Sunday, December 05, 2010

After my workaholic November

Whew! It's December already. I was so caught up with work last November I hardly realized the month had passed. I was literally at the office everyday. Okay so maybe I wasn't for about...two days. We have 11-hour shifts; and I was doing pre-shift overtime, post-shift overtime and rest-day overtime! Yeah, yeah, no work-life balance. But I disagree.  :)

I enjoy my work as a chat support agent, regardless if our chat customers are plain stupid, or are from Convergys (oh yeah, the competition TRIES to waste our time, little do they know they actually contribute to the success rate). And we recently had one agent terminated, a few suspended and this pioneer account happens to need a few sets of fingers to reach our goal of 11,000 chats a month. So there, my reason for all the overtime.

Partly, there is nothing much to do at the apartment--mmm oh yeah, I live in Pasig now, studio apartment--except sleep as there is nothing there yet except for a fridge. So when I wake up, I shower and the office is just 10 minutes away (my record is seven minutes from engine start to engine shut off!) so I just go there and help. I try to think of all the stuff I wanna buy for my new place as a motivation. Hehe!

Another is because I enjoy being with my team. My coach rocks; didn't use to like him at first and now we always complain when he's not around! He says stuff at you like, "f*ck you, girl", or "whatever, man!" like he doesn't care, but at least he's pretentious. Not like those other suck-up coaches on the floor. He knows fun and knows discipline too.

My team, on the other hand, knows nothing but being pasaway:
- We turn the music up so loud that it annoys the other teams (regardless if there's a voice account nearby).
- We talk in Tagalog even though some coaches have complained we don't comply with the English-only Policy. (Side story: A coach approached our coach and complained about it. My coach said, "You get to pick on them if they're not following schedules, online time, break scheds and shit. But not what doesn't affect their performance. If not for them (the pioneer team), you won't even be here handling your team.")
- I walk from the pantry to my station eating my cheeseburger (so much for no eating on the floor).
- We sleep on the floor.
- We watch movies on hulu.com. If Facebook was accessible, I'm sure we're all updating our stats.
- I text freely on my iPhone 4, despite the rule of no gadgets on the floor.
- We're on instant messengers.

I guess it's not all about being pasaway, but more on we know how to work hard and what could affect our job--or how not to fall asleep while chatting!

Saturday, October 09, 2010

Decision Making in Relationships

My family doesn't meddle much with relationships that we have. Not much, sometimes not at all. For one, it's not theirs to decide on. But if anything, they'd simply give inputs on their stand on relationships. Here are some of the lessons they've told us in advance:
  • Never be with someone who throws plates at you when you argue.
  • If there's a trait that you don't like about him/her, think about it if you can withstand, accept and live with it for the rest of your life. If not, stop wasting your time.
  • Be with someone who brings out the best in you. 
  • Find someone you enjoy talking with--because that's what you're most likely to do in your life together.
I brushed it off, shrugged it off, and put it at the very back of my mind. I didn't think I'd need that. I know how to choose. And yet, when time came for me to decide, I came back to all of these. The very basic suggestions that my parents laid down years back are actually some of the most important ones; they are somewhat my deciding factors.

I'm glad to have had these points to ponder on; it really helped me. I hope it does the same to you, or to anyone reading this blog.

Thursday, September 09, 2010

Errand Runners - Philippines

Oh. My. Gosh. It's been months?! Hahaha! Oh well, I've really been so busy.

Updates. Now. (That kinda sounded like Krispy Kreme's "Hot Doughnuts. Now.")

1. I quit my job at IGT for the Travel Process Associate post. Reason? I effin' hate my TL.

2. Now I have a new job! Yep! That's just weeks in between. I don't even have my clearance and my last pay from IGT yet. I am almost done with training with Sitel, for a chat support account. Great, right? It's chat, I love typing than talking BS over the phone, and there's one major thing that made me apply at Sitel: I'm on wave 1!

3. We finally managed to launch the business last June, and I'm so proud to say that the business is slowly picking up. Of course, I'll discuss!

Errand Runners is some sort of errand/concierge/all-around help. This is already a growing industry in other countries; however, people used to have househelp here so it's not absolutely necessary. Initially, we thought of condo-living people who are at times helpless coz they don't have a houseboy or a maid to help them out with stuff like bills payment, moving furnitures around, etc. etc. Right now, we are also inclined on helping businesses save on their messenger expenses: we do documents transport, billing and collection, to name a few.

As exciting as it may already seem (well, at least to me), we currently have a growing market for: overseas Filipinos who need to do some errands in the Philippines (like we had one who needed to send a cake to a loved one); and brides/grooms (we have an errand tomorrow which needs to acquire a copy of the Certificate of No Marriage).

I am giddily excited! We have errands on a daily basis now.

I hope you can refer us to whomever you deem needs our service. Pretty please? :)

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For more info, visit us on the web: www.errandrunners.ph

Monday, April 26, 2010

On Blog Leave

Hi! I'll be on blog leave muna... We're currently setting up a new business and we're so busy. I'm getting workaholic with a full time job and two 'sidelines', co-managing the station and now an entirely different business.

Will blog back to advertise when we're all set. Have a great summer, you guys!

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

How're ya?

It's almost a month since I blogged! Can't believe days went by that fast. I'm currently on our second(?) week for product training...and again, it's exhausting. It does make my brain work, and since it's a travel account, I'm pretty much enjoying myself.

We've gone from 8am to 4pm shift to 4pm to 12mn shift, and now it's our third week on 12mn to 8am shift. My body clock is just ruined and I seem to be very unhelpful when I get home because all I wanted to do is sleep. But anyhow, I try. Yes, I do.

I'm getting the shopping feeling again; it's like I just can't get enough of shopping. I've endlessly been browsing through eBay.ph for bargain and unique stuff. Bought a few items too. I love shopping. Last Sunday we went to SM Megamall, bought ourselves a pair of Chuck Taylors and I bought another pair of brown flats. I finally went back to the Memo store and bought a black topper I've been eyeing for the past couple of months. Finally! Haha. More shopping to come!

I've been so detached from reality and I don't even know what's going on with people lately. So, how have you been?

Friday, February 26, 2010

My English-exhausted mind

Oh wow, Friday. It had been so long since I last said, "Thank God it's Friday!" Whew. What a week!

Last Monday marked my first day at my new job at InterGlobe Technologies at McKinley Hill. This week was is the first of the three-week voice and accent training. And I tell you, it's exhausting. It's my first time to undergo such training because the last time that I was in a call center, I was only a part-time employee. Thus, they didn't bother to train us as thorough.

But this week, I--and the rest of the 'wave'--underwent a lot of pronunciation, grammar and thought organization  hardships. It makes you wonder why one had to learn such terrible English from kindergarten to college. All this time, I used to think that I am good in English, but come voice and accent training, I was totally lost.

For example, there was this discussion about prepositions, and some parts of it left me dumbfounded. I was on training from 8am til 4pm, but as soon as I got home, I always had to Google something. William, our trainer, is good at what he does. I thank him for that. I even told him that I'm kind of rethinking about my grammar in all of my previous posts!

Tiring as it was, the perfectionist in me is craving for more information. I want to be good at writing and speaking English. I could not allow myself to write for all the world to read, or speak, in wrong grammar. And to this I say, "bring it on!"

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Rudeness at the Moviehouse

After a long Valentines weekend composed of a three-hour treatment (that includes a hot milk bath) at Devarana Spa with our overnight at Dusit, and the Crossover Buffet on V-Day, we decided to go out and see "Valentines Day" at Eastwood. It's a holiday, it's a weekend, it's family day Sunday. People are all over the place.

We always get our movie tickets as soon as we get to a mall so we don't have to worry about that later on... Come movietime, the final seats on our row was:

EMPTY--Couple1--EMPTY--Us--EMPTY--Couple 2

We literally strategically chose our seats so we don't have to rub elbows with anybody considering the jampacked screening times. Right before the opening credits rolled in, here came a middle aged couple with a teenage son walking up to our row, at Couple1's side.

Apparently, she bought the three empty seats and asked us all to move sideways so they can fit and sit together--smack in the middle of the screen. What got to me more was how she asked me. She just said, "Siguro pwede namang yung isa doon diba," sternly, and pointing at the empty seat between us and Couple2. It may be dark but I knew she'd see my expression with the glare of the screen. I rolled my eyes at her.

The son sat beside me and said a quiet "thank you," and he seemed so ashamed of how his mother had behaved. Well he should be! The mother asked Couple1 nicely if they could move to the empty seat to their left, and talked at us like that.

Fuck these people who ask you of things like you owe them.

Be my link?

I checked on my blog right now and I suddenly remembered how long ago it was since I bloghopped, you know given the fact that a lot of people check on their Facebook accounts more than they check their email. So I was looking... and looking. Then it hit me: I don't have my links!

Grr. Okay so people I could add your blog as links if you want to, just leave a comment on this post with your blog url. Thanks!

Friday, February 12, 2010

Stuck with Blogger Comments

My comment hosting site, Haloscan, will shut down tomorrow, therefore I wouldn't be able to maintain my black-and-green pop-up comment box. Guess I'm stuck with the comment section that comes with every Blogger account. Hmm it took me two hours to figure out how to get it back since my old template was still on HTML and given the *new* templates on Blogger... Safe to say I got lost.

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I finally have a parking space for my car! Yesterday we met up with the owner of a parking slot one buildings away and paid for three-month rental of the slot. One building away is still better than street-parking! :)

Wednesday, February 03, 2010

NBI Clearance - Mandaluyong

As with any pre-employment procedures, I am required to submit an original and valid NBI clearance. Of all possible requirements, I hated this one for the single thought of going to Carriedo and making my way through hundreds of people clamoring to get that sheet of paper. I have lost my personal copy from years back so I had to apply for a new one. I Googled for other areas/satellite offices that accept new applications and found out that Mandaluyong city hall has one (SM Megamall only accepts renewals).

Days and weeks went by gathering enough courage to do so, I finally went there today. I chose to go after lunch since most people would line up early in the morning hoping they'd finish early. From experience I've noticed that proceeding to government offices BEFORE they close would make you one of the few who are yet on the first steps of their procedure. Took a cab and asked around, I found the satellite office--more like a makeshift counter in the city hall grounds--and I can't make out what the first step was. There were none of those big signages telling you where the first steps were. In the middle of the waiting area (seats under a collapsible tent) I saw a table where fingerprinting ink was all over. On it was a small pail, yes a pail, with sheets of application forms. Then came the guy who's in charge of fingerprinting. After I filled out my form I approached him and he said, "limang piso". Despite the fact that I already brought my own pack of wipes I handed him the coin and proceeded with it.

Up in front of the cashier for payment, I was told I needed a cedula (community tax certificate). I had mine with me, but they needed one from Mandaluyong. Hmmm.. As far as i knew all I needed was a valid ID but anyhow I hesitantly paid twenty pesos for it. The cedula guy said "hmp walang kita" when I handed him exactly twenty pesos. Hmp back!

I returned to the cashier and paid P115 for the clearance and had my photo taken. The people at that "office" were rude, shouting at people who didn't know the procedure. I wanted to yell back at them for the sake of other people to tell them that they're so disorganized so how would the people know what exactly was the flow of the process. I was back at the waiting area when I heard someone shout at one of the applicants, "hoy kuya wag ka magsolo dyan dahil may nagpapafingerprint dyan hindi mo alam ginagawa mo". I looked around and saw that the fingerprint guy wasn't there. Finally he's back and he's lecturing newcomers too. He kept saying, "hindi pwedeng kayo kayo lang naggaganyan alam nyo namang may tao dito." A middle-aged woman wasn't able to contain herself and said back, "eh wala namang tao pano namin malalaman?"

And guess what the guy just kept shouting at how stupid the applicants were. Oh cmon! A handwritten instructions would have saved them a lot of trouble. So a note to everyone, yes you'd get it fast but they're rude!