Memory for Keeps: Off to Binondo via Pasig River Ferry cruise

Disclaimer: We planned this trip prior to watching John Lloyd and Bea's Miss you like crazy :)

I wanted to do something out of the box, something that not a normal couple would do.. Hmm, the original plan was to to go to La Mesa Ecopark, pero ang ordinary pa din.. normal na pinupuntahan na un..

Two days later, while I was riding the MRT, I spotted a boat like thingy stopping at a small pier-like structure along the Pasig River, my curiosity got the best of me and as soon as I arrived in the office I hooked up with Mr. Google and searched for the boat trips along Pasig River. A few clicks later, I found what I was looking for, I called the number on the site and asked for specifics about the trip and the rest is history. hehe

The big question was what station should we go off, different blogs helped me realize that the best station to go down for "tourists" (yes, that's us hehe) would be Intramuros or Escolta.. I opted for Escolta because I wanted to try authentic Chinese food.. Google here and there and I found out that the original Savory Restaurant was located right there at Binondo! Yey, so the trip was planned,

Last Monday - March 15, 2010, after a lunchout with my team, I went off to Chicco's office then off we went to the Guadalupe Station of the Pasig River Ferry. We got there a around 3:40pm and realized that we missed the 3:36pm trip to Manila! The next trip was for another hour so we waited in the station. Good thing the station was airconditioned :)

Finally, the boat arrived ..

According to the people there, the entire boat trip is supposed to take around 45 minutes. Below are the shots I took during the boat ride, it was beautiful in an iteresting way. The boat ride was serene and you can feel when the boat is in the deep part of the water or not. You'll see places you've never seen before plus there's no traffic! For Php45 pesos a person, it was worth it! And contrary to what most peolpe think, the river is not at all stinky..  

Finally, we arrived at Escolta station a little after 5:00pm, I asked Chicco to trust my instincts and just follow me, I was feeling a bit adventurous that day. The frist thing we need to do was find an ATM machine because we are low on cash. After withdrawing cash, we started walking and looking for the Eng BeeTin shop - Finally nahanap din namin! we bought Php500 pesos worh of hopia - yeah panic buying hahaha touristang tourista dating namin! hehehe

After Eng BeeTin we went to Savory Restaurant to sample their uber-famous chicken! It was really an old restaurant but once you enter the place you feel the chinese vibe there. Feeling ko pagpasok ko naging singkit nako hehe

It was a different date, a new entry is added to my memory bank. I would definitely go back, balita ko madami pang nice places to eat sa Binondo e, plus madami pa kaming streets na hindi pa nae-explore :) 

'Til next time Binondo! :)

Unsent letter

To whom it may concern,

I am writing this letter hoping it would reach somebody who trully cares for the team that I learned to love.

I have been with the SDG Retail team for 2 and half years. When i was starting there i felt welcome, my teammates were good people, they taught me everyhting I needed to learn to be able to breeze through the work. Then they left - all of them at the same time and it was as if the world was on our shoulders. EC, the manager, assured us that the team can survive without them. I heard stories about why they left and all that stuff. I told myself that I won't listen to them, I'm just gonna work, but at the back of my mind, there was a nagging feeling that something is wrong.

After a while I started to notice things, like how people sleep while we work, how EC talks to much and how he shares stories that should not be shared, and how he promises things he can't keep. I kept my mouth shut all those times. Even when he shares personal stories of people, of his friends, of his lady conquests, i just kept quiet and never said a word, He is my boss after all.

It was never comfortable talking to him, he had a reputation of talking a lot and I don't want him discussing my personal stuff with his friends over beer or yosi.

I am an apprentice and I had to stay with the company for 2 years, but even before my 2-year bond ended i was dying to get out of the company, I am not happy with the team I am in. You keep thinking that the problem is the people, because people keep leaving - but you have to open your eyes, people won't start looking for work if they are happy where they are at the moment.

Here is the truth: People are leaving because they see somthing wrong in the management, they don't trust their manager and people will continue to leave if you don't fix things. So I hope this letter reaches the right recipient(s).

How can you trust a manager who hooks up with his direct report? How could you trust him to make fair decisions? How can you respect somebody who can't keep his private life private? who influences the team with his love fights with his gf. They fight and we know it.

I am writing this because I care for the team. The best solution is for you to move him to a different team or move his girlfriend to a different team. This is just for starters. You need to move. You can make a difference.

Sincerely,

==o0o==

As of now, tintin, the gf posted nasty stuff on her facebook page. She broke up with the manager/bf because she does not approve of his decision. Great huh?? After a while they got back together. Things should be done here, things should be set straight, because his decisions, his actions are more personal than professional. Haaaay. As of now people are still leaving the team, sana magising ang upper management at sana may mabago na...

Heal the World.. make it a better place..

Earthquake in Haiti, Earthquake in Chile and a landslide in Uganda.. what's happening to the world???

Here in the Philippines, we had Ondoy, Peping and countless other typhoons which caused damage beyond repair to many Filipino families.. And now there is El Nino..

Let's all pray to Papa Jesus to help us heal mother Earth..