I see them everywhere.. the ubiquitous “I’m not a plastic bag” bags which have become such a rage that they are being sold for hundreds of dollars on ebay and mass marketed by pirates.
Did you know where they came from and what they stand for? The Anya Hindmarch bags were just one of the many initiatives of We Are What We Do, the global social change movement which originated in the United Kingdom and is quickly catching on around the world. The movement has provided a quick list of actions which represent a simple way in which we can all make a difference to some of the biggest problems facing the world: climate change, poverty, crime, mental illness, community breakdown etc.
The simple and very doable actions range from “smile and smile back” to “recycle your cellphone” to “plant a tree”…
We Are What We Do….
In the Philippine context and in keeping with the Spirit of Edsa (I), I would add:
Here are a couple of things I learned from my son’s confinement:
1. Know your medical benefits. Even though our employers use the same HMO, the benefits were very different - mine (higher room rate - all incidentals must be paid upon discharge), his (no cash out - subject to deferred payment via payroll deductions). We had to sit down and compare line by line before deciding to use mine.
2. Know your rights under the contract signed between your employer and the HMO. All HMOs have liason officers at the hospital. Ask them the nitty gritty so that you won’t be unpleasantly surprised when you get the bill.
For example: My employer has an agreement with the HMO that if a regular private room cannot be provided within 24 hours, I am entitled to an automatic upgrade to the next class, so long as it isn’t a suite. Now, did you know that in MMC, the next class to a regular private room is not a large private room but a suite? I went ballistic when I called the call center and they said that I had to pay extra for the large private because it was within the same “class/category”.
Also, did you know that the 24 hour count is used according to the hospital’s billing cycle? So even if I had been admitted at 4pm on the 19th, since MMC’s billing cycle starts at 9am, I needed to find another room by 9am on the 20th or be charged extra. Weird.
3. ER is convenient but will cost you extra. When we rushed Andre to the hospital on the 19th, he was suffering from dehydration. His pedia recommended that he be admitted right away. Rather than wait for a room to be found, I requested that he be sent immediately to the emergency room so that he could be hooked up to an IV, and have his blood extracted and Xray taken. Anyway, the ER costs were covered by our medical plan. I’m glad I did because it took me some time to get a room for us (there’s a lot of sick children).
4. Make HR your BFF.
I don’t think that I would have been able to process our medical papers or get the kind of attention from the HMO that we got it if it hadn’t been for the help provided by HR. We were able to get discharged even at the extremely odd hour of 945pm yesterday because all the paperwork had already been accomplished.
Being hospitalized is mentally and emotionally draining. It is good to know your entitlements before *knock on wood* you, or a loved one, needs to be confined.
=======================================
Motherhood has a very humanizing effect. Everything gets reduced to essentials. ~Meryl Streep
Subscribe to my feed or subscribe via email to get notified of my next post.
Is your passport expiring this year? Make sure that you apply for a new one at least 8 months before the expiry date. The new machine-readable passport has had a lot of birth pains — from long lines at the DFA to printer breakdowns. To accomodate the demand, the DFA is coordinating with various Local Government Units to bring the DFA to the provinces and big urban communities. Bookmark this link to the DFA page listing the monthly schedule and contact details of the LGU coordinators.
Note: A personal appearance is a requirement for all applicants (excluding minors under 8 years old and senior citizens aged 65 and above). The mobile passport fee is P750.
=======================================
Motherhood has a very humanizing effect. Everything gets reduced to essentials. ~Meryl Streep
Subscribe to my feed or subscribe via email to get notified of my next post.
I’m giving my father honor and paying this country back.
– Jun Lozada
Among all the quotable quotes made by Jun Lozada yesterday, this one struck the deepest chord. When I heard him say this, I cried - admittedly not a very good picture to present to my officemates.
We are brought up to honor our parents through filial piety — which most children (and parents) believe to be through complete obedience and loyalty. In our culture, the umbilical cord between parent and child remains metaphorically attached until death (and sometimes even beyond the grave). Choice of school… choice of career path… choice of employer… to a certain extent choice of spouse… is often dictated, or at the very least strongly influenced, by the parental bias. When one chooses to break away and do something out of the norm, one is often accused to having “walang utang na loob” to the parent figure.
We often forget that blind obedience can also mean doing wrong. The sins of the father should not be committed by the son.
My fervent wish as a parent is for my son to grow up with a strong backbone and accurate moral compass. I may not always agree with his choices but I pray that they be made in wisdom and good fath. I also pray that I may accept them for what they are and let him live his life. =)
Jun Lozada’s father must be smiling down on him.
=======================================
Motherhood has a very humanizing effect. Everything gets reduced to essentials. ~Meryl Streep
Subscribe to my feed or subscribe via email to get notified of my next post.
A recent article by Junie Del Mundo and Robert de Quelen presented some very interesting ideas on the Philippines as a brand. You can download the article by clicking Branding the Philippines (in an Increasingly) FLAT WORLD.
Key Insights: 1. The Brand is US. The Core Ingredient of the Philippine brand is its people. Like it or not, the Philippines is known largely by its largest export: talent and labor. A person’s perception of the Philippines can be shaped by a chance encounter with a kababayan. Call Center agents, nurses, domestic helpers, accountants, bankers… these are our brand ambassadors. We are ALL stakeholders and should act accordingly.
2. Patience and Consistency = Country Branding “Country branding requires persistence because it seeps every so slowly into the minds and hearts of the target audiences. It is a work that will continue and even outlive several generations.” We need to start with our children.
Children learn by example. Here are some things we can do to mold our kids to be brand ambassadors extraordinaire:
* Instead of going to HK Disneyland this summer, swim with the whalesharks in Donsol, shoot the rapids in Cagayan de Oro. Climb the rice terraces. Explore Bohol. Discover La Mesa Dam. Trek Taal. Bookmark Ivan Henares.
* When abroad, spread awareness of Philippine brands. Share your Boy Bawang. Use VMV products. Promote medical tourism (we have excellent opththalmologist and dentists). Dazzle the crowd in an intricately embroidered barong.
* Visit local museums. Join the boutique tours of Carlos Celdran.
* Experiment with Filipino Food. When in NY, eat at Cendrillon (www.cendrillon.com). Visit La Cocina de Tita Moning in Manila.
* Revel in the thriving art scene. Watch a Filipino movie. Listen to OPM. Catch a performance at the CCP. Visit an art gallery. Read a book.
* Respect your parents. Live a frugal life. Be a loving spouse and helpful friend.
Respetohin natin ang ating ina
Ilaw siya ng tahanan
Bigyang galang ang ama
At ang payo niya ang susundan
At sa magkakapatid
Kailangan ay magmahalan
Dapat lang ay pagusapan ang hindi nauunawan
Mommies and daddies (especially those based overseas), any thoughts or reactions on how we can strengthen the Philippine brand?
=======================================
Motherhood has a very humanizing effect. Everything gets reduced to essentials. ~Meryl Streep
Subscribe to my feed or subscribe via email to get notified of my next post.
Wish you could see the magic come to life on ice? Of course!
If you had a chance to watch the latest Disney on Ice at the Araneta Center, you might have heard the announcement that Feld Entertainment will be bringing High School Musical the Ice Tour to the Philippines. Stay tuned to www.ticket2me.net for more details.
Below is a youtube clip of the ice cast auditions.
Hankering for the beach? Come to the Philippines! Our country is the world’s best sandbox!Butch Jimenez is a man of many missions, one of which is to show others how beautiful the Philippines is. For a few years now, he has been producing a desktop calendar featuring pictures he has taken of beaches in Palawan, Davao, Southern Luzon, the Visayas and Ilocos regions. The calendar has been widely requested by Filipinos and foreigners worldwide.
Please visit his blog to view images of the 2007 calendar. To get your free copy, please email Butch at butchgjimenez@yahoo.com.
(pic of Palawan taken from butchgjimenez.blogspot.com/)
=======================================
Motherhood has a very humanizing effect. Everything gets reduced to essentials. ~Meryl Streep
Subscribe to my feed or subscribe via email to get notified of my next post.
St Luke’s recently launched it’s “Great Expectations Package” for expectant moms.
For expectant mothers who will be undergoing uncomplicated normal spontaneous delivery, the Great Expectations Package (GEP) offers a two-day ward room stay with the package cost varying according to the following categories: a) under General Anesthesia with rooming-in P40,000; b) under General Anesthesia without rooming-in P41,000; c) under Spinal Anesthesia with rooming-in: P40,000; d) under Spinal Anesthesia without rooming-in: P41,000; e) under Epidural Anesthesia with rooming-in P48,000; f) under Epidural Anesthesia without rooming-in P49,000; and, g) Lamaze Delivery with rooming-in P36,000.Besides the two-day room and board, the Great Expectations Package also includes: a) service for a maximum of 20 hours labor period; b) three-hour recovery period at the Recovery Room; c) nursery accommodation for up to two days; d) medicines and supplies related to normal delivery starting labor up to the 2nd day; e) Hepatitis B Vaccine, Newborn Screening and the use of Otoacoustic Emission (OAE); and professional fees for the obstetrician, anesthesiologist and pediatrician.
“The Great Expectations Package recognizes the predicament of many Filipino mothers who may want nothing less than the best for their newborn, but fear that they may not be able to afford it. This package assures them that the services we provide are well within their reach, and they do get value for every hard-earned peso,” said Dr. Marietta Sapaula, St. Luke’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Chairman.
A currency stategist for the Royal Bank of Scotland recently analyzed data from remittance offices in Hong Kong. He found that the transfer of funds to the Philippines from Filipino workers overseas tend to be the most on the first Sunday of each month because that is when they have their day off and wages are generally paid at the end of each month. How does this translate to locals with forex transactions? Take advantage of the spike in demand and sell dollars on the First Monday of each month.
For those like me who drool over items being sold on eBay which can only be purchased via PayPal, the long wait is over. We can now buy stuff and use PayPal as a payment option - all you need is a valid credit card. The only downside is that unfortunately, users from the Philippines may only use the service to send payment. We still can’t use it to RECEIVE payment. Oh well, at least one leg is addressed.
Work to live. Live to love. That is the aspiration of most parents as we work to give our children a brighter future. Like most mommies, I struggle to balance the checkbook while at the same time trying to bring up my son in the best way I know how. Come join me on the journey for financial security and family happiness.
