2016 - Part 01, episode 02

Where'd I left ya?

Okay, got it.

So yeah. The kid is into a lot of trouble like in a deep foxhole. He's talking weird stuff and really was out of it. This is definitely something to cause some serious concern.. especially for me. Why? Well, I did have a brother who got hooked into drugs, got crazy and all and now he's lost a few turns on that part in between his ears. I have to park that story for some other post cos it's kinda long and I still have a long way to go to finish this bangin' yearender, eh?

So, after just a few pop of those meds the doc gave him, he declined to take s'more. It's got some awful side effects on him. I can only imagine his sufferings.

But.. too make this long story short, days and months passed by and the boy recovered. Not only was he able to recover physically and mentally, but best of all, spiritually. He just went 180 degrees!

He does all things differently now. Miracles do happen.

I thank the good Lord above for all that he's done for him.

So now, the other highlight of this year was my untimely departure from my day job. Yep. I've written a few stories of that in here and in fact is the single biggest reason why I started this blog.

I was working for the company from October 1999 to August this year. 16 long years. Prior to that, I was working for another company with the same owner for almost two years.

Basically, I was doing too well and resting comfortably in my laurels... that was until some guys and gals from the higher ups took it upon themselves to jolt me in my comfy seat and did an ops on me the nasty, nasty way.

It's like a power grab. They wanted to change the way things are run by me but they had to do it in a backstabbing way. So, like a rat caught in a tight and slippery rope, I bailed out, pronto!

Well, it didn't end well for me and the company. But like any other company, they will continue to thrive and prosper even in my untimely departure. Four months later and I'm still on recovery mode. I still have some hate and misgivings. I had my moments of depression to battle with. So, basically, I'm not out of the woods yet. But... I have to move on. Life goes on and it will continue to go on because more than anything else, there's a higher purpose for all of these. I can't afFord to just sit around and wait for dole-outs.

Later on, I went out and applied for some call center job. I got into three companies in just four months... imagine that!

The first one, I didn't last a week. Graveyard shift sucks. It was setting appointments for some solar company. Selling to be precise. Second one, I applied for a chat support position but got into a customer service representative. Again, graveyard and worst, the training was just going soooo fast! I was having a hard time absorbing the lessons to be learned especially on how to navigate the system. Lasted for a week. Not bad, eh?

Third and lastly, it's for an Australian account. It looks like I've found THE ONE. Training was great. The trainer was very good and the vibes was great. Best of all, it's dayshift!

Finally, I was devirginized!!! To getting calls, that is.

However, I could not imagine myself doing that job for 8 long hours! No, No, No!

Sitting there and taking calls made me feel like a sitting duck. There's a lot of things I can do and I'm there getting pounded one call after another. The calls kept coming in. They call it - queuing.

In hindsight, I kinda regret quitting that job. I should have soldered on and take all the poundings, at least for a few months. It would have been great for my character.. to make me better and stronger as a person. That one was a good month and a half of work.

Anyway, I have some great ideas that I hope I can launch in 2017. I'm just finalizing everything and getting it in order.

2016 was really an eventful year. I can't feel bad about it. What doesn't kill you only makes you better, right?

So, next year, I aim to better myself, my family and my relationship with the good Lord above. Of course, to my friends and associates as well.

Whew! It's done, homies!

2016 - Part 01

Yeah, 2016. What a year it is!

So many things has happened.. I've lost count of 'em all. Well, let me count the ways..

My son got into a lot of trouble in school early this year. He had a girlfriend whose really into him. I mean, not to brag, but the dude is quiet a looker. So much so that his girlfriend would come by the house and they'd spend hours in his room 'praying'. So, that, got him in trouble because he's not going to school anymore and he's spending most of his time with this girlfriend of his. And, my siblings who volunteered to spend for his education because they want him so badly to be a physical therapist, are very, very disappointed. That course, by the way,  is steeply expensive.

Then, as if it wasn't enough that he screwed up his education, he got into drugs. Yeah, the kind that could get you killed these days? that's that. Well, his pals were scions of some wealthy family and they kinda like him and then one thing led to another and before we knew it, voila! He's hooked!

From then on it was all downhill. Her mother, with her maternal instinct, caught him red handed a few times sniffing that maryjane thingy. I was more lenient. We often see it in the movies, right? Kids getting high and all that. We're cool cos we're IN.

Wifey was paranoid and she kept bugging me and I wind up giving my son that lecture that merely goes between his ears. What can I say? I was busy doing my thing earning all that molah we all strive for in our lives. Ya know, security and stuff.

Then, one day, when I thought "what's the worst thing that could happen, eh?" Yep, the worse is yet to come, hombre!

Well, as it turn out, while he promised to stay clean from that day on when we had a father-and-son talk, he was hanging by the rooftop of our house while sniffing that cannabis thingy and he was getting out of his mind!! Boy, I'm soooo @##%$^^%!!

Again, wifey to the rescue. Since I'm more of the passive kinda poppa, she was really on to something. And so, I went up to check on him. Positive. He is weird. He did a lot of writings. On the paper and on the walls. It's pretty amazing really, what he did. I didn't know my son had some depth in him.

So, we went to have him checked to some psych doc. He was given some sleeping pills and something to calm his mind. I mean, he was too alert and kept talking about out-of-this-world stuff.

Days went by. The medication he was having was quiet a struggle for all of us. His face changed whenever he popped that pill he was given with. Some kinda muscle deformity happens when he's on it. He slept like a baby but it seem like he was making faces. It didn't help that we were scheduled to have some out of town trip with my close pals and we had to make excuses why he looked like a horse... that thing the horse's do with their mouth - get the picture??

Anyway... I have to cut this story short cos it's reeeaaalllyyyy gone too long. Four days more to go and this story will be a wrap. Should be able to cover all of 'em 2016 highlights, eh?!

Part 01, episode two coming up next....

Metamorphosis

Whaddyaknow??? I got hired yesterday for a BPO job!! Hoorah!! Well, this BPO is so much better. I mean, they are the pros, man. That was the interview I was hoping to go the other day but failed to do so. What's even more surprising, the other very competitive BPO company I applied for also called me on the day I was answering the required information sheet. Nice!

The job I applied for was for a day shift and for some chat support thing. Like I said, it's something that interest me and the previous didn't quite gave me the challenge. I was able to get in with no exams and difficulties. Handed like a silver platter, in short.

So this BPO I got myself in, they have this one-day processing where you'll take all their interviews and stages of exams 'til the final test/interview. Boy, that was an excruciatingly long day. I was done at around one o' clock in the morning! From the many applicants down to a handful and then there were two.

That felt good. I know all those arguments and cases I've made on FB or with my pals in person using the English language would come in handy. I mean it's not something I'm exemplary but I try. There are days that I get owned by some more badass keyboard warriors, but quite often, I get to be the top dog. It's different when you're writing it as compared to speaking it. I'm guessing the transition wouldn't be that difficult. There'll be a 6 week training and then it's showtime!

But I'm not out of the woods yet. Yesterday, I had my medical exam and my BP shoot up to the roofs! I had a long day the day before and when I got home, had some beer to kinda celebrate for acing the whole shebang of the job process. Then, woke up early the following day because I had to get the medical. I wasn't feeling anything unusual because I had a good lap in the pool prior to that day and ya know, if you're out of shape, you couldn't be lapping the pool, right?

And, during the interview/exam, I had two cups cappuccinos too! That should help elevate my already fragile BP, notwithstanding, we've been eating high-cholesterol food in the house like it's Christmas day everyday.  And did I mention the alcohol intake here and there?

All that didn't help, but, the company was very accommodating. Even with the absence of a complete result, they still had me signed the contract.

While I was there, there were these young men and women who are now managers and I have yet to prove my worth. Maybe If I really made good of my resignations back then (I resigned thrice), I would have been somebody in the BPO industry, eh? Or, not.

I'll see how this fares out, though. Health and career-wise. I'm excited, of course. There's a lot of people there who are really talented and it should be challenging and perhaps fun to learn new things again.

If things go great, I can only thank my previous company for treating me the way they did. They probably think that at 43 years old, I'm just gonna bow down to their whims and suck it up, cos dude, where's this old hat gonna go?

Sadly, the other guy who knows his way around the kind of work I do has also resigned. It's not looking good for them right now. These fellas, there's three of them who are pulling their weight around and they've got this pride and they feel invincible. They tasted power and now they're having a ball using it. What's despicable is the guy whose on top of everyone has enabled them because, why not, they are making sure the money is kept within their pockets. Awesome!

Anyway, should be interesting what'll happen in the following days.

If you have the dough to blow to get a nice haircut, would you get it from your next-door-toughie-neighbor-barber wannabe, or, you'll go to SM, find a fancy parlor and have it done by the pros?

That's right.

But the company whose selling high end products wants to take all the client's money and in return, the company gives back dirt cheap service. I know a lot of horror stories but I would rather keep it to myself. They will eventually implode especially with these three conniving jokers on board.

Well, I am glad I'm not a part of that company, anymore. There wasn't anything going for me, career-wise. They were just happy I get things done. And now that they saw how I did it, they wanna took over, pronto! They could have waited. But NO, they were too eager for that CHANGE. Rome wasn't build in a day. People don't slim down in an instant. Metamorphosis was a gimmick and everyone had all been had!

They saw a window and they pounced. I let them in because they were like wolves in sheep's clothing. Although I have that gut-feeling that it's all a smokescreen, I trusted them. I lost. So were they.

I hope to get cleared by the doctor tomorrow. Have an orientation and then I can start training the following day.

Lets do this!

The Weather

WOWSA!

I'm supposed to be blogging like everyday. There's been a lot of happenings but I'm still stuck in the rut. Basically, it's back to square one. Had my training last week for a call center job. I guess I'm too good that I found it horribly boring. The time takes forever to move when you are on a graveyard shift and there's nothing to do. We're just talking about everything that we could talk about. The training was too relax and I wasn't too challenged with the test. So, yeah, I made some flimsy excuse that we don't have a helper, blah, blah, blah, and I'll be back shortly when things settle. But really, to the job-hunting front and beyond!!!

What's nice about call center is they pay good money. Unfortunately, it's not something you'd like to stick around with. Judging from the many hiring of BPO companies, you can safely conclude that the turnover of employee is fast. Hats off to those who stayed and grind 'til the wee hours of the morning. I just have a newfound respect for you, guys!

Zika Virus.

It's all over the place now. I think three of us already got it. Half sister, Wifey and me. The symptoms of  fever, rash, joint pain and red eyes are definitely evident. I was swimming yesterday and I couldn't figure out why my shoulder joints are in pain. I mean, I haven't worked out for months now so there's no reason for it. When afternoon came and I tried standing up from my seat, boy, my knees, feet, back, wrist and fingers were feeling the pain too! My Gaaad!!

I wanted to lie there and just sleep it off but nah, there's a lot to do. I was gonna drive for Uber today but the fever and the joint pain made it impossible. What's worse, I had an interview scheduled also today but only felt better in the afternoon. Good thing, the company was kind enough to let me have the exam and interview tomorrow.

Yeah, we enrolled the other car to Uber. When I feel better and have more time, I will be your chauffeur de maitre if you wish to. Going to December and Christmas season, it should be good driving around picking-up and dropping riders. Then, I will have more materials to post here. Sounds like a plan!

Hopefully, tomorrow will be a better day.

The rain had been incessant today and so are the mosquitoes so you careful. The news says there's been 130% plus spike of Dengue cases and you wouldn't wanna be a part of the statistics.

I hope to be back tomorrow for some good news.

Stay healthy.

Politically Correct

I hate 'em!! I hate 'em!! I hate 'em!!

That's what's been running through my mind when I saw my pals having the time of their lives over at Facebook. Then, when it was my birthday, I didn't get a greeting from my close associates. I figured, since I'm jobless now, I'm not gonna be "IN" in their circle. Must be, eh?

I felt so enraged I can't wait to get out of the hole I got myself into and give them the finger when I'm back into the groove again.

Then, this week, gathered all my strength (yeah, that's what it took.. lol!) to haul my ass back into the pool and went swimming. It was tough having been gone for more than a week but I soldered on. I have to remember my goal: to get out of the rat hole, pronto!

One lap.. two laps.. next thing I knew, it was a lot! Yeah, that's exactly what I need. To get the endorphins flowing out of my body streams again. Ya know, that happy drug you get from an intense workout.

One day at a time, I go speak to myself. Three days in a row and made my trip to the pool. Got my condition up again. Made some bold career moves. Composed a resume and an application letter. Signed up to Upwork and hoped to get approved to some freelance work. Then earlier, me and wifey went to that call center I told you about. I know it's the easy way but it's the same money and work with the rest of them call centers and I didn't have to go through the tedious interviews, exams and training. I know I can do it because I tested myself with the local call centers like those in the credit card and telecommunication BPO's, and well, I can go tow-to-tow with 'em all. hah!

So, Monday I'll start training at get this, 12AM! Wait, that's the first hour of Tuesday, actually. Well, I really wanted to try what's in there for me since many years ago when my pal, Dexter, used to work on the same industry. he's always talking about his experience and it really perks me up every single time. Told him if only I could do it part time, that is, if I had the time. He went on to become a recruiter and actually rose from the ranks. It's one of the ways I intend to extrovert myself. There's a lot of folks there when we came to visit. Looks like a happy place to really brush up and better my English. I'm excited!

Then, this afternoon, went to check my email if my application to get a freelance job at Upwork was somehow approved. And, IT DID! Awesome day, eh? So now I'm wondering what to do first. I just realize there's a lot of home-based work at Upwork but I also like to go out and socialize with the other species. We'll see how things would turn out in the future. I just need to do something other than promoting my wife's business because it's making me dumb when I don't get my brain stimulated.

One thing I learned from all of these good things happening right now is to not be a hater. DON'T BE A HATER, man. It's the vibes.. they come back and haunt ya.. After a day or two of watching my pals having a good time, I remember what I've heard from the guru's I've been listening to. Appreciate the joys and accomplishments of other people. You attract what you put out. Law of attraction, repulsion and vibration, baby. So I started liking their pictures and all. Also, those grim news about the political bickering of our leaders, I try to avoid them especially the killings and all that bad news.

I feel dismayed watching the feeds on my FB. Thus, I barely open it. My wife's is so much better. She's on a roll and her friends will maxed out to 5k before the year ends. It's quite a harvest and she can use that network to her advantage in her business. That's the idea, really.

Anyway, now's a good time to celebrate.

Loves and kisses.....



[photo: happy people: a2ua.com; help: slidellmemorial.org; call center laughing bethere2day.com; don't be a hater:howislept.com]

Neuro Linguistic Programming

Big word, eh? Neuro Linguistic Programming. Just trying to be nerdy while catching your attention. Also, the picture below. Hoped it works.

As I was sifting through the e-books I've collected through the years, I came across this business skills thing for dummies. And one of the most essential ingredient to running a successful business is.. drum roll please -- rapport.

I guess that's the part where I've had quite a success in my dealings with difficult people. You know, no matter how good you think you are but if people aren't receptive, nothing gets done. The irony of it all is I can have rapport with everyone else (save for a few) but not my wife. We often have clashes of opinions and she's quite adamant when she talks on how to go about things. However, when things go south, she asks for my help. I told you this was gonna happen, I often tell her.

I had all these e-books and I'm rushing to read and pick the essentials of what's gonna be next for me. There's a job that's just waiting for me to go but it's gonna be in a call center. I could use the experience and well, it's also a good place to brush up my engrish.. hehe

Wifey's cousin happens to co-own the company so my one foot's already at the door. I would probably be useful to them with my vast experience in the *cough*cough* corporate world. Then there's a lot of hiring in some jobs website and I must admit, it definitely scares the crap out of me!

Eighteen years of not having to apply for another job takes its tool on ya, I guess. That's especially true when you're not at the prime of your life but that's one of those self limiting beliefs I am trying to shake-off and overcome.

To increase the probability of getting hired is to send out an overwhelming number of applications. Heck, I can drive for Uber because I just got my NBI clearance and there's a car to drive at. What I really, really need right now is to focus. I'm like a shotgun firing at some goal and the bullet just splinters away. I needed to be a sniper rifle so I'm shooting at something and hitting it directly.

Ultimately, my goal is to start my own business and be an entrepreneur. There's a boatload of information and education to be had but it's been a month since I abruptly resigned and I'm still grasping for what's my biggest next thing. I need to make some quick bucks not because I want it but just to feel better that I'm earning again. I've given most of my savings to Wifey so she can grow it. Been helping her grow her business further. There's no need to experiment because hers is already up and running it just needs more pushing so it can grow some more.

I'll give myself one more month to sort my issues out and then it's a do or die situation already. LOL!

Memo to self: After this party we are going to later, it's time to turn up the heat and get something done. Already!

And NO, no more Facebooking! Only when it's about business because it is such a waste of time to watch people giving their best shot in some awesome places here and abroad. Yeah, I feel execrated!

Happy Sunday and it's time paaaarrttttyyyyyy!!!!


[photo: best-wallpaper.net]

The Closure

Just went back swimming this morning... and, the prognosis is baaadddd. Really bad. Strokes look bad. Endurance is bad. Conditioning is bad. I mean, really, really bad. I think it's time to rename this blog to.. wait for it - bad vibes and chained to bad memories... LOL!

I dunno how I can get my mojo back again. Don't you ever have that feeling when you are so in control like ironclad control of how you run the show only to find that you are slipping slowly.. day by the day and you try in earnest to get a grip again of the whole situation? Been on this challenge a lot of times and I hope to get out again on this fox hole like I did before. I can do it!

Frankly, I'm quite stuck in a rut for days now. Well, my wife's business is doing fine, thanks to the good Lord above. I put some moolah in the mix so she can grow it by having it loaned through her network. Wifey is the exact opposite of me. She is outgoing, friendly and everything that sums up of what extrovert is. So yeah, I'm stuck because I'm merely a supporting cast now. I'm not the one running the show like I always used to. But maybe I'm looking at things the wrong way. Woosa... woosa.. woosa... (watch: Anger Management).

Anyway, helping her in the backgrounds is where my expertise are best utilized. But I don't intend to stay in the backgrounds because it's at the front row, that's where success is found. I am grateful that I was able to help her grow her clientele. We also have a little van rental with my two pals and boy, booking is picking up lately with the intense advertising I'm running on Facebook. I haven't even tried the other social networking sites since FB is obviously the more popular here in the country.

But I'll get to them Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, etc. etc... hopefully not before I get a job because it gets boring staring at the screen most of the time.

The job isn't really important. I just need to do something to un-bore myself and maybe earn some paper on the side. That would be awesome!

Speaking of job, most of my pals who knew what I did, resigning pronto, think it wasn't a good idea. They said that I should just suck it up, stick around and wait for them to terminate me so I can get paid for the many years of my service. Well, it's really easy if you're simply looking from the outside. There was no way around it. Before we became her underlings, we've already seen the many people who packed their bags because of her. Of the many people who left, I got to know this guy we'd call Mr. Brave. I thought he'd survive out of the many who left the position he filled in. I mean, I called him exactly that, Mr. Brave because he plod on and went many months longer than the previous ones.

When we had our chance to talk, the guys just opens up and says he's never felt so low and demoralized whenever he talks to this woman. After getting his ego bruised and beaten many times over, he finally called it quits. Unlike me, he went and properly turned over to the next guy his work. Well, he didn't suffered the same fate as me.

Then there's this another guy who is really good and he came from a prestigious company with vast experience on the job he was hired for. He did exactly like me. Just vanished out of thin air. And mind you, this guys was sent to Manila a number of times to attend training and important meetings and if my memory serves me right, was even a recipient to a trip abroad for some R & R.

And so it got me thinking. Why are there so many good people who left this company? This company, by the way, is running a very, very prestigious dealership brand. When we started, we only had roughly 10 people in it. Now, it's running in the hundreds (or in thousands?) of employees including the branches. Amazing, eh?

So why people left and couldn't care about the brand? There's little to no incentives for the support group. They prefer to hire new graduates because they are the most likely people to suck it up. I mean, really, who gives a flying F about the brand if your immediate supervisor gives you a dressing down most of the time?

Well, it's nice to see how awesome the brand is especially now when it's really on the verge of toppling everyone on the top. But, behind the brand is really a disgruntled dealership where the turnover of people is of record's all-time high. I have seen a lot of good people quit or let go all because some of these monglers (managers) think they are 'holier than thou' or know better than everybody else.

The only people who would stick around no matter how beaten black and blue they are, are the people who make a profit. Like primarily, sales. Insurance and the chattel mortgage guys too. Yeah, the managers, who else. I was making a profit, true, but I was giving them a stirring service in that no matter how difficult or impossible, I get things done.

Would you pay a hundred or a thousand for a car detailing? You know detailing is a difficult task and for someone to merely charge a hundred, you would certainly have doubts of the quality of work, right? So, I would compare myself to that. I might be charging a little bit more but, you know you are getting the result you are looking for.

Now they've cut cost. Good for them. However, from what I've heard from the close associates I have there, it's not looking rosy. There's a shhhh... load of problem brewing in the horizon. Well, don't say I didn't warn you!

Poetic justice is indeed a great feeling. They're the brilliant, we're nobody's so who are we that they'd listen to us?

My gripe also goes to the man who could have prevented this whole debacle. I told him about the outcome because me being on the ground and know how things work, he should have listened. But he rolled the dice, anyway. Here you go, boss. Ya got what you came for. I hope you are satisfied with all the money you saved. I hope it's cheaper than me and my loyalty.

Let me tell ya something and I'm saying this in a modest way possible. No matter who they put there, there is no one like me. I go out and establish a good relationship with the people we deal with, I put up the system that makes the processing seamless, I talk to customers about their gripes and make them understand of the situation to diffuse their agitation. If I need to go the extra mile and drive because the customer can't, I go. I do all these things because I want the company to look good. No less than this ambitious manager said that she is not satisfied with our very own brand of service.

The profit is secondary to me because I know, I work hard for it, it should come because I deserved it. I should get paid for my mad skills.

Nonetheless, they saw a 20-something-year-young-sexy-thing girl more fitting to head the little department I used to run. Awesome dude! And, they are still looking for the guy who will do the shhhh.. work I used to do. They've hired a few before but they ALL quit. LOL

That's over a month ago now.

Let me tell you something. These guys need work, alright, but once they see what's out there, they would rather plant sweet potato than work under these scheming biatches and/or deal with the guys and gals who aren't gonna be friendly, knowing how cheapskate the company is towards them.

Sorry, it's downhill from hereon now for you, pals.

I'm happy to announce this is my last post about this whole shebang of JOB thing. Time for some closure.

It's really a good day to move on... make everything exciting, feel the difference and go further.

anyone in for some FFffff CLAP???

And It goes without saying.. Today, I love myself more. I'm the best there is and the best will ever be in that position.

Case closed.




[Photos: backstroke: transblawg.eu ; car detailing: pennexxon.com]