On August 15, 2017 Uber released this statement on social media. It announces the one month suspension of Uber from operating in the Philippines.
According to the news the service was suspended because Uber supposedly kept on accepting applications despite being told not to make any new activations. In response Uber said that while it is true that they did not stop accepting applications, they have not made any activations in the interim.
Shortly after they filed a motion for reconsideration with the LTFRB in response to the demand from drivers and riders. Upon filing the MR Uber cars were back on the streets, to the delight of Uber drivers and riders everywhere. But this joy was short-lived as this action angered LTFRB and they immediately told Uber to cease. Naughty Uber! Thinking you could just go back to business as usual with the MR.
Long and short, the one month suspension stays.
By this action LTFRB is punishing not only the UBER drivers but the riders as well. It means loss of income, especially for those drivers who quit their regular jobs and invested to purchase their own vehicle.
This is also frustrating for the Uber riders. All of a sudden Grab has a monopoly of the ridesharing industry and with the demand so high they jacked up their price (particularly on August 15th). In a news report a Grab representative mentioned that their price increase was capped at 1.4x … Dude, that is still 40% higher!
I admit that I use both Grab and Uber. Oftentimes I switch from one to the other and back depending on the rate and availability of cars when I need to book. With this recent suspension of Uber getting a ride has been very difficult. Not only have Grab rates jumped up the drivers are also very picky with the passengers they will pick up which means that for riders such as myself who travel quite a distance getting a ride in the afternoon or evening is not easy.
Earlier today I was booking a Grab home and my screen showed three cars in the vicinity. For almost 30 minutes I tried to get a ride repeatedly and each time I saw the same three names appear on my screen in rotation and none of them would accept my fare. How frustrating!
I was tired and just wanted to get home and my only options were:
keep trying to get a Grab
hail a cab
walk to Taft and ride an FX
I was not going to hail a cab and just get rejected for wanting to be dropped off in Quezon City. I was not up to walking all the way to Taft because it was drizzling. And for that same reason I was not going to use Angkas which I often take for short trips. As for the train, I hate crowds so that was not even an option as far as I was concerned.
With no other choice I opted to keep tapping my finger on the app until I could get a ride with Grab. My only consolation being that since I was at a hotel then at least I was waiting in comfort.
My persistence was eventually rewarded a few minutes before 5:30pm. Mr. Josemmanuel (last name truncated), who still had to drop off a passenger, accepted my trip. Yey! Now why can’t the other 3 drivers be like him?
Sidenote: I’ve rarely been rejected or ignored by Uber drivers and my travel to and from work is always a distance of at least 12 kms.
My experience with Mr. Josemmanuel … he was a safe driver, the ride was comfortable, when we spoke he was well-spoken and wonderful to converse with. 5 stars!
A part of me understands why many drivers pick and choose their passengers. Perhaps they are already tired themselves and are not up to driving so far but are still willing to make short trips. But at the same time I can’t help but asked ISN’T THAT THEIR JOB?
I would understand if my destination was out of town and would need to pass through a toll booth, but it wasn’t (though there are those who would argue that Manila to Quezon City is technically out of town since they are around 12 kms apart. 😀 but still … no toll booth! :D)
If a chef in a restaurant sees a customer come in he does not like, can he opt to NOT cook for that person?
I truly hope the suspension levied by LTFRB will be lifted soon. Listen to the clamor. The need is real. Don’t be the most hated government agency in the country today.
6 years ago from today my geek friends got together to raise money to help me and fellow geek, Dexter, with defraying our medical bills for our respective operations.
There are no words to express just how much I love these beautiful, wonderful creatures for their love and caring and friendship.
Over the years our interaction has decreased mostly because I have not been as active in geek circles as I used to be.
I have not been present at nexcon, toycon, etc.
I have not participated in our chosen advocacies such as the annual visit to the PGH pediatric cancer ward and gawad kalinga.
I haven’t met up with them as often for the occasional movie premiere or coffee date.
Perhaps because I haven’t been available I have not been invited to their birthday celebrations, their weddings, their kids’ baptism, etc. On this last one I blame myself completely, not my geek friends. Perhaps if I had kept in touch and made myself available I would have been part of the special moments in their lives.
Despite that these beautiful, wonderful, caring, giving, loving, passionate people are a big reason why I am still walking now – why I have joie de vive.
I am blessed to have had these people in my life. And for as long as I live I will cherish them and treasure them – for such love and generosity is so rare today that to witness and be a part of it (or a recipient of it!) is as common as seeing a complete rainbow in the sky.
To my geek friends from the New Worlds Alliance you have my heartfelt thanks and everlasting love. ❤❤❤
As a seasoned blogger I often find the urge to “clean house”. What this means, in essense, is I go over my old blogposts and see what I could improve the SEO on, what needs more pictures, what needs to be hidden because I found (in hindsight) that I did not like what or how I wrote.
Well, in addition to that I also had to go through losing my entire website early last year in a blink with no warning and no backup, not even with my hosting provider. Talk about frutrating!
At present I have about 52 pages of posts and only 7 of those are the ones that I feel are ok to display at present. The remaining pages need to be reviewed as most of them have a lot of missing content. Thankfully there is this thing called the WAYBACK MACHINE that was able to archive my site a few times so I will be able to slowly recover my site. They only started to do so in 2012 so I’m keeping my fingers crossed that my posts from the 90s were part of the 2012 archive. That was a LOT of memories lost!
In the meantime, I am putting all posts from page 8 onwards in drafts mode. I will try to remember to prevent my wordpress app from sharing on social network each and every single old post. But in the event that it does happen, at least you know it is because I am cleaning house. 😀
I used to be on Windows so I guess I have to clean those, too. :P Cleaning house is tedious but could be fun … especially if you encounter some fun memories along the way. :D
My site (http://slvrdlphn.com) is down. Restoring it should not have been a problem except, for some reason, my hosting provider cannot find a backup for it. And I, sadly, don’t have one either. Waaaah!. My posts go back to 2002! I already lost my posts from 1997 to 2002 and now it looks like I am losing even more of that. #greatsadness #bloggerwoes
Until the last minute, I still wasn’t sure if I was attending the grand alumni homecoming of my high school, Stella Maris College. This year is extra special because not only is my batch (1987) celebrating its silver jubilee (25 years) but it is also the centennial celebration of the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary (FMM). Because of my work schedule, I only made it in time for the dinner and the majority of the evening program but it was time enough to say hi and hello to the ladies I spent most of my formative years with.
Our batch hosted the event this year and there was a lot of planning and coordination happening online on Facebook.
About one month before the event I received a postcard in the mail that contained the invitation to the event and this is what it said:
Sa ika-100 taon ng Franciscan Missionaries of Mary (FMM) sa Pilipinas masayang inihahandog ng High School Batch 87, sa tulong ng SMC-QC Alumni Association ang 2012 Stella Maris College Grand Alumni Homecoming na pinamagatang, Noon at Ngayon, Saan Man Sa Mundo, Stellan Ako!
At dahil Stella ka, imbitado ka at lahat ng mga ka-batch mo sa piyestang gaganapin sa SMC Covered Court sa Sabado, October 6, 2012.
Sa araw na iyon, magkakaroon ng mga sumusund:
2:00 pm to 4:00 pm REGISTRATION
4:00 pm to 5:00 pm MASS
6:00 pm to 8:00 pm DINNER & RAFFLE
8:00 pm to 10:00 pm PARADE & PRESENTATIONS
Para masaya tayong lahat, hinihikayat na makiisa sa parada ang ibat ibang batch, lalo na ang mga sumusunod na jubilarian:
1987 (Silver),
1982 (Pearl),
1977 (Coral),
1972 (Ruby),
1967 (Sapphire),
1962 (Gold), at
1957 (Emerald).
Mag-email lang sa st********@gm***.com para makapagrehistro nang maaga. May premyong naghihintay sa pinakamalaki at pinakamagaling na batch na sasali sa parada at makapagrerehistro sa August 31!
Kaya, tara na! Makipyesta na! Anumang dekada ka ipinanganak noon, saan ka man sa mundo naroon ngayon, isigaw mo, Stellan ako!
NOSEBLEED!!! Trust me, that was as difficult for me to type as it was to read. It took me the better part of an hour. hyuk!
Even after all these years, my command of the Tagalog language is still not that good. It’s better, but I still say words and phrases wrong, on occasion. I try not to get too embarrassed about it. I just think to myself that, at least I tried. 🙂
Going back to Stella Maris after 25 years was surreal. Seven years of my life were spent there (from 4th grade until I graduated from high school) and many memories were made. As I sat at the dinner table trying to think of really memorable moments in my life while I was in Stella, for quite some time I was stumped. After all, what was memorable to me was not necessarily relevant enough to share with my former classmates.
I remember dropping by the chapel every morning as soon as I arrive at school. I can’t recall what I was praying for but I remember how peaceful it was in the chapel and how I felt at peace there.
I remember spending every morning before the flag ceremony playing agawan base with the prep kids. Every year, a new batch of prep students. 🙂
I remember watching my sister climb the flagpole when the flag got stuck at half-mast. I didn’t even know she could do that!
I remember being a Girl Scout from as far back as the first grade (when I was still enrolled in Immaculate Concepcion Academy in Greenhills) and the way through high school. I remember attending international jamborees, council meetings, campings, ham radio camps, Jamboree on the Air, national jamborees, etc. I remember my uniform with all the badges and the belt full of belt loops. I remember being a voice talent in the Girl Scout radio show.
I remember being in Stella’s drum, bugle, and lyre corps where, despite my small frame, I ended up with either the bass bugle or the bass drum.
I remember being in the Glee Club in my senior year. Even though I had several years of vocal training in the church choir I was always in the chorus never good enough to be a Rachel. 🙂 My vocal range was alto-2 to soprano-1 and yet, still in the chorus.
I remember CAT (Citizens Army Training) and a bivouac we were all required to attend no matter what. And so, despite my wisdom tooth being infected and my face being swollen to double its size I attended doped up and groggy, but still participating in all the activities, no matter how much pain I was in.
I remember our teachers:
Mrs. Ramos was my favorite teacher of all time. I remember seeing her and thinking she looked like Lynda Carter. She was our English teacher and she didn’t mind my obsession with English literature and history. 🙂
Ms. Acanto, who was our P.E. and C.A.T. teacher, as well as the club moderator for the Girl Scouts club. I cannot forget her because she was the only teacher who brought me in front of Mrs. Borja (the principal) and reprimanded me for being the liaison for the Girl Scout Council. Since I WAS a junior member of the QC Girl Scout Council I didn’t see that it was wrong for me to update the club members with the latest news about the council we were a part of. I still don’t know why she was so upset unless it was because she felt I had superseded her authority. Long story short, she cried, I didn’t, hence I never forget her. The first adult I faced down and stood up to and defended myself against, and won. 🙂
Mrs. Santos, honestly, I can’t even remember what it was she taught. Was it math? All I remember was that she was sweet and approachable and was like a second mom to me.
I remember the friends I made while I was there Chit, May, Kate, Lala, Cindy, Maje, and Kukay, and, of course, my other classmates over the years and all the classroom antics.
I remember Jojo walking around the classroom in her bra and shorts when we are all supposed to be getting dressed for PE.
I remember wearing bent-colored paper clips shaped like hearts as tie clips.
I remember my classmates goading me to come up with ways to prolong lectures (asking questions and starting discussions) so that we would not have class time left for quizzes.
I remember some of my classmates being gaga over basketball players such as Allan Caidic and Alvin Patrimonio.
Most of all, though, I remember being distanced from most of what was happening, almost feeling like I was on the outside looking in. I could not really relate to most of the things my classmates were into. And, I suppose, they couldn’t really relate to me, either. The language barrier was one thing since I only spoke in English. Another would be that I always had my nose buried in a book. Third would be that I was a homebody and did not really enjoy going out to parties or to the mall or to the movies. I always opted to just go straight home.
Even now 25 years later, I have not changed much. After a long day at work, I went to the alumni homecoming and opted to make a French exit and go home early rather than join my classmates for the after-party. My bad back was a big factor in my decision to go home. I just wanted to go home, take my meds, and sleep.
As a matter of fact, going over all the pictures of the event, the only proof that I was there at all are these:
Everyone has changed yet stayed the same. To my batchmates at Stella Maris College, congratulations on organizing a fun reunion! A tout a lheure, mes amies!
People write blogs for different reasons and I am no different. When I first started blogging it was more of a creative outlet and an opportunity for me to get my thoughts “written down”. You see, I hate writing, and by writing I mean taking a pen and paper and putting words on it. It is one activity I did not enjoy when I was in school.
With the advent of computers, hurray! Nowadays there is very little need for me to actually write with ink and paper. 😀
I blog for fun.
I write blogs to reviews, whether they are movie reviews, book reviews, gadget reviews, food reviews, etc.
I write blogs to share information about stuff I find interesting.
I write blogs to share my experiences of different events like vacations, trips, concerts, and the like.
I write to share my thoughts on anything under the sun and moon. 😀
But, primarily (initially), I like to blog just so I could put down in words how I feel. They aren’t always for public viewing but just the act of putting it all down in print makes me feel better. My blog started as more of an online diary or journal if you will. In the beginning, whether or not someone read my posts was not so important. If someone reads my blog and enjoys it or can sympathize with it or learns something from it, etc., I feel gratified. But if no one reads what I wrote it does not affect me much.
I blog to relax.
Blogging, for me, is a therapeutic exercise. It helps me calm down when I am stressed and it helps me in organizing my thoughts for all the other projects I am involved in.
Of course, this does not mean that I don’t sometimes stress over the littlest things, but I try not to let them get me down by refocusing on what is more important right now.
I blog to promote.
On occasion, people ask for my help in promoting a product or service. Sometimes they give me a press release to post as-is (but I still end up enhancing or even changing up a bit, if I think it needs some help … mostly for SEO purposes) and other times I get invited to events, given an overview, and am then left to my own devices on how I want to write it. In which case the only thing I ask for is some guidance such as … is there any phrase they specifically want me to say, or maybe a hashtag, or a feature they want me to highlight.
I blog to teach.
Every now and then I post some of my lectures in the classes I teach here. I’ve found that it is easier for me to maintain and, in addition, it also gives my students an insight into who and what kind of person I am.
Is blogging easy?
Some would say it is and to some extent, I would agree …
if you like to write
if you know your niche and can produce material for that niche
if you can commit yourself to a schedule … ex. once a week at the very least.
Yes, I said that blogging, for me, is therapeutic, but that does not mean it isn’t hard work, especially if your goal is to have a GOOD blog site.
If you are a serious blogger then you want a GREAT site, not a good site. It’s achievable, indeed, and when done right it morphs into a site is rich in content, awesome pictures, etc. we could all be proud of.
Earlier today I was booking a Grab home and my screen showed three cars in the vicinity. For almost 30 minutes I tried to get a ride repeatedly and each time I saw the same three names appear on my screen in rotation and none of them would accept my fare. How frustrating!
With no other choice I opted to keep tapping my finger on the app until I could get a ride with Grab. My only consolation being that since I was at a hotel then at least I was waiting in comfort.
I used to be on Windows so I guess I have to clean those, too. :P Cleaning house is tedious but could be fun … especially if you encounter some fun memories along the way. :D
Going back to Stella Maris after 25 years was surreal. Seven years of my life were spent there (from 4th grade until I graduated from high school) and many memories were made. As I sat at the dinner table trying to think of really memorable moments in my life while I was in Stella, for quite some time I was stumped. After all, what was memorable to me was not necessarily relevant enough to share with my former classmates.
But, primarily (initially), I like to blog just so I could put down in words how I feel. They aren’t always for public viewing but just the act of putting it all down in print makes me feel better. My blog started as more of an online diary or journal if you will. In the beginning, whether or not someone read my posts was not so important. If someone reads my blog and enjoys it or can sympathize with it or learns something from it, etc., I feel gratified. But if no one reads what I wrote it does not affect me much.
I blog to relax.
On occasion, people ask for my help in promoting a product or service. Sometimes they give me a press release to post as-is (but I still end up enhancing or even changing up a bit, if I think it needs some help … mostly for SEO purposes) and other times I get invited to events, given an overview, and am then left to my own devices on how I want to write it. In which case the only thing I ask for is some guidance such as … is there any phrase they specifically want me to say, or maybe a hashtag, or a feature they want me to highlight.
Every now and then I post some of my lectures in the classes I teach here. I’ve found that it is easier for me to maintain and, in addition, it also gives my students an insight into who and what kind of person I am.
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