how the idols are doing

season 9 of American Idol has just ended with the shy paint salesman lee dewyze winning it over the cool chick single mom crystal bowersox. both are probably signing contracts by now, making the most out of the huge wave of popularity the contest has just given them.

Lee Dewyze

Winner, Season 9

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of course we'd expect that they'd soon be enjoying fame and fortune in the forms of sold-out concerts, best-selling records, commercial endorsements and other events where their mere appearance will command some large amount of money.

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however, according to Forbes, these winners of recent AI seasons are looking at reduced earning potential compared to what the earlier winnners enjoyed. that, according to Forbes, is because of the market already being inundated by AI products in all it's 9 seasons run.

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Forbes also released a list of last year's AI top 10 money makers and it's quite interesting. two of the top 5 earners did not even reach the finals of their respective season (Chris and Kellie). on the contrary, three grand winners did not even make the list (Fantasia, Taylor and Ruben).

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here's the list of AI graduates' earnings last year according to Forbes, in reverse order:

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no. 10

Kris Allen

Winner, Season 8

$ 1.7 million

his album reached no. 11 in billboard, he plays in vegas and has a national tour
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no. 9

Clay Aiken

2nd place, Season 2

$ 2 million

sold 4 million albums, acted in broadway's production of 'spamalot'
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no. 8

David Archuleta

2nd place, Season 7

$ 2.2 million

his self-titled album reached no. 2 in the billboard charts, has done about 100 concerts and live shows
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no. 7

David Cook

Winner, Season 7

$ 2.8 million
his self-titled album has turned platinum, earns some huge amount from his endorsement of sckechers shoes
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no. 6

Jennifer Hudson

7th place, Season 3
$ 3.5 million

aside from her oscar best supporting actress, her self-titled album already sold 750,000 copies
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no. 5

Jordin Sparks

Winner, Season 6
$ 3.7 million

the youngest winner of AI, her album debuted at no. 7 in the billboard charts
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no. 4

Kellie Pickler
6th place, Season 5
$ 7.6 million
this perky little tigress has already sold more than 1 million albums and is very busy with 100 concerts on her schedule
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no. 3

Chris Daughtry
4th place, Season 5
$ 10.2 million
this hairless rocker is still rocking hot with more than 5 million albums sold and a grammy nomination to his name
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no. 2

Kelly Clarkson
Winner, Season 1
$ 11.7 million
her 4 albums already sold more than 10 million copies and she's now working on her 5th
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and the biggest money maker of 'em all....

Carrie Underwood
Winner, Season 4
$ 13 million
she's sold more than 9 million albums, won 4 grammys, 5 american music awards and 14 billboard music awards

selling a president

It’s been almost three weeks since the election. And by whatever count, mukhang si Noynoy na nga ang bagong Pangulo ng ating dear country. In keeping with DS’ tradition of being opinionated (hehehe), let me give you my two-cents worth on what made Pinoys buy Noynoy’s campaign and snobbed the others .

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Unahin ko na ang nanalo. Wala sigurong aangal when I say the biggest selling factor of Noynoy’s campaign was his parents. After Ninoy and Cory left behind an untarnished legacy, it’s clear now that being an Aquino is already a form of anointment that spells political power. Sana lang, Noynoy will uphold that legacy.

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May nagawa din sigurong ‘conditioning’ ang mga surveys na naglabasan noong bago mag-election. Meron din sigurong na-convert dahil lagi syang leading sa mga surveys noon. Although maliit lang sigurong porsyento ito kung meron man.

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Nakatulong din siguro ang mga artistang sumuporta sa kanya. Sa dami ba naman ng celebrity na kinaray ni Kris sa kampanya, imposibleng walang naging epekto ang mga tulad ni Dingdong Dantes sa naging desisyon ng ilang botante. Dahil alam naman natin that still, there are people who can’t (and won’t) discern between showbiz and politics.

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At syempre, kung celebrity ang pag-uusapan, Kris herself is the front-runner of Noynoy’s team. And it looks like she has done more good to his campaign than the harm many of us (including me) unfoundedly worried about. Dahil kahit sunod-sunod na controversy ang kinasangkutan nya, mukhang hindi na yon pinansin ng mga botante. Good for her. Kaya lang, if I’m praying that Noynoy keep their parent’s legacy unblemished, Kris should try her best to do the same. Wag sana nyang pagsasaksakin yong mga taong kinainisan nya dati.

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Back to Noynoy, it seems that bitter losers won’t stop hitting him with almost anything even after his convincing win. Things like his smoking and his marital plans. Para sa akin, both issues are so trivial. Being a smoker and a single man at 50 doesn’t determine the effectivity of a President. I’ll be more interested about his foreign policies, his economic strategies and his overall performance. The hell kung tumigil man syang mag-yosi o kung pakasalan man nya si Miss Shalani.

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Now off to the losers.

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Erap should just be thankful na marami pa ring sumasampalataya sa kanya. But obviously, marami pa rin ang hindi nakalimot na minsan, he was entrusted the power and he didn’t take good care of it. Marami pa rin ang hindi nakakalimot sa jueteng scandal. Sa Boracay mansion. At sa mala-soap operang hearing sa Senado na nagpasikat sa iced tea. As of now, maaring sya ang pinakamalapit sa number of votes na nakuha ni Noynoy but he should realize that that’s as far as he can go. At wag na syang mangarap na mag-file pa ng protest tulad ng mga ini-insinuate nya dati. As I said before, his own story is his own undoing.

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Gibo must have the best platform to sell to the Pinoys. Unfortunately, kinulang sya sa pagbebenta ng mga platform na ito para bilhin ng vox populi. Kahit pa ibandera ni Anabel Rama ang kanyang mala-teenager na paghanga sa matalinong si Gibo, kinapos ang kampanya ng pinsan ni Noynoy. One big factor in his defeat is Malacanang. Because he was the Administration’s candidate, people saw him as another Gloria. He tried to change it by keeping distance from them, up to the point na nag-resign pa sya sa kanyang partido. But it still didn’t do the trick. At dahil dumistansya sya sa kanyang ninang, nawala ang grand machinations ng Malacanang sa likod nya. Hindi sya nakakuha ng malalaking artista para humakot ng tao at makinig sa kanyang mga paliwanag. Hindi sya nakapag-pagawa ng mga commercial jingle na pwede nang gawing record at ibenta dahil sa kasikatan. Kaya hindi nya naabot ang masa na hindi pa kayang sakyan at intindihin ang kanyang magagandang plataporma. Kung tinuloy naman nya ang pag-sandal sa Malacanang, alam naman nyang kiss of death ang dala ni Gloria sa kanya. At kahit manalo sya, he will always be viewed by many as Gloria’s puppet. Kawawang Gibo. Damn if you do, damn if you don’t ang naging drama.

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Gordon should have thought about his dreams a thousand times before selling it to the Pinoys. Ayan nga at lumabas na hindi sya gusto ng mga Pinoy for the highest position in the land. He capitalized on his achievements in Subic but obviously, it’s not enough. His achievements in one small area of the country will not necessarily translate to success on a national level. Afterall, Subic doesn’t have the insurgency problems in Mindanao. Nor the poverty of the countryside. Besides, nagmukha din syang nega dahil sa katatalak nya about the surveys. Pinakita nya agad na isa syang pikon when he berated the opinion polls dahil lang sa mababa nyang pwesto. Ayan tuloy at sasampahan pa raw sya ng kaso ng mga kumpanyang nag-survey now that they have proven the ‘accuracy’ of their surveys. Personally, hindi rin ako nanghinayang sa kanya. To simply put it, I won’t buy him kahit sa pagka-Senador.

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As for Jamby, ay wag na lang. Mag-aaksaya lang ako ng panahon. Pati yong ibang wanna-bes na nangarap.

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Kung marketing strategy ang pag-uusapan, wala na sigurong tatalo sa team ni Villar na namahala sa paglalako ng kandidatura niya. They attacked almost every possible areas para makakuha ng boto. At kung ang boto ng Pinoy ay talagang nakukuha sa media exposure, dapat panalo sya at hindi si Noynoy. But what really happened to his billions of campaign fund na walang habas nyang ibinuhos? Bakit hindi naging effective? Saan nagkamali ang mga strategists nya at spin doctors?

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He came up with the best campaign jingle that could have disloged Lupang Hinirang as the national anthem. Ang laking pambenta na noon sa masa. Binomba rin nya ang halos lahat ng Tv station sa mga commercial spots nya. Up to the point na ang isang walang pakialam na tulad ko ay halos masuka na pag nakikita ang kanyang ad. Wait, maybe that’s it. Baka naumay ang mga tao dahil sinobrahan nila ang ad?

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Kung celebrity endorsers ang pag-uusapan, dapat panalo na rin sya. He was clever enough to get the four best endorsers (or so he thought) in his team. The four aces supposedly the best to court voters from the four major social demographics of the voting population.

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Sarah Geronimo for the youth vote. Dolphy for the mature population. Pacquiao for the men, the working class and the sports sector. And Revillame for the women and the rest of the masa. Dito sa huli mukhang sumablay si Villar.

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Sinabi ko na dati that I was turned off by Villar’s association with Revillame. And it looks like many other Pinoys felt the same. Dahil kung akala ni Villar na makukuha nya ang boto ng mga lola, nanay at kahit mga tatay na sumisigaw ng ‘ang gwapo-gwapo mo Willy’, obviously hindi nangyari yon. Recent events proved how unpopular this guy is. Kung nangyari ito noong bago pa lang mag-kampanya, Villar should have seen that Revillame is not an asset, instead, a liability to his campaign. Now it can be told. Pinoys can tolerate Kris’ kagagahan. But not Willie’s kayabangan.

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Isa ring maaring nakasakit sa kampanya nya was the controversy so calculatedly thrown his way. Who knows, baka marami ring naniwala sa C5 scandal na pinag-banderahan ni Jamby at pinatulan naman ng Senado. As if naman kung matalo si Villar eh sya ang mananalo. Asa pa ang lolang ilusyunada.

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Another thing that turned me off ay nong hinayaan nyang humarap sa media ang Nanay Curing nyang umiiyak at hirap na hirap magsalita. I pity the old lady. Naiintindihan ko ang sakit na gusto nyang iparating sa madla. But my sympathy for her was immediately followed with disgust for Manny. Ang dating sa akin, ginamit nya pati Nanay nya para lang makuha ang simpatya ng mga tao. Sabagay, he himself said that he will do anything just to realize his dream. But instead of being a selling point, bawas pogi points pa yon sa kanya.

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Finally, maaring nag-boomerang ang drama nyang sya mismo ay galing sa hirap. Dahil kahit kalian, hindi naka-relate ang masa sa kanya. He was seen as someone who is sitting on billions of pesos. But did he actually do something to alleviate the poverty of Pinoys? Kahit nasa Senate na sya, parang walang matibay na ebidensyang he really cared for the poor. Kaya walang naki-simpatya sa kanyang kwento ng paliligo sa dagat ng basura.

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In the end, walang nagawang mali ang campaign team ni Villar. In fact, they did the best they could pero hanggang doon na lang talaga. Coz Villar doesn’t have the Aquino legacy na hawak ni Noynoy. Kaya kahit ubusin pa nya ang bilyones nya para sa kampanya, wala pa rin syang laban. Pinoys thought that Noynoy is the best President-material among the group. An idea they have already bought even long before the campaign period started.

Hotnothot 31

Hothot: The 16-yr old sailor. Just recently, a young Aussie girl completed sailing around the world alone and unassisted. Jessica Watson, 16 years old from Australia, finished her record-setting journey last May 15. Of course she was monitored via GPS, satellite phones and all the advanced technology fitted into her pink sailboat. But she did all the sailing by herself. What a feat for someone who would normally fuss about her nail color or her campus crush. But she’s one different girl. Brave, adventurous and an achiever at that.

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Hothot: The 13-yr old mountain climber. And they seem to get younger. This one, a boy barely out of his diapers completed the most arduous trek in the world and became the youngest to have conquered Mt Everest. And it seems like Jordan Romero, 13 years old from California, is just getting started. He plans to conquer the seven summits while he’s at it. Way to go boy! It’s a lot better than curling up the sofa with your PSP, right?

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Hothot: Revillame out. On-line polls and forums say he’s no longer welcome and should quit his Tv show. Sakit non huh. Matapos mamayagpag, mag-yabang at mag-astang hari, heto at magigising ka sa katotohanang marami na pala ang nabubwisit sa iyo. Napuno na sa mga kaangasan mo. Some of your paid writers said kami lang mga may access sa internet ang galit sa iyo. Mahal ka pa rin daw ng masa, ng mahihirap na binibigyan mo ng pera. Asa pa kayo. Walang pinag-iba sa vote buying yan. Bigyan mo ng pera, sasabihin sa iyo iboboto ka. Pagtalikod mo, mumurahin ka pa at sasabihang tanga. Which means, kahit si Bentong ang ilagay na host dyan, sisigaw pa rin sila ng ‘ang gwapo-gwapo moooo’ as long as may perang dumadapo sa palad nila. So wake up and smell your feet. Your delusion of infinite fame and power is about to end. Don’t worry, I won’t forget to thank you pag isang araw, you opened the door for me. Marangal namang trabaho ang maging doorman.

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Hotnot: The Big Oil Spill. It’s been weeks since the oil rig burned down and crude oil started seeping out of underwater pipes in the biggest disaster to hit the Gulf of Mexico. Billions of gallons of oil has covered large areas and it looks like BP has got no more ace up their sleeve to stop the spill. The US government is already fuming mad. Residents along the affected areas are almost sure to lose their source of livelihood. And that’s just above the surface. Beneath the waters, I cannot imagine how many poor and helpless marine creatures are suffering and dying right now. Along with seaweeds, corals and other marine life. The prospect of a huge ecological imbalance is so real. And this is just one oil rig. What if something like this happens to 2 or 3 more. With aging off-shore rigs scattered everywhere, it’s one big possibility.

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Hotnot: Fergie’s Folly. Remember Sarah Ferguson, the red-haired girl who, like Diana, married into England’s royal family when she became Prince Andrew’s wife? Well, that was like two decades ago. Now she’s divorced from the Prince, got two teen-age daughters and are reportedly having financial troubles. And she’ll get into deeper, stickier troubles because she was caught ‘selling access’ to Prince Andrew who is now UK’s Trade Ambassador. She can’t deny it. Even the US$ 40,000 neatly piled in front of her was caught on video. Now she’ll have a new title - her royal greaseness!

an evil called jejemon

Natatandaan nyo yong pinost kong article a couple of months back about the negative effect of text messaging sa mga kabataan (title: hu u? label: halo-halo), ayan at pino-problema na ng Department of Education natin.

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Headline sa isang tabloid ngayon (http://www.abante.com.ph/issue/may2410/news01.htm) Jejemon Fever, Patayin! -- Dep Ed. According to the report, bothered na ang education officials natin about our students' deteriorating level of competence when it comes to grammar, composition and spelling. Exactly the concerns I enumerated in my posting.

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Dep Ed is reportedly devising regulations and formulating resolutions to stop the malady that is obviously killing whatever seeds of learning our students are getting from schools. Paano mga nga naman tuturuan ng tamang pagsusulat even in the Filipino language kung ganyan ang lengwaheng ginagamit ng mga kabataan.

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To think that even before this jejemon fever, the level of English proficiency of our college graduates has plummeted to depths it has never gone before. Dati, one of our strongest qualifications was our mastery of both written and spoken English. Kaya kahit saang sulok ng mundo, madaling matanggap ang Pinoy workers. Then, that mastery disappeared along with the degeneration of the quality of education. Now this. Lalo tayong mangangamote.

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This jejemon fever should be doused with the strongest antidote. Para hindi na lumala at lalong kumalat. I hope Dep Ed will find the right formula to bring these students back into the light from wherever jejemon has led them.

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And if ever there are youngsters reading this, wag kayong mag-react sa title ko. I'm not being daut or kj or epal sa kaligayahan nyo. Believe me, killing this jejemon phenom could be the best thing that could happen to you. Dahil kapag hinayaan ninyong kainin kayo ng jejemon na yan, siguradong aani kayo ng palakol sa mga exams ninyo, hindi kayo ga-graduate, madadagdagan ang jobless sa Pinas, dadami lalo ang maghihirap at magugutom, at lalong dadami ang krimen. Over naman ako? Hindi. That's exactly what's gonna happen pag hindi ninyo tinigil ang kalokohan ninyo.

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Dahil sabi ko nga, walang teacher na magpapasa sa mga term paper or test ninyo kung mali-mali ang spelling, grammar at composition. Kahit puno pa yan ng smileys, siguradong kalabasa ang aabutin ninyo. At wag nyong sabihing may Tv show naman na kukuha sa inyo kung bagsak ang grades nyo. Willie Revillame is already on his way out kaya wala nang mag-go-glorify ng mga palakol nyong grades.

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Teka, sabi rin nga pala ng Dep Ed, kailangan nila ng tulong ng mga parents to combat this jejemon fever. Parang sinabi ko rin yon ah! Hindi naman kaya nabasa nila talaga ang posting ko?

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san na si batman?

In my current job, I regularly conduct classroom training for end-users in our department. Last Sunday/Monday, I did the two-day, 4-sessions training for the ERP software our company is using. It’s the same software that I worked on in Makati a decade ago.

Back then, I also did quite a few trainings and presentations. Every now and then, I’ll be a part of the marketing group who does the sales pitch to prospective clients kaya isa ako sa magpi-present nong binebenta naming package. Our audience ranges from middle executives to top ranking CEOS of some of the largest companies in PI.

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Sa mga clients naman, nagtuturo din ako nong system as part of the project. I also conducted team building activities here and there, both for our company and our clients. That’s why I’ve gained some level of confidence when it comes to presentations and trainings (read: kapalmuks na! hahaha)

With that amount of experience, I think it I’d better share with you some things that I’ve learned when doing these things. Some practical tips that might help you if you are starting out on jobs that involve speaking in front of a group of people.

The first thing that you should remember when doing this presentations and/or trainings is that you should be prepared 100%. Leaving a gap somewhere sabay ‘bahala na si batman’ can sometimes lead to disaster. Coz if something goes wrong, it’s your face you’ll have to save in front of many people.

There were times that I did exactly that, bahala na si batman. And batman never came to rescue me from utter humiliation. Aside from the fact that those people might have branded me forever as an idiot without giving me the chance to redeem myself. Since then, I’ve tried as much as possible to prepare the best I could. If, after having done my best at nagkaroon pa rin ng palpak, then at least I wouldn’t go down so hard.

So here are some rules I observe whenever I’m doing presentations/trainings.

Know Your Topic. It’s the universal rule when it comes to public speaking. If you will talk about origami, siguraduhin mong alam mo kung ano ang meaning ng origami. Just because you know how to fold a paper doesn’t necessarily mean you can impress your audience. Eh kung may magtanong kung ano yong origin nong word, background, history, etc.. at hindi mo nasagot, baka ikaw ang matupi sa kahihiyan! Knowing your topic gives you a certain level of confidence kaya iwas-nerbiyos ka. It can also make you talk more candidly and credibly without having to memorize things na para kang nasa college.

Know Your Audience. Ok, so you’re one of the experts in quantum physics. Does it mean you’ll pull off successful presentations or trainings all the time? Not necessarily if you don’t adapt yourself to your audience. If you’re speaking to your fellow geniuses, by all means, itodo mo ang pagka-genius mo. But if your audience are mere mortals like me, medyo ibaba mo yong level. Don’t use complex matrices and terms like Planck’s Constant and expect us to understand that. Else, baka mag-walk out ako.

Calibrate your material. After knowing who your audience is, develop your materials around them. Prepare your presentation, hand-outs and exercises according to the level of your audience. If it’s for a CEOs and top bosses, make sure it looks smart, sharp and professional (my friend Ega does this excellently). Whatever my audience is, I also try to veer away from fancy colors and dizzying animations in my slides. You’ll look amateurish if your audience are CEOs. Kung mga ordinary people naman, they might dazzle at your swooshing graphics but never really pay attention to your topic. Keeping enough colors and animation will prevent your audience from yawning but don't let it throw the main topic to take the backseat.

Visualize The Result. If you’re doing a sales pitch, then your audience should buy whatever you’re peddling at the end of your presentation. Kung nagtuturo ka naman tungkol sa pagluluto ng puto bumbong, then your students should be able to cook some nice puto bumbong after the session. In short, your whole effort should achieve it’s purpose. It will only happen if you, yourself, have the conviction that you will achieve the often bulleted objectives you present at the start of your slides.

The cliché: Practice Makes Perfect. It’s a line so jurassic yet true. When you think you’ve got your whole act ready, try running it once even with your dog as your audience. You’ll be surprised how simple things like alignment, font size or minor spelling errors can ruin your entire presentation. Do it again and you’ll find that your slide sequencing is totally askew. Do it once more and you’ll realize you’ve done a 1-hour presentation while you’re given just 30 minutes. Run it over and over until you’re sure everything’s okay. Besides, the more you run it, the more you become familiar with it. With that, you can anticipate the next slide or topic. Then you can easily do ad libs for seamless transitions.

The Moment: Deliver it. Okay, so you’ve done some heavy preparation. Polished that presentation to perfection. Prepared hand-outs neatly. The last thing is to deliver it to your audience. Here’s a few do’s and dont’s while doing it:

· Do dress for the occasion. T-shirt and jeans are always perfect when malling but not when speaking in front of executives. On the reverse, a coat and tie would probably alienate a group of blue-collar workers. Look the part but never overdo it.

· Do keep some water handy. Unless isa kang concert king or queen, manunuyo ang lalamunan mo after a few minutes of babbling. So keep some water within reach. It will prevent your throat from going dry and your voice from cracking. Besides, a gulp of water can smooth your nerves at nababawasan ang panginginig ng kamay mo kung inaatake ka ng nerbiyos.

· Don’t be a clown nor a Gestapo. You might want to command attention which is okay but don’t overdo it at nagmukha ka nang terror professor sa college. Make your audience feel comfortable and relaxed. But don’t go cracking silly jokes. Wala ka sa Klownz. Unless you're doing motivational speaking for depressed people in an emotional rehab.

· Do speak clearly and audibly. Size up the room and audience and deliver your lines in just the right volume. One thing I always do before I start diving into my presentation is to ask the guys at the back if they can hear me loud and clear. Then I maintain that volume level. I never murmur things to yourself. Afterall, my audience should hear me, not the fly languishing a foot away from me.

· Don’t pretend to be mr-know-it-all. Even if you know your topic, there will come a time that someone will shoot a question that'll floor you. In case someone does that, don’t stare back at him as if you wanted to shoot him with a pistol. Lalong wag kang ma-rattle. Just be cool. And never ever attempt to get smart. You can always say something to tell him that you don’t know the answer without actually saying it. Expert na ako sa mga linyang ‘I’ll check on that and I’ll get back to you’ (Kimmydora, remember?). It's one of the trade secrets I learned back in that Makati stint. Believe me, it always works.

· Don’t ignore your audience. Try to get the audience interact with you. Ask them if they have any question before ending a topic. Whenever possible, encourage discussion and exchange of ideas. You’ll be surprised dahil marami kang mapupulot sa kanila. Things that, if not outright brilliant, can help you improve your next training or presentation.

· Don’t forget to roll the credits. Close your session by giving back the credit to your audience. Thank them for their attention and participation. It’s a grave sin if you ignore the fact that you’ve taken a day or an hour of their time but never acknowledge it.

There you go. It’s quite long eh. I didn’t realize I had this many things to say when I started writing this. In fact, in-edit ko pa nga ito from the original kilometric version. Darn, I should start writing a book about it! Hahaha!

no. 18: pag dhl mabilis!

Over lunch today, maingay na naman ang mga adik. One of the many topics being discussed (simultaneously, as usual) was about internet connection. May narinig akong DSL sa kabilang dulo nong mesa kaya sumingit ako at tumira ng ‘pag DHL mabilis’. Everybody around the table, being internet techies themselves, ang daling napick-up ng supposedly booboo ko. Nagtawanan. Si JunC tinanong pa ako kung intentional daw yon.

Of course it was. Gusto kong mag-joke even if it’s on me. Kahit papano may humor naman ako. Ascerbic nga lang minsan. But instead of quelling JunC’s suspicion on my very rare slip-off, nakitawa pa ako at bumanat ng ‘bakit, am I not allowed to commit mistakes?’. Hindi raw. Kasi pag mga tulad daw namin (Ega and Raoul) ang magkakaganon hindi raw bagay.

Siguro lang nasanay sila na magbasa ng mga sinusulat ko. Or sanay na silang bumabanat ako every now and then ng mga trivia that makes them go ‘ahhh ganon pala’. Sus, kakapanood ko ba naman ng tv at kakabasa sa internet. Aside from the fact that I have a few good years of experience ahead of them. Eh mga totoy pa sila ako nakapantalon na! hahahah!
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That’s why they have this notion that I’m too good for a stupid mistake like that. Tipong kung magkakamali, hindi na kasing-tuleg (pahiram ega… hehehe) ng DHL versus DSL. I just hope they didn’t believe it was real. Joke lang po yon. Nagpapatawa lang.

Pero sa totoo lang, talagang may mga booboo ako. At ako mismo nahihiya sa sarili ko for being so careless.

Like one time, tumawag si Ega… ‘nasan ka na’… sumagot ako ‘on the way na ako’. On the way? Buntis ako? hahaha! Ewan. Lapit kasi ng ‘I’m on my way’. Halos magkatunog kaya wala sa oras, nabuntis ako! hahahaha…

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A few weeks ago my friend Jonas and I were in Herfy (burger house po yon sa mga hindi taga-Saudi). Bigla akong tumayo, pumunta sa counter at tumira ng ‘kabayan pengeng Mayoneys’. MA as in maganda or maengot instead of the usual maarteng pronunciation nating mga pinoy na ‘meyoneys’. Alam ko nag-isip si kabayan. Siguradong isasama na nya ako sa isang high-ranking military na ang sabi sa burger eh ‘burdyer’!

One thing I don’t commit though is the very obvious and almost criminal redudancy in ‘at least kahit papano’. Daming words non at tamad ako kaya either one of the two lang ang ginagamit ko. At least. Kahit papano. Pero hindi magkasama. ‘At least at least’? or ‘Kahit papano kahit papano’.! Para kang echo! Hahaha!

May ilan pa akong katimangan na hindi ko lang agad maalala while I’m writing this. My point, however, is that yon nga, am I not allowed to commit mistakes?. Hangga’t maari wag sana. At kung may mga error man dito sa mga pino-post ko, maniwala po kayo I’m trying my best not to be careless about it. in fact, binabasa ko pa rin kahit lumang posts ko just to see kung meron akong palpak na sinulat.

If ever na may makita kayo, sabihan nyo na lang ako. Don’t worry di ko kayo tatanungin ng ‘am I not allowed…’ hehehehe…

ang araw na ito, para sa yo

.

ito ang unang mother's day na hindi kita matatawagan

hindi na kita mabibiro, hindi na tayo magtatawanan

hindi ko na rin maririnig yong lambing mo at biro

uungot ka ng kahit ano basta meron ka lang regalo.

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ang bilis talaga ng araw nakaka-dalawang buwan ka na

iniwan mo kami at sa langit dumiretso ka

sigurado naman ako, di ka pahihirapan ni san pedro

dahil mabait na nanay ka kahit medyo istrikto.

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siguro marami ka ngayong kalaro sa bingo

at siguro kasama mo na si tatay, panay ang date nyo

at siguradong sa videoke ay nagdu-duet pa

sa theme song nyong sa baybay dagat, kundiman talaga.

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lagi lang ninyong tandaan ang bunso ninyong mahal

hindi kayo nalilimutan gaano man katagal

dalangin ko kayo ay masaya sa inyong kinalalagyan

at pinagpapala ng Poong Maykapal.

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Happy Mother's Day Nay

***

of black and white... and what's in between

A young blogging friend is currently in a dilemma about something related to the election – vote buying. He was furious to hear that local candidates in his area were handing out cash obviously to buy votes. Pati ang Ate at Mom nya, naabutan din ng dirty money. 500 pesos for the Ate and 1,000 for the Mom. Aba pang-burger na rin yon huh.

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My young friend knows this is wrong and he’s agonizing kung ano ang dapat nyang gawin. Tingin ko, parang gusto nyang aksyunan ang nakita nyang kadayaan. I already wrote him an advise by commenting on his post. Pero kilala nyo naman ako, hindi pwedeng ilang linya lang ang sasabihin sa ganitong usapan. So to Anthony and all the other young (and idealistic) friends of DS, this one’s for you.

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At your age, things like vote buying is really an issue because it blemishes the ideals that you have just embraced. Kakaumpisa mo pa lang na i-involve ang iyong sarili sa political issues ng Pilipinas and here are these devious individuals na sumasalungat sa iyong mga idealistic notion about election and the democtratic process in general. Kaya pag nakakita ka ng anomalya tulad ng vote buying, you feel strongly against it.

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What’s good about your reaction is that it only shows one thing: you belong to the better, potentially incorruptible breed. Dahil nagalit ka and thought of doing something about it. Samantalang sa ibang kabataan, baka tumakbo pa sila at humabol sa namimigay nong pera. Sila yong mga mas madaling bilhin. Sila yong paglaki, wag sanang ma-pwesto sa gobyerno coz they sure will turn out to be crooks.

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But as I said, vote buying is just one of the lesser evils you will see during election. Mas marami pang grabeng violations ang makikita mo. Gold is the better of the three Gs. The scene turns ugly kapag may kasama nang guns and goons. Just look at the Maguindanao massacre.

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Maliit mang issue itong vote buying, I’m not condoning it either. Coz in the end, it still is a violation of the law. Pero sa atin kasi, kakaunti ang may takot sa batas. Most of them celebrities, rich, powerful and influential people think they are above the law. Kaya gagawin nila ang gusto nila no matter what. Lalo na ang mga pulitiko sa panahon ng election. And that, my young friend, is another of the many ugly realities in life that you’ll have to deal with as you go along.

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You were asking kung ano ang dapat mong gawin. You have two choices: 1 –stick to your gut feel by confronting the evil head-on, or 2 – be wise and learn the principle of gandhi’s ahimsa satyagraha.

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If you opt for the first choice, I’ll salute you. Dahil bata ka pa at buong-buo pa ang iyong conviction about what is right and wrong, understandable kung ilaban mo ng patayan kung may dadapurak sa prinsipyo mo. At dahil sinira ng kandidatong nagbo-vote buying ang ideals mo, he should be punished. Bad sya for violating the omnibus election code.

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Before doing this however, just make sure that you have the support of your family. Dahil baka hindi mo kayanin ang laban. It could be a long, arduous and perilous process that will surely test your endurance, will power and conviction. Not to mention the abala and the potentially magastos na proseso. And for sure, mabubulabog ang dating tahimik mong buhay pati ng iyong pamilya. Remember you’re dealing with people who’s not afraid of the law and has the 3Gs.

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But if you choose to play it safe, being wise by employing a more subtle yet effective means of getting back at these violators, you will earn more of my respect. Coz by doing so, you protected something from what could be a risky situation: your family.

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Dahil masakit mang tanggapin, pero parang David and Goliath ang labanan pag maiimpluwensyang tao ang babanggain mo. Lalo na ang mga pulitiko. They can make your life a living hell coz they have all the means. Buti sana kung ikaw lang. Eh kung idamay ang Ate at Mom mo na tumanggap ng pera. Worse, ang buong pamilya mo. I’m sure you’ll agree when I say that it’s not worth to compromise the safety and security of your family dahil lang sa isang issue na meron ka namang ibang magagawa.

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And what’s that option? Ahimsa Satyagraha. Passive resistance. Without figuring yourself prominently on the issue, meron kang magagawa para labanan ang nagbo-vote buying na yan. Ikampanya mo sa buong angkan ninyo, mga kaibigan at kakilala na huwag iboto ang kandidatong yon. Tanggapin lang nila ng tanggapin ang binibigay na pera. Mas maganda kung maubos ang pera ng buhong na kandidato. Saka sila matalo dahil sa kadayaan nila. Di ba mas effective na punishment yon?

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Whatever you do, I hope you get out of this situation a lot wiser. I hope you learned that yes, life is indeed full of ugly things. It’s not as simple as black and white. You’ll often encounter grays that will challenge you and your convictions. Things that don’t agree with your newly-found ideals. Things that threaten your newly-adopted principles.

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But just like what I said, hold on to what you believe. Kahit pa wala kang magawang konkretong aksyon at this point. Just being steadfast with what you believe in is enough. Malaking bagay na yon. Coz it means one less corrupt soul for the country. At kung maraming kabataan pa ang mag-iisip na tulad mo, then may pag-asa pang magbago at umunlad ang Pilipinas!

on the homestretch

This is entirely my observation but I’m sure a lot of you will agree: Kung ang pagpili ng magiging next President natin ay ibabase ko sa mga taong nakapaligid sa mga leading candidates today, walang mananalo sa kanila. Most of them, lalo ang mga frontrunners ay may kanya-kanyang nega factor na naka-kabit. Mga taong hindi nakaka-tulong, instead nakakabawas ng boto na dapat nilang anihin.
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Coz if we are to live by Jose Rizal’s wise words, semplang ang karamihan sa kanila. Tell me who your friends are and I’ll tell you who are, remember? It’s their association with certain individuals that could make or break their winning chance. Here’s why.

Noynoy. A few postings back I said that Kris maybe Noynoy’s ace but she could also be his achilles’ heel. Dahil nga masyadong controversial si Kris. Back then, I said I wouldn’t take it against her dahil ganon na sya talaga even before Noynoy got into the Presidential race. Kaya lang sana, nag-effort sya kahit kaunti to stay away from bad publicities, kahit during this campaign period lang. Just to let the spotlight focus on Noynoy’s campaign. But the bratty Kris just can’t. Para syang mauubusan ng air to breath if she’s not in the news. She always wants to hug the headlines. From her scandalous ‘suguran’ issue, to that catfight with Ruffa, her reportedly harsh words for Ch2’s newsteam (which is ironic dahil home network pa nya) and her latest callous remark about Noynoy’s detractors. Kaya hindi ko na lang iboboto si Noynoy. For Kris’ sake na rin. Kasi baka pag naging Presidente si Noynoy, talagang hanapin ni Kris ang mga nanira sa Kuya nya at pagsasaksakin. Ayaw ko namang makulong sya. The Philippine entertainment scene will not be the same without her.

Villar. Manny, manny, money. Whether you’ve really risen from poverty or not, hindi issue sa akin yon. Although I must say nakakairita na minsan ang sobrang pag-gamit mo sa mga batang lansangan in your campaign jingle, patatawarin pa rin kita. Coz I like you. Nakikita kong isa ka sa mga ‘pwede’ among your competitors. But that iota of likability flew out of the window when you started associating yourself with Revillame. The guy who sells himself to the public as someone who is pro-poor, maka-masa, maka-mahirap. Which I don’t buy. And I know a lot of thinking, wise Pinoys don’t buy either. Ano’ng maka-mahirap sa ginagawa nya? He’s simply giving away the money of the sponsors and tv station he works for. But he’s not so good in hiding his contempt. Look at his unguarded moments and see how he truly disdain these poor ‘amoy-araw’ people. And for you to associate yourself with that kind of person, you can’t blame me for thinking that you’re of the same breed. Mga manggagamit ng mahihirap for their own advantage. Dahil dyan, wawawa ka sa akin.

Gibo. A close friend of mine turned green just a couple of weeks back. Nasa dyaryo rin the other day that Ruffa turned green along with other celebrities and familiar names. Hmmm.. dami yatang naggi-green revolution nitong homestretch na ang campaign period. Well, hindi masama kung si Gibo ang manalo. He has one of the best qualifications kung ikukumpara sa mga kalaban nya. But again, there’s one thing that bothers me. It’s his association with the current government. Di ba’t sya ang official candidate ni Gloria. And even if he tries so hard to distance himself from Malacanang, nakatatak pa rin sa noo nya ang bendisyon ng Administrasyon. Unfortunately, because of the plummeting popularity of Gloria, that blessing reads more like 666 instead of boosting Gibo’s powers. Sigurado ba tayo na pag nanalo si Gibo he can steer clear of Gloria’s maneuverings? Just the thought of Gloria extending her influences in Malacanang beyond her term is sickening.

Bro Eddie. It’s his religious group that will soon prove to be his biggest stumbling block. Kahit sabihin pang 100% ang boto sa kanya ng kanyang mga alagad, gaano ba karami ang JIL members sa Pinas? Mas marami ba compared to the member of INC na siguradong hindi sya susuportahan? Mas marami ba kesa sa mga Muslim brothers natin who would rather vote for a candidate with a more ‘neutral’ religious affiliation? Mas marami ba kesa sa mga thinking, well-informed and highly analytical Pinoys who know that religion takes an evil form when mixed with politics? Di ba mga fathers and archbishops?

Jamby. It’s her lack of association kaya hindi ko sya iboboto. Sinumpa na sya ng mga fans ni Juday dahil sa kawalan nya ng utang na loob. Kinalimutan nyang nong unang beses syang tumakbo sa Senate, kumain sya ng alikabok. But when she got Juday’s endorsement, ayan napwesto sya. Nagka-amnesia nga lang. And I’m sure kahit poster nya iniiwasan ng mga sundalong sinigaw-sigawan nya sa Tanay when the 40 health workers were arrested. At siguradong pag nalaglag ang passport nya, hindi na nya makikita dahil susunugin ng mga taong hinawi nya nong nagpa-renew sya ng passport sa DFA. At dahil maka-kalikasan daw sya, hayaan ko na lang na mga punong kahoy ang bumuto in her favor. Let nature take care of her. Kahit pa buhawi, lindol o tsunami.

Gordon. JC. Sino pa ba… ewan. Hindi ko na sila pag-aaksayahan ng panahon.

Kay Erap na lang ako.

Wala kasing nega kay Erap. His wife is a respectable lady senator herself. Si Jinggoy respetado rin. Besides, Erap is such a strong personality himself and he will not allow his alipores steal the limelight from him. But that doesn’t mean walang nega sa campaign nya. Not the people around him at least. But it’s Erap himself. Why? Sus katulad ka rin ba ng karamihan ng Pinoy na madaling makalimot. The Boracay mansion, the jueteng scandal. Ang iced tea na hindi kinakain, ‘iniinom po yon’. Hanggang ngayon hindi ko pa nakakalimutan that it was Erap who made me march on to Edsa. But on second thought, meron tayong dapat ipagpasalamat kay Erap. Dahil sya ang naging dahilan kung bakit nakita natin ang tunay na kulay ni Gloria. Kaya dapat siguro iboto ko si Erap. At dapat ikampanya ko sya para manalo. Sa isang kundisyon. That he will do exactly what Gloria did to him. Aba, di hamak na mas maraming isyu ng kurakutan sa present government kesa sa gobyerno ni Erap. So dapat lang na kasuhan nya ng mas matindi si Gloria. At dapat, walang bargaining at pardon sa bandang huli. Payag kayo?

So 5 days to go at botohan na. Ewan kung anong mangyayari. Ayan at palpak daw ang mga PCOS na gagamitin. Kaya maraming nagsasabing may failure of election na mangyayari. Wag naman sana. Kailangan na natin ng pagbabago. Ngayon. From real Presidents. At hindi galing sa mga taong nakapaligid sa kanila.

survey says.....

A few days from now, malalaman na natin kung gaano katotoo ang mga opinion polls na nakita natin during the past few months. If after consistently leading various surveys, it really is Noynoy who will be the next President. O mag-iiba ang resulta at biglang sumigaw si Dick Gordon na tama sya at dapat talagang i-TRO ang mga survey na yan.

Having had a couple of jobs in the market research field during my younger days (ehem… tanda na talaga!) medyo may insight ako sa mga survey-survey na yan. I know that some things are going on in the background na hindi natin basta nakikita. Some things that can really affect the veracity of the reports that the public are being fed.

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I wouldn’t name names dahil wala pa akong pambayad sa lawyer in case I get sued. But I’d be talking about some recognizable names when it comes to market research in the Philippines. Two companies during that time na swerte naman at pareho kong napag-trabahuhan dati. Based on my experiences with them, I’ll highlight two points at bahala na kayo to judge for yourself kung gaano ba talaga ka-credible ang surveys and opinion polls. Here goes….

Point 1: The hand that rocks the pen

Twas mid '80s when I got hired by Company B as a field researcher. Ang gagawin ko lang, mag-interview ng mga MIS officers ng mga top companies sa Pinas, most of whom are concentrated in the Ayala Area. Pa-survey kasi ng isang international computer giant yon.

Sa isang tulad kong malakas ang loob, walang hiya (notice the space in between ha!) at medyo makapal ang mukha, very ideal yong trabaho. Binigyan ako ng database ng contacts – names, companies and positions – ng aking prospective respondents. All I have to do is to set an appointment with them, show up in time, do the interview and presto, may 150 pesos na ako! Nakaka-2 or 3 interviews ako a day. Malaking pera na yon back in ’85.

The hitch is, hindi mo pwedeng i-submit yong questionnaire na may isang question na blangko (unanswered). It will be nullified at hindi ka babayaran. Ang problema, dahil puro mga executives ang respondent ko, lahat sila limitado ang oras, laging nagmamadali at umaangal sa dami nong tanong. Ewan ko ba naman kung bakit ang daming tanong. Kaya yong ibang interviewee ko, nilalayasan na ako at the 45^th question. Ayaw na ring magpa-follow-up interview sa akin. And I’ll be left in dismay.

Eh ano pa ang gagawin ko, di imbentuhin yong sagot sa ibang tanong. Aba, sayang ang effort ko kung hindi ako babayaran. Napudpod ang daliri ko sa telepono kakatawag sa mga supladang sekretarya. Nagbihis ako kuntodo necktie at nag-taxi from Malibay to Ayala. Tapos masasayang lang dahil hindi nasagot yong 5 questions out of 50. Unfair di ba. Kaya ginagawan ko ng paraan. Although I know, a big 'cheat' sign was plastered up my forehead during that time.

So what’s my point?

Surveys are largely dependent on the integrity of the survey itself. Lalo na sa mga taong gumagawa noong actual survey. Kung marami sa researchers ngayon ay tulad kong marunong ding mangdaya, maaring malayo din sa katotohanan ang resulta nong survey. Lalo na kung walang fool-proof mechanism yong survey at madaling manipulahin sa umpisa pa lang.

Point 2: Sino ba ang nagbabayad?

I must have done a good job in Company B kaya nong nag-apply ako sa Company A, I got a recommendation from my previous boss kaya madali akong natanggap. This time, office work na. Hindi kasing-dali nong trabaho ko sa Company B, hindi rin kasing-laki ng bayad pero hindi na 6-months contract ang labanan. This one’s a lot more stable dahil 8-hour job na. And this time, may sarili na akong desk in an airconditioned office.

I was assigned in the consumer survey division. Subscriber namin ang ilang manufacturing company sa Pinas. Companies who wanted to see how their shampoo, bath soap, detergent bar, toothpaste, etc are doing in the market. Kung anong brand, size, packaging at promotional campaign ang bumebenta at hindi. Kaso, I think they are not seeing the real figures they’re supposed to see.

Data Inspector ang tawag sa akin pati sa mga kasamahan ko sa aming maliit na section. Ito yong section na gumagawa ng dirty job dahil kami yong unang binabagsakan ng data after ma-input sa computer ang resulta ng survey ng mga field researchers na nakakalat sa mga department stores, grocery at sari-sari stores sa Greater Metro Area. And what do we do with the data? Hindi lang basta ini-inspect. Ina-adjust pa.

Para kaming mga doctor na nagda-diagnose ng pasyente kung may lagnat o wala. Kung normal yong trend ng data base sa previous survey period, okey lang. Pero kung may lagnat (a spike) yong data na biglang tumaas o kaya nag-chill at biglang bumaba, eentra kami. We will do the calculations para ma-minimize ang gap, ke plus or minus, at mailapit sa dating data point.

Noong ginagawa ko yong trabaho, I was also wondering kung bakit kailangan gawin yon. But my officemates who studied (and graduated BS Stats) explained the principle to me. Hindi pwede ang sharp curves sa graphs. Kailangan laging may statistical regression. Ahhhh… ganon pala yon. Although at the back of my mind the word “cheat” is flashing once again like a bright neon sign.

Eh bakit kailangang gawin? Kasi we have to please the one who pays for the survey. Matutuwa ba sya na biglang nilampaso ang product nyang top seller ng isang bagong produkto? Syempre hindi. So even if the real picture is ugly, we have to give it to the subscriber bit by bit. Hindi pwedeng biglaan. Baka biglang i-pull out yong subscription.

And that’s exactly my second point.

May bahid ng katotohanan ang accusations ng ilan na ang resulta ng survey depends on who pays for it. Sa dati kong trabaho, ang nagbabayad ay yon mismong mga manufacturing companies. And the data we must present them should at the least ‘suit’ their taste.

There you go. Based on experience lang ang kinuwento ko sa inyo. Kaya wag kayong magtaka if I don’t take surveys seriously. Unless I know that the survey is done in all honesty. Tulad nong survey natin dito sa DS. Ito talagang 100% accurate. All the rest, we’ll just have to take it with a grain of salt. Kahit pa rock salt yan. Dahil hindi natin alam kung gaano talaga ka-accurate yong result. And we’re left to believe what we want to.