OK this time, I'm thankful for my co-workers. That is, those specific co-workers who have become very good friends of mine. I know that not a lot of people like the people they work with, but in my case, all my teammates in my professional career so far have been very good people and, thus, very good friends :) I'm grateful for them, most of all for my boss JJB who is not only one of the most brilliant and wise bosses you can ever hope to work for, but is also a boss who has your back 100% of the time, who will push for you and push you to go up the next level and who will fight for you all the time, even if it means taking a few punches from others in the process. It is SOOOOOOO rare to have a boss like that, and I'm so grateful to have worked with her for 5 years and to have known her as a friend :)
Come to think of it, I've been pretty lucky with bosses in my professional life. They've all been able to teach me and make me better, both as a person and as a professional. They're inspiring people to emulate and very good friends to have. Thank you, God!
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Wednesday, September 07, 2011
The issue of tourism
OK, let's take a break from analyzing the ins and outs of my life, and talk about something on a national scale. I got inspired to write this post after seeing a barrage of really hopeful messages and quips all around cyberspace, about the newly installed tourism secretary. Many are optimistic about his appointment because he's a marketing man, an ad man, a communications man. I get it. After the fiasco over the last tourism campaign (a truly embarrassing endeavor), I understand why this new secretary has electrified people and gotten them excited. Yes, we have a good marketing man at the helm. But, frankly speaking, SO WHAT?!
Sad to say, and this may be ironic coming from a marketing person, but I sincerely believe that marketing is not the solution to a political problem. And tourism is nothing but a POLITICAL problem, first and foremost. People have NO idea what sort of political mess our tourism department is knee-deep in. Do you know the many agencies who have a stake in the airport, for instance? A different agency takes care of immigration, another for customs, another for the travel tax, another for airport operations, another to interface with the airlines, and so on and so forth. So to even be able to draft a concrete plan to fix the airport means convening a group of probably a hundred people. That's not a marketing problem. It's a f*cking HUGE political problem.
Also, people think that all we need is a communication campaign, a good slogan and maybe a jingle or an endorser to get tourists come flocking back. Again, this is SOOOO foolish. It's the product that's lacking, guys. It's the poor police system, whereby tourists are not protected from the Abu Sayyaf, pickpockets, or even the shady customs people. It's the lack of proper facilities and amenities. It's the broken roads, the broken traffic lights, the traffic that pops out whenever a little sprinkling of rain drops from the sky, the lack of an efficient transportation system, and many many more "lacking" things that make our product SUCK. And no amount of communication will distract tourists from those issues. C'mon, people, advertising cannot help a bad product. And for as long as we don't fix the root cause of the problem, believe me, the tourists will not come flocking in droves.
Some say, how come Thailand or Vietnam have more tourists than us when they're just as poor? Firstly, they're not "just as poor". Secondly, they have a proper tourism system that enables tourists to get in touch with authorities right away. Also, have you encountered Thai police? They're very professional, not at all like our not-so-trusty cops here. They may not have a rich country, but their tourism system works. And just like many of our other systems here, our tourism machinery is so bogged down it can hardly stand up at all.
I'm not saying we're doomed as a tourism spot. Far from it. I do dream of the day when the overall Philippine tourism system is in place and is something to shout to the world about. But let's please put in proper perspective what the problem really is, guys. We need new laws to create the proper (united) body to govern all things tourism-related. We need good infrastructure, and not just in the airports. We need to solve the political problem, before we come up with a comm brief and talk to agencies about a campaign. That's like saying we can sell a bad cake using really good icing. It's just not the way it works. The tail cannot wag the dog.
I hope Mr. Jimenez has a bigger take on his job scope, not merely the communication part. Again, as I also told my class before, marketing is not the solution to a political problem. Look at how Noynoy was voted in purely because of marketing. Look where that got us, because people bought into the communication idea and not the actual, real, true-blue PRODUCT. You end up with disappointment. We don't want that for our tourists. We don't want them getting lured by a great campaign, only to have a huge WTF moment when they land here. Marketing and advertising can be really convincing, I will attest to that. But to put more teeth into whatever brilliant communication plan, we need to look deep into our RTBs (reason to believe - an advertising concept) and be honest about what we can deliver and where we fall (very) short.
The other issue I find with Mr Jimenez's appointment is the fact that he's not a political player. Not that I don't find him refreshing, because I do, and I do hope he does a good job in spite of his lack of political experience. BUT BUT BUT I also know enough about our government system (through my husband) to know that the system can bog down even the most honest and well-meaning official. Corruption is systemic. The government-style thinking riddled with procrastination, 'what's in it for me' attitude and "makisama ka" way WILL NOT bend for Secretary Jimenez. He will have to work with it, or around it, and that's a herculean task. I hope he finds very good and very adept people to work under him; otherwise, I'm afraid his plans may just remain good on paper.
I do hope he succeeds. I guess that one, we'll have to wait and see.
Bow.
Sad to say, and this may be ironic coming from a marketing person, but I sincerely believe that marketing is not the solution to a political problem. And tourism is nothing but a POLITICAL problem, first and foremost. People have NO idea what sort of political mess our tourism department is knee-deep in. Do you know the many agencies who have a stake in the airport, for instance? A different agency takes care of immigration, another for customs, another for the travel tax, another for airport operations, another to interface with the airlines, and so on and so forth. So to even be able to draft a concrete plan to fix the airport means convening a group of probably a hundred people. That's not a marketing problem. It's a f*cking HUGE political problem.
Also, people think that all we need is a communication campaign, a good slogan and maybe a jingle or an endorser to get tourists come flocking back. Again, this is SOOOO foolish. It's the product that's lacking, guys. It's the poor police system, whereby tourists are not protected from the Abu Sayyaf, pickpockets, or even the shady customs people. It's the lack of proper facilities and amenities. It's the broken roads, the broken traffic lights, the traffic that pops out whenever a little sprinkling of rain drops from the sky, the lack of an efficient transportation system, and many many more "lacking" things that make our product SUCK. And no amount of communication will distract tourists from those issues. C'mon, people, advertising cannot help a bad product. And for as long as we don't fix the root cause of the problem, believe me, the tourists will not come flocking in droves.
Some say, how come Thailand or Vietnam have more tourists than us when they're just as poor? Firstly, they're not "just as poor". Secondly, they have a proper tourism system that enables tourists to get in touch with authorities right away. Also, have you encountered Thai police? They're very professional, not at all like our not-so-trusty cops here. They may not have a rich country, but their tourism system works. And just like many of our other systems here, our tourism machinery is so bogged down it can hardly stand up at all.
I'm not saying we're doomed as a tourism spot. Far from it. I do dream of the day when the overall Philippine tourism system is in place and is something to shout to the world about. But let's please put in proper perspective what the problem really is, guys. We need new laws to create the proper (united) body to govern all things tourism-related. We need good infrastructure, and not just in the airports. We need to solve the political problem, before we come up with a comm brief and talk to agencies about a campaign. That's like saying we can sell a bad cake using really good icing. It's just not the way it works. The tail cannot wag the dog.
I hope Mr. Jimenez has a bigger take on his job scope, not merely the communication part. Again, as I also told my class before, marketing is not the solution to a political problem. Look at how Noynoy was voted in purely because of marketing. Look where that got us, because people bought into the communication idea and not the actual, real, true-blue PRODUCT. You end up with disappointment. We don't want that for our tourists. We don't want them getting lured by a great campaign, only to have a huge WTF moment when they land here. Marketing and advertising can be really convincing, I will attest to that. But to put more teeth into whatever brilliant communication plan, we need to look deep into our RTBs (reason to believe - an advertising concept) and be honest about what we can deliver and where we fall (very) short.
The other issue I find with Mr Jimenez's appointment is the fact that he's not a political player. Not that I don't find him refreshing, because I do, and I do hope he does a good job in spite of his lack of political experience. BUT BUT BUT I also know enough about our government system (through my husband) to know that the system can bog down even the most honest and well-meaning official. Corruption is systemic. The government-style thinking riddled with procrastination, 'what's in it for me' attitude and "makisama ka" way WILL NOT bend for Secretary Jimenez. He will have to work with it, or around it, and that's a herculean task. I hope he finds very good and very adept people to work under him; otherwise, I'm afraid his plans may just remain good on paper.
I do hope he succeeds. I guess that one, we'll have to wait and see.
Bow.
Tuesday, September 06, 2011
Bleh!!!!!
This week has been horrible so far (it's only Tuesday, take note). I feel SUPER "bleh" about work. I don't even think my face manages to hide the sentiment well anymore. I sometimes catch myself carrying such a dispassionate face, even around my boss. I don't know what it is about this week, but so far its two days have been nothing but full of this horrible feeling of "bleh".
I feel like much of my work now is so mechanical, I can do it with my eyes closed. What's worse is the feeling of not giving a rat's ass about what I'm doing. Which is even more worrisome for me. I want to care about what I do. I want to feel that emotional connection with my work. And feeling the total opposite is enough to send me into a panic attack... or subdue me to deep reflection mode.
Also quite timely are all these calls from headhunters. To be honest, I've been fending off calls and invitations to interviews for the past couple of months. Getting ultra-prepared for the next phase in our married life, I kept turning calls down and saying I'd rather stay where I am right now, to give way to the entrance of a "little one". After all, who wants to deal with a new employer, new colleagues, new culture and new office, when you are adjusting to being a first-time mother? Anyhoo, recently, I've decided to be open again to these outside opportunities, lest this restlessness kill whatever ounce of career-drive I still have. (In fact, someone mentioned to me recently the concept of "professional plateau"- that stage in your career where you're perfectly okay if your current state becomes your career's ending destination and you just want to work for the pay and go home at 5:30pm,, not having to stretch and "prove anything more). I do not feel like I've reached that stage yet, so maybe I'm doing myself (and maybe even my yet-to-be-conceived child) a disservice by just lying back and shelving my career just to make way for anticipated (and prayed for) motherhood.
Today was one such day again, punctuated by a call bringing external opportunities. Maybe it is high time to move. To something different. Something exciting. Something new. While I'm grateful for what I have now (I have a great boss, great people around me, great office-home distance and great renumeration), I'm sure there's nothing wrong with looking at other (external) greenery and see what else is out there.
OK, so, all those words just boiled down to me declaring I'm open to options. If you know me well, you know I think a lot about things before doing them. Hence all the paragraphs above. Thanks for reading! :P
I feel like much of my work now is so mechanical, I can do it with my eyes closed. What's worse is the feeling of not giving a rat's ass about what I'm doing. Which is even more worrisome for me. I want to care about what I do. I want to feel that emotional connection with my work. And feeling the total opposite is enough to send me into a panic attack... or subdue me to deep reflection mode.
Also quite timely are all these calls from headhunters. To be honest, I've been fending off calls and invitations to interviews for the past couple of months. Getting ultra-prepared for the next phase in our married life, I kept turning calls down and saying I'd rather stay where I am right now, to give way to the entrance of a "little one". After all, who wants to deal with a new employer, new colleagues, new culture and new office, when you are adjusting to being a first-time mother? Anyhoo, recently, I've decided to be open again to these outside opportunities, lest this restlessness kill whatever ounce of career-drive I still have. (In fact, someone mentioned to me recently the concept of "professional plateau"- that stage in your career where you're perfectly okay if your current state becomes your career's ending destination and you just want to work for the pay and go home at 5:30pm,, not having to stretch and "prove anything more). I do not feel like I've reached that stage yet, so maybe I'm doing myself (and maybe even my yet-to-be-conceived child) a disservice by just lying back and shelving my career just to make way for anticipated (and prayed for) motherhood.
Today was one such day again, punctuated by a call bringing external opportunities. Maybe it is high time to move. To something different. Something exciting. Something new. While I'm grateful for what I have now (I have a great boss, great people around me, great office-home distance and great renumeration), I'm sure there's nothing wrong with looking at other (external) greenery and see what else is out there.
OK, so, all those words just boiled down to me declaring I'm open to options. If you know me well, you know I think a lot about things before doing them. Hence all the paragraphs above. Thanks for reading! :P
Thursday, September 01, 2011
China recap
This year has definitely been TRAVEL YEAR. My passport has had so many new stamps and visas, it's quite amusing :) The last time this happened to me was in year 2007-2008, when work-related travel was also monthly, if not bimonthly. Hehe.
OK, our latest trip was to China, on my family's annual pilgrimage trip + trip to see my dad's extended family who are still living there. It was Dennis' first trip with my family, and it was a resounding success. I loved the fact that we got to bond so much during a 3-day period, and I could clearly see how much my brothers enjoy his company and respect him as an older brother. Respecting Dennis as their brother-in-law is automatic and a given. But respecting him as if he were their actual blood kuya is another and a totally optional thing, so for that, I'm very happy and very grateful.
We went to the temple of our patron buddha, as well as 3 other temples of different buddhas. It was also during this trip that we prayed the hardest to be blessed with a child soon. I don't know if this makes sense to people who are not or have never tried waiting for a child to enter their life, but once you start on that path of wanting one, it can oh-so-easily consume every corner of your praying life. You can still ask for the usual keep-us-safe-from-harm and always-guide-us requests, but you will notice that your pleading and asking, sometimes reaching the point of begging, will always revolve around this deep desire. It's not that we're desperate, because we're not (yet) and we've only been really trying for 4 months, but I guess that's just how it normally develops (or at least I hope that's how it really is for everyone). Your heart naturally bares itself once your knees touch those padded red pillows, and since that's the one thing that consumes your heart's desires, it's what will automatically come out from your mind and your lips.
One of the key memories from this trip also involves my dad, and all the funny moments we had with him. I tell you, my dad is one of the most amusing travel companions ever, and I would like everyone to have the pleasure of traveling with him. Even the smallest quips from him were so funny, and I guess a big part of it is because he was so relaxed and stress-free. I'm glad Dennis got to see that side of my dad as well :)
I know we'll do this every year, it being a tradition in my family. But I'm glad that our first outing with Dennis was a huge success and it made him closer to my family. I hope next year will be just as happy, for my brother, since his fiancee (by then his wife) will be joining us :)
Here's to family! *click glasses*
OK, our latest trip was to China, on my family's annual pilgrimage trip + trip to see my dad's extended family who are still living there. It was Dennis' first trip with my family, and it was a resounding success. I loved the fact that we got to bond so much during a 3-day period, and I could clearly see how much my brothers enjoy his company and respect him as an older brother. Respecting Dennis as their brother-in-law is automatic and a given. But respecting him as if he were their actual blood kuya is another and a totally optional thing, so for that, I'm very happy and very grateful.
We went to the temple of our patron buddha, as well as 3 other temples of different buddhas. It was also during this trip that we prayed the hardest to be blessed with a child soon. I don't know if this makes sense to people who are not or have never tried waiting for a child to enter their life, but once you start on that path of wanting one, it can oh-so-easily consume every corner of your praying life. You can still ask for the usual keep-us-safe-from-harm and always-guide-us requests, but you will notice that your pleading and asking, sometimes reaching the point of begging, will always revolve around this deep desire. It's not that we're desperate, because we're not (yet) and we've only been really trying for 4 months, but I guess that's just how it normally develops (or at least I hope that's how it really is for everyone). Your heart naturally bares itself once your knees touch those padded red pillows, and since that's the one thing that consumes your heart's desires, it's what will automatically come out from your mind and your lips.
One of the key memories from this trip also involves my dad, and all the funny moments we had with him. I tell you, my dad is one of the most amusing travel companions ever, and I would like everyone to have the pleasure of traveling with him. Even the smallest quips from him were so funny, and I guess a big part of it is because he was so relaxed and stress-free. I'm glad Dennis got to see that side of my dad as well :)
I know we'll do this every year, it being a tradition in my family. But I'm glad that our first outing with Dennis was a huge success and it made him closer to my family. I hope next year will be just as happy, for my brother, since his fiancee (by then his wife) will be joining us :)
Here's to family! *click glasses*
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