What's N' Cebu

Cebu is the Queen City of the South and the country's oldest city dating back to Magellan's arrival in 1521. Growth was slow until the mid-19th century, when increasing trade caused rapid development. Today Metropolitan Cebu extends over 350 square kilometers, with five cities and municipalities and a population of more than 1 million.

Cebu (Sugbo) is the name given to the city, the metropolis, the island, the province. Cebu Province is made up of 48 municipalities and 5 cities - Cebu, Danao, Lapu-lapu, Mandaue and Toledo - with Cebu City as its capital. Cebu Island is a sliver of an island centrally located in the Visayas region of the Philippine archipelago, 365 miles south of Manila. Metropolitan Cebu is a complex of 3 cities and 6 municipalities with a population of over 1 million. Cebu City is the oldest Philippine city, and is also called the "Queen City of the South". As the first Spanish settlement, it was called Ciudad del Santissimo Nombre de Jesus.

The entire province has a total land area of 508,844 hectares, and its temperature averages 27 ° C all year round. The languages/dialects spoken are Cebuano Tagalog and English. Cebu is also the diving center of the Philippines with magnificent coral formations, spectacular marine life and drop-offs plunging to blue nothingness. Fine weather all year round makes Cebu a favorite for water sports. Swim, snorkel & dive; windsurf, sail or ski; ride the waves, stroll along the beach, get a glorious tan. Revel in Cebu's sun, sand, sea & sky!

Language: The locals speak Cebuano - a dialect common in Visayas and Mindanao region. Pilipino (also known as Tagalog) is the national language, however English is widely used.

Carcar town, just south of Cebu City, has many preserved Castillian houses, gardens, and churches.

The Chapel of the Last Supper in Mandaue City, just off north of Cebu City, features hand-carved life-size statues of Christ and his apostles dating back to Spanish times.

The Magellan Monument in Mactan Island was raised in 1886 to mark the spot where Magellan died, who was killed in the fierce battle of  Mactan. Datu Lapu-lapu, the chieftain in Mactan, who refused to submit to the Spanish Conquistadoris. There is also a Monument of  Datu Lapu-lapu honoring him as the first Filipino patriot to repel the first European aggression. Maribago is the center of the region's guitar making industry. As well as many histrorical sites there are popular ,hotels and beach clubs and resorts.

Cebu also boast of Filipino Culture. Cebu is the Home to the Famous " True Philippine Experience". A Showcase of Filipino Foods and Culture. Native Filipino Foods in Large Native Style Building, with all Filipino Decor, served in Native Basket with Bannana Leaf. Most amazing Filipino Cultural Dances from all Three Regions of The Philippines. ( Performed by Award Winning Filipino Dance Group). Plus Island Fire Dancers, Fire Breathers, Fire Eaters. When visiting Cebu you will want to experience The Most Amazing Culture of The Philippines.

Fast Lose your Weight ....Healthy Weight Loss

Want to slim down fast for that beach vacation or high school reunion? While there are many things you can do to shed pounds, losing weight too quickly, like any sudden change to your body, can be dangerous. While fad diets, diet pills, and fasting may indeed induce rapid weight loss, these methods can cause you to lose muscle and may also injure your heart and other organs fairly quickly. The best solution? Don't go for an overnight miracle. Instead, follow these steps to lose fat rapidly, healthily, and sustainably.

1.Determine your daily calorie intake . Losing weight is simply a matter of expending more calories than you take in, through exercise and your daily activities. To win the battle, it helps to know how many calories you are consuming in a day.


◦Write down all the things you eat on a typical day. Carry a small notebook with you and write down every snack, every drink, and the contents of every meal. There are also great websites that you can use to keep track of calories, get recipes, and help achieve your goal. Don't forget to include the pats of butter or the spoonful of sugar in your coffee. It's best to do this for at least a couple weekdays and a weekend; it's even better if you can go a full week. There are also calorie tracking websites that can help you to do this, for example the US government website, My Pyramid Tracker .

◦Do an itemized calorie count. When possible, write down the number of calories in each thing you eat as you eat it. Keep in mind that the recommended serving size is often considerably smaller than the serving you actually eat. Look up the calorie count on the internet for foods that don't have calories listed on the container or for fast food meals. You don't have to be 100% accurate, but you do want a good estimate of the number of calories you're taking in. There is an idea that multiplying your own weight by ten will produce a rough estimate of the number of calories you need to eat per day to maintain your weight. This is NOT true, you may wind up grossly under (or perhaps over) estimating the number of calories you should be eating. Use a scientific or health website to determine the number of calories you should eat a day or consult your doctor. Everyone has different metabolisms and there is no blanket rule that covers everyone's recommended calorie intake. Reducing 500 calories per day from the calories you eat to maintain your weight can help you lose a pound of fat per week.[2]

2.Go over the list and decide which foods to cut out or reduce. Cutting calories is usually a lot easier than you might think. For example, that daily tall latte in the morning may pack 500 calories. Since a pound of flab (lost or gained) is roughly equivalent to 3,500 calories, replacing that rich beverage with black coffee can help you lose a pound a week. Other easy cuts include salad dressing (salad dressing is the number one source of fat in the average American woman's diet) soda pop, candy, and butter. Look at the nutritional information for the foods you eat, pay special attention to your intake of saturated fats and empty calories (high-sugar foods). You don't need to cut these things out entirely, but if you reduce your intake of high-fat, high-calorie foods you'll lose weight faster.

3.Seek out alternatives to the unhealthy foods you've identified. You can simply reduce the amount of soda you drink or mayonnaise you put on your sandwiches, or you can substitute healthier choices. Drink water instead of soda, for example, or use mustard instead of mayo. Low-fat and low-calorie options are also available for most foods, and many of these are natural, (although some are made with strange chemicals), and tasty. Start trying to eat healthy in most meals:





◦Choose lean meats. Chicken and fish are both very low in fat (and certain fish like salmon, sardines, and fresh tuna are an excellent source of antioxidants, which are also beneficial to your health), so aim to replace some or all of the beef or pork in your diet with these foods.

◦Replace high-calorie side dishes with healthier alternatives. Many people get a ton of calories from side dishes such as macaroni and cheese, French fries, or potato salad. You can eat healthier and lose weight by replacing these with fresh vegetables and salads. Pre-made salads are practically effortless, and when accompanied by a reduced-calorie dressing or no dressing at all, they're weight-loss gold.

◦Start your days off right. A fattening breakfast of bacon and eggs or a pastry can be replaced with yogurt, oatmeal, high-fiber, low-sugar cereals; or fresh fruit for fruit smoothies. However, for those on a low carb diet bacon and eggs are a great combo for breakfast, since neither have carbs. But don't fall into the trap of skipping breakfast. Eating a healthy breakfast increases your rest metabolic rate earlier in the day, and reduces snacking before lunch.

4.Plan your meals. Look for healthy, delicious meals online or in your cookbooks, and create a menu for the week. Make sure that your meal plan reduces your total calorie intake: you're not going to lose weight if you consume the same amount of calories by eating different foods. Make a list of what you'll need for these meals, and -- except for a few snacks, of course -- don't stray from your list when you get to the market. Planning your meals helps ensure you get a balanced diet and reduces the temptation to stop off for fast food or order a pizza. Remember, it's easier to stick to your shopping list if you shop when you aren't hungry.

5.Watch your portion sizes. Opening a bag of rice cakes and eating all of them in one sitting isn't going to help you lose weight. When eating chips, nuts, or dried fruit put a portion in a small bowl and then put the bag away. That way you won't mindlessly eat a larger portion than you had intended. Even if you only make minimal changes to your diet choices, reducing portion size will inevitably reduce caloric intake. A great way to watch portion sizes while snacking is to buy one serving 100 calorie packages - and they come in many favorite snack food items!

6.Graze on healthy snacks. Just because you're getting healthy doesn't mean you can't snack. In fact, eating small meals and snacks throughout the day, or grazing, has been shown to aid weight loss, (compared to eating three large meals a day), by keeping metabolism steadier. Pick snacks that are low in calories and fat and high in fiber (dried apricots, nuts, rice cakes, fruits, baby carrots, cherry tomatoes, and so on). Vegetables are generally very low in calories, very high in fiber, and full of flavor and nutrition. Avoid starchy vegetables like potatoes, and try to eat vegetables plain, without fatty dressings or dips. Fruit also makes a good snack. Fruit contains more soluble fiber than vegetables, which slows your body's absorption of carbohydrates, thus releasing energy more slowly, (preventing sugar highs), and keeping you feeling full longer. Fruit juices are not a replacement for the real thing. You need that fiber, and juices often have more calories than the equivalent serving of fruit -- as many calories as soda! Be careful with dried fruits, because without the water, you tend to eat more, and fruits, when dried, are calorie-rich per ounce. With any dry or dried food, be sure to drink plenty of water.

7.Get more fiber. There are many myths about fiber, but there is science to back up its helpful role in the diet. Fiber keeps the right amount of water in your intestines, making your digestive system work more efficiently and helping to keep you regular. Thus, just eating enough fiber may help you feel slimmer in just a day or so. There is also evidence that fiber in the diet can help prevent stroke and heart disease, ease the effects of diabetes, and may even directly help in weight loss.

8.Drink plenty of water. Adequate water is essential for health, and a great many people simply don't get enough. What's more, if you're chronically dehydrated, your body will retain water in unflattering places, so if you make sure to get plenty of fluids you can start visibly trimming down in as little as a day. Remember, the more you exercise, the more water you'll need. See the related wikiHow for more details on how much water you should be getting.

9.Exercise. Remember, you can lose weight either by decreasing your calorie intake or increasing the number of calories you burn. Any health strategy should include both, but if you want to lose weight fast, exercise is essential.

10.Perform high-level aerobic activities. Moderate aerobic workouts incorporating jogging, brisk walking, cycling, aerobic machines, or classes not only burn calories -- they also keep your heart healthy. Swimming is also great, especially if you are quite overweight or have joint problems, because you can get the same benefits of running -- typically burning even more calories -- with much less stress on your joints. Try to get at least 30-40 minutes of aerobic exercise at least three or four days per week.

11.Pump some iron. Resistance training, (weight training), can help both sexes stay lean by building muscle and raising metabolism. The fact is, hours and hours of aerobic exercise won't help most people lose weight fast because your metabolism drops back to normal fairly quickly after stopping the exercise. If you gain muscle, however, your body's resting metabolism, (the amount of calories you burn when you're just sitting still), increases, because muscle requires a lot of calories to maintain. Studies have shown consistent weight training to raise the body's metabolism by 15%. This means an average woman might burn 200-300 more calories at rest every day! Resistance training is the gift that keeps on giving! Although, keep in mind that muscle mass weighs more than fat (don't be surprised if you gain weight but look slimmer).

12.Rest properly. This means not only taking at least 24-48 hours between strength training the same muscles, (and taking 1-2 days off from exercising each week); it also means getting enough sleep at night, since sleep deficiency impairs your ability to lose fat.

13.Be realistic. Don't expect a miracle. Healthy weight loss can be achieved fairly quickly, but you'll need to be patient. In addition, be sure to set realistic goals. Make sure that the weight you're trying to reach is a healthy weight for you, and keeping in mind that gaining pounds of muscle will help you lose fat, be trimmer, and look better even though you don't actually lose any weight. Your goal should be a healthy body, not a number of pounds! Everyone looks good at a different weight. A short person may look really good at about 112 pounds, but a person of a taller height would just look unhealthy. Keep yourself at a weight that makes you look good, not at a number that sounds good.

14.Make adjustments. A successful weight loss strategy based on reducing calorie intake and increasing activity can be adjusted to maintain your desired weight once you reach it. Unlike typical diets, this method is sustainable -- it is a lifestyle change, not a binge-and-purge exercise. Slowly adjust your diet and exercise to include more weight training and calories, as much as is comfortable for you. If you do gain any weight back, you want that weight to be lean, toned muscle, not fat. In addition, weight training, no matter what your age, prevents muscle atrophy and can help stave off osteoporosis.

◦Instead of thinking of it as losing a certain amount of pounds, think of it as being a certain weight. So if you are 145 pounds, and you would like to lose 10 pounds, think of it as being 135 pounds. This helps you think about it as a long-term goal and not just losing the weight to gain it back again.

15.Be confident. You need to believe in yourself! If you want to diet, and you know that it will make you feel better, then you need confidence. Otherwise, the temptation to cheat on your diet will make it harder, and you will not feel better when you do lose weight. Avoid temptations like chocolate, ice cream, and cookies. They may taste good, but there are other foods that taste delicious, too, without being unhealthy. You need to always encourage yourself to achieve the goals that you have set. Learn to evaluate your efforts fairly and objectively. If you fail to achieve your target for the week, find out why is it so. Is it because you have missed a jogging session? Or you have been eating junk food for one of the days? After evaluating, look ahead to next week and try your best to stick to your plan.[3]

16.Be consistent and disciplined, and have self motivation. To lose weight effectively, you need to stick to your weight loss plan religiously so as to see results. When you have the thought of giving up, visualize how good you will look when you manage to slim down successfully.

Mangatawa sa ‘ta! CALL CENTER JOKE

Mga Bloopers CallCenter_cebu

favorite line #1: "thank you for calling so much" (so much jud, daghan na kaayong thank you na bai.)


favorite line #2: "thank you so much for calling to you" (bwahahhaah!)

favorite line #3: "i'm breaking up on you,too" ( uuuuy! boyfriend-girlfriend mo?)
favorite line #4: well first, can i have your first and last name first?...ok for that one...you first have to save an itinerary first... ( this guy's favorite word must be "first')

favorite line #5: "the passenger has to die first before you will get a refund" (hihihi ayus!)


favorite line #6: "for this one you have to sign up first before you have to be signed up,ok?"(obviously kana ang meaning intawon!)



favorite line #7: "i can see that this is an unreserved reservation"



favorite line #8: "the sign up process is very free " you mean there are sign-up processes that are slightly free or half-free?"



favorite line #9: "how age is your son?"(hahahahaha! hala sigi paningkamut ug maayo!)



favorite line #10: "do you have a pen and a ballpen?" ( how about a pencil? do i need to have it,too? )


favorite line #11: "please bring a government photo issued id" (laluma sa english uy!)


favorite line #12: "could you repeat that again,please?" (guilty ako)


favorite line #13:" because actually you need to actually sign up for an account first"( murag artista ba..actually..)



favorite line #14: "that is eastern pacific time" (buot buot kag time zone doh!)



favorite line #15: "can i have your sine in and location pless..."(asa na ang american accent training?)



favorite line #16: "i see here that this is just a reserved reservation" ( uhuh! that's what a reservation is supposed to be!)




favorite line #17: (for an opening line..) "thank you so much for that information... "(yeah right! the caller hasn't even said anything yet!)




favorite line #18: ( a call during Christmas day,an agent had this for a closing remark! ) "Thank you for calling and happy halloween!" (YIKES! i don't think Santa is gonna give you presents for this:( )




favorite line #19: "have a...have a...have a... have a happy holiday!"




favorite line #20: "have a...have a...have a...have a happy day!" (trying to find for a better adjective for a day,huh?)




favorite line #22: "would you like to reserve this for january nine or january tane?" (uhuh! american accent training!)




favorite line #23: "well,it defends..." (i repeat! american accent training!)




favorite line #24: (new dead air verbiage!)" if i don't hear from you within 5 minutes, i'm afraid i will have to release this call..." (you're willing to wait that long?)




favorite line #25: "i'm sorry i can't seem to access your account. are you sure you're already a passenger of expedia.com?" (the passenger is calling to purchase a flight meaning he is not yet a passenger!!!! for heaven's sake!)




favorite line #26:" i'm sorry but my supervisor is having a conversation right now..."( conversation jud? )





favorite line #27: "ok you will be leaving 9am in the morning" ( wait lang! karon pa ko! is there a 9pm in the morning? )




favorite line #28: "would you want to add 1 children for this itinerary?" ( 1 children?! )





favorite line #29:" thank you for calling, Mr. coupon" (pwede diay ta makabunyag og passenger?)




favorite line #30: "how many passengers will be staying in the room?" ( uy! flying hotel room? )





favorite line #31: "i'll just tell him nalang!" ( karon pa ko! international language na diay ang tagalog!)





favorite line #32: "ok for that one let me verify with my computer...according to my computer..."( i would love to get that computer...what brand?)




favorite line #33: "if i don't see you within 5 seconds, i'm afraid...".( my goodness! we are in the philippines. how on earth can the caller be here for you to see him in 5 seconds?!)





favorite line #34: (passenger shouting on the other line) "sige..sige...sige..."




favorite line #35: "would you like to add and attractions and services for this one? "( asa dapita sa purchase path ang "and attractions and services'? wa lagi ko kita ani?)





favorite line #36: "what i can offer you is a one times courtesy void "( naay two times? )




favorite line #37: "let me just walk you to the set-up "( mura man walk you to the door...kimpang ang caller? asa na dapita ang set-up?)




favorite line #38: "i'm sorry but there is something wrong with the airplane..."( passenger: what? my flight will still be in two months!)



favorite line #39:" i need to verify this one so let me just hold you for a while,ok?" (uy! very sweet na agent!)




favorite line #40: "i'm sorry but because of the queue that we are having, i'm afraid my supervisor is taking a call right now.. "(passenger asks how many calls are waiting?) "we are actually having 59 calls on queue..." (sus! giduka na gali ang uban kay walay calls!)



Here are real incidents from our call center subsidiary which does outbound telemarketing to US households. the comments in parenthesis were added in by a project manager whose job it is to audit some of the calls at random. he started circulating these anecdotes internally. pinoy humor in real life.


(CSR - Customer Service Representative)


1. CSR: Do you have any child so we could send out

these gifts to you?

CLIENT: I'm sorry but i don't have any child.

CSR: Oh i understand, what about any grandchild?

(wala ngang anak di ba,

asa ka pang may apo)


2. CSR: . . . and for our records, may i know your

child's bday?

CLIENT: I don't know her bday. . .

CSR: Oh come on, it's your responsibility to know

your child's bday.

(tarayan ba ang customer?)
3. CLIENT: (mad) how many times do i have to tell

you i didn't purchase

any card!

CSR: Ma'am, i'm talking about a 'car', a toy car,

not a card.

CLIENT: but i said i didn't purchase any card!

CSR: No ma'am, not a card, what i mean is a car, an

automotive. (baka ibig

mong sabihin automobile)
4. a. CLIENT: What is that space bag bulk storage

system? (By the way, a

space bag is a big bag, not sure if it's made of

plastic, which size

adjusts depending on the amount of air you vacuum

out)

CSR: (with limited product knowledge) Well sir, it's

some kind of a space

bag, it's like a storage system where you put your

things. (salamat sa

explanation)
b. CLIENT: What is this space bag?

CSR: (basta may masabi lang) ah sir, it's the thing

worn by astronauts.

(kakaiba tong taong to)

BELIEVE IT OR NOT, HE IS NOW ONE AMONG THE FEW

SELECTED TRAINORS.
c. CSR: We are giving you a free gift. You can

either have the space bug

bulk storage system or . . .

CLIENT: What the hell is a space bug? (a single

letter spelled the big

difference)
5 CLIENT: What is this squeeze wrench?

CSR: It's a wrench that you squeeze for better grip.

(huh?)
6 CLIENT: I won't allow you telemarketers to fool

me. Nothing in this

world is for free. Now tell me the catch!

CSR : (medyo napikon at umisip ng pambawi) Ah sir,

have you ever listened

to the Beatles?

CLIENT: Well what about it?

CSR: What does their song say about the best things

in life?

CLIENT: It's free.... but you know what ...

CSR: (bangs the phone before the client could start

with his stuff. (YIKES)

7. CSR: One last thing sir, may i have your city

of birth?

CLIENT: What?

CSR: Your city of birth?

CLIENT: What? i can't quite hear you.

CSR: (irita na) I said your city of birth, the place

of your born!

(nagalit pa)

8. In the initial calling days, we were encouraged

to go verbatim as

little as possible. Stick to the script! Seems

like a good practice

right? (except for some special incidents).



CSR: So how is your car wash gadget?

CLIENT: It was a piece of junk! (irate)

CSR: Oh that's nice to hear from you, sir! (at least

nag-stick sa script)

9. CSR: As a way of expressing our gratitude, we

are sending your choice

of free gift. You could either have a Bushnell

binoculars.....

CLIENT: What is a binocular?

CSR: It's the thing you use to make far objects

appear closer.

CLIENT: I don't get it.

CSR: You know, it's the thing you use when you look

out the window....

CLIENT: I'm sorry but i really don't know it.

CSR: (a bright idea came about) ah! sir, have you

ever seen a telescope?

CLIENT: Yup!

CSR: All you do now is get one telescope on your

right hand, and another

one on the left, put them together, look at the

eyepieces and there you

have binoculars.

CLIENT: Oh, you mean binoculars! (may point tong

CSR na to noh?)
10. CSR: Yes, may i talk to mr. _ _ _ _ _ ?

CLIENT: He's not around, is there anything i can do

for you?

CSR: It's ok, i just called to inform him that

because he purchased an

item from us, he is entitled to receive a free gift

item. Anyway, i'll

just call him back.

CLIENT: Really? would you like me to give you his

mobile phone no. so you

can get in touch with him.

CSR: Ok! (CSR noticed that the cell no. lacks the

first four digits, he

forgot that he was talking to US people, so he

asked) Is it Globe or Smart?

CLIENT: pardon?

CSR: (realizing he committed a mistake) oh, i said

i'll just try to

contact him......

11. A newly hired CSR just made his first sale . .

CSR: Yes! (sabay lagok sa coffee ng katabi nya)(tama

ba namang ma-carried away)

12. Note: It is a common practice in SVI-connect

that a coach sits beside

a first timer)


Another newly hired CSR (good looking) just made his

first sale (or should

I say her first sale). Anyway, here is her, I mean

his story :

CSR: (extremely tense while pitching. From time to

time, he looked at his

coach to verify if he is doing the right things.

Coach approved. Finally,

after a few minutes of persuading the client to

accept the offer, he was

able to close the deal. He became so delighted that

he faced his coach

(who happens to be an attractive lady), embraced

her, and said 'thank you mommy!' (BUMIGAY ANG BRUHA!)

13. CSR : We are giving away a free miniature car

for free just because

you purchased a product from us before. Well anyway

sir, do you happen to

be a car collection? (mas maganda yatang pakinggan

kung car collector)

14. CSR : ... and as a safeguard to show that i

really did talk to you,

may i have your city of birth, the place where you

were born?

CLIENT: Inglewood

CSR: Where sir? In the woods? You were born in the

woods? (Sino yan, si Tarzan?)

Subject: real-life recruitment bloopers


"Haller???!!! ??? (knocks on the table) THE SALARY!" (Answer to Why do you want to work in a call center?)
Applicant: Agency ba to? Interviewer: No sir, head hunting firm. Applicant (turning to friend): Egg-hunting daw pare! (Happy Easter!)



---- Napagtatawanan at napaguusapan lang---

Typhoon Ondoy... Help us all

Typhoon Ondoy started with strong rainfalls night on September 25 2009. Many under-estimated its strength. Unexpectedly, downpours began that may compare to a month rainfalls. Many were stranded along the way but what the saddest happening when missing persons and death arises.