My First Kill by Phoebe Rea, Incoho Senior Dialer Manager

FIRST KILL

 

It’s terribly humid. I am low to the ground, clasping a AK 47 assault rifle, listening intently for every sound, every hush of the elephant grass meant someone is crouching down and is trying to sneak their way to my position. The sun is unforgiving, it’s bright rays blinding, making it difficult to see through the foliage. Sweat is now pouring from almost every pore of my body. My camouflage shirt is totally drenched.  I hear sporadic gun fire from all directions and I could only wonder if they’re from my comrades or from the opposing force who has been ordered to come and get us.  I got separated from my team and was all alone.  The feeling was almost beyond words, a mixture of nervous anxiety, fear, anger that I got left behind, and a tinge of liberation, that I am ready to go meet my proverbial maker. I decide to just stand my ground and lay still. If they were coming for us, I vowed I am going to take as many of them with me. 

 

From the corner of my eye, I could see a slight movement in the brush. It was very subtle but I noticed it. I could hear the almost indiscernible sound of grass blades bending and rubbing against fabric.  “Sh*t. Here they come!” I thought.  And ever so slowly I could now make out the form of a lone man, squatting down and scanning left to right then slowly duck walking to my general direction, being extremely careful to make only the hushes of noise, his assault rifle at the ready.

 

My heart is pounding and I could almost swear that my enemy could hear it. But I then realized. The motherf**ker hasn’t seen me yet.  Slowly and carefully I take aim. The brush was still too thick and I was worried I might miss. I wait patiently, the muzzle of my rifle locked at the looming figure that’s still inching his way through the thick grass. My safety is off. I decided it was now or never. I squeeze the trigger of my Russian made Kalashnikov and it spurts a burst of white lightning which pierces through the thick grass and made their way to my target hitting him squarely on the chest.

 

“Aray!!!! Hit!!! Hit!!! Hit!!!” my opponent shouted. He then raises his hand to acknowledge that he’s been hit, nods at me to congratulate me on my righteous kill and makes his way back to the safe zone. It was my first Airsoft Kill.

 

I wasn’t in Vietnam, Iraq or Afghanistan for that matter but rather at an Airsoft game site in Paranaque attending an Airsoft Team Building activity organized by Incoho and overseen by Kyle Bendijo, Incoho’s VP for Philippine Operations and a long time airsoft enthusiast.


During the course of the day, we participated in pseudo-rescue missions, skirmishes and a ton of other scenarios all designed to make us think and function like a single entity. “There is no I in TEAM. But there is an M and an E. And the first person who’ll point that out to me will be shot.” said the boss in his usual dry and irreverent humor. 

It was a helluva day. I was drenched in sweat, had mosquito bites all over, a couple of welts on my arms from getting hit with BB’s, and just plain drained both literally and figuratively. And I still have a big smile on my face.

Paper Airplanes and Measuring Tape: An Introduction to Six Sigma by OJ Mateo, Incoho Senior Project Manager

Paper Airplanes and Measuring Tape

 by OJ Mateo

“You will design a prototype paper airplane, launch it and measure. The team with the most stable performance prototype wins a free lunch.” This was the instruction given by my boss, Kyle Bendijo, when he called over the different operations managers and team leads to his office. Knowing the boss for some time now, I’m already anticipating that this is going to be another one of his “creative training methods” Early on in my career, I was very much like how Daniel-San was in doubt of Miyagi having him do wax-on, wax-off on the vintage cars in the Karate Kid movie. But having experienced his management style for several years, I have come to understand and even appreciate his approach in developing his managers. There is sound method to his madness.

We divided ourselves into two groups and were given about thirty minutes to come up with a prototype design. We debated among ourselves as to what would be the best design. We decided to keep it simple and focus on length of flight. But after thinking about it, the boss didn’t say that the longest flight would win. He said the prototype with the most stable performance would win. So the most common sensical conclusion we arrived at was longest and straightest. Which got us thinking - what is his definition of stable? So we went about designing the prototype with the attributes in mind.

After the production period was over, it was now time to conduct launch tests. Kyle called the two groups over to a long stretch of hallway. Additional instruction was that we were to launch the planes from a single starting point following a flight path represented by a straight line created by the gaps between the floor tiles. The total distance was to be measured which would account for the “longest” attribute and the distance that the plane lands from the designated flight path, would account for the “straightest” attribute.

We made a total of 10 launch flights. The other team did their launch tests too and measurements were done. The results were tallied by the boss. We were worried because the other team recorded really long flights compared to ours. Kyle then proceeds to give us an explanation on getting the mean and standard deviation of the results. Now if this started as the usual training lecture, I’d probably be bored out of my pants. And with mathematical terms like mean, median, variance, would usually be enough to make me start yawning. Never did like math but with activities like these, you’d start appreciating its practical aspects. So, with some instructions from the boss, we proceeded to enter the data into a spreadsheet and start crunching the numbers to arrive at our prototype’s flight performance, which was essentially computing for the upper limit, lower limit of the distance and accuracy figures, computing the span, giving weights to the two attributes, jumping up and down for one minute and reciting Mary had a little Lamb backwards, all commencing to come up with the SPAN, which h is the figure to represent the stability of the performance of the prototype. I learned on later that it meant “consistently long and consistently straight.” And no, that’s not the tagline for Viagra. We then compared figures with the results of the other team’s tests, and after a final check by the boss, it was determined that we won the exercise.

Winning has its perks. Who’d have thought that I’d learn something by flying paper airplanes? Another regular day at Incoho, I guess.  Thanks boss.

Alain Ariel "Kyle" Bendijo is Incoho's VP for Process Excellence and Philippine Operations.  He first joined Incoho as the Commercial Credit and Colletions Manager and was responsible for handling Incoho's first accounts which included two of the top credit card issuer in the Philippines. He holds a Masters Degree in Business Administration and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Human Resource Management from DLSU. Kyle is a certified Six Sigma Black Belt. He is also a certified PADI Divemaster and has been diving in the Philippines since 1994.  Kyle also lists digital photography among his many interests.

The Wrong Path Taken by Noriz Garcia, Incoho Senior Agent

Incoho’s Masquerade Ball. The event is glittery. Everyone is chic and glamorous.

The night is fast becoming late and the program is nearing its end. My hair is starting to fall apart from it’s updo, loosened maybe by my hyperactivity taking photos of others and myself; wanting to freeze every moment in frames. So here I am, sitting quietly with my team at the back end of the hall, trying desperately to reconstruct my messy hair back to how it was daintily fixed. The crowd is bursting into boisterous laughter. Awarding is up and cheering is all over. Everyone is thrilled, in anticipation of who will get which award. There were cute and funny awards, descriptive of the recipients personality extraordinaire. And there were formal awards too. Then my name was called… “MARIA NORIZA GARCIA”…  Busy from my futile attempts on my hair, I raised my head, asking, “What about it?” “Noriz, you were just named “Employee of the Year.” I was filled with disbelief. Adrenalin is rushing through my body as excitement and an ounce of nervousness filled my senses. I don’t know how long it took me to get to the front and accept the award. It was like watching a movie where everything is in slow motion.

Not so far down memory lane, with a handful of determination and lots of perseverance in my pocket, I was a struggling young applicant perusing classifieds and braving job interviews. Fate or no fate; luck or whatever you may think of it, there was some force that guided me right to the front of Incoho’s doorstep back on that hot November day. Trudging along Dela Rosa St. when the company that I should go to is in Leviste, I was kind of lost. It’s already 11:45 and I’m tired and thirsty. Not familiar with the vicinity, I felt that I didn't have the luxury of time to get to that company. Standing on the intersection of Dela Rosa and Paseo de Roxas, something dawned into me… “Why don’t I check out the company along Paseo first?” It was Incoho. And here I am today, eleven days before my 3^rd anniversary, still digesting the recognition given almost a week ago.

It's  been 3 years and its a roller coaster ride. You’ll never know how fast or slow the ride will go. And like the real thing, we are engulfed in various emotions; elation when our simple deeds are acknowledged, frustrations for quotas not reached, disappointments, hate, sadness, anger to those customers who cursed and yelled at us over the phone and so many other mixed emotions. In this short span of time, we witnessed people come and go in the company. We are saddened by the farewells of friends, yet, warmly welcome new ones to our circles. These are the spices of life…, maybe work life to be more particular. Work is something to be enjoyed. If we do, it will not be work at all but a productive leisure. It is my guiding principle in whatever undertaking I choose. It makes everything less of a burden and more of an enjoyable activity.

A friend said that 2010 has just been a blessed year for me. Indeed. But, I also beg to disagree. All three years of my stay are equally blessed as each other, to varying extent. One will not exist without the other. Each passing time gave me ample time to train and grow. Important skills and experience were inculcated in me by all the different projects that I have been with. On top of that, I have worked with people – colleagues and team leaders who subliminally contributed to moulding me as an individual.

Work satisfaction for me comes from the simple “thank yous” from customers especially from team members whenever I have helped them out from a tight situation. That’s why being recognized really means something. A simple recognition it maybe, yet it is a reminder that our contribution to the company is not overlooked. I feel elated for receiving the recognition, but surely there are others worthy of recognition. Some are still polishing their acts. Others are simply low key. Each has their unique way of loving their crafts.

Life can take us to the most unlikely places and situations. If not because of that wrong path I took on that fateful November day, I won’t be here today. As I have said at the party, I am humbled by the recognition, yet it is a challenge to even do better.

Incoho CEO Wins Mitsubishi City Chase in Canada

Incoho CEO wins the Mitsubishi City Chase in Canada

 

by Oj Mateo - Shift Supervisor 3

 

 

The Woods brothers being awarded their brand new Mitsubishi Outlander

 

City Chase is an urban adventure with teams competing to achieve the most ChasePoints. The goal of the race is for two-person teams to get points by going through different checkpoints in the city to find specific clues, or engage in challenges that may be physical, intellectual or humorous.

The race is sponsored by Mitsubishi thus called “The Mitsubishi City Chase”.

This year’s Mitsubishi City Chase was held in Winnipeg. The event happened from October 28th to the 30th.

There competing teams for the 2010 City Chase Regional Winners are: Team Edmonton, Team Calgary, Team Toronto 1, Team Montreal, Team Ottawa, Team Toronto 2 and Team Vancouver.

This year’s winner was Team Ottawa composed of brothers Anthony and Eric Woods. The two have been joining this competition for seven years before clinching their first title in the said event.

Anthony Alexander Woods, President and CEO of Incoho Inc. had dedicated his life to being an athlete. During his time off his hectic work, Tony indulges into long hours of preparation for the annual City Chase. Even after winning this year’s event, the Boss will never stop on performing activities he loves which includes swimming and biking.

Eric Wayne Woods, a software consultant is the duo’s leader in this race. According to him, their strategy is the same every year which is figuring out what they did wrong the previous years. Fortunately, Team Ottawa had overcome their previous mistakes that lead the team to bagging this year’s title.

After several tries, finally the duo brings home the bacon. Aside from winning the title “2010 City Chase Canadian Champions”, they also won a pair of All-New 2010 Mitsubishi Outlanders.

Baler Surfing Trip 2010 by Phoebe Rea, Incoho Dialer Manager

Amidst the everyday demand of the corporate world I got the chance to sneak out and go out of town to try hitting the waves for the first time. I don’t swim but the challenge of getting on the board and riding the waves that I see on television pulls the inner daredevil in me. A part of me was telling me not to go but I told myself.. if not now, when. I took the Friday off – with all the preparations and asking permissions of course to make it to the trip to Baler. I was invited by my friend who was to try surfing for the first time as well. The trip was organized by a group of ladies based in Makati who had also been hitting the waves as a hobby.

We left Makati at 11:00 pm on a van of 11 people. We met another group at the NLEX stop then we drove north to Baler. The people I rode with were morning people so I was the only one awake for the most part of the trip.  It was dark for the most part of the drive but it fine.  I know the driver missed a turn and we ended up having to drive back for 30 minutes. But nobody in the van knew coz they were asleep. It was dawn when we reached the province of Aurora and the sun came out in time for us hitting the rough part of the road. There were times that we seemed to be driving through the fog but the road cleared as the sun showed it’s full strength. It was around 7:00 am of Saturday when we reached Aliya Surfing Camp -where we will have the surfing lessons and stay for the night .They served breakfast as  soon as we got there – part of the accommodation package.

I didn’t know what to expect when they said surfing lessons. Nervousness was what’s on my mind that time but I thought, I didn’t sit at the back of the van for 8 hours to miss the chance of drowning myself. Lol. 

They said that there will be a lecture first to show how to ride the board, to paddle, to stand on the board and to finally ride the wave. So I thought, this can be done as long I listen to the lecture.  I wasn’t able to join the first set of the lecture and ride – which was fine because I didn’t feel like hitting the water right away. There was two of us who were left. I was also happy for I had time to snap some photos of those who went first.  Then it is my time to for the lecture. My instructor Hill came with my board. Then he said. “Okay let’s do it. 

 He was to strap the board to my ankle as I said; “Wait! It’s my first time. I dunno what to do”. Then he said.. ahmm, It’s pretty simple, when you’re out there. Just push on the board and try to stand on it and you’ll be good. I was like, ah ok... It’s simple then. Let’s do it.  (Isn’t it supposed to be longer???) 

My heart was pounding as I was feeling my body getting wet. Then Hill said, Get on the board! I went. How? I looked at the others then lifted myself on the board.  Hill was guiding the board with me on it to the deeper part of the beach. And I can feel my heart pounding against the board this time as I was lying face down on it. Then Hill said. Let’s wait for the wave. I will push the board when it’s   time and will tell you when to stand. I would look behind me and see the waves coming, others get to ride some waves and fall at the middle of it. That I wish don’t happen to me. Then Hill said, “This is it, READY..” I felt his push on the board and then shouted, “Stand up! Stand up!” with all might I tried to stand but it was hard to balance on the board on the water. I wipe out and disappeared under the wave, I didn’t know what to do. I just knew that I had to get my head above the water and get my board before it hits my face.  I stood up. Hill was heading my way. Then he said; “What happened?” I was like. I fell. Isn’t that obvious, That’s what happened (thanks for the training eh).. Then we headed back to the deeper waters to wait for the waves again. We joined the other surfers as we waited for the wave. They say that this is what makes most part of the surfing time – the WAITING time, waiting for the next wave to come.

While waiting for the next wave I realized that my heart was not pounding as hard anymore. It felt like that the first wave that I tried to ride washed away my nervousness and I am now more of excited and challenged that scared of drowning. Then came some big waves, Hill said, Let’s wait for the smaller ones.  (OK, he’s still concerned. Maybe he realized that I am a first timer). He again said, READY, (in my head,  oh man, this is it), then pushed the board, ( I felt free – oh yeah he’s no longer holding my board, that’s why,) I felt the wave coming and heard Hill shout, “Stand Up!” then I launched myself to the board. But it felt that my board and I just went down the water as the wave left us. I then thought, what happened? I was able to stand? I was able to balance, why did I feel so heavy that the wave didn’t take me. Hill came and said. You placed too much of your wait at the end part of the board that’s why the wave left you. Then I said. Oh, is that so. We’ll nail the next one.  (Wow, we are now bonding). It didn’t take long when I heard it again “READY! (Yes, I am ready, I’m gonna get this one) then that feeling of freedom, then he shouted,, Stand Up!. I was able to stand. I was moving forward. I am feeling the water beneath my board as if the board is part of my body.

 I am riding the wave. Yes! I am RIDING IT! Baaaaam! Then the wave became smaller as we reached the shore so I fell off the board, intentionally this time. But I was real happy and stood up right away and looked at Hill as we were both giving each other the thumbs up. I felt strong and was excited for the next wave. I lifted my board and headed back to the deeper part with Hill’s help.  We waited for the waves again. I got to ride several waves from then on.  I was fulfilled for real. Now I need to have good pictures of me riding the waves. But there was nobody to take my picture. It was unfair. I had good photo of those who got to get into the water first. Come lunch time, the first batch of surfers when back to the resort. I was then told that It is the first part of the lessons -the first hour, that there’ll be another hour in the afternoon. I had few more rides then headed back too.

We had lunch at the restaurant at the other side of the resort – Bahia de Baler Bar and Grill,where we ordered as group and enjoyed several Filipino viands such as Crispy Pata,

 Lechong Paksiw, Fried Chicken, Chopsuey and Pansit canton, but what caught everyone’s interest is the fern salad. It is made of blanched fern shoots mixed with slices if white onions then sided with salted eggs – there is also an option of putting some fish paste on it to add taste.

After a heavy meal we headed back to the resort where we checked in  – we walked along the beach and thought of how we looked as we tried surfing earlier that day and thought that we’d be  hitting the water in an hour or two. I took the chance of taking pictures of the place then headed back to my room which I shared with two other ladies. I had a nice siesta and it was raining when I woke up.  The group was heading to the beach again for the second part of the surfing lesson but I was feeling so sleepy and comfortable on the bed to go out in the rain and in the water again then get myself washed away and tumbled by the waves. .but what the heck I went there to surf and not to sleep, so I changed and went back to the water. But Hill was no longer available. I got another instructor, Rommel, he’s a lot different from Hill. He wouldn’t talk much and would just say. “Here it comes” and would push my board. I would also have to paddle for myself back to the deeper part and wait for the waves. It its real tiring to paddle against the waves to get to the deeper part of the water.  It really drained my energy and made my arms ache. Rommel would just wait for me on the deep part and wait for the wave. He even had another trainee as there were no more instructors to push one of surfers. So I paddled by myself most of the time.

 I got to chat with other instructors as I wait for the waves. They started to tell stories about accidents that had happened on surfers. How somebody had a huge cut on the head after the board hit him, ho

w the other surfer had a bigger wound on the shoulder.. stuff like that.. Oh yeah Bros. I love this kind of conversation.  Bring it on.. I got to ride some small waves and was able to go with some bigger ones too.  The rain had stopped at the same time so I decided to take my camera out and put up my tripod. I took some shots and thought that I still have no good shots of myself. I asked a guy who had given up surfing to take pictures of me riding then headed back to the waters. I rode just to have good pictures then decided to stop. I was real tired with paddling against the waves. Some of the surfers decided to extend riding the waves for another hour so they paid and extra   350 php for the board and the instructor. I spent the rest of the afternoon taking photos of the surfers   and the beach.

 We went to town and had Chinese food for dinner, or at least their version of Chinese food. The only part that I think was Chinese with what we had was the tofu but the rest was still Filipino. We had pork sinigang then spicy squid. 

We headed back to the resort where the surfing instructors had prepared some booze and their jamming instruments. We jammed and laughed and shared stories. I got to know more of the people I rode with over drinks. It was 1:00 am when we finally decided to hit the sack.

I got up at 5:00 and there was nobody awake but me. I got my coffee from reception then headed by the beach. It was already 7:00 when the peeps I was with started getting up. They said that we will be heading to the Mother Falls.

 It was already around 9:00 when we left the resort. We drove for about 30 minutes and had to trek for another 45 minutes to get to the falls.  The walk was worth it as we reached the base of the falls. The air was real cold there and I could not bring my camera out, fearing the splashes from the falls and the fine mist would get it wet. I was contemplating on taking a dip but the water was extremely cold like iced water. I opted to risk hypothermia and took the plunge and found the cold water really soothing cause my body was real aching from the surfing lessons. We had 5 minutes at the base of the falls then trekked back to the van. Some lost their slippers as they crossed the rivers. It would have been real hard for first timers. I had been hiking before and was somehow used to this so I assisted some first timers across the rivers.  

We passed by the town and got some food from the Chinese place to go. While waiting for the food. I snuck out together with 5 others and the tour guides and headed to the Baler museum. It is actually closed on Sundays but we got to talk to the caretaker on letting us in for a quick tour. We saw some Manuel Quezon artifacts and got to take some pictures then lunch then got ready to go back to Manila.

Surfing can real be frustrating but perseverance will surely be rewarded once you get the hang of it. I greatly recommend this to those who are strong at heart and are into adrenaline rush. 

Surfing can real be frustrating but perseverance will surely be rewarded once you get the hang of it. I greatly recommend this to those who are strong at heart and are into adrenalin rush. 

The logic of surfing has been familiar to me for it has been what work is like for the past years – challenges and road blocks come from time to time but overcoming each adversity had built the stronger me. I can say that I am now tougher and more willing to ride each wave that the corporate world would bring. At the end of the day, I will still be able to say, COWABUNGA DUDE!

Vietnam Sojourn

I am about to cross the street and soon as I reached the middle of the road, the light changes color. All of a sudden, packs and packs of scooters, motorcycles, their two stroke engines humming and purring like chainsaws about to cut me down, smoke belching from their exhaust pipes like fumes from a dragon’s nose are quickly inching their way towards me,  and a couple of old ladies on bicycles wearing pointed straw hats start careening in my direction. I panic and freeze in fear. I experience a flash back and suddenly I’m back at grad school and I’m being torn apart by my business statistics professor for a tardy case study. “My dog ate my case study. I swear” I said out loud in protest. “Not good enough Mr. Bendijo. You have to take the class again” she replied.  “What! No. I can’t go thru that again. Please” I wailed begging for sympathy. The flash back fades and I’m back at the middle of the street  in Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon), dodging scooters and bikes. Thank God it was just a dream. I’d take getting bumped by a scooter than take business statistics all over again.  Pardon the creative exaggeration. It’s really not that bad but its one of the things you’ll notice right away in Vietnam. There’s probably a million scooters in Ho Chi Minh City alone and rush hour is quite a sight to behold. And crossing the street is an adventure in itself.

Our friend Jennie who has been assigned to Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh) invited us to visit. After sitting on the fence about the trip (I’m usually indecisive about vacations) we were finally able to schedule the trip.  It also helped that Cebu Pacific had a promo, Php 888 to Ho Chi Minh . (not inclusive of other charges) Our flight left Manila at 11PM Manila, and took a little over two hours. We arrived in Saigon at half past midnight. (Ho Chi Minh is an hour behind Manila)  The flight was uneventful. Seats and leg room was quite cramped compared to what we’re normally used to. And no snacks were served on the two hour flight. No major drag really. At least the flight left on time and arrived in Tan Son Nhat ten minutes ahead of schedule. The airport is quite new, very clean and processing was extremely fast. I guess it helped that we arrived at 12 midnight too. I have to say that Tan Son Nhat puts NAIA to shame. And that’s a totally different blog entry itself.   

Ho Chi Minh is  a treasure trove of fabrics and fine linen, hand made wallets and bags, fabrics, woodcrafts among other things. All within walking distance. You could take a cab but Ho Chi Minh is better explored on foot.  You just need to watch out for the scooters though. It’s a bit like the wild wild west with these two wheelers on the streets.  The tip we were told is never to step back. Either you stop or go forward and have them avoid you when you cross the street. A bit counter intuitive specially when you’re used to the crazy jeepney drivers in Manila,  and took some getting used to but we eventually got the hang of it.  

Food

We fell in love with the food. My wife and I are already big fans of Vietnamese cuisine. We love eating at Pho Ah on the weekends.  Our first lunch was at Wrap and Roll. Interesting concept.  They serve wraps, similar to spring rolls   but not deep fried and with lots and lots of  vegetables, herbs and spices . You also have the option to order and make your own rolls. You make a wrap with a very thin piece of rice paper, you place the leaves and bean sprouts, marinated grilled pork, and a crab/shrimp meat mix which is just to die for, and dipped in a sweet and sour sauce. I recall having three different types of sauces to dip and enjoy the little roll of heaven. You can really see the emphasis of using fresh vegetables on Vietnamese dishes. It’s like a very healthy burrito without the ground meat and the gas.   We also had Banh xeo (I hope I spelled that accurately) which is like a really thin crepe with shrimp and pork stuffing.

Bunta is another restaurant we enjoyed immensely. I think we went there twice. We had a bowl of rice vermicelli,  rice noodles, vegetables, mint and herbs and marinated pork that was simply delicious. Bunta is definitely a must go for anyone visiting Ho Chi Minh.

Trung Nguyen Coffee

We also developed an addiction to Vietnamese Iced coffee. In between shopping sorties to Behn Than market and Saigon square, we’d have coffee at Trung Ngyuyen Cofee, the Vietnamese equivalent of Starbucks (yes, there’s almost always one around the corner), and we’d have café sua da which is a unique Vietnamese coffee experience which involves mixing black coffee with sweetened condensed milk and then pouring the mixture into a tall glass with ice. It is served with condensed milk in a cup, on top of which is a silver coffee drip filter where the coffee ground is placed with hot water and it drips slowly into the cup. Normally takes about five minutes or so for the coffee to drip completely.  There are other coffee variants but café sua da is our favorite. We liked it so much we bought coffee grounds and drip filters so we can make our own café sua da at home.

Lemon Soda

Another thing we enjoyed was lemon soda. It is made with soda water (schweepee’s and the likes), squeeze in lime and add white sugar or syrup to sweeten. Tastes like 7 Up only better. Can’t explain it. It just is.

Shopping and Bargain Hunting

The main attraction for us to go to Vietnam is the shopping. My wife had a blast. Shops are all over and pretty much all are in walking distance from where we were staying. Behn Than market is just a couple of blocks away.  Good deals on fruits, delicacies, fabrics, handicrafts, vegetables, herbs and spices (staple part of Vietnamese cuisine) can be had.  There are plenty of shops in the proximity. I got a very good deal on North Face and Columbia jackets. Practically a third of the retail price of what you’d normally find in Manila Malls.  Are they the real McCoys? Let me just say that I walked out of that shop with a big plastic bag and a wide smile on my face.

War Remnants Museum

On our last day we visited the war remnants museum. Various displays of Vietnam era tanks and planes were displayed in the grounds.  Walls and walls of photographs of the conflict were on the walls also. They also reconstructed a mock up of the jails and torture instruments used during the period. A guillotine used during the French occupation of the country is showcased as well. Really an eye opening visit for us.

Unfortunately we were there for only three days which is not enough time to really take in the sites of Vietnam.  But a train ride to Hanoi in the northern part of the country is definitely on the itinerary on our next trip back.  As well as a visit to the Cu Chi tunnels.

Conquering Cagayan de Oro River by Megan Lara Manuel - Senior Agent, Incoho Phil

Conquering Cagayan de Oro River

by Megan Lara Manuel – Senior 1

            I heard the rush of water even before I saw it. My heart jumps to my throat and I was seriously thinking of backing out. I don’t know how to swim for Christ’s sake and I’m attempting to do this for the sake of adventure? What did I get myself into? I hate my impulsiveness at that very moment.

            My heart beats so fast as the guide handed me my helmet, life vest and paddle. I put my helmet and life vest on and as the guide was strapping it real tight, I asked him, “I will float, right?” and he answered with a grin, “Yes, after three days”. I wanted to smack him in the face. I’m pretty scared and he’s still making jokes like that. But of course, I still managed to pose and smile when he took my picture. After that I was like, what the hell, I’ll do this.

                                      “I won’t show anyone I’m afraid, am I?”

            We walked to the river for the briefing. What to do when we fell off the raft, how to save someone who fell, how to paddle, etc. We’ll be rafting for 2 – 3 hours, depending on our pace (how good we are at paddling). And we’ll be dealing with 14 rapids (I was like, “Oookaay, this is for beginners right?). They told us to listen to our team leader (guide) and work with your team mates. White water rafting is teamwork. And they keep on telling us not to panic. Last thing that the guide told us was that everything on the right is Bukidnon and everything on the left is Cagayan. As if that fact would ease our anxiety.

         It’s time. I saw the first rapid as I climb on our raft. It sure looks angry. “Paddle forward!” our guide said. We paddled our asses into that angry rapid.

                                                        " Keep paddling. "

           The first dip of the raft was so sudden, and I wasn’t expecting it. The water was playing with us and was pulling us in every direction all at one time. And our guide shouted a lot of commands for us to keep afloat. After that first rapid, our guide shouted, “High five!” and we raised our paddles for a great teamwork. We did not capsize, thirteen to go!

            I only remember a few of those fourteen rapids. One was the first one. Second was the most powerful of all, our guide gave us three options for that. First was the “Coward’s way” where we’ll be going on a different route and avoid that rapid. Second was the “Brave man’s way”wherein we will face that rapid head on. Third was the “No way” wherein we are supposed to carry our raft and walk at the side of the river. The last one was supposed to be a joke. Ha-ha. Of course, we chose the Brave man’s way, we’re not chickens! But we sat on the foot of our raft, and let our guides do the paddling. Hey, we’re just beginners, at least we get to experience its power. 

         Another rapid I remember was the calmest of all. And guess what we did? We braved through it standing up! Hell yeah. That part was my favorite.

        On we go down the river, the guide letting us swim on calmer waters. Giving us some tidbits about the area, and gossips about people who went rafting with them before (e.g. then Pres. GMA was not able to finish the beginner’s course). Our guides we’re funny and witty. They’re also plotting on throwing me off the raft, because of my loud screams (they did not succeed. Ha!)

                                                           " High Five! "

The “Brave” man’s way.

         Alas, we’re near the end, they made us sit in front of the raft to experience the last rapid without paddling. I’m not yet ready for it to end. I was having the time of my life, and was so hyped up with the rush it gave me, I’m willing to face a few more rapids.

But all things got to end.

         Rafting is my new favorite adventure. I like the teamwork, the adrenaline rush. I was tired, but I get to go home with happy bumps and bruises. Sore muscles from all that paddling but the team work I experienced and the excitement it gave was worth it. It was good I did not back out, I would’ve missed all that fun. No regrets, just pure bliss. ♥♥

TRAVEL NOTES:
 Cagayan de Oro City is home to some of the most scenic and exhilarating whitewater rafting and dubbed as the “adventure capital” in the Philippines.
To know more about…
Rafting:   Kagay (http://www.cdorafting-map.com)
Rates:   700 PHP - Beginners (14 Rapids, Class I-II)       
            1000 PHP - Advanced (24 Rapids, Class II-IV)       
            1200 PHP - Expert (14 Rapids, Class III) 
 ** Rates are inclusive of transfers from your hotel to Cagayan de Oro River and vice versa, rafting gear (helmets, life vests, and paddles), and tour guides. 
 ** They only have 2 trips a day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.
 ** They also document each trip (Pictures & Videos), and you can buy the CD at their office for an additional charge. Just inquire about it when you book a trip.
Rating: ★★★★★

Incoho Christmas Masquerade Ball 2010

 
Incoho Inc Philippines held its Christmas Party at the Penthouse Suite of BA Lepanto Building last December 18, 2010. The theme for this year was Masquerade and everyone, well most anyway came in their most glamorous gowns and suites to match their enigmatic masks.  It was a time to wind down and party as well as to remember and be thankfull for the blessings we received in 2010.                                                     

It was also a time for recognition for those who have worked tirelessly to make Incoho a potent force in commercial collections. Incoho recognized some of its longest serving members.

It was also a time to exchange gifts and prizes.

To everyone, a very Merry Christmas and a more bountiful New Year.