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  • 3 Big Things Oracle Has that SAP Doesn’t

    3 Big Things Oracle Has that SAP Doesn’t

    I’m in the middle of reviewing the best and most used enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. Almost all articles lead to two contenders: SAP and Oracle. While they may have different target users/markets and technical maturities, comparing them cannot be helped. Here’s to share my understanding on what Oracle has and SAP doesn’t:

    3 Big Things Oracle Has that SAP Doesn’t

    1.  Easier customization

    Accommodating ever-changing business needs, Oracle provides flexibility and easy customization of the ERP modules (e.g. PeopleSoft and the e-business suite), while SAP is tightened with difficulty in adjusting the core processes and requirements of customers.

    For companies having core competencies relying on their adaptability working with external pressures, Oracle is better recommended. For those which can accept less changes in the packaged system, SAP is likely found to be acceptable. The downside of SAP is that companies will be forced to adhere to how the SAP software works. Organization culture will be impacted and their standardized processes will be changed. Resistance must be expected and embraced.

     2.  Lower costs

    Related to the first point: Because customization management affecting core functions is more efficient in Oracle, modules can be further tailored to suit the current processes of a system. In effect, training the users on how to use the ERP system upon deployment incurs lower costs and less time. In contrast, SAP has more complex features and functions that may be good for larger companies to utilize, but they must know just how to learn and manage training the users effectively on its complexities.

    In terms of license fees, their prices are comparable but SAP demands higher consulting and resourcing costs. This might be because organizations, projects and teams using SAP are generally bigger in size. In the ERP world, SAP is looked up to as a high-end brand. Expensive to buy and difficult to customize and maintain, we can identify it like the Ferrari. On the other hand, Oracle can be deemed as the Mercedes Benz, a relatively less expensive brand having a broad variety of products with strong, underlying technology.

     3.  More product innovation

    Oracle offers more innovation and invention in its technology direction (product road map), but this may also constitute to a negative inkling — that users/customers will feel uncertain towards acquiring their product lines at once. (They might want to see the latest release of patches or versions before deciding for final acquisition.) Quite the opposite, SAP today is seen as an innovation-free ERP company as it’s a very established one, indeed.

    Conclusion

    Both Oracle and SAP have their own strengths, weaknesses and tradeoffs. It’s hard to say which one is better because the selection of the “right fit” depends really on the requirement, priority levels and competitive advantages companies (regardless of industry) are aiming for.

  • Review of Holy Cow Steak Ranch and American Grill (SM Mall of Asia, Pasay)

    Review of Holy Cow Steak Ranch and American Grill (SM Mall of Asia, Pasay)

    Starting this July, I commit to reviewing one restaurant every month, to suppress my curiosity on food tastes and enjoy even a small percentage of my earnings from my part-time job. 🙂 So last Friday, after work hours, I planned to have dinner in Patio Guernia (MOA) with my mother. We’re excited to try Spanish cuisine, but the flurry of excitement was slashed out when we learned that the restaurant had already closed its branch in SM Mall of Asia over a year ago, according to one of the roving security guards. That explains why it’s not listed anymore in the mall directory.

    This left us hanging in a blindfold moment to jump into other never-tried-before restaurants. We strode along the long alley of restaurants in the ground floor of the South Parking Building. Faced with about 20 choices there, I turned to the basic: the elimination method: I’m not into Filipino food. I’ve had too much of Chinese and Singaporean food. We’ll be having a Japanese meal (buffet) soon. I have just tried Mediterranean.

    There we were left with American. The poster of value meals on Holy Cow’s glass walls looked yummy. The plus side? They’re affordable. So we entered, had a quick skim through their menu and finally ordered the Beer Battered Rodeo Fish Fillet, the Cowboy Ranch Style Burger Steak, and the Clam Chowder Soup.

    Review of Holy Cow Steak Ranch and American Grill (SM Mall of Asia, Pasay)

    Ambiance: ★★★★☆

    The entire rectangular space was designed with a consistent cowboy-ranch theme, from the tables and chairs, lighting, decorations on the wall, rest room, cashier area and just about everything else. The waiters were also clad in cowboy-style uniforms. While this brings into the positive side of the ambiance, the offsetting factor was the poor air conditioning of the place.

    Inside got nearly sauna-hot temperature, and there was only one medium-sized electric fan available used by a group of customers in one table. When they left, Mom asked the waiter to have it face us and the fan rotating also for the benefit of other diners. It was a pretty quiet place, lit by yellow spotlights.

    Service: ★★★★☆

    As soon as we arrived, the attendant led us to comfortable seating and handed us the menu. Our orders were repeated for confirmation. The waiter gladly gave Mom her requested additional mushroom gravy for the sizzling platter for free. When called to take our picture, he also willingly did it. Everything was okay except checkout. Their point-of-sale (POS) terminal for processing credit cards broke down and could not register Visa and MasterCard card transactions. Good thing we also have cash, so we just paid in cash.

    Food: ★★★★★

    Their gut-busting specialties are their slabs of steak, signature burgers seared to perfection and other meaty dishes that will sting your lips and numb the tongue. Already, Mom was assured her order, the burger steak, will taste delicious.

    Contrariwise, I opted for the seafood alternative with a twist — Just how eminent would the beer’s tang be in the beer-battered fish? Mom is game to try food which she does not know how to cook, so she additionally ordered a bowl of clam chowder soup shared by the both of us.

    After 15 minutes, we were amazed as the plates with HUGE portions of scrumptious food were served with rice and mixed vegetables on the side. The fish had a tinge of beer taste and smell. Cooked to my likeness, it’s crispy on the outside and soft inside. I also tried a spoonful of Mom’s order and it was as well delicious. The clam chowder soup was thick and creamy; it’s a classic soup made to please anyone.

    We were so full, we just could not finish everything so we packed the leftovers home. I especially felt my stomach bulging after, but in reality, it was still as flat as it normally should. Thank Heavens!

    Price for Value: ★★★★★

    Our food bill summed up to PHp 440 (prices of food inclusive of tax and there was no service charge). For the casual dining vibe, great food and satisfactory service, I say the price is worth paying for. If you’re planning to dine in here, really expect big servings and unbuckle your belt or simply wear a loose bottom.

  • To the Greener Grass

    To the Greener Grass

    The calender page turns to July and we’ve gone passed the half of the year. As we strive to reach our goals this year, it’s time to be grateful for how far we’ve come once again. And this time, I’m sharing not my own account but Daddy’s because we’re just proud of him.

    Over the past month, Daddy has been practicing to walk in the streets slowly with the cane and the physical therapist. Street vendors, tricycle drivers, our house guards and passersby—their eyes all fixated on his legs. Since he was a perennial “person of the outside” before the accident, many of them thought that he just moved out to another country or elsewhere because they did not get to see him for a long while. They were surprised about what happened and felt concerned.

    One of his major exercise challenges is to go down from seventh floor to the lower ground floor and back again by stairs. In a couple or more instances, old Chinese neighbors in different floors scolded him for they thought he was punishing himself with struggling efforts to climb up and down. “Why not use the elevator instead?”Others claimed that he won’t be recuperating anyway, so he’s only giving himself more pain and trouble.

    These are the times when he defends that he needs these physical exercises to become better. I think that God may have also used these vessels not to encourage him to pull over and stop but to encourage him to still keep try and go on. I think that by verbally explicating his reasons (to both internal and external little whispering devils) on why he needs to train, his belief in the purpose and in himself amplifies. I’m glad he accepted the inkling that this may be his second life. He has been granted another chance to live however with this tussle, and I’m also glad that he’s thankful for it.

    To date, there are still times when he gets caught up in the “why me” and “no fair” of life. So when he asked me two nights ago, for the nth time, of why he was chosen to experience this cruelty, my answer was that maybe it’s for him to inspire more people. True, he had received too much credit for his experiences before as a made-up person, a charismatic and hardworking businessman, a fulfilled family man, a devoted follower of God who shares the good word to a lot of people with his own means.

    When life gets to be this stable and satisfactory, most days are as forgettable as the next: things don’t change, people follow the same patterns and do the same things. It’s a rare day that goes to shape a person, the simply great moments and the truly horrible ones, that will last forever burnt into someone’s mind. It’s in these moments that we find who we truly are and set ourselves on a course to be who we want to be. I am convinced that:

    God has set him to another divergence of road-learning to be a walking example. To walk the talk, he has to uplift himself and choose not to be contrite for the heartbreaking and horrific things that happened but be conscious that there’s a powerful message that’s waiting to be delivered and shared.

    Events do not happen to us but for us as we happen to them. From these, we learn how to suffer and overcome suffering. We can allow things to tear us down or choose for them to build us up. There is this thin line between what happens to us and what happens for us. While one creates victims, the other creates survivors. I’d place emphasis on “kick-ass survivors,” those who are ablaze with wisdom, strength, confidence and the desire to transform the bad into good, hatred into love, loathing into acceptance. These people are those who have the power to use their experiences to embolden them and make a difference to the world. These people are those who believe that we are not the result of what or will happen in our life but are the result of what we choose to do next thus they move forward.

    I take this moment to thank the World in advance, for I know that not many months from now, we would wonder where Daddy’s wheelchair and cane — went. ɞ

  • Why Are People Embarrassed by Their Ages?

    Why Are People Embarrassed by Their Ages?

    Why people lie and feel embarrassed to reveal their ages still leave me with a big question mark on top of my head. Is aging a shameful truth? Why are people embarrassed by their ages?

    In this post, I’m trying to understand why some people regard this number as a disgrace with the following assumed reasons:

    1. People who might be younger think they look older than they should. This thinking could have stemmed from others’ offending compliments such as they look more mature than people in the same age).

    With age come the lines of life marking their faces just as annual rings form in a horizontal cross section cut through the trunk of a tree. In a culture that encourages people to engage in trash talks about their own bodies, in which confidence in physical appearance is an act of bravery, broadcasting pride in outward form can be daunting. If someone’s whole self-worth is tied up with how they look, then they’re going to have tougher times with getting older.

    2. They have not gained the fruits of most people’s definition of success (e.g. possessing huge amounts of money, riches, fame, empire and the like) given their age.

    Then again, perspective is a tricky player. They might not have been successful to others’ eyes, but if they are living their lives happily, why can’t they be proud? If they’d hide their age and disrespect honesty as the best policy, then going to a costume party as themselves would totally be most appropriate. Allowing self-consciousness to circle them like a lion ready to devour, they simply are in fear of being judged. Being misjudged is another thing. They can let everything out in the open so as not to invite prejudice and misinterpretation.

    3. They are not healthy as most people in their age are.

    Being sickly lowers their self-confidence as poor health can be reflective of how bad their lifestyle had been, how they had abused their own body and how they had taken their youth for granted.

    4. They can’t impart golden nuggets of wisdom.

    With age come some wisdom and acquisition of knowledge and skills. If they don’t have much lessons from the past to contribute and learn from, they’ll only be perceived as old and elderly but not wise and useful.

    Conclusion

    All these possible reasons boil down to one word: dignity, the act or feeling of being dignified. People who are embarrassed by their ages are ones who cannot present an even semi-dignified exterior to the world. Yes, it’s a self-aggrandizing world we live in, but really the reason we should be doing good is that it’s the right thing to do, regardless of our age. The more time we spend looking over our shoulder to make sure everyone sees us being good, the less time we actually have to be good.

    Also, to sort this out, one suggestion is to play the “wouldn’t you be sorry?” game with yourself whilst thinking of potentially undignified consequences and regrets later on. If you’re not sorry every time you make decisions and make them happen, you sure won’t be sorry to tell the world just how old you are.

  • Tattoo I Pull My Sleeve Over

    Tattoo I Pull My Sleeve Over

    “I’m a Mommy’s girl.”

    This one’s for my Mom who celebrates her birthday today. With her young looks, it’s hard to believe she’s sweet 18 – 29 years ago, right? :p Here are descriptions that mark her as the mother we’re blessed to have:


    1. Organized

    Like me, she’s obsessed with getting everything organized. Water spills, dirt and hair on the floor are not her eyes’ best delights. The forks should rest at one side and the spoons on the other. The bed should be made up once you wake up. The kitchen counters must be at their tidiest after every meal. Clothes should be aligned and folded in one straight line inside the closets. Hangers in the laundry area must be arranged in one direction and according to color, size and type. These are just of the few examples of the house rules we follow attentively if we don’t want to encounter much trouble ahead.

    2. Strict

    Although she’s a mom who portrays herself as our closest buddy, she’s one who carefully looks into our everyday lives and activities with austerity. For instance, she would linger at the dining table to supervise food’s disappearance and then remind us to take those which are not out of sight (not eaten yet). Although we don’t have implied curfew, she’s one who would message or call us when we’re not home yet as she expects. She’s one who’d correct us consequently when she sees things not in their right frame.

    3. Comical

    She takes every opportunity to laugh to her heart’s content. She laughs even at overworked and corny jokes. She also finds my random made-up statements amusing and laughs again when she learns that they are mere pretenses. On top of it all, she’s happy when we’re happy.

    4. Tender

    She always hugs and kisses us not only when we reach home, go out, wake up in the morning and sleep at night but also whenever she just feels like doing so. There are no goosebumps when we hug or rest on each other’s arms, because we are already used to these every day. Thank goodness. 😀

    5. Patient

    She has made it through those long and thorny valleys in between the mountain-top moments of motherhood because of her patience. She digs for perspective and does not give up. She might not had always liked what she had to do but she’s got the “mother’s high” feeling, always trying to do what’s right and best for us.

    Wrap Up

    She considers spending time with us a gift–a gift that had been wrapped from wet diapers, dirty school uniforms and messy tables to isolated and busy hours. Now it has been unwrapped to a sense of gratification.

    Once upon a time her rule was absolute and her word was law. If she told us it was time for bed, off to bed we would go. Talking with our mouth full? That was not acceptable behavior and in time, we’d eliminate even the need to speak to her on the subject. One glance was all it took and we would stop talking, chew our food, not speak again until the mouthful was swallowed. One glance was all it took for us to understand, comply and obey. Whether fair or unfair, rational or irrational, her ruling went unquestioned, unchallenged and life was easy being queen in a court of two. They were good times and now they’re better; now we tell her if it’s time for bed, not to talk when her mouth is full, cover her mouth when yawning, etc.

    The truth is that as she grew older, we did, too. We grew familiar with foibles and idiosyncrasies. And because we’re all grownups now, it’s about time to take care of her with equal or heightened patience, tenderness, appreciation, faithfulness and organization.

    To Mommy Dearest, happy birthday! 😀

  • The Party Didn’t Start Till June Walked In

    This month presented a tumultuous coaster of firsts and celebrations. Here’s a list of my first-time encounters which happened in June 2012:

    • Meeting other newly hired managers from different departments and branches in the company orientation
    • Meeting my teammates in the second day of work (actual deployment)
    • Knowing about the background of the projects I’ll be handling from a project meeting
    • Meeting the project sponsors/clients and appreciating that they are cooperative/willing to work together for the project’s success
    • Meeting the internal team for updates
    • Going to work as required on two consecutive Saturdays
    • Visiting the Mall of Asia Arena
    • Dining in the Oasis to celebrate the birthday of Louie and mine
    • Having free pizza for dinner because of a late Pizza Hut delivery last Father’s Day
    • Treating workmates to celebrate my birthday together with five other colleagues’ on a Friday night in a karaoke bar; singing duet with a person I didn’t know
    • Buying a coupon myself from a deals site where I purchased two pieces of vacuum compressed bags
    • Having my braces adjusted
    • Investing in the Forex market
    • Holding a VIP card/becoming a member of a clothing line because of my purchases
    • Incurring “one late” because my ID failed to register to the chronolog machine when I swiped it for like five times to log in from a snack break
    • Activating electronic banking service for my ATM card myself
    • Drinking Happy Lemon and Chatime milk tea in the Philippines

    So lately, I have been hanging out online reading lots of articles and have happened to stumble upon this post: Steal Like An Artist. Main point is that everyone would have copied their ideas from everyone else.

    Who’s to say that you’re original when others found out that your work is pretty similar to those which had been published earlier? We might have taken inspiration from hither and tither thus people would call us copycats. But in today’s world, where sharing is just a mouse click away, putting yourself with much originality after tweaking others’ original work then pretending that you feel quite comfortable/confident can be hard.

    But who’s also to say that your presentation (original or the lack of originality thereof) won’t be successful or more successful than the former?

    Even if your statements are cliché and even if they have been seen and done several times before, they could have provide impact and meaning to a different audience and in a different time. If you’ve got something to express and do with all your heart, then make it happen. It’s the YOU in it that makes it unique.

    Thanks, Ke$ha, for TiK ToK. (I couldn’t think of a title for this post until I remembered your song. ♥)

  • We’re Not Built for Fame

    We’re Not Built for Fame

     The streets are quiet. All seemed hooked to watching the delayed telecast or live streaming of the Pacquiao-Bradley match. I’m no expert when it comes to boxing but to me, Pacman won the fight! Many are clamoring for the same–even “the champion” himself.

    But we cannot reverse time and change the judges’ ultimate verdict. Timothy Bradley has beaten Manny Pacquiao in controversial split decision. In a short interview, Pacman said he has no problem with a rematch in November.

    According to my Twitter feeds, Bradley has also expressed his willingness to bring back the title to Manny whom he also thought to be the deserving winner. He might just have been too excited when the announcement was made. He immediately jumped to the ring corner and screamed to the audiences. Everyone was nearly silent though. On the other side, Manny had his head bowed down. Obviously he was upset. A statement went through my head:

    “We’re not built for fame.” 

    Manny, through his long and successful career as a boxer, has happened to only glorify God and spread His message recently. And now that he lost to this young opponent, his faith would really be tested; he might put his faith to doubt.

    If you’ve watched the telecast, however, you’ll see that he stood there and still clasped his hands to praise God after the announcement of the result. His eyes were almost bloodshot-red though. He admitted he wanted to cry. He was like hiding in the comfort of his humanness.

    Point in case is that all glory belongs to Him alone. There the saying comes to life: “What goes up must come down.” In order to stay right, we tip back our heads to the heavens, lift gratitude to our lord and pray to save us from ourselves.

    That’s about it. On other news…

    My Nerves Can’t Settle With Being Unproductive

    I have completed my first week at my new job. I forgot how this week can typically be boring, with no deep knowledge about the company (or team) culture, organization’s standard processes and other active projects. I dislike not getting anything done. (Each unproductive moment in a day creates the opposite of a positive connotation in my mind.) Maybe this holds true for most people? Maybe it’s normal, somehow.

    To counter this, I’ve read loads of documents which got my head swimming and my eyes bleary. I’ve worked my brain far long but not to the point when my neurons stop firing impulses. I’ve used this time to find my place, accept differences from my prior working environment, know who’s who (but there are too many names and faces to remember I’m afraid I have short-term memory issues), attend meetings and learn how decisions are made.

    Moreover, I often keep in mind that I have to do professional networking; blending with coworkers is essential. I have to spend time with them and others in the workplace to understand what they see as norms, challenges, problems, strengths, weaknesses and opportunities.

    It will take time to earn their trust and respect; the least I can do for now is listen and be attentive to them while they show me the ropes. On that part, I believe I’m on the right track. 🙂

     

  • All For You

    All For You

    Countless of times, my mom would hope to win in the lottery game. And on cloud nine, she’d go on enumerating the things she’s going to buy and do with the prize money. Problem is, she buys a card to draw out her “winning” numbers only when she remembers numbers which flashed in her nighttime dream.

    She so believes in this and she’s not alone. There are millions of others in this country (or in the world) who wish to win that jackpot to be more financially secure in life.

    However, it’s common knowledge that the odds of winning in a lottery is a pretty big and long shot; you can get higher chances in playing poker and other games in the casino. In between though, this got me thinking:

    If ever you become luckier than everyone else and win that giant prize of pot money, would you quit your day job? Or if you’re an entrepreneur, would you shut down your business to just tour around the world and have fun?

    A resounding yes for an answer is reflective that you have to consider thinking about going after what you really want to do with your life, your passion for a dream job. Generally, regular employees work at least eight hours a day. 8 hours at work by 24 hours in a day is one third of your life in a day.

    This is too short a time to spend doing something you don’t have strong feelings for.

    During these two months that I’ve been on vacation (another way of saying it: unemployed), I’ve pondered and asked myself if IT is really where I feel home. For starters, I didn’t take up BS in Information and Communication Technology Management as my undergraduate degree for nothing.

    I believe this course interests me because I want to gain more knowledge and experience dealing with people and technologies upfront. I also thought that opportunities waiting in line would be bountiful for graduates of the college of computer studies because (hello?) we’re now living in the technology era. Technology helps employees in any organization keep pace in the workplace, and it just revolutionizes businesses regardless of type and size.

    The area of IT is wide in scope as it covers software engineering, network engineering, programming, database and systems administration, network administration, security and systems analysis, technical support, technical writing, website design, and a lot more. I was baffled where I’d be specializing in.

    Thankfully, I got my chance to experience bits of almost each one and from there realized what I like most.

    I’m happy and proud of all my past job experiences. I thought I’d try technical support (Mandarin) for an multinational company here next when I came back, as I already passed all the exams and interviews for the position.

    The compensation and benefits package was also okay–in fact, one that matches my most recent job’s. But my mom advised me to stay put with one company and choose a role which would not frustrate and stress me out so much that I’d quit abruptly. (We know that call center jobs are totally frustrating.) So I had to let go and proceed on active job-hunting.

    There may be too many “fishes in the sea” that the HR department has got not enough time in reviewing, screening, scheduling interviews and responding to applicants.

    Pacing, to me, is very slow. Good thing I work as a part-time writer at home. Writing research papers, business papers, SEO articles and blog contents kept me mostly preoccupied; else, I might have died of ennui.

    Over and hard, I waited and prayed for that suitable job to come. praying

    Today, I have just accepted a job offer, formally joining the company who’s got it…(see the title).

    As for the Q above, my answer is no.

    God is good awesome. angel