Want to lose that couple of pounds you gained over the Holidays?

If you have an Iphone or Ipod Touch and you're trying to get back into shape, I recommend you download an application called Pedometer Free.

http://mobile.viaden.com/iphone-fitness-pedometer.html

Downloads can be done thru the App Store. So what is a Pedometer. Essentially, it is a device which detects if you have taken a step and counts it. And the Pedometer appliation does so much more. With a little calibration on your stride length, it can record the total distance you've travelled, the calories that you burned, the total time, speed and average speed. More features are available on the upgraded version but the free version has enough features for those wanting to burn those extra calories gained over lunch. And for more experienced runners, it can help track your training progress.

Calibrating

If you want accurate results, you need to calibrate the pedometer so that it stores your exact stride length. For walking, you can probably do with the stock stride length. However, running is a totally different matter because the stride length will probably be significantly longer than the walking stride. So this is what I do to calibrate. I normally do 5K sessions on the treadmill so I set the pedometer to count the total steps it takes me to complete a 5K run. After getting the step count, we need to do some light number crunching. In my case 5K takes me about 6100 steps give or take, and since the Pedometer records stride length in centimeters, a little conversion is required so 5 kilometers is 500,000 centimeters. Dividing 500,000 centimeters with my total step count of 6100 steps will give me my stride length, which in this case is about 82 centimers. Entering my stride length into the Pedometers profile and I can expect to see an accurate distance reading.

Sensitivity

Accurate readings will depend greatly on the sensitivity setting on the pedometer. Set it too low and it might not detect the step, set it too high and every body movement might be misconstrude as a step and you'd get overblown readings. This setting however is very subjective and will vary from one individual to the next. Personally, I have it about a third of the way to its maximum settings.

In Conclusion

I love this product because of its functionality and also because it's free. I hardly run without setting the pedometer on and for the most part it gives me an accurate reading. Really considering upgrading to the full version.

Alain Ariel Kyle Bendijo, VP Philippine Operations, Incoho Inc Philippines, MBA DLSU, Certified Six Sigma Greenbelt Alain Ariel Kyle Bendijo VP Philippine Operations Incoho Inc Philippines MBA DLSU Certified Six Sigma Greenbelt Alain Ariel Kyle Bendijo
Alain Ariel Kyle Bendijo, VP Philippine Operations, Incoho Inc Philippines, MBA DLSU, Certified Six Sigma Greenbelt Alain Ariel Kyle Bendijo VP Philippine Operations Incoho Inc Philippines MBA DLSU Certified Six Sigma Greenbelt Alain Ariel Kyle BendijoAlain Ariel Kyle Bendijo, VP Philippine Operations, Incoho Inc Philippines, MBA DLSU, Certified Six Sigma Greenbelt Alain Ariel Kyle Bendijo VP Philippine Operations Incoho Inc Philippines MBA DLSU Certified Six Sigma Greenbelt Alain Ariel Kyle Bendijo

Caleruega July 14, 2007

July 14, 2007

My wife and I celebrated our fourth year wedding anniversary last July 12. Being both busy professionals and due to the time disparity of our work hours, we were not able to properly celebrate our anniversary. So we decided to go out of town for the weekend to celebrate and at the same time take some photos. So we decided to spend the weekend up in Tagaytay and visit Caleruega Church while were there. These are the photos of the weekend.

We got up to my parent’s house in Tagaytay at around 9am. The sky was overcast and the clouds really looked ominous. Things weren’t looking good but at least I get a chance to catch up on some quality time with the wife.

We decided to have lunch at Carlo’s Pizza since we’ve never tried it there and they also have a good vantage point to take pictures of Taal. Unfortunately the weather was not in the mood to give me some good pictures as you can see.

Oh well. Time for some lunch. Pizza and pasta was ordinary. Nothing really special to report. I had hoped that the weather would clear up after lunch. No such luck.

Anyway, I continued to take more pictures of Taal but all came out overcast and dark. Most were beyond photoshop redemption. I think the best shot I got of Taal is the one below.

We proceeded to drive to Caleruega after finishing lunch. After a miscue in directions, and yes it was my fault for being a guy and not stopping to ask for directions, we eventually arrived at the church grounds. Calereuga is known for a prime spot for weddings but they also have facilities for retreats. There is also an extensive Way of the Cross path for the devout.

The office/reception area greets you with a glass mosaic of St. Domingo de Guzman.

From this point, you go up a series of staired pathway up to the cathedral area. The church is at the top of a mild hill.

By the way, if you do plan to visit, there is a P30 entrance fee you pay to the guard. And also wear shoes with good traction. The paths can get mossy and slippery. And yes, my Merrells were completely useless.

The way going up is filled with various flora and fauna. On the way up, you will also see the retreat cottages.

Upon reaching the peak, you will find the cathedral itself. Very simple and elegant architecture of adobe bricks and a singular steeple. The atmosphere is ideal for small, private, intimate weddings. There was actually a wedding about to start when we arrived. And I was a bit hesitant to take pictures because they might get the idea that I’m the official wedding photographer so I kinda hanged back a bit and waited for the ceremony to start before I started snapping away.

Here is a monochrome version of the church façade. Yes, I’m brushing up on my Photoshop skills as well.

My wife and I spent the next couple of hours snapping away at the church grounds and whatever caught our fancy.

A note to my fellow shutter bugs. The sky was really overcast so most of the shots came out on the pale side. Some of the shots posted were tweaked using the EOS utility or Photoshop CS3 Extended.

Having shot the church from all possible angles, and each other as well, my wife and I decided to explore the church grounds further and discovered a Madonna and Child statue. So we continued snapping away.

This is one of the shots of the statue that first came out deathly pale. A little bit of adjustments on Photoshop and the color and brightness levels came out ok. I jacked up the sharpness level to its maximum possible settings to capture the grainy detail of the statue’s surface

Another experiment on photoshop using blurred layers. I was going for a 3D effect by varying the blurriness levels between the foreground and background.

A higher vantage point shot of the statue and the hilly background as well. It was really too bad the sun decided not to come out that day. These shots would have been amazing.

My wife took a couple of sniper shots at me while taking photos of the Madonna and Child. And yes, I’m wearing my favorite Krukspec Contractor Crye Cut Ultra Tactical Pants. (free plugging.)

A closer shot this time with a branch on the foreground. I’m so glad I read my camera manual cover to cover

Why is the little boy smiling? Brand new toy?

Several shots of the Resurrection of Jesus.

So that’s what my ear looks like.

Tweaked this one with the EOS Utility. Played around with the levels and I tried to go for that gothic, ala 300 (the movie with Gerard Butler) look.

My wife Elaine reviewing her shots on my old, correction, HER Canon G5. And no image editing was done on this shot. Really, honest, no editing at all.

This time, I went for a faint reddish rust look

While trying to get some macro flower shots, I came upon a bee pollinating a flower bud. For several minutes I played tagged with this darned insect and probably took in the neighborhood of 30 shots and only a couple came out ok. Need to read up on macro.

Having fulfilled our shutter bug hunger, my wife and I decided to call it a day. As we were making our way back to the car, we came upon this moss layered water basin. For the life of me I don’t really know what this thing is called so water basin is the closest thing that comes to mind. Anyway took a couple of shots.

The shot below is probably my best shot of the day.

Ouch. Sorry my mistake. THIS is my best shot of the day.

Just Like Riding A Bike

 
I've been diving since 1994, when I first got certified as a PADI Open Water Diver. And I've been diving regularly since then. Although I've done a piss poor job of logging all of my dives. However, 2009 was a really dry year for me literally. Office related matters often found themselves extending to my weekends and numerous hurdles at work kept my mind preoccupied that I could not squeeze in a single dive into the year. So I was not able to dive at all and I swore 2010 would be different. The weekend of March 6 and 7 I got a break in my schedule and was finally able to join my instructor, the person who annointed me a divemaster, and lifelong friend, Roger Manibo in a fun dive.  And it was just like riding a bike. You never forget. I did four dives for the weekend and I'm so glad to have my sea legs or more appropriately my fins back. My buoyancy did not deteriorate and I could still hover over the reefs, not to mention, my air consumption improved as well considering my year long hiatus. I'd normally start with a 3000 psi tank and would consume down to 500 psi on a usual 40 minute dive at 80 or so feet. My only complaint was during my 2nd, 3rd and 4th dives. I experienced some pain in my nasal cavity extending up to my eye socket and forehead.  This made it difficult for me to go down to depth at my usual rate and I had to take it slowly going down. And even then, the pain was borderline unbearable and no matter what I did (equalized, replaced and cleared my dive mask, exhaled out my nose etc etc) didn't work.  The pain eventually subsided after a few minutes but I had to stay back and shallower from the pack. I suspect I may have had a head cold, causing the pain.  Other than that, the dives were non eventfull in a good way. We stayed at Outrigger Resort, one of our old scuba haunts. Miguel, an old dive buddy, is now running the place. Was able to catch up on old times with old friends as well as meet a few new ones. Hopefully I get to log more dives for this year. 

A Lesson I Learned from Globe's CEO

I was cleaning my inbox the other day. Something I've been putting off for awhile now but its starting to affect my mailbox so I decided to bite the bullet and just do it. I came across an email that I had sent a few years back. It was a complaint letter that I had sent to Gerry Ablaza, President and CEO of Globe Telecoms and it was a rant letter. I was very unhappy at what had been a really botched up job by their assigned account officer to us as well as Globe/Innove's Billing unit.  I've copy pasted my complaint email below as well as Mr. Ablaza's reply. Now normally we would find ourselves in situations wherein we get really frustrated at a situation and we write strongly worded letters/emails to company presidents without really expecting a reply back. I recall at the time being quite surprised to actually get a reply from Mr. Ablaza. In the grand scheme of things, the matter and the misgivings of a small BPO organization might seem insignificant in the Globe universe. However the mere fact that he drafted a reply meant a great deal to me and served as an inspiration to me and remind me that a customer is a customer regardless of size and stature. And I am assuming it was him who actually replied and not an assistant though I could be being naive here.  The matter was actually resolved shortly prior to me sending the email since I was left with no recourse but to enlist the help of a friend who had worked with Globe at the time and I just needed to vent out steam hence my email rant to Globe's president. The reply was the classic customer service formula (apologize for the situation, take responsibility/accountability, promise a resolution and take action...though the last two weren't really applicable in the situation)  although I use the term classic loosely since a lot of companies nowadays have forgotten their customer centric roots.

(LONG EMAIL STRING WARNING, if you don't got the time, don't read the rhyme.)

-----Original Message-----
From: GT ABLAZA, Gerardo C. [mailto:gablaza@globetel.com.ph]
Sent: Tuesday, November 13, 2007 6:07 AM
To: kyle.bendijo@incoho.com
Cc: IC GENIO, Gil B.; IC ROMERO, Jesus C.; GT ALIGADA, Emmanuel A.; GT RICARTE, Walter C.
Subject: Re: my globe/innove experience

Dear Kyle,

Thank you for writing me about the problem you have had with Globe.

I have read the email string you enclosed, and I see no reason why we should not have been able to resolve this issue when you first brought it up in September 2006.  There is no excuse for the process breakdown, much less for our poor account management responsiveness.

Please accept my apologies.  We will examine this case closely and learn from it, so that we can prevent it from happening again to any of our customers.

I hope we will have the opportunity to regain your trust.

Sincerely,
Gerry

----------------
Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld

----- Original Message -----
From: Kyle Bendijo <kyle.bendijo@incoho.com>
To: GT ABLAZA, Gerardo C.
Sent: Tue Nov 13 04:05:45 2007
Subject: my globe/innove experience

 

Hello Mr. Ablaza,

 

I am very sure you are an extremely busy executive, so if you have time perhaps you can scan thru this email. To some degree it is a feedback of sorts on one of your business units.  I hope you take this as feedback from a SME which is reflective of how big Globe has gotten and  in my experience, a bit unresponsive.   Let me narrate to you my year long game of tag story.  I am the head of operations for a small BPO and we’re making use of Globe’s internet service.  Three or four years back,  our contract for our internet connection was up and our account officer at the time was pushing us to renew our 1mbps connection and even included some free World Pass accounts to encourage us to renew right away. However,  given our bandwidth requirements, we decided not to renew the 1 mbps connection but rather avail of a 2 mbps connection with another account officer.  After a few months, I was surprised to receive several statement of accounts from Globe/Innove. I found out later that these were for the World Pass accounts and I further learned that the balances were positive and that the service was free for the first year. I was surprised because I never received the user ID/passwords or activation notices for these accounts so I requested our account officer, Angelo Beltran to cancel and close these accounts. I still continued to receive statements so I informed Robie Reyes of my situation and Mr. Reyes responded prompty and instructed Angelo Beltran to cancel the said accounts.  After the series of emails, I continued to receive the statements which is annoying to say the least.   Again I made a follow up to Angelo Beltran. In fact, I made several follow up emails all of which remain unresponded to. I was now becoming concerned because the statements now had balances.   I followed up again last October since I continued to receive statements a year after I’ve explained the situation to Angelo Beltran et al and requested to have the accounts closed.  I almost  felt sorry because of the postage cost this must have been costing Globe not to mention the waste in paper.  However, on October 22, I received a mild shock since Globe had now endorsed the accounts to the law firm, Lauron and Partners and has now sent me demand letters.  Ironically,  I am familiar with this law firm since I dealt with them when I was still working for Citibank, they have this habit of sending really intimidating fax messages and would loop the message such that the message is sent several times over. I’ve had to put out a few fires because of this practice.    It was at this point that I felt compelled to pick up the phone and demand closure on the matter from Angelo who claimed not to have received any of my emails because he was “filtering his inbox” was his exact term.   Somehow , I did not feel reassured of Angelo’s promise. He had told my operations manager before when I asked him to follow up about the matter and he was told that we should just ignore the statements.  Fearing that this might end up just like my original request more than a year earlier, I seeked help from a friend who is with  your wireless segment  to assist me in resolving the matter and he was kind enough to coordinate with billing.  My friend  kept me updated  and in a matter of a couple of days informed me that the issue has been resolved. He told me to expect the formal notice to come from Angelo since he is the account officer.  

 

What I find disappointing to say the least is the lack of responsiveness from a dedicated account officer.  This matter was pending for over a year.  Perhaps you can remind your corporate account officers to be a tad bit more responsive specially on accounts directly under their charge.  I’ve a feeling I was only able to get results when I sought the help of a friend.   Below is the email thread.

 

Sincerely,

Kyle

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

On Oct 31, 2007 6:25 PM, IC BELTRAN, Angelo D. <angelo.beltran@innove.com.ph> wrote:

>

>

>

>

> Hello Kyle,

>

> 

>

> This is to inform that we already obtained approval to cancel charges

> accumulated by your world pass accounts:

>

> 

>

> 105460310 - 1,650.35

>

> 105460094 - 1,650.35

>

> 105459901 - 1,650.35

>

> 105459913 - 1,650.35

>

> 105460113 - 1,692.01

>

> 105461515 - 1,690.94

>

> 105460125 ­- 1,650.35

>

> 105460082 - 1,650.35

>

> 105460358 - 1,650.35

>

> 105460346 - 1,650.35

>

> 105460402 - 1,525.35

>

> 105460309 - 1,650.35

>

> 105460371 - 1,650.35

>

> 105460334 - 1,692.01

>

> 105460070 - 1,650.35

>

> 105460414 - 1,525.35

>

> 

>

> Please disregard any collection notices you may receive from this time

> forward. This Email will serve as our formal response to your request.

> Again, we apologize for this inconvenience. Thank you and God bless!

>

> 

>

>

>

> Cheers!

>

> 

>

> Angelo D. Beltran

>

> Senior Account Manager

>

> Segment-I / Business Unit-I

>

> M:+(63)2 0917-7975515

>

> T:+(63)2 7975515

>

> F:+(63)2 7978970

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Kyle Bendijo [mailto:kyle.bendijo@incoho.com]
Sent: Monday, October 22, 2007 9:47 PM
To: 'kyle.bendijo@incoho.com'; 'IC BELTRAN, Angelo D.'; 'IC GUDA, Jesus Dennis M.'; 'robie.reyes@innove.com.ph'; 'ecabayon@globetel.com.ph'; 'jeromebh@globetel.com.ph'
Cc: 'Dino Lacambra'; 'alainarielbendijo@gmail.com'; 'Sheryll Cruz'
Subject: RE: Cancellation by Incoho
Importance: High

 

Angelo,

 

This is the email I sent last October 5 following up on the matter concerning my request to have several World Pass accounts canceled.  Earlier today I received demand letters from Lauron Delos Reyes And Partners demanding for payments for these accounts in 10 days. Let me reiterate again the facts.

*  these accounts were offered by Maricel Balita to encourage Incoho to renew our internet connection. Being the signatory for the company,  these accounts were placed under my name.

            * we did not renew said connection with Maricel Balita but rather upgraded the connection with another account officer, Darlene Bismonte.

* we never activated these accounts nor did we make use of these accounts. In fact, the activation information was never received. Further, if you check your records you will note that these were never used.

* I sent an email to you, Dennis Guda and Robie Reyes in September 2006 asking to have these accounts closed.  At the time that I requested to have these closed, the accounts had credits to their balances.

            * I have sent copies of the billing statements to you in response to your January 19, 2007 email so that you can reconcile on your end.

           

My assistant Sheryl has been in touch with Eloisa Abayon who I shall be copying on this email as well so you can better coordinate on resolving this matter.  Per our conversation earlier, you assured me that you have already taken cared of this matter on your end. I would appreciate something more tangible on your part to assure me that this matter will be cleared up.  I would appreciate prompt feedback.

 

Kyle

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Kyle Bendijo [mailto:kyle.bendijo@incoho.com]
Sent: Friday, October 05, 2007 10:02 PM
To: 'IC BELTRAN, Angelo D.'; 'IC GUDA, Jesus Dennis M.'
Cc: 'Dino Lacambra'; 'alainarielbendijo@gmail.com'
Subject: RE: Cancellation by Incoho

 

Angelo,

 

Just to make a follow up on the matter.  I am still receiving statements for the accounts stated below and even received a call from your collections unit, a certain Let Let, I forgot her last name, was calling to collect on the “past due” accounts.

 

Can I have something more definite from Globe on this matter. I think 12 months is more than sufficient time for Globe to clear this up.

 

Kyle Bendijo
INCOHO Inc., Philippines
Toll Free 1 800 3207644

Voice:(632) 7505127
Fax: (632) 7505129

Mobile: 09189393001
e-mail: kyle.bendijo@incoho.com
website: www.incoho.com

 

This email is confidential and may also be privileged. Any review, dissemination or use of this e-mail or its contents by persons other than the addressee is strictly prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please notify us immediately, you should not copy or use it for any purpose, nor disclose its contents to any other person.

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: IC BELTRAN, Angelo D. [mailto:angelo.beltran@innove.com.ph]
Sent: Friday, January 19, 2007 12:45 PM
To: kyle.bendijo@incoho.com; IC GUDA, Jesus Dennis M.
Cc: Dino Lacambra; alainarielbendijo@gmail.com; IC REYES, Robie D.
Subject: RE: Cancellation by Incoho

 

Hi Kyle,

 

So sorry for the delays. Would it be possible for you to provide us with a copy of the billing statement so we can forward and reconcile with our billing department?

 

Cheers!

 

Angelo D. Beltran

Senior Account Manager

INNOVE COMMUNICATIONS

Corporate Sales - Enterprise I

Mobile: 0917 7975515

Direct: 7975515

Fax: 7978970

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Kyle Bendijo [mailto:kyle.bendijo@incoho.com]
Sent: Monday, January 08, 2007 10:13 PM
To: IC BELTRAN, Angelo D.; IC GUDA, Jesus Dennis M.
Cc: 'Dino Lacambra'; alainarielbendijo@gmail.com; IC REYES, Robie D.
Subject: RE: Cancellation by Incoho

 

Angelo, Dennis,

 

I would just like to follow up on this matter. I can’t seem to get Globe to stop billing me for the world pass accounts since our last correspondence.  And just the other day,  I received a new set of billing statements now asking me to pay for P247 or so for the 17 accounts.

 

Let me reiterate that the said world pass accounts have never and will never be used.  They were supposed to be serve as incentive for Incoho to renew our contract for DSL services for 2006 offered by the previous account officer Maricel Balita. We never pushed thru with the renewal instead we upgraded the contract to 2mbps with Darlene Bismonte who took over the accounts.

 

I hope I can get results on the matter.  For your reference, the account numbers are as follows:

 

105460310

105460094

105459901

105459913

105460113

105461515

105460125

105460082

105460358

105460346

105460402

105460309

105460371

105460334

105460070

105460414

 

They are all under my name, Alain Ariel Bendijo.

 

I look forward to your attention on the matter.

 

Regards,

 

Kyle

-----Original Message-----
From: IC REYES, Robie D. [mailto:robie.reyes@innove.com.ph]
Sent: Friday, September 08, 2006 10:37 PM
To: kyle.bendijo@incoho.com; IC BELTRAN, Angelo D.; IC GUDA, Jesus Dennis M.
Cc: Dino Lacambra; alainarielbendijo@gmail.com
Subject: RE: Cancellation by Incoho
Importance: High

 

 

Hi Kyle,

 

Glad to be of assistance.  Let me know should you require help from me in the future but I am sure that Angelo and Dennis will handle your requirements promptly as well.

 

Best regards.

 

Robie

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Kyle Bendijo [mailto:kyle.bendijo@incoho.com]
Sent: Friday, September 08, 2006 10:33 PM
To: IC REYES, Robie D.; IC BELTRAN, Angelo D.; IC GUDA, Jesus Dennis M.
Cc: 'Dino Lacambra'; alainarielbendijo@gmail.com
Subject: RE: Cancellation by Incoho

 

Robie,

 

Thanks for the quick response and congratulations on your new role

 

On the balances, the statements for each account would indicate a balance of P3.41 CR.    I can have them faxed or sent over by messenger if you need the hardcopy of the statements.

 

Thanks again and I apologize for bothering you with this matter. I shall address future concerns to Angelo Beltran.

 

 

 

Kyle

 

-----Original Message-----
From: IC REYES, Robie D. [mailto:robie.reyes@innove.com.ph]
Sent: Friday, September 08, 2006 9:25 PM
To: kyle.bendijo@incoho.com; IC BELTRAN, Angelo D.; IC GUDA, Jesus Dennis M.
Cc: Dino Lacambra; alainarielbendijo@gmail.com
Subject: RE: Cancellation by Incoho
Importance: High

 

 

Hi Kyle,

 

Okay we will process your request asap.  Are there outstanding balances to each of the account numbers you listed below?

 

Btw, I am copying Mr. Angelo Beltran, the AM who will now be handling Incoho.  As you know, Darlene already resigned from Innove and is now working in Malaysia.  Also copied to this e-mail is Mr. Dennis Guda, the IS of Angelo.  I assumed a new role last April 1, 2006 in our Sales Organization and ceased handling the Call Center industry.

 

Best regards.

 

Hi Angelo,

 

Please ask our Customer Service to deactivate the accounts listed below.

 

Thank you.

 

Hi Dennis,

 

FYI and regards.

 

Robie

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Kyle Bendijo [mailto:kyle.bendijo@incoho.com]
Sent: Friday, September 08, 2006 12:21 AM
To: IC REYES, Robie D.
Cc: 'Dino Lacambra'; alainarielbendijo@gmail.com
Subject: Cancellation
Importance: High

 

Robie,

 

Perhaps you can help me with this matter. For the past couple of months, I have been receiving billing statements with the following account numbers.

 

105460310

105460094

105459901

105459913

105460113

105461515

105460125

105460082

105460358

105460346

105460402

105460309

105460371

105460334

105460070

105460414

 

I was informed by your customer service that these are World Pass Accounts. I’m not really sure what they are or why I am being sent billing statements for them.  I do recall being offered internet accounts by Maricel Balita as a come on when we were about to renew our 1 mbps internet connection for the office. I am assuming that this is what Maricel was offerring us although details on how these were to be availed of were never received. However, we did not push thru with what Maricel was offerring but rather upgraded our connection to 2 mbps with Darlene Besmonte . I would therefore request to have these accounts cancelled and to cease sending me any billing statements for them. If you will check your records, there has not been a single usage for these accounts.

 

Regards,

Kyle

 

Kyle Bendijo

Vice President, Philippine Operations
INCOHO Inc., Philippines
Toll Free 1 800 3207644

Voice:(632) 7505127
Fax: (632) 7505129

Mobile: 09189393001
e-mail: kyle.bendijo@incoho.com
website: www.incoho.com

 

This email is confidential and may also be privileged. Any review, dissemination or use of this e-mail or its contents by persons other than the addressee is strictly prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please notify us immediately, you should not copy or use it for any purpose, nor disclose its contents to any other person.

 

The Dreaded Error 99 and Getting My Baby Back

After an exhaustive shoot in the office shooting my collegues' portraits for our internal company year book I started experiencing the dreaded Error 99 on my 2 year old 30D. After attempting several prescribed remedies found on line the error would still keep popping up. Googled and googled (isn't it amazing how the term "googled" is now an acceptable verb) in a vain attempt to find a cure. It dawned on me to finally bite the bullet. I decided that I had little choice but to bring my camera to the service center in Pasong Tamo.  I was told that my camera's shutter needed replacing and that it would take two weeks, or so the rep told me then. This camera has strong sentimental values. Its my first DSLR and my wife bought it as a birthday gift for me.  It has always been with me for every family gathering from Christmas and New Year gatherings, to baptisms and first birthdays of several nephews and I've even used it to shoot portraits of my co-workers which would eventually end up in our company job ads. Pro bono of course.  So for a good month and change, I felt like I was missing a limb.  Yep, you read it right. Took Canon over a month to have the part shipped and repair my camera.  But anyway. My baby is back. Big thanks to Bianca Ibarra of Canon for interceding on my behalf.

 

Just so its clear, I'm not bashing Canon. I love Canon. My first point and shot was a Powershot G5, then my 30D and several lenses and speedlites shortly thereafter, not to mention a Pixma printer. I love how the EOS system almost makes it effortless to learn photography.  I also enjoy reading about Canon events (sadly have not yet participated in one but I'm told by my fellow Canonites that they are a blast.) But I think a major improvement can be had as far as managing customer expectations.  Had I known that it would take this long upfront, I'd probably be a little less disappointed.

 

And also, and this is just a personal preference. It would probably look more professional if the rep would refrain from playing loud rock music from their laptop and singing at the same time while processing/receiving cameras for repair. Nothing against rock, nothing against loud music, and nothing against singing. But probably not while you're facing a customer. Just ain't kosher.

Airsoft Reunion

Been awhile since I played airsoft, a hobby I was really passionate about sine 2003. I took a break from it after our team stopped hosting at Km18 in Bicutan and I thought after a few months of being in hibernation, I thought I outgrew the hobby.  Last Sunday, the team decided to hit the jungles (slight exaggeration there) again at our former hosted site.  It was raining and the ground was really muddy and there have been major changes to the site. But despite the conditions, as well as getting whipped by younger, newer players (pwe) I could feel the old feelings rekindling and it felt like reuniting with an old lover. (I’m speaking figuratively of course, having no old lovers to speak of.)  It felt good reuniting with my Ghost team mates   (   www.ghostinaction.proboards80.com   shameless plugging ) with whom I’ve shared volumes and volumes of memories, battle scars, battles won and for the most part lost, traded jokes, exchanged vulgarities, uttered profanities, and shared  kegs full of San Miguel Beer with.

Will I continue playing? Probably not with the same frequency and gusto that I had, my knees are being iced as I write this but I did enjoy immensely last Sunday’s game and more over the camaraderie.

 

Another first for me last Sunday. I was asked by a team mate, Pol, to be his godfather at his wedding come October. I was honored and a bit startled at the invite which led me to have self doubt later that evening. I’ve always thought of a godfather as Marlon Brando - esque, wise, wealthy, able to impart the wisdom of Solomon, able to exert influence, able to get somebody whacked. I’ve been a godfather at baptisms but never at weddings. But I recall a conversation I had with my father years before when I was trying to get out of being a ninong for a baptism (yup, I was a cheap skate). He told me that it should be considered  an honor,that the traditional role of a godfather or godmother is to serve as proxy parents sort of, to provide additional guidance to the godson or daughter. And that the mere fact that your friends thought of you to be a godfather reveals that your friends recognize and value the guidance that you can provide to their child. And it won’t hurt come Christmas day too.  And that extends to being a godfather at weddings.