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.
November 30, 2006
There goes the long weekend...
Watch it live!
Prepare for the inevitable blackout, people.
Watch it live!
Prepare for the inevitable blackout, people.
Labels: :(, current events, Philippines, typhoon, weather
September 29, 2006
I retract yesterday's statement that it was really scary outside. It wasn't just scary; it was f***ing scary. That's the only adjective that truly captures the reality outside the walls of our house. Can't recall a recent typhoon that really scared the shit out of me (not literally). You think you get used to typhoons when you live in the Philippines, but you haven't experienced the real thing until one hits you dead on.The typhoon started to calm down at around four in the afternoon. Our family went out in the evening for a movie because there were no signs of electricity coming back any time soon. Unfortunately, all the malls were closed by the time we decided to leave the house. We tried looking for a place to eat and pass the time and we managed to find an open Yellow Cab Pizza (Better Living branch) on the way home. Until now, there's still no power at home.
The weather was much, much improved this morning so I decided to go to the office (besides, I really needed to charge my cellphone). In the daylight, you could see the destruction brought about by the typhoon. The only word to describe it is "awesome". I don't mean to say that I enjoyed seeing uprooted trees, fallen signposts, and gigantic billboards crushing buses. The typhoon's destructive effects were an awesome sight to see. My brother took some pictures of the carnage; I'll try to upload some of them later.
It took me two and a half hours to get to the office. The MRT wasn't in operation and there was some serious traffic along EDSA for some unknown reason. The bus I took had to take a long detour to avoid the traffic. All seems well though, for now.
(Thanks to Pau for finding the above photo. I actually saw that bus on my way to work!)
Labels: amazing, current events, Philippines, typhoon, weather
September 28, 2006
If you haven't heard already, typhoon "Milenyo" (international codename "Xangsane") is currently hammering Metro Manila. It's really scary outside right now. Classes have been suspended in all levels and government offices are officially closed. I eagerly checked my HP email this morning for any announcements and...
Walang pasok!!! Gosh, I never thought there'd come a time that I'd say that as part of the workforce.
I sure am glad I don't have any pressuring deadlines. At least I don't even have to work from home. Now I can comfortably watch Game 2 of the UAAP Men's Basketball Finals on TV. Hope it's no less exciting than Game 1.
Addendum: D'oh! Power blackout started half an hour ago (running on laptop batteries now). Just when I thought I could stay at home, watch TV, and play some PC games. At least the basketball game was pushed to Saturday; thanks to Ma'am Didith for the info.
Walang pasok!!! Gosh, I never thought there'd come a time that I'd say that as part of the workforce.
I sure am glad I don't have any pressuring deadlines. At least I don't even have to work from home. Now I can comfortably watch Game 2 of the UAAP Men's Basketball Finals on TV. Hope it's no less exciting than Game 1.
Addendum: D'oh! Power blackout started half an hour ago (running on laptop batteries now). Just when I thought I could stay at home, watch TV, and play some PC games. At least the basketball game was pushed to Saturday; thanks to Ma'am Didith for the info.
Labels: :D, current events, HP, Philippines, typhoon, weather, work
