Thursday, March 31, 2011
Process is good, but honestly! people need to think beyond them.... I went to the bank, and had to transfer funds from my peso account to an officemate's peso account, as payment for funds I had had to borrow from her when on a trip. Imagine my surprise when I was told that the next time, I would be charged (oh, how nice, I was let off this time! *charming grin*), because any funds withdrawn over the counter if below Php 20K are "encouraged" (I use that word instead of how it was really said) to be done through ATM. Whatever for, when it was easier to just fill up the withdrawal and deposit slip as it was basically a "transfer of funds" - the money is still going to reside with them! Isn't it more convenient for the customer to do it this way instead of going the roundabout path of going to the ATM, punching, withdrawing, counting, queueing etc.? Whether its 4K, 15K, 20K or 50K being moved from one account to another, it can be done thru electronic transactions..so WTH? *grrr*
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Monday, March 28, 2011
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Back to Cebu for Dad's 86th :-)
| Start: | Nov 14, '11 |
| End: | Nov 28, '11 |
| Location: | Cebu |
*Cross fingers*
High School Homecoming Slash Cebu Vacation Slash Chauffeuring
| Start: | Jul 23, '11 3:15p |
| End: | Aug 11, '11 12:00p |
| Location: | Cebu City |
hence, just paid extra now to have the return trip moved :-)
oh well, at least, I will be back in Cebu in a not-so-usual month for me...
Friday, March 25, 2011
Vietnam Vignette: "Annoy?"
Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam, 21st March 2011 - More on language gaffes, this time dealing with Vietnamese and English.
Vietnamese people are accommodating and hospitable. We got a couple of dinner treats c/o Che's friend (and our new acquaintance), the gallant Dinh. This time it was at a seafood restaurant which served in a different manner seafood that is usually familiar to us Filipinos.
LeThuy was kind enough to also show up even though she wasn't feeling very well (probably due to the tiring trip to Dalat) and between her and Dinh, they chose carefully for us what dishes to order and eat.
What we heard when they called the waiter was something which sounded like "ahn-noi" to our unaccustomed ears. I thought it sounded similar to the English "annoy" although pronounced with a more nasal emphasis.
After a while, and wanting to be sure, Leila turned to LeThuy and asked what it meant.
"Thuy, so what does 'aahn-noi' mean?", queried Leila while trying to pronounce it the best way she could. She was leaning close to me as I was sandwiched between her and Thuy, and speaking over the sound of other diners talking over our heads.
Thuy, who was absorbed in her dish, turned around and answered, "Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam, in the northern..."
Before she could launch into a more detailed explanation, I had to interrupt as I was grinning madly by that time.
Good thing LeThuy and Leila weren't annoyed ...hehehe...
Vietnamese people are accommodating and hospitable. We got a couple of dinner treats c/o Che's friend (and our new acquaintance), the gallant Dinh. This time it was at a seafood restaurant which served in a different manner seafood that is usually familiar to us Filipinos.
LeThuy was kind enough to also show up even though she wasn't feeling very well (probably due to the tiring trip to Dalat) and between her and Dinh, they chose carefully for us what dishes to order and eat.
What we heard when they called the waiter was something which sounded like "ahn-noi" to our unaccustomed ears. I thought it sounded similar to the English "annoy" although pronounced with a more nasal emphasis.
After a while, and wanting to be sure, Leila turned to LeThuy and asked what it meant.
"Thuy, so what does 'aahn-noi' mean?", queried Leila while trying to pronounce it the best way she could. She was leaning close to me as I was sandwiched between her and Thuy, and speaking over the sound of other diners talking over our heads.
Thuy, who was absorbed in her dish, turned around and answered, "Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam, in the northern..."
Before she could launch into a more detailed explanation, I had to interrupt as I was grinning madly by that time.
Good thing LeThuy and Leila weren't annoyed ...hehehe...
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Vietnam Vignette: "Vegetables"
Dalat, Vietnam, 19th of March, 2011 - I thought it was only in Beijing, China that our hilarious adventures with language differences would happen (you can refer to my previous blog entries entitled "Once Upon a Time in Beijing" if you are so inclined to read about our language gaffes).
I should have known better.
While Chinese is indeed a language easy to muck up due to untrained ears, Vietnamese is also a trap for the unwary visitor, especially with so many tones to watch out for.
But would you believe, the worst is actually English?
Over a hearty breakfast in the refreshing bite of cold Dalat air, our usual Asian practice is to share the food between us.
Along with plates of warm baguettes, simple omelet, fried eggs, fresh fruits and such breakfast fare, there were two big bowls of fragrant and hot pho on the table.
There were six of us, and the soup needed distribution but we had no extra containers for individual soup servings.
One of us called the server.
"Could you please bring more soup bowls?" quickly asks one of our companions, gesturing to the soup and to us gathered hungrily around the food.
The hotel server declined with a gentle shake of her head. "I'm sorry but you didn't order any vegetables."
{Well, yeah...that's right we didn't actually pre-order any vegete-bowls...}
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
I generally don't follow romantic war films, but I've just finished "Un long dimanche de fiançailles" (A Very Long Engagement) though I wasn't able to see it from the film's start. Something unusual for me, as earlier today I also watched the movie adaptation for "Wuthering Heights" and I usually also stay away from tragic love stories...
Monday, March 21, 2011
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Ho Chi Minh Night w/ Dinh & LeThuy
Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
Aside from the food,
the company of these two are one of the best memories we had of our trip to
this city.
Thank you Dinh and
LeThuy!
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Friday, March 18, 2011
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Please keep in your thoughts and hearts, and if possible, pray for those brave (50) workers who have stayed behind in the Fukushima plant until now, and doing what they can in the badly damaged plant. May all the efforts of these people involved in trying to solve this crisis be smiled upon by God and Lady Luck..or whatever god of your religion you are devoted to - coz every little helps at this point :-(
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Friday, March 4, 2011
Joke-time: SMART PILLS - Feeling listless, a woman bought some expensive "brain-stimulating" pills at the health food store. But it wasn't until she got home that she read the label. "This is just rosemary extract!" she complained to her listening husband. "I can't believe I spent all that money for something that I have growing like wild in the yard!" "See?" answered her husband encouragingly. "You're already smarter."
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