Monthly Archives: March 2009

Learning from the men

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Let’s face it, women and sports are not a natural mix. Sure there are women who excel in different areas of sports but historically it is men’s domain. This is perhaps one of the reasons why women — in general — do not like watching sports, too, or find it as a topic when they lunch together.

In my twisted mind, I believe there is great value in getting passionate about sports mainly for the fact that sports foster team building, which to be frank, women are not also good at. Oftentimes, women will bitch at each other even if they are working towards the same goal. I know there will be some of you women out there who will not agree with what I’m saying here but in my own experience, we spend more time analysing who needs to lead, what needs to be done, even though we have already selected the leader, and why the heck the others selected her to be the leader. Because by nature, we love to think and analyse. Sports also encourage competition; something that women do not lack of but for reasons I’ve stated before, we have the tendency to even compete with our own teammates.

If we could give sports as much as passion as we do shoes, I reckon that we’ll gain an advantage over men. Why? Simply because we can do so. Women can ‘invade’ this world without giving up our lipsticks and handbags. We can watch football matches and grunt in front of the telly while baking muffins without dimishing our very identity. Men, on the other hand, can’t even do high heels properly!

So, what am I ranting about here? Simple really. This is my expression of a wish that women should be more passionate with sports, any sport (except cricket) that is. That we should not find it awkward to talk about it over lunch or crumpets. That if and when we do, realise that it would give us an advantage in the battle of the sexes.

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Not when he’s already gone

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It was sad to hear about the passing of Francis Magalona, possibly the pioneer of rap in the Philippines. He died last 06 March 2009 of acute myelogenous leukemia. A great loss indeed to the entertainment industry in the Philippines.

While everyone who knows FrancisM (or know of him) agrees that he is extremely talented, I find it bizarre and superficial that there are people who are suddenly nominating him to be granted the status of National Artist. There is even a Facebook group created for it. And since the announcement of his death, 8 of my FB friends have become ‘fans’ of FrancisM (the page probably never existed before either).

If these people truly believe that his contribution to the arts and entertainment is of such significance, then why wasn’t a nomination presented when he was still alive? I am not saying that FrancisM is not befitting nor deserving of this honour. I am simply saying that such adulation would have been more appreciated — by himself, nonetheless — if it was done long before he was even diagnosed with the cancer.

Shouldn’t the appreciation and recognition be given when he was still alive and not when he’s already gone?

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Suggestion for better customer service

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I accidentally dropped my new Nokia 5800 and it damaged the screen, leaving it without a main display. I was truly annoyed and upset by this (needless to say since I was really excited about that phone). When I phoned Vodafone Customer Services, they gladly informed me that it would be covered by my insurance and that I simply need to go to any Vodafone shop to have it checked and replaced. My interpretation of this was that when I go to the shop, someone will check the damaged phone and can immediately decide whether it can be fixed or not. If it cannot be fixed, then I would be given a replacement (like-for-like) straight away. That eased my annoyance lots. But when I came into the Vodafone shop at Oxford Street in London, it was not the case.

I was told that they would need to send my phone to engineering as no one is qualified to determine whether the damage can be repaired or not. This will take 4-5 working days. I was a bit disappointed but I guess that is better than nothing.

On the form I was given (to claim my phone back) they put in a code for the main damage. This means that the staff will need to determine the type of damage as seen in situ. If they are already doing this, I thought it would make better customer service if they are presented with the several options (wizard-type) that will eventually determine whether it can be fixed or not. This way, they wouldn’t need to send it away. Perhaps the person who will receive the damaged phone would only need to take a look at it and say that it cannot be fixed. If this knowledge is already accessible to the Vodafone staff at the shop, then it would surely save time and the customer wouldn’t need to wait.

This suggestion has now been conveyed to Vodafone. I sent a message to their Customer Care team with this information and awaiting a reply. Whether they take it on board or not, I cannot tell. In my opinion, if I want better customer service, I better tell them how and when I want it.

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