Did I Just...

...speak to Fred Ayala?

Rizal Stadium,
Ayala Olympics,
May 10, 2008,
sometime between 10 and 11am,

...we were seated at the back row, eating,
while athletes are doing their things on the track,
a middle-aged mestizo guy sat beside me and asked from which group did I came from.

(We obviously came from the same group, Ayala Corporations,
because we were wearing the same shirt...)

I told him I came from eTelecare
and the coversation started!

From which clan(or program) I came from...
I told him I'm from Vonage...
He told me he's a Vonage customer as well...
He asked if we get to talk to Filipinos...
Most are in the US and a few from here in the Philippines...
Yada! Yada!

...and off he went leaving the words "Sige!"

I suspected the moment we had a talk.
The same reason I asked my seatmates who the man was...
The exact words I used, "Sino siya?"
And the people bursted into laughter like they were scaring me with "Hala ka!"
Because the man was Fred Ayala!

Man, whoever he is I suspected he was an Ayala!
But whatever! The only Ayala I know is Fernando Zobel!
Who the hell is Fred Ayala?

The moment I got home, I did my research right away.

Keywords: Fred Ayala

#1 Search result: Welcome to eTelecare

... I followed the link and Woof!

Fred Ayala, chairman and former CEO of eTelecare Global Solutions
graduated MBA, Harvard School of Business

and that's the only time I went like WhoaH!
I spoke to my company's leader!
Is that so?

It was an amazing experience,
especially when the day before, I just had the worst day of my life.

There you go!
One day of jinx and the next day full of surprises...

The moral lesson of the story is...
DON'T TALK TO STRANGERS!