Suggestion Box 2.0 Powered by Starbucks. Is it a Suggestion Box 2.0 or a Customer Service 2.0? Well, Starbucks has now ventured into web2.0 just to get uptime and great ideas from their customers called MyStarbucksIdea.com.

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`American Idol’ Axed Chikezie. Chikezie, 22, who previously worked security at Los Angeles International Airport of Inglewood, California was eliminated from “American Idol” as the show narrowed the competition to nine finalists.

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Just as the WordPress community is starting to get comfortable with the first release candidate of WP 2.5, WordPress RC2 has arrived. Continue reading the whole post…

Oh hai interwubs. Sorry for the lameness of my last two posts. I mean, seriously. They’re super lame. I mean, definitely not as lame as this guy here, but lamezorz still. Honestly, I’ve been staring at the computer screen for a good part of the day, trying real hard to think of ideas to write about. But I really can’t think of anything smart to say, except maybe this:

Attempt at being smart = EPIC FAIL

So maybe I’ve been running out of intelligent things to write. So for a change, I have decided to go and hang out with some intelligent people for a while, instead of the usual perverts and fat people who I spend time with. When I say “intelligent” I mean people who don’t ask for buttsecks with any living creature the first chance they get. But I digress. Read the rest of this entry »

A Customized Training for Customized Service

ACB/August 2007

In its goal to deliver “utmost personalized care” to its guests, Pan Pacific continuously devotes time and money to training its people. One such training, for business writing, ran from July 25 to August 21, 2007.

Joyce Barcelona, Director of People Innovation and Aubrey Tolentino, Senior Operations Manager for Education are at the helm of staff skills development. They consider quality customer service through efficient and effective business correspondence and documentation skills a paramount concern. Thus, they took on the services of Advanced Speech and Academic Professionals Inc.

Prior to the seminar, Technical Writing and Executive Business English (TWEBE), the hotel’s 15 participants (shift managers and supervisors) underwent a pre-assessment they described as simply “challenging.” Nonetheless, they understood the importance of regularly updating their skills and knowledge and dutifully attended the sessions.

The trainer, Carmela Baluyut came to find intelligent and driven professionals in the participants. They asked questions which helped her identify their needs quickly. The workshops were fun and interactive. Each meeting, she gave feedback on their skills for vocabulary use, logic, tone, etc. She made the approach as customized as possible, given the unique needs of Pan Pacific’s clientele. A series of trainings on communication skills for conversational skills and foreign languages this time will follow and ASAP Inc. will continue to provide quality training for the hotel’s specific needs.

Pan Pacific is known for its impeccable and unique Butler Service: one of its kind in the country. It continues to shine above the rest with its excellent services delivered by its excellent people.

“One that desires to excel should endeavor in those things that are in themselves most excellent”.

- Epictetus

THE PILOT GROUP OF RAMPING CADETS AT ISNTC

Ramp – A roadway leading from one level to another

Last June 2006, ISNTC launched is pilot Ramping Cadets group. Basically, these are cadets

who are aspiring to be cadets of ISNTC and work on board. Because of constantly changing international standards set by the global demands on the maritime industry the company initiated a program to upgrade the academic skills of its cadets through a training entitled “ Ramping Cadets” The training department, headed by Captain Palenzuela and Captain Moro saw the great need to fill manning requirements of foreign principals. They saw diamonds in the rough among the cadets and decided to mold these young men into full-fledged cadets. Thus, the Ramping Cadets program began.

The program consists of two review courses: English Proficiency and Mathematics. The English part of the program was handled by ISNTC’s training affiliate Advanced Speech and Academic Professionals or ASAP. It involved a review of basic grammar, essay and letter writing, public speaking, and reporting skills. The Mathematics program, on the other hand, reviewed the participants on job-specific Math skills.

The training worked around an elimination process, where only the toughest survive. The English and Mathematics trainers were instructed to give the participants a battery of tests, drills, and periodic evaluations to see who are academically prepared to undergo the full cadetship program. The participants were fully aware of this setup and strived hard to meet the requirements.

The ISNTC training department is happy to say that the program yielded positive results. The passing rate ensures a sufficient cadet population to help keep ASM in its niche in the maritime industry. The successful passers now feel the challenge and are ready to step up to the plate and show what they are capable of. The positive result has inspired ISNTC and there are talks of more groups of Ramping Cadets to come.

“Courage is the first of human qualities, because it is the quality which guarantees all others.”

– Winston Churchill

The Blue Manila cadets of 2007 went through a week’s intensive training on English communication skills from July 9-13, 2007. The course: Effective Maritime Personality through English Proficiency.

Like in its previous English trainings, Blue Manila commissioned the services of Advanced Speech and Academic Professionals Inc. The Makati-based company assessed and trained the participants on the dynamics of English, how best to apply the language to Maritime situations, and how to become more familiar with its literal and idiomatic meanings.

The engine and deck cadets showed enthusiasm and interest during the sessions. They were particularly interested in the job-interview practice. Here, ASAP invited guest interviewers to measure the speaking skills of the cadets. They were graded according the presentation of their answers as well as the delivery and audibility with which they answered. ASAP uses internationally recognized references such as The European Framework of Reference for Languages to stratify the level of its trainees and give the appropriate intervention for each.

Maritime professionals are required to communicate clearly and give accurate information to seafarers worldwide. This was the guiding thought that inspired the ASAP trainers in handling the cadets’ training.

Blue Manila, through its management fully supports the continued training and education of its people. The Maritime industry continues to evolve and with it, so should its people. There’s a competitive world out there and Blue Manila is equal to the challenge. see there site @  www.bluemanila.com

“We can accomplish almost anything within our ability if we but think we can.”

- George Matthew Adams

REGINES SPA: A RETURN TO THE CLEAN IMAGE OF THE PHILIPPINE MASSAGE

Carmela Baluyut 10/7/06

Regine’s Health Spa has been in the therapeutic health service for 12 years now – longer than the survival years of many other spas in the business. “When we started in 1994, there were only three major players in the Makati area, including us. Now, there are at least 30 spas and that’s only in our area, Kalayaan, Makati, says Ammy Lemana, Regines owner and founder.” But Regines has outlived its rivals through 12 years of industry challenges and slumps. What’s their secret? “Traditional, effective, and no hanky panky spa services,” says Ms. Lemana. She believes “The best customer is a satisfied one. When he’s happy when he walks out of our spa, you can be sure he’ll be back – and he’ll bring friends.”

A DAMAGED IMAGE

Sadly, “satisfaction” from a spa, which is generally known as a massage parlor, seems to have taken on a less professional sound these days. Locally and abroad, spas and massage parlors face a new threat to their professional image. There is now a proliferation of unscrupulous “massage” parlors that maintain a bevy of young, attractive, however often unschooled young ladies. Why the particular requirements? Obviously these masseuses have been instructed to offer more than just massage. This new class of prostitution is causing serious problems to the credibility of spas and massage parlors in general. Says Ms. Lemana. “Now, if a man says he’s going to get a massage, you get raised eyebrows from those around him.”

Soyon Im wrote in The Great Divide: Interracial Romance Divides Asian Americans, that Asian women are portrayed in Hollywood as sex symbols because this is “an extension of the intercontinental Asian sex trade,” and this is because of “the system of military prostitution that has migrated overseas to the US in the form of ‘Oriental’ massage parlors, dating services, and marriage brokerages.”

REINFORCEMENTS ARRIVE

In June 2006, the newly-founded Spa and Wellness Association of Cebu (SWAC) met and discussed to create new provisions measures to prevent further deterioration to the industries image, and steps have been taken to reify these provisions.

The Philippines is also a winner in the Asian Tourism industry. In November 2005, The Philippine Spa Association bagged five top awards at the very first Baccarat AsiaSpa Awards (BASA), attended by over 120 spa owners, experts and supporters at a cocktail and spa cuisine event at the Inter Continental Hong Kong. And as Ms. Lemana says, quality of services go a long way. The global market is full of happy visitors to the Philippines. Here are some happy tourists’ testimonies:

“This is the best place I have ever been to…I don’t know why this country suffers from bad publicity…The Philippines is a very nice place for people to shop and it is also has very cheap but very good quality goods. People are really friendly.” — Sacramento, California

“Overall, I like the Philippine atmosphere, convenience, and values. It’s a great place to shop in and have spa and other massage treatments.”– Hollywood, CA

“According to GAWC’s 2006 studies, Manila is one of the Gamma Cities of the World. (a Global City). In layman’s terms, it’s one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world. I love this city!” – Bangkok, Thailand

REGINES’ FAMILY FRIENDLY SERVICE

In support of the efforts of spa associations, Regines is promoting its massage services for the whole family. Amy and her husband Uly jointly manage their Makati and Boracay branches. “My whole family is involved in this business and I see no reason why a whole family should not get a massage together.” She believes that a family can get stress from work and school, and will invest wisely in therapeutic health services. “This is a real massage: Simply a health remedy for a tired body and mind.”

Sample the best of Regines services such as massages, scrubs, and other beauty treatments. Enjoy their homey atmosphere and the expertise of their masseuses trained by Masseuse Board Exam First placers. Visit their branches at the Mezzanine Floor, 8429 Kalayaan cor., Makati City, Manucmanuc Boracay, and soon to open in Plaza Aldea, Taytay. You can also visit their website at www.regineshealthspa.com

More eNGy toons here…

Canon invites you to discover the real joy of photography and make photography more fun by attending a FREE online tutorial that shows you how easy it is to use a Digital SLR camera!

Find out more on how to Make Photography More Fun at Shutter Box Philippines.

3/26/08

I found this place while we were walking towards a carinderia (sidewalk eatery) where we had our lunch. It was as hole-in-the-wall as it could get and the idea of wedding gowns being peddled on the sidewalk was amusing. This is everyday rural life.

More photos at Pinas or Bust!

Thank you very much!

I was at the mall this afternoon, trying to cool myself from this hot humid weather when I decided to drop by at Datablitz to check out some new game titles. Lo and behold, Command & Conquer 3: Kane’s Wrath is already on their shelves ready for my picking. As an avid RTS fan like myself, I quickly asked the saleslady if I can have one and lucky me they still have one on stock.

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After several months from the release of Emmy Rossum’s album Inside Out, her single Slow Me Down is still among the popular songs in the airwaves today.

And now, her music video for Slow Me Down is Music Picks’ featured video for the week.

Let’s get to know more about Emmy Rossum and her album.

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PBB Teen Edition Plus Housemates is already revealed their age range are 16 to 18. It will be an exciting edition of PBB [ PBB Teen Edition Plus Housemates ]. Here are the links to their pictures.

Josef Elizalde – the Lethal La Sallitte of Mandaluyong

Robi Domingo – True Blue Atenista of Quezon City

Jolas Paguia – the Gentle Giant of Bulacan

Valerie Weignmann – the Dazzling Doll of Germany

Priscilla Navidad – Deaf Dreamer of Davao

Beauty Gonzalez, The Rebellious Beauty of Dumaguete

Jieriel Papa – the Bubbly Girl of Davao

Rona Marie Libby, the Prisoner’s Daughter of Dumaguete

Nan Clenuar, the Junior Kengkoy of Davao

Alex Anselmuccio, the Italian Valentino of Milan

Linda Backlund, the Bikini Babe of Iriga

Nicole Uysiuseng, the Chinese In-Chick of Cebu

Kevin Garcia, the Spanish Stallion of Madrid

Who will be the winner ? All of them got the looks. I think it is done with a purpose because they know that after this season, those kids will be the new set of ABS CBN talents.

Intel will soon be releasing a new processor, and it is called Atom, and you will easily know why.  The chip is only less than 25 square millimeter in size (actual size for unmounted chips is probably smaller than your fingernail), and will consume only 0.6 watts to 2.5 watts.

In fact, it is so small that Intel supposedly can make 2,500 of these processors on a single 300 millimeter wafer.  However, it packs over 47 million transistors each, and the power is equivalent to a Pentium 4 processor running from 1 to 2 ghz.  These chips are intended to be used for low cost notebooks, which will power a new generation of smaller notebooks which will be called the NetBook or what is called the Ultra Mobile PC category.  Some pundits are calling also these products MIDs – mobile internet devices.   The initial batch of Atom processors will be single core processors with a 512kb cache, but dual core versions are also being planned.

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Did you know that Nicole Uysiuseng, the In-chick of Cebu, has a super cute and very sexy cousin? Here is a photo of her supermodel cousin taken with Nicole before she entered the PBB house last Sunday. As you can see this photo was taken inside a McDonald’s fast food chain, although I’m not sure where exactly. If I find out I’m going to update this post with more information. Continue reading for more pics of Nicole Uysiuseng before she entered the big brother house with her super hot cousin Jamie Diago.

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Once again, the Philippine Online Games List has been updated to reflect the new changes. Two new games added, and one put to retirement. If you want to know more, just continue reading here.

It is with shock that we all greet the day with news that Cory has colon cancer. It was just recently that we saw her so actively supporting Jun Lozada and the action to oust Arroyo that we are just happy to see the beloved former president move about, even if some do not agree with her. But as Gump said, life is like a box of chocolates, you wouldn’t know what you are going to get. This time, it was a bitter chocolate Tita Cory got, and it is bitter for all of us.

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Firefox, Safari, and IE Duke it Out! Browsers, browsers and browsers, which is which? Recently, browsers were a buzz beginning with the news that Microsoft has released it’s Internet Explorer 8 Beta 1 which is now available for download for everyone who wanted to experience a new IE.

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