Burger King has re-defined the meaning of customer satisfaction by giving free arm/hand massages to its customers. Coming from a court hearing this morning, I passed by the Burger King outlet along Quezon Avenue, near the Welcome Rotonda in Q.C., for a quick bite. As i sat down with my burger, a friendly lady in red approached me and asked if I wanted a hand and arm massage. Her Burger King name plate read ‘therapist’. Well why not ? A freebie is a freebie.

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One of my guilty pleasures is watching “American Idol” (and before that the first season of Philippine Idol). I know. Its shallow, cruel and victimizes the clueless and deluded contestants who make utter fools of themselves and are degraded by the judges in front of millions. That’s exactly why I can’t turn away. This is reality T.V. at its most vicious.

To be sure, after the elimination rounds, the talent level and quality of performance increases dramatically. It then morphs into a real talent contest, which can produce genuine diamonds-in-the-rough. Witness Jennifer Hudson of “Dreamgirls” fame, an Idol alum who did not even win the top spot.

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The Apple IPhone ( the company has dropped the word “Computer” from its corporate name) is the upcoming Mass Object of Desire (MOD) for Filipinos. Its hefty price tag of US$499 (for the 4 gigabytes model) to US$599 (for 8 gigabytes) is of no moment. Pinoy consumers, particularly affluent teens and young professionals who are tech savvy and have large disposable incomes, will find ways and means to acquire the next big bling. New smartphones from well-entrenched brands like Nokia and Samsung retail for as much or even more in the Philippines and are selling briskly.

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