People judge by the outward appearance by default. Whether you’re a Filipino, American, Austrian, Jew. Everybody is guilty of this disturbing mentality. Some ignoramus will conclude that you are this and you are that basing on your clothes, hair, skin and race. If you “look” rich or pretty you get special attention, and you will go unnoticed if you are ugly, or be treated harshly if you resemble a terrorist.

Just recently, a drummer of a rock band Deicide had been falsely accused of bank robbery. Okay, it was just suspicion. He was suspected of robbing a bank. The mess started when he went to the bank to deposit some money that their band earned the previous night from merch sales (t-shirts, CDs etc). The bank staff got suspicious because his appearance and amount of money he was carrying wasn’t a perfect match.

Full story here
But cheer up God is on our side. He never judge people by the outward appearance, but looks at the heart. It’s in 1 Samuel 16:7

This is the email i sent to Rustans Coffee, the Philippine franchise owner of Starbucks.

Hi,

My name is Jeffrey Wong, from Mandaue City Cebu, and presently working at Some Company Name.

I emailed you because of a “minor” issue encountered at Starbucks Ayala Cebu, when one of my companions found 2 screws in her cup of coffee. It happened around 12:00 midnight of August 27. There were about 6 of us, and each of us had coffee. I believe it was all our first time to visit Starbucks. We all enjoyed not just the coffee but also the place. Then my friend wondered why she can hear an unsual sound everytime she drank the coffee. The coffee was half full when she discovered 2 screws inside the cup.

We called the attention of the staff, then we gave the 2 screws already placed inside a paper cup. We were expecting either of two things from them: A replacement of the coffee or an apology. An informal apology was already enough though, never mind the replacement. Minutes passed, and we heard nothing from them. So I went to the counter and asked if they have email. The lady (i believe she’s part of the admin staff) asked me if “it was about the 2 screws” and i said yes. Then came a reply from her that i wasnt expecting. She basically said, Sir, there’s nothing to worry about, because the 2 screws are clean, and besides it’s already midnight when you ordered the coffee.

Okay, let’s say the screws were 100% clean, and germ-free. What if my friend accidentally swallowed those “clean” screws?

More power (and grace) to the Stabucks franchise!

Attached is the receipt or if you don’t want to download the attachment i provided a link to it.

http://www.yourimagehost.com/is.php?i=25010&img=rc1.gif

God bless!

A concerned Starbucks Customer,

Jeffrey B. Wong

The company I am working for had a small informal party last Saturday November 18 done in one of the big bosses’ other business located someplace in Glorietta, in Makati (Philippines). It’s a typical restobar, with sexy usherettes (luckily); at the sidewalk entrance were ugly bulky, chubby bouncers. The waiters are in citrus colored shirts. Wide TV screen showing music videos of black R & B musicians. Usual drinks, light beer, iced tea; sorry that’s all I know. I’m not alcoholic.

While I was at the entrance, the pretty usherette politely told me that I CAN’T GO inside because of the short pants I was wearing, it’s their rule (stupid rule that is). I don’t have any idea what’s the purpose for, perhaps for the place to look “decent” and “formal”. Don’t get me wrong, but the clothes I was wearing that night wasn’t that bad at all; the shorts had two side pockets like you see on a soldier’s pants, and it was knee length. I had shoes on, with ankle socks; I wore a t-shirt with no holes or rips, and no stain marks. Just enough to demand or show respect.

I replied to the two usherette albeit controlling myself, “But I am from Webcompany (name withheld, sorry), and we were not informed beforehand about the bar’s rules.” Then the other lady went inside to call their manager. But the manager was as hard as Gloria’s arrogance, he said I can only go in if I stay indoors, and not on the sidewalk area.

Then my hottie and sexy project manager came to my rescue who was in one of the tables in the sidewalk area, she was wearing a short shorts, while she was pleading to the manager to just allow me in, I told the usherettes, “Look at her, she’s wearing shorts.” Then I heard a reply I cannot believe, “It’s ok sir, because she’s a lady.” Toink!

Thankfully after much pleading I was permitted inside. I was scanning around the place, and then I saw a bald guy in short pants. Then I blurted out, “There’s a guy over there wearing shorts.” Then my officemate answered, “Well, he’s a celebrity, a singer named Jay-R.”

*Cough! Cough! Cough! Cough!*

Jay-R is off the hook on this. It’s the restobar and its stupid rule!

I won’t go back there unless it’s really, really, really required by the company!

School Bukel
English Pronunciation Reeducation

This is my so-called little analysis on what’s the correct pronunciation of the word “oracle.”

Let me start it with a short story of a man from the Visayas.

His name is Chris, who proficiently speaks three Filipino dialects: Ilonggo, Cebuano or traditionally known as Bisaya, and Tagalog, but formally called as Filipino. He grew up in Ilo-ilo and went to Cebu for his collegiate education.

Chris has a good academic background and an admirable working ethics. In his recent work he is one of its team leaders. His company mainly renders programming for various companies abroad. Adept in English as he is, part of his job is to train people and thus talking is a necessity.

In one of his talks, he mentioned the word “oracle” in a sentence. But right after he spoke that very word, laughter echoed in the room from the mouths of the tagalog-speaking individuals. Chris knew it was the way he pronounced “oracle,” but he just humbly kept quiet because he was sure he pronounced it correctly. Then his American superior’s turn to speak, he also had the chance to include the word “oracle” in his sentences. The American pronounced the word “oracle” the way Chris did. The superior just continued on with his discussion, a deafening shame reverberated in the ears and minds of those jeering tagalog-speaking creatures.

Apologies for the disintegration of your excitement, but the story about Chris has now end.

Now let’s do a little investigation. Let’s dissect the word “oracle.”

According to Random House Dictionary:
Oracle - a divine utterance made by a God through a priest or a priestess in response to an inquiry.

Correct pronunciation: www.answers.com/oracle

It’s an inverted e and not e!

What is an inverted e?
Occurs in unaccented syllables before l preceded by t, d, or n, or before n, preceded by t or d to show syllabic quality, as in:
Cra-dle www.answers.com/cradle
Red-den www.answers.com/redden
Met-al www.answers.com/metal
Men-tal www.answers.com/mental

Let’s compare it with words that has an e pronunciation:
Bell (bel) www.answers.com/bell
Smell (smel) www.answers.com/smell

I therefore conclude “oracle” is pronounced as www.answers.com/oracle / orakal / orakoal and NOT orakel !!! I therefore conclude that our Filipino brothers in Luzon have been fed with some erroneous English pronunciations all along.