Author: Will Galang

Coffee gadgets envy

Hot coffee

It’s not that I’m bored out of my wits with my coffee predicament at home. (Well, actually, I think I am.) Since the lockdown, I kept to my favorite Nescafé GOLD (with varying strengths from 5 to 7) to satisfy my caffeine fix. Strangely, I found myself purchasing this Maxim coffee mix from a virtual Korean store for some varied spice in my coffee life, hoping it would taste better than the run-of-the-mill flavors I get from local instant coffee manufacturers. (Unfortunately, it was so-so.)

A Messenger discussion of brewing processes involving a French Press and Starbucks Colombia Whole Bean Coffee with a dearest friend a few hours ago tempted me to rip out my still unopened coffee makers in their pristine boxes. I do have coffee beans in stock. (I was holding off on using the new coffee makers. I wanted to start utilizing it only after the wife and I have moved out of our current apartment. I know, it’s just a ridiculous quirk on my part.)

I think I’ll just set aside the coffee gadgets envy, for now.

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Tipping the driver twice

You can perhaps understand me if I’m hesitant to go out even though there was a slight easing of restrictions on Metro Manila recently. I’m not getting any younger and I may have some underlying conditions that would make me easily succumb to COVID-19. Since March 16, I broke home-quarantine, so to speak, only once — this was when I met up with an office teammate who graciously took time to bring me my office desktop computer equipment in a meetup near my apartment.

The wife had to get out of the house to travel some 8 km (about 5 miles) and back for an important, time-sensitive errand. I tried to discourage her and asked her to delay the assignment. But she pleaded to me that it’s something that needs attention as soon as possible. I let her proceed.

Helped the wifey book a GrabCar ride but for reasons I do not understand (perhaps an app glitch?), I was only able to book her a GrabTaxi. I monitored her ride on my mobile app until she reached her destination. After determining she arrived safely, I asked her how was the driver’s service and demeanor (I was bent on completing the post-ride survey on my mobile as quick as I can.)

She replied, “The driver was unusually nice. He’s an elderly person and was very polite as well.” Was so happy with what I heard (a courteous taxi driver in Metro Manila is a rarity nowadays) I sent him a ₱50 tip through the ride-hailing app.

Safely returning to me after an hour or so, I asked The Wifey how was her ride back home. She was surprised how lucky she was with taxi drivers today. They were both courteous, she pointed out.

Because of the pleasant experience, she said she tipped both well, specifically mentioned handing out an extra ₱50 for the first driver. We both just had a good laugh upon realizing that we unwittingly gave out a collective ₱100 tip to the Grab taxi driver I booked.

Anyway, he was well-mannered. He deserved it.

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Adjusting to a Work-From-Home scheme

Hello, world! How is your work-from-home setup going so far? I experienced some bumps in the road at the onset. At first, it was difficult finding the so-called sweet spot at the apartment where I can comfortably perform work duties. Then there’s the matter of focus. But as of writing, it’s been Day 85 of the telecommute and I have adjusted particularly well. So did my coworkers, I believe, to the point that our company VPs are seriously considering making this a more permanent arrangement for the entire team, especially since the COVID-19 threat is far from gone.

From LinkedIn, here is an interesting piece on adjusting to remote work. The writer, an Editor at LinkedIn News, is from India and since there are millions of her fellow citizens accorded with the privilege of working from home, we can see some insights on productivity and the stability of the job market: “Dealing with work away from work — Dipti Jain”

“The index – a fortnightly survey based on responses from 2,582 workers in India – gives a snapshot of how people are feeling about their ability to get or hold on to a job right now, improve their financial situation in the next six months and progress in their career over the next year. The national Workforce Confidence Index (WCI) remains unchanged at +50, according to the latest survey. The index uses a scale from -100 to +100 to reflect current sentiments and expectations.”

Are you also working from home? What’s your over-all take on it?

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