Moving On

I got an itch to start blogging again.   I googled my blog name and lo and behold, I was directed to this:http://drinklifeslemonade.com   This is what happens when I shun blogging for 5 long years.   It's strange to have a drink called Life's Lemonade.   Do you drink it only when you had a bad day?   Not too sure about their branding.  I wonder if they even did a quick web search and stumbled upon my blog?  Naaah. Probably not.  

Anyways, I do not wish to be associated with Life's Lemonade.  Now I need to start a new blog site.  I need a better name.  Moving on.

Korean Transit Tour

My sister and I are going to the US for a vacation this July and will be taking Korean Air. My colleague who owns a travel agency suggested that I take a transit tour of Seoul during the layover in Incheon. At first I thought it wasn’t possible as I didn’t have a Korean tourist visa and I didn’t want to hassle myself into applying for one. But my colleague said that she was able to take a transit tour last year even if she didn’t have a visa. Her passport even got stamped at immigration, proving that she was able to legally enter and exit Korea without a visa.

I couldn’t believe this was possible so I checked the internet to verify if transit tours are allowed for Filipino citizens without South Korean Visas. The first few websites I saw made me doubt what my colleague said. After all, the Philippines isn’t part of the few countries with Visa Exemption Agreements with South Korea. But then, I stumbled upon this website which contained this info:

Transit tourists bound for another country

Eligible countries

• Applicable to all countries (save for Cuba, and Macedonia) that are not granted visa-free entry into Korea.

Applicable to…

• Those with a visa or a re-entry permit for U.S., Japan, Canada, Australia, or New Zealand (5 countries) and traveling to any one of those countries through Korea.
• Those traveling from any one of the five countries mentioned above, whose final destination is not Korea.

Requirements

• Must have a confirmed onward flight ticket for departure within 30 days after entering Korea, in addition to having no record of criminal offence in the five countries mentioned above.

I didn’t want to trust just about any information I read on the web, so to be doubly-sure, I made phone inquiries in the Korean embassy in Manila and wrote an inquiry letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of South Korea.

The answer, Yes! It’s possible. Below is the verbatim reply of the embassy:

----- Forwarded Message ----

From: 주필리핀대사관 영사과

To:

Sent: Thu, May 6, 2010 4:00:16 PM

Subject: [RE][FWD]Transit Visa

--------------------------------------- [ Original Message ] --------------------------------------

Sender : 필리핀(대) <>

To : ph04@mofat.go.kr

Date : 2010-05-05 09:15:42

S u b j e c t : [FWD]Transit Visa

yes you can enter korea without visa if you have a US VISA and an onward confirmed ticket to US after korea. thank you

The embassy echoed the same thing. I hope this clears up a lot of information on this matter as I came across several forums and websites that state Filipinos can’t enter South Korean without a visa. Blanket opinions that say you can't are simply inaccurate! There are in fact some instances which will allow visa-free entry PROVIDED certain conditions are met. Otherwise, a tourist visa is required.

I’m pretty excited to see Seoul and Incheon. We have a 14-hour layover and we can take a day tour of Seoul, visiting temples, markets and savoring authentic Korean food. Tour packages seem quite reasonable at $100 per person. For just $100, I get to step into a new country with no extra airfare charges.

Korea on my mind. I’ve been having a dose of Korean Drama to set my mood for the trip. Can't wait!

Leftover Lechon

Serving and eating Lechon (roast pig) is a must during the holidays. Anthony Bourdain doesn't put the Philippines on top of the pork hierarchy without good reason. He said this after tasting lechon from Cebu.

The way lechon gets devoured is by skinning it one greasy pinch and bite after another. But once the entire skin has been removed, you are left with soft, but rather bland, tasting meat. Without the skin, I can only eat a few bites of the meat portions. A typical pig good for roasting is about 30 to 40 kilos (yes, that much meat!), so it is not surprising to find leftover lechon.

But what do you do with leftover lechon? The standard recycled dish is known as lechon paksiw, or leftover meat cooked in the sweet liver based gravy it is served with.

This Christmas, my uncle introduced me to a different way of recycling lechon, that is, to deep fry it. I didn't think it was actually going to be good until after I tried it. I was totally blown away. I absolutely love it. Goodbye lechon paksiw. Hello deep fried lechon!!!

The best part to deep fry are those meat close to the bones, especially the rib area. You fry the meat until it is golden brown and you dip it in a sauce mixture made with vinegar, soy sauce, onions and chili. You eat it with lots and lots of rice. It is like crispy pata but more tender and flavorful.

So lechon in my book will go from this:

To this:

Cooked twice. Roasted then deep fried. Double the cholesterol. Double the calories. Double the flavor.

I love the holidays and all the bingeing accompanying it. Can't wait for the next holiday.

Who Needs a More Powerful Mobile Sim?

Ah, Globe. For some reason, the marketing promos of Globe just tick me off.

Case in point: The New Globe 128 xl Power Postpaid Sim. Under this promo, all Globe postpaid subscribers have been issued an upgraded postpaid sim with more storage capacity for free. This better storage allows the subscriber to save more contacts and messages.

Here's what I think of the promo:

1. The rate by which Filipinos upgrade their cellphones is as fast as the rate by which John Mayer changes girlfriends. To Filipinos, a cellphone is a status symbol, and it is not surprising for Filipinos (across income classes) to be upgrading their phones annually or every other year. With phone upgrades come better storage capacities for contacts, messages, programs, multimedia files, etc. So what do you need an upgraded sim for?

2. A cardinal rule in promotion is simplicity and ease of mechanics. If it's too difficult, customers can't be bothered to join the promo. This offer is just far too difficult. First, you have to copy all the contacts of your old sim unto your phone. Next, you have to call Globe to request the new sim to be activated. Then you wait for your old sim to be deactivated. Sorry, but reading the instructions from the mailer from Globe got me bored... blah blah blah. There's just too many things being asked of me, and frankly, I just can't be bothered.

3. In its mailer, Globe wrote: "... it (the new sim) will also allow you to save more messages that you need to retrieve". But Globe didn't give instructions on how subscribers will be able to transfer messages already stored in their old sim to the new one. If subscribers lose their existing messages, doesn't that negate the purpose of the new sim?

4. Activation of the new sim is not even instantaneous, hence, you have to wait. Some people even get the wrong idea that the old sim will be deactivated automatically. Subscribers are confused.

5. As an incentive, Globe is offering subscribers who upgrade free one-day unlimited calls and texts to Globe subscribers. For all the hassle, the "sweetener" is just not sweet enough for me. From what I gathered, even the supposed higher storage capacity is not high enough. Compared to a 64k sim, the new sim only allows for an additional of 250 contacts and 20 messages.

6. I think this promo is a little too self-serving. Although I know that promos must be financially gainful for the company, promos must still strive to make it appear that it is the consumers that benefit the most from the offer, not the other way around. Unfortunately, for this promo, the offer does not appear to be RELEVANT enough for the target consumers. Globe, meanwhile, stands to gain because I understand that the new sim automatically activates G-Live services, that annoying SPAM SMS service of Globe that is quite tricky to deactivate (for non techie people like me). Who knows if other Globe services are automatically activated too?

7. I think this is an awful waste of money for Globe. I would imagine that the cost of the mailers and the new sim cards that have mailed for free to subscribers is substantial. Assuming a courier rate of P7 per subscriber, the cost of mailing alone for Globe's 700,000+ postpaid subscribers is already about P5M. You still have to compute the cost of the mailer itself, envelope, the sim card, and the additional staffing needed for this promo. I would like to think that Globe has beefed up hotline agents or customer service representatives who can accommodate the calls of those who want to upgrade. As it is right now, it is quite a pain to wait for an agent to attend to your needs while dialing 211. Imagine the number of irked customers kept on hold if Globe didn't increase its manpower support? Then you have to factor in the cost of the free one day unlimited calls and text. All in all, I would not be surprised if this promo cost a minimum of P20M.

8. If Globe has this much money to spend on a promo for its postpaid subscribers, wouldn't it have been a wiser decision to just channel the budget to their loyalty program? Instead of offering a 128 XL Powered postpaid sim, they should have offered free phones to their best subscribers (as a reward) and to those who are likely to defect (as a retention program). If a free phone is too expensive, an across the board rebate of say P50 sounds good. That kind of promo has more impact to subscribers. The more impact, the more positive associated feelings towards the company, the more likely the subscriber is going to increase, broaden or lengthen its subscription with Globe.

In a nutshell, I think this promo is lame. It is irrelevant, too difficult, and poorly communicated. So who needs an upgraded sim? Definitely not me.

My Sad Songs Playlist

Whenever I play songs from my Itunes library, my sister always says "can you please play something upbeat, your songs are too sad". I have always gravitated towards songs that have melancholic melodies and tearjerking lyrics.

Sad songs make me feel alive. And by alive, I mean either

(1) hurting, or

(2) glad that the hurting is over.

I will always listen to sad music. As Frou Frou would put it "Music is worthless unless it can make a complete stranger breakdown and cry".

Here are my top 10 depressing songs that I listen to over and over again, even when I am happy (in no particular order):

Razor by Foo Fighters

The message of this song is very obvious, it is about thoughts of suicide or self-harm. But what gives me the chills when I listen to this song is the sublime acoustic. Dave Grohl is as good a guitarist as he is a drummer.

The Dumbing Down of Love by Frou Frou

"Love underwhelms you..No box of chocolates whichever way you fall... And if I tell you, lover alone without love." I think this song is open to many interpretations, but to me it speaks about losing passion in a relationship or being sick of loneliness and being unloved. I love Imogen Heap's breathy voice blending in with the piano background.

Raining in Baltimore by the Counting Crows

Any sad song playlist will not be complete without the Counting Crows. I just love Adam Duritz. He is an amazing lyricist. Listening to him sing is like drawing words from the deep crevices of my soul. To me this song is about being stuck in a certain situation, wishing to be some place else, and not knowing how to get out of that rut.

Save Me by Aimee Mann

"You look like a girl in perfect need of a torniquet.... Save me from the ranks of the freaks who suspect they could never love anyone". I don't think this song is about drug abuse. I think its about someone who has been through a series of troubled past relationships (romantic and otherwise) that she has lost faith in people in general, and now she is looking for someone to make her believe in other people again.

Crying Like a Church on Monday Morning by the New Radicals

"And I'm crying like a church on Monday, Praying for these feelings to go away, So do me a favor baby, Put down your new god, And love me like Sunday again". (Sigh) This is probably one of the newer saddest breakup songs ever. This is the Crying in the Rain of the 90's. What could ever be sadder than an empty church on a Monday morning?

Say Hello Wave Goodbye by David Gray

I think David Gray's version is infinitely better than Soft Cell's. The emotions just become more raw when rendered by David Gray. A very unhappy breakup song rife with bitterness.

Mad World by Gary Jules

Alright I am going to get into trouble with the Tears for Fears fans for this. Contrary to popular opinion, I don't think Gary Jules massacred this song. I actually love his cover. He gave this song a completely different spin. From an "angsty and angry mad world", Gary Jules created a "despondent mad world".

Fake Plastic Trees by Radiohead

Radiohead = depressing songs. Period. This one particular song I singled out because I think it speaks about pretense and hypocrisy, and how tiring pretending to be somebody you are not can be.

Wallflower by Caroline's Spine

This song speaks to me about cowardice, about wanting to be brave but never being able find the courage to do or say the things you want to. And when you finally decide to act on it, it's too late. (awww) I like how the song starts up slowly and builds up with bursting emotions in the middle and calms down to deep melancholy again towards the end.

Angel by Sarah Mclachlan

The ultimate song for the depressed (for whatever reason). This is the song that gets heavy rotation when I feel I have screwed something up. This song is doleful but in a very comforting way. Sarah Mchlachlan's soulful angelic voice takes this song to a different level.

Odd Food Combos

There are many kinds of food I would love to eat again and again.

Chocolates. Burgers. Chips. Soda. Ice Cream. Peanut Butter. Strawberry cream. Tomato. Bacon.

I love these things on their own. But together?

They say that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. I am not sure if this holds true for the weird food combinations below. I have mixed feelings about these things. Either they are gastronomical delights or gastronomical disasters. I guess the only way to find out is to try them.

Strawberry Covered Cheetos (Photo courtesy of yumsugar)

Royce Chocolate Covered Potato Chips (Photo courtesy of royce)

Chocolate Covered Bacon (Photo courtesy of bacontoday)

Cucumber Pepsi (Photo courtesy of inventorspot)

Peanut Butter Burger (Photo courtesy of nibbledish)

Tomato Ice Cream (Photo courtesy of who-sucks)

To be fair, these are items that you wouldn't really squirm about. Maybe depending on how intense my hunger pangs are, I may even be brave enough to try some of these things. I can even imagine myself liking one or two them.

If I were to try just one of these products here, I'd go for the tomato ice cream. I guess it would taste just like gazpacho. The last thing I would try is the cucumber soda. I have a feeling that would taste like liquid salad. Blech.

Starbucks Planner as a Loyalty Pull

When you look at all the sophisticated loyalty programs out in the market today, you'd think that having a "primitive" stamp card loyalty program is so outdated. Think again.

The Starbucks Planner stamp card promotion is one great loyalty scheme. This annual Christmas promotion of Starbucks in the Philippines has been running for years now and each year, I see friends who purposely troop to Starbucks to collect the required number of stamps and get the highly coveted planner. Whether they like the required coffee to be purchased or not is irrelevant. In their minds, the Starbucks planner is THE accessory they can proudly flaunt in their respective offices and schools come January 1.

Here's how the 2010 Starbucks Planner looks like. (Photos courtesy of Awesome Planet)

And here is the stamp card that you need to completely fill out.

You need to buy a total of 17 drinks in all, of which 9 are featured holiday drinks and 8 are regular beverages. Assuming that each drink costs P100 to P150, the total amount of purchases you need to make to redeem the planner is P1,700 to P2,550. You need to consume that much in Starbucks in a period of 2 months. For some people, that's easily in the bag. I know some friends who practically live off Starbucks to sustain them at work. But for some people,17 drinks can be quite a stretch, and yet they'd be willing to shell that amount for the sheer joy having THE Starbucks planner.

Just what is in that planner that makes many people salivate with desire to grab it and claim one as theirs?

I will not mince words for this. People get the planner because the Starbucks planner is a STATUS SYMBOL. No offense meant, but being able to hold one in a meeting is like proclaiming to everyone that you are capable of buying overpriced coffee. In their minds, it makes them look cool. Period.

Oh, I must not leave out an important but secondary detail. Each redeemed planner comes with a corresponding donation to SparkHope, the charity tie up of Starbucks with Unicef. But seriously, I doubt that this is the primary reason why many people lust for these planners. If that were the prime motivation, wouldn't they have reached more needy children if they channelled the whole P2000 to Unicef instead?

Curiously that in this day and age of high-tech gadgets, people would still want the old school planner. The same people who have 2 state of the art cellphones (1 for business, 1 for personal use and of which one is most likely an i-phone), a laptop, an SLR Camera, a PDA, a portable game console, etc. are the same people who have this planner with which they can "plan" or "organize" their lives. It is as if the organizer or file manger functions in their gadgets are not enough. You would think that if these people have been using the planner, people would be arriving to meetings on time? Sorry, but think again.

Despite having the planner, many Filipinos are still sadly perennially late. This just goes to show that not many actually use the planner. It is noting but an accessory. There may be others who collect them and maybe use the featured monthly discount coupons in the planner. But in all the times that I have been to Starbucks within a year, I have never witnessed a person actually using the discount coupon. But then again, Filipinos are not a coupon-using consumer.

I have a friend who as early as mid November posted a status on Facebook which said, "Got my Starbucks Planner already! Yahoo!! And many people "liked" his status. If you go to Sulit.com.ph or Ebay.ph, you'd see people selling unused Starbucks planner. The prices start at P1000 for last year's planner and as high as P2500 for the current one. I have even received a Starbucks planner as a Christmas gift in the past.

As for me, I don't intend to get the planner. I don't want it and I have no need for it. But of course, I am no coffee lover and I am one cheapskate. But mostly, I just don't like following and falling for a craze like this. It's just like that New Moon fever. I really don't get the fuss over it. I simply cannot bring myself to watch it or read the series.

But this Starbucks planner is surely an effective loyalty building promo. It was able to stir up an emotion and a positive action (towards making more purchases) among the targeted customers that go BEYOND REASONS.