GIGI GOES GAGA

CUSTOMER SERVICE...REDEFINED?

My friend N was visibly annoyed. Seething, even. See, he had stopped by Seafood City, a Filipino grocery store in Cerritos, CA, to pick up a few items on his way home. At around 8:30 PM he heard a booming voice announce that all prepared hot food items were half-off. He hadn't planned to stop by that section but he figured that it would save him some time from having to cook dinner once he finally got home -- and better yet, save him some cash, too.

By the time he got there, a swarm of shoppers had already picked up everything they could get their hands on. He saw a container of crispy pata (deep-fried pork leg) and put it  his basket. As he got to the check-out aisle, an elderly woman was in front of him. She was writing out a check to pay for her purchase and was moving at a snail's pace. In the meantime, the cashier showed her slight impatience by moving her dentures up and down the roof of her mouth. She stopped when she saw my friend standing in line, watching her intently.

The cashier looked at N's items on the counter, and then looked at him inquisitively. "Were there any more of the crispy patas back there?" she asked in Tagalog. He nodded. "Can you do me a favor and grab one of those for me?" she instructed.

N figured that the customer in front of him had forgotten to pick up the item and thought that if she went back to do so he'd be waiting even longer. "Here," he told the cashier, "take mine and I'll grab another one for myself." And then he walked away.

When he got back, he saw the customer leave -- and noticed that the container he supposedly had given her was still where he'd set it down. "So she decided not to get it after all?" he asked the cashier, mildly irritated.

"No," she answered. "It's for me. I didn't cook so there's no food at home."

His eyes were still bulging from both anger and disbelief while he was telling me his story: "Can you believe it? She actually asked me -- a customer -- to go and get her dinner?"

I suppose at this store, at least for this one employee, the term "Customer Service" has taken on a whole new meaning.

FACEBOOK NOTES

I used to import my blog into my Facebook Notes but recently disabled the feature because I didn't want all my Friends to read my posts. I admit this doesn't make much sense because this blog is public and can be accessed by anyone with an internet connection. Still, because I don't go out of my way to attract blog traffic, the thought of Facebook sending notification to more than 450 people whenever I post something, whether or not they care to know, seems just a tad bit too aggressive for me. Not to mention I sometimes write about the people on my Friends list. Anonymously, of course -- but they would know if I were writing about them nonetheless.

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And speaking of folks on my Friends list...

One of them is this guy I went out with for maybe eight months. OK, truth is that it's pretty tricky to measure precisely how long he and I were together. Or how together we really were. We were a couple, I suppose, but I can't seem to recall if we ever agreed on any kind of commitment or even on exclusivity. Did I ever tell him I loved him or did he ever do the same? I can't remember -- although probably not because I don't remember ever thinking we could be together for the long haul. He used to affectionately call me his "love muffin' -- does that count for anything? What I do remember,though, is that our contact with each other slowly dwindled until one night when he called and I was genuinely surprised that he thought we were still going out at all. And that was that.

Once in a while we write funny little messages on each other's Wall or post comments on the same photos posted by mutual Friends, and a couple of times I've checked out his Profile to see what he's up to these days. What I've discovered is that if we were a mismatch from the beginning, we are certainly even more so today. I suppose one thing about Facebook is that if you were ever in doubt as to whether or not a relationship could have worked out, you now have clear visual evidence that there's absolutely no chance it could have.

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I recently read someone complain about receiving a ton of birthday greetings now simply because all his Friends are notified when it's anyone's birthday. I guess his beef is that the sentiment is less sincere simply because the greeter didn't have to make any extra effort to keep track of his special day. I'm perplexed -- I can't figure out what his problem is. If it weren't for the calendar features of my computer or handheld device I wouldn't remember anything at all -- especially about someone I haven't seen in years! I guess it really is true: with every new invention or innovation comes a slew of complaints from people who had to make do with less convenience prior in the first place.

As for me, I'm thrilled to be able to reconnect and catch up with people I never thought I'd see again. And now it's almost like we were never apart! Yes, even with that guy whom I can't seem to figure out if we were ever together to begin with.

IT'S LIKE RIDING A BIKE...

When I finally learn how to ride a bike, I'll know what it means -- to never forget how to do something so simple and basic once you've learned it. I mean, I can swim -- or more precisely, I can float. I can get myself from one end of the pool to the other, but it doesn't look pretty when I do it. And swim in the ocean? I have absolutely no concept of what that's like either. Pathetic, you say? But at least I can relate to the adage "It's like learning how to swim." Or float, in my case. It's almost the same thing, I say.

But no matter, I am determined to learn how to ride a bike and when I do, it will be on one of these cruisers. By the way, I have no idea what a cruiser is; it just looks like something I can keep my balance on. Now you folks who know technical things about bikes might tell me why other brands are better but I won't be listening. I mean, look how thoroughly delightful and lovely these are! And if I can't look pretty getting from Point A to B on a bicycle, then I'd might as well ride on one so nice that people might not notice the person on top of it. At least that's how I'm rationalizing all of this right now.

OK, so I can't make up my mind as to which one I want. All I know is I want a basket on the handlebars, and maybe even a little bell.

This is Surf. Perfect for biking around South Orange County, where I live, 'no?

  And this is Daisy. Daisies are among my favorite flowers -- they look so happy. Like the way I will look when I finally learn how to ride a bike so I can get to the store to buy freshly-baked French bread and a bouquet of daisies on an early Sunday morning. Which of course I will place inside the basket sitting atop the handlebars.

  I don't really like the look of this final one, but I love its name. Meet Gigi.

  If you happen to be in my neck of the woods sometime soon (hopefully) and see a slightly off-balance, too-happy girl on a cute bicycle with a basket holding a loaf of bread and a bouquet of flowers, then don't forget to say hello to me OK? I'll even ring my little bell to say hello back.