BDO Blocked Account

I've mention here before about the bad experienced that I had with Chinabank that is why I moved to BDO. Well so far they have good service, most thing that I love is their hours of operation. One thing that they need to improve on is their online service. First of all before you can start using it you need fill out a form online and then print it out and bring it to a BDO bank. I find it not good because that is why you are doing things online because you don't like the hassle of going to the bank. They should improve this. I have a Citibank and their online service is superb. Next thing that they need to improve is asking to change the password every 6months. I find it really really a hassle because I don't login that much and since I am changing my password I am getting confused. This is not the first time my account got blocked. Now I need to call their center to reset it but I still need to look for my TPIN to be able to do it. Haayss really an inconvencience for me. I hope they would do something to improve their online service.

Balinsasayaw

It was my Dad's birthday last January 25. My mom says he texted my brother Darwin to ask if he was able to greet daddy a happy birthday. He said he forgot, and to compromise I guess he offer to have a dinner at Balinsasayaw at Silang Cavite. It is not our first time there and I really like the place. We ate 1 bilao with different menu, food good for 8 persons. It includes inihaw na pusit, fried boneless bangus, nilasing na hipon, inihaw na liempo, lumpia shanghai, tortang talong it also comes with 2 platter of fried rice and fruits for dessert. While waiting they gave us some peanuts and hot soup was served before the main meal.

Aside from the good food I love the cool breeze of the wind. It is near Tagaytay so the temperature is really cool, specially this month of January. Some of us actually ordered hot coffee for our drinks to lessen  chilling that we have. They also have a small souvenir store where you can buy some native bags and accessories. I'll post some pictures once I got them off my camera.

 

 

 

 

Green Laptop

One of my daily activity is browsing the web and playing online or network games. I had a desktop computer with AMD Dual Core Process and 1GB of memory. I have this computer for 3 yrs now. If given a chance I would like to have a Dell Inspiron 17.3" with Intel Pential Dual Core T4300 Processor. This is the very last in my list and consider just a dream which I hope someday would come true. It may not be this model but I dream of having my own laptop. Something that I can bring when I travel which I can use for entertainment or making a blog on the spot. Of course if you have a high quality gadget it should come with a trendy accessory.

Egay's Tinapay Cooking Lesson

Hello guys! I didn't catch the 1st shuttle last Saturday so I was sitting on the back of the van having a chat with our great guy Egay. This time he did not have a long call. Actually he got finish first before me. It was a long travel from EPZA going to Molino and Mr. Egay share his hidden knowledge about cooking. He taught me about chicken cordon, how to make boneless bangus, kaldereta, morcon, lumpiang tuna and some techniques in cooking.  There is really no dull moment (ika nga sa QA eh no dead air, lol). I hope one day I will be able to try some of those menu that he taught me or much better if Egay would bring sample of his specialty, hehehe.

Social Spark - The account does not have sufficient funds to do this masspay

Last month I was excited to withdraw my earnings from Social Spark. Then I find out that the minimum payout was increased from $20 to $50. I still have some pending payments which will add up to $50.40 this month.I received a confirmation email earlier that I was paid for my last post which will make my earning acceptable to withdraw.

I was shock to see this error:

There were problems with the following fields:
    * The account does not have sufficient funds to do this masspay

On my understanding it looks like Social Spark doesn't have enough funds to pay the bloggers. I have submitted a ticket already but so far no reply yet. I hope they would be able to resolve this issue right away and also I pray that they would bring the minimum payment down to $20.

Egay Tinapay

At work we have two shuttle service who pick us up going to work and also bring us to a drop point going home. Everyday, after the end of our shift, I always hurry to be able to catch the first shuttle. It is because the 2nd shuttle will only leave if everyone is ready to go. This means there should be no more agent on a phone call so that the TL and the workforce can leave too.

Yesterday I got a call around 9am which is the end of our shift. It was a quick call and I was able to finish it right away. But then most people are on a hurry so I missed the first shuttle. There are still agents on the phone so I decided to go the bathroom to take a pee and after wards buy food for our lunch at home. I ride the van while others are smoking and chatting outside. James pass by driving a van and Cal decided to go with him since he will go to SM Bacoor which is very near to Cal's house. I guess it is already more than 30 mins and still the shuttle haven't leave. We find out that Egay was still on the call. He was one of the great old man at work who is knowm for building rapport not only with our customers but to everyone. If you ask him something expect a very broad answer. (peace tau Egay!) Good thing Myra was there to entertain us while waiting. She had a lot of funny stories about her experiences with our customers. She is a good story teller because you will really feel what she talks about. Her tone while telling the story and  her memory of the actual name and words  of the customer somewhat amazes me. I guess it is because I don't have good memory and because of that a good story sounds nothing when I tell it. (haha)

Egay finished the call around 10am which an hour after a shift. In which if I was able to catch the first shuttle I am already home. Well, I got home at pass 11am. Good for him, he gets paid for the 1hr OT but us who waited it is OTY (Oh Thank You).

Hey! Egay you owe us something, you should buy pansit for the OT pay that you get... hehehe.

Mead Johnson, Maker of Enfamil, Loses Multi-Million Dollar False Advertising Case Against Store-Bran

This is a sponsored guest post written by a Press Release on behalf of PBM Products. Post powered by Sponzai.

GORDONSVILLE, VA., December  2 , 2009—PBM Products, LLC, a leading infant formula company that supplies store-brand infant formulas to Walmart, Sam's Club, Target, Kroger, Walgreens, and other retailers, has received a favorable jury verdict and a $13.5 million damages award in its false advertising lawsuit against Mead Johnson & Co., the operating subsidiary of   Mead Johnson Nutrition Company (NYSE: MJN) (“Mead Johnson”), the makers of the national-brand Enfamil® LIPIL® Infant Formula.  Mead Johnson is 83 percent-owned by Bristol-Myers Squibb.

PBM’s lawsuit claimed that Mead Johnson engaged in false and misleading campaigns against PBM’s competing store-brand of infant formulas, suggesting they do not provide the same nutrition as Mead Johnson’s brands.  PBM’s store-brand infant formulas cost up to 50 percent less than Enfamil® LIPIL®.  The $13.5 million in damages awarded by the jury in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia is one of the largest damages awards ever for a false advertising case.

“This decision by a jury of the people confirms that Mead Johnson’s ads have been false in suggesting that there is a nutritional difference between our store-brand formula products and their products, when in fact the only major difference is price,” said PBM CEO Paul B. Manning.  “Despite Mead Johnson’s scare tactics, parents are assured that PBM’s formula products are as high quality and nutritious as Mead Johnson’s.”

U.S. District Court Judge James R. Spencer issued his written rulings yesterday following the November 10^th jury verdict. Judge Spencer’s written rulings permanently enjoined Mead Johnson from making any false statements concerning PBM's infant formula, including the claims Mead Johnson previously made in Enfamil advertising that "It may be tempting to try a less expensive store brand, but only Enfamil LIPIL is clinically proven to improve brain and eye development," and "there are plenty of other ways to save on baby expenses without cutting back on nutrition."  The Court also ordered Mead Johnson to retrieve from the public domain all advertising or promotional materials containing these or any other false claims about PBM's store brand infant formula.  

The details of the decision and the complaint are posted online in full at:

·      http://www.pbmproducts.com/docs/Order_Laches.pdf

·      http://www.pbmproducts.com/docs/PBM_Complaint_MJ_III_LIPIL.pdf

The nutritional supplements under examination in the case are two fats, DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and ARA (arachidonic acid), which Mead Johnson calls “LIPIL®” solely for marketing purposes and touts as promoting infant brain and eye development. PBM’s claim focused on Mead Johnson’s direct mailing to more than 1.6 million parents of an alarming blurry picture of a child’s cartoon duck next to a clear picture of the same image which suggested that anything other than the Enfamil LIPIL® blend of ingredients is inferior and will result in poor eye and brain development.  Other parts of the false advertising campaign consist of statements that only Enfamil LIPIL has been proven to confer visual and mental benefits on infants, and store-brand formulas are a “cut-back in nutrition” compared to Enfamil. 

PBM successfully argued that these advertisements were false and misleading especially since PBM store- brand infant formulas have the same nutrients at the same levels as Enfamil.  PBM infant formulas are formulated to contain DHA and ARA, and are sourced from the same supplier in amounts which equal or exceed the DHA and ARA in Mead Johnson’s Enfamil LIPIL®. 

This decision marks the third time PBM Products has sued Mead Johnson for false advertising claims. On the prior occasions Mead Johnson admitted that it made false claims about PBM’s products.  It is also the first false advertising case to focus on the issue of DHA and ARA nutritional ingredients in formula, which were introduced into the market in 2003 and have become a staple in recent years by many brands as key components for infant development.

“This jury verdict should send a significant and clear message to Mead Johnson about the way it conducts marketing and advertising for its brands,” said Manning.  “This lawsuit also demonstrates our complete commitment to defending our products and the valuable brands of our retail partners.”

“As a parent and supporter of children’s medical research, I take a personal responsibility in assuring our customers that the products we produce are healthy and nutritionally equivalent to brand names like Enfamil® LIPIL®.  It is important, especially now, for parents to know that there are lower priced yet highly nutritious store-brand formulas that will provide the same benefit to their children as any national brand name formula product,” Manning added.   

The U.S. infant formula market is estimated at $3.4 billion and the global market is estimated at $7.9 billion.

All of PBM’s formulas, and for that matter all of U.S. infant formulas, are subject to the exacting standards of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), pursuant to the Infant Formula Act of 1980.  This legislation vested FDA with the authority to ensure that all infant formula products sold in the United States provide the necessary levels of identified nutrients required for the growth of healthy babies. For more information, visit this FDA link.

PBM Products was represented by the law firm Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP.  Partners from the firm’s advertising practice, Harold P. Weinberger and Jonathan M. Wagner in New York, led the team.  

About PBM

PBM is privately owned and based in Gordonsville, VA.  PBM companies specialize in manufacturing, distributing, and marketing consumer food, nutritional, and pharmaceutical products. For more information, visit www.pbmproducts.com.

Enfamil® LIPIL® are registered trademarks of Mead Johnson & Co.

Congrats Pinky

Yesterday morning I received a text message from Pinky. She said she is already at the hospital due to bleeding. I know its already her due date and if my memory is right she told me her ML will start on January 20. After that text message I never heard from her again. Last night while I was waiting for our shuttle I decided to send her a message to check how she was. She said she gave birth late afternoon to a healthy baby boy whom she named Johan Gabriel.

Congrats Pinky!!! We are planning to visit you soon.....

Application Abroad

My husband is jobless for almost 4 years now. His last job was a sales associate with an insurance company. It is not good because he doesn't have a basic income. He would only get money if he will be able to close a sale. For the past years he is the one taking care of our kid and doing house chores. I know it is a tough job because during my day off I am the one taking care of David and Rhaine and doing some household chores. It is tiring and sometimes frustrating. I would prefer working at work rather than doing household chores the whole week.

As a guy or father of the family, I know how he feels, that is why I don't or never criticize him about it even when we have some fights. He tried applying but I guess because of his age and not much of an experience he was having a hard time looking for a job. This year he is decided to work abroad instead. He tried to apply for abroad for a couple of times last year but no luck. This time he wanted to apply more often because our family is now growing and we need more money to be able to support our kids needs. By this year also our new house might be turn over to us and we need extra income to fix it since it is a bare unit.

If I will be given a choice I will not let him go away. If only we have an extra money to open up a business it would be better. I am used to having him around and I am not sure what will happen if he leaves. Anyway I need to be strong and be ready to what ever may happen. So far he had a lot of applications recently but nothing confirm yet. There was one for Malaysia which I told him not to go because the offer is not that good. I pray to God to guide us to what would be a better decision.

Another Reunion

I've been to two family reunions a few weeks ago and this morning my original and first Team at Dell will have our get together. I was hired at Dell on May 15, 2006 and Jonathan Guerrero is my first team leader. Our team had a lot of fond memories. It has been almost two years since I resigned and each of us now have our own new world. I hope those who agreed to come will be able to do so. Each of us will bring something to eat and I am planning to bring either liempo or litson manok from andoks. I know this is going to be a fun day! See you guys later.