Iobi visits Hong Kong (part 3) (part 2) hehe

Nope... no Disneyland trip this time. Apprently, my dad feels too weak to get up.

It hurts. Seeing the pillar of the household at his weakness. Can't imagine...

Iobi visits Hong Kong (part 3)

My first blog in another country. Hehe... read on.

Day 5... well, Day 4 because we left Manila at 7:00PM and got to Hong Kong at 9:00PM. Didn't get to see much because of the 45 minute train ride to Central station. Got to Kuya Reggie's flat at around 10:30. Boy were we bushed.

Boy, a year already?? Come to think of it, yeah, my last HK trip was exactly a year ago. Nothing has changed much except for the fact that I can walk further than last time. So that is something I am proud of.

Anyway, Day 4/5, 4:00PM, nothing to do. Nakakajokot lumabas kasi mapapagastos lang ako. Lalo na my sister claims that the cheapest and best deals are just around the corner and we do not need to go to Mong Kok or to Stanley Market to get great deals. Wan Chai is the bomb!!

The other day, Chezka and I just got a Nintendo Wii for Jinggay and Jujung and we (Chezka and I) had a blast. We got them Mario Party 8 (in Japanese) but it was well worht it and now, I just convinced Chezka to get our own Wii. (in English) Sweet. I'm on the web now browsing for the best games and I'll get them here before I realize that the price is in HK$ and not in Pesos.

Buying now isn't bad either. I just withdrew HK$1000 from my personal account. I was expecting to have arnd P2000 left to find out I have P3500. Doing my calculations correctly, it showed that the exchange rate was P5.51 to HK$1. SWEEEEETTT!!!!!

Today, I'm going to 188 to scout out some games and the price of the Wii US so that Chezka and I can get it before we leave on Sunday.

Kerwin, Zymar, and Chat asked me to look for stuff and see how much they would cost here. If it is much cheaper, they'll send me money and I'll buy it for them here.

Kerwin - PSP
Zymar - 160/300GB 3.5" Hard Drive
Chat - Avent products. Apprently, they cost here is almost half of its price in the U.S. So, samantala.com. hehehe... I already asked Ate Tess to accompany me tomorrow to check out the prices, I'll text them after, hopefuully, they can deposit the money by Friday and I'll buy them on Saturday.

Friday is blocked because we are going to Hong Kong Disneyland!!!!! Which reminds me, I'll have to charge my camera to make sure it'll have enough juice for the 5000++ shots or 40 minutes of video on my 4GB SD card. Sweeeeeeeet!

More of this, soon!

My New Toy

Last Sunday, while Peter and I were walking around TriNoma. Kim Sy texted me asking if I were looking for a Phone. What a kowingkidink! I was! I broke the phone that was issued to me at work and I am so dependent on it, I was browsing through every Auction site known to man to look for the perfect phone.

He was selling his Palm Treo 680 (www.palm.com/treo680). The Treo's on the auction sites were for around P13,000 to P21,000 and you would be doubtful if they were pre-prods or what not. (technical term... no time to explain) He was selling it for P18,000... Hmmmmmm... He needed the money and wanted a slimmer phone. I knew the guy way back from Kodak days so I thought, "what the hecK?" If he'd say yes to MY terms, I'm buying it.

Calculating the money I had, and will have, not to mention that I'll be going to Hong Kong this Christmas (YES!!!), I was so low on dough.

A few days back, my mom said that she was going to buy the tickets for the whole family as her Christmas gift to us. That saves me P14,000 on the spot.

In my wallet, I had P9,000 easy money which I'll be putting in the bank half as CC payment and the other half as savings.

So I recalculated:
P3,000 for 3 paydays, then the lumpsum, P9,000 from my Christmas bonus which I can give on the Sykes Christmas party. Hmmmmm... not bad... not bad at all.

So that's what I told him. Then I realized that I will have some money back from a benefit scheme I got from work. YESSS!! Extra money; it's like the money was prepared for me for this phone.

But then, I realized that it'll be 2 pay periods to the Christmas bonus instead of 3. Which means my lumpsum would become P12,000... Wait a f'in second. Mali mali mali.

So I decided to go for this offer instead.
P3,000 for two pay periods and P10,000 as lumpsum. Totalling to P16,000. Tumahimik si Kim bigla. Deym!! Aayaw ito. Well, good thing din kasi medyo bigla din yung gastos ko kung kumagat si mokong.

Then he asked kung kayang P10,000 initial d/p... I told him P6,000 lang ang maximum na maibibigay ko sa kanya that day and I was even willing to meet him at SITC since I was at TriNoma.

Isip muna daw... he'll text me the following morning since he was going to Better Living (near where I live) on Monday.

The next morning, he said P17,000. hmmmmm...

Papayag ako kung... here goes:
P6,000 d/p...
P4,000 sa a-30...
P7,000 lumpsum...

O loko! Pumayag si kumag. We met, he gave me the phone with the box and I gave him P6,000. The phone came with a crystal case and he said that he still has the leather case at home which he will give to me next time.

Fine... Fine... hindi pa nagsi-sink in na may phone NA AKO!! Until the night I came home. I checked the contents of the box. I needed to plug the charger at a power outlet and the USB cable to my PC.

Upon inspection, I saw the package included a CAR CHARGER!!!!! HOLY SHIT!!! A car charger. The cheapest for this phone should go for around P1,000 at least.

So then I recalculated what I had.

If... the crystal case and leather case were around P500 each, and the car charger would cost around P1,000, then th phone with the basic accessories would cose around... P15,000... OH SNAP!!! I MADE A GOOD DEAL!!!!

NO scratches on the phone and on the LCD... holy shit!!!

NOW, I HAVE MY OWN PALM TREO 680.













What's YOUR phone?? hehe

Dazed and Confused...

I originally wanted to call this blog "Closure..." but I think the title pretty much speaks for itself.

It has been 269 days since I last stepped foot on my old home. 262 days since I officially said my goodbye, for me, to the best praise and worship team God has put together and trained. Bread From Heaven Christian Fellowship, Las Pinas was not only my home but this was where I learned the bond of camaraderie; the value of musicianship; loyalty and trust. This was where I grew as a Christian and as a skilled musician. Blessed with countless co-ministry workers staying to the wee hours of the morning to make sure that everything goes the way they should. Without expecting anything in return. That's loyalty. To me, that cannot be classified by any lovegift or paycheck to ensure they get the same result.

This morning, I spoke to my Music Director and good friend "Kuya Bobot" and talked about how different the people have become. We so as much would want to get together with our old team for old times sake; for musicianship; for camaraderie; and nothing more.

I don't want to try to explain why things happened or why people reacted the way they did but you can't help but try to think if these people do know you any better for them to prejudge you because you took a stand and left. You, on the other hand, never looked down on those who decided to stay. Surely, God has a purpose why I left and surely He has a purpose why they stayed and I am damn sure He will not let them go.

What hurts me even more is the fact that whenever you try not to mention about what happend in the past and just see each other as friends, they would automatically react like, "we are doing this just as friends, right? no politics involved." WTF?? Who said anything about politics?? Things happened, people fell down, but people get up, lick their wounds, and move on; Plain and simple. No regrets; no hesitation; no remorse. It's just one of those things we had to do but made so sure that it'll never, for a f'in second, affect the friendship that grew.

Because if the friendship happend and stayed because of the band, and since we are not part of the band anymore, then... that would mean... oh shit!!!

Namaaaaaaan! Matatanda na tayo...

Prove "us" Wrong...

The qualms of a call center agent:

• Not getting the break (promotion) they deserve.
• Not being treated equally.
• Not being allowed to go on leave.
• Being bypassed.
  

That kind of attitude is common all across the board. When we, your management, were still in your shoes, we felt exactly the same way; but what set us apart was an attitude most of us have done and – I won’t be surprised if most of us – are still doing.

Never think that we or they are unfair or that we overlooked you. It’s something so plain and simple. You are just not noticeable enough. Maybe, you are noticeable but because of the stats you are producing.

Sure, you are at the top of your game. You hit all metrices with minimal effort. You easily adjust to whatever situation is given to you. You had a good run until that lone disappointment that pulled your ego down and dwindle in your depression for a few weeks, thus affecting your performance the weeks that followed. Then when another opportunity comes, your current numbers disqualify you and pull you down into your comfortable room of self-pity all the more. Who is to blame? The manager who didn’t endorse you? The Team Lead who failed to give you your monthly pep talk? Sure, they didn’t push you enough and sure, they breathe down your neck every second humanly possible.

Maybe they don’t give you additional tasks but would rather give it to your newbie seatmate who already has 10 non-JD related tasks and was more than happy to receive their 11th. What’s wrong in this picture? What can I do to make sure this is corrected?

There is nothing to be corrected. It’s life. The other people get that chance because they take that chance. They make us [management] know that they want it. Take note, people. Simply saying that you want it does not quite qualify as letting-us-know-that-you-want-it. You will have to show us.

Your direct supervisors may see it but if you really want upper management to take notice, you will have to stand out. Not standing out and sitting beside the manong guard or the lady guard but making your presence felt.

When I was younger, errr… eons ago, my last year in high school didn’t go off to a good start. 1st to 3rd year high, I was doing well with my grades. On the beginning of the 4th year, in the school were I came from (Shekinah Christian Training Center, Wiki it. Ü), the punishment for a grave offense would be paddling. (Yes, folks. Paddling… you know? The wooden paddle slamming against your soft tushy.) Now, imagine getting caught for the gravest offense twice in a quarter and they call in your dad to “paddle” you. That’s not the worst part. Imagine if you dad was the Tiger Woods of his time. To make the long story short I was given two whacks each with his left (presumed the “weaker” arm… boy, was I dead wrong) arm.

Then after that, the teachers would be looking after me twice as much as the next student. Every I walk around campus, someone would always ask what I was doing until graduation. (I graduated, of course)

At the lowest point of my life, I felt that I had no one to turn to. Until my mom told me something so simple yet so mind daunting. “Son, I know what you’re capable of. I know you’re a failure. (ouch!) Having that said and if you are better than we think you are, it’s your job to prove us wrong.”

Quite a long story for such a short point but the bottom line is, if you want to make the cut, don’t expect us to give it to you; you will have to earn it. If we think you are something you are not, prove us wrong; make your presence felt.
Don’t expect us to give you everything that you need. We worked hard getting to where we are right now and to tell you frankly, the stress, the headache, and sometimes the tears, is all worth it.

Wanna be where we are right now? Wanna be our colleague? Prove us wrong…

Vanity Sucks

To a certain degree, all the women I know are pretty. They are just not convinced that they are. Why? How? It shows in the way they pose for the camera. They feel that they only have one angle and that that is the only good angle that they have.

A few weeks back, I was fortunate to go to Boracay with a bunch of my college friends. Boy did we have a blast. Sure, we got home at 6PM (read it clearly folks, PM not AM) but I can say I've had so much fun.

Anyway, I brought along my Canon IXUS 900Ti digital camera boosted with a 4GB SD card. (1300++ High Res. pictures, baybee). Of course, I told my friends that I would be the only one with the camera so that we all can have one set of pictures. Which means they will be the ones holding the camera more than I do; which is fine.

When we got home, I was happy to see over 500 shots. "This will be a memorable trip", I thought. Upon inspection, I saw around 3/4 of the pictures were all of one friend. That was fine only that she just had one pose and one angle. The angled smile showing off the right side of her face. I noticed that it was beginning to become a pattern when even if the camera was on the left side, she would exert an effort to make that right angled pose. Even if it would make her look odd which did.

I then started looking at my friendster profile and noticed that ALL girls had a signature angle and would post it all over. They would brag that they went to different places but if it weren't of rht edifferent clothes they were wearing, I could have sworn they took many shots at the same time.

Yeesh...

Oddities

Last Saturday, my dad asked me to bring our 10 year old Mazda to have the Clutch Master Cylinder checked. For some reason, when you step on the clutch, it does not engage the gear. My dad, being the engineer that he is, suspected that the Clutch Master Cylinder needs to be replaced; the ENTIRE kit. He figured that the kit would cost, roughly, P250. Boy, was he dead wrong. After inspection, the entire repair cost P2,050. He was obviously a ZERO (0) short.

Anyway, that's not the point of this blog. At the shop; MGA Auto Repairs at Merville. Beside DMCI Homes along the service road is where I took our car to have the damn thing inspected and replaced. Mel, the owner was pretty much on top of things. Knowing where everything was; knowing where all of his mechanics were. Though he was not directly handling my car, he was up and about at 6:30 in the morning (take note that I still lacked sleep because Peter and I met and discussed a business we were thinking of getting ourselves into -- that's another blog altogether.)

The fun thing about the entire setup was the relationship Mel had with his mechanics. It was not the usual boss-employee thing. Sure, he is the boss but he was more of the friend than he was the dictator. One guy was sweeping the floor when his friend ran to him and informed him that his wife just gave birth that very instant. Without batting an eyelash, Mel simply waved him off and told him to tend to his wife. In the corporate world, you cannot even breathe without filing the necessary paperwork.

So the dude sped off and it was business as usual.

The next thing I noticed was that amidst all the hustle and bustle in the repair shop, there was a short dude; a midget; walking around the place. Turns out that this guy has been working there for a year now as their jester, their errand boy because he simply needed a job. Boy, if all employers had that kind of heart, then no one would be unemployed.

An hour and half later, the car was fixed and running like... well... it was running nonetheless.

I admired how Mel dealt with his team. Makes me look at myself and see how I am as a Leader. Wish I could be as kind as him but still get the respect and loyalty from my members. Hey, they don't earn much but they stayed. What more with my team?

My Frustrations Bottled Up

I so wanted to move up. But I just had to get a memo over a petty thing which I believe could have been avoided. Still, I think that was uncalled for.

Now that that's out of the way. Lemme say a few things to Implementation Managers in general. Think hard on who you are getting. How can you be sure that that person is better than I am? To put everybody up to speed with things. I was eying for a promotion where in I was turned down because I did'nt have the experience they were looking for. Now, is that why people call it "promotion"? Don't they have things called "trainings" for that?? What makes an L1 going to a Team Lead or a Team Lead going to a manegerial role differ from a Fresh Grad going to L1? Nothing!!! But why do you guys prefer laterrals over new blood?? How stupid it is when you ask someone if they have experience over something they don't normally do. Of course the general answer would be NO.

The reason why I stayed in this company is because I was led to believe that "if you stay long enough and work hard enough, you can get promoted". But that isnot what we are seeingnow are we? You would rather get someone who has been in and out of the company three times in the last 3 years over someone who has never left the company at all.

Another thing that bugs me is the fact that they "NEED" the person badly that they threat us on not getting the candidate if we don't release them earlier than we can. Then at the end of it all, you extend the deadline. Stupid. Just stupid.

First Post in 2007

Hard to believe that it's August of 2007. Can't believe my "little" sister is turning 23. Can't believe that most of my friends are married. Can't believe that I'm a few months away to my 3rd Decade. Can't believe that I'm still working at my first company. (6 years and going... strong??)

Many things have happened from my last blog. New church, additional friends. New insights, yet, still the same person. Gotten wiser? I hope so. But circumstances and people around me make me think otherwise.

I wanna move out. I wanna be independent. What's the use of wanting to settle down with someone when I can't even take care of myself. Haaaaaaaaay.

More of this, in a bit.