friendillion

Ever wonder why we Filipinos are so loving? Where do we get our “Warm Hospitality” on treating strangers as part of our family? For starters… Cariñoso is a Spanish word for Affectionate. Until now, we Filipinos still use that word whenever we converse or give compliments. So meaning to say, we inherited that trait from the people of Spain. I know some of you still view Spain as a bad image because of how they treated our ancestors during their 300+ years of colonization. But that was before and that was War Time. It’s a lot different now. Through the years we met a lot of people from different nationalities each carrying their flags and unique character. Americans are generous, French peeps are gorgeous, and Germans always remind us that not all of them are Adolf Hitler (Hitler is Austrian). But Spanish people are on the top of my list (sorry to my other foreign friends). ✌ Why? Here’s David, a local from Pamplona. He and his friend visited me here in Manila for a few days b

With the unexpected rise of the dreaded COVID-19 virus that leads to a global pandemic, we were forced to be lockdown in our homes for an indefinite time. Isolation only bothered us for a while, because we are social animals and we always find ways to connect with those people whom before was part of our normal daily routine. Through modern video communications tools and apps like Zoom, Messenger, Microsoft Team, Google Hangouts, Skype, and even Slack… we were able to connect with these important people not only through voice but face recognition as well. Knowing that these apps delivering crystal-clear, face-to-face video, high-quality sharing makes us more than satisfied and clearly has become a daily part of our lives. This new innovative technology has help both the employer and the employee to continue to  “Work From Home” . Now, more than ever, with increased globalization, remote workers, and international teams, effective communication via video conferencing is an essentia

We now live in desperate times. We have consummated most of our resources. And it is crunch time. We’re close to a matter of life and death. Ever since the COVID-19 hit our streets, we were deprived of our freedom. Our government said that they have it under control. They told us to just wait for the tide to come down and everything will go back to normal. Well, it’s been months since we have gone out and be normal beings. It feels likes decades since we receive our last paycheck. If our government won’t help us, we might as well help ourselves. Besides, we need to put food on our table. We do need to eat after all. Almost everyone is shifting to the  “New Norm” . What was unpopular before became the most beloved and in demand in our society today… the WFH or  “Work From Home”  occupation. People from different fields like lawyers, mechanical engineers, Business CEO, accountants, chef & restaurant owners, and even sports athlete are now finding new ways of making a living. The

Community Quarantine, Enhanced Community Quarantine, or Total Lockdown? Does it really matter? It’s all still the same. The bottom line is we are deprived. Deprived of our freedom. Deprived of our rights. Deprived to flee like a bird. With the emergence of the COVID-19… we lost our jobs, kids can’t go to campus, we can’t meet our friends, heck… we even can’t eat out or watch a movie. It’s has placed ourselves out of our comfort zones. It has disrupted our lives. Never in our minds that we thought that something like this will happen… but it did. But it is not the end of the world (not yet). And no matter how horrifying this  “Virus Crisis”  is, believe it or not, there is an end to it. In my last article, I wrote to you about what to do while we are in containment. How to keep ourselves busy and happy in amid of these crazy circumstances. That article was written specifically  “During”  our time of crisis. What I am writing now is  “After”  this crisis ends. When they release u

As of today, most of us are in community quarantine (or to most people commonly known as a  “Lockdown” ). Schools are closed. Malls have shut their doors. Streets are empty. Our Government and Health Officials are strongly encouraging  “Social Distancing”. Panic is everywhere. Tissues and Alcohol are running out. Fake news in social media is rampant. Your actions and choices are limited. There is not much to do but to follow strict orders and isolate yourself from the mass people that could be infected virus carriers. Indeed the COVID-19 has disrupted our lives and brought fear into our homes. But what can do really? If you are not a Doctor or Nurse or a Scientist who will invent the vaccine that will give remedy to this alarming disease, then the only thing that we can do is to  “Stay Home”  and wait it out until this  “Virus Crisis”  subsides. Our role as ordinary citizens is to commit to ourselves to  “Flatten the Curve” . If we do our part by not going out frequently and

As I wait for the train at Magallanes station, I discreetly observed the people around me. Then I realized the great number of these people. A horde of the working class who take this very train out of necessity. Metro Manila is one of the most densely populated cities in the world with an estimated population of 21.3 million. That doesn’t include those who lived in nearby provinces like Cavite, Bulacan, etc. And with the current local transmission of the dreaded COVID-19 virus, it just a matter of time that our government will declare an Alert Level 2 and initiate a lockdown. By the time that happens those other people who are infected will be spreading the disease in their respective provinces. Our country and its citizen will be massively overwhelmed. I’m not trying to scare you but we have seen and read proof and evidence to foreign countries that were gravely hit before us. Progressive countries like South Korea and Italy. There is also Japan, Singapore, and the United Stat