Apple really rocks!

I just blogged here that I got a free battery replacement from Apple for my macbook...for the sake of "customer satisfaction".  And in that entry I also mentioned that my iPod vid also needs a new battery.  So, today, husband went again to the Apple store and brought my iPod for battery replacement.  

As a background, we already brought this in one Apple store but they just suggested I should just replace it with a new one or better yet, buy an iPod touch (which btw I think is ridiculous... it's like buying another iPhone).  I just want to have my iPod repaired because it's an "iPod".  It should serve its purpose... gets?  I don't want to use my iPhone as an iPod because I have a separate iPod... (gets nyo ba? Medyo magulo, pero gusto ko lang pakinabangan kung anong binili ko...kung ano talaga ang silbi nya..ayokong itapon na lang ang iPod dahil lang sa sira sya).

So, in high hopes, we decided to bring the iPod to another Apple store (to where I also brought my macbook).  So, husband told the "Genius" (this is how they call the reps in the Genius bar in Apple stores) that we ordered a replacement battery for an iPod video 80 gb and we were told that the battery is now ready.  And then, the genius said, "So, you're picking up your new ipod."  And then, husband said, "No...no.  I'm just here for a new battery."  But then, the genius replied, "Yes. That's how we do it.  We just replace your iPod with a new one instead of replacing the battery, because it's more cost-effective for us to just replace the unit.  But you'll just be paying the cost of the battery."

Apple, YOU ROCK!

Bwahahaha! So, now I have a brand new (with plastic and all) iPod video 80GB White.  Same as my old one but without scratches.... and without MUSIC and VIDEO and PODCASTS... :(

...and that's the drawback, all my music, videos, podcasts and other favorites are now gone.  Oh well, husband is also doing that aspect - rebuilding the lost data from my old one to the new one.

Husband, YOU ROCK!

...hahaha!  

Power interruption

As much as I want to blog, eh medyo may katamaran ako magblog today and medyo jam-packed din ang sched. So, share ko na lang ang chat message ko sa isang friend ko.

Pag sinwerte nga naman...

Lei Villanera (8/27/2008 6:23:58 PM): hehehe
Lei Villanera (8/27/2008 6:24:18 PM): lam mo ba, flor, nakalibre ako ng battery sa mac ko, hahaah!
Lei Villanera (8/27/2008 6:24:58 PM): pumunta kasi ako sa apple nung sunday para patingnan nga ang mac ko. tapos sabi, palitan na raw ang battery. pero out of stock daw. tawag daw ako makalipas ang ilang days.
Lei Villanera (8/27/2008 6:25:10 PM): tumawag ako kahapon. sabi nila, meron na raw battery available.
Lei Villanera (8/27/2008 6:25:21 PM): tapos pinapunta ko si randy sa apple kanina.
Lei Villanera (8/27/2008 6:25:41 PM): sabi sa kanya, wala pa raw. nagalit si randy. kasi sabi nya, tumakas lang sya sa trabaho para sa battery tapos sasabihin wala.
Lei Villanera (8/27/2008 6:25:46 PM): tapos alam mo nangyari?
Lei Villanera (8/27/2008 6:26:08 PM): binigay na lang sa kanya yung battery nung isang macbook na display dun! hahaha...bagong bago pa rin ang battery....
Lei Villanera (8/27/2008 6:26:21 PM): hindi na pinabayaran para raw sa customer satisfaction
Lei Villanera (8/27/2008 6:26:24 PM): ayos!

So, ayun nga, nakalibre ako ng battery for my laptop. Swerte rin dahil ang mahal pa naman... $129. Tomorrow, yung iPod vid ko naman ang papalitan ng battery (oo, lahat ng apple products ko ay sabay sabay naubusan ng battery. It makes sense naman dahil halos sabaw sabaw ko rin sila binili). Sana makalibre ulit si Randy boy, hehehe... nagpapractice na nga sya kung pano ang style nya tomorrow magalit... Ayos!

Can somebody donate some fats?

We were shopping yesterday at Magnificent Mile but no matter what outfit I try to put together, the image in the mirror doesn't satisfy.

...and I figured out where the problem lies...

I'm too skinny!!! (Not to mention that lots of people are saying so...). Whenever I look at the mirror, I look at myself as being 'malnourished' or 'anorexic'.

So, can somebody recommend good vitamins for boosting appetite? I tried looking at the GNC website but I can't find any. Most of the vitamins for this purpose are for KIDS! Darn!

Disclaimer: I can't devote so much time to gym...so I need to also have some artificial ways to gain weight. Gym is already off the list.

I did nothing!

Have you ever in a situation that you feel underpaid? Well, most probably, all of us would respond with a roaring “YES!”. Well, the next question, “do you think you deserve a raise?” Same thing. I know the answer of many (if not all).

So, this is where the question, “How can I get a raise?” come into scene. I’m not really a bookworm (well, I “was”). But I have read some e-books before related to career and success. Most of the time, if I find something fascinating, I would copy and paste the “lines/sentences/phrases” into my personal collection of thoughts.

They say that the correct way to ask for a raise is “I’ve added a lot of job responsibilities this year and I think my salary should reflect that.” Or – “I’d like to discuss a salary increase. Here’s what I have done to earn it”. Then be prepared to list three performance based reasons why you deserve an increase. Then wait! Calmly wait for your boss to speak and hopefully, the boss will see things your way.

If you pretend to be a boss, for sure you’ll be persuaded by the above technique.

Although, I have enough ‘thoughts’ to ponder about in terms of career and work, my main problem is putting them into use. I would say, I’m not the type of employee who would voluntarily ask for additional benefit. I want things to come my way at their own time. I want to be praised or appreciated just because I asked for it but because I deserve it (at least my superior thinks that way).

So, why am I posting this? You’re right. I recently got a raise…though not really that huge, but I’m happy about it. And what’s more, like I said, I didn’t ask for it, but was given in a sudden instance. I t was even given when we were having a problem with the team I’m working on.

Last week, Monday to be exact, AR (let’s call him “AR” - VP-Finance…I’m not sure of the position but it seems to all of us that this is the function he’s doing…aside from being VP – Human Resources, hahaha) went to Indiana (which btw, seldom happens). As usual, we had a “catch up” session and he mentioned that I will soon be getting a raise because of bigger responsibilities that I’m handling … and much bigger responsibilities that I’m soon to be handling (after this project). He didn’t say the amount at that moment. And today, I received the increase together with a letter from him saying,

Lei,

Your salary starting August 15^th will be $X (Annual). You will see this change in your end of August check stub.

Keep up the good work.

Regards,

AR (yes, he wrote down his full name. Usually, it’s just “R”)

I was delighted, yes. But as to the *responsibilities* thingy, I’m not sure. Reason undeclared…for now.

To all the people I have lost touch with

Yesterday, being an extraordinary day (read as not uber busy), I somehow tried to re-approach my long lost friends thru the use of my ever-reliable “bridging the gap” software – Yahoo Messenger. First, I popped a message to a college friend saying the cliché “Kamustasa?”. Then she replied, “yoh. di ka busy ngayon. hahaha...lagi kc u busy.” As you know, I’m good at multi-tasking. So, while chatting with the college friend, I also popped the same message to another friend. And he wrote down the same line: “himala, di ka busy”. Then, to satisfy my curiosity, I sent the same message to another female friend…and as I expected, she replied once more: “…baka naman busy ka na naman.” It didn’t stop there. Another Dubai friend popped me a message saying, “y nman idle? bc as always?”. Then, this was the time I stopped and thought for a while, “Was I really busy? Have I really lost touch to the most precious people in my life?”. Then I remembered last Sunday when I called my Uncle from Cali, the first words that he uttered were: “O ano? Buti nakaalala ka. Palagi ka na lang busy. ”.

Proven! I’ve put so much time on my work and I guess I’ve been a bit lazy – lost touch with loads of people. Also, I’ve been carrying around a lot of anger with some of them that I’ve been ignoring for some time. Now, I would like to smooth it all over. It’s funny how things become less important as time goes on. I’m planning to somehow catch up with these wonderful people once I go back to Pinas (which hopefully would happen on January 2009, fingers crossed).

Grade school friends – I have no idea where they are now…or at least some of them, I know. But I don’t know where I would start to gather them all together. Hopefully, soon I would find a way (and also courage) to contact them. My problem is, I’m afraid of rejection.

High school friends – I completely lost contact to these “fun-loving” people. I had an absolute fun-filled high school experience because of them. My high school group was such a huge group that I already lost count…but pretty sure, we’re more than 10. Hopefully, I would be able to contact them all so we could spend a day or two together, just like the old days.

College friends – Well, I had so many groups of friends in college. Most of them now are working abroad so let’s just see if our schedules would meet.

PwC friends – Just like with my college friends, most of them are now working abroad. There are times that I feel I no longer belong. I don’t know. One of them is giving me signals that there’s something wrong between us. But I guess, I don’t want to confront people now. I did nothing wrong and I know she has always been like that. Speculations are really putting her down. All I want to do is to live up with this: “There comes a time in your life when you have to let go of all the pointless drama & the people who create it & surround yourself with people who make you laugh so hard that you forget the bad and focus solely on the good. After all, life is too short to be anything but happy.” But let’s just see if I can still somehow try to squeeze in myself. Nevertheless, I love this people.

Dubai friends – Well, I can say that for these people, all we need to do is to see each other in person. Our communication is very much constant. How about “Asian/European trip”?

As I am writing this, my father just sent me a message saying, “Gud am,musta kyo?...”. Then I remembered, it’s been 2 weeks now since I last talked to my family in Pinas.

Alright. I’m guilty. And for all you, “I’m sorry”.

Chicago 2016

This is not an excuse for being aloof for the past weeks/months. But to make up for my absences, I'm sharing to you this website (which is just in time for the ongoing Beijing Olympics).

Just some pieces of FAQ:

Q:What is the Chicago 2016 Bid Committee?
A: The Chicago 2016 Bid Committee ("Chicago 2016") is a 501(c)3 corporation whose mission is to seek the privilege of hosting the Games of the XXXI Olympiad in Chicago. Chicago 2016's Board comprises business, civic, athletic, cultural and academic leaders representing Chicago and the surrounding Midwest region. Its honorary chairmen are Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley and Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. Patrick Ryan serves as chairman and CEO.

Q:Where will the Olympic events be held?
A: Washington Park will be the site of the Olympic Stadium, hosting the opening and closing ceremonies and the track & field events.

The stadium will be an 80,000-seat temporary facility that will be converted, post-Games, into a 5,000-capacity venue (with expansion capability), well-suited to host local, national and international athletics events. It may also be used as an amphitheater capable of hosting cultural events that are so important to this city.

Chicago 2016 is currently working on site plans for the additional events, which will include McCormick Place as the host of 11 competition venues.

Q:Who else is competing for the 2016 Olympic Games?
A: Now that Chicago has been selected as the U.S. Bid City, the competition for the 2016 Games Host City enters the international phase.

International cities competing for the 2016 Olympic Games were officially announced on September 14, 2007, and include: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Madrid, Spain; Prague, Czech Republic; Tokyo, Japan; Baku, Azerbaijan; Doha, Qatar; and Chicago, IL, USA.

Q:Is traffic and transportation a concern?
A: Chicago's extensive rail, transit, and motorways infrastructure, combined with the world-class O'Hare and Midway International airports, make Chicago one of the most accessible cities for local residents and International visitors.

While we are still in the early stages of planning, smooth transportation for athletes, spectators and the citizens of Chicago going about daily lives is one of the Chicago 2016's highest priorities. Detailed plans will be available in the future.Website: Chicago 2016

...interesting. But oh well...who cares?!? Only God knows where I would be in 2016. Let's just set this aside from now.

Chicago 2016

This is not an excuse for being aloof for the past weeks/months. But to make up for my absences, I'm sharing to you this website (which is just in time for the ongoing Beijing Olympics).

Just some pieces of FAQ:

Q:What is the Chicago 2016 Bid Committee?
A: The Chicago 2016 Bid Committee ("Chicago 2016") is a 501(c)3 corporation whose mission is to seek the privilege of hosting the Games of the XXXI Olympiad in Chicago. Chicago 2016's Board comprises business, civic, athletic, cultural and academic leaders representing Chicago and the surrounding Midwest region. Its honorary chairmen are Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley and Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. Patrick Ryan serves as chairman and CEO.

Q:Where will the Olympic events be held?
A: Washington Park will be the site of the Olympic Stadium, hosting the opening and closing ceremonies and the track & field events.

The stadium will be an 80,000-seat temporary facility that will be converted, post-Games, into a 5,000-capacity venue (with expansion capability), well-suited to host local, national and international athletics events. It may also be used as an amphitheater capable of hosting cultural events that are so important to this city.

Chicago 2016 is currently working on site plans for the additional events, which will include McCormick Place as the host of 11 competition venues.

Q:Who else is competing for the 2016 Olympic Games?
A: Now that Chicago has been selected as the U.S. Bid City, the competition for the 2016 Games Host City enters the international phase.

International cities competing for the 2016 Olympic Games were officially announced on September 14, 2007, and include: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Madrid, Spain; Prague, Czech Republic; Tokyo, Japan; Baku, Azerbaijan; Doha, Qatar; and Chicago, IL, USA.

Q:Is traffic and transportation a concern?
A: Chicago's extensive rail, transit, and motorways infrastructure, combined with the world-class O'Hare and Midway International airports, make Chicago one of the most accessible cities for local residents and International visitors.

While we are still in the early stages of planning, smooth transportation for athletes, spectators and the citizens of Chicago going about daily lives is one of the Chicago 2016's highest priorities. Detailed plans will be available in the future.Website: Chicago 2016

...interesting. But oh well...who cares?!? Only God knows where I would be in 2016. Let's just set this aside from now.

...I still gave in. So what?

I lied.  It WAS very unlikely that I would give in. I know, I know...I promised myself not to be persuaded by this.  But.... but... oh crap!  The husband needs a phone line and I got approved in the credit check (I've been waiting for this for a long time... to be treated as a real US person...not a ghost US person.  Well, all new comers have to go through this).  

I made the reservation...and now waiting for it to arrive.  Excited! :) (and the husband, too!)

Chicago Spire

Last week, as I have blogged about, we went to the Brickworld where they showcased the different structures made out of Lego bricks.  One thing that astonished me were the different buildings.  One of them is the Chicago Spire.  Few people know this particular building and I kept on hearing in the exhibit people murmuring, "What's that building?  I've never seen that in Chicago."  

But due to the demands of my husband's field of expertise, he showed me this website months ago...

http://www.thechicagospire.com/location/documentary/

Amazing...huh?!?