Observations Worth Sharing

 

Calamba Overpass

In my old blogsite that was hacked in 2010, I recall having made an entry about an idea that I suggested should be implemented in Calamba City.  This referred to an overpass system connecting all corners of the extremely busy Crossing at Calamba, Laguna.  When I brought up the idea in one of my posts then, little did I know that perhaps the leaders of Calamba were already making plans to construct such overpass.  Well, today, that steel overpass is being constructed.

This structure should have been constructed a long, long time ago, but it doesn’t matter if it’s late.  The steel overpass structure will really ease up the traffic in the area, and make it much more comfortable for pedestrians to move around Calamba Crossing. 

The first section of the overpass, that which ends right in front of SM Mall is done.  Only final touches are needed.  Other sections are being constructed.  I don’t know the schedule for this infrastructure project but I hope everything’s completed soon.  What I can say is that this overpass will likely be open to the public before Christmas.

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Sales Persons in Malls Must be Friendly

Talking of SM Mall at Calamba City, I observe that many of the stores there employ sales persons who’re less than enthusiastic about helping customers.  Yesterday, Jegs and I were in one of those stores.  Jegs inquired about a lady’s bag that caught her fancy, but the sale lady was busy putting on her eye liner right on the store counter and didn’t even look at Jegs.  She didn’t even answer Jegs’ query, so I said, “C’mon, this person doesn’t like to sell anything” right in front of the sale lady.  That’s when she looked up and started to look like she’s entertaining our query.  To her, it didn't
matter that there was not a single customer in that store when we got in and when we left.  Or perhaps that was precisely why she had time to put her eye liner on . . . because there was not a single customer around to entertain.  That store will probably close shop very soon.

Sales persons are supposed to be good at customer relations, and they’re supposed to have been trained prior to deployment in stores, especially in malls.  Well, those that we’ve observed in SM Mall in Calamba probably forgot their lessons or didn’t undergo such training themselves.  The number one reason customers avoid stores is unfriendly sales persons.  And when stores don’t have customers, they close.  And when stores close, the sales persons lose their jobs.

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ER Staff Behavior Wanting

While we’re on the subject of customer relations, I’ve got one more experience to share.  The other day, Jegs accompanied me to the ER of the Los Baños Doctors’ Hospital (LBDH).  I needed fresh air (meaning, oxygen), have an ECG, and have my BP checked.  I usually do this as advised by my cardiologist every time I don’t feel comfortable in the chest area. 

Well, I got myself admitted with some hesitation from the ER staff.  The ECG technician was practically rushing to connect the terminals of the ECG machine to my body and when he was done he quickly disappeared.  Only then did Jegs and I realized that all the members of the ER staff were eating lumpia right in the Emergency Room.  We could smell the vinegar.   And I thought the ER was an emergency room for those needing medical attention, not snacks room for the staff.  It seems like this is an SOP at the LBDH ER.  I’ve observed the same thing at least twice before.

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Solemnity of Mass in Question

The other week Jegs and I went to the Alabang Festival Mall to watch a movie.  When we got to the ticket windows, there were many people standing around.  Turns out that they were there to hear mass.  A catholic priest was celebrating the holy mass right alongside the entrances to the cinemas.  Many were simply walking around, and many more were buying movie tickets.

In recent years, catholic priests have been celebrating masses in malls.  I’ve been wondering if the solemnity of said holy mass has not be diminished when celebrated in such places where people are naturally not in mass mode.  Well, priests know the requirements of the holy mass better than I do, I’m sure.  Just asking.

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Not Recommending This Place to Friends

Last week-end, Jegs and I picked up Danyelle in Sta. Rosa and went for a stroll at Nuvali.  We’ve been frequenting the place and we’re noticing the trees as they grow.  The place still lacks shades, but the trees are growing.  After a while, we felt like we needed to take our lunch, so we proceeded to this resto which we’ve not visited before.  The resto is called Crisostomo, and it specializes in Filipino cuisine.

We chose to occupy one of the outdoor tables because we had Waku, our Shih Tzu, with us then.  The waiter, who was very attentive, took our orders.  Nice place, but food quality is wanting.  There are flies, too.  Yeoh!   I’m not recommending this place to my friends. 

To be fare, though, probably not all those who’ve been there would share our experience.

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