Suzuki Ertiga GL Manual Review

I had a chance to drive the facelifted Suzuki Ertiga GL with a manual transmission last Sunday. We went to Calatagan, Batangas with a few friends. I must say that I missed driving a stick shift car. It was a really enjoyable experience, especially because of the precise driving controls of the Ertiga. The preciseness of the car was remarkable, particularly at this price point.

The steering was light, and a bit muted. It was so boosted that I could not feel the road that much. However, it was very precise. There was absolutely no "sneeze zone", or dead spot in the center. A small flick of the wrist and the car will turn. You definitely would not want to take your hands off the steering wheel or even drive with one hand while cruising (which is bad practice, anyway).

The gear shift was tight, and accurate. Not once did I miss a shift or grind gears. It was very smooth as well. The pedals were spaced properly, and the action was light. Even in standstill traffic, I did not have problems modulating the accelerator and clutch. The pedals did not have any slack. It was easy to start from inclined roads.

The suspension is one of the best I've experienced in this segment, ride quality-wise. Bumps were well damped, and it did not permeate through the cabin. Even on with six passengers on board, it did not bottom out. It's tuned more for comfort, though, as it felt quite wallowy. Body roll was not that evident during highway runs, but going through some unpaved roads, I felt that the suspension was anchored on jello. I think that sport-oriented tires and gas shocks would solve most of my complaints.

My only real gripe is the engine, which is actually just perfect for city driving. On out of town trips, though, you will find that the Ertiga is underpowered. With a full load (six people and about 100 pounds of luggage), you'll have to rev hard and shift late to get moving. I found myself close to the redline a couple of times while overtaking. I normally wouldn't mind, but the engine is quite noisy at high RPM.

The interior space is quite tight, which is understandable for a short, three-row car. The habitable space seemed as big as the Livina's. In a Nissan Livina, I could fit in the last row, though. I didn't try with the Ertiga, but looking at my 5-foot daughter in the last row, I doubt that my 6-foot frame would fit. The other edge that the Livina has is that it has a bit more cargo space. With the Ertiga's third row seats up, there's only a shoebox-sized space left for your things. We only put one seat up for the third row so that we could fit our things.

Overall, the Suzuki Ertiga is a nice car. I totally understand why it's so popular these days. I would choose this over the Toyota Avanza even if the Avanza has more space. It's not every day that I'll get to use the third row, but it's there when I need to ferry more people. Ride-wise, it's just slightly behind a Honda Mobilio. I would maybe even choose the Ertiga over the Mobilio because of the creature comforts. The Ertiga's interior is way better than the 90s-inspired interior of the Mobilio and the Ertiga is also better equipped, but the Mobilio has way more legroom.

My Angkas Experience

I've been using Angkas for well over two months now. From my house near Pasig City Hall, I've never had to wait longer than 15 minutes for a ride. Average is around 10 minutes of wait time during early afternoon. I started using Angkas not because it's a cheaper alternative, but because of the time I save versus taking an Uber or Grab. Without any promo codes, a ride from Pasig to Makati is usually around P116. An Uber or Grab ride would be anywhere from P130-P160 during these times. As you can see, the difference isn't much, but I save about an hour's worth of travel time.

Being a former motorcycle rider myself, I relish the opportunity of being able to ride different kinds of bikes everyday, even if I'm a pillion rider. I've been riding since I was 9, when my dad gave me a 50cc Yamaha Jog and my granddad gave me a 50cc Honda Tact in a span of a few months. I've had all kinds of bikes from underbones to standards. I only stopped riding because my wife thinks that all bikers are "chickboys".

Angkas bikers are usually chatty, and one of the things I usually ask is why they chose their bike. In my opinion, scooters are the best for Angkas bikers. Why? There are no gears, no clutch, good seating position, compact dimensions, and low seat height. These attributes are the best for weaving in and out of traffic.

Here are some of the more memorable bikes that I've ridden and a short review of each:

Honda RS125 - This bike has such low clearance. The bottom always scrapes humps. Disappointing.

Bajaj/Kawasaki Rouser 180 - Smooth and powerful. My favorite out of all the Angkas bikes.

Honda CB110 - I thought it would be underpowered, but it's sufficient even with my 200 pound carcass on the back seat.

Euro RKS 150 - Vibrates a lot, like my Chinese Honda Wave copy (Loncin 125). Would be tiring to ride for long trips. Your hands and legs will be numb after an hour of riding. Looks good, though.

Yamaha Mio - I understand why this scooter is so popular. Low seat height, easy to drive. Gets a bad rap for having a low ground clearance, but I've never experienced any scraping over humps. The Honda RS125 is much, much worse.

Suzuki Skydrive - Same ride quality as the Mio, but a bit more powerful. This would be my choice if I were an Angkas biker.

Kymco Super 8 - I'm not sure if I was wearing tight pants, but it was hard to get on to, and the seat seemed too wide.

Lazada Scam on Instagram

(see full image)

Sent from my iPhone

Lazada 12.12 Online Revolution Scam

Here is my recent experience with Lazada.

They recently had a 12.12 online revolution sale. We bought a TV during the sale using our bank card. We also purchased a few other items along with the TV. Now, we received the other items within the delivery date specified. The TV was all that's left to be delivered, so we called a couple of times to follow up. The phone agents said that it will be delivered on or before the 17th. Last night, the 15th, we received a text stating that our order was cancelled. We did not cancel our order.

I went on Lazada's live chat and chatted with Shy. She was rude and unhelpful and disconnected me in the middle of the conversation. However, before she disconnected me, she stated that the delivery failed so Lazada refunded our payment. How could the delivery fail if we received all other items? Lazada's standard procedure is to send a text message before delivering the item, and we did receive the text messages, but the TV was not part of the items that they delivered.

Now, what I think is that Lazada purposely refunded our money. They probably priced the TV too low and would have taken a loss. The TV is still available, but we can't repurchase it because it's back to its original price.

I'm going to report Lazada to DTI and post this on social media.

Below is my email to their customer support:

I would like to report your live chat agent, Shy. She was rude and no help at all. She disconnected the chat suddenly, even if the issue was not resolved. Here is a screenshot:

My issue is regarding order number 367957389. We received a text message that the TV in that order number was cancelled and refunded. However, we did not cancel the order. The chat agent stated that it was due to a failed delivery, but we were there to receive all the other items in that order number.

Now, I think this is a scam on Lazada's part. You priced the TV too low for your 12.12 sale. Now our money is in limbo while we wait for it to be refunded to our bank account, which will take weeks based on previous experience. We can't reorder the TV now because it's back to its original price. Please reprocess our order or else we will report you to the DTI and post on social media.

Fwd: Re: Your Invitation to JPMorgan Chase & Co.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: adianalan@gmail.com
Date: May 9, 2015 6:22 AM
Subject: Re: Your Invitation to JPMorgan Chase & Co.
To: "Nobela, Guada" <guada.nobela@jpmchase.com>
Cc: "Fernandez, John Lake P" <john.lake.p.fernandez@restricted.chase.com>

Hello,

I would just like to share my experience when I went to my scheduled interview on May 7. I arrived at the career hub at 9:40, twenty minutes before my schedule. After submitting my resumé at the front desk, I was told to take a seat. After waiting for two hours, I decided to text Jake the recruiter to follow up. He told me that he will contact HR. Eventually, at 12:40 PM, after THREE hours of waiting, somebody announced my name. I approached her and she was visibly irritated. She did not even introduce herself. She just told me to follow her to the interview room. When we got there, she told me to sit down and wait while she was setting up. I think she wanted to make it obvious that she was irate because she was angrily banging away at her keyboard and slamming down papers on the table. During the actual interview, she was very rude and confrontational. I felt that I was being interrogated by the Gestapo. She would ask me questions and then cut me off as I talked. She also asked irrelevant questions just to make me seem foolish. For example, she asked me if I gave notice for a job where I resigned. I replied that it was an immediate resignation which was approved by my immediate supervisor. She then asked if I had manager approval, to which I replied "I don't know". I told her that it must have been likely approved by the manager because my supervisor approved it and I filed a clearance. She was very argumentative and she insisted that I needed the manager's approval or else my status would be terminated instead of resigned. I reiterated that I had clearance and my supervisor's approval, so most likely it was also approved by the manager. She kept driving her point, but I didn't want to get into an argument, so I just kept quiet. She then asked me to provide the exact date of my employment at the said company. She became more irate when I told her that I could provide the month, as written on my resumé, but not the exact day. I told her that I can give that information when I submit the CoE from that company. If I didn't have manners I would have walked out right there and then, because I knew that I wouldn't get the job.

I used to have a high regard for JP Morgan Chase. In fact, my biggest career regret was not taking the job when I was offered back in 2007 or 2008 to be part of the first class of fraud specialists. However, after this incident, I will not recommend to anyone to apply to your company.

I hope that my letter can serve as a training opportunity for your HR department.

On May 4, 2015 6:31 PM, "Nobela, Guada" <guada.nobela@jpmchase.com> wrote:

 

 

Hi,

 

Thank you for your interest to be part of JPMorgan Chase & Co. !

 

Get to know more about our Heritage, Mobility, Innovation and Culture at www.jpmorganchase.com

 

Please see details below for your next interview for Customer Service and Fraud Specialist post.

·         Date : May 5, 2015

·         Time:  9AM -  4PM

·         Location : Career Hub, Ground Floor, Net Plaza Building, 31st Street, Fort Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City

·         Contact Person : JAKE FERNANDEZ  (09224901541)

Don't forget  to bring your most updated resume, a valid ID and look for Jake as your contact person.

Also, a quick guide on our openings:

 

Customer Service Specialists/ Telephone Bankers- you will be assisting our US customers regarding their bank transactions (deposits, withdrawals, etc.) through phone

 

Fraud Specialists- Receive incoming and make outgoing telephone calls and correspond with current customers/merchants who may have fraudulent activity on their account/ merchant establishments. Does research on accounts with disputes in order for it to be resolved. The role would also cover prevention and recovery of losses.

 

Customer Support Specialist- you will be responsible for collecting on past due amounts in different stages for auto loans, credit cards, overdrawn checking and savings account, and home mortgages. You will be receiving and making calls from/to customers to understand their payment abilities and provide collection related support.

 

To help you find our office location, you may refer to our Site Map below.

 

 

 

You can also read through the following instructions:

 

Option 1:

1. Get to the MRT-3.
2. Get off at Ayala Avenue Station.
3. Go down the northbound side, turn right and walk your way towards the Fort Bus terminal in Mckinley Exchange Tower.
4. Take the UPPER WEST ROUTE bus. Your drop-off point is in front of Bonifacio Technology Center (last bus stop, another landmark is the BIR office), a block away from Net Plaza.

Option 2:

1. Go to Market! Market!
2. Walk your way towards the Fort Bus terminal or the E3 terminal.

Ø  Bus. The Fort Bus terminal is located at the back portion of Market! Market! (where the Public  Transport Terminal area is). Take the BGC Central bus. Your drop-off point is in front of Bonifacio Technology Center (last bus stop, another landmark is the BIR office), a block away from Net Plaza.

Ø  E3. The E3 terminal is located on a vacant lot at the corner of 26th Street and McKinley Parkway. Ride an E3 and tell the driver to drop you off at Net Plaza Building.

 

 

 

***DISREGARD THIS EMAIL IF YOU HAVE BEEN INTERVIEWED WITHIN THE PAST 3 MONTHS***

 

Jake Fernandez

JPMC

 

P  Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail.

 

This communication is for informational purposes only. It is not intended as an offer or solicitation for the purchase or sale of any financial instrument or as an official confirmation of any transaction. All market prices, data and other information are not warranted as to completeness or accuracy and are subject to change without notice. Any comments or statements made herein do not necessarily reflect those of JPMorgan Chase & Co., its subsidiaries and affiliates (collectively, "JPMC"). This transmission may contain information that is proprietary, privileged, confidential and/or exempt from disclosure under applicable law. If you are not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any disclosure, copying, distribution, or use of the information contained herein (including any reliance thereon) is STRICTLY PROHIBITED. If you received this transmission in error, please immediately contact the sender and destroy the material in its entirety, whether in electronic or hard copy format. Although this transmission and any attachments are believed to be free of any attachments are believed to be free of any virus or other defect that might affect any computer system into which it is received and opened, it is the responsibility of the recipient to ensure that it is virus free and no responsibility is accepted by JPMC for any loss or damage arising in any way from its use. Please note that any electronic communication that is conducted within or through JPMC's systems is subject to interception, monitoring, review, retention and external production in accordance with JPMC's policy and local laws, rules and regulations; may be stored or otherwise processed in countries other than the country in which you are located; and will be treated in accordance with JPMC policies and applicable laws and regulations. Please refer to http://www.jpmorgan.com/pages/disclosures for disclosures relating to European legal entities.

Pork Barbecue

Let's stick it to the man!

The pork barrel scam has indeed caused national outrage. However, is a public outcry all we can do as citizens? I would call the million man march a lukewarm success, much like Occupy Wall Street. It showed the government how much we were disgusted by their obscene theft of our money, and that Filipinos can be united towards a single goal, but it did little to resolve the issue. It also got me to thinking: what if we worked towards a more "productive" output? Why don't we boycott paying taxes until the perpetrators are punished?

Let's not stop until we get to the bottom of the barrel. I've noticed that Filipinos have short attention spans, so we must not let up until the issue is resolved. Remember the feelings we felt when the news about the Maguindanao Massacre broke? Today, the event is all but forgotten, buried under all the "more sensational" news items. There was a chance for swift justice, since the suspects were almost caught red-handed, but everyone failed to capitalize on it. It is an injustice to the victims, and to all Filipinos. Now, we have a chance to strike while the iron is still hot. Let's not let the PDAF scam get buried under all these alleged diversionary tactics such as the Zamboanga situation and new plunder charges against GMA.

For the plan to work, we must all work together and convince corporations, businesses, and other establishments to stop remitting our tax contributions. Convince your bosses, convince Mang Pogs at the sari-sari store, convince everyone to temporarily cease paying taxes. If mighty America can survive a government shutdown, I am sure that we can too.

BOYCOTT TAXES UNTIL THE TRUTH SURFACES!

Hitler cat needs a drink!

Hitler cat needs a drink!

Testing my Samsung Galaxy y. Thanks ga!

Testing out my new Nokia C3!

Testing out my new Nokia C3!

Thanks Aunty Omera!

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Sent via Nokia Email

I'm Wearing Obama's Watch!

Well, not his watch exactly, but we both own a Tag Heuer 1500 watch. I just think it's cool that the president of the United States wears an entry-level Swiss watch when he could afford something like a Panerai, Omega, Rolex, Patek, or Vacheron. You rock, President Obama!

Maybe the Prez's watch also holds some sentimental value for him, like I do with my watch. I absolutely love my watch and it will remain in the family as an heirloom! Even if one day I can afford those other watches that I mentioned, I will still keep this watch because it's been with me through thick and thin. We have a lot of memories, this watch and I...and I hope that whoever inherits this watch will enjoy it as much as I do and make many more memories.

Here are some links to sites showing President Obama and his watch:

http://www.men-access.com/not-michelle-but-has-gone-with-barack-obama-for-15-years/
http://www.tagheuerreviews.com/wd1211-k-20-tag-heuer-1500-large-dive-watch-review/tag-heuer-collections/1500/

Obama was wearing TAG HEUER 1500 Dive Watch on December 2004 while getting ready before leaving to give the keynote address at the Chicago Economic Club in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Charles Ommanney/Getty Images) via men-access

Shoeshine lessons by Adel Tamano

 Here's an article and a link to the blog:

http://citizenadel.blogspot.com/2010/06/shoeshine-lessons.html
http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=587887&publicationSubCategoryId=86

I really feel bad for the Philippines that he didn't win.

Shoeshine lessons
MANO-A-MANO By Adel Tamano (The Philippine Star) Updated June 27, 2010 12:00 AM


Illustration by REY RIVERA

I’m 10 years old and I’m in my dad’s dressing room. I’m sitting on the floor shining 20 pairs of my father’s shoes. My father has a shoe fetish. He claims that it was the result of his wanting new shoes, which my grandfather couldn’t afford, for his high school graduation. (My mother disputes this tale as my father’s lame attempt to instill values but, as a child, I believed him.) So, after his bout with shoe poverty, he is now the proud owner of some of the world’s best and most expensive shoes. (His favorite brand was Bally.)

That was 1980 — my job was to keep all of my dad’s shoes bright and shiny. It was a job I relished because it was our time — a luxury when you have eight siblings — and the opportunity for him to pass on life lessons through the experience of shining shoes. These were some of his best pieces of advice, delivered wearing a ratty white undershirt and ugly shorts (the de rigueur pang-bahay or house clothes) of fathers in the Eighties):

1. Strive for excellence, even if it’s something as simple as shining shoes. Maybe it was because of his Islamic upbringing — the Koran preached excellence in all things — but my father hated half-hearted work. When you do something, do it well, even something as mundane as shining shoes. There was a technique and logic to it — remove the dust first with a brush or soft cloth; choose the proper color of shoe polish; don’t put too much, especially with the liquid waxes, because it will over stain and destroy the leather; only buff the shoes, using a top-quality horse hairbrush, when they are completely dry; shine even the parts that people will not see, because although they won’t know that you missed a spot, you will know that you didn’t complete the job. As a matter of fact, my father explained to me that the very best shoes were painstakingly handcrafted and it was the shoemaker’s meticulous care and desire for making something both utilitarian and beautiful that enabled him to make such wonderful shoes.

2. Look your best. Either vanity is a learned behavior or it’s genetic. I don’t know but my own vanity, in the sense that I don’t like going even to the supermarket unless I look decent, seems to be a result of both. My father would constantly remind me about the value of looking neat, clean, and at your best. It was just as much about respecting others as it was about respecting yourself. A gentleman — or boy — should look good. Period. He told me that you can tell a lot about a person’s character — if he’s a slob or not, what his hobbies are, and if he cares about fashion, etc. — by just looking at his shoes. This was why we were taking pains to shine my father’s shoe collection: so he could always put his best foot forward.

3. You have to work harder than others because you are a minority. This may seem far removed from shining shoes but it isn’t. I think part of the reason why my father made such an effort to always look dapper was because he was actually quite insecure. He grew up in a society where Filipino Muslims faced discrimination and stereotyping — our current culture still has aspects of this — and so one method of overcoming this was to work hard and excel. Achievement, whether in politics, education, arts, etc., earns respect. It may be given grudgingly but it is given nonetheless. Since winning levels the playing field, my father said that we should act and look like a winner — and the first step was to have clean, well-shined shoes.

4. You got to have fire in your belly. Initiative was one characteristic my father valued and one of his lessons was that I should not have to wait for him to remind me to shine his shoes. I should remember to do it every week. What it really meant was don’t wait for others to push you to do what has to be done. Just do it. And initiative included appearance. He wanted me to look like I enjoyed my job. Meaning that part of initiative was doing things with zest because without enthusiasm, the results would be substandard.

5. A little luxury isn’t bad. My father would explain to me that, since he studied well and worked hard, he deserved a few luxuries — like having nice shoes. In fact, for him, his shoes were an affirmation that he had achieved some level of success. So now, as an adult who also works very hard and has studied well, I allow myself my luxuries. Perhaps, more importantly, I allow myself to take pleasure — actually it is really more a sense of gratefulness — in being able to buy things I like.

So now, every time I see a pair of beautifully shined men’s shoes, I cannot help but remember my father and the lessons he imparted. Strangely, I never inherited his desire for expensive shoes. For me cleanliness (because of my shoeshining experience) and style — not price or brand — are what I look for in a pair of shoes.

In hindsight, a lot of my own success was due to his lessons. And as I go through life, I see that shining his shoes has served me in very good stead. And my shoes always look brilliant.