Guys.
I know you wanna impress your special lady friend with how sweet and gentlemanly you are. You want to be chivalrous, be the man and carry her purse for her. Guess what? Quite the opposite. It totally undermines your masculinity. It communicates to the world that she wears the pants in the relationship. You look like your lady’s assistant or her Gay Best Friend. I can’t decide which one is worse.
Ladies.
CARRY YOUR DAMN BAG YOURSELF. If it is too heavy, then stop packing half of your life in your purse. Don’t make your boyfriend carry it for you. It looks like you’re dating a wussy. It just looks really really bad. Kawawang boyfriend. Also, what’s the point of having a nice and sometimes expensive branded bag if someone else is going to carry it for you?
It grosses me out to see guys carrying women’s purses around a mall and the female walking around carrying nothing. Even worse when the guy is WEARING the purse. I feel sorry for the guy. And I’m a girl! Even chivalry has its limits. Guys should NEVER carry a woman’s purse. They can(and should) however, help the girl by carrying her other items (shopping bags, lunch box, laptop case, books, gym bag, etc) but never, ever, ever her purse.
The only situations you are allowed to hold onto your lady’s purse –
1) she is in the fitting room, trying something on, or preoccupied, that she needs you to temporarily hold her bag.
2) she is injured and/or physically incapable of carrying her bag.
Outside of these two situations, you cannot carry your woman’s bag. EVER. Please spread the word so we can put a stop to this senseless and demeaning practice.
I don’t eat pork anymore. Ramen should be my arch enemy. However there is a Ramen craze sweeping Manila so I cannot miss out. I’ve resolved to trying only 3 Ramen places. The first is Hokkaido Ramen Santouka in Greenbelt, the second is Ramen Yushoken and the third.. to be determined.
So here are some photos:
The Exterior (afternoon sun)
The Front Desk & People Waiting – They don’t allow reservations. The trick to making this wait bearable is 1) come in small groups 2) agree to sit at the bar 3) don’t come hungry 4) don’t bring any grumpy people or kids who hate to wait 5) come during an odd hour like early dinner, mid afternoon/late lunch and finally 6) be nice to Ruth, the reservation girl.
I didn’t take a photo of their faces because some of them were impatient already. But here are their feet.
And me and brother. Our new shoes.
The Interior
The Blue Ramen God. I don’t get it either.
The Menu – I was exploring the menu. It’s simple which I liked.
They have Rules at the restaurant. First, no take out. Only the Tori Karaage is allowed to be taken away. Second, chopsticks only. Third, no reservations.
The Feast – Okay brother and I are crazy. We ordered way too much food for two people.
Shio Ramen – I’m not a ramen person so forgive me if I commit some sort of ramen-god offense in my description. Shio is what I always get because it’s lighter with its sort of milky broth. This was actually pretty good. I had to eat it quick while I could appreciate its richness. The noodles though were the best part, they are firm so they stand up quite nicely to the broth. They don’t get all soggy and gross.
Shoyu Ramen – My brother’s favorite. I couldn’t really taste the difference in the broth but he said it’s stronger because of the soy. Honestly, my palette is probably just not developed enough to appreciate the subtle differences in broth. Or maybe I really just like Shio.
Shoyu Maze – This off the menu dish was recommended by a friend of mine. He said to get it and that it’s really rich and heavy. I didn’t want to order this anymore but my brother goes “we are here narin” and I couldn’t argue. This is garlic, pork Fat, pork, egg, noodles, veggies and soy. Mix it together and you get a really really really delicious broth-less noodle dish. It’s like pancit canton but so much better. Brother and I were SO FULL by this point and it was so dangerously rich because of the ingredients so we didn’t get to finish it.
However notice the slickness and the glisten on those noodles, they are coated with fat. I wish we’d taken Xenical prior to having this dish except we would probably have spent the rest of the day in the bathroom.
Gyoza – These are okay. Everyone, everyone raves about them but honestly, they are pretty standard. The only distinction is that they are fresh not frozen.
Tori Karaage – Yummy. Crisp, non-greasy, flavorful tori karaage. Perfect with rice.
Ramen Yushoken
Molito Complex Alabang
Tel# – (632)808-7424
After months of struggling with my iPhone 5’s weak signal reception, purple camera lines and insane battery drainage, I finally decided to take it back to where it was purchased. Globe Telecom. So I found myself in the Business Center trying to get help and after waiting 30 minutes, I made the bad decision to go to the bathroom. I missed my turn. How was I supposed to know that the number would jump 6 places. This apparently is the Mortal sin at any Globe center. I advise you people, never ever ever go to the bathroom while waiting in line at a globe center. The consequences are terrible.
I asked the guard/number issuer what to do and he said to find the person after me and ask if it’s okay if I went ahead. I asked if he can help me and he said “dapat ikaw ang magtanong.” How do I know who that person is? Guard goes “Edi hanapin mo.” So.. I went up to strangers and found the lady after me. I asked her really nicely (I swear, “po” “ma’am” and everything) and she told me that her number is next. She said that If i wanted to be served then I would have to get a number and wait. I explained that I already have a number, I was already waiting but I went to the bathroom and my phone is overheating and I need someone to look at it. She said “that’s not my problem” and didn’t even look at me. I was appalled. I said “I’m asking nicely, you don’t have to be rude. You can just give me a simple answer.” Lady then proceeds to ignore me and starts to converse with her companions. I’m still standing there and I go “are you just going to ignore me when am asking nicely? The least you could do is give me a proper answer. Good to know you’re not a nice person.” I’m amazed at how rude and horrible some people can be. Why do people respond rudely to politeness? This lady couldn’t even give me the courtesy of looking at me when I was asking her. She treated me like I was beneath her. That was the most infuriating thing. I snapped her photo below. That’s her, in purple.
Swallowing my desire to hurl my iPhone at her, I just went back to the guard and asked him to help me. I said, “the customer is not a nice person” and I asked him to intercede because “I don’t want to fight with her.” I said there are two counters and I could easily be accommodated on one of the two. Instead, he blamed me, said that ganon talaga and said that I have no choice but to wait again. Frustrated, upset and patience running low, I asked another staff member to intercede on my behalf but got dismissed yet again. Again, there’s nothing they can do because I went to the bathroom and it’s my fault. I said repeatedly to guard and staff that my phone is overheating I just need someone to take it from me and diagnose it and the longer I wait I fear the more it will be permanently broken. I had to make a call to some Globe friends who called the branch manager just to get help. From there on, it was smooth sailing. I spent the next 30 minutes being assisted by the officer in-charge while giving the Lady in purple the evil eye. She wouldn’t make eye contact with me.
I honestly was willing to wait like the rest of the world. I just asked for a little consideration given my full bladder and overheated phone. These things happen, I know. I just hate it when a difficult situation is made worse by unpleasant people. It disappoints me because Is this how it has to be? Do I always have to “know” someone just to get answers?
Thanks Globe, for making my experience with you as unpleasant as always.
One of my staff at the office came up to me today. He wants to switch into sales because he needs a bigger income and that’s where he feels he can earn more.
My natural question was: Why?
He has two siblings he is sending to school and he just got his girlfriend pregnant.
I asked, was it an accident? And he goes, no. I wanted to have a baby. We did that on purpose.
I nearly lost all sympathy.
While I don’t judge the reasons why people choose to have kids, there is something to be said about responsible parenting. Why would you think you’re ready to make a baby knowing fully well that you don’t have the means, you’re barely out of school and you’re already putting your siblings through school? Now he’s panicking because it’s basically like he has a family of 3, at the age of 26. His girlfriend is 23. They are in love.
I know I sound like a whiny cynic. I’m not even a parent nor a girlfriend but when that moment comes, I want to be prepared. In my opinion, Filipinos need a strongly-worded, painful lesson on the responsibilities (and harsh realities) of parenthood. It’s not all rainbows, unicorns and cupcakes. It’s sweat, tears and sleepless nights. You need money to raise a kid, it’s true. They don’t come cheap. I see this all the time at the office. Young moms and dads, creating children by accident, on impulse and without a thought for the responsibilities that follow. My mom always said that money isn’t everything but having it does ease a lot of your stresses. While you don’t need to be filthy rich to make a baby, you need to put careful thought in how you are going to bring your child into the world and raise him/her as a good person.
Just random thoughts.
Ateneo MBA FAQ
Hello Potential Applicants at AGSB (Ateneo Graduate School of Business)!
If you’ve found my blog, you’re no undoubtedly searching for information about the school. I have a previous blog post that has been getting lots of visitors which result in me getting a ton of email questions. Most of them are the same so I’m just gonna make one post about it which will make your lives a little easier. So here are the most frequently asked questions about applying to the Ateneo GSB.
1) How much is the Tuition?
– Please see below for photos of my previous bills. It’s difficult to give you an amount because IT GOES UP every semester. The tuition fee (just for the class) when I started was around 9k per class. It doesn’t seem like a lot but it’s the miscellaneous fees that really get you.
The photos shown are for the Standard Program. In each scenario, I enrolled for two (2) classes with three (3) units each. Left Photo 24K is Term3 (March 2013 to July 2013). Right Photo 25K is for the upcoming Term 1 (August 2013 to November 2013). It goes up every year. If you do the math, it’s about Php12,600 per class now. That’s excluding additional expenses like xeroxing books, parking pass, food, etc. If I recall correctly, when I first started it was at around Php11,000.
Updated Tuition Sheet. Taken on May 6, 2014.
2) How is the Entrance Exam?
– Oh my gosh so easy. Basic reading comprehension. A little bit of abstract logic. English grammar stuff. Algebra and a bit of trigonometry. I don’t know anyone that has failed. You don’t need to study in advance, you just need to watch the time. The test is not hard, they just don’t give you a lot of time to finish. Don’t worry too much, goodluck!!
**May 6 2014 update – I’ve been getting dozens and dozens of questions about the exam. It’s similar to a standard college entrance exam. Please don’t worry about it too much. I can’t answer your questions about the exact math or exact reading problems because I honestly don’t remember. Those that have taken the exam – feel free to leave your feedback in the comments section so that others may benefit from your advice. I stand by the fact that it is not difficult, you are just constrained by time. Time is your biggest challenge, not the exam itself.
**November 7 2014 update – I will stop answering emails and messages that ask about the entrance exam. I still keep getting the same questions over and over again about the precise math or reading questions. Again, it’s your standard entrance exam. I have a suspicion that it is the same as the undergraduate ACET. Also, again, I don’t know anyone who has failed. Sorry guys, I already listed above what I know and recall from the test. If you email me about the entrance exam, the above will still be my answer.
3) How is the interview?
I didn’t do the interview na. I don’t know anyone who has done it. I can’t help with this. Although I can’t imagine that it would be different from a job interview.
4) Do you really need 2 years working experience prior to enrolling?
I know some people in school who are straight from undergraduate. Some with only 1 year working experience but it depends on their admissions council. They are getting stricter now. Honestly, I recommend you have work experience. The classes will make more sense.
5) What is the minimum # of classes I can enroll per semester?
– At least one. Many students enroll at least two just to make it worth it. You can also take semester leaves which means you stop for a sem if your work gets too demanding. There are 3 semesters in a year. Term1 is Aug to Nov. Term2 is Nov to Mar. Term3 is Mar to July. You have 6 years to finish the entire program.
6) What are the class schedules like?
If you are taking the Standard Program – When you start, the classes are 1.5 hours long. Once a week. When you get to the main classes, the core subjects, they are from 6-9pm, weekdays. Or 9am-12nn / 1pm- 3pm saturdays. All classes are 1x a week. Semester runs for 15 weeks. Some classes have a 15 minute break, some don’t. The Executive and Accelerated Program (REGIS) – 1x a week for 4 hours/day.
7) I work a lot and have to stay late at the office sometimes. What if I have class? Are the professors strict?
– The professors know the students are working. The programs are set up to be ideal for working students so the teachers do give consideration, especially when the student gives them advance notice. However, yes, some professors are strict. Use your leaves wisely, you only get 3 absences otherwise you get dropped. Just think of it this way, you made a commitment to go to school, if you can’t fulfill that commitment then you might want to change some things (select a saturday class, stop going to school that term, etc).
8) Where do I see the available classes?
– The actual schedule of classes is on the student portal. However, that is not open to the public. You have to get into school and have a student account before you can access that information. However, if you want to know what a standard MBA class flow is, here is the chart that can also be found on their website.
9) Will you be my friend in school?
– OF COURSE. Please don’t hesitate to approach me if you see me in school. I would be more than happy to say hello and chat.
10) WAIT. I have more questions!!
– No worries. Send me an email and I will try my best to get back to you. My email address is [email protected]
I will try to answer as many questions as I can. Please don’t be upset if I don’t get to yours right away.
All the best on your application!! 🙂
xoxo,
Julienne