Observations

Alex, a buddy from my previous company, and I went out to the mall so I could buy office supplies (which my company should be providing, by the way, but they're not!!). I just shared my observation that the malls usually segregate the male from the female at the entrance for a more organized way of inspecting their bags for security reasons. And always, always, the queue for female is longer than that of the male's. Yet once inside, I seem to notice that male mall-ers outnumber the women. Or was that just my observation. Or could it be that the female mall-ers are inside the department stores.

 Alex then shared his observation on a far different thing. Why is that when a person buys an age reducer cream or something, after a while they dress up like as if they're 10 years younger. Alex then concluded that age reducing creams can make you delusional!!!

Melancholy

Morrissey - Dear God Please Help Me

Today I found myself reading the poetry of Alfred Yuson, one poem has the title Whoever Found My Yesterdays. I loved the title I love the poem. It made me melancholic. Plus, my player was on Morrisey's "Dear God Please Help Me". Click on the link for Yuson's poem, it will open a new Window or tab, then come back here and play the track. See if it has the same mood for you.

Stellar Sleeping

Sundays - Here's Where the Story Ends

pen & paper
estranged,
word, mind, heart & meaning,
silenced & solemn,
bowed & bound.

when none can be offered,
yet one is awaited,
i will be your poetry for the day.

Title: I Will Be Your Poetry for the Day
Date: c. March 2006

There are things that can really make you feel unwanted at work. One is a boss who has made a comment about you that "busi-busihan lang naman yan". And that will make you feel so incompetent that it will affect the way you see your job… 

Then one day you see that same boss….

I have often told myself that when worse comes to worst, if I can't respect my boss, at least respect the office he holds. Tsk. Tsk… One call center I know fired an Operations Manager because an agent was able to get a picture of the former sleeping on the job.

Well, I hope this boss of mine succeeds in getting the promotion he wants. Then the floor can function again…

Sino to?

Frou Frou - Holding Out for A Hero

Okay, I will again break tradition in so far as this blog is concerned and won't start with a poem. I just want to be visual for today by showing you a picture.

These two pictures were taken on October 17 on my way to our temporary office in Makati. I boarded a bus going to Ayala and this man boarded at Kamias and took off at Cubao.

Now why is here on my blog? Well, because when the "kundoktor" was ready to take his fare, he flashed his LTO ID, meaning he does not want to pay as he is with the government office.

I usually hate the bus drivers and "kundoktor" for taking the Crossing Ibabaw route and taking too long to leave Ortigas but at this instance, I empathized with the "kundoktor" who showed the face of utter frustration for not being able to collect from this man.

Too bad I was not able to get his name otherwise I would have sent this photo with his name to the LTO higher ups!

… as if they would care!

GA to SK

As you can see, this blog has become empty in the past month. I was so busy with work that upon reaching home, I just turn on the PC, check my email then go straight to sleep. The routine has even created a slightly embarrassing issue at home that my Dad had told me that I have been spending less time with my Mom. Which is unfortunately true as I go straight to my room when I get home. To surf! Sheeesh!

I had hoped that this blog would be a showcase (?) of my writings from my college days, those poems that I wrote way back in college, then add that to my musings today about my life in general. I even put in music to complete the mood. But lately, even if I have so many stories to tell, I just don't have the energy. I am hoping I can bring that energy to write again in the next couple of weeks as we move to our new location to Cubao, where commute time is considerably lesser. For now, I just store in my cellphone the topics that I have long wanted to write on my blog.

Hope to see you soon! 

Survey says…

Music and Me by Michael Jackson* 

(Inhale.) 

No more regrets!
It has no place here -
anymore,
it shall hide its
treacherous face
behind a volley of smoke.

(Exhale.)

Here, then, is a guilt-free
smoke.

Title: Smoke Again Bohemian 2
Date: September 26, 1995

Not yet.. i mean, i have promised a couple of topics here since August but i would need more time to write those. Anyway, here are random thoughts!

Celee, a colleague, also a Team Manager, said she has a friend who owns a Mini Stop franchise and that when her friend was checking the top selling items in the store, this is what came out as a result:

1. Condoms
2. Lozenges
3. Feminine wash

Based on these items, we can surmise these things.

24 hour shops attract certain people, or better yet, they were designed to meet the needs of call center agents since they work mostly on graveyard shifts. That being said we can conclude certain things, like:

A. Call center agents are very sexually active. Raging hormones! Thus the condom.

B. Women in call centers are very hygienic. Hence, the feminine wash!

C. Gay call center agents are getting all tired with their "oral" activities, thus the lozenges. They, too, are sexually active. 

OK, other random things. But these are actually materials for my other blogs. Call bloopers, actually. In my new account, the caller said, "Am i speaking to the pharmacist?" and lo and behold, the other party said, who we suspect is a Filipina, "No, you're speaking to Teresa." **

____________

* My favorite song right now!

**Again, the explanation will come later on how this happened. For now got to really get some sleep!

Fermina Express and Metro Manila Time Zones

every minute that walks by
is a                             distance I
bear with so much torment,
and if pain be so cliche' a
word to speak of my burden,
I shall cease to speak about
this hardship and be silent

                   a portrayal of my
silence when seve            red
from you.

Title: Trial
Date: c. 1997

Ok, finally had the chance to sit down before my computer without having to worry that tomorrow would be another working day and that I have to be on the bus by 6.30 am to avoid the mad rush and the traffic gridlock. Ironically, 10 am is officially the start of our working day but because i live in QC, I simply can't afford to wait until 8 am to get a bus. I don't want to be late! I rather be early and take a nap in the sleeping quarters than feel the time pressure. The funny thing is, sometime I get to board a bus that let's me experience a paradigm shift. Okay, let me explaine. You all know about buses here in the city, they take their sweet time before acknowledging the green/go light. I'm sure you get the idea. So, one morning, determined not to again experience the punishment of the mad rush, I followed my usual routine. I made sure I will get a bus by 6.30 am as usually I get to Makati at around 8.20. The time from then to 10 am, I usually spend smoking or reading training materials. 

Anyway, I saw a bus that I knew was somehow fast in transporting commuters in EDSA. Ok, it's Fermina Express. Or more popularly known as FermEx. Anyway, I got on the bus (forgot to get the bus number) and paid for my fare then quickly took a nap! Whoa! When I woke up, we were in Buendia at 7.38. By 7.45, I was in the office! 

That, by any means, is fast. Colleagues had a grand time listening to that story as it was really unusual. My line to them was,

 Galit sa pasahero ang driver. Ayaw magsakay sa EDSA at humarurot na lang ng takbo! 

But wait till they hear about my story last night. So, when we were waiting for our respective buses, I saw another FermEx bus and told my colleagues, "There's my bus!" and quickly said goodbye! Ayala was still crowded at 7.15 pm so, it was a slow start. It was standing room only so I had to wait until Guadalupe-Tulay to get a seat. When I did get a seat, I quickly went to sleep. Lo and behold! When I woke up, at 8.11, I was in Litex. I got home at 8.33.

I usually get home at 9.15 pm (leaving Makati at 7.15 pm). This time around,

Galit pa rin sa pasahero! Ngayon naman ayaw magbaba at umaarangkada na lang ng takbo!

There were several instances when the "kundoktor" had to shout at the driver that he should be stopping as they were to unload passengers. And one instance when he did stop, and had to be reminded that the door had to be opened.  

I had an idea, by the way, that I shared to my colleagues. Since most of us in the pioneer team of a start up call center lives outside of Makati (our soon to rise site will be in Cubao - can't wait for October!), I told them that I have an idea that I am working on to prevent tardiness in Makati offices. 

Since most employees in Makati corporations are residents of neighboring cities, to prevent tardiness, the different cities that EDSA crosses should have different time zones. Allow me to cite an example:  myself.

In my case, I have to leave Fairview no later than 6.30. I have to travel through EDSA by bus and that'll be a good 1 hour and 30 minutes. If I'm lucky to board a FermEx, that'll be 1 hour and 15 minutes. But don't forget that I'm doing so knowing that 10 am is my log in. You see the sacrifice there? In order not to be late, I have to be very early. Since it's terrible in EDSA at around 8. 

So to solve this, make Makati's time zone later by 2 hours. Pasig may be 1 hour and 30 minutes later than QC and so on for Mandaluyong etc. So, this would let me leave Fairview by 10 am and still reach Makati by 10 am!

Great idea? He he.

Rain Check

Track: Where Does the Time Go? By  Julia Fordham

they're all dead,
those beautiful women
of intellect,
they're all dead,
they chose life,
now they're dead.
they chose living,
now they're dead poets,
they chose death,
now they're dead.

Title: (untitled)
Date: c. 1996

Haven't had time updating my blog because of the recent move to another company. I am training in Makati and since I live in Fairview, I need to give myself no less than 2 hours of travel time by bus to Ayala Avenue, Makati. I get home at around 9.15. I give myself an hour before sleeping and the next day, at 5.30am, I am up again. Whew! I promise to update this more often as soon as I have settled in my production schedule! So miss blogging my heart out! 

I know I promised to write about my toys, my feelings leaving my previous company. Now I also have to write about my new colleagues!

Hoping for a "Stellar" growth….

Track: You Make Me So Very Happy by Blood, Sweat & Tears

in the beginning
man had only concept;
from his mind came
the shape of progress,
and progress was in
the shape of the vague;
then man said, "let
the vague be in the
form of warfare."
and warfare it was
to be, for warfare
it was intended to
be. Then man sensed that
something was missing,
it was getting lonely;
so man said, "let my
warfare have enemies,"
and took a bullet from
a barrel and shaped
it into his own image and
likeness.
        From the beginning
man had only concept,
from his mind came
the shape of progress,
and progress was in
the shape of what
the other possessed.

And they die quickly ever after.

Title: In the Beginning
Date: November 27, 1993, 12.47 am.

Finally got the chance to sit down and  write what's been happening lately. I finally resigned from work to join a start up company as a Team Manager. There are risks involved, I know, specially since I have been a victim of a call center that was doomed even before it started (I-Call, which was later bought by Epixtar). We are Wave 0 in my account - pioneer! So if this company ever grows to be a force to reckon with, the opportunity to advance is tremendous. 

The very process of choosing this new company is worth an entry here on my blog. And if you have time to spare, I surely have time to tell the story…

March I told my Team Leader I'm burnt out. I want a breather, I want to resign and probably find a new industry to join. I sent a resume to one company that also handles offshore calls for our program. I sent them an email telling them I'm still an agent and have been performing well and would they have a slot for me to fill in the manager position? They called me up, set me up for an interview and exam. Passed that and later was told to wait for a call for the final interview. Meanwhile, I told my Team Leader I wanted out!

She asked the Site Director, an American, to talk me out of it. He said, wait for two months and there might be an opening for a Team Manager position. In this company, a big call center that is really, really prestigious, you'd have to apply for a promotion and try to beat out ten or twenty aspirants. I agreed to stay since what the Site Director said about me flattered me no end..

He's the only one who ever had the guts to tell me I'm wrong.

Lesson, pay no heed to flattery! 

By April, there was an internal job posting for the position I have waited for. This will be my fourth attempt! Didn't make it. The Operations Manager who interviewed me at that time, newly promoted, was half-asleep! And the feedback I got was, "The agent was thinking in general terms." 

Nothing followed. Well.. weren't they guilty of that as well? They could've, at least, tried to be more specific. Anyway, as with my previous entries here, I transferred to the e-mail program for our account. There I met Miko and Shirley, Jennifer and Tippy! Great people and nice friends!  Tried to be happy there. And I was, since I met new friends. But I simply had to try to find ways to grow.

Around this time I found a blind ad for a Trainer for a Cubao-based call center. It said it was for a pioneer account. I sent my resume and within 24 hours, got an email inviting me for an interview. Problem is, the email is from the same company where I had a pending application for a Team Leader. I called them up, the recruitment specialist's name is Drew, and I told them, "I have a pending application for another position in your company. I have to regretfully withdraw my application." He said, "Ok." And I thought that was the end of it.

By June, I got a call from the same company again. (It gets better, so stick around!) I was walking down our street from work when I got a call on my mobile. It was for the trainer position again. Since I haven't heard from the same company with regard to my Team Leader position, I thought, well, might as well! I told them I can only make it on a Saturday and they said fine! I continued my walk home, smiling as this could actually be a start of something big. After 25 minutes, got a call from them again, same number. I thought, are they taking the invitation back?!?

It was for the same company but this time, it was finally for the original position I applied for. They had to ask me to take another battery of tests as it had been more than 3 months since I took the tests. I said no problem.  The only catch is I also said yes to the trainer position. I simply had to be honest with them and told them the truth. Jane, of Recruitment, asked me if I wanted to be a trainer or a supervisor. I told her I want to be in operations. 

"Okay, give me five minutes and I'm going to talk to them," then Jane said goodbye. After a full minute, got a call again from Jane saying it has been resolved already and I can come on Saturday, original schedule, but this time for the Team Lead position.

I passed that again, no sweat but after 5 days, I got a call and we just couldn't agree on the salary so I turned that down. This is Friday!

I just need to add here that my own company had another posting for a Team Leader Intern position. It's a promotion, alright, but it's a preparation for the Team Leader position. The Intern will handle 4-6 agents whereas Team Leaders handles about 20 agents. In my mind, I was just waiting for the first company to give me a push up the food chain! My new supervisor was in fact excited at the prospect of helping me out, again! Because while these were happening, I applied for a promotion again but was turned down!

The very next day, while watching a movie at SM Lipa with my partner, I got a call from them again and this time, for a Team Leader for a pioneer position. I told them what had transpired for the past few months and the lady at the other end of the line said, "It's ok, just tell Drew about this." The same Drew I called a few months back to say I'm, not interested! 

On Monday, July 30th, a day before the deadline for application for the Intern position, I talked to Drew. Cutting this short, I got the job! I liked the salary and while two months we need to be in Makati, as soon as the site is complete in Cubao, we'll  be Quezon City based. Next problem, how to resign without waiting for 30 days as first day in my new job is the following Tuesday. So when I got back to work the following day, my supervisor was surprised to see a resignation letter instead of a letter of intent for the Intern position.

My supervisor was supportive, yet very sad to let me go! I would like to believe that I served them well n my 20 months in that account; I never had a failing quality evaluation, never had a failing credit nor a dissatisfied customer in our Point of Service Evaluation! The Operations Manager talked to me and it was the same thing. He endorsed me to my former Operations Manager, she was asking me to stay for another two months! 

I told them I wish I can do that but in order for me to grow I had to make this very painful decision of leaving my friends. They endorsed me to the Senior Operations Manager, and although she said she won't try to "save" me, she did in fact drill down to me to not lose faith in the company. 

I told her, "I haven't lost faith in the company. But I just want to re-focus my faith on myself. If I don't do this, I might end up losing faith on myself!"

I made it clear to her that in February, when I had a chance to leave and pursue the other company, I agreed to stay as the Site Director had asked. I gave the company 5 months, in fact. Can't they just let me go immediately as I have given them enough time. She agreed and here I am.

Very happy and excited! Will tell you more on how I felt next time as the above is a linear recounting of the events! See you soon!

Big big change..

No poems today.. no music too…

Been a very hard week for me… a big change coming up.. I know I promised writing about my toys… but this change in my life.. hope it's something for the better.. 

Will tell you soon!