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My Vietnam-Cambodia Escape

10 Tips from a Road Warrior

The Chairman Shares his View from the Top

Lent: A Personal Point of View

Jerry Tañeca of WSI Brings IT on

Rex Imperial & the WSI IT Lab

WSI Summer Games 2011

Summer Fun in Batangas

Digital News

My Precious Asus

How to Reactivate your SSS Membership

Exercise High

Affordable Chow, & Convenient too

Sticking your face in the fan: A Tribute to

Leslie Nielsen & Police Squad

Global Warming—Global Warning

Great Summer Memories

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May 2011 May 2011 Summer issue Summer issue

4

WESPEAK

The official newsletter of

WeSupport, Inc.

12/F Security Bank Bldg., Ayala

Avenue, Makati City

Tel. No. 848-1974.

Email address:

wespeak@wesupportinc.com.

Check our online version at

www.wesupportinc.com

THE EIGHTH HABIT

by Burt Gabot

When Tom Brown, the former editor of Industry Week first quoted the phrase ―work-life balance‖ in their August

1988 issue, it wasn‘t that much of a buzzword. Back then, the current magic industry cure-all was Stephen

Covey‘s ―Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.‖ But like most trends, after time, even Seven Habits became

too worn out and too cliché for anyone to pay attention to it anymore.

And like any trend, it got replaced by supposedly-new guiding principles for people managers, and for anyone else

who had to keep people productive in the workplace. So it came to pass that, in the new millennium, companies

had to espouse a good ―work-life balance‖ for their people, even over and above their practicing Seven Habits.

And, indeed, it somehow rings true, at least for me – that everyone has to work hard, but at the same time there

should be a balance between working hard, and setting aside time for yourself. Around 2005, it was very cool for

companies to put up employee programs promoting work-life balance. And most everyone I knew then joined

gyms, or started playing badminton regularly, or started making regular vacation plans to go to Boracay with the

family, or to some other vacation-type place. For me, that was the time when I started getting into my photography

and writing thing. After all, I was part of this work-life balance fad. As luck would have it, I was promoted to man-

age my own little department, I had some of my pictures published in the papers, and I was privileged to have

been able to write a few pieces for some of my favorite magazines. Perhaps there was some truth to this balance

thing.

Work-life balance took on more meaning for us WSI-ers this April: Many of us have projects that had critical cut-

over schedules that month, so a lot of us had to do more overtime than usual. And the prospect of the proverbial

burnout was all the more probable. It is perhaps appropriate that the company‗s annual summer outing was

scheduled at almost the same time as the cutover. It was fortunate that many were able to take the day off and

enjoy the sun and fun, but a few had to go straight back to work immediately after. But I am sure, even though

they had to, they felt all the better for the summer outing, and it renewed their sense of purpose in their work, and

had fun besides.

The point I am making is that work-life should be able to co-exist with fun-life. Sometimes it‗s difficult to do, but it‗s

critical to what Tom Brown wrote in his article, ―The Model Employee – that the one who is able to have a balance

between work and personal life is the best kind of employee, and is a better kind of person because of it. Perhaps

Stephen Covey should think about having work-life balance as part of his seven habits for effective people –

maybe he can make it the eighth habit.

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF ‗TWO‘

by Olan Velano

The much-awaited second issue of WeSpeak Magazine is finally out! We welcome our dear readers to Issue Number

Two, which is also our first summer edition. We prepared lots of fun and sunny articles for you, just in time for this sum-

mer.

Everyone connected with the magazine is very concerned about making the magazine as relevant to as many WSI

employees as possible, and this has led us to broaden the scope of the magazine: Aside from the very much read IT-

related articles, we have also given equal time to the Health and Employees‘ sections. You will also be meeting the new-

est member of the WeSpeak family - the cautious but funny Marcus – the star of Marife‘s new comic strip.

All of these has made me wonder what‗s so significant about a second issue. According to chacha.com, the number Two

symbolizes kindness, balance, tact, equalization and duality, which seemed oddly relevant, since we at WeSupport try to

work as one big family - treating each other equally, with understanding, kindness and compassion.

We also value our work and our clients in the same way that we value our dignity. Our job is important to us so we take

our work seriously. But this does not mean that we do not have time to relax and enjoy anymore, which brings to mind

another meaning of the number Two: balance. A sense of balance between fun and professionalism is one of the things

that the BOD includes in its programs. In this issue, you will find highlights of the WSI Summer Haven 2011 , held at

Laiya, Batangas, which shows how we manage that other side of the work-life balance equation. Inside, you will see

pictures of your WSI co-workers having fun under the scorching summer sun. Almost everyone participated in the sum-

mer outing games. We heard a lot of cheering, teasing and jeering, but at the end of the day, it seems WSI people relate

to one another with tact and diplomacy, kindness and understanding, even at play.

That‘s what I like about WSI: people are sensitive to the emotions and attitude of others, in the same way they are about

differing opinions and ideas. There may be some things that people do not readily agree on but at least WSI people try to

look at things from both perspectives. I think this just proves equality is evident within WSI, regardless of age, gender,

status, designations, and even religion. We believe that we are all equal in dignity and rights, which is essential to dealing

with people.

Isn‘t it amazing how duality is manifested in each of us? When we go to work every day, we focus our attention on the

tasks at the office. But after the workday, we change our character – perhaps to that of a father buying toys to bring

home for his kids, or to a mother rushing home to cook dinner for the family, or to someone who loves to read books,

watch movies, go on dates, see friends or shop at the malls. But, you know, this is not actually changing one‘s character

– it‘s just another side of you that other people in the office do not see: a duality that is nothing but normal. Duality – again

something associated with the number Two.

These are some of the things that makes me think about the number Two, and what it symbolizes. I hope that you enjoy

our Issue Number Two.

PUBLISHING EDITOR Olan Velano

EDITOR IN CHIEF Burt Gabot

EDITOR Randy Vizcarra

HEALTH Isah Clerigo

CURRENT EVENTS John Voltaire Lim

TECHNOLOGY Angelo Carlo Sison

CONTRIBUTORS Jane Miralles

Efraim Pintuan

Liezel Valenzuela

DESIGN Randy Vizcarra

COVER Naunelle Songco

COMICS Marife Dela Cruz

EDITORIAL

5

T his quotation couldn‘t be truer since going to places

one has not visited yet gives the traveler a first-hand

experience that books can only describe in words.

For someone who is wont to travel, I must admit that

visiting other countries gives me a different kind of pleasure.

This was what I experienced when, in February, my friends

and I flew to Vietnam for a week-long vacation. As one of my

dream vacations, this trip to Vietnam truly gave me not just a

glimpse of its storied past, but also its rich Asian culture.

The climate is very much like ours and there is only about one

hour time difference. Visitors from the Philippines do not

require a visa and can stay up to 21 days in Vietnam. The

currency is Vietnam Dong (VND). However, US dollars are

readily accepted hence there is little need to exchange

currency when buying things or transacting business.

Here are a few of my observations on Vietnam.

Motorbikes are their primary mode of transportation. They

even have dedicated lanes for motorbikes in the main road.

I think almost everyone owns a motorbike, whether young

people or adults. I also noticed that they only have a few taxi

cabs plying the streets. Their traffic is very slow-moving, about

40 kph in my estimation.

By Jane Miralles My Viet-Cam Escape The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page. – St. Augustine

Situated on the eastern coast of mainland Southeast Asia is

the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), bordered on the north

by China, and on the West by Cambodia and Laos. Vietnam,

just like its Asian neighbors, bravely fought many wars, the

most infamous of which was the American-Vietnamese War

that started in 1955. It was also undeniably the worst in the

country‘s history. When the war ended on April 1975, over

55,000 Americans soldiers and an estimated three million

Vietnamese were killed. [Over two thirds of the current popu-

lation was born after 1975.]

Surprisingly, Vietnam is now one of the fastest-rising nations in

Southeast Asia, and much of its success is due to its abundant

agricultural resources.

LIVIN‘ LIFE

5

Photos: A church in Ho Chi Minh; Mekong River, the world's tenth longest river; motorbikes in the city; the

surreal Crazy House; Elephant Falls in Dalat (Vietnam) and centuries-old ruins in Cambodia.

Cont‘d. on next page

6

W e also travelled to Cambodia for a one-day tour,

and we were mesmerized by ancient Angkor Wat

(―Angkor‖ means city and ―Wat‖ means temple).

Angkor Wat was a temple complex built for King

Suryavarman II of the 12th century as his state temple and capi-

tal city. It is the country‘s national symbol, as well as the world‘s

largest religious structure and therefore the country‘s biggest

tourist attraction. The Angkor Wat day-tour costs USD 20.

There was also another temple nearby, Ta Phrom, which people

know as the temple where actress Angelina Jolie filmed

Tombraider. The locals, especially the kids, call it the Angelina

Jolie Temple.

Angkor Café is the only restaurant near Angkor Wat Temple, and

when the restaurant manager introduced himself to us, we were

glad to find out that he was a fellow Filipino. We realized that

OFWs are everywhere, even in Cambodia.

We stayed in the Golden Mango Inn for USD 10 each (this

included breakfast). It‘s clean and comfortable, and located

near Angkor Wat. It was voted the Number 1 Hostel in Cambodia

for 2009 and 2010. It is also near transportation terminals

where people can ride Tuktuks, the primary means of

transportation in Cambodia.

Almost every commodity is reasonably-priced in Vietnam. We

roughly spent USD 8 per day for our accommodations, USD

9 for a whole-day tour (with lunch, van and tourist guide),

USD 3 per meal with drinks (with free veggies!), USD 0.50 for

taxi fare, and USD 2 for a souvenir shirt.

Like Filipinos, the Vietnamese people are also warm and

friendly. There were vacationing Canadian and other Europe-

ans when we were there, perhaps seeking a respite from the

winter chill in their countries.

We were billeted in the Kim Hotel, which we believe is

equivalent to one of our budget hostels. Located in Bui Vien

Street, a backpacker‘s area where a lot of tourists stay, the

Kim Hotel charges USD 8 per night, indeed very affordable.

Delicious Vietnamese food can also be easily had for a mere

USD 3, inclusive of coffee and dessert. Worth mentioning

too is their coffee, which tastes different yet great. Being a

coffee lover, I found myself ordering cup after cup of coffee

wherever it was available. Coffee Vietnamese-style is

commonly served with single-cup filter with condensed milk

at the bottom.

Speaking of coffee, did you know that next to Brazil, Vietnam

is the largest coffee exporter in the world? One of the guides

shared this trivia to our group as we negotiated our way

through a vast coffee plantation, which was part of our

countryside tour. The guide further added that the rich, red-

dish soil which is apparently volcanic in origin, makes it per-

fect for planting coffee beans.

Another equally interesting place in Vietnam is Dalat, the City

of Love. Dalat is similar to our Baguio City in terms of

climate, and has plenty of tall pine trees, and bountiful

harvests of flowers and vegetables. Dalat is a 6 or 7-hour

trip from Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam‘s capital.

As a practical traveler, staying in the Kim Hotel was the best

deal with its friendly rates and the convenience it offers. Our

group learned much of the Vietnamese culture in a home-

stay type of environment since it‘s located in the heart of Ho

Chi Minh, a five-minute walk from various restaurants, night

haunts, and the bus station. We only had stroll to experience

the many colorful sights and the exciting taste of Vietnam.

PHOTOS: A flower farm in Dalat, Vietnam, map of Vietnam and

Cambodia, and remnants of the mystical Angkor Vat.

CAMBODIAN detour

7

2 Join running clinics or online

running forums: Running clinics are

valuable because they teach you the proper

things to do when running. Many running

clinics are free - you just need to sign up. As

incentives to join, some clinic organizers

distribute give-aways. Running clinics usually

tackle topics like the proper running form,

how to warm up properly, and other running

tips. Most clinics also conduct actual group

runs to demonstrate and emphasize these

tips and techniques. Running forums allow

people to catch up on the latest running

information and trends. I often check out

running forums since they usually place race

schedules and reviews. (Some of the more

popular on-line forums are takbo.ph and

pinoyfitness.com.)

3 Keep yourself properly hydrated: Drink water or a sports drink at least 15

minutes before the race and every 1.5 kms

during the race. This is especially important

during summer. Keep in mind that thirst is

already a sign of dehydration. On the other

hand, make sure you don't over-drink or you

might feel bloated and not be able to run

properly. Another problem of over hydrating is

hyponatremia, a condition where there is an

electrolyte imbalance in your body - because

your blood‘s sodium (salt) level has gone too

low because of over-drinking. You could faint

and collapse when this happens. The key

here is proper balance. (A sports drink, such

as Gatorade, provides water and sodium

additives to improve hydration. Note that

sports drinks are not the same as so-called

energy drinks, like Red Bull, Cobra or Lipovi-

tan: These ―energy drinks‖ are actually

dangerous to drink when doing vigorous

exercise.)

Tips from a Road WarriorTips from a Road Warrior By JB Ligot

I am not out to snag the gold or any top

places in the races that I sign up with

since I am not a natural athlete.

If you would also like to run, here are

10 useful running tips I have learned

over the years that I believe will help

you to be ready to race:

1 Have a checkup: Make sure you are

healthy enough before engaging in any major

physical activity, especially if you haven‘t

been exercising recently. There have been

cases of runners dying during races because

of health issues. So make sure to get a physi-

cal with your doctor.

Mostly, I run to keep fit and to try to

better my personal record (PR). I

make a target for each race, and try to

meet or surpass it. - Jb

Running clinic organized by Milo APEX

(September 2010). Cont‘d. on page 8

1010 SPORTS

It has been almost two years since I started running regularly again.

Before leaving for Saudi Arabia, I had already joined quite a number of running and duathlon events (run-and-bike events). Back

then, since running clinics were unheard of and shoe technology wasn't as advanced, I just ran with my favorite rubber shoes (which

did not necessarily fit my foot type), and was unmindful of the proper running form that maximizes speed and lessens injuries.

I first started running consistently around 1999, joining 5K races and biking, but had to stop when I started working for IBM in Saudi

Arabia in 2003. The running and multisport community back then wasn't as big as it is now, and the races were so much cheaper. At

that time, there were not too many races that one can join regularly and most runners just trained by themselves. I used to run at

the ULTRA oval two or three times a week, usually in the evenings after work. During the weekends, I did long runs by joining a race or

going to UP to jog around the university academic oval.

After coming back to the Philippines in

2008, and gaining more pounds as well,

I wanted to get back to a healthier life-

style. Initially, it was difficult to find time

because of the distance between home

and office, as well as adjusting to the

new working environment. In 2009, I

asked Xenos, my treadmill running

buddy in Riyadh, if he wanted to join the

Globe Run for Home 5K. He agreed, and

the rest was history. I have now been

able to join quite a number of races

since then, most notable of these were

two full marathons, around 20 or so

21km. races and several other runs (5K,

10K, 15K and 16K races).

8

8 Don't experiment during a race: Don‘t try something radically different from

your usual techniques and routines during

race day so that your race will go as

smoothly as possible. I have heard of peo-

ple trying out energy gels for the first time in

races and they had stomach problems

during the race. Eat and drink only what you

know your body has already adapted to and

avoid problems. Don't wear something new

during races - new clothes and shoes could

cause chaffing or skin allergies if the texture

of the textiles does not interact well with

your skin. I myself don't usually wear the

singlets being given out on race day if I have

not broken them in first during my training

runs.

9 Get enough sleep before a race: I'm sure, due to the excitement prior to a

race, most of us have difficulty sleeping the

night before. (Among race enthusiasts, it is

a given that runners do not sleep much the

night before a race.) Therefore, the most

important thing to do is to sleep at least 8

hours two nights before, so you will be

rested enough before your run. I myself go

through this. For example, when I went to

Sta. Rosa for my 2nd marathon, we had to

check in at a hotel due to a 2AM race start.

It was a new room and I had difficulty

adjusting (parang namamahay). I ended up

getting only two hours of sleep. So, now, I

make it a point to get plenty of rest two

nights before a race.

10 Enjoy the race: To minimize

disappointment, do not pressure yourself

with unrealistic goals (i.e., finishing first

place in a race even though you know

Kenyans are present). Try to set realistic

expectations so that when things go well

(i.e., enough hydration stations, nice loot

bag, organized event), you will find more

satisfaction from the whole event. Feel the

breeze on your skin, glance at the attire of

fellow runners, marvel at the opportunity of

being able to run on an otherwise congested

road, or appreciate the fact that you can run,

period. Think of these and other positive

thoughts when running and you will be

happier when you cross the finish line.

From page 7

Road runners’ must-haves: mineral water or sports drinks for proper hydration;

a Garmin GPS-capable sports watch; appropriate running shoes, and light &

breezy running apparel.

4 Start slow and build up to race

pace: Many first-time runners think they can

sprint a 5K or 10K race by starting really fast,

and only end up exhausting themselves early

in the race. The best way to start is to make

sure you can still talk with your running buddy

while running. After you have warmed up, you

can then slowly speed up your pace. Maintain

a comfortable running speed and try to finish

strong.

5 It is okay to walk: For many newbie

competitive runners, walking during a race

connotes weakness. Walking is actually okay,

and is the best weapon to push back your

exhaustion point. Quick rest-walks boost

energy so one can continue running with a

faster pace. This technique is better than

continuous running, which exerts tremendous

pressure on the knees. I have seen people

who ran non-stop and yet finished slower

than people who placed strategic walk breaks

during the race.

6 Wear comfortable and scientifi-

cally-designed running clothes: Make

sure that your shoes can evaporate sweat

and water as quickly as possible. Technical

sports clothes (i.e., dri-fit, vapor wick, etc.) are

also widely available in most sports shops.

These are light, absorb liquids and evaporate

them swiftly. Clothes made of cotton tend to

hold liquids longer and make the clothes

heavier. Underwear should also be light.

7 Wear shoes designed for your

feet: It is best to have your feet checked to

know what foot type it is, and an idea of what

type of running shoe you should get. You can

have your foot checked by a podiatrist, or

have them checked for free at specialty

running stores like Runnr and Secondwind.

While they can suggest what shoes are good

for you, it is important to try them for comfort

as well. In the past, I tried some shoes meant

for my foot type, but felt some foot pain after

a few runs. After buying shoes, it is important

to break them in before you race with them.

You do not want to use new shoes for a race

just because they look good. Shoes you wear

on race day should at least have been broken

in perhaps about two weeks‘ worth of usage,

before using them for a race. This is particu-

larly important for 10K or longer runs.

Hong Kong Standard Chartered running clinic

(2008).

9

THE CHAIRMAN

shares his view from the top

Xenos Caruz is most happy and proud to have

been given the distinct honor to lead the young and

robust company, WeSupport, Inc. (WSI). He currently

juggles a tight schedule as both an analyst for the Cus-

tomer Facility System Application Administration (CSFAA)

of PLDT, and as chairman of the WSI board of directors -

a position which he has successfully held for the third

consecutive year. Mr. Caruz met with this writer to talk

about the company that he helped establish with his

fellow colleagues and friends four years ago.

Highlights of work experience

When he was still working as a

business analyst on the

Integrated Customer Manage-

ment System project of SMART

Communications in 1995, little

did he know that his skills would

later take him as far as Brazil

and Saudi Arabia.

What occupies him besides

being chairman of the WSI Board

Clarity, the new operations

support system for PLDT is cur-

rently being implemented in

Bulacan (as of this writing). He

says that the people in the pro-

ject (himself included) have

been neck-deep in testing and

configuration activities lately, in

order to meet Bulacan‘s April cut

-over. After Bulacan, the next

major rollout is in Bacolod.

His duties and responsibilities as

Chairman of the WSI Board

The chairman teams up with the

chief executive officer to achieve

the company‘s mission to

become the preferred business

process outsourcing provider in

the IT and telecom fields.

Together with the CEO, they

provide leadership for the board

in this area. As chairman, he

leads each meeting, as well as

makes the agenda. Together

with the CEO and the Finance

Committee, he helps monitor the

financial activities of the

company. In addition, he helps

guide and mediate with the

Board with respect to organiza-

tional and governance concerns.

About the company‘s success

Xenos remains undaunted by

the rise of other similar

companies, saying that the

company‘s inner strength lies in

having hands-on technical peo-

ple who have also worked in

large and highly profitable tech-

nology-driven firms, such as IBM,

PLDT and SMART to name a few.

He also adds that no other man-

power provider in the telecoms

industry can claim to have a set

of directors who have dual roles

as board members and

consultants that can handle an

entire BSS/OSS, System. He

says that each director has his

own area of expertise. This is

WSI‘s biggest strength and

advantage that distinguishes it

from other providers: since all of

the board members are

deployed to clients, the directors

can easily guide consultants

deployed to the same company

at any stage of the software

development lifecycle - with the

exception of Mr. Edu Belarmino,

who is currently in Saudi Tele-

com (but is due to join the group

this year), all of the thirteen

directors are deployed, just like

the company‘s consultants.

Future plans of the company

Xenos says that WSI wants to

gain a wider leverage in the

industry, which, he reveals, is

possible when the company is

able to align itself with the

directions and objectives of

industry associations, and

thereby strengthen its position in

the industry and build a stronger

corporate image.

By Randy Vizcarra

Cont‘d. on page 14

FEATURES

10

Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.

The Teutonic word ―lent,‖ which denotes the

forty days of fasting preceding Easter, origi-

nally meant no more than the spring season.

It was also the translated term of the old

Anglo-Saxons of the Latin ―quadragesima‖ (to

the French, it is ―carême‖, to the Italians,

―quaresima,‖ and to the Spanish

―cuaresma‖), which means "the forty days", or

more literally ―the fortieth day" (Catholic

Encyclopedia).

The purpose of Lent is to prepare the Chris-

tian believer — through prayer, repentance,

almsgiving and self-denial — for the com-

memoration of the Death and Resurrection of

Jesus Christ during Holy Week.

Ash Wednesday begins the Lenten season.

On this day, devout Roman Catholics gather

in churches and wait for the priest to mark

their foreheads with ash from burned palas-

pas (fronds and branches blessed during the

previous year‘s Palm Sunday), mixed with oil.

This is to remind Catholics that from dust they

came, and to dust they shall return.

Officially, Palm Sunday (the Sunday before

Easter) is the beginning of Christendom‗s

Holy Week. Orthodox Greeks celebrate this

day with great solemnity - they call it kyriake,

heorte ton baion or heorte baiophoros. It‗s

also known as Lazarus Sunday because the

day preceding Palm Sunday is the Feast of

the Resuscitation of Lazarus.

Palm Sunday also coincides with Passover,

which is an important day for both Catholics

and, most especially Jewish people.

Palm Sunday commemorates the triumphant

arrival of Jesus in Jerusalem, where palm

branches are laid out before him. One of the

traditions in the old Jewish world was

covering the path of someone with palm

leaves, which symbolize peace, to honor

them. The waving of palm fronds as well as

laying them down in Jesus‗ path gives them

an important kind of symbolism.

Maundy Thursday, as little Filipino Catholics

were told by their parents, is that special

Thursday where Jesus Christ washed the feet

of his thirteen disciples, before all of them sat

down at the famous ―Last Supper.‖ (Washing

one‘s hands, feet and face before supper was

an important custom then.)

It is on Maundy Thursday that Catholics of all

ages go on pilgrimages to churches (Visita

Iglesia or church visits) and practice the ritual

called ―the Stations of the Cross,‖ with one

station for each church visited. Some visit

seven churches while others visit fourteen, as

a yearly devotion (panata). [For those who

want to see life-size figures of the stations of

the cross, they can visit the ―Kamay ni He-

sus‖ Church in Laguna and Grotto Vista in

Bulacan].

Biblically, Lent is associated with Jesus

Christ‘s forty days of fasting in the desert, as

he underwent his famous trials before God

and the devil. On Holy Week, especially on

Good Friday, Catholics are exhorted to ab-

stain from eating meat, and to fast.

Among Christians, not just Catholics, Easter

Sunday is the most important of all feast

days, since it is the day when they commemo-

rate the day Jesus came back to life. Though

in the modern era most just celebrate Easter

with Easter egg hunts or the Easter Bunny,

the more traditional Filipinos try to preserve

old Catholic traditions: most Filipino Catholics

wake up before the crack of dawn for the

Salubong, a very colorful ritual where church-

goers join a parade that sees the "meeting" of

Mother Mary and the Risen Lord. Some

salubong organizers have elaborate parades

with children representing cherubs or little

angels, while other churches use trained

T here are so many reasons why I‘m so

excited about summer. Here in the

country, Easter week‘s Thursday and

Friday are official public holidays, as

Eid ul-Fitr is. By tradition, Holy Week Thurs-

days and Fridays are called Maundy Thursday

and Good Friday, and are important days in

the Christian calendar, as they are part of the

commemoration of the death and resurrec-

tion of Jesus Christ.

Since Maundy Thursday and Good Friday

happens during the summer months, it is

customary for most to take advantage of

these official holidays and take a vacation,

perhaps to go to some far-off getaway while

others just stay at home. But, really, for those

who aren‘t Catholic, or perhaps are Catholic

but have not really given much thought to

what these days mean beyond they being

vacation days, it is difficult to understand

their significance in this world of materialism,

cyberspace, and Easters spent frolicking in

Boracay? This article goes beyond this and

digs into the rituals of palaspas, Visita Iglesia,

fasting, and salubong.

Lent: A personal point of viewLent: A personal point of viewLent: A personal point of view by Liezel Valenzuela

Cont‘d. on page 30

ABOVE PHOTO: Pilgrims gather at a statue in Sanctuario de Tarlac. LEFT: Palm Sunday 2011: Devotees at the Our Lady of Manaog Chapel in Pangasinan, one of the most-visited churches in the country.

LIVIN‘ LIFE

11

“EVERYBODY IS IMPORTANT.“ JERRY BELIEVES THAT BEHIND EVERY

SUCCESSFUL ORGANIZATION ARE PEOPLE IMPLEMENTING EFFECTIVE

BUSINESS PROCESSES.

In Metro Manila, one of the younger

manpower companies that regularly tap

this ever-growing workforce to supply

different companies with IT-related tech-

nical skills is WeSupport, Inc (WSI). This

writer had a chance to talk with its Gen-

eral Manager, Jerry Tañeca, concerning

the company‘s directions for 2011, and

the various employment opportunities it

has in store for current IT professionals

as well as fresh IT graduates, especially

during this graduation season.

HOW MR. TAÑECA BECAME WSI

GENERAL MANAGER

For nearly twenty-five years, Jerry Tañeca

was employed by the Philippine Long

Distance Telecommunications Company

(PLDT). From an accounting clerk/

bookkeeper in PLDT‘s Revenue Account-

ing Division, Sir Jerry underwent IT

training and passed the competitive

Programmers Aptitude Test, and was

assigned as a programmer. He held

several other positions before becoming

the Division Head of PLDT‘s IS Data Cen-

ter and IS User Support under the IS

Operations Center. He took advantage of

PLDT‘s manpower reduction program in

1983 and, in 1984, he ventured into

politics and became the vice mayor of

Lubang Island in Occidental Mindoro.

He did not seek reelection but instead

engaged in a telecom-related business.

In January 2010, the WSI management

headed by former co-employee and

friend, President and CEO Bong

IN today’s computer-savvy world,

some business-related activities

that used to be exclusively

accomplished by human hands

have now become fully auto-

mated processes, with many

more continuously being altered

by the genius of automation and

computer systems. As a result,

new businesses have sprung like

mushrooms to address this

increasing trend. Information

technology (or IT) - that new

business industry permeated by

computers, video screens and

computer consoles - is on a

steady search for men and

women of exceptional

competence.

JERRY TAJERRY TAÑÑECA BRINGS ECA BRINGS IT IT ONON

Miranda, asked for his services and

hired him as WSI‘s new GM. Sir Jerry did

not hesitate to join the company and

looked forward to the challenges in-

volved in managing the company‘s day-

to-day operations. He also wanted to be

part of a growing company that was

already starting to build a name in the IT

consulting and manpower provisioning

business.

KEY DUTIES

GM Jerry leads a compact team of

twenty staffers which act as the support

group for over two hundred consultants.

As general manager, he leaves no stone

unturned in making sure that all the

necessary business processes are

strictly implemented in its daily

operation. The wealth of experience he

gained in managing people from PLDT

came in very handy for this complex yet

exciting task.

He says that there is not much

difference as far as his current and

previous duties and responsibilities are

concerned since they both involve man-

aging people. In fact his being part of

the PLDT IS change management proc-

By Randy Vizcarra

ess and problem management teams

enabled him to implement several

much-needed business processes in

WSI. He emphasizes, though, that im-

provements and additions to existing

business processes are never-ending,

and every day gives everyone, including

himself, the opportunity to learn.

Since its heyday in the eighties, the IT industry has opened up a lot of opportunities and created a lot of careers for the tech-savvy and, compared to most other business sectors - compensation for international tech jobs re-mains high—the reason why undergraduate IT courses continue to attract thousands of Filipino youths like magnets. In the Philippines, recent govern-ment figures show that we have over 590,000 students taking up engineering and computer sci-ence courses, and, of this number, an average of 63,000 students graduate annually.

PROFILES

Cont‘d. on page 13

12

By John Voltaire Lim

The man behind the Training

Program

During the Marcos regime in the '80s,

Rex was laid off from the company

where he was working as a cadet engi-

neer. This was typical for many profes-

sionals then, as many foreign investors

were leaving the country which was

under Martial Law at the time.

Rex took a chance and enrolled in the

Electronic Data Processing (EDP) course

of the now-defunct Automation Center of

the Philippines (ACP). A month later, ACP

offered him a slot in their OJT program

as a computer operator, and was also

given a scholarship grant to learn the

COBOL, RPG and Assembly programming

languages. That was the turning point

for his career.

With these new skills, a relative invited

him to work at the Ateneo de Naga Uni-

versity and set up a computer center

and to introduce computer education as

an elective subject for engineering and

accounting students. At that time, there

were no computer science or computer

engineering college degrees. With the

help of two other colleagues, they de-

signed the curriculum and developed an

enrollment system using the old FoxPro

and dBase programming platforms. The

project was a success, making Ateneo

de Naga the first school in the Bicol Re-

gion to integrate computer subjects in its

college and in high school curricula.

Other schools followed.

Rex decided to go back to Manila to

work with Philips. However, it was at a

time when their labor union was organiz-

ing a picket line. He was immediately

drafted to serve as a replacement in

maintaining modules of mission-critical

systems for its clients while the strike

was ongoing. The company later on

offered him an overseas training

program in recognition of his unwavering

dedication.

There, he was able to learn the real

"nuts and bolts" of hardware and soft-

ware and was assigned to the

company‘s R&D in Hong Kong and

Holland. He was heavily exposed to the

Bridging the gap between theory and practice

Rex Imperial and the WSI IT Lab:

UNKNOWN TO MANY, WSI IS CURRENTLY RUNNING A TECHNICAL TRAINING PROGRAM FOR

WSI TRAINEES TO EQUIP THEM WITH UP-TO-DATE PROGRAMMING SKILLS IN PREPARATION

FOR THEM LATER BECOMING PART OF THE COUNTRY’S IT WORKFORCE. MR. REX IMPERIAL,

WSI’S SENIOR IT CONSULTANT, IS CURRENTLY IN CHARGE OF THE PROGRAM.

A licensed Civil Engineer and an IT expert, Rex spends most of his time running his construction company and serving as WSI’s chief consultant and trainor for the program. It is currently being run out of WSI’s IT lab in the 19th floor of the Security Bank Building in Makati. The WSI Training Pro-gram started in 2009 with six trainees whereas training of the second batch commenced in August of 2010. The program’s trainees were carefully selected from various IT colleges and universities, most of them knowledgeable in Visual Basic and Java programming. Classes are held daily, with four hours of lecture and another four hours of practical work on the students’ case study – a study which is being exe-cuted in multiple phases: from planning & design, to completion & final testing.

Programming is a talent

says Rex Imperial

(shown above). Rex

believes that there is a

big gap between what

is taught in schools

and what is applied in

the workplace.

PROFILES

13

To help bridge this gap, Rex has decided

to focus his training in WSI on a unique

teaching philosophy: "We will teach what

computer schools cannot." WSI‘s train-

ing now covers subjects like business

processes, programming standards,

multi-tiered architectures, and database

design among others, culminating in the

development of a case study where a

real-world programming environment is

simulated.

Branching out

According to Mr. Andres ‗Andy‘ Dela

Cruz, WSI‘s vice-president for Technical

Training, the trainees are required to

develop a payroll system as their real-

world case study. This system will be

used and tested in WSI itself. Rex

revealed that if the trainees‘ payroll sys-

tem is deemed a good-enough applica-

tion, WSI may decide to package it as a

marketable application, giving WSI the

potential to branch out and become an

application solutions provider, which is

in line with Andy‘s goal of having more

marketable products for the company.

More than just programming

Rex said ―programming is a talent,‖ but

he further explained that it doesn‘t

necessarily follow that someone who

has the talent will become a successful

programmer. The person should also be

very good in analysis and abtract

reasoning. This is the reason why Rex is

implementing a computer aptitude test

on top of the standard employee exams

of WSI, to determine whether a prospec-

tive trainee has the potential to become

a successful programmer.

UNIX environment, writing software for

the banking industry using the C

language and the Informix database. He

left the company three years later after

availing of the Manpower Redundancy

Program brought about by the world-

wide merger of Philips and Digital Equip-

ment Corp (DEC). After which, he joined

the first batch of Filipinos recruited to

work in Kuwait for its rehabilitation

program after the Gulf War.

After finishing his overseas contract, he

decided to return to Manila perma-

nently. He was offered a job at the Dao-

Heng Bank which was later acquired by

Banco de Oro (BDO). After the merger,

he was tasked to organize the Transac-

tion Banking Group (TBG), and boost its

electronic banking products in cash

management targeting corporate clients.

TBG was where the Integrated Disburse-

ment Solution (IDS) was hatched and

implemented. That year, TBG earned for

BDO an award for best in cash manage-

ment services.

When he was still with BDO, he also

worked as a part-time instructor at STI-

Caloocan. He met Joey Julaton who is

also a part-time STI instructor and a WSI

consultant. Through Joey, Rex met

Richard Inzon. That paved his way into

WSI.

Recoverable gap

Rex believes that there is a big disparity

between what is taught in academic

schools and what is applied in the work-

place. In his teaching experience, he

observes that most instructors lack

actual industry experience and simply

rely on outdated textbooks or manuals

to teach computer subjects. As a result,

fresh graduates are not readily hired by

companies without undergoing in-depth

training so they usually end up working

in non-IT related industries. Universities

would actually like to hire competent IT

practitioners to avoid this, but they

charge expensive fees.

WHAT MAKES HIS ROLE INTERESTING

Being the guy in-charge of the day-to-day

operations of an up-and-coming man-

power provisioning and IT consultancy

business makes the job very interesting

and challenging and he would not be

able to cope without the complete trust

and support given to him by the manage-

ment and staff. Managing people who

are not used to being guided by

business processes is a challenge

knowing that at the end of the day they

are the ones who will benefit from it. He

adds that a good working knowledge of

the business process will be a practical

tool once they are given more important

positions in the future.

In the short time that he has been with

WSI, he has found it very fulfilling to see

a lot of walk-in applicants every day, and

helping them in their hope of landing a

job and securing a better future through

WSI. ―Knowing that these applicants

would be accepted by our clients later

makes our work doubly-rewarding,‖ he

adds.

THE THREE MOST-WANTED QUALITIES

OF EMPLOYEES THAT HE WOULD LIKE

TO SEE

While he usually doesn‘t interview job

applicants, GM Jerry says he keeps tab

on the following attributes whenever

there is a new batch of recruits: (1)

qualifications, (2) reliability, and (3) good

attitude towards job, superiors, peers

and subordinates. Anticipation of

potential problems and a concern for the

company‘s success are also very

important traits he welcomes from

employees. ―Since our consultants

represent our company and play a vital

role in building good relations with our Cont‘d. on next page

From page 11—Jerry Tañeca...

clients, the company gives competitive

salaries to our consultants and gives

other forms of recognitions as well,‖ he

says.

PLANS FOR 2011

―2011 will be a challenging year for WSI.

Though we had accomplished a lot even

in our early years, definitely we cannot

rest on our laurels. Maintaining our

current status is not the real target but

more to make WSI as the preferred

name in IT consultancy and manpower

provisioning. We would like to be known

as the leading player in the industry,

where the name ‗WSI‘ will be the first to

be thought of whenever there‘s a need

for manpower, especially IT

professionals.

14

From page 13—Jerry Tañeca...

With the concerted efforts of our officers

and the able support of our staff, we will

be hiring additional staff, and deploying

them not only to our existing clients but

also to new ones in the pipeline, which

could very well materialize in Q2 of

2011,‖ said Sir Jerry.

NEW PROGRAMS

In a bid to stay competitive, WSI is going

into a new territory, that of software/

product development. A new payroll

system is being developed by ten new

consultants, under the helm of one of

the company‘s senior software engi-

neers, at the company‘s IT lab as part of

an IT training program - a diversification

attempt to create new revenue streams

for WSI. Once finished, this particular

solution can be marketed to small to

medium-sized companies looking for

alternative payroll systems that‗s more

efficient than existing ones in the

market. Maintenance and future

enhancements of these solutions can

also be another source of company

revenue, he adds.

Tañeca is confident that whatever chal-

lenges may come, the combined execu-

tive and management team efforts will

catapult WeSupport to greater heights.

The company is slowly but surely carving

a reputable name in deploying top-notch

technical people in the BPO sector.

Graduates of computer science and

engineering courses, digital media and

those trained to program in various

computer languages, will be glad to

know that they have good chances of

getting hired by WeSupport.

Valuable lessons he has learned since

becoming chairman of the board

Since assuming the chairmanship,

Xenos has become a more rounded

leader, and has become adept at

managing the different forces in play

within the company. For example, while

it may appear that leading a thirteen-

member board is difficult, he has

become used to their individual

attributes and is better able to make

these same characteristics strengths of

the company. He admits there have

been a few occasions when the board

has had heated debates, but these

discussions eventually end up with

positive results that are accepted by all.

He also listens to all as it helps democ-

ratize decision-making. He concludes

that maintaining objectivity in handling

company issues is crucial in forming

effective decisions.

It seems that WSI is like wine that keeps

getting better with age. Since it has just

been four years in existence, the

company is yet to achieve its full

measure. Xenos hopes that, with his

leadership and his drive to succeed,

along with the support and dedication of

the executive board, in time WSI will no

doubt achieve its avowed goal: become

the industry‘s BPO of choice.

From page 9—The Chairman...

Apart from minimal industry affiliations

(it is a new company after all), joining

industry-related summits is another area

that the Board will concentrate on in the

coming months. Participation in various

industry events would enhance the

company‘s image, raise its visibility

factor and reinforce its bid to be the

preferred BPO in its class.

Effective marketing is one of the funda-

mental keys to a thriving company, after

all, and being visible in industry events is

an effective way to generate additional

sales leads.

15

The small WeSpeak

contingent didn‘t

have the place to

themselves for long,

because, soon after

their arrival, the rest

of the people started

trickling in.

Most of the fun was

courtesy of the

summer games. Mr.

Ronald Jacildo, one of

the company‘s Board

of Directors, served

as the summer

games‘ master of

ceremonies, ably

assisted by Lalaine

and Sir Olan Velano,

one of the other

Directors (and

WeSpeak’s Publishing

Editor).

Though there were

only five games set

up, they ended up

consuming a big part

of the day, and every-

one enjoyed them all,

either as spectators

or as participants.

And the four-point

scoring system made

the games very

competitive.

By Burt Gabot www.verylittlebrain.com; www.facebook.com/

burt.gabot; Twitter @ The_Burt

S

WSI’s Day in the Sun: According to Lalaine Canosa,

one of the main organizers for

this year‘s company summer

outing (dubbed Summer Haven

2011), over one hundred and

fifty WSI employees were

expected. However, a major

project cutover was unluckily

scheduled for the same day of

the outing, and many of WSI‘s

consultants who were part of

that project were unable to join

the trip. Because of this, the

attendees that ended up going

were less than a hundred.

However, you wouldn‘t have

known that from all the fun that

ensued. The outing ended up

being the best summer event of

the company so far.

The trip from Manila to

Batangas took almost four hours

- but it wasn‘t a bad trip at all:

the pleasant passing scenery

and, most especially, the com-

pany of friends and officemates,

made the trip a light and

enjoyable one.

The WeSpeak van was the first

to arrive at the resort, largely

because of their driver‘s

knowledge of shortcuts to San

Juan, Batangas. The Triple G

Beach Resort, the resort that the

company rented, was one of

several small resorts that were

adjacent to each other, and

faced the same stretch of beach.

Basic accommodations included

a small soccer quarter field, a

small sandy open space, beach

houses with videoke machines,

and an open-air eating area.

Four teams were put

together – the Red,

Blue, Yellow and

White teams, but due

to the fact some people

were unable to join the

event, none of the

teams were at full

strength, which

affected the teams’

final game scores. The

first game, the

cheering competition,

did not start the games

well – none of the

teams were able to

prepare their teams’

cheers. Still, the Red

Team proved the

winner, given their

stronger lung capaci-

ties. (The cheer com-

petition score was not

included in the total

team score since it

was a separate

contest.)

Cont‘d. on page 18

SPECIAL SECTION

ummer Games 2011

16

Summer Fun Summer Fun

17

in Batangasin Batangas

18

The next game, the beach volleyball competition, was one of the more

epic of the games, where the competition for Number One was very

fierce. But in the end, due to a lack of time, the organizers had to fall

back to a single semi, and the aggregate three points for third and

fourth positions were split between the red and blue teams. Notable in

the game were Olan Velano who took a break from being one of the

day‘s MC‘s to help the Yellow Team win the game as well as trading off

chief referee, score-keeper and announcer duties with Jun Gomez (Jun

was also the captain of the Blue Team as well as the captain-ball of the

Blue volleyball team, and the guy who brought a boogie-board with him,

hoping to be able to surf), Red Team‘s Naunelle Songco‘s powerful

serves that made the ball fly over everyone‘s heads, or the gallant ef-

forts of the Blue Team‘s spikers to keep the ball alive and to cross the

net before the three-touch rule gave up the point. And, though the

White Team was very much undermanned by too few players, they

made a good showing. In the end, though, the Yellow Team triumphed,

but all the competitors played well, and everyone enjoyed the game.

Team * Cheering

Contest

Volleyball Game

Obstacle Course

Water Relay Tug-Of-War Total Score Ranking

Yellow 3 4 1 4 3.5 12.5 1

Red 4 1.5 4 3 3.5 12.0 2

White 1 3 3 2 1.5 8.50 3

Blue 2 1.5 2 1 1.5 7.00 4

This is how the game scores shaped up:

The final games were the Water Relay and Tug-O-War games.

The way a Water Relay race works is that the participants take turns

running into the surf, get themselves and their clothes as soaked as

possible, and then squeeze as much of the water out and into a

container. The first to fill up their container wins.

Most were very inventive in ways to this, and it was a fun event to watch

– people squeezed water out of their t-shirts (some were wearing two or

three) and their hair, while some used their flip-flops or cupped hands to

carry water. Some risked using their mouths (it‘s not safe to ingest

water from busy beaches as they risk stomach problems or infections

from water-borne parasites), but in the end, the Yellow Team got four

points for the Number One position.

The final game, the Tug-O-War, was pretty exciting. The two finalists, the Red and Yellow teams, were so well-matched that neither gave way, and the

rope broke roughly in the middle. And even after the two pieces of rope were tied together, the rope snapped again. The game was halted and the

points for first and second had to be split between the Red and Yellow teams and the points for third and fourth were split between the Blue and

White teams. In the end, after all the points were tallied, the Yellow Team emerged as the overall winner, and everyone in the team received medals

as well as a team trophy and team cash prize.

From page 15—WSI‘s Day...

The Obstacle Course, was

next, and it was the most

fun for the spectators. Maxi-

mizing the small area allot-

ted, the obstacle course

included a short ten-foot

sack race followed by a free

run in the surf. Mike and

Ferdi from the WSI main

office, as well as John Ag-

caoili, one of WSI‗s board of

directors, gamely acted as

human marker posts in the

water as the participants

splashed around them to

race to the next point of the

course, which was the tire

obstacle. Surprisingly, every-

one breezed through that

part of the course, but the

next was the limbo obstacle.

Most followed the rule of

jumping over the lower bar

and going under the taller

bar, except for Jobo Concer-

man, who was asked to go

back and run through them

again. The crawl obstacle

was the more difficult of the

course, especially for the

girls, but everyone gamely

crawled under the ropes and

made the final run to the

end. The spectators on the

side threw sand on the

crawlers, but they just did so

in good fun, and everyone

took it all in good humor.

The last run seemed to be

the most difficult, as many

of the participants had to

almost crawl to the finish

line, but as Sir Alex Morfe

said, it wasn‗t such a sur-

prise because everyone was

extremely exhausted by that

time. (Genesis Almelor

actually experienced leg

cramps during the day.)

* Not included in the final score.

19

Tiny SD cards with

ginormous storage space!

Lexar Media, a leading producer of elec-tronic memory products, has produced the first series of Class 10 SD cards, dubbed SDXC cards. Originally announced at the beginning of the year, Lexar started shipping these new kinds of high-capacity memory cards March 16. These are now actually available in Digital Walker and her sister stores, as well as in the G-Mall and Gilmore areas. Running at 133x speed, these 64 and 128GB cards are not SD or SDHC cards, but are dubbed SDXC cards. Such capaci-ties and speeds are probably more than what the average DSLR photographer needs, though. Some DSLR cameras still use the larger-format CompactFlash, or CF, cards, which currently max out at 128GB, so owners of the newer DSLRS which use SD cards instead may want to look as this new piece of tech, if just to gain parity with the older technology. There may be some issues regarding com-patibility, though, as there usually are with new tech, so the jury is still out on these nifty new devices. WeSpeak will try to let you know how good they really are as soon as we have tested them. Lexar’s SDXC cards currently come in

64GB and 128GB versions.

If everyone is expecting that Apple‘s

new iPad 2 heralds a new revolutionary

leap forward for tablet computers,

people will probably be disappointed.

It is true there are nifty, new improve-

ments, but nothing that could be

termed ―revolutionary.‖

First off, the new iPad is thinner - 0.34

inches compared to the original‘s 0.5

inches. It also has a camera, both in

front and in the back, and has a dual-

core 900MHz Apple A5 processor. And,

perhaps very important to the status-

conscious geek, it comes in the original

black-and-aluminum case AS WELL AS

in all-white Apple colors! An optional

velour-finish cover-slash-stand is also

available that, when the user folds it

open, the iPad turns on automatically.

(This is accomplished via a magnet

that triggers the activation, ala Black-

berry.)

The cameras allow the user to use the

iPad with Apple‘s Facetime videophone

software, and the new dual-core hard-

ware promises users faster processing.

And it‘s so thin you can slip the iPad

into a Manila envelope, and it would fit

just fine!

Now here‘s the reality check: the thin-

ness is accomplished, in part, by hav-

ing a thinner glass top, which makes

the iPad‘s face susceptible to cracking

when dropped, even if dropped on its

back or side, just like iPhones (I myself

dropped my original iPad a couple of

times, and it‘s glass didn‘t crack. All I

got were some minor dings on the

aluminum edge and that‘s it); there are

no new apps available other than Face-

time; the cameras are only 1megapixel

-resolution; and reviews from Engadget

and CNet say that, with the new proc-

essor, the new iPad is indeed faster,

but not by much, and there‘s virtually

no performance difference when run-

ning internet apps (here‘s a tip: owners

of original iPads should upgrade their

OS‘s. IOS 4.3 improves overall per-

formance so much that the new iPad‘s

performance lead is substantially

reduced. Needless to say, I have

already upgraded mine…). It remains

to be seen, though, if this will still be

true once developers start optimizing

their apps for the new hardware.

I guess all I have to say is that, yes, the

new iPad is a great device, but I

wouldn‘t go out of my way to get a new

one: at its current price, the advances

are not enough that I‘d find it justifi-

able to swap my original for a new one.

Expect the new iPads to start showing

up in the local Apple stores—official

availability starts May.

Death march for a

browser: Adios, IE6

Ten years ago, Microsoft launched one of its

best software apps, Internet Explorer 6. By

that time, the original internet pioneers had

long since died a natural death, and few

nowadays remember Netscape Navigator or

Mosaic.

Few will also recall Steve Jobs‘ foray into

creating a computer on his own, the NeXT

computer, and that the first browser ever

written, appropriately called the

―WorldWideWeb‖ but later renamed ―Nexus,‖

ran on the NeXT.

But all of these pretenders to the throne of

Internet King were swept away with the com-

ing of Internet Explorer 1 in 1995, and in-

deed it eventually became the dominant web

browser in the world. And over the years, IE

grew from strength to strength. By 2001, we

were up to the sixth version, which was the

most stable of all of IE‘s incarnations. In

fact, even with the passage of time, because

it was so reliable, IE6 stuck around, even

though it became less and less able to cope

with the new technologies coming out. Even

with the release of newer versions, IE6 just

wouldn‘t go away, and it became a thorn on

the side of Microsoft, as its vulnerabilities

and deficiencies were more and more ex-

posed, and more and more users became

prey to computer attacks and hacks that IE6

just wasn‘t equipped to stop.

So, on July 13, 2010, in an attempt to finally

kill it off, Microsoft announced the ―end of

life‖ of IE6, and declared that IE6 will no

longer be supported in any way, shape or

form.

Thing was, it still wouldn‘t die.

So comes the new website,

―iecountdown.com.‖ It‘s basically a website

of Microsoft‘s that will allow a website owner

to put a banner or logo on his or her site.

Having the countdown logo on a site means

that the site is not supporting IE6. The logo

will also, when clicked, display a funny little

map that has statistics on which parts of the

world have the most IE6 users (currently

China).

And it is hoped that, as more and more web-

site owners declare their non-support for IE6,

it will finally die away.

All that WeSpeak has to say is that this feels

like a bit of overkill. I mean, really…

DIGITAL NEWS BY BURT GABOT .

MAY 2011

www.verylittlebrain.com; www.facebook.com/

burt.gabot; Twitter @ The_Burt

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

The new iPad 2: Evolution

not Revolution

20

Almost everything and everyone is jumping

on the Social Media-slash-Social Networking

bandwagon. And that means everyone!

President Aquino, Ted Faylon, Mel Tiangco,

Erich Gonzales and Mike Enriquez, for good-

ness sake, have their own websites, or Twit-

ter or Facebook accounts! (By the way,

please check out my newly-launched site,

―verylittlebrain.com‖). And almost anyone

who has a mind to become an entrepreneur

has already started selling their stuff on eBay

or Sulit.Com.

Who’s on Facebook now? Batman!? Who’s on Facebook now? Batman!? Who’s on Facebook now? Batman!?

Have stick, will

travel

Have you ever had that

frustration of getting to

the office, all set for some

kind of presentation, or

maybe all set to finally

finish your latest assign-

ment from the boss, but

realizing that the stuff you

needed to work on –

perhaps a Powerpoint or

MS Word file, a line of

PHP code, or an email

file, is not in the computer

at the office but is in the

computer at home?

A solution to this problem

called iTwin was an-

nounced two years ago,

and was launched in the

States last December.

iTwin comes as a pair of

ubiquitous-looking USB

memory sticks, but the

similarity ends there. The

lime-green colored USB

devices are actually

devices that encrypt files

in one computer, and

allow access of those files

by another computer -

provided that both com-

puters have the iTwin

USB device plugged in,

and that both computers

are connected to the

internet, of course.

It is true that a lot of very

reliable encryption and

file sharing software have

been introduced in the

past, but this is the first

time such file-sharing has

become so cheap, easy

and convenient. Literally,

it is a plug-and-play

solution that is meant for

the common internet

surfer. iTwin, the com-

pany, is based out Singa-

pore, and the devices are

available on-order. The

website is ―itwin.com.‖

It‘s enough to make you swear off inter-

active media. (By the way, please check

out www.facebook.com/burt.gabot) And

it‘s starting to become a trend for people

to start putting ―@‖ signs in front of their

email and text messages, not knowing

that the ―@‖ signs and hash tags are

actually Twitter commands, and don‘t do

anything for their Outlook email

messages (By the way, follow me on

Twitter @ The_Burt). What‘s a law-

abiding BEM to do?

Well, here‘s another new thing on Face-

book – do you know movies will soon be

available there? Yep, that‘s right.

Last March 8, Warner Brothers started

to experiment with video streaming via

Facebook: For US$3 or 30 Facebook

points (which is equivalent to US$3),

people can watch The Dark Knight in

Facebook. Initial responses to this offer

have been lukewarm, but if this experi-

ment ends up being a success, Warner

Brothers will soon put up other similar

movie and video fare. And you can bet

the other major TV and movie compa-

nies will be doing this pretty soon as

well.

The thing is, it‘s only currently available

in the States, and no one knows if Philip-

pine-based Facebook users will ever

have the same privilege. In any case,

I‘ve already opened a PayPal account.

Just in case…

MB delaCruz

21

Asus is a leading computer manufacturer

based in Taiwan. I just love how this

brand name calls to mind the Greek,

mystical winged horse, Pegasus, from

which the founders based the company

name on, although they decided to only

use the last four letters so that the

company would always be on top of any

alphabetically-arranged list. Asus was

put up by engineers from Acer, another

Taiwanese computer maker.

Anyway, about my precious…

I tested the USB 3.0 port of my Asus

N35J Series laptop - said to be 10x

faster than the standard USB 2.0 -- to

transfer some movies from my external

HDD. I noticed that it does appear to

have downloaded the file faster but with-

out doing some standard software tests,

I really can‘t measure if it was exactly

10x faster as claimed by Asus. (This is

largely due to compatibility issues. If

your device uses a 2.0 USB interface,

your laptop will not be able to realize

much speed increase since the 3.0 will

only run the connection at 2.0 speeds,

and certain apps or programs might not

run properly. 3.0 USB speeds and func-

tionality will only really happen 100% if

the attached device is also a native 3.0

USB device.)

F INALLY, AFTER A VERY LONG

SEARCH, I WAS FINALLY ABLE

TO PURCHASE MY PRECIOUS!

Well, considering the amount I

had spent on this brand and its set of

wonderful specs, I can say I hit the jack-

pot. I have been using it for three

months now but I had no regrets when I

bid my prehistoric but pre-loved desktop

goodbye. I ordered my laptop from a

seller from multiply.com who required

only a 10 percent down payment. When

my laptop finally arrived, all succeeding

transactions were done on a personal,

meet-up basis.

Maybe for most people, this was a risky

way of buying and selling. To avoid

getting scammed, I decided to play digi-

tal Sherlock Holmes, observing all his

online transactions with potential buyers

for a few months, as a real life police

detective would on a stake out. This

strategy gave me the necessary informa-

tion about him and his way of doing

business. So let me introduce to you,

my precious computer.

Although Toshiba was my first choice, I

ended up switching allegiance to Asus

because it is more affordable, and just

like the Japanese brand, Asus is also a

reputable name when it comes to

computers.

MY PRECIOUS MY PRECIOUS

Cont‘d. on page 30

AASUS

A is for awesome graphics! An

adorable piece of tech goodness.

By Angelo Sison

[This is the second part of my article from the first issue of WeSpeak

- “Tips for Laptop Hunters”]

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Asus N35J Series has amazing

features that anyone will enjoy.

22

The good news is that scenarios like

these can be prevented: inquiries can

be directed to WSI‘s human resources

manager, which will surely clear matters

up. However, for all WSI consultants

who were just recently hired and whose

SSS membership statuses have been

inactive for some time, if he/she wants

to fix this by himself/herself, no one can

stop him/her either.

HOW TO REACTIVATE YOUR SSS MEMBERSHIP By Randy Vizcarra

Here’s a familiar situation we’ve all heard of before one time or another: When a new but diligent Social Security System (SSS) member employed in a local manufacturing company resigned from work, he was compelled to drastically cut down on his monthly spending. He would have to decide whether to con-tinue his SSS remittances or stop them altogether since his former employer was no longer obliged to remit its share. A month or two later a fast-rising company hires this guy on a per-project consultancy basis. The guy grabs the offer, but a few months into his employment, a family emergency occurs, requir-ing him to obtain a quick loan. Being a new hire, he was disquali-fied for a loan since company policy states that only regular employees can avail of this facility. To make matters more challenging, his current employer does not process SSS payments for consultants like him. As a last resort, he approaches SSS but was, you guessed it right, denied because his total number of contributions didn’t meet SSS requirements. In addition, he was not an active member at the time of his loan request. What would you have done if you were in the same boat as this guy?

Here’s a simple flow of the renewal process for WSI consultants who want to re-

activate their SSS contributions:

One should visit SSS or any of its satellite offices and secure Circular No. 33-P for a

schedule of contributions according to set income brackets. For example, using this

list, if you declare that your gross monthly salary is P 7,500, you will find that this

amount falls under the 7,250-7,749.99 range. In that same row, you will notice that

under the SV/VM column, your total contribution per month should be P 780.00.

Cont. on page 30

FEATURES

23

Heard of ―Runner‘s High‖? Well, it‘s true: After a heart-

pumping run, you will feel you can take on the world! That‘s

because exercise stimulates the body‘s pituitary glands which

release those feel-good endorphins. Research shows it is

almost impossible to feel bad about yourself after a workout.

Modern fitness no longer means grueling hours spent at the

gym. Just thirty minutes a week of any activity that gets your

body breathing harder than normal will raise your energy lev-

els, relieve depression, and give you the body you‘ve always

wished for.

Walking is the best energy-fix around. It not only increases your

intake of oxygen and boosts your immune system, but also

stimulates a tired body and mind. Walk briskly for at least 30

minutes, or make that an hour and you‘ll be happy to know

you‘ve also burned off around 400 calories.

Feeling lethargic after lunch? Head outdoors for a ten-minute

walk. Studies show this boosts energy for up to two hours after

you stroll.

Weight training‗s not just for meatheads. A stronger body

equals more energy. Why? The weaker you are, the more en-

ergy you need to keep going. So build more muscle and life will

be a breeze.

Nowadays, it‘s easier to send an email than walk to another

office for a chat. Tear yourself away from your screen once in a

while and go visit your friend on the fifth floor. It‘s good exer-

cise!

Even gentle stretching can improve your energy levels and help

calm a stressed-out mind. Stretching expands your chest, Cont‘d. on page 25

giving your inner organs more room to operate. The result?

Increased blood flow and more energy-giving oxygen rushing

around inside you. Just a few minutes a day will do the job.

Here‘s how -

—Stand up straight with your feet hip-width apart, and your

fingers interlocked behind your head.

—Take a deep breath in and, as you breathe out, push your

arms up with palms facing upward. You will feel your whole

body stretching toward the ceiling.

—Relax for a moment and repeat until you feel loose and

limber.

Exercising in the fresh air clears your head and inspires your

mind. Consider the difference between a stationary bike in the

gym and the open road. You‘re guaranteed to burn more calo-

ries as you power your bike up a hill, around the corners, and

into the wind.

HIGH exercise

Hi! In our last issue, we discovered the power of super foods and learned to avoid energy sappers. Now we learn how to recharge our batteries with energizing exercises, and unlock our hidden vitality with the following body–boosting tips. You’ll soon be on a natural high this summer.

BEING WELL

(for summer, in the

office, everywhere,

anytime)

By Isah Clerigo

24

JOLLIJEEP. Found on the

side streets of Makati and

initially patronized by blue-

collar workers, Jollijeeps

quickly gained patronage of

the well-heeled set for their

strategic locations and

cheap prices. These little

food stalls are whimsically

designed to look like

passenger jeepneys, hence

everyone has taken to calling

them ―Jollijeeps.‖ They are

actually food stalls fran-

chised by the Makati munici-

pal zoning office, whose goal

in providing the franchises

was to provide clean yet

affordable food for Makati‘s

lower-middle-class and wage

earners. Their offerings run

the gamut of snacks (such

as hopia, pancit, spaghetti,

banana-q), to everyday lu-

tong bahay fare (like sini-

gang na baboy, sarciado,

kaldereta, kare kare, daing

[The four-level parking building at the back

of the Security Bank Building, where MiniS-

top and Mercury Drug are located is home to

a small canteen with videoke to boot. It is

also within short distance from the rows of

Jollijeeps along Dela Rosa Street..]

FEDERAL SEAFOOD is a res-

taurant that caters to people

whose idea of good food is

delicious yet easy on the

budget. Popular choices

include chicken pastel, beef

broccoli and other mouth-

watering Pinoy viands. With

price ranges between P50 -

100 per meal, Federal is like-

wise ideal for many types of

office handaan (birthday

celebrations and what not).

It would surely please every-

one‘s palate looking for flavorful dishes at friendly prices.

BONCHON. This franchise started in South Korea.

Popular in New York City, it is now earning raves from

Pinoy chicken bloggers. BonChon is known for its

twice-fried crispy chicken (with less fat than other

equivalent dishes, so they say). As one of the better

restaurants in Ayala Triangle, BonChon is priced

somewhat similar to KFC‘s, the only difference is that

their chicken is much more tasty. A must-try are their

Chicken Hot Pot, spicy Chicken Wings & drumsticks.

Estimated price is between Php.90 – 150.

For delivery, dial 621-6130 for their Ayala Triangle

branch or 519-8438 for their Greenbelt 1 branch.

RCBC TOWER. Craving for more choices of the international variety? A

short jeepney or bus ride from the Ayala-Makati Avenue area is the

RCBC Tower. It‘s at the corner of Ayala and Gil Puyat avenues.

Although it is primarily an office building, there‘s a food court at the

third floor, developed by food mavens with select brands that range

from specialty-food concessionaires to regular fastfood kiosks.

Estimated price range is between P25 - 75 per

meal.

For busy consultants who are craving for good but affordable and convenient food places in and around the Ayala Avenue area, check out this guide of places that serve great meals that are satisfying to the stomach and worry-free to the pocket.

The Enterprise‘s International Food

Court is located in the 4th level of the

Enterprise Tower, and can seat a thou-

sand diners. Food outlets serve Chinese,

American, Korean, Japanese and Thai

cuisine.

The food court is open 7 AM – 9 PM

from Monday to Saturday. Food prices

are in the middle range, from P100 -

150 per meal.

[On top of the food court is the Garden

Loft, where tenants and outsiders can

order pasta, barbecue or beer al fresco.]

They do not really provide any sort of fine dining experience, but they

make up for it in taste and volume. Federal is at the 2/F of Allied Bank

Center 6754 Ayala Avenue. Dial 812-4473, 816-1450 or 813-4483 for

delivery.

[There is also an eatery on the second floor of the Dela Rosa Parking

Center I, adjacent to Federal Seafood.]

One of the tricky problems for most WeSupport consultants is finding a place to eat that is affordable, and is within walking distance from their offices. Consultants usually glued to their workstations find queuing in most fastfoods an unwanted hassle, whether staying there to eat or bringing the food to go. What is one to do, if all the places you ever find in Makati are cramped food nooks and expensive restaurants?

LIVIN‘ LIFE

By Efraim Pintuan

AFFORDABLEAFFORDABLEAFFORDABLE CHOWCHOWCHOW, & CONVENIENT TOO, & CONVENIENT TOO, & CONVENIENT TOO

na bangus, and monggo, to name a

few).

25

MANG INASAL. WSI Consultants assigned to

the Security Bank Building offices would be

glad to know that the popular Mang Inasal is

just across their building: it is located on the

3rd floor of Hyundai Center.

Served probinsya-style (rice wrapped in ba-

nana leaves, and bamboo skewers), they sell

grilled chicken and pork. Mang Inasal gained

popularity for its laid-back dining ambiance,

where eating with bare hands is a common

sight. Estimated cost per meal is P75 to 150.

[Other food attractions in this building are

Sbarro, Karate Kid, and World Chicken.

World Chicken‘s number, by the way, is 813-

1288.]

That‘s it for this issue. If you have any nice

places you know to eat, and you‘d like to

share it with the WSI folks, just let us know

and we‘ll tell everyone about it. Happy eating,

folks!

From page 23—Exercise High...

A walk by the sea or in the country

leaves you brimming with energy. Why?

Because fresh air is charged with nega-

tive ions that stimulate the oxygenation

of the blood and energize the body. It is

no surprise then that you feel at your

lowest when surrounded by car fumes,

electrical equipment, synthetic materials

(i.e. carpets, curtains, and cheaply

covered sofas), cigarette smoke and air

conditioning - all of which reduce the

level of negative ions present -- another

excuse to escape to somewhere green

for the weekend.

There you go! There‘s no excuse not to stay fit

in this day and age, especially during

summer! Keep these in mind and it‘s quite

possible to live up to a hundred, and remain

healthy at that! In upcoming installments, we

will learn the energy enemies we must stay

away from. So be sure to check it out!

Material lifted from Energize (100 Natural

Ways to Recharge) by Carol Morley & Liz

Wilde

FOOD ODYSSEY

Located in the 11th floor of the LKG Tower

(the building that is adjacent to the SMART

Tower) is Food Odyssey. With many food

establishments to choose from, diners can

grab a meal anywhere from P100 - 150.

BLESSINGS & PROSPERITY FOODCOURT

Very visible even from commuters inside

passing buses is the Blessings & Prosperity

Foodcourt, a major haunt for serious foodies.

It‘s at the corner of Rufino and Ayala in Sal-

cedo Village. Like your regular food court,

diners can choose from different food conces-

sionaires even if their budget is only P80.

Don‘t be tempted to spend Saturday

making up for lack of exercise all

week. A sudden burst of activity will

leave you feeling exhausted. Instead,

work exercise into the week, even if

you‘re only walking to the bus stop

and back. As with most things, little

and often is better than all or nothing.

Martial arts are the latest ―in‖ thing to

get fit. Expect gentle movements in

‗tai chi‘ and ‗qigong‘ where the em-

phasis is on internal strength and a

calmer mind. More physical by far are

karate and judo – you‘ll learn a

serious method of self-defense while

getting a great workout. But whatever

you choose, all martial arts aim to

energize the mind and body, sharpen

reflexes, improve coordination, and

promote mental relaxation.

Exercise doesn‘t just give your body

energy—it energizes your mind too.

Research has found that regular exer-

cise three times a week improves

memory and judgment by 25%.

Some of the tenants in RCBC‘s food court

include Mang Inasal (733-1111), Reyes BBQ.

(753-5455), Binalot, Tapa King (889-1685),

Red Ribbon (02-8-7777), World Topps (843-

8107), The Java Man, Starbucks (856-4076),

Pasta Works (0922-3565703), Subway, Hot-

shots, and Hungry Hippo (887-7341).

26

Many, I am sure, have seen the movie, The

Naked Gun, or at least have heard about it. I,

myself, enjoyed the movie a lot, especially the

funny comedy sketches, sight gags, over-the-

top situations straight out of the Marx

Brothers or even The Three Stooges, and the

one-liners that have now become quotable

quotes for comedy fans (“You take a chance

getting up in the morning, crossing the street

or sticking your face in the fan...”).

As a fan of such movies like ―Airplane!‖ (Both

the first and second movies) and ―Top

Secret!‖ (which starred a young, twenty-six

year old Val Kilmer), Naked Gun was ready-

made for people like me who enjoy slapstick

humor and Rodney Dangerfield one-liners.

True, there were two other Naked Gun movies

(―Naked Gun 2 ½‖ and ―Naked Gun 33 1/3‖),

but these follow-on movies did not match the

first one, and have gone past what people

may say is ―toilet humor‖ (especially the third

one).

At the time of its release, the humor in Naked

Gun was still fresh and original enough to be

hilarious, even if its brand of humor was origi-

nally used by Airplane! and Top Secret! Here

are some quotable quotes from the movie:

Frank Drebin, offering pack to witness:

―Cigarette?‖

Witness: ―Yes, it is.‖

Captain Ed Hocken: ―Doctors say that

Nordberg has a 50/50 chance of living,

though there's only a 10 percent chance of

that.‖

Frank: ―Just think; next time I shoot some-

one, I could be arrested.‖

Frank: ―Protecting the Queen's safety is a

task that is gladly accepted by Police

Squad. No matter how silly the idea of

having a queen might be to us, as Ameri-

cans, we must be gracious and consider-

ate hosts.‖

Driving instructor: ―All right, Stephanie,

gently extend your arm. Extend your

middle finger. Very good. Well done…‖

Frank: ―Jane, since I've met you, I've

noticed things that I never knew were

there before... birds singing, dew glisten-

ing on a newly formed leaf, stoplights…‖

Frank: ―No... You're right, Ed. A para-

chute not opening... that's the way to

die. Getting caught in the gears of a

combine... having your nuts bit off by a

Laplander, that's the way I wanna go!‖

Doctor: ―Mrs. Nordberg, I think we can

save your husband's arm. Where would

you like it saved?‖

Frank:‖It's a topsy-turvy world, and

maybe the problems of two people don't

amount to a hill of beans. But this is our

hill. And these are our beans!‖

Its humor started to get tiresome after a

second and third recycling. Still, Naked

Gun remains one of my favorite movies.

Very few people know that it was actually a

movie version of a short-lived TV show

called ―Police Squad!‖ (In fact, the

complete title of the movie is actually ―The

Naked Gun: From the Files of Police

Squad!‖)

The rousing theme by Ira Newborn (the same

theme used in the movie, which is actually a

musical spoof of another police show theme)

would play as the background for the opening

credits. Like an old sixties TV show, Police

Squad! also had a voice narration for the

opening credits: When the show‘s title is

flashed, the stentorian voice of a narrator will

I myself didn‘t

know about the

TV show (it was

an ooold TV

show after all, that originally ran in 1982)

until my movie fanatic friend, Roy, lent me a

VHS tape of all six episodes - as I said, it was

a very short-lived TV show. But after seeing it,

I had to wonder why it didn‘t last.

As in the movie, the TV show revolves around

a police detective, Lt. Frank Drebin, and how

he solves a police case in every show. As in

the movie, Drebin is played by Leslie Nielsen.

He‘s ably supported by his boss, Captain Ed

Hocken, played by character actor Alan North

(in the movie, he is played by George Ken-

nedy) and his on-and-off sidekick, Detective

Nordberg, played by 60‘s bodybuilding

champion Peter Lupus, who was also a regu-

lar in the original TV version of Mission Impos-

sible. (In the movies, he was played by a pre-

trial OJ Simpson.)

Like the movie, the show relied mostly on

sight gags and the deadpan humor that only

Leslie Nielsen is able to bring off, and per-

haps it‘s low-brow comedy to some, but for

me, it‘s right up there with Charlie Chaplin,

Woody Allen and Bill Cosby.

For example - as in most situations where you

need to interview or talk with someone, you

would offer him a drink first, or a smoke,

Drebin does no less when he interviews

witnesses. ―Cigarette?‖ he would say, offer-

ing a cigarette sticking out of a pack, where-

upon the witness would reply, ―yes, I know.‖

Police Squad! also had gimmicks that could

only be done in the serialized show, and the

best for me were the credits at the beginning:

and end of each show. The show would al-

ways begin this way:

Leslie Nielsen as Frank Drebin and Priscilla

Presley as Jane Spencer, in a publicity shot

for The movie, Naked Gun

By Burt Gabot www.verylittlebrain.com; www.facebook.com/burt.gabot; Twitter @ The_Burt

Sticking your face in the fan: Sticking your face in the fan: Sticking your face in the fan:

A TRIBUTE TO LESLIE NIELSEN & POLICE SQUA TRIBUTE TO LESLIE NIELSEN & POLICE SQUA TRIBUTE TO LESLIE NIELSEN & POLICE SQUADADAD

Drebin, Captain Hocken and Nordberg:

the main characters of the Naked Gun

series of movies

BREAKTIME!!!

27

say, ―Police Squad!‖ and then after a beat, ―In

Color!‖ Instead of the red police light you saw

in the movies, you‘d see Drebin pull up in his

LTD, heroically open the door, and fire a few

rounds at someone off-screen that was firing

at him. (―Starring Leslie Nielsen!‖) The next

bit would be Drebin‘s boss, Captain Hocken,

(―Also starring Alan North!‖) walking into the

police station‘s squadroom, when suddenly a

machine gun goes off. Hocken calmly fires at

the killer, who is off-camera, and presumably

kills him. And while this is happening, you‘d

see someone in the background on fire and

running off to the side of stage. The next bit

would be Abraham Lincoln and his fiancée

sitting in an opera house, with their backs to

us. (―And Rex Hamilton as Abraham Lin-

coln!‖) A gunshot knocks Lincoln‘s hat off,

obviously fired by John Wilkes Booth. But this

time Abraham Lincoln shoots back! And for

the rest of the show, Lincoln doesn‘t put in an

appearance again…

Also, each week featured a "Special Guest

Star" who is killed off in the opening credits.

Lorne Greene and William Conrad are knifed

and tossed out of cars; Georg Stanford Brown

has a safe dropped on him; Florence Hender-

son is shot during a musical number; Robert

Goulet is executed by a firing squad; and

Also, each week, Frank's snitch, Johnny the

Shoeshine Boy, who seems to know every-

thing, would meet with someone else that

Johnny could give useful if esoteric informa-

tion to. In the last three episodes he shined

the shoes of, and gave advice to real-life

people Dick Clark (Johnny giving him the

lowdown on the latest music trends), Dr.

Joyce Brothers (Johnny giving her some

pointers on psychiatric theory), and Tommy

Lasorda (Johnny giving him tips on selecting

ballplayers). Johnny even provides Clark with

a special bottle of anti-aging face cream.

Sadly, though, the TV show never got renewed

for a second season, even though it had

already built up a substantial following after

the sixth episode.

William Shatner avoids a burst of machine-

gun-fire only to drink a glass of poisoned

wine. But, like Lincoln, after this bit, we

don‘t see them in the episode again…

What's more, each episode has two titles:

the voiceover narration inevitably fails to

match the on-screen title in the opening

credits. For example, on the screen, the

episode's title is flashed, "Revenge and

Remorse," but the narrator says, "Tonight's

episode - The Guilty Alibi!"

And as each episode ends, like earlier

sixties and seventies TV cop shows, credits

are rolled over a final freeze frame, but

with Police Squad!, it‘s a mock freeze

frame - instead of an actual freeze frame,

Drebin and Hocken simply stand as still as

possible, but others in the shot still move,

and are a little puzzled why Drebin and

Hocken are standing still. In one episode,

the frame "freezes" with one character

pouring the other a cup of coffee. As they

stand still, the cup can be seen over-

flowing. In another episode, Drebin,

Hocken and Nordberg stand as if they‘re in

a freeze frame while the entire squadroom

falls down around them.

Watching each episode is like watching a

twenty-three-minute version of Naked Gun,

and if you like that kind of humor, I know

you‘d want to see all six episodes.

For example, at some point in each of the

episodes, Drebin runs over a set of objects

(garbage cans, bikes), and if the fan is very

observant, he‘d see that the number of

objects equal the episode number.

Here‘s another bit of sad

news - Leslie Nielson passed

away in November last year.

Originally a dramatic actor,

Leslie Nielsen changed perso-

nas and moved into comedy

in the eighties, starting with

the role of the bumbling Dr.

Rumack in Airplane!, and

eventually playing Frank

Drebin.

In later years, Nielsen also

starred in other comedy

movies, but he never

achieved the comedic heights

he did in Airplane! and Police

Squad!/Naked Gun again.

These forgettable movies

included Spy Hard and

2001, A Space Travesty.

Johnny the Shoeshine Boy,

from the TV show, Police

Squad!

Captain Hocken, Frank Drebin

and Al, from the TV show,

Police Squad!

Abraham Lincoln shooting it out with

Booth In the TV show, Police Squad!

Still, fans will forever remember Nielsen,

whether as Dr. Rumack or Lt. Frank Dre-

bin, and his immortal words, (―stop

calling me Shirley!‖) will never be

forgotten.

28

Normally, when the sun‘s rays hit the

surface of the earth, 70% is absorbed by

the atmosphere, land, oceans and flora,

while the other 30% is reflected into

space. According to studies, the Earth‘s

surface temperature has been con-

stantly rising since the beginning of the

20th Century. The rise in our planet‘s

average surface temperature is brought

about by the increase in the so-called

greenhouse effect. It is the absorption

of heat by greenhouse gases - namely,

carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide,

ozone and water vapour in the air. In

simple terms, when these greenhouse

gases absorb the energy radiating from

Earth‘s surface, microscopic water or

greenhouse gas molecules turn into tiny

heaters - like the bricks in a fireplace,

T hough global warming has been around for quite some time, many have not fully grasped everything

about it. Though some scientists question whether its effects are enough cause for concern, I am

sure you have observed in the past years how much shorter the cooler Christmas season has

become, or how frequent storms cause enormous floods - each more destructive than the last. If

you have, then you have a sense of what global warming is about. But if you haven‘t, like gravity, whether we

believe it exists or not, we are affected by it one way or another. Environmentalists believe that it is crucial

that everyone keep themselves informed. More importantly, everyone should take part in solving this global

emergency.

they radiate heat in all directions, even

after the fire goes out. The energy that

radiates back heats both the lower at-

mosphere and the surface of the Earth,

enhancing the heating they get from

direct sunlight.

GLOBAL WARMING

The greenhouse effect helps to regulate

the temperature of our planet. Without

it, the climate would be 16 degrees Cel-

sius colder than it is now, a temperature

all living beings wouldn‘t be able to with-

stand. Human activities have contrib-

uted to the excess amounts of green-

house gases present in our atmosphere

(greenhouse gases normally only consti-

tute one percent of the Earth‘s atmos-

phere), thereby increasing global tem-

peratures, and this has started to affect

our environment.

From the simple activities of modern life,

such as driving our cars, watching TV,

and cooking our food, to the factories

that make our everyday items, to the

power plants that produce electricity;

burning coal, oil, and natural gases

(fossil fuels), which are needed in order

for us to do these things, and allow us to

have the things that we want, generates

carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous

oxide — and these are all greenhouse

gases. And with more of these green-

house gases present in the atmosphere,

more heat gets trapped in the atmos-

phere. To illustrate: since the beginning

of the Industrial Revolution in 1750 up

to 2009, carbon dioxide levels increased

nearly 38 percent, and methane levels

148 percent.

By Isah Clerigo

GREENHOUSE EFFECT

ENVIRONMENT

Global Warming Global Warming Global Warming

Global Warning Global Warning Global Warning

29

Scientists are predicting several events due to global warming

• Scientists predict drastic weather

changes worldwide. Some countries that

usually have very cold climates and long

winters are now experiencing shorter

winter seasons and hotter, longer

summer seasons, whereas, others are

experiencing longer winter seasons. This

is hazardous to life forms that are

accustomed to a certain climate, such

as polar bears, penguins, and migratory

birds. Even coral reefs and marine eco-

systems may suffer given the rise in

water temperature. There is a strong

possibility that some life forms may not

be able to adapt quickly enough to the

drastic climate changes and may not

survive. If the warming gets worse, some

kinds of plants and animals may actually

become extinct.

• Some areas may become too dry for

farming due to decreased rainfall. There

may be more storms and floods, causing

sea levels to rise so much that people

have to move away from the coasts.

This is bad for farming and for humans

in general.

• Humans must also brace themselves

for the slew of disease-carrying mosqui-

toes and rodents caused by the disrup-

tion of weather patterns.

• The rise in temperature has also

caused arctic glaciers to melt at an

alarming rate, resulting in excess water

that can cause flash floods and land-

slides. Excess water will also raise sea

levels as much as three feet within the

next century and bring salt water into

coastlines and shores currently inhab-

ited by fresh-water animals and plants.

In fact it has been observed that there is

a small rise in sea level around the Phil-

ippine coast. If the rise in sea level con-

tinues, the coral reefs in Palawan and

other marine resources could be de-

stroyed.

• Over the last 100 years, the sea level

has risen 6-8 inches around the world.

That means that land along the coasts is

beginning to disappear under water.

Bigger and warmer oceans are also add-

ing to other weather problems caused by

pollution in the atmosphere. Some areas

in the world have received more rain

over the past decade than previous dec-

ades, others bigger storms.

Solutions

As individuals, we can help reduce the

effects of global warming by doing any of

the following:

• Control Transportation - A huge

amount of CO2 comes from the burning

of gasoline and other petroleum-based

fuels. Keep your car well tuned to reduce

vehicle emissions; use biodiesel or other

cleaner fuel types when possible; join a

car pool; when travelling short distances,

try to avoid using a car or bus, and ride a

bike or walk instead.

• Save electricity - Substitute appli-

ances with ones that use less energy

(e.g., electric fan rather than an air

conditioner). Instead of watching TV or

playing video games, engage your kids in

a fun board game or outdoor activity –

aside from reducing the demand for

power from fossil-fuel power plants, you

also inject quality time into your family

life.

• Eat less cow meat – 1.5 billion cows

and other grazing animals produce

methane through belching and flatu-

lence. As a by-product of decomposed

cow manure, methane is the second

most significant greenhouse gas. It is

true that, as a biogas, methane can be

used in producing clean electricity, but

when methane is released into the air, it

just increases greenhouse gas levels.

Cows contribute 3 percent of Britain's

over all greenhouse gas emissions and

25 to 30 percent of this is methane.

• Do not burn garbage or do slash-and-

burn clearcutting - tell relatives and

friends to stop burning garbage in their

backyards. Slash-and-burn practices

release carbon monoxide and carbon

dioxide into the atmosphere so these

practices should be stopped.

• Cover your pots while cooking - Doing

so can save a lot of the energy needed

in preparing food.

• Reduce, reuse, recycle – You can save

2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide a year

by recycling half of the waste in your

household.

• Plant a tree - A single tree will ab-

sorb one ton of carbon dioxide over its

lifetime. Shade provided by trees can

also reduce your air conditioning bill by

10 to 15% since your surroundings will

be much cooler.

• Buy fresh food instead of frozen -

Frozen food uses 10 times more en-

ergy to process and freeze as well as to

thaw out.

• Buy organic foods – organic soils

capture and store carbon dioxide at

much higher levels than soils from

conventional farms, so plants grown in

them are more nutritious and require

less energy and artificially-produced

fertilizers & nutrients to grow. If the

world grew all of its corn and soybeans

organically, 580 billion pounds of carbon

dioxide can be removed from the

atmosphere!

The human quest for modernization can

cause dreadful harm to our planet.

Fortunately, solutions are many and can

reduce the harm. What’s important is that

the little things we can do, when done

together, can become a major force. Now

that we are aware of the dangers of

modernization and global warming, it is

our responsibility to do our share to

create a future that is safe for us and our

children.

30

Anyway, when the file finally downloaded, all I could say was,

―wow!‖ Who wouldn‘t enjoy watching movies on a glorious

15.6‖ full high definition (HD) LED screen? To test its sound

quality, I set the volume to maximum and moved about three

meters away from the laptop. To my delight, I could still hear

the audio.

Turning the wi-fi on when I‘m in my cubicle on the 2nd floor of

RCB, I was quite happy to discover that it can detect the signal

that emanated from Country Style restaurant which was just a

building away from my location. Problem is, of course, it‘s

password-protected.

Bluetooth transfer between devices is okay, while its DVD

burning rate speed is 8x. Well that‘s good enough for me since

I‘m not a fan of DVD drives anyway. As for internet speed, this

depended largely on the internet plan that you got from your

ISP. So don‘t blame your computer if you encounter sluggish

upload and download rates (unless you have viruses or net-

work intruders).

Then lastly, to verify how powerful the tandem of the 1.73 GHz

Intel i7 - 740 QM Quad core processor and the NVidia GeForce

1GB video card was, I played Starcraft II, one of my favorite

games. Whoa! Let me tell you, my Asus rocks! For those who

are not familiar with Starcraft II, this game really demands a

high-end processor and a powerful video card before one can

truly appreciate a truly immersive gaming experience. In this

area, my precious did not disappoint either.

The Asus N53J Series‘ standard 4 GB memory can be maxxed

out to 16 GB, too. Its Intel Core i7 processor lets me switch

between various applications easily, and with finesse. I can

open Photoshop CS5, Eclipse IDE, an internet browser, a mu-

sic player, an instant messenger, MS Office and other applica-

tions all at the same time.

The only misgiving I have with my precious Asus is that its

glass-smooth expansive monitor attracts smudges easily, and

doubles as an expensive mirror. I‘ll see how I can fix that later.

Thanks for listening, guys. Catch you all later!

These are only some of the more important rituals but there

are many more that Catholics observe during Lent. But what-

ever it is that Catholics do on these days of Lent, for them, it is

all about repenting for their sins, loving not just their families

but their enemies as well, of doing good deeds and forgetting

material woes.

Whether one is a Catholic or not, these are important things to

do, and whether one does it in commemoration of Jesus‘ sacri-

fices, or just to become a better person, one should make time

for such things. Have you done so this year?

From page 10—Lent...

From page 21—My Precious...

Unknown to some people, a regular SSS member can remit a

lower monthly contribution should the amount become too

much for his wallet. For instance, if someone is not willing to

pay P 780 (the example given above set in Circular No. 33-P.

Similarly, one can also move up and remit a higher remittance

should he/she so desires, but this will be allowed only after the

SSS member has accumulated a certain number of remit-

tances. For detailed information on this, it would be best to

inquire directly from SSS or log on to sss.gov.ph. Active mem-

bers can also check their total contributions among other

important SSS membership information.

Periodic SSS remittance isn‘t really complicated as many per-

ceive it to be. I consider my SSS remittance as a personal

banking system which I can use when I get sick, hospitalized or

reach retirement age. It‘s convenient, easy, and everybody can

avail of its privileges and benefits when the need arises.

It pays to be always on-time with your SSS remittance

because you’ll never know when emergencies would

strike.

From page 22—How to Reactivate...

If you are fine with the said amount, the next step is to pay this

amount. How? Get Form RS-5 (Contributors Payment Return) in

one of the counters and write P 780.00 on the specific months

you intend to cover when remitting. If you choose to pay quar-

terly, you will be required to remit said amount thrice (say, from

January to March 2011). The amount would be P 2,340.00 (or

P 780 x 3 months).

The succeeding quarterly payments can also be paid at RCBC, a

boon to those who have very little time to go to SSS. During

these hard economic times, young professionals tend to gloss

over the value of government programs such as the Social Se-

curity System or Philhealth. Jerry Tañeca, WSI general manager,

believes in the value of SSS membership and has this to share

especially to those who are not yet members of SSS:

“WeSupport consultants should allot a portion of their salaries

to SSS and make monthly remittance a habit. When they even-

tually retire, it guarantees them pension for life.”

[Forms RS-5 and Circular 33-P can be downloaded from the

SSS website.]

doves that take away the black veil of Mother Mary, while still others do

more straightforward presentations. After the salubong is officially

ended, holy mass is held right after the devotees bring the statues of

Jesus and Mary inside the church.

31

From: Katherine Garcia:

It was one of the most memorable trips with the whole family. It was my baby‘s first encounter with an eagle at Davao City‘s Eagle

Farm, a must-visit place in Davao.

EAGLE FARM, Malagos, Baguio District, DAVAO CITY: March 13, 2010.

From: Reynan R. Santiago : Summer won't be fun without visiting

CamSur, famous with thrill-seekers looking for exciting watersports and

ocean adventures. This was our barkada's second time to visit Camsur.

WATERSPORTS COMPLEX CAMARINES SUR: April 1, 2011 .

From: Ma. Avegail B. Vista: This was a photo taken by my brother to cap-

ture the falls in Daranak. Incidentally, my boyfriend and I were blocking

his view. The picture turned out beautiful and I was amazed. It gave me

an idea to use this photo for our pre-nup in the future. But if he will not

become my future hubby then I just have to edit this and put my next

boyfriend‘s picture. Just kidding! Daranak Falls, Tanay, Rizal. May 2009.

From: Ezekiel D. Celario: This was one of our adventure stops with my

officemates during our summer getaway in beautiful Sagada. The view

from the top of the rice fields was simply breathtaking. Fidelisan Rice

Terraces, Sagada, Mountain Province. April 2, 2010.

From: Christian Frago : A really fun and relaxing weekend spent with my officemates. I felt like I was on the top of the world!!! HUNDRED ISLANDS, Alaminos Pangasinan. February 21, 2010.

31

WHAT CAN YOU SAY?

Great summer memories: WeSpeak asked people to send us their memorable photos

together with their reasons for saying so. Here’s what they sent us.

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