giornalediregina

Martedi:

         I was scheduled to have my interviews at 9 o’clock in the morning. I wore the latest dress I bought, it feels pretty good, you know. I thought, it’s too dressy, but I guessed that I made the right decision. Dress to impress, right?

         I was there right on time; I informed the receptionist that I arrived and she advised me to sit down and wait for my name to be called. As I waited, my colleagues from Firstsource, Boycel, Verna, Danna and Sheena, came. They’re there to apply. I gave them tips, but I was called right away by the guy who wears tie with a short sleeved shirt everyday. 

        He introduced himself; he’s name was Pao. He offered me a seat, and I sat down. Before we started, he asked how was my last interview (I said that it was bloody and tough), and he warned me that the interview will be much worse and lengthy. I said that was okay, and we started right away. 

         And I’m not able to write about that here, because of the agreement of secrecy I signed. It was really long, but I could say that I was relaxed than before. I wasn’t blabbering or what, because I could state what I wanted to say. After the interview, I asked Pao, “If ever I passed this interview, what’s next?” Pao answered, “After this, you’ll be for final interview.” I replied, “And after that?” Pao laughed and said, “That’s the final. Haha.” He told me to go back to the lobby and wait for the next instructions.

          I went back to the lobby. The four people from Firstsource were there, and they were about to leave. I went to the restroom, and when i got back, Dana told me that my name was called. Gosh, scared the hell out of me. I slumped in a couch, in the farthest corner of the lobby, and just waited for the rejection letter. But there’s a part in my brain that was telling me, “You made it this far. You’ll get in. You made it twice already, and you can make it thrice.”

         Pretty much, what that little part of my brain told me was right. I made it. Nikki called my name, and interviewed me. I didn’t know if it’s the final interview, but I did my best, anyhow. It was quick, very brief. But of course, still, I couldn’t write about it here, because of the agreement policy. After the interview, she sent me back to the lobby and told me to wait for the instructions. After several minutes, Tiffany called me and told me that I’m done for that day and I could go home. All I have to do was to wait for the HR’s call for the job offer. It was half-past noon that time; too early to go home. 

         I exited the building, and waited for the shuttle service. I was afraid that before the shuttle reached HSBC, so I went in front of APAC and waited there. I saw my former classmate in Letran, Kastelo Palma. I hesitated to call her Paloma (just like what he asked when we we’re still in college), because he didn’t appear gay that time. I pertained to him as “Oye”, when I called his attention. It looked like he wasn’t interested for a chat, so I just left him alone to mind his own business, which was smoking. At last, the shuttle service pulled up. LJ emerged out from the car, and she (or he) was surprised to see me. I was excited to see her too but, I didn’t have time for a conversation, so I just kissed her (or him) and promised that I’ll visit them in First Source. She (or he) complimented on my dress, and said, “Ang ganda ganda mo naman!” (You’re so pretty!). I thanked her and hopped in the car.

          I ate lunch in Jollibee. As usual, I had burger, fries and caramel sundae. I was dying to tell Gareth, but it was too late. I went home and found my mom waiting for me. She was tensed. She asked me, “What happened?” I didn’t answer and asked her, “Which would you like to hear first, the good news, or the bad news?” She chose the good news first. I said, “The good news is there’s no bad news. I got in.” And she was so happy.

         I went online and talked to my friends in ebaby. I read Gareth’s message. You know what, he’s not really hard to fall in love with. I like his personality, and I think, I don’t care about what he looks like anymore. I’m not saying that he’s ugly or what, in fact, I find him cute. But, the mohawk thing scares me. He said if we meet in Disneyland, probably, his hair has grown back already. Whatever. But, there’s a narrow chance that we’ll meet.

          Probably, in the future, I’ll be in US, but it’s big. It’ll be hard for us. I don’t want to hope, although I really like him. Haha. Like what I said before, God’s will must be done. If we’re meant to be, we will be together, that’s why I’m not sad.

Mercoledi

        It rained all day. I just spent my day in front of the computer.

Giovedi:

        It was so sunny. I waited for Gareth to be online, but I guess, he’s so busy with school. He told me before that he’ll have his internship by the end of August. Plus, he needs to grow his hair back, because of that. Oh, he’s so sweet. I might fall… hard… but I shouldn’t.

         I asked Mark if he wanted to come with me to the gym, but he said he had cough, and we’ll go next time. I wasn’t scared of my stalker or what, but I feel prety uncomfortable with that guy following me around the gym. I’m just annoyed. But thank God, that creepy guy wasn’t there.

         I dropped in at Krissie’s place just to check up on her. She was fine, though. She wanted to know what happened to my work, and I told her that I’ll be transferring to HSBC. While we’re talking, an HR from HSBC called and scheduled me for a job offer the next day. 

        I had to go home then, because I need to plan what I’m gonna wear. I decided to wear my orange-printed dress, but I changed my mind. It’s too dressy for the occasion, so I decided to wear my black miniskirt, and I’ll pair with black shirt. There you go. 

VENERDI:  I woke up very early. I was excited. I prepared my stuff and I chatted with my online friends for awhile. I and my mom had fight, because she wanted me to wear shorts beneath my miniskirt. The problem was, I couldn’t find the shorts. I said it’ll be fine with shorts under, and i’ll take extra care of it. But she wouldn’t let me go, and still pushing me to the edge. I said that I would be late for my contract signing if she wouldn’t let me go

         The skirt was fine. Haha. I was there right on time. The guard escorted me inside the building. The offer was way higher than what I was getting in First source. Without any second thoughts, I signed the contract. After the contract signing, I went to First Source to get my Certificate of Employment. 

         The receptionist, Shirley, asked me what’s my business there. I said that I was there to get my COE. She called Line HR to inform whoever was there, and I knew it was Normann Dale. The guard held my stuff as I went in. I was right, it was Normann Dale. I don’t know, but I felt happy when I saw him. We just talked, joked around and all. Just like old times, you know. It’s not that I was stil in love with him or what, but we had a great time, just talking. I told him the good news, and he said that after his contract with First Source, he’ll transfer in HSBC, and he asked me to write my whole name and my number in a paper. 

         But I felt that it’s getting us nowhere, so I told him my concerns about our pay. He said that we’ll have it (through ATM cards) at midnight. Good. I could’ve stayed much longer if not for Mariel. Mariel, the line HR officer popped in of the room. Of course, it felt awkward to have her around, so I said that I’m going. Normann Dale offered a handshake, and I took it. As he shook hands with me, “You’re so cold.” Haha. i didn’t know.

         I went home. I and my mom went out on our weekly date. We had Fish Tofu in Chowking. We went to NBS, and I found a very cheap copy of Princess Diaries 8.

Venerdi:
       Highlight of the day: conversation with Gareth in MSN live. Haha. He’s very easy to fall in love with, but I need to refrain myself from it, and I’m trying very hard.      

       He told me that he won’t be long, because he needs to get up early the next day, to pack up his things, because e’s moving back to his dorm. You know, his break from school was over.

       Fraya just announced that we’ll be having our get together tomorrow, at her place.

        When Gareth finally went to sleep, I started writing here, and chatted with friends in englishbaby.com. My mom gave my money back (my last pay from First Source, she borrowed it).  

       I went to the gym, and the weird guy was there, and as usual, he stalked me again. Good thing, when he came, I was about to leave. I intended to stay for a little bit longer to do some extra excercises, but since he was there, following me around, I changed my mind and left. 

       On my way home, I saw Maricar. I told her that I was looking for a new job, and I invited her to come with me.  She told me that she’ll go to my house to give me her resume. 

        I took a bath and changed. Maricar showed up and I let her in. We waited for Mark (my neighbor), because I’d give Maricar’s resume to him. I texted him, but he didn’t reply, so we just went to his house. He showed up, shirtless, and he has  chest hair, but not that much. I gave the resume to him, thanked him and left.

         I went out that night, because I really missed hanging out with my neighborhood friends. Basically, I just chatted with them, and went home before ten o’clock pm.

SABATO:

           I woke up early, and went online. I left an offline message for Gareth. I told him not to wait for me (but it’s up to him if he wants to be online), and I’m going somewhere. I didn’t tell him that I’ll go shopping and after that, I’m going to Fraya’s house to party. Haha. 

          I spent some time with myself. I took time shopping in Alabang Festival Mall. Good thing, the mall had a sale that time. Haha. I bought two pairs of shoes, a dress and a shirt. They cost me so much, but I have no regrets at all because they’re the most beatiful things on earth. Haha. In fact, I’m gonna wear that dress tomorrow on my final interview.

        I went to meet my former officemates in KFC. They said it’s 2 pm, and everybody arrived late except for me and for Daddy Pete, the oldest in the group. Quintin, Mimi, Raymond, Arkay and Norman showed up, and we went to Fraya’s house. It’s so far from where I live. Haha. It’s in Sta. Rosa, Laguna, probably, a province away from where I live.

        Fraya lives near Enchanted Kingdom. I could say that we missed her a lot. She was so happy to see us, to tell you the truth, because it showed. Haha. We ate dinner, and after that, they started drinking. I refused to drink, because I don’t really drink at all, and I never liked drinking.

        My best bud got drunk. He and Arkay started talking about “bisexualism”. Norman told me (again) that he’s not gay or bisexual. I told him that he doesn’t need to convince me so hard, because I don’t care whether he’s gay or not. Then, he blurted out that he’s mad at Von, because Von started it all. Oh my gosh. I didn’t know that! I mean, his grudge against Von. Von is also my friend. Now, I’m caught in the middle. I hope that Norman would forget all about it.

         We went home, and during the travel, Norman was dead to the world. Raymond was teasing him, and it’s funny, because they’re both drunk. Norman borrowed my backpack (I dumped all the stuff I bought in the mall inside) and used it as his pillow, and he drooled all over it. Ew.

        I reached home before one o’clock am. My mom wasn’t mad but I still explained. I guess she realized that I’m grown up already, and accountable for whatever I do. Anyways, even if it’s like that now, still, I’m not going to drink or smoke, or have sex (as if) because I still have my own values. She trusted me, and I’m not going to betray her trust.

DOMENICA:

       I tried my best early to wake up early to be able to go to church, and I was pretty successful, but my mom ruined my plan. She said she’s not in the mood to go to church. So, we went to the mall instead. We shopped for one whole day. I helped Mom to pick shoes, pants, blouses,  and everything. I bought a pair of jeans, Fila slippers, another shirt and a miniskirt. I had a hard time finding clothes for me because of my size, you know.

        When we’re tired, we went home. I was so tired that I fell asleep in the van. When we got home, fratello informed me that we’re invited in Joshua’s party, and everyone was waiting for us already. I wore my miniskirt, and everyone in the party complimented on it. I think I looked good on it. I told my mom that we need to go home early because I have an interview the next day (today) at ten o’clock in the morning, and I need to prepare for it. We went home and I slept right away.

TODAY:

       I woke up early, prayed and went to HSBC. Today is the big day. I’ve never had this big faith in God. HSBC is quite a big company, and I couldn’t face it alone, without divine intervention. When I was applying in Northgate, I passed HSBC, because I heard that they have high standards there, and they have HRs that breath fire. I was so scared. 

         Several days ago, I’ve been praying with all my heart. I told God, “I want to work in HSBC, but still, Your will be done.” If it’s for me, it’s for me, period. I’ll just do my best, and leave the rest to God. I put my life in His hands. 
        
          I was late for 6 minutes, I think. I informed the receptionist that I arrived. I sat down and smiled at the girl who was sitting across me. I attempted to start a conversation several times, and it was no good.

       Finally, after my fifth attempt, we’re able to start a conversation. Based on her appearance, she’s a newbie, and I was right. Her name was Grace Mae, and she’s a fresh graduate. She’s a stereotype pinay beauty, I guess. You know, petite, thin and white. While we’re waiting for our names to be called, we just talked about ourselves, and I found out that she studied in her province, and it’ll be her first call center if ever she pass the initial interview. She said that she likes chatting in the net too, and in fact, she has a boyfriend in Norway. Haha. That’s too much, I guess.

          After several minutes, her name was called, and also mine. 

         I was interviewed my Dino, and it’s one full hell of an interview. Bloody. Seriously, I don’t remember what happened during the interview, but I remember few things, like when Dino asked me to give him back his pen, because I borrowed it, when I have to sign something and I didn’t give it back right away. I was clicking it non-stop, and he went very sarcastic and said to me, “Can I please have that pen?”

         When he asked why I chose to apply in HSBC, I told him that it’s near from where I live, and I like the working environment, as I pulled the blinds up, peered through the window and showed him the greeneries. There’s a lot more, but of course, I honor the agreement I signed that I’m not allowed to divulge any information about happened there.      

         After my interview with Dino, I went back to where I was sitting and saw Gracey there. She looked so disappointed with herself. I told her that she’ll make it. Then, she received her rejection letter, while I was summoned in front of the reception desk by the receptionist. 

        The receptionist told me to comeback at 2:15 in the afternoon for my test. Whoohoo!!! Thank you LORD. Thank God. That means I passed. I asked her if I can have my lunch, and she said yes, so I went out. I wanted to faint or something, because I couldn’t believe that I made it. Thank God, I made it. It’s so difficult.

        Gracey and I went to First Source to get my payslip. Normann Dale was there, and I talked to him about my concerns. The old feeling wasn’t there, and I ddin’t feel excitement when I saw him. It’s just normal.

       But he was pretty friendly with me. He joked a lot. He asked me where am I working now, and I told him that I was applying in HSBC. 

       I asked how much was his salary, and he told me. I was like, “I’m sorry for you, dude. I only have one word to say, and that’s RESIGN.” And he told me about his plans. He’ll resign after August 30. He said that he couldn’t promise that we’ll be receiving our last payment on the 31st. What the heck. Anyways, I was hungry that time, and I felt that Gracey was in a hurry to get home. I thanked Normann Dale and everyone else and we left the building. Gracey told me that Normann Dale was cute. Aw, there’s a lot of people told me, I know.

        I went to Jollibee and had my lunch there. I wasn’t in the mood to eat, but I guess, I need to finish all of what I ordered, because I need strength. Except from prayers, where else can I get strength? Haha. I was to weak to finish all of it, and I didn’t even know how I finished it. I went back to HSBC after lunch and waited for my turn to take the exam.

         2:15 o’clock ticked. I was ushered by an HR to the testing room. I can’t elaborate that much about it, because of the agreement I signed, but there are two I could say: bloody difficult. Really, it’s so difficult. A newbie wouldn’t be able to handle it, trust me. I think, there were 4-5 tests, and I didn’t finished some of it. When my time was over, I was sent back to the lobby to wait for the result. 

         After waiting in agony for several minutes, the pretty receptionist called my name, I went to her, and she told me to go home, and be back tomorrow for my pre-final and final interview. Oh my gosh!!!! I was so happy, but weak. It was so exhausting. The initial interview and sets of tests left we weak.

         I went home, told my mom about what happened. I said that I’m gonna tell Mark about the good news, so we went to their house, which is only house away from us. According to his mother, he went out. My mom and his mom talked, and I went back to our house. I logged in, and chatted with my friends. I left Gareth an offline message for tomorrow. I went to bed around ten o’clock in the evening. I prayed before I finally slept.

        It’s raining here now. YAY!!!!
 
        Anyways, I’ve been off for some time here, and I’m not moderating this blog properly anymore. Haha. I stopped posting reviews since I got busy with work, although I’ve seen a lot of movies and read a lot of books.

       I think I’ll start again, little by little, while I’m waiting for my applications for other companies to be processed. So far, I passed 3 applications already in HSBC, GE and Genpact through friends. And yesterday, my cousin told me to apply again in APAC.

       Since I stopped going to work, I started spending a lot of time in the net again. And I guess I’ve grown to love talking to Gareth. He’s so smart, and he’s the type of person that I can talk with whatever topic I want to talk about.

        Today, I woke up 6 am, because I agreed to meet my friend, Regine. Yes, we have the same name. It’s cool. Haha. Well, we call her Rej, and they call me Pri, that’s why people weren’t confused. I would meet her in her office, Convergys, which, I believe, is one of the leading call centers in the country.

        I was late, but I texted Rej to inform her. Course, I was the one who asked a favor, and i wouldn’t like to keep her waiting. The rain was so heavy that time. I was late by forty-nine minutes, but nonetheless, early for the interview.

        I entered Convergys, and the guard didn’t take my ID, because he thought that I’m working there. Haha. Rej wasn’t on the reception area, so I sat on one of the couches. After few minutes, Rej showed up. She looked the same, but she’s on a formal get-up. We chatted for awhile, and she told me about her work, and she’s having fun with it. I told her the bad news, and she said that it’ll be okay, and at least, I’m able to find a new job. She gave me the referral forms and I signed it.

          When it was time for her to go, she took my application form to the receptionist and we said our goodbyes. it’ll be long before I see her again, I guess.

        I waited for an hour and a half for the HR office to open. Diane, one of the HR officers, arrived. I saw her taking my application form from the receptionist. And then she went back to HR office again. After few minutes, she emmerged from the office and called out, “Miss Magana”. I told her that I’m Miss Magana. She approached me and I stood up from my seat. Wow, she never reached my shoulders. I didn’t know that I’m that tall already, or she’s just short.

          Diane informed me that Convergys wouldn’t accept applicants from TeleTech. She knew that I’m from TeleTech because it’s in my resume. She instructed me to go to TeleTech and ask one of the HRs to explain that thing to me. According to her explanation, Convergys and TeleTech had an agreement that they won’t accept applicants that worked before in their rival company for a year. That’s crazy. I was pissed off, but I didn’t show it because Dianne was so nice to me. She said that I can leave my application with her, so that I could go back after a year. Hmp. I left Convergys and went to First Source.

         Nobody was in First Source, except for the guards. I asked them if the HRs left our payslips, but they said HRs didn’t. Pissed again. I texted Norman, my best bud, if he’s gonna meet me.

         I went to seven 11 to get caramel popcorn. I passed Jollibee, and I decided to buy Caramel Pastillas Sundae. Ayayayay. I waited for Norman’s reply for 30 minutes, and when I thought that I had waited enough, I went home. I was in the van when he replied: “I’m on my way.” What the heck.

         I replied, “I’m on my home. Good luck.” Haha.

        I got home, and changed. I waited for Gareth to get online. But he didn’t. He told me that there’s a hurricane in Florida right now, so I guessed that he wasn’t online because of it.

        After spending sometime in the Net, I went to the gym. I spent 40 minutes on the treadmill because of the caramel popcorn and caramel sundae I ate. I was sitting in a bench, resting (I just lifted weights) when a weird guy came in. He said hello to me, and I just nodded, because I didn’t think we’ve met before.

         The weird guy walked past me, and he was staring at me, grinning. A first, I didn’t mind, because he looks like he’s incapable of harming others. Haha. But I got pissed when he started to follow me around, asking questions about me. He told me, “Where’s your friend? And you seems taller than before, huh…” I told him, “she has a class..” The weird guy kept on asking, “Don’t you have a class now?  Are you working? How old are you? Where did you study?” I tried to show that I wasn’t interested by answering yes and no, or a nod. I wanted to tell him, “Will you shut up? I’m counting!!!!”

           When I was finished with the biceps and triceps routine, I walked away from him. I went get a steel bar, and he still followed me. The man behind me said to him, “Cut it out.” But still, he followed me. I was ready to hit him with a steel bar if ever he makes a wrong move, and thank God, he didn’t. He said, “Bye, see you later!” and went out. Whew.

          After gym, I went to visit Krissie, since her house is on the way. She has a new dog. The dog was a female Labrador Retriever. The dog’s name was Kichie. We walked  Kichie and Bernie (her other dog). We went to our house and we ate peanuts and cornchips. I had a great time with her. I always do. She’s one of my treasured friends, I think.

         They left around 7 pm, and after that, I took a bath, played some music and fell asleep.

        Well, it happened so fast. I’m unemployed. Not technically unemployed, because I’ll be reporting on October 1, under BPO, and I don’t like it. I guess, I’ll be looking for another job. Here’s what happened:

        All of us, including the floor supports, coaches and TLs were skeptic that the account will pursue. We’re hoping, but unfortunately, it was liquidated, last giovedi. First Source sucks. Anyway, I still thank God, because I know, and I feel that He has a better plan for me. For sure, He wouldn’t like me stay in that bloody company forever, because He wants what’s best for me.

         It didn’t work out between Normann Dale and me. I caught him sleeping under his work station with Kris. They’re just literally sleeping and not doing anything wrong, but still, it didn’t look good. Plus, he flirts with gays. I don’t want to elaborate, because I’ll just hurt myself, haha, thinking about it.

        For now, I’m back in my job hunt, and I’m taking as much people as I can.

        My first stop is HSBC. I have a neighbor that lives a house from where I live, and he’s really nice. I first met him when I was still in college. I was walking in our street, and I saw him, and he smiled at me. I smiled back, just to be polite. It’s always like that, he disappeared and I forgot all about him. Just like me, he doesn’t go out that much, so there’s a slim chance for us to see each other.

         And last Tuesday, I saw him on the van on my way home, after work. I didn’t really notice him, because I was so sleepy. When I got home, my mom told me to get something from a neighbor (I forgot what was that), and I saw him again. Just like old times, he smiled at me, and I smiled back at him.

          There were no calls routed to First Source from Verizon Subscribers… which just means, we’re near to closing. There’s an opening for the non-voice accounts, and event if I didn’t want to, I still applied. Pao, a TL from TeleTech interviewed me. He’s with the operations manager, and I think I failed to impress them. Anyway, there are a lot of good floor supports and coaches around, and it’s just Negz who made it through them. The rest who made it were newbies in the business. Von, my good friend, was the best among the rest, and yet, he didn’t get in. I didn’t feel bad, because I told myself, “They just got lucky….Maybe, that’s not for me”. And we’re offered another contract on October. No thanks.

        Fraya just logged out. We talked about few things, and I guess, we’ve some sort of friends. She’s my former boss, but I really feel comfortable with talking to her, just like TL Ray. But I think they have some indifferences.

        Of all my TLs, Fraya was the most approachable and considerate. She’s willing to sacrifice for her agents, and during the Pre-Process training for wave 3, we sort of bonded, because I was her floor support. There’s an agent who kind of disrespected her, and I was really furious that time that I almost slap that agent. But I should be professional, so I didn’t do it. She’s my mentor, and i’m lucky that I had the chance to know her. She’s a great help until now, because she had my application for Genpact and GE processed.

          I thought I’ll start winning friends if I let go of Norman (gay). Since he ditched me for Arkay, I stopped caring about him. I stopped defending him and telling people that he’s not gay. I stopped bringing pastries for him. And guess what, it’s as if I don’t matter to him anymore. I said to myself, “Okay, Pri, move on.” So, I found a new friend, Des, who picks me up in Woodsite on my way to work, and drops me off near our house after work. But I guess, she’s not the type of friend I like hanging out with.

        Is there anything that could be possibly worse than this? First, my bestfriend turned out to be gay and ditched me for a guy. Second, I saw ND with Kris under the working stations and ND flirts non-stop with gays. AND Lastly, the account was liquidated.

         I didn’t wait for Des last Tuesday. I was at GTExpress when I saw my neighbor. He was standing behind me, and for some unknown reason, I turned around and saw him. He smiled at me, I smiled at him, and for the first time in history, we talked. I said, “Hi”, and he said “Hi” back. I forgot how the conversation started, and in the van, we talked as if we’re old friends. He asked my name, and I told him. He told me his name. His name is Mark. I want to tell him, “Dude, your name is very common, you know.” But I shut up, because I didn’t want to piss him off.

          We talked about our jobs, and he was surprised when I told him that I’m just 19. Yeah, I swear, nobody believes that i’m just 19 years old. I told him not to worry because I’ll be turning 20 on October.  He said that I should apply in HSBC, wherein he works as a CSR, in collections account.

         We walked through the Northgate, and thank God, the rain stopped before we stepped out of the van. While we’re walking, he asked for my phone number and full name (for Friendster account). He said that we could go home together because we’re on the same shift. We parted ways, and I went to my office. There goes bad news….

SABATO:

         I woke very late. When I got up, I just ate and went back to sleep again.

DOMENICA:

         We just rested, and my mom’s blood pressure increased. I took her to the hospital, and we stayed there, for like 4 hours. They calmed her down, gave her medications to lower her blood pressure, and after that, she was okay. We went home and rested again.

LUNEDI:

          First day with Gopal as my head. Well, he wasn’t scary as he looks like. He introduced himself; he’s only 27 years old, and he’s getting married. And then, he asked us to introduce ourselves, and after that, we had our call simulations. So many people still need help. I think there were four floor supports in our team (me, Kishie, Dean and Bebe), so we wouldn’t be in danger. 

          Now I know why everybody loves Stephen, the short, very pale, balding guy from Long Island, New York. People love him because he’s a perfect gentleman. I’ve seen it for myself. I saw him inside the elevator on my way down to fifth floor. He’s on his way out of the lift, and I was on my way it. He said, “After you, miss” as he gave way and let me step in first before he got out. Impressive.

MARTEDI:

          Bought a new shirt. I guess it’s not catchy because when I wore it in the office, nobody complimented on it. I think they like me on dresses, but not in jeans and blouses.

         It was also Sam’s first birthday. The baby boy is now walking. I went to the birthday party, but unfortunately, I was on a hurry because I still need to go to work. I brought lasagna to work.  

          We’re having reading assessments, and that made everyone nervous again. Now I know who’s faking it. Hahaha. 

          The Indians were pretty bored, because I saw them doing whatever just to keep them awake. That included arm wrestling. They’re not contented yet; they announced to all agents that we’ll be having arm wrestling competition. Crap. They asked each team to give two representative, one boy and one girl. Guess what, I was included. I wanna kill Gopal that time. I hid in the middle of the crowd, but still, Gopal spotted me. He kept on calling, “Pri! Pri! Pri! What are you doing there? Come here!” I swear, I wanna die! And he asked each representative to pose as if we’re Arnold Schwarzenneger showing off his muscles in one of the contest he joined. Yuck. I begged Gopal not to let us do that anymore, but that heartless (and neckless) Indian didn’t mind my plea.

          Me and Dean we’re up first, but instead of posing ala Arnold Schwarzeneger, I modeled , as if I’m on a catwalk, and did what I saw in America’s Next Top Model and Make Me a Supermodel. I took of my jacket and strutted back where I came from. I was so embarassed. But nonetheless, I have originality.

         Good thing, they announced that we must get back to work, and I escaped embarassment.

          It’s getting freaky. I think I like Norman (not my bestbud). I don’t want to admit it to myself, but I can’t really help it. You know what, he’s not the type of guy that I would easily fall for, because I like tall guys, with dark skin and shaven head, but still, I think I like him. It’s odd, because I’m not really attracted to guys with Koreanovela looks, especially with glasses. What I like about him is that he’s a good listener, and he’s very smart. We’re talking and their TL let them out for a break, but he stayed just to talk to me. That’s nice. 

           And when we talk, he doesn’t hog all the spotlight for himself. It’s just like lawn tennis, you know. He talks first, and then, he asks me. Like what happened when we talked about our horror experiences: he told me first, and then he asked me to tell about mine. Plus, he’s very smart. Way smarter than me and than I would have thought he is.          

           The downside: He has a girlfriend already. And how the hell am I gonna compete with a girl who looks like Anna Paquin? Crap. We’re talking about X-Men Trilogy, and then he suddenly told me, “My girlfriend looks like Anna Paquin.” Hah! As if I care.

        Okay, okay, I care, because I’m no match for Anna Paquin. I felt really, you know, insecure.

MERCOLEDI:

         I didn’t know what to wear, but I guess I’d like to wear highheels. So I slipped on my blue dress and high heels. Guess what, that dress was noticed again, to the fact that I wore it for the fourth time already.

         I went to work, and the ladies kept on saying “Wow, nice dress!” Miki told me, “Sabi ko sayo, wag ka mag-skirt eh.” Haha.

         We started the shift with our traditional huddle. Gops reprimanded me for hiding yesterday. He said that he had to call me a thousand times before I finally showed myself to the crowd. Well, if he was asking me to do a not-that-embarassing-stuff, I would’ve the first one in the line.

        Gopal told us that he’d be going back to India on venerdi. Of course, I felt sad, because he’s my superior, and I don’t know what are we gonna do without him. And he had to cut early that time, because he has to go shopping. Haha.

         Before he left the office, we took pictures, and he gave us his email address. I’m not sure how I look like in his pictures, because I didn’t had the chance to check it out, because there were so many people checking themselves.

         I went to the bathroom after the huddle, and on my way out, James said hi to me, and told me, “Nice dress, Pri!” accross te floor. Wow.

         Gopal and Roland left, so we’re free to do whatever. I went to Normann Dale’s station, and we played a game. It’s a stupid game, I could say, and we just did it because we have nothing to do. This is how the game is played: there are two players, and each will fold his/her hands in front of each other in equal level. And then, you take turns of slapping each others hand as hard as you can. If you miss, you lose a turn. Pretty sadistic, huh? Normann Dale went first, he missed, and he lost a turn.

             I slapped his hand, and he howled with pain. I didn’t miss, because I imagined his hand as a volleyball, which needs proper timing. He suddenly blurting out, “I wanna hug you!” and then I missed. Time for revenge; it was his turn and I found it hard to dodge. He realized that he’s hurting me, and he said that we had enough of that stupid game. He took my hands and examined it. Then, it hit me. I really like him. We hold hands for several seconds. if you’ve seen Disney’s Tarzan, there’s a scene wherein Tarzan and Jane held hands, and Tarzan realized that they had same hands, unlike his foster mother, who was a monkey. That’s what exactly happened to us.

         I said to him, “Wow, you have big hands!” And he told me, “because I have big…..” I was like, “Big what?” and he replied, “i know what you’re thinking. You’re wrong. I have big hands because I have big feet.” I blushed. I don’t know if he noticed, but I’d be grateful forever if he didn’t.

        He made me stand up, just to measure how tall I am. We’re almost the same height, but I told him, I was wearing heels. And then he continued telling which measurement is which. You know what I mean.

         I went back to my own station, because I need to do call simulations. Normann Dale called me using his extension. He’s goofing on the phone, and I pretended that i didn’t know that it was him. If I’m not MISTAKEN, he told me, “PRI…. help…. what are you wearing now? ….. Can we go out… I love you…” in a Smeagol-Gollum voice. I hang up, because I didn’t know what to say or think. Then he called again, still using that creepy voice. I told him, “Sir, I’m not going to accept that kind of language from you….” and then he cut me in, and I stood up and started looking for that extension number. When I got there, he’s gone.

          I saw him transfer stations, and I called him. When he asked for the business name, I said, “Eye like you.” I guess he panicked; he turned the pages of our spiels to look for something to say. He said, “Thanks, Ma’am. I like you too… blah blah.” And I said, “Operator, the business is EYE LIKE YOU!” I couldn’t tell if he was blushing or not, but he sounded tensed and he laughed nervously. “I thought you’re flirting with me.” I replied, “Well, I’m not. Where’s the number.” Haha.

GIOVEDI: 

          It was a boring day. Oh my goodness. We’re all bored to death, because we’re getting few calls. We played charades, and I was convinced that I’m good at guessing rather than in actin.

         There’s an issue floating in the floor abour Norman (my bestbud) and Robert Arkay. I sat down to listen to our friends, and nobody cared to tell me what was that commotion all about. i figured it out alone, and then they started interviewing me. I said, “I don’t care about my best bud’s sexuality, and I’ll be his friend no matter what, but of course, I want him to tell me what he really is (bi-sex, gay or straight), and I will accept him whatever he is.”

         And now, I’m confused. I don’t know whether to tell my best bud or not about the rumors circulating about him and Arkay. If I tell him, they will all hate me. If i don’t and he finds out that I know, he will hate me. Oh my God. I will just try my best to stay out of trouble. I guess I should avoid them all. According to the gossips, Arkay and Norman were drunk when he confessed to Arkay. I can’t say anything because I didn’t really know what happened.

LUNEDI:

            I woke up around 9 am. There’s a storm coming, so the classes were canceled. My fratelli stayed home all day. I talked to Tyler. We talked about few things, like the new mummy movie and our conversation didn’t last that long, because I had to go and eat lunch.

           I just read the whole day, and went to the gym at four in the afternoon with Krissie. There’s a lot of guys in the gym, and some of them were drunk, and that scared the hell out of me. I got myself ready to give out a karate kick in case that some of those drunk guys try to touch me. One of the drunk guys asked me if me and Krissie were sisters. I ignored him, and I went with my routine. Krissie was a real sport enthusiast and very athletic. We’re done by six, and I went home to prepare for work.

            I went to work early, because I felt that something good would happen that day. I stayed in the pantry and read Caroline Miniscule. Vin showed up, and then we talked about books. I really love talking to Vin, because he’s damn smart. Our shift started, and we went on live calls. Fraya was there; she just checked how are we doing. Ray picked me to go live, along with other seven people from my team. I was on a live call when Ray approached me and asked me to be a floor support. Wow. Here’s how our conversation went:

RAY: Pri, wanna do floor supporting?

ME: Uhm, I don’t know yet. Do I have to decide now?

RAY: Yes.

ME: Didn’t you ask somebody else if they wanna do it?

RAY: No.

ME: If we don’t have somebody to do it, I’ll do it….but why me?

RAY: Because you’re the only person who’s qualified for that position.

ME: Okay, I’ll do it.

RAY: So, will it be okay for you if you report here tomorrow, four in the afternoon? And 8 in the morning the next day?

ME: What?!!! Okay, sure.

RAY: Good, I’ll put your name on the list. Thanks.

ME: Thank you.

         Ray left and I continued with the live calls. When my turn was done, I went back to my work system. My team were scattered, and they were talking to other teams, because they have nothing to do. I tried to keep myself awake and listen to Ray’s quiz game.

         The new floor supports were huddled, and Gotham talked to us. He told us what to do and encouraged us to set an example for other agents by showing up early to the next shift. After that, we went back to our work stations.

         We had an early lunch, and the gang went to Mcdonalds, but me and Hiromi went to Jollibee. We’re on the line, waiting for our turn to give our orders when I turned around and saw Gotham standing at the back of the line next to ours. He smiled at me, I said “hello” and he said “hello” back to me, and he transfered to our line. I was just shy to talk to him, but I

        Ray was so nice, and he let everyone do whatever they want. Some people slept under the systems. Me too, but to the fact that I’m a big person, I couldn’t fit under the systems, so I just dozed in my seat. I buried my face in my arms, and after several minutes, I looked up because I felt a burning sensation that somebody was watching me. That’s right, somebody was watching me. Gotham, the handsome Indian was about to tap me in the back.

            Gotham- who hardly looks like an Indian; he looks more likely a Brazilian- asked me if I was okay. My heart was pounding because he’s one of the bosses, so, I pretended that I was really sick. Ray came into my rescue, and told Gotham that i’ve been complaining sick since I arrived. Gotham suggested that i should be sent to the clinic, but I cut him out, and told him that I tried to go to the clinic, but the nurse wasn’t there. He left us and check other people. I heard that he caught Gio and Honey.

MARTEDI:         

        My shift ended and I went home. I tried to sleep, but I was so excited. I only slept for a couple of hours because of excitement, but I ran late, though. When I got there in the office, the huddle was finished and the AM informed me that I was assigned to Fraya’s team again.

          I approached the team, and Bebe introduced me to the team, but she said I need to give a speech. I told them about myself, and why I was there- I don’t know either, I just made up a story (I was there to do pre-evaluation calls), and I was there to help them also. 

          We started the pre-assessment right away, and there were many people, in my opinion, who will fail. They didn’t know yet the spiels for different scenarios, and they kept looking at me, asking me what to say if they encounter a “not-found” listing. Mein Gott.    

         There’s this Norman dude (not my friend), who was watching me while I was do the pre-assesment calls. He asked me if he could go next and I said yes, and we started right away. I think he’s good, and I asked him if he worked in a call center before. He said yes, and I’m not surprise, because he was really that good. 

         I ate lunch with Norman, and I think he was so sweet. I was almost done with my food, which were rice and pork steak (Mom didn’t cook anything, that’s why I was forced to eat it) when he showed up and sat next to me. He started eating, and just to be polite, I stayed with him, even though I was finished with my own meal. He asked me to taste his food, but I politely refuse because I had enough for that night. We went back to the floor after lunch, and I continued the pre-assesment calls.

          Before I left, me and Maan had a little chat wit Norman. He worked in ETelecare before, and he left because he wanted to finish his second course, which was BS Nursing, in Southville College. Cool.

          Gotham let us go early, because we have to report at 8 in the morning, the following day. I went home, forced myself to sleep, in order wake nup early the next day.

MERCOLEDI:

         I guess I was excited. I woke up at exactly 5:30 in the morning. I went to work an hour early. Gotham gave us the instructions, and I was paired up with Aladdin, who was very nice, if you ask me. Aladin was not a hottie or what, but one this is for sure: people like him because he’s funny.

         I wore my blue dress, and everyone noticed it, including Gio. I was like, “Duh, I’ve worn this dress for like, 3 times already, and you just noticed it now?” But I realized that they failed to notice the blue dress because it was paired with wrong shoes. I wore the dress with high heels this time.

          When it was time, the wave 3 arrived. Fraya, me and Dean (Aladin) introduced ourselves to the wave 3 of 27 people. Fraya went up first, then me, and then, Dean. I warned everyone not to call me ma’am because I’m only nineteen. But there are some hard-headed people. Yeah, they called me ma’am at first, but I repeated that I shouldn’t be called ma’am, because I don’t like it, they called me “ATE” and “MISS” which is ten thousand times worse than “Ma’am”.

         We started with the Process Training. Wow, good thing I was a floor support, and I had the chance to review again. But I think it’s more difficult to be the teacher than to be a student. Especially in my case, because I have short patience.

GIOVEDI:

         And what made my job more difficult was that lady with problem attitude. She’s a slow learner, but that would be okay, because it’s my job to train her, but she’s so difficult, you know. She doesn’t follow instructions and she’s very sarcastic. I was pissed off, and I tried to get rid of her by sending her at the back of the cluster. But that’s a wrong move. Because Choi, the representative from Verizon, spotted her.

         I don’t know what’s Choi’s intention, but I think, she intended to help Amilie. But Amilie is dumb to notice that, and she pulled again her silly antics. Dean approached the two, so I thought they won’t need me there, and I focused my positive energy with out other trainees. Hahaha.

         When I had the chance to ask Dean, he told me that Choi was pissed off with Amilie and she asked Fraya to transfer her to the middle of the cluster. I don’t know how did Amilie found out that she’ll be moving, and she asked me why. I don’t know what to say, and I just made up another lie. I wasn’t comfortable saying the truth, ad I know it’s wrong to lie, but what choice do I have? That’s an old woman, and I can’t find a kinder way to tell her. What am I suppose to say? “Uhm, ma’am, you’re transferring because you need more attention.”

           I forgot what I told her, but I was sure, that’s it’s another dumb lie. I don’t even know if I convinced her.

          Jeru, one of the new trainees, had a fever. I got medicine from the clinic for him, because he can’t miss the process training. Then, it occured to me; being a leader is like also being a servant. A leader should be willing to do whatever things for their people. That’s what I learned.

         It’s payday, and I planned to withdraw my salary in AFM. On my way out of the First Source building, I saw Fraya on the elevator. I was lucky, because we saw her best bud, Gel (a TL also) on our way out. They invited me for a ride (Gel owns the car) and we went to Home Depot to withdraw from the cash machine. Gel dropped Fraya in South Station. It’s a long ride to SM Molino, but I guess, me and Gel didn’t run out of things to talk about. Gel was funny, and I thought he was gay. But then, he told me that he’s married with three kids.

          Gel dropped me near SM Molino, and I went inside to meet my mom. Wow, I should wear that gorgeous red dress more often, because everyone was looking at me. Well, they’re looking at the dress, but not at my face. Haha.

         My mom and I ate in Greenwich. We had garlic bread, veggie pizza and lasagna. We saw Macky on our way out, but I wasn’t in the mood to stop for a chat, so I just tapped him on the back and waved. Guess what, he called me “Ma’am” too! God. What’s wrong with me?

         We went shopping, but unfortunately, I didn’t find anything worth buying. Instead, we bought a chocolate cake. I went home, mom went back to Woodstate.

         The boys were ecstatic because I gave them a hundred bucks each.

VENERDI:

         Last day of the Process Training. The trainees were so nervous because they’re having their assesment at the end of the day.

        I found out that Gopal would be my new head. Oh my gosh. I didn’t know what to think, because I’m really having a hard time understanding his accent.

        Evaluators arrived, and I was surprised that Norman was included. I felt the connection, but I shrugged it off. Can’t be, I told myself. But I accidentally bumped into him. He was about to open his payslip. And he was willing to show me!!! Haha. He showed me his payslip.

        I stayed a little longer, because I can’t leave our trainees. I started offering water to nervous people. I got tired of what I was doing, so I sat down and chatted with trainees. I gained new friends, and knew a lot of things about them.

       But for Maan and me, it’s a bonding moment. She stood with me for the rest of that evening. We had dinner in Jollibee. It was raining very ard that time, and we need to go back to the office right away, so we ran in the pouring rain. I was all wet, and Maan told me to remove my pants because she’ll dry it using the hand-blowdryer in the restroom. Haha. We did it, and we went back inside. I slipped on my Bossini jacket to cover up my “wetness”. I also pulled my wet hair into a pony tail, because it was ruined. That’s the first time I did that.

           We spend time goofing off with our new friends (JB, Ediboy, Weng and the others). Norman told me that he’s not 27 years old. He’s only 21. He was joking, but I bought it. Haha. Silly me. Really, he doesn’t look like 27. I always like to talk to him, and I don’t know why. Maybe, I’m turning into him for comfort, because my best bud, the other Norman had left me for Robert Arkay. Haha. Anyway, there are rumors about my best bud. You know, people think now that he’s gay.

        I’d like to stay, but it was already late, so I told them that we’re going. I reached home at exactly midnight.

me and maan