missing

hay................................. 2 days na ko dito sa Bacolod!! I watched Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix (again) kanina at Robinson's Place Bacolod with Iqa, Cheryl, and Jessie. My parents, aunt, and brother, watched Die Hard 4.0... I was feeling sleepy when we got to the mall and that's when I realized, I MISS STARBUCKS!! and the pistachio ice cream with roast almond toppings frop Crepe...... hay................................. sooooooooo missing...............

surprised

It's my birthday July 19 and I got on a first flight plane to go home here in Bacolod to celebrate it with my family. Although all I did was sleep when I got here.

Anyway, I'm supposed to be writing about my July 18 experience at the office. I woke up early at about 9am yesterday because I still had to prepare the Carbonara that I'm bringing to work (konting pakain para sa birthday ko)... I went about making the sauce for the pasta...

I left the house at about a quarter to 2pm. I seriously though I was gonna be late since my work schedule is 2pm-11pm.. To my surprise, I got to work on time, I logged in at 2:01pm (which is still on time since we have a 10 min. grace period). We have this tradition at the GHD office that when someone celebrates his/her birthday, they always throw surprises. When it was my turn, I didn't expect one since they told me that there would be no surprise.. "kulang na ang budget kasi kakaattend lang natin sa binyag ng baby ni mommy val".. I didn't mind... My birthday isn't until the next day anyway and I would surely celebrate it in Bacolod. At about 5pm, my manager asked me to go down with her because she needs to talk to me. I'm thinking, uh oh, she's gonna scold about browsing the internet while working.. Fortunately, she just asked if I was having any problems with the support (as I'm just 3 months old in my job)..

When we went back up to the office, the lights were off. I already knew they had a surprise but I didn't have the slightest idea of what it is. When we went in the office they had a spot light on one of our blinds which has "Happy Birthday Joannie!!" on it.. Then to the lower right of that is star-shaped, purple pillow with my name on it and to the left is a birthday cake... =) I was so happy and touched by the gesture (kasi 3 months pa lang ako dun pero they still bothered to prepare something for me)..

Tapos kainan na!!! Andaming pumunta.. ung iba nag greet sakin pero di ko sila kilala.. hehehe smile lang ako and "thank you".. Un, sobrang natuwa ako! As in!

kaya, to my GHD family, THANK YOU NG MADAMING MADAMI!!!!

flipflops, sunrises, and movies galore

I am enjoying my new job! Especially now that I'm assigned to the graveyard shift, which is from 10pm-7am... you may be wondering why it's so enjoyable if i have to stay up all night, literally, for work...

well... here are the reasons behind my bliss for this shift...

~i get to wear my flipflops again!! i MISSED them... (FYI, i got to wear flipflops to work everyday when i was with my previous job, for this job though, it's corporate attire everyday, except for fridays when we get to wear jeans (but still no flipflops)... this is mainly because we are a law firm)

~i get to wear jeans and capri pants to work everyday!! just like before!!

~i don't have to wake up really early in the morning (i hate waking up early and our morning shift starts at 6am!! waaaaaaaay too early for me)

~i get to stay up all night (like i do at home when it's my day off), and work at the same time

~there's not much work during the graveyard shift (1 issue for every 1&1/2 hour is not so bad, right?)

~i get to check my emails and browse different sites until i've had enough of it (hehe wla kasing boss)

~i get to be online and chat away the whole time!!

~i get to watch movies everynight... (usually 2 movies per night.. hehe)

~i get to watch tv shows reruns.... american idol, csi, heroes, desperate housewives...

~i get to see the sunrise everyday!!! (it's so nice being able to see buildings all lit at night while it's really really dark, then those lights all turn out one by one while the sky is getting lighter, until finally seeing the sun rise, bathing everything with its light... amazing!)

~lastly, i get paid while doing all of these!! :)

now, aren't these reasons enough to enjoy this shift??

tagged

~tagged by Myckle~


“Each player of this game starts with 6 weird things about himself or herself. People who get tagged need to write a blog entry of their own as well as state the rule clearly. In the end, you need to tag 6 people as well and list their names. Don’t forget to let them know they’ve been tagged!”


1. i don't want pricey gifts... EVER! (except if it's from family) i feel like the person who gives gifts that are way too expensive are just trying to buy me... i'd prefer "cloud 9" over any imported chocolate brand anytime...

2. i think of my problems and for solutions to them whenever i need to sleep and i don't feel sleepy yet... it makes me feel tired thus making me sleepy... hehe weird right? most people are kept awake by thinking of their problems...

3. if i'm really sleepy, i would be able to sleep.... anytime, anywhere... no matter how noisy it is, or how bright the lights are, or what my position at the time is (standing, sitting, lying down)... i even fell asleep during an exam when i was in high school... hehe

4. i enjoy answering surveys on Friendster when i used to take calls, but now that i don't take calls anymore, i don't enjoy answering them as much.. and take note, i answered those surveys usually when i was on a call... ;p

5. i would love to stay up all night until early morning rather than wake up really early in the morning......

6. i'm a very moody person and i would love to have things go my way, but all that changes when i'm with someone special... it's weird how patient i can actually get...

~i don't know who to tag next, sorry :)~

back to blogging

well, well, well..... it's been quite a while since i last posted a blog here.. grabe more than a month na pala akong di nakakapag post dito.. oh well, just an update, i am currently working at B&M Global Services Manila (a subsidiary of the Baker and McKenzie lawfirm) at Fort Bonifacio, Taguig.. it's actually a pretty cool job.. less work, more pay!! now who wouldn't want that, right? add to that travel opportunities around the globe for extensive training... for FREE! that's right! free transportation, free board and lodging, free food, allowance on top of your monthly salary... there's nothing more to ask for!! (for now, that is)

i've been blessed alright! big time... but it's not just the financial aspect that i was blessed with, i've been blessed with a supportive family, friends who never leave me hanging, new officemates turned new friends, a great company to work for, cool bosses who don't act like bosses (they work when we work!)... through time and everyday struggles, i realize who my real friends are and i find myself being so grateful for having them... 'coz at the end of the day, we all just want to be genuinely happy...

thanks to Myckle's tag, i'm back to blogging!

last day

memories are a part of our being that can and will never be erased...

today is my last day here at Sykes... i don't feel really sad although i am a bit saddened by the fact that i won't get to see my teammates everyday... i won't be part of future team building activities and pizza parties... sad that i won't be updated as to how everybody's doing... although i'm excited as well..... for the new endeavor that i'm going to undertake... for the new people i'm going to meet who will become my future friends... for the new things that i will be learning... for the new experiences and memories that i'll be making.....

bagging the job

Baker and McKenzie... a Law Firm based in Chicago.. would you believe that their central IT department is based here in the Philippines? YES. their CENTRAL IT is here... although it's not called Baker and McKenzie. it's known as B&M Global Services Manila...

you may be wondering why the heck am I talking about a law firm right? well, i decided to apply at the said company when my friend Thea applied for the same job.. the position available is a Global Helpdesk Analyst. they only had 8 openings for the position.... they don't do direct-hiring though, they only go through KSearch, a head-hunter...

process is an interview with KSearch, then if they deem you suitable for the job, they forward your resume to B&M.. next stop is B&M HR interview, then followed by a technical exam, upon passing, you will be interviewed by Sherwin... the supervisor, gwapo nga suplado naman!! hay grabe.. so technical... as in! parang i'm computer-illiterate when i'm talking to him.. without exaggeration yan ha.... then if okay ka sa kanya, you will be interviewed by his boss.... after a week's deliberation, they'd let you know if you passed and have the honor to be interviewed by Global Helpdesk Manager Mary Francke, who is in Chicago, over the phone....

how did i know all these? well........ i went through it!!!! each and every single step.... all the running from the office, wearing corporate attire, to the LRT, MRT, and Fort Bus stations just to make it to each interview and exam on time, finally paid off.... I was informed by HR early yesterday morning at about 8 that i got the job! I was in my station waiting to take calls.... as soon as i got the phone with B&M HR, Myckle and I were screaming, blushing, and jumping up and down with joy.... :) He was with me all throughout the process kasi... So, i think it's just suitable that we share the triumph... hahahahaha

OH MY GOD!! I GOT THE JOB!! I REALLY GOT THE JOB!! WOOOOHOOOO!

sad to say, but.... g'bye Sykes.... it was memorable spending almost a year in your production floor... :) g'bye teammates turned friends..... it was fun being around you guys.... it's now time to explore a new beginning, a new adventure....

oh my ears!

hey! i know you're having the time of your life because you're sitting beside each other but please you don't have to let the whole production floor know... my ears are already hurting from your screams and laughs and i am getting irritated... i don't care how many times you have to say his name in a day, i don't care if you just have to laugh, i don't even care if you just crave attention.... you are pissing me off!!! nabubuwisit na talaga ako sa'yo at sa boses mo, kaya pwede ba?!?! sara mo na lang yang bunganga mo!

application galore

companies companies companies = jobs jobs jobs.... i can't get why people say that it's so hard to find a job nowadays.. if you know how and where to look, and you're credentials are qualified, there are actually a lot of jobs out there waiting to be filled.. take call centers for example. in call centers we don't just take calls, there are those who make calls, recruit people, supervise, work with the IT team, and other careers... these positions are more often than not readily available and waiting for new employees...

enough about the advertisement.

i recently applied for a number of jobs through JobStreet. i got to final interview levels and was offered a job at NuComm International.. although i really wanted to work as part of the recruitment team of Convergys... don't think i made it though... Eperformax offered 20k+ salary for their IP relay agent position... i thought it was a pretty easy job at first but after taking the exam... NAH! what they have you do is listen to a certain recording and you have to type it word for word, no abreviations allowed. you have to be able to type at least 50 words per minute net.. meaning right minus mistyped or misspelled words... i only got 48 words per minute and they told me to just come back the next day to try again.... hindi na ko bumalik, tinatamad na ko.. hehe

you see, i resigned at my current job... it's effective on the 15th of april.... however, if i won't be able to find a job i like better, i think i would be retracting my resignation... I also applied for Global Helpdesk Analyst position for the Baker and McKenzie law firm... i already reached the 2nd to the last interview.... i'm just waiting if i qualified to reach the final one.... grabe it's already been 4 days.... still no call from them... also I applied for the Training team of my current job... I was expecting an interview but what do you know?! I just got back from day off today and my supervisor told me that i will be taking the exam later today at 5pm! hahaha good luck na lang sa'kin no.. i haven't reviewed one single bit... kaya heto review to the max gamit ang sobrang kapal na manual....

i just hope i at least pass...

stuffed with food

my mom and my brother arrived last Friday at around 6:35pm at the Cebu Pacific Airport from Bacolod.. they will be here for around 12 days.. they're just here for a vacation and of course kasi miss na nila ko.. hehehe we went to SM Mall of Asia yesterday to buy clothes for my brother and to look for havaianas slippers... that's right! havaianas na naman.. well, i promised my mom i'd buy her a pair kaya ayun we went around the mall trying to find one she'll like.. unfortunately puro flats na lang yung available, kaya di din sya bumili...

even though i'm already working, my parents and aunts and cousins still treat me like a kid.. yung tipong if you're with them, they'd be paying for everything.. hehe kasi they're older and they tend to forget na i'm earning na din.... (nice no? haha) my mom had glasses created for me.. i look like a geek at work now! it's actually just anti-glare glasses kasi i spend around 8 hours in front of the PC.. only the upper half of the lenses has a silver frame tpos green ung churva (sorry.. i'm lacking the term eh...) Disney Adults ung brand kaya it has mickey mouse logos in certain places.. hehe it looks kinda like this...

siguro now you get it kung saang part yung churva na sinasabi ko..... hehehe also the best thing is we went to buy groceries na din... since i'm living with my cousin and my 2 friends (myckle included), we had to buy more than what my cousin and i need... she treats my

friends as her children na din kaya yun! we went all out in buying groceries.. i've never seen our dining area filled with so much food, pati ref namin may laman!! na hindi tubig ha?? hehehe she even brought ponkans for me!! as in yung oranges.. hay.. i think i can live for a month now na walang masyadong gastos.. thank God for my mom!!

head or heart??

You Follow Your Heart

You're romantic, sentimental, and emotional. You tend to fall in (and out of) love very quickly. Some may call you fickle, but you can't help where your emotions take you. You've definitely broken a few hearts, but you're not a heartbreaker by nature. Your intentions are always good, even if they change with the wind

Do You Follow Your Head or Your Heart?

what can i do?? i do follow my heart... i think?? hmmmmmm... ironic...

dream havs

These Havaianas are sooooooooooo on my wish list! They're unique, They're not readily available in outlet stores here in the Philippines plus they're really cool!

These are made available to the Philippines by Crile's Crib.... Check them out!

a year ago today

It's been exactly a year!! Oh my goodness!! 1 year na po akong graduate.. as in 1 year na!! :)

Here's how we looked like during our graduation on March 25, 2006.....

with my family



with rinna, myk, & cheryl


with my bestfriend myckle

with thea and cheryl

I never thought i'd say this but I miss La Salle... really I do... and all the memories we had there... the times spent with friends.... and you know.... just hanging out....

customized flipflops

Flipflops galore at the Havaianas Make Your Own Pair area at Powerplant Mall in Rockwell!!!

My bestfriend Myckle saw the ad on the Havaianas Philippines website.. We were so excited to have customized flipflops that we didn't care if we didn't have any extra money!! yeah, we're that crazy over havaianas..

We went there last March 23 at about 4 in the afternoon.. There were a lot of people lining up, choosing colors for the soles and straps.. mixing and matching swarovski crystals with flower, palm tree, stars, skull, or slipper pins.. You'd get dizzy trying to figure out what combination of sole and strap colors would be unique so you won't have the same combination the others have..

I had to create 3 pairs! 1 for me, 1 for my cousin Iqa and 1 for my cousin's girlfriend.. It took a few text messages to send the wide array of colors for both soles and straps to them so they could decide for themselves...

Finally, after about 2 hours of frenzy and dizziness in the area, I have decided on a cyanic blue sole, bronze straps and white swarovski crystals on both sides of the havaianas label on the straps.. cutie db? it's soooo me!! :) i love it! For my cousin, since she's only 12, it's a cyanic blue sole, blush rose straps, a flower pin on one slipper and a palm tree pin on the other.. talk about cute and unique! :) For my cousin's girlfriend, she didn't want any crystals or pins, it's tomato for sole and cyanic blue for the straps.. i'll post the pictures here next time..

After deciding on the combinations, we had to line up for the flipflops to be assembled (straps attached to soles). Hotties (and I really mean it) get to assemble the flipflops for you.. They're such cuties and really nice people too... uhuh! very accomodating.... They also get to put the pins on by the way.. Since I wanted crystals on mine, I had to line up in another area for the crystals to be placed.... It was so cool! They put on holes on the straps and attach the crystals there... Then it's off to the counter for payment...

It was so much fun! as in! watch out for the pics next time!

freaky tryke

Ever knew the feeling of being stalked? Pretty scary, right? Well, mas nakakatakot sya kung sa Bacolod City ka lumaki, tpos wala ka pang 1 year dito sa Manila, tpos yung nagsstalk sa'yo isang tricycle driver na parang nasa late 30's na nya. I am scared as hell to travel on my own now. You see, here's what happened. To go to work, I usually take a tricycle ride from home to the MRT Station, ride the MRT train, make a 5-minute walk to the LRT station, and take the LRT train to where our office is. I was off to work 1 monday morning when there were no tricycles lining up outside waiting for passengers. Much to my dismay because I was running late for work. Then, as if by luck, a tryke (para sosyal.. hehe) stopped in front of me. I said "kuya, MRT ho?" to which he replied "sige miss pero spesyal po 'yan" (special meaning you have to pay 3 pesos more than the usual fare). Not so scary, db?

I was startled when he asked "anong oras ba pasok mo?" to which I replied "8:30 ho, late na nga ako" (hinting that he should stop talking to me and drive faster... I need to get to the MRT station ASAP)... He didn't get it, imagine kinausap pa nya ko talaga! The nerve! Where do I work daw ba, what time uwi ko, what pangalan ko, anong SIM gamit ko, at ito ang pinakachurva sa lahat! Ano daw ba ang cell number ko at ittext niya ako? The nerve of that guy talaga! Grrrrrrrr! All to which I replied "ho? di ko ho kayo marining". The worse part? He kept on slowing down or pulling to a complete stop just to have a conversation with me..

When we got to the station, I handed him the money, he asked for my cell number again, sabi ko na lang, "nagmamadali po ako" and sped off running up the stairs up the station. Good for me I was able to get away huh? NOT! The next day, on my way out the gate, he was there again obviously waiting for me!!!!!! WAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!! creepy, freaky, scary db? You see, we live in a condo unit and of course may guard kami dun sa may gate.. I had to duck out of view dun sa may guard house para lang di niya ko makita.. The guard asked me what's wrong and so I told him my story... Good thing the creepy guy had to buy something from the tindahan.. The guard told me to hurry up and run to tryke that's lined up waiting for passengers. Best thing? The tryke I got into was the usual tryke I ride every morning so the driver didn't even have to ask where I was going, he just sped off as i got into the seat... I didn't know if the creepy guy saw me though... I SURE HOPE NOT! The worst part of the 2nd day though was that because of that incident, I incurred 12mins tardiness at work!! P******na naman kasi ung driver na un!!

Paranoid na tuloy ako sa mga tryke drivers sa'min...... hmph!

mga kamukha ko

http://www.myheritage.com

gift of love

I was at Starbucks @ MOA last thursday with Myckle and we were reading magazines. While sipping my grande chocolate cream chip frappe, I read articles on the Dec. 2006 issue of Marie Claire.. the one with Zsa Zsa Padilla on the cover, what a brave woman she is pala.. having to go through multiple surgeries, facing death, etc.. anyway, that's totally out of topic, SO going back..

I came upon a page which posted answers to a survey called "best gifts you've ever given". Someone answered, a shopping spree for her mom, clothes for her friends, bags, and even a baby for her husband. But what really caught my attention was someone buying her boyfriend a Lacoste watch. She said her boyfriend has been eyeing it and she's sure he would be surprised since it's a bit expensive (a bit is exaggerating.. it IS expensive).

It got my attention kasi there was this book that my boyfriend was looking for for the longest time.. Actually ang hirap talaga hanapin nung book na un.. It's called Until Today by Ayanla Vanzant.. It's a good book, it's inspirational.. It has a different story for each day for the whole year. bla bla bla bla bla whatever, i'm not advertising the book anyway...

Well, you're probably guessing, "so you also bought the book for him as a surprise?" TADA!! you're right.. i went through the hassle of searching for that book.. and i needed to find it in 5 days, in time for our monthsary (and before he does, kasi he's looking for it din).. I had to search for it through the internet but with no luck at all. We (Myckle and me) had to go to several bookstores, National Bookstore, A Different Bookstore, Fully Booked, and lastly Power Books. We went everywhere, SM Megamall, Gateway mall, Shangri-la, MOA, Robinson's Galleria, everywhere! but couldn't find it. I was about to give up but when we were in Power Books Megamall, I asked the nice lady at the customer service counter if they had the book. She said there was only 1 copy left and it was in a different Power Books outlet. I asked if i could have that reserved and just transferred to Megamall so it would be easier.. She agreed and i just needed to come back after 3 days to claim it..

After 3 days, there i was again at Power Books Megamall.. feeling victorious!! feeling giddy and excited that i got a copy of the book.. add to that, a HARD-BOUND copy of the book.. It was a bit expensive.. it's more than 800 pesos for crying out loud!! but in the end, the moment i handed him the package, the exact second he laid eyes on it, the reaction there was well worth the 800 pesos! it was PRICELESS!! especially that he appreciated verbally the fact the it was hard-bound, made it a sweeter victory for me.. i guess that was the best gift i've ever given.. something he really wanted and something that no one could give to him easily (unless they're willing to go through the same hassle).. i think it was something really special and meaningful... it gives a nice warm feeling knowing that you made someone genuinely happy (and you really wanted to...)

HAY.. all for the sake of love...

wondering, confused, and meebo.com

Did you know that the greatest invention in the chat world is meebo.com?? "Why?" you ask. Well, it is a website accessible anywhere, even where internet connection to other sites are blocked, it is a 4 in one messenger software (can be used for YM, msn IM, googletalk, and aol IM). It is a site that you can use even if you are not registered to meebo.com per se. It is best to use if you need to communicate with someone through instant messaging and you are not authorized (or just plain tamad) to install the messenger software. Registering to meebo is even better! "Why?" you ask again. Okay, you get to log in just once and you automatically get signed in to all the messenger accounts that you have. You also get to change the background of the screen or the template for that matter. The coolest thing however, is that you get to keep a chat log record of ALL the conversations you had with ANY of your contacts, plus you get to access them anywhere 'coz they're saved on web servers, not on the PC you were on when you had the conversation. Talk about evidence and reminiscing, right?

Reminiscing... hmmmm... leads me to the crazy and somewhat stupid thing that I have been doing in the past hour or so. There's this guy, he's nice. He is someone you can have great conversations with, in person, over the phone, or chat. We were in the same class for training when we started to work here at Sykes. It started out with a single, and I can pretty much say sort-of senseless, conversation. Imagine talking about which building is which, what street this is and which body of water is that. All while looking out the window of the 36th floor break room. We got along really well, we became a couple after a week (yeah, that fast), finished training in 2 weeks, worked in 2 different sites, and now 10 months has passed. He's been in Singapore for almost 4 months now. And this my friends, is where meebo gets in the scene. Okay, you may think, she's working in a call center, why meebo when she has all the internet access and software she needs? WRONG! We have a very strict account, the sites you can access are just msn.com and google.com. We are not authorized to install any program on the PC as well. And of course, as expected, chatting and blogging and Friendster are not allowed. Fortunately, a proxy name for meebo.com was discovered by one of my teammates. Him being in Singapore, our main means of communication is chat. We've been doing so since December but recently had an unexpected fall out.. Honestly, I really don't know what happened to him. He was, all of a sudden, lost. And I say lost because I don't know where he is or how he's been. And he doesn't show up on chat anymore. Anyways, as I was saying, I've been spending the past hour reading the chat log containing our conversations. I know it's stupid but hey, it puts a smile on my face and warm fuzzy feeling over. Although it makes me wonder all the more..

And, boom! It hit me hard, that hey, Meebo is a pretty cool site and invention I must say. Try it for yourself! :)