My most wanted: STARBUCKS City Mugs Collection (Series 4)

It's been a long while since my last entry. Let me update everyone with the lastest on my collection. Here we go...

From my Spring 2009 vacation in Australia.

My friend Alvin and I spent a few days in Melbourne.

It's been Sydney where I spent most days.

Jakarta: from the June 2011 vacation of Tina and Wlad. This was their birthday present for me. Too bad they missed my bday party.


Ligawa went on a work trip to Shanghai June 2011 but when I told her that I have the Shanghai mug already, she just got me the China one since I didn't have this yet.

My first-ever mug was from Vienna when I went on vacation winter of 2002. The 2010 series was from the Padua family. Thanks to Sharon and Lester.

My former boss Arjay (with wife Marix) would normally go places and get me my favorites. They went to Taipei last year and got me this.

In my short vacation in Singapore (Nov 2010), Tina, Bam and I initially went to a Starbucks store too late in the evening so they were closed. We had to buy this from the mall near the Singapore flyer.

April 2009 was when my family went to Shanghai for a short vacation.

Still from Arjay and Marix when they went to Seoul.

San Diego: It was at a Starbucks store in Huntington Beach in Orange County where I got this from. Thanks to Leanie for suggesting to get coffee that time of the night. I got a few others from the same store actually.

Sacramento: ... still from the same store in Huntington Beach.

Jai was on a work trip Feb 2011. This was his pasalubong from his client facility in Portland.

Marrk one of my trainers was sent to North Carolina for a product training for a new client. This was his pasalubong.

My friends know how deeply in love I am with New York. Too much love that I have two of these! One was from Lester's US vacation and the other from Marky's side trip to NYC during his business trip.

It has been Steven's dream to be part of a music festival in Country Music capital -- Nashville. This was his pasalubong June 2010 when he had to be on vacation one month post implemention of our new project hahaha! He really had to do this or else... FO! j/k ;-)

After a nice fancy dinner at Nobu in Malibu, we stopped at the nearest Starbucks store and I grabbed this. Still part of my Los Angeles Spring 2011 trip.

Funny how I got the Las Vegas mug (still) from Huntington Beach but on the same leg of the trip, I had a connecting flight to LV and I actually could have bought one there.

Flor's mom and sister are based in Texas. She asked her mom to get me this from Houston.

It was Holiday 2010 when Ligaya was back in California for her vacation. This was her pasalubong together with the nice Coach coin purse as Christmas present.

It was during the day tour to Boston (Spring 2011) when I totally left the tour group when I saw a Starbucks store near the old city hall. hahaha!

Last Set -- courtesy of my very good friend Jia (with the help of her dear friends in LA who have been jetsetting the past months).

Orange County, California

(There's a duplicate of this one actually from my good friend Joyce who lives in OC).

Washington D.C.

Jia was in Baltimore a day ahead of me. They had a extra day to go around Washington DC before I followed the day after.

Seattle, Washington

Denver, Colorado

Chicago, Illinois

Austin, Texas

Know Your Leaders Series

This is the full version of my interview for the August 2010 edition of SYNAPSE - The Monthly Aegis PeopleSupport E-Magazine.

We know you as Jeff Inandan, Associate Vice President, Operations (Emerging Markets). What is the other side of Jeff that our readers don’t know?

I have a collection of Starbucks city mugs. It started when I went to Europe in 2002. I have over 50 mugs now (and counting). These are mostly from my travels and some of them are from peers who also travel a lot. I really appreciate friends who would just surprise me with their “pasalubong” to be added to my collection.

When did you join Aegis PeopleSupport? Please share with us your growth within the company.
From PS Batch 22, I started October 2001 as an agent for NSI (Batch 11). I was part of other programs such as NSI VIP, Fandango.com, MavComm. Experian has just started when I got transferred via promotion as a Team Supervisor. I had a stint in the Cebu site then got promoted as a Team Manager for the implementation of Direct Response Cebu. In 2007, I joined the Travel & Consumer Vertical managing some of the Shared Accounts – Black & Decker, Armani Exchange, Teleplus, Agoda, Bissell, Avery Dennison and ProFlowers. It was in the Retail group when I moved to the Senior Manager role and eventually to AVP with newer accounts such as 1800Flowers and HireRight.

Please share with us your journey prior to joining Aegis PeopleSupport.
My very first job in 2000 was in an outsourced provider called 800 Aces for Citibank cards. After a year, I joined the Billing Disputes and Merchant Sales of Citibank Operations as a customer service representative.

Being a leader, people look up to you and talk about your success. But what are the three achievements that are personally close to your heart?

I guess part of it will be the professional growth via promotions I’ve had in the company over the past eight and a half years. I still consider it as an achievement whenever peers or previous direct reports seek for my help or take on matters related to work. Whenever they succeed, I also feel accomplished somehow. I’m saving the 3rd one as my biggest personal project yet, getting myself my own house! It’s another type of fulfillment when I achieve my goals in the set timeframe.

How would you want to be known as?

I’d like to be known as someone who has positively influenced and encouraged people to do better whether at work or elsewhere. Someone who would always outperform himself.

Please share with us your most memorable professional and personal moments.

Whenever I get together with friends from the old PeopleSupport batches, we always reminisce how we were ages ago. The huge AVAYA box-type callmaster always makes me smile especially when I remember all my boo-boos of not being on mute whenever I had to. I also had my share of going through the rough stages of being an agent – irate callers, hundreds of calls waiting, etc. I’ve always taken pride whenever I got commendation calls or exceeding upsell or sales targets! Many APS agents now may not know that once there was the convenience store called BINGO in Valero St. where we took most of our lunch breaks (30 minutes back then for an 8-hour shift). Those were good times!

Who do you regard as your role model(s) and why?
Aside from my direct superiors both previous and present, I really admire the leadership and management style of Gil Grissom of CSI. Yes, you got it! They’re mostly unorthodox but really sound and well-thought of. He facilitates intelligently that makes it inexcusable to ask unintelligent questions.

What is that one thing you wish to change?
I’ve always been a believer that excellent performance is brought about by good training, proper coaching and support from superiors. Gatekeepers would be the right mindset and optimistic attitude towards work and team. In this industry, it’s mostly the behavioral aspect of employees that people have challenges on. I’d love to see the day when everyone goes through that paradigm shift and be all at the same page where their leaders have imagined them to be.

How would you describe your family?
I grew up in the province in a small family with two other brothers. Now with two nephews and one niece, I’d say we’re more bonded. I remember when I started working, it took a few years for my family to finally accept my working hours. My mom kept on asking me to get moved to the morning shift but she eventually got used to it.

What are the most important events in your life?
When I started to live independently from my folks (with the financial freedom and responsibility of course) – this takes the cake! I’ve learned how to provide for myself and of course give myself some well-deserved rewards. I wouldn’t have developed some of my skills if it wasn’t for this bold move.

Please share with us some of your favorites:
Movie – I like to watch movies that feature different places with plots that make me think. The Bourne & Transporter series are classic examples. I also enjoy the romantic comedies.
Actor / Actress – Matt Damon, Pierce Brosnan, Sean Connery, Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman
Food – I love my own cooking but my favorites are adobo and sinigang. Cebu’s got a wide range of delicious food and delicacies – like the lechon.
Eating Joint/s – I really enjoy the buffet at Circles at the Shang and Spiral at the Sofitel. I also wish Manila has a Nando’s Chicken outlet and Hurricane's Grill just like in Australia.
Holiday Destination – New York City, San Francisco, Vienna, Sydney, Boracay

What is your message to those who also have dreams of making it big in Aegis PeopleSupport?
Aside from striving to be the best in what they do, always be hungry to learn new and innovative things at work. The company has a lot of growth opportunities for every commendable employee. Trust me, people in management are always in the look-out for individuals who deserve a break. There’s really no fixed formula for success but some of the things that came in handy for me were initiative, resourcefulness, independence, self-motivation, sharp and quick thinking/decision-making. My other favorite is “providing people (especially your bosses or clients) the answers even before they ask questions”.

Crispy Liempo

Ingredients:

• 750 – 1000 grams of liempo

Marinade:

• Soy sauce
• White vinegar
• 2 tablespoon of Lee Kum Kee chili garlic sauce
• 1 tablespoon of banana/tomato ketchup
• 1 tablespoon of Lee Kum Kee oyster sauce
• Finely chopped onion and garlic
• 3 tablespoon of calamansi
• Maggi Magic Sarap
• Whole rosemary
• Sage
• Black pepper

Here’s how:

1. Mix all marinade ingredients using a wide bowl or container. Add more soy sauce or vinegar if desired.
2. The normal liempo cuts from the supermarkets are usually pretty long, so better cut them in halves. Get the liempo submerged in the marinade.
3. Let it sit for at least two hours (though overnight is the best).
4. This requires a semi-deep frying procedure (i.e. about 2 – 3 cups of oil to fry 3 – 4 liempo cuts).
5. A technique is to just “partially” cover the pan while frying and let the air in.
6. Constantly check the liempo to avoid getting burned too quickly. The color can change drastically because of the soy sauce to remember to keep an eye on the pan. It may take a good 3 – 4 side turns before a piece gets nicely cooked.
7. Once the liempo has turned gold-to-dark brown, let them air dry. This should give them a nice crispy texture.
8. Cut them into bite sizes and then ready to serve.

Shrimps in Chili Garlic Sauce

Ingredients:

• 350 – 400 grams of medium shrimps


• 2 tablespoons of Lee Kum Kee Chili Garlic Sauce


• 1 Large garlic, finely chopped


• 1 medium white onion, finely chopped


• Sili labuyo 4 – 6 pcs. (or more if desired)


• ¼ cup of butter


• Half a can of Sprite


• 1 tablespoon of Thai fish sauce


• ¼ cup of coconut milk


• 1 tablespoon of Thai minced lemongrass


• Thyme


• Salt & Pepper


• Maggi Magic Sarap (optional)

Here’s how:

1. Sauté onion and garlic in butter. Add a little bit of oil to avoid butter getting burned.


2. Add chili and the Lee Kum Kee chili garlic sauce and fish sauce. Mix well.


3. Immediately add the shrimps and continue on with the sautéing.


4. Add sprite and the coconut milk. Cover and let it simmer for about 5 minutes. Maintain medium to low heat.


5. Stir occasionally. Add the rest of the spices for added flavors.


6. Once cooked, let it sit on the pan for a few more minutes for the shrimps to absorb the flavor.

Jeffie's Adobo Recipe

Ingredients

750 grams to 1 Kilo of pork cubes
A good 2x3 inches cut will do
1 large white onion or 2 medium-sized red onions
6 cloves of garlic, chopped
Butter / oil
¾ cup of soy sauce
½ cup of white vinegar
2 medium-sized bay leaves or laurel leaves

Other Optional Ingredients:

Maggi Magic Sarap
Rosemary
Sili Labuyo
400 grams of baby potatos
1 – 2 tablespoons of white sugar

Steps

Ø Boil the meat in medium to slow fire for about 45 minutes.
Ø Immediately add dash (or two) of black pepper, magi magic sarap, rosemary
Ø Stir constantly.
Ø Check if the meat is close to tender.
Ø Retrieve the meat from the pan and set aside the broth.

Ø Sautee the garlic and onion in butter and oil.
Ø Add the meat and give it a good and consistent stir for about 5 minutes.
Ø Add the soy sauce and vinegar.
Ø Add the broth – just enough to soak all the meat.
Ø Cover the pan and bring to a boil.
Ø After the first boil, stirring constantly (i.e. every 3 – 5 minutes) is recommended. This goes on for the next 30 – 45 minutes.
Ø Halfway through, add the baby potatos. Constant stirring is still recommended.
Ø Add more pepper or chili if desired. Sugar (optional).
Ø The liquid/sauce in the pan should be about less than half at this point. The meat should be super tender (almost about to break easily once poked by a fork).
Ø The adobo should be finished at this point but:
o If you want it a bit dry, let it stay for about 10 more minutes until the desired amount of adobo sauce if left in the pan. Note though that the oil may be all over at this point especially if the meat used has pork fat/skin. (this is yummy too especially if used as rice topping!)
o If you want more sauce, you may add about half a cup of the broth.

Suggested side dish: hard-boiled egg with tomatos

Adobo is best served NOT right after its cooked. If you want to enjoy adobo for dinner, cook it during lunch time. Let it set in cold-to-room temperature. Microwave re-heat should be okay.

WANTED

I’ve been asked soooooo many times if I have a neon sign that says “WANTED: complicated relationship material” or I posses some magnetic force inside that attracts people with convoluted or twisted (views on) relationships. Guess what, the worse part is – I’m usually drawn to them! And to make it all eff’d up, I’d usually find myself drowning already without knowing if I could still get our of that mess.

Without sounding such a wretched charity case here, I get to foresee the not so good things that could happen even before they do. Seriously! The predicament always lies between which “reality” should I go for. I know, I know… the fact that I can (almost ALL the time) build a roadmap in my head of all possibilities, from the most trivial to the unthinkable extremes, I still end up with the not so wise choices. Talk about monumental disappointment and epic fail huh!

Being the control freak that I am, I still get some surprises every once in a while. It makes it somehow intellectually insulting that something slipped through the cracks!

… all these bring me to a few points. What should be my full proof basis to make a decision? Up to what extent should I just let myself hold on to a yet subdued hope of being happy? Where shall I stand in the saying ‘no pain, no gain’? What should be my calculated risk factors? Where do I draw the line between being hopeful and realistic? Between expectations and assumptions?

I’ve always wondered if indeed everybody has at least one part of their life that’s empty. I mean for someone who has accomplished most life goals – good education, skyrocketing career, breathtaking travels, fabulous friends, loving family, and some other finer things in life – what else could one ask for? You’re right! There’s one part of the equation that seems to be missing – having that significant other to share all these things with. To some people, the above mix is actually quite pretty good and as a matter of fact a milestone to some. Not too shabby if I may say. But then again you’d meet people who would (probably) rather trade a thing or two for that seemingly slick hit from cupid. There are those who’d simply like a buffet treat for themselves! And truth be told, there are those who just don’t care!

To the hopeless romantic type (for a lack of a better term), having to deal with the “doesn’t care” type is just like rubbing salt to a wound. Oh btw, they also come in other similar forms such as “I don’t know yet” or “I’m not sure” varieties. In this situation, you’d wish that no distraction comes along the way and time becomes your best friend. Do you wait? For how long? Do you take that as a challenge to your probably hurting ego? Or do you just simply shut the door and move on? I think we all know what the IDEAL answer should be. Problem is, you don’t take it, hence going back to that cycle of making terrible choices amidst knowing the most prudent options! Your projected best self still looks perfect and composed from the outside but feeling absolutely awful on the inside. Snaps to you!

Then you take a moment to yet again attempt to become rationale about it. If I take the road less traveled, am I strong enough to take the fall? Or maybe, just maybe, there’s someone else out there waiting and willing to embrace every bit of me, even the torn pieces. Lo and behold, there is! I’m sure there is someone out there, maybe someone who has been right there all along. You just don’t look hard enough.

Maalaala Mo Kaya...

Let's do a little bit of reminiscin' here, shall we? =)

Jeff’s Bangkok Trip & Tips

I’m pretty sure there have been to many travel and personal blogs about some do’s and don’ts in Bangkok … I’ll join the bandwagon.

• August has the 30’s temperature (in C) and 80’s humidity. It’s effing scorching hot hot hot!!!


• Bringing a bottle of mineral water is always advisable though you can buy one practically anywhere for about 10-20 Baht. The buko juice (20-25 Baht) is a must try! It’s naturally sweet and creamy.


• Tuktuks can be tourist traps! Most drivers would rip you off by charging over 300 Baht for a five to ten-minute ride (with or without traffic).


• If you’re going to any of the floating markets, just enjoy the experience and riding the boat. Don’t shop there – items are usually priced double or triple. You can buy something to eat though.


• Temple visits would definitely be part of everyone’s itinerary. Note that certain temples have appropriate dress codes. The Grand Palace has the most expensive ticket for THB 350. The other temples’ “donation” or ticket prices range from Thb 20 – 50. Others, absolutely FREE!


• If budget is not a major issue, an organized tour will work for you. Tours would normally include hotel pick-up and drop off plus lunch. Although tours can take much of your time than the usual. I personally recommend http://www.city-discovery.com/ in fact me and my friends took the Khlong tour and we experienced the different side of Bangkok via the Chao Phraya River.


• Maps can be confusing at times so it’s also safe to ask for directions from the locals but make sure to ask at least two or three different people to check for consistency. You can get a relatively better English street conversation in Thailand compared to China. Oh btw, get your hotel address written in Thai by the concierge. This may come in handy in directing your cab driver back to your hotel.


• Factor in heavy traffic in your city travels but if you’re used to the Metro Manila scene, you’ll be just fine. You can take the train (BTS - Silom & Sukhumvit lines) on some of your trips.

• Night life ends at 1am. Deal with it.

• Expect long walks when touring sights and nearby temples. One way to ease those tired legs and feet would be the Thai massage. It’s 150-200 per hour on the average but in the shoppers area, it could range from 200 – 400 per hour.


• Although shopping usually comes last in the itinerary (of course you’d prioritize spending on tours and food first right), try to resist buying stuff during your tours since there are places with great bargains. Chatuchak weekend market is number one on the list. Brace yourself here because an entire day is not enough to browse through each and every stall. Pratunam district, Platinum Mall and Suan Lum night bazaar would come in next.

• You can get very affordable tailored clothes and suites (especially in the Pratunam district) and get everything finished in like 9 hours. I think I saw some shops that can give you about 1,000 – 2,000 baht for a complete suit already!


• Don’t be afraid to try the authentic Thai street foods such as the noodles (30-40 baht), pad thai (30 – 45 baht), etc.


• Always ask the taxi driver to use the meter for a more accurate fare.


• Thanon Khao San is the backpackers district. It’s very busy and almost everything is relatively affordable. And mind you, there’s San Mig light and Pale Pilsen here!!! Woohoo!!!

• When Thais say spicy, they mean it! Just enjoy the food.

• Thais are not culturally heavy on tipping for services provided. A little generosity wouldn’t hurt though. They’d be more than appreciative of that gesture.
  If it’s your first time to visit the city try to get as much travel tips from friends who have been there before or better yet, get them to come along with you.



• Try to arrange everything prior to your trip – hotel reservation (google it first and check out the location, reviews, rates, etc), airport transfers, tour package inclusions, etc. But if you’re the adventurous type, I guess you can just hop on the plane and take it from there.

Enjoy Bangkok! I did... and I'd love to come back. =)