Nov 29, 2014
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My Vietnam-Cambodia Escape
10 Tips from a Road Warrior
The Chairman Shares his View from the Top
Lent: A Personal Point of View
Jerry Tañeca of WSI Brings IT on
Rex Imperial & the WSI IT Lab
WSI Summer Games 2011
Summer Fun in Batangas
Digital News
My Precious Asus
How to Reactivate your SSS Membership
Exercise High
Affordable Chow, & Convenient too
Sticking your face in the fan: A Tribute to
Leslie Nielsen & Police Squad
Global Warming—Global Warning
Great Summer Memories
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May 2011 May 2011 Summer issue Summer issue
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WESPEAK
The official newsletter of
WeSupport, Inc.
12/F Security Bank Bldg., Ayala
Avenue, Makati City
Tel. No. 848-1974.
Email address:
Check our online version at
www.wesupportinc.com
THE EIGHTH HABIT
by Burt Gabot
When Tom Brown, the former editor of Industry Week first quoted the phrase ―work-life balance‖ in their August
1988 issue, it wasn‘t that much of a buzzword. Back then, the current magic industry cure-all was Stephen
Covey‘s ―Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.‖ But like most trends, after time, even Seven Habits became
too worn out and too cliché for anyone to pay attention to it anymore.
And like any trend, it got replaced by supposedly-new guiding principles for people managers, and for anyone else
who had to keep people productive in the workplace. So it came to pass that, in the new millennium, companies
had to espouse a good ―work-life balance‖ for their people, even over and above their practicing Seven Habits.
And, indeed, it somehow rings true, at least for me – that everyone has to work hard, but at the same time there
should be a balance between working hard, and setting aside time for yourself. Around 2005, it was very cool for
companies to put up employee programs promoting work-life balance. And most everyone I knew then joined
gyms, or started playing badminton regularly, or started making regular vacation plans to go to Boracay with the
family, or to some other vacation-type place. For me, that was the time when I started getting into my photography
and writing thing. After all, I was part of this work-life balance fad. As luck would have it, I was promoted to man-
age my own little department, I had some of my pictures published in the papers, and I was privileged to have
been able to write a few pieces for some of my favorite magazines. Perhaps there was some truth to this balance
thing.
Work-life balance took on more meaning for us WSI-ers this April: Many of us have projects that had critical cut-
over schedules that month, so a lot of us had to do more overtime than usual. And the prospect of the proverbial
burnout was all the more probable. It is perhaps appropriate that the company‗s annual summer outing was
scheduled at almost the same time as the cutover. It was fortunate that many were able to take the day off and
enjoy the sun and fun, but a few had to go straight back to work immediately after. But I am sure, even though
they had to, they felt all the better for the summer outing, and it renewed their sense of purpose in their work, and
had fun besides.
The point I am making is that work-life should be able to co-exist with fun-life. Sometimes it‗s difficult to do, but it‗s
critical to what Tom Brown wrote in his article, ―The Model Employee – that the one who is able to have a balance
between work and personal life is the best kind of employee, and is a better kind of person because of it. Perhaps
Stephen Covey should think about having work-life balance as part of his seven habits for effective people –
maybe he can make it the eighth habit.
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF ‗TWO‘
by Olan Velano
The much-awaited second issue of WeSpeak Magazine is finally out! We welcome our dear readers to Issue Number
Two, which is also our first summer edition. We prepared lots of fun and sunny articles for you, just in time for this sum-
mer.
Everyone connected with the magazine is very concerned about making the magazine as relevant to as many WSI
employees as possible, and this has led us to broaden the scope of the magazine: Aside from the very much read IT-
related articles, we have also given equal time to the Health and Employees‘ sections. You will also be meeting the new-
est member of the WeSpeak family - the cautious but funny Marcus – the star of Marife‘s new comic strip.
All of these has made me wonder what‗s so significant about a second issue. According to chacha.com, the number Two
symbolizes kindness, balance, tact, equalization and duality, which seemed oddly relevant, since we at WeSupport try to
work as one big family - treating each other equally, with understanding, kindness and compassion.
We also value our work and our clients in the same way that we value our dignity. Our job is important to us so we take
our work seriously. But this does not mean that we do not have time to relax and enjoy anymore, which brings to mind
another meaning of the number Two: balance. A sense of balance between fun and professionalism is one of the things
that the BOD includes in its programs. In this issue, you will find highlights of the WSI Summer Haven 2011 , held at
Laiya, Batangas, which shows how we manage that other side of the work-life balance equation. Inside, you will see
pictures of your WSI co-workers having fun under the scorching summer sun. Almost everyone participated in the sum-
mer outing games. We heard a lot of cheering, teasing and jeering, but at the end of the day, it seems WSI people relate
to one another with tact and diplomacy, kindness and understanding, even at play.
That‘s what I like about WSI: people are sensitive to the emotions and attitude of others, in the same way they are about
differing opinions and ideas. There may be some things that people do not readily agree on but at least WSI people try to
look at things from both perspectives. I think this just proves equality is evident within WSI, regardless of age, gender,
status, designations, and even religion. We believe that we are all equal in dignity and rights, which is essential to dealing
with people.
Isn‘t it amazing how duality is manifested in each of us? When we go to work every day, we focus our attention on the
tasks at the office. But after the workday, we change our character – perhaps to that of a father buying toys to bring
home for his kids, or to a mother rushing home to cook dinner for the family, or to someone who loves to read books,
watch movies, go on dates, see friends or shop at the malls. But, you know, this is not actually changing one‘s character
– it‘s just another side of you that other people in the office do not see: a duality that is nothing but normal. Duality – again
something associated with the number Two.
These are some of the things that makes me think about the number Two, and what it symbolizes. I hope that you enjoy
our Issue Number Two.
PUBLISHING EDITOR Olan Velano
EDITOR IN CHIEF Burt Gabot
EDITOR Randy Vizcarra
HEALTH Isah Clerigo
CURRENT EVENTS John Voltaire Lim
TECHNOLOGY Angelo Carlo Sison
CONTRIBUTORS Jane Miralles
Efraim Pintuan
Liezel Valenzuela
DESIGN Randy Vizcarra
COVER Naunelle Songco
COMICS Marife Dela Cruz
EDITORIAL
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T his quotation couldn‘t be truer since going to places
one has not visited yet gives the traveler a first-hand
experience that books can only describe in words.
For someone who is wont to travel, I must admit that
visiting other countries gives me a different kind of pleasure.
This was what I experienced when, in February, my friends
and I flew to Vietnam for a week-long vacation. As one of my
dream vacations, this trip to Vietnam truly gave me not just a
glimpse of its storied past, but also its rich Asian culture.
The climate is very much like ours and there is only about one
hour time difference. Visitors from the Philippines do not
require a visa and can stay up to 21 days in Vietnam. The
currency is Vietnam Dong (VND). However, US dollars are
readily accepted hence there is little need to exchange
currency when buying things or transacting business.
Here are a few of my observations on Vietnam.
Motorbikes are their primary mode of transportation. They
even have dedicated lanes for motorbikes in the main road.
I think almost everyone owns a motorbike, whether young
people or adults. I also noticed that they only have a few taxi
cabs plying the streets. Their traffic is very slow-moving, about
40 kph in my estimation.
By Jane Miralles My Viet-Cam Escape The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page. – St. Augustine
Situated on the eastern coast of mainland Southeast Asia is
the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), bordered on the north
by China, and on the West by Cambodia and Laos. Vietnam,
just like its Asian neighbors, bravely fought many wars, the
most infamous of which was the American-Vietnamese War
that started in 1955. It was also undeniably the worst in the
country‘s history. When the war ended on April 1975, over
55,000 Americans soldiers and an estimated three million
Vietnamese were killed. [Over two thirds of the current popu-
lation was born after 1975.]
Surprisingly, Vietnam is now one of the fastest-rising nations in
Southeast Asia, and much of its success is due to its abundant
agricultural resources.
LIVIN‘ LIFE
5
Photos: A church in Ho Chi Minh; Mekong River, the world's tenth longest river; motorbikes in the city; the
surreal Crazy House; Elephant Falls in Dalat (Vietnam) and centuries-old ruins in Cambodia.
Cont‘d. on next page
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W e also travelled to Cambodia for a one-day tour,
and we were mesmerized by ancient Angkor Wat
(―Angkor‖ means city and ―Wat‖ means temple).
Angkor Wat was a temple complex built for King
Suryavarman II of the 12th century as his state temple and capi-
tal city. It is the country‘s national symbol, as well as the world‘s
largest religious structure and therefore the country‘s biggest
tourist attraction. The Angkor Wat day-tour costs USD 20.
There was also another temple nearby, Ta Phrom, which people
know as the temple where actress Angelina Jolie filmed
Tombraider. The locals, especially the kids, call it the Angelina
Jolie Temple.
Angkor Café is the only restaurant near Angkor Wat Temple, and
when the restaurant manager introduced himself to us, we were
glad to find out that he was a fellow Filipino. We realized that
OFWs are everywhere, even in Cambodia.
We stayed in the Golden Mango Inn for USD 10 each (this
included breakfast). It‘s clean and comfortable, and located
near Angkor Wat. It was voted the Number 1 Hostel in Cambodia
for 2009 and 2010. It is also near transportation terminals
where people can ride Tuktuks, the primary means of
transportation in Cambodia.
Almost every commodity is reasonably-priced in Vietnam. We
roughly spent USD 8 per day for our accommodations, USD
9 for a whole-day tour (with lunch, van and tourist guide),
USD 3 per meal with drinks (with free veggies!), USD 0.50 for
taxi fare, and USD 2 for a souvenir shirt.
Like Filipinos, the Vietnamese people are also warm and
friendly. There were vacationing Canadian and other Europe-
ans when we were there, perhaps seeking a respite from the
winter chill in their countries.
We were billeted in the Kim Hotel, which we believe is
equivalent to one of our budget hostels. Located in Bui Vien
Street, a backpacker‘s area where a lot of tourists stay, the
Kim Hotel charges USD 8 per night, indeed very affordable.
Delicious Vietnamese food can also be easily had for a mere
USD 3, inclusive of coffee and dessert. Worth mentioning
too is their coffee, which tastes different yet great. Being a
coffee lover, I found myself ordering cup after cup of coffee
wherever it was available. Coffee Vietnamese-style is
commonly served with single-cup filter with condensed milk
at the bottom.
Speaking of coffee, did you know that next to Brazil, Vietnam
is the largest coffee exporter in the world? One of the guides
shared this trivia to our group as we negotiated our way
through a vast coffee plantation, which was part of our
countryside tour. The guide further added that the rich, red-
dish soil which is apparently volcanic in origin, makes it per-
fect for planting coffee beans.
Another equally interesting place in Vietnam is Dalat, the City
of Love. Dalat is similar to our Baguio City in terms of
climate, and has plenty of tall pine trees, and bountiful
harvests of flowers and vegetables. Dalat is a 6 or 7-hour
trip from Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam‘s capital.
As a practical traveler, staying in the Kim Hotel was the best
deal with its friendly rates and the convenience it offers. Our
group learned much of the Vietnamese culture in a home-
stay type of environment since it‘s located in the heart of Ho
Chi Minh, a five-minute walk from various restaurants, night
haunts, and the bus station. We only had stroll to experience
the many colorful sights and the exciting taste of Vietnam.
PHOTOS: A flower farm in Dalat, Vietnam, map of Vietnam and
Cambodia, and remnants of the mystical Angkor Vat.
CAMBODIAN detour
7
2 Join running clinics or online
running forums: Running clinics are
valuable because they teach you the proper
things to do when running. Many running
clinics are free - you just need to sign up. As
incentives to join, some clinic organizers
distribute give-aways. Running clinics usually
tackle topics like the proper running form,
how to warm up properly, and other running
tips. Most clinics also conduct actual group
runs to demonstrate and emphasize these
tips and techniques. Running forums allow
people to catch up on the latest running
information and trends. I often check out
running forums since they usually place race
schedules and reviews. (Some of the more
popular on-line forums are takbo.ph and
pinoyfitness.com.)
3 Keep yourself properly hydrated: Drink water or a sports drink at least 15
minutes before the race and every 1.5 kms
during the race. This is especially important
during summer. Keep in mind that thirst is
already a sign of dehydration. On the other
hand, make sure you don't over-drink or you
might feel bloated and not be able to run
properly. Another problem of over hydrating is
hyponatremia, a condition where there is an
electrolyte imbalance in your body - because
your blood‘s sodium (salt) level has gone too
low because of over-drinking. You could faint
and collapse when this happens. The key
here is proper balance. (A sports drink, such
as Gatorade, provides water and sodium
additives to improve hydration. Note that
sports drinks are not the same as so-called
energy drinks, like Red Bull, Cobra or Lipovi-
tan: These ―energy drinks‖ are actually
dangerous to drink when doing vigorous
exercise.)
Tips from a Road WarriorTips from a Road Warrior By JB Ligot
I am not out to snag the gold or any top
places in the races that I sign up with
since I am not a natural athlete.
If you would also like to run, here are
10 useful running tips I have learned
over the years that I believe will help
you to be ready to race:
1 Have a checkup: Make sure you are
healthy enough before engaging in any major
physical activity, especially if you haven‘t
been exercising recently. There have been
cases of runners dying during races because
of health issues. So make sure to get a physi-
cal with your doctor.
Mostly, I run to keep fit and to try to
better my personal record (PR). I
make a target for each race, and try to
meet or surpass it. - Jb
Running clinic organized by Milo APEX
(September 2010). Cont‘d. on page 8
1010 SPORTS
It has been almost two years since I started running regularly again.
Before leaving for Saudi Arabia, I had already joined quite a number of running and duathlon events (run-and-bike events). Back
then, since running clinics were unheard of and shoe technology wasn't as advanced, I just ran with my favorite rubber shoes (which
did not necessarily fit my foot type), and was unmindful of the proper running form that maximizes speed and lessens injuries.
I first started running consistently around 1999, joining 5K races and biking, but had to stop when I started working for IBM in Saudi
Arabia in 2003. The running and multisport community back then wasn't as big as it is now, and the races were so much cheaper. At
that time, there were not too many races that one can join regularly and most runners just trained by themselves. I used to run at
the ULTRA oval two or three times a week, usually in the evenings after work. During the weekends, I did long runs by joining a race or
going to UP to jog around the university academic oval.
After coming back to the Philippines in
2008, and gaining more pounds as well,
I wanted to get back to a healthier life-
style. Initially, it was difficult to find time
because of the distance between home
and office, as well as adjusting to the
new working environment. In 2009, I
asked Xenos, my treadmill running
buddy in Riyadh, if he wanted to join the
Globe Run for Home 5K. He agreed, and
the rest was history. I have now been
able to join quite a number of races
since then, most notable of these were
two full marathons, around 20 or so
21km. races and several other runs (5K,
10K, 15K and 16K races).
8
8 Don't experiment during a race: Don‘t try something radically different from
your usual techniques and routines during
race day so that your race will go as
smoothly as possible. I have heard of peo-
ple trying out energy gels for the first time in
races and they had stomach problems
during the race. Eat and drink only what you
know your body has already adapted to and
avoid problems. Don't wear something new
during races - new clothes and shoes could
cause chaffing or skin allergies if the texture
of the textiles does not interact well with
your skin. I myself don't usually wear the
singlets being given out on race day if I have
not broken them in first during my training
runs.
9 Get enough sleep before a race: I'm sure, due to the excitement prior to a
race, most of us have difficulty sleeping the
night before. (Among race enthusiasts, it is
a given that runners do not sleep much the
night before a race.) Therefore, the most
important thing to do is to sleep at least 8
hours two nights before, so you will be
rested enough before your run. I myself go
through this. For example, when I went to
Sta. Rosa for my 2nd marathon, we had to
check in at a hotel due to a 2AM race start.
It was a new room and I had difficulty
adjusting (parang namamahay). I ended up
getting only two hours of sleep. So, now, I
make it a point to get plenty of rest two
nights before a race.
10 Enjoy the race: To minimize
disappointment, do not pressure yourself
with unrealistic goals (i.e., finishing first
place in a race even though you know
Kenyans are present). Try to set realistic
expectations so that when things go well
(i.e., enough hydration stations, nice loot
bag, organized event), you will find more
satisfaction from the whole event. Feel the
breeze on your skin, glance at the attire of
fellow runners, marvel at the opportunity of
being able to run on an otherwise congested
road, or appreciate the fact that you can run,
period. Think of these and other positive
thoughts when running and you will be
happier when you cross the finish line.
From page 7
Road runners’ must-haves: mineral water or sports drinks for proper hydration;
a Garmin GPS-capable sports watch; appropriate running shoes, and light &
breezy running apparel.
4 Start slow and build up to race
pace: Many first-time runners think they can
sprint a 5K or 10K race by starting really fast,
and only end up exhausting themselves early
in the race. The best way to start is to make
sure you can still talk with your running buddy
while running. After you have warmed up, you
can then slowly speed up your pace. Maintain
a comfortable running speed and try to finish
strong.
5 It is okay to walk: For many newbie
competitive runners, walking during a race
connotes weakness. Walking is actually okay,
and is the best weapon to push back your
exhaustion point. Quick rest-walks boost
energy so one can continue running with a
faster pace. This technique is better than
continuous running, which exerts tremendous
pressure on the knees. I have seen people
who ran non-stop and yet finished slower
than people who placed strategic walk breaks
during the race.
6 Wear comfortable and scientifi-
cally-designed running clothes: Make
sure that your shoes can evaporate sweat
and water as quickly as possible. Technical
sports clothes (i.e., dri-fit, vapor wick, etc.) are
also widely available in most sports shops.
These are light, absorb liquids and evaporate
them swiftly. Clothes made of cotton tend to
hold liquids longer and make the clothes
heavier. Underwear should also be light.
7 Wear shoes designed for your
feet: It is best to have your feet checked to
know what foot type it is, and an idea of what
type of running shoe you should get. You can
have your foot checked by a podiatrist, or
have them checked for free at specialty
running stores like Runnr and Secondwind.
While they can suggest what shoes are good
for you, it is important to try them for comfort
as well. In the past, I tried some shoes meant
for my foot type, but felt some foot pain after
a few runs. After buying shoes, it is important
to break them in before you race with them.
You do not want to use new shoes for a race
just because they look good. Shoes you wear
on race day should at least have been broken
in perhaps about two weeks‘ worth of usage,
before using them for a race. This is particu-
larly important for 10K or longer runs.
Hong Kong Standard Chartered running clinic
(2008).
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THE CHAIRMAN
shares his view from the top
Xenos Caruz is most happy and proud to have
been given the distinct honor to lead the young and
robust company, WeSupport, Inc. (WSI). He currently
juggles a tight schedule as both an analyst for the Cus-
tomer Facility System Application Administration (CSFAA)
of PLDT, and as chairman of the WSI board of directors -
a position which he has successfully held for the third
consecutive year. Mr. Caruz met with this writer to talk
about the company that he helped establish with his
fellow colleagues and friends four years ago.
Highlights of work experience
When he was still working as a
business analyst on the
Integrated Customer Manage-
ment System project of SMART
Communications in 1995, little
did he know that his skills would
later take him as far as Brazil
and Saudi Arabia.
What occupies him besides
being chairman of the WSI Board
Clarity, the new operations
support system for PLDT is cur-
rently being implemented in
Bulacan (as of this writing). He
says that the people in the pro-
ject (himself included) have
been neck-deep in testing and
configuration activities lately, in
order to meet Bulacan‘s April cut
-over. After Bulacan, the next
major rollout is in Bacolod.
His duties and responsibilities as
Chairman of the WSI Board
The chairman teams up with the
chief executive officer to achieve
the company‘s mission to
become the preferred business
process outsourcing provider in
the IT and telecom fields.
Together with the CEO, they
provide leadership for the board
in this area. As chairman, he
leads each meeting, as well as
makes the agenda. Together
with the CEO and the Finance
Committee, he helps monitor the
financial activities of the
company. In addition, he helps
guide and mediate with the
Board with respect to organiza-
tional and governance concerns.
About the company‘s success
Xenos remains undaunted by
the rise of other similar
companies, saying that the
company‘s inner strength lies in
having hands-on technical peo-
ple who have also worked in
large and highly profitable tech-
nology-driven firms, such as IBM,
PLDT and SMART to name a few.
He also adds that no other man-
power provider in the telecoms
industry can claim to have a set
of directors who have dual roles
as board members and
consultants that can handle an
entire BSS/OSS, System. He
says that each director has his
own area of expertise. This is
WSI‘s biggest strength and
advantage that distinguishes it
from other providers: since all of
the board members are
deployed to clients, the directors
can easily guide consultants
deployed to the same company
at any stage of the software
development lifecycle - with the
exception of Mr. Edu Belarmino,
who is currently in Saudi Tele-
com (but is due to join the group
this year), all of the thirteen
directors are deployed, just like
the company‘s consultants.
Future plans of the company
Xenos says that WSI wants to
gain a wider leverage in the
industry, which, he reveals, is
possible when the company is
able to align itself with the
directions and objectives of
industry associations, and
thereby strengthen its position in
the industry and build a stronger
corporate image.
By Randy Vizcarra
Cont‘d. on page 14
FEATURES
10
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.
The Teutonic word ―lent,‖ which denotes the
forty days of fasting preceding Easter, origi-
nally meant no more than the spring season.
It was also the translated term of the old
Anglo-Saxons of the Latin ―quadragesima‖ (to
the French, it is ―carême‖, to the Italians,
―quaresima,‖ and to the Spanish
―cuaresma‖), which means "the forty days", or
more literally ―the fortieth day" (Catholic
Encyclopedia).
The purpose of Lent is to prepare the Chris-
tian believer — through prayer, repentance,
almsgiving and self-denial — for the com-
memoration of the Death and Resurrection of
Jesus Christ during Holy Week.
Ash Wednesday begins the Lenten season.
On this day, devout Roman Catholics gather
in churches and wait for the priest to mark
their foreheads with ash from burned palas-
pas (fronds and branches blessed during the
previous year‘s Palm Sunday), mixed with oil.
This is to remind Catholics that from dust they
came, and to dust they shall return.
Officially, Palm Sunday (the Sunday before
Easter) is the beginning of Christendom‗s
Holy Week. Orthodox Greeks celebrate this
day with great solemnity - they call it kyriake,
heorte ton baion or heorte baiophoros. It‗s
also known as Lazarus Sunday because the
day preceding Palm Sunday is the Feast of
the Resuscitation of Lazarus.
Palm Sunday also coincides with Passover,
which is an important day for both Catholics
and, most especially Jewish people.
Palm Sunday commemorates the triumphant
arrival of Jesus in Jerusalem, where palm
branches are laid out before him. One of the
traditions in the old Jewish world was
covering the path of someone with palm
leaves, which symbolize peace, to honor
them. The waving of palm fronds as well as
laying them down in Jesus‗ path gives them
an important kind of symbolism.
Maundy Thursday, as little Filipino Catholics
were told by their parents, is that special
Thursday where Jesus Christ washed the feet
of his thirteen disciples, before all of them sat
down at the famous ―Last Supper.‖ (Washing
one‘s hands, feet and face before supper was
an important custom then.)
It is on Maundy Thursday that Catholics of all
ages go on pilgrimages to churches (Visita
Iglesia or church visits) and practice the ritual
called ―the Stations of the Cross,‖ with one
station for each church visited. Some visit
seven churches while others visit fourteen, as
a yearly devotion (panata). [For those who
want to see life-size figures of the stations of
the cross, they can visit the ―Kamay ni He-
sus‖ Church in Laguna and Grotto Vista in
Bulacan].
Biblically, Lent is associated with Jesus
Christ‘s forty days of fasting in the desert, as
he underwent his famous trials before God
and the devil. On Holy Week, especially on
Good Friday, Catholics are exhorted to ab-
stain from eating meat, and to fast.
Among Christians, not just Catholics, Easter
Sunday is the most important of all feast
days, since it is the day when they commemo-
rate the day Jesus came back to life. Though
in the modern era most just celebrate Easter
with Easter egg hunts or the Easter Bunny,
the more traditional Filipinos try to preserve
old Catholic traditions: most Filipino Catholics
wake up before the crack of dawn for the
Salubong, a very colorful ritual where church-
goers join a parade that sees the "meeting" of
Mother Mary and the Risen Lord. Some
salubong organizers have elaborate parades
with children representing cherubs or little
angels, while other churches use trained
T here are so many reasons why I‘m so
excited about summer. Here in the
country, Easter week‘s Thursday and
Friday are official public holidays, as
Eid ul-Fitr is. By tradition, Holy Week Thurs-
days and Fridays are called Maundy Thursday
and Good Friday, and are important days in
the Christian calendar, as they are part of the
commemoration of the death and resurrec-
tion of Jesus Christ.
Since Maundy Thursday and Good Friday
happens during the summer months, it is
customary for most to take advantage of
these official holidays and take a vacation,
perhaps to go to some far-off getaway while
others just stay at home. But, really, for those
who aren‘t Catholic, or perhaps are Catholic
but have not really given much thought to
what these days mean beyond they being
vacation days, it is difficult to understand
their significance in this world of materialism,
cyberspace, and Easters spent frolicking in
Boracay? This article goes beyond this and
digs into the rituals of palaspas, Visita Iglesia,
fasting, and salubong.
Lent: A personal point of viewLent: A personal point of viewLent: A personal point of view by Liezel Valenzuela
Cont‘d. on page 30
ABOVE PHOTO: Pilgrims gather at a statue in Sanctuario de Tarlac. LEFT: Palm Sunday 2011: Devotees at the Our Lady of Manaog Chapel in Pangasinan, one of the most-visited churches in the country.
LIVIN‘ LIFE
11
“EVERYBODY IS IMPORTANT.“ JERRY BELIEVES THAT BEHIND EVERY
SUCCESSFUL ORGANIZATION ARE PEOPLE IMPLEMENTING EFFECTIVE
BUSINESS PROCESSES.
In Metro Manila, one of the younger
manpower companies that regularly tap
this ever-growing workforce to supply
different companies with IT-related tech-
nical skills is WeSupport, Inc (WSI). This
writer had a chance to talk with its Gen-
eral Manager, Jerry Tañeca, concerning
the company‘s directions for 2011, and
the various employment opportunities it
has in store for current IT professionals
as well as fresh IT graduates, especially
during this graduation season.
HOW MR. TAÑECA BECAME WSI
GENERAL MANAGER
For nearly twenty-five years, Jerry Tañeca
was employed by the Philippine Long
Distance Telecommunications Company
(PLDT). From an accounting clerk/
bookkeeper in PLDT‘s Revenue Account-
ing Division, Sir Jerry underwent IT
training and passed the competitive
Programmers Aptitude Test, and was
assigned as a programmer. He held
several other positions before becoming
the Division Head of PLDT‘s IS Data Cen-
ter and IS User Support under the IS
Operations Center. He took advantage of
PLDT‘s manpower reduction program in
1983 and, in 1984, he ventured into
politics and became the vice mayor of
Lubang Island in Occidental Mindoro.
He did not seek reelection but instead
engaged in a telecom-related business.
In January 2010, the WSI management
headed by former co-employee and
friend, President and CEO Bong
IN today’s computer-savvy world,
some business-related activities
that used to be exclusively
accomplished by human hands
have now become fully auto-
mated processes, with many
more continuously being altered
by the genius of automation and
computer systems. As a result,
new businesses have sprung like
mushrooms to address this
increasing trend. Information
technology (or IT) - that new
business industry permeated by
computers, video screens and
computer consoles - is on a
steady search for men and
women of exceptional
competence.
JERRY TAJERRY TAÑÑECA BRINGS ECA BRINGS IT IT ONON
Miranda, asked for his services and
hired him as WSI‘s new GM. Sir Jerry did
not hesitate to join the company and
looked forward to the challenges in-
volved in managing the company‘s day-
to-day operations. He also wanted to be
part of a growing company that was
already starting to build a name in the IT
consulting and manpower provisioning
business.
KEY DUTIES
GM Jerry leads a compact team of
twenty staffers which act as the support
group for over two hundred consultants.
As general manager, he leaves no stone
unturned in making sure that all the
necessary business processes are
strictly implemented in its daily
operation. The wealth of experience he
gained in managing people from PLDT
came in very handy for this complex yet
exciting task.
He says that there is not much
difference as far as his current and
previous duties and responsibilities are
concerned since they both involve man-
aging people. In fact his being part of
the PLDT IS change management proc-
By Randy Vizcarra
ess and problem management teams
enabled him to implement several
much-needed business processes in
WSI. He emphasizes, though, that im-
provements and additions to existing
business processes are never-ending,
and every day gives everyone, including
himself, the opportunity to learn.
Since its heyday in the eighties, the IT industry has opened up a lot of opportunities and created a lot of careers for the tech-savvy and, compared to most other business sectors - compensation for international tech jobs re-mains high—the reason why undergraduate IT courses continue to attract thousands of Filipino youths like magnets. In the Philippines, recent govern-ment figures show that we have over 590,000 students taking up engineering and computer sci-ence courses, and, of this number, an average of 63,000 students graduate annually.
PROFILES
Cont‘d. on page 13
12
By John Voltaire Lim
The man behind the Training
Program
During the Marcos regime in the '80s,
Rex was laid off from the company
where he was working as a cadet engi-
neer. This was typical for many profes-
sionals then, as many foreign investors
were leaving the country which was
under Martial Law at the time.
Rex took a chance and enrolled in the
Electronic Data Processing (EDP) course
of the now-defunct Automation Center of
the Philippines (ACP). A month later, ACP
offered him a slot in their OJT program
as a computer operator, and was also
given a scholarship grant to learn the
COBOL, RPG and Assembly programming
languages. That was the turning point
for his career.
With these new skills, a relative invited
him to work at the Ateneo de Naga Uni-
versity and set up a computer center
and to introduce computer education as
an elective subject for engineering and
accounting students. At that time, there
were no computer science or computer
engineering college degrees. With the
help of two other colleagues, they de-
signed the curriculum and developed an
enrollment system using the old FoxPro
and dBase programming platforms. The
project was a success, making Ateneo
de Naga the first school in the Bicol Re-
gion to integrate computer subjects in its
college and in high school curricula.
Other schools followed.
Rex decided to go back to Manila to
work with Philips. However, it was at a
time when their labor union was organiz-
ing a picket line. He was immediately
drafted to serve as a replacement in
maintaining modules of mission-critical
systems for its clients while the strike
was ongoing. The company later on
offered him an overseas training
program in recognition of his unwavering
dedication.
There, he was able to learn the real
"nuts and bolts" of hardware and soft-
ware and was assigned to the
company‘s R&D in Hong Kong and
Holland. He was heavily exposed to the
Bridging the gap between theory and practice
Rex Imperial and the WSI IT Lab:
UNKNOWN TO MANY, WSI IS CURRENTLY RUNNING A TECHNICAL TRAINING PROGRAM FOR
WSI TRAINEES TO EQUIP THEM WITH UP-TO-DATE PROGRAMMING SKILLS IN PREPARATION
FOR THEM LATER BECOMING PART OF THE COUNTRY’S IT WORKFORCE. MR. REX IMPERIAL,
WSI’S SENIOR IT CONSULTANT, IS CURRENTLY IN CHARGE OF THE PROGRAM.
A licensed Civil Engineer and an IT expert, Rex spends most of his time running his construction company and serving as WSI’s chief consultant and trainor for the program. It is currently being run out of WSI’s IT lab in the 19th floor of the Security Bank Building in Makati. The WSI Training Pro-gram started in 2009 with six trainees whereas training of the second batch commenced in August of 2010. The program’s trainees were carefully selected from various IT colleges and universities, most of them knowledgeable in Visual Basic and Java programming. Classes are held daily, with four hours of lecture and another four hours of practical work on the students’ case study – a study which is being exe-cuted in multiple phases: from planning & design, to completion & final testing.
Programming is a talent
says Rex Imperial
(shown above). Rex
believes that there is a
big gap between what
is taught in schools
and what is applied in
the workplace.
PROFILES
13
To help bridge this gap, Rex has decided
to focus his training in WSI on a unique
teaching philosophy: "We will teach what
computer schools cannot." WSI‘s train-
ing now covers subjects like business
processes, programming standards,
multi-tiered architectures, and database
design among others, culminating in the
development of a case study where a
real-world programming environment is
simulated.
Branching out
According to Mr. Andres ‗Andy‘ Dela
Cruz, WSI‘s vice-president for Technical
Training, the trainees are required to
develop a payroll system as their real-
world case study. This system will be
used and tested in WSI itself. Rex
revealed that if the trainees‘ payroll sys-
tem is deemed a good-enough applica-
tion, WSI may decide to package it as a
marketable application, giving WSI the
potential to branch out and become an
application solutions provider, which is
in line with Andy‘s goal of having more
marketable products for the company.
More than just programming
Rex said ―programming is a talent,‖ but
he further explained that it doesn‘t
necessarily follow that someone who
has the talent will become a successful
programmer. The person should also be
very good in analysis and abtract
reasoning. This is the reason why Rex is
implementing a computer aptitude test
on top of the standard employee exams
of WSI, to determine whether a prospec-
tive trainee has the potential to become
a successful programmer.
UNIX environment, writing software for
the banking industry using the C
language and the Informix database. He
left the company three years later after
availing of the Manpower Redundancy
Program brought about by the world-
wide merger of Philips and Digital Equip-
ment Corp (DEC). After which, he joined
the first batch of Filipinos recruited to
work in Kuwait for its rehabilitation
program after the Gulf War.
After finishing his overseas contract, he
decided to return to Manila perma-
nently. He was offered a job at the Dao-
Heng Bank which was later acquired by
Banco de Oro (BDO). After the merger,
he was tasked to organize the Transac-
tion Banking Group (TBG), and boost its
electronic banking products in cash
management targeting corporate clients.
TBG was where the Integrated Disburse-
ment Solution (IDS) was hatched and
implemented. That year, TBG earned for
BDO an award for best in cash manage-
ment services.
When he was still with BDO, he also
worked as a part-time instructor at STI-
Caloocan. He met Joey Julaton who is
also a part-time STI instructor and a WSI
consultant. Through Joey, Rex met
Richard Inzon. That paved his way into
WSI.
Recoverable gap
Rex believes that there is a big disparity
between what is taught in academic
schools and what is applied in the work-
place. In his teaching experience, he
observes that most instructors lack
actual industry experience and simply
rely on outdated textbooks or manuals
to teach computer subjects. As a result,
fresh graduates are not readily hired by
companies without undergoing in-depth
training so they usually end up working
in non-IT related industries. Universities
would actually like to hire competent IT
practitioners to avoid this, but they
charge expensive fees.
WHAT MAKES HIS ROLE INTERESTING
Being the guy in-charge of the day-to-day
operations of an up-and-coming man-
power provisioning and IT consultancy
business makes the job very interesting
and challenging and he would not be
able to cope without the complete trust
and support given to him by the manage-
ment and staff. Managing people who
are not used to being guided by
business processes is a challenge
knowing that at the end of the day they
are the ones who will benefit from it. He
adds that a good working knowledge of
the business process will be a practical
tool once they are given more important
positions in the future.
In the short time that he has been with
WSI, he has found it very fulfilling to see
a lot of walk-in applicants every day, and
helping them in their hope of landing a
job and securing a better future through
WSI. ―Knowing that these applicants
would be accepted by our clients later
makes our work doubly-rewarding,‖ he
adds.
THE THREE MOST-WANTED QUALITIES
OF EMPLOYEES THAT HE WOULD LIKE
TO SEE
While he usually doesn‘t interview job
applicants, GM Jerry says he keeps tab
on the following attributes whenever
there is a new batch of recruits: (1)
qualifications, (2) reliability, and (3) good
attitude towards job, superiors, peers
and subordinates. Anticipation of
potential problems and a concern for the
company‘s success are also very
important traits he welcomes from
employees. ―Since our consultants
represent our company and play a vital
role in building good relations with our Cont‘d. on next page
From page 11—Jerry Tañeca...
clients, the company gives competitive
salaries to our consultants and gives
other forms of recognitions as well,‖ he
says.
PLANS FOR 2011
―2011 will be a challenging year for WSI.
Though we had accomplished a lot even
in our early years, definitely we cannot
rest on our laurels. Maintaining our
current status is not the real target but
more to make WSI as the preferred
name in IT consultancy and manpower
provisioning. We would like to be known
as the leading player in the industry,
where the name ‗WSI‘ will be the first to
be thought of whenever there‘s a need
for manpower, especially IT
professionals.
14
From page 13—Jerry Tañeca...
With the concerted efforts of our officers
and the able support of our staff, we will
be hiring additional staff, and deploying
them not only to our existing clients but
also to new ones in the pipeline, which
could very well materialize in Q2 of
2011,‖ said Sir Jerry.
NEW PROGRAMS
In a bid to stay competitive, WSI is going
into a new territory, that of software/
product development. A new payroll
system is being developed by ten new
consultants, under the helm of one of
the company‘s senior software engi-
neers, at the company‘s IT lab as part of
an IT training program - a diversification
attempt to create new revenue streams
for WSI. Once finished, this particular
solution can be marketed to small to
medium-sized companies looking for
alternative payroll systems that‗s more
efficient than existing ones in the
market. Maintenance and future
enhancements of these solutions can
also be another source of company
revenue, he adds.
Tañeca is confident that whatever chal-
lenges may come, the combined execu-
tive and management team efforts will
catapult WeSupport to greater heights.
The company is slowly but surely carving
a reputable name in deploying top-notch
technical people in the BPO sector.
Graduates of computer science and
engineering courses, digital media and
those trained to program in various
computer languages, will be glad to
know that they have good chances of
getting hired by WeSupport.
Valuable lessons he has learned since
becoming chairman of the board
Since assuming the chairmanship,
Xenos has become a more rounded
leader, and has become adept at
managing the different forces in play
within the company. For example, while
it may appear that leading a thirteen-
member board is difficult, he has
become used to their individual
attributes and is better able to make
these same characteristics strengths of
the company. He admits there have
been a few occasions when the board
has had heated debates, but these
discussions eventually end up with
positive results that are accepted by all.
He also listens to all as it helps democ-
ratize decision-making. He concludes
that maintaining objectivity in handling
company issues is crucial in forming
effective decisions.
It seems that WSI is like wine that keeps
getting better with age. Since it has just
been four years in existence, the
company is yet to achieve its full
measure. Xenos hopes that, with his
leadership and his drive to succeed,
along with the support and dedication of
the executive board, in time WSI will no
doubt achieve its avowed goal: become
the industry‘s BPO of choice.
From page 9—The Chairman...
Apart from minimal industry affiliations
(it is a new company after all), joining
industry-related summits is another area
that the Board will concentrate on in the
coming months. Participation in various
industry events would enhance the
company‘s image, raise its visibility
factor and reinforce its bid to be the
preferred BPO in its class.
Effective marketing is one of the funda-
mental keys to a thriving company, after
all, and being visible in industry events is
an effective way to generate additional
sales leads.
15
The small WeSpeak
contingent didn‘t
have the place to
themselves for long,
because, soon after
their arrival, the rest
of the people started
trickling in.
Most of the fun was
courtesy of the
summer games. Mr.
Ronald Jacildo, one of
the company‘s Board
of Directors, served
as the summer
games‘ master of
ceremonies, ably
assisted by Lalaine
and Sir Olan Velano,
one of the other
Directors (and
WeSpeak’s Publishing
Editor).
Though there were
only five games set
up, they ended up
consuming a big part
of the day, and every-
one enjoyed them all,
either as spectators
or as participants.
And the four-point
scoring system made
the games very
competitive.
By Burt Gabot www.verylittlebrain.com; www.facebook.com/
burt.gabot; Twitter @ The_Burt
S
WSI’s Day in the Sun: According to Lalaine Canosa,
one of the main organizers for
this year‘s company summer
outing (dubbed Summer Haven
2011), over one hundred and
fifty WSI employees were
expected. However, a major
project cutover was unluckily
scheduled for the same day of
the outing, and many of WSI‘s
consultants who were part of
that project were unable to join
the trip. Because of this, the
attendees that ended up going
were less than a hundred.
However, you wouldn‘t have
known that from all the fun that
ensued. The outing ended up
being the best summer event of
the company so far.
The trip from Manila to
Batangas took almost four hours
- but it wasn‘t a bad trip at all:
the pleasant passing scenery
and, most especially, the com-
pany of friends and officemates,
made the trip a light and
enjoyable one.
The WeSpeak van was the first
to arrive at the resort, largely
because of their driver‘s
knowledge of shortcuts to San
Juan, Batangas. The Triple G
Beach Resort, the resort that the
company rented, was one of
several small resorts that were
adjacent to each other, and
faced the same stretch of beach.
Basic accommodations included
a small soccer quarter field, a
small sandy open space, beach
houses with videoke machines,
and an open-air eating area.
Four teams were put
together – the Red,
Blue, Yellow and
White teams, but due
to the fact some people
were unable to join the
event, none of the
teams were at full
strength, which
affected the teams’
final game scores. The
first game, the
cheering competition,
did not start the games
well – none of the
teams were able to
prepare their teams’
cheers. Still, the Red
Team proved the
winner, given their
stronger lung capaci-
ties. (The cheer com-
petition score was not
included in the total
team score since it
was a separate
contest.)
Cont‘d. on page 18
SPECIAL SECTION
ummer Games 2011
16
Summer Fun Summer Fun
17
in Batangasin Batangas
18
The next game, the beach volleyball competition, was one of the more
epic of the games, where the competition for Number One was very
fierce. But in the end, due to a lack of time, the organizers had to fall
back to a single semi, and the aggregate three points for third and
fourth positions were split between the red and blue teams. Notable in
the game were Olan Velano who took a break from being one of the
day‘s MC‘s to help the Yellow Team win the game as well as trading off
chief referee, score-keeper and announcer duties with Jun Gomez (Jun
was also the captain of the Blue Team as well as the captain-ball of the
Blue volleyball team, and the guy who brought a boogie-board with him,
hoping to be able to surf), Red Team‘s Naunelle Songco‘s powerful
serves that made the ball fly over everyone‘s heads, or the gallant ef-
forts of the Blue Team‘s spikers to keep the ball alive and to cross the
net before the three-touch rule gave up the point. And, though the
White Team was very much undermanned by too few players, they
made a good showing. In the end, though, the Yellow Team triumphed,
but all the competitors played well, and everyone enjoyed the game.
Team * Cheering
Contest
Volleyball Game
Obstacle Course
Water Relay Tug-Of-War Total Score Ranking
Yellow 3 4 1 4 3.5 12.5 1
Red 4 1.5 4 3 3.5 12.0 2
White 1 3 3 2 1.5 8.50 3
Blue 2 1.5 2 1 1.5 7.00 4
This is how the game scores shaped up:
The final games were the Water Relay and Tug-O-War games.
The way a Water Relay race works is that the participants take turns
running into the surf, get themselves and their clothes as soaked as
possible, and then squeeze as much of the water out and into a
container. The first to fill up their container wins.
Most were very inventive in ways to this, and it was a fun event to watch
– people squeezed water out of their t-shirts (some were wearing two or
three) and their hair, while some used their flip-flops or cupped hands to
carry water. Some risked using their mouths (it‘s not safe to ingest
water from busy beaches as they risk stomach problems or infections
from water-borne parasites), but in the end, the Yellow Team got four
points for the Number One position.
The final game, the Tug-O-War, was pretty exciting. The two finalists, the Red and Yellow teams, were so well-matched that neither gave way, and the
rope broke roughly in the middle. And even after the two pieces of rope were tied together, the rope snapped again. The game was halted and the
points for first and second had to be split between the Red and Yellow teams and the points for third and fourth were split between the Blue and
White teams. In the end, after all the points were tallied, the Yellow Team emerged as the overall winner, and everyone in the team received medals
as well as a team trophy and team cash prize.
From page 15—WSI‘s Day...
The Obstacle Course, was
next, and it was the most
fun for the spectators. Maxi-
mizing the small area allot-
ted, the obstacle course
included a short ten-foot
sack race followed by a free
run in the surf. Mike and
Ferdi from the WSI main
office, as well as John Ag-
caoili, one of WSI‗s board of
directors, gamely acted as
human marker posts in the
water as the participants
splashed around them to
race to the next point of the
course, which was the tire
obstacle. Surprisingly, every-
one breezed through that
part of the course, but the
next was the limbo obstacle.
Most followed the rule of
jumping over the lower bar
and going under the taller
bar, except for Jobo Concer-
man, who was asked to go
back and run through them
again. The crawl obstacle
was the more difficult of the
course, especially for the
girls, but everyone gamely
crawled under the ropes and
made the final run to the
end. The spectators on the
side threw sand on the
crawlers, but they just did so
in good fun, and everyone
took it all in good humor.
The last run seemed to be
the most difficult, as many
of the participants had to
almost crawl to the finish
line, but as Sir Alex Morfe
said, it wasn‗t such a sur-
prise because everyone was
extremely exhausted by that
time. (Genesis Almelor
actually experienced leg
cramps during the day.)
* Not included in the final score.
19
Tiny SD cards with
ginormous storage space!
Lexar Media, a leading producer of elec-tronic memory products, has produced the first series of Class 10 SD cards, dubbed SDXC cards. Originally announced at the beginning of the year, Lexar started shipping these new kinds of high-capacity memory cards March 16. These are now actually available in Digital Walker and her sister stores, as well as in the G-Mall and Gilmore areas. Running at 133x speed, these 64 and 128GB cards are not SD or SDHC cards, but are dubbed SDXC cards. Such capaci-ties and speeds are probably more than what the average DSLR photographer needs, though. Some DSLR cameras still use the larger-format CompactFlash, or CF, cards, which currently max out at 128GB, so owners of the newer DSLRS which use SD cards instead may want to look as this new piece of tech, if just to gain parity with the older technology. There may be some issues regarding com-patibility, though, as there usually are with new tech, so the jury is still out on these nifty new devices. WeSpeak will try to let you know how good they really are as soon as we have tested them. Lexar’s SDXC cards currently come in
64GB and 128GB versions.
If everyone is expecting that Apple‘s
new iPad 2 heralds a new revolutionary
leap forward for tablet computers,
people will probably be disappointed.
It is true there are nifty, new improve-
ments, but nothing that could be
termed ―revolutionary.‖
First off, the new iPad is thinner - 0.34
inches compared to the original‘s 0.5
inches. It also has a camera, both in
front and in the back, and has a dual-
core 900MHz Apple A5 processor. And,
perhaps very important to the status-
conscious geek, it comes in the original
black-and-aluminum case AS WELL AS
in all-white Apple colors! An optional
velour-finish cover-slash-stand is also
available that, when the user folds it
open, the iPad turns on automatically.
(This is accomplished via a magnet
that triggers the activation, ala Black-
berry.)
The cameras allow the user to use the
iPad with Apple‘s Facetime videophone
software, and the new dual-core hard-
ware promises users faster processing.
And it‘s so thin you can slip the iPad
into a Manila envelope, and it would fit
just fine!
Now here‘s the reality check: the thin-
ness is accomplished, in part, by hav-
ing a thinner glass top, which makes
the iPad‘s face susceptible to cracking
when dropped, even if dropped on its
back or side, just like iPhones (I myself
dropped my original iPad a couple of
times, and it‘s glass didn‘t crack. All I
got were some minor dings on the
aluminum edge and that‘s it); there are
no new apps available other than Face-
time; the cameras are only 1megapixel
-resolution; and reviews from Engadget
and CNet say that, with the new proc-
essor, the new iPad is indeed faster,
but not by much, and there‘s virtually
no performance difference when run-
ning internet apps (here‘s a tip: owners
of original iPads should upgrade their
OS‘s. IOS 4.3 improves overall per-
formance so much that the new iPad‘s
performance lead is substantially
reduced. Needless to say, I have
already upgraded mine…). It remains
to be seen, though, if this will still be
true once developers start optimizing
their apps for the new hardware.
I guess all I have to say is that, yes, the
new iPad is a great device, but I
wouldn‘t go out of my way to get a new
one: at its current price, the advances
are not enough that I‘d find it justifi-
able to swap my original for a new one.
Expect the new iPads to start showing
up in the local Apple stores—official
availability starts May.
Death march for a
browser: Adios, IE6
Ten years ago, Microsoft launched one of its
best software apps, Internet Explorer 6. By
that time, the original internet pioneers had
long since died a natural death, and few
nowadays remember Netscape Navigator or
Mosaic.
Few will also recall Steve Jobs‘ foray into
creating a computer on his own, the NeXT
computer, and that the first browser ever
written, appropriately called the
―WorldWideWeb‖ but later renamed ―Nexus,‖
ran on the NeXT.
But all of these pretenders to the throne of
Internet King were swept away with the com-
ing of Internet Explorer 1 in 1995, and in-
deed it eventually became the dominant web
browser in the world. And over the years, IE
grew from strength to strength. By 2001, we
were up to the sixth version, which was the
most stable of all of IE‘s incarnations. In
fact, even with the passage of time, because
it was so reliable, IE6 stuck around, even
though it became less and less able to cope
with the new technologies coming out. Even
with the release of newer versions, IE6 just
wouldn‘t go away, and it became a thorn on
the side of Microsoft, as its vulnerabilities
and deficiencies were more and more ex-
posed, and more and more users became
prey to computer attacks and hacks that IE6
just wasn‘t equipped to stop.
So, on July 13, 2010, in an attempt to finally
kill it off, Microsoft announced the ―end of
life‖ of IE6, and declared that IE6 will no
longer be supported in any way, shape or
form.
Thing was, it still wouldn‘t die.
So comes the new website,
―iecountdown.com.‖ It‘s basically a website
of Microsoft‘s that will allow a website owner
to put a banner or logo on his or her site.
Having the countdown logo on a site means
that the site is not supporting IE6. The logo
will also, when clicked, display a funny little
map that has statistics on which parts of the
world have the most IE6 users (currently
China).
And it is hoped that, as more and more web-
site owners declare their non-support for IE6,
it will finally die away.
All that WeSpeak has to say is that this feels
like a bit of overkill. I mean, really…
DIGITAL NEWS BY BURT GABOT .
MAY 2011
www.verylittlebrain.com; www.facebook.com/
burt.gabot; Twitter @ The_Burt
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
The new iPad 2: Evolution
not Revolution
20
Almost everything and everyone is jumping
on the Social Media-slash-Social Networking
bandwagon. And that means everyone!
President Aquino, Ted Faylon, Mel Tiangco,
Erich Gonzales and Mike Enriquez, for good-
ness sake, have their own websites, or Twit-
ter or Facebook accounts! (By the way,
please check out my newly-launched site,
―verylittlebrain.com‖). And almost anyone
who has a mind to become an entrepreneur
has already started selling their stuff on eBay
or Sulit.Com.
Who’s on Facebook now? Batman!? Who’s on Facebook now? Batman!? Who’s on Facebook now? Batman!?
Have stick, will
travel
Have you ever had that
frustration of getting to
the office, all set for some
kind of presentation, or
maybe all set to finally
finish your latest assign-
ment from the boss, but
realizing that the stuff you
needed to work on –
perhaps a Powerpoint or
MS Word file, a line of
PHP code, or an email
file, is not in the computer
at the office but is in the
computer at home?
A solution to this problem
called iTwin was an-
nounced two years ago,
and was launched in the
States last December.
iTwin comes as a pair of
ubiquitous-looking USB
memory sticks, but the
similarity ends there. The
lime-green colored USB
devices are actually
devices that encrypt files
in one computer, and
allow access of those files
by another computer -
provided that both com-
puters have the iTwin
USB device plugged in,
and that both computers
are connected to the
internet, of course.
It is true that a lot of very
reliable encryption and
file sharing software have
been introduced in the
past, but this is the first
time such file-sharing has
become so cheap, easy
and convenient. Literally,
it is a plug-and-play
solution that is meant for
the common internet
surfer. iTwin, the com-
pany, is based out Singa-
pore, and the devices are
available on-order. The
website is ―itwin.com.‖
It‘s enough to make you swear off inter-
active media. (By the way, please check
out www.facebook.com/burt.gabot) And
it‘s starting to become a trend for people
to start putting ―@‖ signs in front of their
email and text messages, not knowing
that the ―@‖ signs and hash tags are
actually Twitter commands, and don‘t do
anything for their Outlook email
messages (By the way, follow me on
Twitter @ The_Burt). What‘s a law-
abiding BEM to do?
Well, here‘s another new thing on Face-
book – do you know movies will soon be
available there? Yep, that‘s right.
Last March 8, Warner Brothers started
to experiment with video streaming via
Facebook: For US$3 or 30 Facebook
points (which is equivalent to US$3),
people can watch The Dark Knight in
Facebook. Initial responses to this offer
have been lukewarm, but if this experi-
ment ends up being a success, Warner
Brothers will soon put up other similar
movie and video fare. And you can bet
the other major TV and movie compa-
nies will be doing this pretty soon as
well.
The thing is, it‘s only currently available
in the States, and no one knows if Philip-
pine-based Facebook users will ever
have the same privilege. In any case,
I‘ve already opened a PayPal account.
Just in case…
MB delaCruz
21
Asus is a leading computer manufacturer
based in Taiwan. I just love how this
brand name calls to mind the Greek,
mystical winged horse, Pegasus, from
which the founders based the company
name on, although they decided to only
use the last four letters so that the
company would always be on top of any
alphabetically-arranged list. Asus was
put up by engineers from Acer, another
Taiwanese computer maker.
Anyway, about my precious…
I tested the USB 3.0 port of my Asus
N35J Series laptop - said to be 10x
faster than the standard USB 2.0 -- to
transfer some movies from my external
HDD. I noticed that it does appear to
have downloaded the file faster but with-
out doing some standard software tests,
I really can‘t measure if it was exactly
10x faster as claimed by Asus. (This is
largely due to compatibility issues. If
your device uses a 2.0 USB interface,
your laptop will not be able to realize
much speed increase since the 3.0 will
only run the connection at 2.0 speeds,
and certain apps or programs might not
run properly. 3.0 USB speeds and func-
tionality will only really happen 100% if
the attached device is also a native 3.0
USB device.)
F INALLY, AFTER A VERY LONG
SEARCH, I WAS FINALLY ABLE
TO PURCHASE MY PRECIOUS!
Well, considering the amount I
had spent on this brand and its set of
wonderful specs, I can say I hit the jack-
pot. I have been using it for three
months now but I had no regrets when I
bid my prehistoric but pre-loved desktop
goodbye. I ordered my laptop from a
seller from multiply.com who required
only a 10 percent down payment. When
my laptop finally arrived, all succeeding
transactions were done on a personal,
meet-up basis.
Maybe for most people, this was a risky
way of buying and selling. To avoid
getting scammed, I decided to play digi-
tal Sherlock Holmes, observing all his
online transactions with potential buyers
for a few months, as a real life police
detective would on a stake out. This
strategy gave me the necessary informa-
tion about him and his way of doing
business. So let me introduce to you,
my precious computer.
Although Toshiba was my first choice, I
ended up switching allegiance to Asus
because it is more affordable, and just
like the Japanese brand, Asus is also a
reputable name when it comes to
computers.
MY PRECIOUS MY PRECIOUS
Cont‘d. on page 30
AASUS
A is for awesome graphics! An
adorable piece of tech goodness.
By Angelo Sison
[This is the second part of my article from the first issue of WeSpeak
- “Tips for Laptop Hunters”]
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Asus N35J Series has amazing
features that anyone will enjoy.
22
The good news is that scenarios like
these can be prevented: inquiries can
be directed to WSI‘s human resources
manager, which will surely clear matters
up. However, for all WSI consultants
who were just recently hired and whose
SSS membership statuses have been
inactive for some time, if he/she wants
to fix this by himself/herself, no one can
stop him/her either.
HOW TO REACTIVATE YOUR SSS MEMBERSHIP By Randy Vizcarra
Here’s a familiar situation we’ve all heard of before one time or another: When a new but diligent Social Security System (SSS) member employed in a local manufacturing company resigned from work, he was compelled to drastically cut down on his monthly spending. He would have to decide whether to con-tinue his SSS remittances or stop them altogether since his former employer was no longer obliged to remit its share. A month or two later a fast-rising company hires this guy on a per-project consultancy basis. The guy grabs the offer, but a few months into his employment, a family emergency occurs, requir-ing him to obtain a quick loan. Being a new hire, he was disquali-fied for a loan since company policy states that only regular employees can avail of this facility. To make matters more challenging, his current employer does not process SSS payments for consultants like him. As a last resort, he approaches SSS but was, you guessed it right, denied because his total number of contributions didn’t meet SSS requirements. In addition, he was not an active member at the time of his loan request. What would you have done if you were in the same boat as this guy?
Here’s a simple flow of the renewal process for WSI consultants who want to re-
activate their SSS contributions:
One should visit SSS or any of its satellite offices and secure Circular No. 33-P for a
schedule of contributions according to set income brackets. For example, using this
list, if you declare that your gross monthly salary is P 7,500, you will find that this
amount falls under the 7,250-7,749.99 range. In that same row, you will notice that
under the SV/VM column, your total contribution per month should be P 780.00.
Cont. on page 30
FEATURES
23
Heard of ―Runner‘s High‖? Well, it‘s true: After a heart-
pumping run, you will feel you can take on the world! That‘s
because exercise stimulates the body‘s pituitary glands which
release those feel-good endorphins. Research shows it is
almost impossible to feel bad about yourself after a workout.
Modern fitness no longer means grueling hours spent at the
gym. Just thirty minutes a week of any activity that gets your
body breathing harder than normal will raise your energy lev-
els, relieve depression, and give you the body you‘ve always
wished for.
Walking is the best energy-fix around. It not only increases your
intake of oxygen and boosts your immune system, but also
stimulates a tired body and mind. Walk briskly for at least 30
minutes, or make that an hour and you‘ll be happy to know
you‘ve also burned off around 400 calories.
Feeling lethargic after lunch? Head outdoors for a ten-minute
walk. Studies show this boosts energy for up to two hours after
you stroll.
Weight training‗s not just for meatheads. A stronger body
equals more energy. Why? The weaker you are, the more en-
ergy you need to keep going. So build more muscle and life will
be a breeze.
Nowadays, it‘s easier to send an email than walk to another
office for a chat. Tear yourself away from your screen once in a
while and go visit your friend on the fifth floor. It‘s good exer-
cise!
Even gentle stretching can improve your energy levels and help
calm a stressed-out mind. Stretching expands your chest, Cont‘d. on page 25
giving your inner organs more room to operate. The result?
Increased blood flow and more energy-giving oxygen rushing
around inside you. Just a few minutes a day will do the job.
Here‘s how -
—Stand up straight with your feet hip-width apart, and your
fingers interlocked behind your head.
—Take a deep breath in and, as you breathe out, push your
arms up with palms facing upward. You will feel your whole
body stretching toward the ceiling.
—Relax for a moment and repeat until you feel loose and
limber.
Exercising in the fresh air clears your head and inspires your
mind. Consider the difference between a stationary bike in the
gym and the open road. You‘re guaranteed to burn more calo-
ries as you power your bike up a hill, around the corners, and
into the wind.
HIGH exercise
Hi! In our last issue, we discovered the power of super foods and learned to avoid energy sappers. Now we learn how to recharge our batteries with energizing exercises, and unlock our hidden vitality with the following body–boosting tips. You’ll soon be on a natural high this summer.
BEING WELL
(for summer, in the
office, everywhere,
anytime)
By Isah Clerigo
24
JOLLIJEEP. Found on the
side streets of Makati and
initially patronized by blue-
collar workers, Jollijeeps
quickly gained patronage of
the well-heeled set for their
strategic locations and
cheap prices. These little
food stalls are whimsically
designed to look like
passenger jeepneys, hence
everyone has taken to calling
them ―Jollijeeps.‖ They are
actually food stalls fran-
chised by the Makati munici-
pal zoning office, whose goal
in providing the franchises
was to provide clean yet
affordable food for Makati‘s
lower-middle-class and wage
earners. Their offerings run
the gamut of snacks (such
as hopia, pancit, spaghetti,
banana-q), to everyday lu-
tong bahay fare (like sini-
gang na baboy, sarciado,
kaldereta, kare kare, daing
[The four-level parking building at the back
of the Security Bank Building, where MiniS-
top and Mercury Drug are located is home to
a small canteen with videoke to boot. It is
also within short distance from the rows of
Jollijeeps along Dela Rosa Street..]
FEDERAL SEAFOOD is a res-
taurant that caters to people
whose idea of good food is
delicious yet easy on the
budget. Popular choices
include chicken pastel, beef
broccoli and other mouth-
watering Pinoy viands. With
price ranges between P50 -
100 per meal, Federal is like-
wise ideal for many types of
office handaan (birthday
celebrations and what not).
It would surely please every-
one‘s palate looking for flavorful dishes at friendly prices.
BONCHON. This franchise started in South Korea.
Popular in New York City, it is now earning raves from
Pinoy chicken bloggers. BonChon is known for its
twice-fried crispy chicken (with less fat than other
equivalent dishes, so they say). As one of the better
restaurants in Ayala Triangle, BonChon is priced
somewhat similar to KFC‘s, the only difference is that
their chicken is much more tasty. A must-try are their
Chicken Hot Pot, spicy Chicken Wings & drumsticks.
Estimated price is between Php.90 – 150.
For delivery, dial 621-6130 for their Ayala Triangle
branch or 519-8438 for their Greenbelt 1 branch.
RCBC TOWER. Craving for more choices of the international variety? A
short jeepney or bus ride from the Ayala-Makati Avenue area is the
RCBC Tower. It‘s at the corner of Ayala and Gil Puyat avenues.
Although it is primarily an office building, there‘s a food court at the
third floor, developed by food mavens with select brands that range
from specialty-food concessionaires to regular fastfood kiosks.
Estimated price range is between P25 - 75 per
meal.
For busy consultants who are craving for good but affordable and convenient food places in and around the Ayala Avenue area, check out this guide of places that serve great meals that are satisfying to the stomach and worry-free to the pocket.
The Enterprise‘s International Food
Court is located in the 4th level of the
Enterprise Tower, and can seat a thou-
sand diners. Food outlets serve Chinese,
American, Korean, Japanese and Thai
cuisine.
The food court is open 7 AM – 9 PM
from Monday to Saturday. Food prices
are in the middle range, from P100 -
150 per meal.
[On top of the food court is the Garden
Loft, where tenants and outsiders can
order pasta, barbecue or beer al fresco.]
They do not really provide any sort of fine dining experience, but they
make up for it in taste and volume. Federal is at the 2/F of Allied Bank
Center 6754 Ayala Avenue. Dial 812-4473, 816-1450 or 813-4483 for
delivery.
[There is also an eatery on the second floor of the Dela Rosa Parking
Center I, adjacent to Federal Seafood.]
One of the tricky problems for most WeSupport consultants is finding a place to eat that is affordable, and is within walking distance from their offices. Consultants usually glued to their workstations find queuing in most fastfoods an unwanted hassle, whether staying there to eat or bringing the food to go. What is one to do, if all the places you ever find in Makati are cramped food nooks and expensive restaurants?
LIVIN‘ LIFE
By Efraim Pintuan
AFFORDABLEAFFORDABLEAFFORDABLE CHOWCHOWCHOW, & CONVENIENT TOO, & CONVENIENT TOO, & CONVENIENT TOO
na bangus, and monggo, to name a
few).
25
MANG INASAL. WSI Consultants assigned to
the Security Bank Building offices would be
glad to know that the popular Mang Inasal is
just across their building: it is located on the
3rd floor of Hyundai Center.
Served probinsya-style (rice wrapped in ba-
nana leaves, and bamboo skewers), they sell
grilled chicken and pork. Mang Inasal gained
popularity for its laid-back dining ambiance,
where eating with bare hands is a common
sight. Estimated cost per meal is P75 to 150.
[Other food attractions in this building are
Sbarro, Karate Kid, and World Chicken.
World Chicken‘s number, by the way, is 813-
1288.]
That‘s it for this issue. If you have any nice
places you know to eat, and you‘d like to
share it with the WSI folks, just let us know
and we‘ll tell everyone about it. Happy eating,
folks!
From page 23—Exercise High...
A walk by the sea or in the country
leaves you brimming with energy. Why?
Because fresh air is charged with nega-
tive ions that stimulate the oxygenation
of the blood and energize the body. It is
no surprise then that you feel at your
lowest when surrounded by car fumes,
electrical equipment, synthetic materials
(i.e. carpets, curtains, and cheaply
covered sofas), cigarette smoke and air
conditioning - all of which reduce the
level of negative ions present -- another
excuse to escape to somewhere green
for the weekend.
There you go! There‘s no excuse not to stay fit
in this day and age, especially during
summer! Keep these in mind and it‘s quite
possible to live up to a hundred, and remain
healthy at that! In upcoming installments, we
will learn the energy enemies we must stay
away from. So be sure to check it out!
Material lifted from Energize (100 Natural
Ways to Recharge) by Carol Morley & Liz
Wilde
FOOD ODYSSEY
Located in the 11th floor of the LKG Tower
(the building that is adjacent to the SMART
Tower) is Food Odyssey. With many food
establishments to choose from, diners can
grab a meal anywhere from P100 - 150.
BLESSINGS & PROSPERITY FOODCOURT
Very visible even from commuters inside
passing buses is the Blessings & Prosperity
Foodcourt, a major haunt for serious foodies.
It‘s at the corner of Rufino and Ayala in Sal-
cedo Village. Like your regular food court,
diners can choose from different food conces-
sionaires even if their budget is only P80.
Don‘t be tempted to spend Saturday
making up for lack of exercise all
week. A sudden burst of activity will
leave you feeling exhausted. Instead,
work exercise into the week, even if
you‘re only walking to the bus stop
and back. As with most things, little
and often is better than all or nothing.
Martial arts are the latest ―in‖ thing to
get fit. Expect gentle movements in
‗tai chi‘ and ‗qigong‘ where the em-
phasis is on internal strength and a
calmer mind. More physical by far are
karate and judo – you‘ll learn a
serious method of self-defense while
getting a great workout. But whatever
you choose, all martial arts aim to
energize the mind and body, sharpen
reflexes, improve coordination, and
promote mental relaxation.
Exercise doesn‘t just give your body
energy—it energizes your mind too.
Research has found that regular exer-
cise three times a week improves
memory and judgment by 25%.
Some of the tenants in RCBC‘s food court
include Mang Inasal (733-1111), Reyes BBQ.
(753-5455), Binalot, Tapa King (889-1685),
Red Ribbon (02-8-7777), World Topps (843-
8107), The Java Man, Starbucks (856-4076),
Pasta Works (0922-3565703), Subway, Hot-
shots, and Hungry Hippo (887-7341).
26
Many, I am sure, have seen the movie, The
Naked Gun, or at least have heard about it. I,
myself, enjoyed the movie a lot, especially the
funny comedy sketches, sight gags, over-the-
top situations straight out of the Marx
Brothers or even The Three Stooges, and the
one-liners that have now become quotable
quotes for comedy fans (“You take a chance
getting up in the morning, crossing the street
or sticking your face in the fan...”).
As a fan of such movies like ―Airplane!‖ (Both
the first and second movies) and ―Top
Secret!‖ (which starred a young, twenty-six
year old Val Kilmer), Naked Gun was ready-
made for people like me who enjoy slapstick
humor and Rodney Dangerfield one-liners.
True, there were two other Naked Gun movies
(―Naked Gun 2 ½‖ and ―Naked Gun 33 1/3‖),
but these follow-on movies did not match the
first one, and have gone past what people
may say is ―toilet humor‖ (especially the third
one).
At the time of its release, the humor in Naked
Gun was still fresh and original enough to be
hilarious, even if its brand of humor was origi-
nally used by Airplane! and Top Secret! Here
are some quotable quotes from the movie:
Frank Drebin, offering pack to witness:
―Cigarette?‖
Witness: ―Yes, it is.‖
Captain Ed Hocken: ―Doctors say that
Nordberg has a 50/50 chance of living,
though there's only a 10 percent chance of
that.‖
Frank: ―Just think; next time I shoot some-
one, I could be arrested.‖
Frank: ―Protecting the Queen's safety is a
task that is gladly accepted by Police
Squad. No matter how silly the idea of
having a queen might be to us, as Ameri-
cans, we must be gracious and consider-
ate hosts.‖
Driving instructor: ―All right, Stephanie,
gently extend your arm. Extend your
middle finger. Very good. Well done…‖
Frank: ―Jane, since I've met you, I've
noticed things that I never knew were
there before... birds singing, dew glisten-
ing on a newly formed leaf, stoplights…‖
Frank: ―No... You're right, Ed. A para-
chute not opening... that's the way to
die. Getting caught in the gears of a
combine... having your nuts bit off by a
Laplander, that's the way I wanna go!‖
Doctor: ―Mrs. Nordberg, I think we can
save your husband's arm. Where would
you like it saved?‖
Frank:‖It's a topsy-turvy world, and
maybe the problems of two people don't
amount to a hill of beans. But this is our
hill. And these are our beans!‖
Its humor started to get tiresome after a
second and third recycling. Still, Naked
Gun remains one of my favorite movies.
Very few people know that it was actually a
movie version of a short-lived TV show
called ―Police Squad!‖ (In fact, the
complete title of the movie is actually ―The
Naked Gun: From the Files of Police
Squad!‖)
The rousing theme by Ira Newborn (the same
theme used in the movie, which is actually a
musical spoof of another police show theme)
would play as the background for the opening
credits. Like an old sixties TV show, Police
Squad! also had a voice narration for the
opening credits: When the show‘s title is
flashed, the stentorian voice of a narrator will
I myself didn‘t
know about the
TV show (it was
an ooold TV
show after all, that originally ran in 1982)
until my movie fanatic friend, Roy, lent me a
VHS tape of all six episodes - as I said, it was
a very short-lived TV show. But after seeing it,
I had to wonder why it didn‘t last.
As in the movie, the TV show revolves around
a police detective, Lt. Frank Drebin, and how
he solves a police case in every show. As in
the movie, Drebin is played by Leslie Nielsen.
He‘s ably supported by his boss, Captain Ed
Hocken, played by character actor Alan North
(in the movie, he is played by George Ken-
nedy) and his on-and-off sidekick, Detective
Nordberg, played by 60‘s bodybuilding
champion Peter Lupus, who was also a regu-
lar in the original TV version of Mission Impos-
sible. (In the movies, he was played by a pre-
trial OJ Simpson.)
Like the movie, the show relied mostly on
sight gags and the deadpan humor that only
Leslie Nielsen is able to bring off, and per-
haps it‘s low-brow comedy to some, but for
me, it‘s right up there with Charlie Chaplin,
Woody Allen and Bill Cosby.
For example - as in most situations where you
need to interview or talk with someone, you
would offer him a drink first, or a smoke,
Drebin does no less when he interviews
witnesses. ―Cigarette?‖ he would say, offer-
ing a cigarette sticking out of a pack, where-
upon the witness would reply, ―yes, I know.‖
Police Squad! also had gimmicks that could
only be done in the serialized show, and the
best for me were the credits at the beginning:
and end of each show. The show would al-
ways begin this way:
Leslie Nielsen as Frank Drebin and Priscilla
Presley as Jane Spencer, in a publicity shot
for The movie, Naked Gun
By Burt Gabot www.verylittlebrain.com; www.facebook.com/burt.gabot; Twitter @ The_Burt
Sticking your face in the fan: Sticking your face in the fan: Sticking your face in the fan:
A TRIBUTE TO LESLIE NIELSEN & POLICE SQUA TRIBUTE TO LESLIE NIELSEN & POLICE SQUA TRIBUTE TO LESLIE NIELSEN & POLICE SQUADADAD
Drebin, Captain Hocken and Nordberg:
the main characters of the Naked Gun
series of movies
BREAKTIME!!!
27
say, ―Police Squad!‖ and then after a beat, ―In
Color!‖ Instead of the red police light you saw
in the movies, you‘d see Drebin pull up in his
LTD, heroically open the door, and fire a few
rounds at someone off-screen that was firing
at him. (―Starring Leslie Nielsen!‖) The next
bit would be Drebin‘s boss, Captain Hocken,
(―Also starring Alan North!‖) walking into the
police station‘s squadroom, when suddenly a
machine gun goes off. Hocken calmly fires at
the killer, who is off-camera, and presumably
kills him. And while this is happening, you‘d
see someone in the background on fire and
running off to the side of stage. The next bit
would be Abraham Lincoln and his fiancée
sitting in an opera house, with their backs to
us. (―And Rex Hamilton as Abraham Lin-
coln!‖) A gunshot knocks Lincoln‘s hat off,
obviously fired by John Wilkes Booth. But this
time Abraham Lincoln shoots back! And for
the rest of the show, Lincoln doesn‘t put in an
appearance again…
Also, each week featured a "Special Guest
Star" who is killed off in the opening credits.
Lorne Greene and William Conrad are knifed
and tossed out of cars; Georg Stanford Brown
has a safe dropped on him; Florence Hender-
son is shot during a musical number; Robert
Goulet is executed by a firing squad; and
Also, each week, Frank's snitch, Johnny the
Shoeshine Boy, who seems to know every-
thing, would meet with someone else that
Johnny could give useful if esoteric informa-
tion to. In the last three episodes he shined
the shoes of, and gave advice to real-life
people Dick Clark (Johnny giving him the
lowdown on the latest music trends), Dr.
Joyce Brothers (Johnny giving her some
pointers on psychiatric theory), and Tommy
Lasorda (Johnny giving him tips on selecting
ballplayers). Johnny even provides Clark with
a special bottle of anti-aging face cream.
Sadly, though, the TV show never got renewed
for a second season, even though it had
already built up a substantial following after
the sixth episode.
William Shatner avoids a burst of machine-
gun-fire only to drink a glass of poisoned
wine. But, like Lincoln, after this bit, we
don‘t see them in the episode again…
What's more, each episode has two titles:
the voiceover narration inevitably fails to
match the on-screen title in the opening
credits. For example, on the screen, the
episode's title is flashed, "Revenge and
Remorse," but the narrator says, "Tonight's
episode - The Guilty Alibi!"
And as each episode ends, like earlier
sixties and seventies TV cop shows, credits
are rolled over a final freeze frame, but
with Police Squad!, it‘s a mock freeze
frame - instead of an actual freeze frame,
Drebin and Hocken simply stand as still as
possible, but others in the shot still move,
and are a little puzzled why Drebin and
Hocken are standing still. In one episode,
the frame "freezes" with one character
pouring the other a cup of coffee. As they
stand still, the cup can be seen over-
flowing. In another episode, Drebin,
Hocken and Nordberg stand as if they‘re in
a freeze frame while the entire squadroom
falls down around them.
Watching each episode is like watching a
twenty-three-minute version of Naked Gun,
and if you like that kind of humor, I know
you‘d want to see all six episodes.
For example, at some point in each of the
episodes, Drebin runs over a set of objects
(garbage cans, bikes), and if the fan is very
observant, he‘d see that the number of
objects equal the episode number.
Here‘s another bit of sad
news - Leslie Nielson passed
away in November last year.
Originally a dramatic actor,
Leslie Nielsen changed perso-
nas and moved into comedy
in the eighties, starting with
the role of the bumbling Dr.
Rumack in Airplane!, and
eventually playing Frank
Drebin.
In later years, Nielsen also
starred in other comedy
movies, but he never
achieved the comedic heights
he did in Airplane! and Police
Squad!/Naked Gun again.
These forgettable movies
included Spy Hard and
2001, A Space Travesty.
Johnny the Shoeshine Boy,
from the TV show, Police
Squad!
Captain Hocken, Frank Drebin
and Al, from the TV show,
Police Squad!
Abraham Lincoln shooting it out with
Booth In the TV show, Police Squad!
Still, fans will forever remember Nielsen,
whether as Dr. Rumack or Lt. Frank Dre-
bin, and his immortal words, (―stop
calling me Shirley!‖) will never be
forgotten.
28
Normally, when the sun‘s rays hit the
surface of the earth, 70% is absorbed by
the atmosphere, land, oceans and flora,
while the other 30% is reflected into
space. According to studies, the Earth‘s
surface temperature has been con-
stantly rising since the beginning of the
20th Century. The rise in our planet‘s
average surface temperature is brought
about by the increase in the so-called
greenhouse effect. It is the absorption
of heat by greenhouse gases - namely,
carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide,
ozone and water vapour in the air. In
simple terms, when these greenhouse
gases absorb the energy radiating from
Earth‘s surface, microscopic water or
greenhouse gas molecules turn into tiny
heaters - like the bricks in a fireplace,
T hough global warming has been around for quite some time, many have not fully grasped everything
about it. Though some scientists question whether its effects are enough cause for concern, I am
sure you have observed in the past years how much shorter the cooler Christmas season has
become, or how frequent storms cause enormous floods - each more destructive than the last. If
you have, then you have a sense of what global warming is about. But if you haven‘t, like gravity, whether we
believe it exists or not, we are affected by it one way or another. Environmentalists believe that it is crucial
that everyone keep themselves informed. More importantly, everyone should take part in solving this global
emergency.
they radiate heat in all directions, even
after the fire goes out. The energy that
radiates back heats both the lower at-
mosphere and the surface of the Earth,
enhancing the heating they get from
direct sunlight.
GLOBAL WARMING
The greenhouse effect helps to regulate
the temperature of our planet. Without
it, the climate would be 16 degrees Cel-
sius colder than it is now, a temperature
all living beings wouldn‘t be able to with-
stand. Human activities have contrib-
uted to the excess amounts of green-
house gases present in our atmosphere
(greenhouse gases normally only consti-
tute one percent of the Earth‘s atmos-
phere), thereby increasing global tem-
peratures, and this has started to affect
our environment.
From the simple activities of modern life,
such as driving our cars, watching TV,
and cooking our food, to the factories
that make our everyday items, to the
power plants that produce electricity;
burning coal, oil, and natural gases
(fossil fuels), which are needed in order
for us to do these things, and allow us to
have the things that we want, generates
carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous
oxide — and these are all greenhouse
gases. And with more of these green-
house gases present in the atmosphere,
more heat gets trapped in the atmos-
phere. To illustrate: since the beginning
of the Industrial Revolution in 1750 up
to 2009, carbon dioxide levels increased
nearly 38 percent, and methane levels
148 percent.
By Isah Clerigo
GREENHOUSE EFFECT
ENVIRONMENT
Global Warming Global Warming Global Warming
Global Warning Global Warning Global Warning
29
Scientists are predicting several events due to global warming
• Scientists predict drastic weather
changes worldwide. Some countries that
usually have very cold climates and long
winters are now experiencing shorter
winter seasons and hotter, longer
summer seasons, whereas, others are
experiencing longer winter seasons. This
is hazardous to life forms that are
accustomed to a certain climate, such
as polar bears, penguins, and migratory
birds. Even coral reefs and marine eco-
systems may suffer given the rise in
water temperature. There is a strong
possibility that some life forms may not
be able to adapt quickly enough to the
drastic climate changes and may not
survive. If the warming gets worse, some
kinds of plants and animals may actually
become extinct.
• Some areas may become too dry for
farming due to decreased rainfall. There
may be more storms and floods, causing
sea levels to rise so much that people
have to move away from the coasts.
This is bad for farming and for humans
in general.
• Humans must also brace themselves
for the slew of disease-carrying mosqui-
toes and rodents caused by the disrup-
tion of weather patterns.
• The rise in temperature has also
caused arctic glaciers to melt at an
alarming rate, resulting in excess water
that can cause flash floods and land-
slides. Excess water will also raise sea
levels as much as three feet within the
next century and bring salt water into
coastlines and shores currently inhab-
ited by fresh-water animals and plants.
In fact it has been observed that there is
a small rise in sea level around the Phil-
ippine coast. If the rise in sea level con-
tinues, the coral reefs in Palawan and
other marine resources could be de-
stroyed.
• Over the last 100 years, the sea level
has risen 6-8 inches around the world.
That means that land along the coasts is
beginning to disappear under water.
Bigger and warmer oceans are also add-
ing to other weather problems caused by
pollution in the atmosphere. Some areas
in the world have received more rain
over the past decade than previous dec-
ades, others bigger storms.
Solutions
As individuals, we can help reduce the
effects of global warming by doing any of
the following:
• Control Transportation - A huge
amount of CO2 comes from the burning
of gasoline and other petroleum-based
fuels. Keep your car well tuned to reduce
vehicle emissions; use biodiesel or other
cleaner fuel types when possible; join a
car pool; when travelling short distances,
try to avoid using a car or bus, and ride a
bike or walk instead.
• Save electricity - Substitute appli-
ances with ones that use less energy
(e.g., electric fan rather than an air
conditioner). Instead of watching TV or
playing video games, engage your kids in
a fun board game or outdoor activity –
aside from reducing the demand for
power from fossil-fuel power plants, you
also inject quality time into your family
life.
• Eat less cow meat – 1.5 billion cows
and other grazing animals produce
methane through belching and flatu-
lence. As a by-product of decomposed
cow manure, methane is the second
most significant greenhouse gas. It is
true that, as a biogas, methane can be
used in producing clean electricity, but
when methane is released into the air, it
just increases greenhouse gas levels.
Cows contribute 3 percent of Britain's
over all greenhouse gas emissions and
25 to 30 percent of this is methane.
• Do not burn garbage or do slash-and-
burn clearcutting - tell relatives and
friends to stop burning garbage in their
backyards. Slash-and-burn practices
release carbon monoxide and carbon
dioxide into the atmosphere so these
practices should be stopped.
• Cover your pots while cooking - Doing
so can save a lot of the energy needed
in preparing food.
• Reduce, reuse, recycle – You can save
2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide a year
by recycling half of the waste in your
household.
• Plant a tree - A single tree will ab-
sorb one ton of carbon dioxide over its
lifetime. Shade provided by trees can
also reduce your air conditioning bill by
10 to 15% since your surroundings will
be much cooler.
• Buy fresh food instead of frozen -
Frozen food uses 10 times more en-
ergy to process and freeze as well as to
thaw out.
• Buy organic foods – organic soils
capture and store carbon dioxide at
much higher levels than soils from
conventional farms, so plants grown in
them are more nutritious and require
less energy and artificially-produced
fertilizers & nutrients to grow. If the
world grew all of its corn and soybeans
organically, 580 billion pounds of carbon
dioxide can be removed from the
atmosphere!
The human quest for modernization can
cause dreadful harm to our planet.
Fortunately, solutions are many and can
reduce the harm. What’s important is that
the little things we can do, when done
together, can become a major force. Now
that we are aware of the dangers of
modernization and global warming, it is
our responsibility to do our share to
create a future that is safe for us and our
children.
30
Anyway, when the file finally downloaded, all I could say was,
―wow!‖ Who wouldn‘t enjoy watching movies on a glorious
15.6‖ full high definition (HD) LED screen? To test its sound
quality, I set the volume to maximum and moved about three
meters away from the laptop. To my delight, I could still hear
the audio.
Turning the wi-fi on when I‘m in my cubicle on the 2nd floor of
RCB, I was quite happy to discover that it can detect the signal
that emanated from Country Style restaurant which was just a
building away from my location. Problem is, of course, it‘s
password-protected.
Bluetooth transfer between devices is okay, while its DVD
burning rate speed is 8x. Well that‘s good enough for me since
I‘m not a fan of DVD drives anyway. As for internet speed, this
depended largely on the internet plan that you got from your
ISP. So don‘t blame your computer if you encounter sluggish
upload and download rates (unless you have viruses or net-
work intruders).
Then lastly, to verify how powerful the tandem of the 1.73 GHz
Intel i7 - 740 QM Quad core processor and the NVidia GeForce
1GB video card was, I played Starcraft II, one of my favorite
games. Whoa! Let me tell you, my Asus rocks! For those who
are not familiar with Starcraft II, this game really demands a
high-end processor and a powerful video card before one can
truly appreciate a truly immersive gaming experience. In this
area, my precious did not disappoint either.
The Asus N53J Series‘ standard 4 GB memory can be maxxed
out to 16 GB, too. Its Intel Core i7 processor lets me switch
between various applications easily, and with finesse. I can
open Photoshop CS5, Eclipse IDE, an internet browser, a mu-
sic player, an instant messenger, MS Office and other applica-
tions all at the same time.
The only misgiving I have with my precious Asus is that its
glass-smooth expansive monitor attracts smudges easily, and
doubles as an expensive mirror. I‘ll see how I can fix that later.
Thanks for listening, guys. Catch you all later!
These are only some of the more important rituals but there
are many more that Catholics observe during Lent. But what-
ever it is that Catholics do on these days of Lent, for them, it is
all about repenting for their sins, loving not just their families
but their enemies as well, of doing good deeds and forgetting
material woes.
Whether one is a Catholic or not, these are important things to
do, and whether one does it in commemoration of Jesus‘ sacri-
fices, or just to become a better person, one should make time
for such things. Have you done so this year?
From page 10—Lent...
From page 21—My Precious...
Unknown to some people, a regular SSS member can remit a
lower monthly contribution should the amount become too
much for his wallet. For instance, if someone is not willing to
pay P 780 (the example given above set in Circular No. 33-P.
Similarly, one can also move up and remit a higher remittance
should he/she so desires, but this will be allowed only after the
SSS member has accumulated a certain number of remit-
tances. For detailed information on this, it would be best to
inquire directly from SSS or log on to sss.gov.ph. Active mem-
bers can also check their total contributions among other
important SSS membership information.
Periodic SSS remittance isn‘t really complicated as many per-
ceive it to be. I consider my SSS remittance as a personal
banking system which I can use when I get sick, hospitalized or
reach retirement age. It‘s convenient, easy, and everybody can
avail of its privileges and benefits when the need arises.
It pays to be always on-time with your SSS remittance
because you’ll never know when emergencies would
strike.
From page 22—How to Reactivate...
If you are fine with the said amount, the next step is to pay this
amount. How? Get Form RS-5 (Contributors Payment Return) in
one of the counters and write P 780.00 on the specific months
you intend to cover when remitting. If you choose to pay quar-
terly, you will be required to remit said amount thrice (say, from
January to March 2011). The amount would be P 2,340.00 (or
P 780 x 3 months).
The succeeding quarterly payments can also be paid at RCBC, a
boon to those who have very little time to go to SSS. During
these hard economic times, young professionals tend to gloss
over the value of government programs such as the Social Se-
curity System or Philhealth. Jerry Tañeca, WSI general manager,
believes in the value of SSS membership and has this to share
especially to those who are not yet members of SSS:
“WeSupport consultants should allot a portion of their salaries
to SSS and make monthly remittance a habit. When they even-
tually retire, it guarantees them pension for life.”
[Forms RS-5 and Circular 33-P can be downloaded from the
SSS website.]
doves that take away the black veil of Mother Mary, while still others do
more straightforward presentations. After the salubong is officially
ended, holy mass is held right after the devotees bring the statues of
Jesus and Mary inside the church.
31
From: Katherine Garcia:
It was one of the most memorable trips with the whole family. It was my baby‘s first encounter with an eagle at Davao City‘s Eagle
Farm, a must-visit place in Davao.
EAGLE FARM, Malagos, Baguio District, DAVAO CITY: March 13, 2010.
From: Reynan R. Santiago : Summer won't be fun without visiting
CamSur, famous with thrill-seekers looking for exciting watersports and
ocean adventures. This was our barkada's second time to visit Camsur.
WATERSPORTS COMPLEX CAMARINES SUR: April 1, 2011 .
From: Ma. Avegail B. Vista: This was a photo taken by my brother to cap-
ture the falls in Daranak. Incidentally, my boyfriend and I were blocking
his view. The picture turned out beautiful and I was amazed. It gave me
an idea to use this photo for our pre-nup in the future. But if he will not
become my future hubby then I just have to edit this and put my next
boyfriend‘s picture. Just kidding! Daranak Falls, Tanay, Rizal. May 2009.
From: Ezekiel D. Celario: This was one of our adventure stops with my
officemates during our summer getaway in beautiful Sagada. The view
from the top of the rice fields was simply breathtaking. Fidelisan Rice
Terraces, Sagada, Mountain Province. April 2, 2010.
From: Christian Frago : A really fun and relaxing weekend spent with my officemates. I felt like I was on the top of the world!!! HUNDRED ISLANDS, Alaminos Pangasinan. February 21, 2010.
31
WHAT CAN YOU SAY?
Great summer memories: WeSpeak asked people to send us their memorable photos
together with their reasons for saying so. Here’s what they sent us.
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