blog. And I've never had so many anonymous (and venomous) comments on a single post before!
Just goes to show how much hate there is going around, directed at Malu Fernandez. Pinoys and OFWs all around the world are getting the word, reading the article, and determining for themselves just what exactly is the fuss all about.
Just goes to show how much hate there is going around, directed at Malu Fernandez. Pinoys and OFWs all around the world are getting the word, reading the article, and determining for themselves just what exactly is the fuss all about.
Labels: Malu Fernandez, people, Philippines
August 19, 2007
If you are a Filipino, then I guarantee that your day is sure to be ruined after reading this. Even if you're not a Pinoy I'm pretty sure you'll at least lose your appetite. Read the comments and follow the links and you will find out why everybody hates Malu Fernandez nowadays.
After some thought, I've finally figured out why the article was so offensive for me. Sa lahat ba naman kasi ng lalaitin niyang mga tao, mga OFW pa. It's like going to America and making fun of the soldiers stationed in Iraq. Malu, make fun of politicians and celebrities if you like, I might even laugh with you, but at least have some respect for our tireless workers who give us pride and hope and help keep our economy afloat. They make such sacrifices out of need, yet what have you done for our country lately, aside from giving us shame?
(A less venomous commentary can be found here.)
Update: Not sure if this is 100% official/confirmed, but this article reports that Malu has succumbed to the public outrage demanding her resignation! I hope this is the end of this emotionally-charged episode. There are lessons here for all of us, not just Malu (and I have no desire to expound on them at this time).
However I forgot that the hub was in Dubai and the majority of the OFWs (overseas Filipino workers) were stationed there. The duty-free shop was overrun with Filipino workers selling cell phones and perfume. Meanwhile, I wanted to slash my wrist at the thought of being trapped in a plane with all of them.
On my way back, I had to bravely take the economy flight once more. This time I had already resigned myself to being trapped like a sardine in a sardine can with all these OFWs smelling of AXE and Charlie cologne while Jo Malone evaporated into thin air.
All in all, it’s been a pretty good summer. Jetting from the Aegean Sea to the Pacific may sound a bit pretentious until you wake up in economy class smelling like air freshener.I wasn't planning on blogging tonight or even for the next few days but people like Malu Fernandez can make anyone's blood boil. As if the Philippines wasn't experiencing enough hardship right now without this bitch's derisive attitude towards her own countrymen. Is it possible for a country to disown one of its own citizens? If not, can we make an exception just for her? Punyeta.
After some thought, I've finally figured out why the article was so offensive for me. Sa lahat ba naman kasi ng lalaitin niyang mga tao, mga OFW pa. It's like going to America and making fun of the soldiers stationed in Iraq. Malu, make fun of politicians and celebrities if you like, I might even laugh with you, but at least have some respect for our tireless workers who give us pride and hope and help keep our economy afloat. They make such sacrifices out of need, yet what have you done for our country lately, aside from giving us shame?
(A less venomous commentary can be found here.)
Update: Not sure if this is 100% official/confirmed, but this article reports that Malu has succumbed to the public outrage demanding her resignation! I hope this is the end of this emotionally-charged episode. There are lessons here for all of us, not just Malu (and I have no desire to expound on them at this time).
Labels: bigotry, Malu Fernandez, OFW, people, Philippines
February 01, 2007
One of the training sessions I went through a few months ago at HP was a brief presentation on diversity and how different cultures have different attitudes and values. Germans, for example, tend to focus on technical details and don't warm up a lot to humor. The Japanese are very particular about polite gestures and language. Australians are very laid-back and take it easy a lot. Americans are fond of catchy slogans and good branding. I'm not saying any of these characteristics are negative; these examples simply illustrate the differences in culture and serve to emphasize the point that we most be sensitive to such differences.
The example of cultural behavior I remember the most from this presentation was how the British have a bit of an obsession with the weather. "How's the weather?" is a question that will most likely pop up when you're chatting to a British person over the phone. Why? Because in non-tropical climates, the weather is quite unpredictable and can in fact kill you if you're not prepared; hence, all the weather forecasts on the news. Here in the Philippines, the weather is not as big a deal. It's always either sunny or rainy, and you can probably tell what kind of weather you'll be having just be feeling the air or looking at the cloud cover.
True enough, a few weeks later--as if to demonstrate a point--I had the opportunity to talk to a British HP employee over the phone and sure enough, he asked me "So how's the weather over there?" I suppose he had good reason to do so because we'd just been hit by a massive typhoon. On our next phone conversation I did the courteous thing; ask the weather question as a means to kick-off our conversation and get down to business.
Why did I blog about the weather all of a sudden? Because it has been unnaturally cold here in Manila the past couple of days. I love it when the weather's like this because of the chilly breeze that accompanies you even as you're walking outside with the sun beating down on you. Tonight was a bit too cold for my taste though; I couldn't even walk briskly enough to keep myself warm! Regardless, I still could get used to this weather. Strike that; I want to get used to this weather.
The example of cultural behavior I remember the most from this presentation was how the British have a bit of an obsession with the weather. "How's the weather?" is a question that will most likely pop up when you're chatting to a British person over the phone. Why? Because in non-tropical climates, the weather is quite unpredictable and can in fact kill you if you're not prepared; hence, all the weather forecasts on the news. Here in the Philippines, the weather is not as big a deal. It's always either sunny or rainy, and you can probably tell what kind of weather you'll be having just be feeling the air or looking at the cloud cover.
True enough, a few weeks later--as if to demonstrate a point--I had the opportunity to talk to a British HP employee over the phone and sure enough, he asked me "So how's the weather over there?" I suppose he had good reason to do so because we'd just been hit by a massive typhoon. On our next phone conversation I did the courteous thing; ask the weather question as a means to kick-off our conversation and get down to business.
Why did I blog about the weather all of a sudden? Because it has been unnaturally cold here in Manila the past couple of days. I love it when the weather's like this because of the chilly breeze that accompanies you even as you're walking outside with the sun beating down on you. Tonight was a bit too cold for my taste though; I couldn't even walk briskly enough to keep myself warm! Regardless, I still could get used to this weather. Strike that; I want to get used to this weather.
October 10, 2006
Andreé and I watched the movie Flyboys at SM Megamall last night. And why was I not surprised to see Jean Reno cast as Captain Thenault, French commander of the Lafayette Escadrille?
Outside of French movies, Jean Reno is almost always cast as the primary French character. I know, it makes perfect sense for a French actor to be cast in a French role, but for some reason I can't help but think of Jean Reno as the stereotypical "French guy". Whenever I see a photo of him or a movie or video with him in it, it's always hard for me to recall his name because what instantly stands out about him for me is that "Hey, that's the guy that plays the 'French guy' roles!"
C'mon, I know I'm not the only one here who knows Jean Reno as "the French guy". If you have no idea what he looks like, here are some shots of him in some of his previous Hollywood incarnations:
Does he look familiar now? He also stars in a series of UPS commercials and played a role in Mission Impossible (but I think he wasn't playing a French guy there).
Maybe I've watched too many Jean Reno movies. (Flyboys was a great movie, BTW.)
Outside of French movies, Jean Reno is almost always cast as the primary French character. I know, it makes perfect sense for a French actor to be cast in a French role, but for some reason I can't help but think of Jean Reno as the stereotypical "French guy". Whenever I see a photo of him or a movie or video with him in it, it's always hard for me to recall his name because what instantly stands out about him for me is that "Hey, that's the guy that plays the 'French guy' roles!"
C'mon, I know I'm not the only one here who knows Jean Reno as "the French guy". If you have no idea what he looks like, here are some shots of him in some of his previous Hollywood incarnations:
Does he look familiar now? He also stars in a series of UPS commercials and played a role in Mission Impossible (but I think he wasn't playing a French guy there).
Maybe I've watched too many Jean Reno movies. (Flyboys was a great movie, BTW.)
Labels: celebrities, French, Jean Reno, movies, people
September 21, 2006
Our beloved Dr. Pablo Manalastas has started his own blog, wittily titled "AmboSpeak". (We students know him is "Doc Mana" but "Ambo" is his personal nickname.)
Doc Mana is one of the most colorful characters I have met in my life, and I mean that in an entirely positive way. I don't know a lot of people who're as passionate about his/her personal interests as Doc Mana is (especially at his age!), of which there are many: Linux, open source, mind-twisting higher-order math, extreme vegetarianism, his family, problem solving, the ACM-ICPC (he was our coach who led as to two straight World Finals appearances), and the personal lives of his students. He may seem a bit nosy to some and perverted with his jokes, but we all know he means well and he genuinely cares about his students. He has interesting opinions about many things and personally, I'm glad he started his own blog so that he can share to the whole world about his opinions.
I'm sure that a lot of people will be deeply saddened when he retires in 2007. The DISCS faculty will lose the services of the one-of-a-kind PMana. Like Miguel commented on Dr. Rodrigo's blog entry, it indeed will be the end of an era. But by staying tuned to Doc Mana's blog, we can let him know that we still can't get enough of him.
Welcome to the blogosphere, Doc!
Doc Mana is one of the most colorful characters I have met in my life, and I mean that in an entirely positive way. I don't know a lot of people who're as passionate about his/her personal interests as Doc Mana is (especially at his age!), of which there are many: Linux, open source, mind-twisting higher-order math, extreme vegetarianism, his family, problem solving, the ACM-ICPC (he was our coach who led as to two straight World Finals appearances), and the personal lives of his students. He may seem a bit nosy to some and perverted with his jokes, but we all know he means well and he genuinely cares about his students. He has interesting opinions about many things and personally, I'm glad he started his own blog so that he can share to the whole world about his opinions.
I'm sure that a lot of people will be deeply saddened when he retires in 2007. The DISCS faculty will lose the services of the one-of-a-kind PMana. Like Miguel commented on Dr. Rodrigo's blog entry, it indeed will be the end of an era. But by staying tuned to Doc Mana's blog, we can let him know that we still can't get enough of him.
Welcome to the blogosphere, Doc!
