Happiness Is A Choice

I met my hubby in high school. Back then, aside from our heights and the fact that we joined the C.A.T., we had very little in common. Our personalities were so different. 

We pursued different fields in college. I went into the science of number crunching while he studied how vehicles and other motors and engines worked.  When we graduated, we started our respective careers. From the time we were in high school until the present time, one thing remained true, for two people who are as different as can be. We are inseparable. He'd make excuses to be with me, and I'd often go on leave just to be with him. We never ran out of stories to tell each other, we never ran out of reasons to laugh. Of course, we never ran out of things to fight over, nothing is too petty for us! haha.. But in the end, after all the shouting and crying subsides, there's still us, and we still love each other and each other's company.

So I guess it was just natural for us to decide to start a business where we can be together all the time. We are both photographers. We studied and we trained and we invested in good equipment, then we set up our photography business. 

So far, it's been so fun. We've pushed each other to be the best we can be and we've discovered things about us that we never even knew existed before! I'd have to say though that working with one's spouse is not without challenges, but at the end of the day, you're still working with your best friend, someone who has only your best interest in mind. 

Thanks hunny Berto for being my happiness and being with me in this journey. There's no looking back. We started late in this game, but as they say, happiness is a choice and it's never too late to pursue it with all our hearts.

Our Frustrating Experience with Fedex, Sta. Lucia East Grand Mall

We had to mail some important documents to Canada. We figured Fedex is a reputable courier service to we decided to use them. We went to the Fedex / Mail and More branch in Sta. Lucia East Grand Mall since they were open till 8:30pm. When Berto and I arrived, we were not really surprised when we saw this ... again.

We often choose Mail and More to deliver for our business since service was fast and affordable. We just found it amusing that we've been to this branch 4 times and we always catch the guy manning the shop on break 30-40 minutes before the shop is supposed to close. It's almost closing time, can't he wait for just a few more minutes?  And we think he does this every night. We got there while he's on break, four out of four times! It has got to be more than just a coincidence! I wonder if the branch owner/manager knows about this. It is really poor customer service. Customers are kept waiting for more than 30 minutes and all the while the packages he received for the day are just left there in the shop, unmanned.  Anyone can easily hop over the partition and take a package. Tsk tsk.

Annoyed as we were, we have no other choice but to come to this shop since they are the only Mail and More branch near our place still open at night. The guy is always apologetic when he comes back, he says he thought no one would come in since it's almost closing time anyway. He said this to us all of four times we were there. We were not the only ones waiting for him. There were others too, but like us, they couldn't afford to reprimand the guy. What if he takes it out on our packages? What if it "accidentally" gets lost in transit? We don't want the hassle.

This one time though, we were there for a Fedex package. We asked the personnel how long will it take to deliver the documents to Canada. Without batting an eyelash, he said 2 days. It would cost P1,450. We would have wanted it to get there faster. He didn't offer us any option for rush delivery, but I figured 2 days was acceptable. So we paid for the fee and he gave us a tracking number so we can track our package through www.fedex.com 

We tried track it when we got home but the system still hasn't updated so we couldn't see our package just yet. The system finally did update the following night. Imagine our shock when we saw that our package will be delivered 5 working days after! We sent the package on April 3 after cut off so it can be considered as April 4, but instead of being delivered on April 6 it was supposed to be delivered on April 10! 

In fairness, it was safely delivered just today but still, it was so irresponsible to give a wrong promised delivery time. I'm not sure if the personnel didn't really know what he was doing or if he was just unmindful of what he was saying, or if there was a problem in the delivery itself. We called the customer service to report the delay but a certain Nathan coldly told us that whatever we are seeing in the tracking system is correct. He won't give us the standard delivery time to Canada, just that what we see in the system is the correct delivery time. Shouldn't they inform us of the standard delivery time? That's precisely why we contacted customer service.

We also noticed that from Cainta, the package transferred to Paranaque, stayed there the whole day, transferred to China then back to Angeles City, Philippines where it stayed for another day before it was transferred to Japan. Is this really the proper route to Canada? Because I think it's hardly efficient and so time consuming.

I hope the Mail and More / Fedex Sta. Lucia East Grand Mall will do something about this. We noticed there was only one person in the shop. Maybe that's why he is forced to take a break while on the clock, no one is there to relieve him. Please look into this matter. You are putting your companies' good names in jeopardy.

Update:

I uploaded this blog post yesterday morning (when I was sure that our package was already delivered hehe). Hubby got a call for Ms. Bing R of Fedex in the afternoon. Apparently they read the post and were investigating the incident. When she called us, she was already prepared with the details of our transactions like the dates, the route, hubby's contact info, even the customer service agents who answered his calls. 

Ms. Bing patiently explained to us the exact route and time line our package took. She got more details about our encounter with the agent in the branch as well as customer service guy who took our call. She also assured us that they will look into the matter. 

I also got an apologetic blog comment from the President of Mail and More Business Services. 

Thank you very much. We appreciate your efforts. It is really good to know that your companies still seek customer satisfaction. I would like to believe that this is just as isolated case. I guess it's just too bad we got a double whammy when we encountered an agent who gave us the wrong info and then we called a customer service agent who lacked compassion and concern for customer's needs.

* By the way Ms. Bing asked us if the picture on this post is an actual picture. Yes, this is an actual picture taken there at Sta. Lucia branch, but on Feb 16, 2013. That was our first or second time to drop by that branch. I found it absurd that the branch was left unmanned for so long. I had to take a picture. Like I said above we've been back a couple of times since, same scene, different notes. On the night of April 3, I believe he used white paper to let people know that he's on break.

Bodhi Vegetarian Health Food

Our favorite restaurant inside the malls is not that hard to find. In fact they can be found in most SM food courts. Bodhi Vegetarian Health Food is vegetarian fast food that makes healthy, delicious and affordable food available to everybody. I once went through a phase when I experimented with being a vegan. That didn’t last too long. Hehe but even though we are not vegans, we really enjoy the different home-style Filipino dishes offered by Bodhi. They have affordable budget meals that is composed of 1 cup of steamed rice and 2 entrees. You get to choose among many familiar viands like barbeque, chopsuey, asado, adobo, chicken curry, fresh lumpia and a lot more. Of course they use meat substitutes (vegetable protein) and mushrooms instead of meat but you barely notice the difference. Everything is flavorful and tasty!

Caldereta and Curry

Asado

Braised with mixed vegetables

Bodhi Vegetarian Health Food is located at the following SM Mall Food Courts & other malls:

SM Megamall, Mandaluyong

SM Edsa

SM Cubao

SM Makati

SM Santa Mesa

SM Fairview

SM South Mall

SM Baguio

Glorietta Food Choices

Greenhills Virra Mall

Main Branch: 878 Banawe St., cor. Del Monte Ave, Quezon City (they offer catering for those interested)

Tel: (02) 412-2910 

Email: info@bodhivegetarian.com

Website:   http://www.bodhivegetarian.com/

Getting Our NBI Clearances at Ever Gotesco Commonwealth

When I was still in corporate, (naks parang ang tagal na ah!) I heard horror stories about getting the NBI clearance. That you had to go to the NBI Clearance Centers at dawn and fall in line for hours! I thought it must be an exaggeration, but when I had some friends and family go and get their clearances, they said it was true! So when time came when our whole family needed one, we had no choice.

On that Monday, we woke up at 3:30am. We planned on going to Robinson’s Otis in Manila. It seemed out of the way and we thought it would be less crowded there compared to the Clearance Centers in Robinson’s Metro East or Galleria.  Luckily we chanced upon a blog that said that she got her NBI clearance from Ever Commonwealth Mall. That was much nearer our place, so we decided to just go there. The night before, we packed sandwiches, juices and other snacks. Berto brewed  coffee for both of us and we bundled a very sleepy Bea to our van and went on our way. We arrived at the Ever Commonwealth mall at around 4:30 am. The parking lot was still closed. Good thing there was a 24-hour Mcdonald’s nearby. We parked there and Berto went ahead to check if there was a line or if they were already giving out numbers. Us, girls stayed in the van, with Bea sleeping and me reading from my kindle.

According to Berto, the whole mall compound was still closed but there was already a line of more or less 20 people along the sidewalk. He has to stay there to keep his place in line since there was no numbers yet.

At around 5:30 am, the guards opened the mall compound and the line transferred inside at the left side  near the parking lot (when facing the mall). At around 6:30am, I joined Berto in line, he decided to take Bea home since the guards told him that children were not allowed inside the NBI clearance center. The wait was so long, good thing I brought my kindle along. I had no qualms about plopping down on the pavement as long as I’m sipping coffee and reading. Hehe…

Berto and Kwala plopped down on the pavement during the long wait for the NBI Clearance  Center

I was able to talk to some other people in line, they shared that they’ve had to get this clearance every 6 months since they were contractuals. The NBI clearance system has changed. There are no more renewals. Every time you get a clearance, you have to go thru the whole process again. That must be really frustrating for them, not to mention time consuming.

At around 7:00 am, the guard reminded us that we need to have photocopies of our IDs. We didn’t have any so Berto rushed to the photocopier by the parking entrance. It was a bit far but thank goodness for Berto’s long strides, he got there before most of the others arrived.

After a while, the guard made his rounds again, this time reminding us of the proper attire for NBI applicants: Wearing of shorts, sandos, mini skirts, and slippers are strictly not allowed. Eeek! I was wearing my purple Havaianas flipflops because I wanted to be comfortable. Waaah! I was already starting to panic when I remembered that I had my camel slingbacks in the van. I wore it to a photo coverage a few weeks ago but on the way home I took it off because my feet hurt. I went inside the house barefoot. Good thing the shoes were still in the van! Woohoo!

At around 8:00 am, they let some people in. I didn’t even realize there were other people loitering by the entrance.  The ones in front of the line were outraged, saying they were there since 4:00 am then they let these people slink in?? The guards tried to appease them, apparently these people had “appointments”. I don’t know how or why.

Finally inside the mall

We got inside the mall through a side entrance. They converted Cinema 1 into the NBI Clearance Center.  The guard made us fall in line again. After a few minutes they let us in the cinema. At the entrance, NBI employees gave out the application form with corresponding numbers, them they got the photocopies of our IDs. They wrote down the application form numbers on the photocopies, probably for file matching later on. We were led in the cinema and asked to sit down. It was early and everybody seemed to be in a good mood. The ushers were very pleasant and smiley. They assisted us in filling out our forms. It was a bit confusing especially for married women. Remember: Last Name (your father’s surname) Husband’s Surname for Married Woman (your husband’s surname), Given Name (your name),  and Middle Name (your mother’s maiden surname). Write in BLOCK CAPITAL letters. This will help the encoders to key in your information accurately. For purpose, if it’s for employment, put Local; if it’s travel, put travel; if it’s visa application purposes, write Visa-(country you’re going to) e.g. Visa-Canada, Visa-China etc.

Converted  cinema into a NBI Clearance Center

Next we fell in line for the payment, P115 only, then we got in another line for the receipt. Next they asked us to take our seats, while keeping our line, and wait our turn for the encoding. When we were only a few seats away from the encoders, the officer in charge stopped the processing. He said that there was a system error and everybody was getting a hit! You are only supposed to get a hit if you have a name-sake with a criminal record. And if you do get a hit, you only get your clearance after they further investigate your case, after a month. So we had to wait for the IT support to fix their system before they start the processing again.  This was actually a small blessing for us because it gave Berto enough time to fetch Bea from home again. He asked the NBI employees and they said we can also get a clearance for her as well. Argh! And to think we wasted time and fuel to bring her home only to fetch her again. 

After 30 minutes, the line started moving again.

The encoders just key in whatever you wrote in the application form, then they warn you to look closely at the info they just typed in, because if you gave your OK to the data on screen then realized that there was a mistake, you have to pay the P115 again for an amended clearance.  On that day they had a lot of trainees who act as encoders. They were not really that familiar with the system. I wrote Visa-Canada as purpose in my application form, but the encoder chose Travel-Canada from the drop down menu. When I asked the supervisor, he said it there was a Visa-Canada option down in the menu and he reprimanded my encoder. NBI clearance is an important document. It is needed for work here and abroad, travel, even migration. I mean people’s futures are on the line here and maybe they shouldn’t trust the trainees with such a critical job as encoding. Not everybody is as meticulous as me. This will set them back a month if the information on the clearance is not accurate!

Berto helping Bea with the biometrics, pardon the blurred pic =)

After encoding, biometrics was next. They take a really dark picture of you thru a web cam. I asked if I could smile, the NBI guy said go ahead. I initially felt bad that I didn’t retouch my make-up but when I saw how bad the picture was, I realized it wouldn’t have made any difference. Fingerprinting came next. The biometrics process took less than a minute, then my receipt was handed back to me with a date stamped on the back, one month after. I was a hit? I looked at hubby and he was a hit too, so was our Bea. I thought it was another system error but when we approached the officer-in-charge to clarify the matter, he said that this was the SOP for applications for Visa purposes, auto-hit. Then he said that if we were in a hurry, we can request it to be rushed and we get the clearances within 30 minutes instead a month, for a small of P500 each. We had no choice. P1,500 went out our pocket and went into his.

A snack after the tiring process

Here we are with happy smiles while waiting for our NBI Clearances being “rushed”.

Almost done!

We were done at around 10:00 am, just in time for the mall opening. I must say, that was quite an experience, but I wouldn’t want to do that again. The problem is the long line since they only accommodate 500 applicants a day, but once inside the process is a breeze.

REMINDERS:

Proper attire for NBI applicants: 
Wearing of shorts, sandos, mini skirts, and slippers are strictly NOT ALLOWED.


They require two valid IDs. Don't forget to photocopy them. Any two of these will do:

   

Valid passport

School ID

Voter’s ID

TIN ID

Driver’s License

Philhealth ID

PRC License

Authenticated Birth Cert

SSS ID

Alien Cert of Registration

GSIS UMID

Senior Citizen

Postal ID

Previous Copy of NBI Clearance

Take care when filling out the application form, especially for married women. 

Remember: Last Name (your father’s surname) Husband’s Surname for Married Woman (your husband’s surname), Given Name (your name),  and Middle Name (your mother’s maiden surname).

Here is a sample:

Sample Application Form

Here are some NBI Clearance Centers from all over the Philippines:

Robinsons Place Ermita
(Basement 1) M. Adriatico Cor. Pedro Gil St. Ermita, Manila

Robinsons Otis
(Level 2) Dr. Paz Mendoza Guanzon St., Paco, Manila

Robinsons Galleria
(East Lane, Basement 1) Edsa Cor. Ortigas Avenue, Quezon City

Robinsons Metro East Pasig
(Level 4) Marcos Highway, Brgy. Dela Paz, Pasig City

Robinsons Cainta
(Level 2) Ortigas Avenue Extension, Junction Cainta, Rizal

Ever Gotesco Grand Central
(3rd Floor, Cinema 5) Rizal Avenue Extension (Monumento), Caloocan City

Ever Gotesco Manila Plaza
(3rd Floor, Cinema 3) C.M. Recto Avenue, Manila

Ever Gotesco Commonwealth
(2nd Floor, Cinema 1) Commonwealth Avenue, Quezon Cityquezon City Hall

Mandaluyong City Hall

Muntinlupa City Hall

Central Luzon Regional Office
Capitol Compound, San Fernando City, Pampanga

Calabarzon Regional Office
Capitol Site, Batangas City

Laguna District Office
City Of Sta. Rosa, Laguna

Central Visayas Regional Office
Capitol Site, Cebu Citry

Eastern Visayas Regional Office
Sto. Nino Extension, Tacloban City

Western Visayas Regional Office
Fort San Pedro, Iloilo City

Southeastern Mindanao Regional Office
J.P. Laurel Avenue, Bajada, Davao City

Northeastern Mindanao Regional Office
Provincial Capitol Compound, Cagayan De Oro City

Dagupan District Office
A.B. Fernandez West, Dagupan City, Pangasinan

Cordillera Administrative Regional Office
125 Upper Session Road Baguio City

Cagayan Valley Regional Office
Carig Regional Center, Tuguegarao City

Caraga Regional Office
2nd Flr, Fcb Building, J. Rosales Ave., Butuan City

Legazpi District Office
Quezon Avenue, Legazpi City

Sarangani District Office
San Pedro St., Lagao, General Santos City

Tuburan Municipal Office
Tuburan, Cebu

For further concerns, click the link to the NBI frequently asked questions.

Good Meow-ning!

Just sharing a picture of one of our pets at home, our cat Princess Mulan or Myuli for short. We have two cats, Mulan and Snow White, and they have different personalities. They are actually half sisters but just like people, they can be as different as can be. Myuli is not as malambing or affectionate as her sister. She is a bit more aloof. She is content on lying on the couch quietly, you wouldn't even notice her if she doesn't announce her presence with loud meows. Her weakness however are belly rubs. Start rubbing her belly and she lets her guard down and goes into a trance of happiness! Haha..

In this series of pictures, she was initially wary of my taking her picture, but when hubby (not in picture) started to give her a belly rub, she just closed her eyes, stretched belly up and gave up to the happy sensations!

Early Valentine’s Day Sweets…and Craziness

The night before Valentine’s Day I suddenly felt a craving for Goldilock’s Choco Rumble. I’ve had this long standing relationship with this delicious pastry. It dates back to when my mom used to buy these goodies for me after we did the weekly marketing. As in I used to eat them every week, but that was back when I was thinner, hehe..  But then I stopped buying them, maybe because I stopped being thin. :p Then one day as I was strolling in the mall with Berto, I chanced upon them again and bought a single piece and from then on, I was hooked again.

Choco Rumble

So last night, I bugged Berto into bringing me to the nearby Goldilock’s shop to get my fix. Sadly, everybody seemed to be thinking of the same thing and the Choco Rumbles were all sold out. So we bought these cute cinnamon rolls called Cinnamon Hugs (P100), Pinipig Polvoron Pack (P50) and Classic Brownies (P21) instead. 

Berto's Fave, perfect with coffee! Yum!

Kwala's Fave!

 

One of Berto and Kwala's all-time comfort food!

By the way, just a short kwento: 

Outside the Goldilock’s shop, there was this lady who was selling roses. I was ribbing Berto about how he never buys me flowers anymore (actually that’s not true, he bought a beautiful bouquet for my last birthday). So guess what he did, he bought me flowers…. from the sampaguita vendor standing next to the rose lady. Crazy man! Then he wanted to put the lei around my neck while shrieking, parang That’s Entertainment lang! Hahaha! 

So here’s a pic of my Valentine’s Sampaguita Lei with the Rose Lady in the background. 

Sampaguita for me...
Sorry for the crappy photo, taken by my  phone camera

Happy Valentine's Day to my crazy husband! Thanks for being my constant Valentine's Day Date for the past twenty years! I love you!

Berto and Kwala on our wedding day

Happy Valentine’s Day everybody!

Blatant Self Promotion

Hello everyone! How is your February treating you so far? Us, not so good, but that will have to be another blog post soon. In the mean time let me blatantly promote our twitter account: https://twitter.com/bertoandkwala   Follow, follow, follow us!

Also, hop on over to our facebook account and LIKE us!  http://www.facebook.com/bertoandkwala

While you're at it, add us up as a contact on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bertoandkwala/

Come on guys, let's interact! =) We hope to hear from you!