The Kind Jap

Last Sunday, I was very pleased when Mark a very close friend from Cagayan de Oro dropped by our house for a visit. He is a golfer who happened to be in Bacolod to join the golf tournament at the Negros Occ. Golf & Country Club on March14 -15. When in town, he stays with his Tito Jerry who is an architect by profession and is also a sugar planter. We talked a lot of things in that short span of time of his visit. He can’t stay long because he will fetch a Japanese friend staying at the L’ Fisher Hotel. Before he left he gladly told me this incident with their Jap guest.

On Saturday evening Mark & Jerry with his family took Hiroo (name of their Jap friend) out to dinner. They wanted him to taste “Chicken Inasal”, a delicacy that made our city very famous. So they ate in Chicken Deli at Mandalagan. When they finished eating, Hiroo went out of the restaurant ahead of them. Mark was following him, primarily to light a stick of Marlboro. Two boys, very skinny, dirty, and in shabby clothes approached Hiroo with open palms. Maybe he didn’t understand what these boys are telling him but then he opened his wallet, took out a 500 peso bill and gave it to them. The boys not expecting to receive that big amount of money, were jumping with joy as they move away from the generous Jap.

Hiroo approached Mark and told him what he just did with the two boys. Mark said to him, “You know Hiroo, with the 500.00 you gave them they will have good food, maybe for three days”. Hiroo nodded his head and walked toward the direction the boys headed. Then he told Mark “I go give the boys 500.00 more so they have good food for one week”.

Car watch boys are common sights here in our city. They are everywhere (in our streets, malls, parks, & anywhere you name it) pestering people when they would knock hard on windows of cars/vehicles, begging for money. To me, these kids are irritants and a big burden to society. But then when I heard the story of Mark about what Hiroo did that night, my perspective about car watch boys totally changed.

Souvenir photo

This picture was taken by a representative of Nokia Franchise in its store in SM City - Bacolod where I claimed the four (4) units Nokia 2680 Slide phones that I won in the NOKIA December 08 raffle promo.

Angel on Earth

I am a person who doesn’t have the patience filling up raffle tickets, wrappers, etc. for draws on certain product promos. Last December 20, 2008 I bought four units Nokia 95 phones at Galleon Enterprise in Robinson’s Place here in Bacolod City. The sales lady told me that Nokia has a Christmas promo. Simply text name, address and the serial number of N95 units bought to register entry to the draw. According to her Nokia conducts a daily draw, declaring 2 winners each both from Luzon & VisMin areas. NOKIA 2680 Slide phones are the prices. Since I am not an advocate of these promos I did not text to register the four N95 I bought that day.

December 25 I bought another four N95 phones on the same store. The same sales lady was the one who attended me. After paying I hurriedly left but then the lady called. “Ma’am, did you text to register your entries?” “No,” I answered. She looked at me in the eyes, smiled and insisted that I register the entries for according to her I have more chances of winning since I bought 8 units. She added that many of their customers who bought only 1 unit already won. So to appease her I handed her my phone to register one entry before I left.

Frankly, I did not bother to register the remaining 7 entries to the raffle draw but then the sales lady kept on texting me that I must register before the deadline. Then I thought…..What have I to lose? SO, I DID.

Now, I’m pondering. THAT SALES LADY WAS AN ANGEL!!! I now hold four (4) Nokia 2680 Slide phones that I won in the Dec. 20 & Dec. 25 Nokia raffle draws.