Thank You

To you.

I'd like to take this time to write this simple blog entry to thank you for making me feel as good as I've been for the past few months. I've gone to great lengths I hardly thought I'd ever go to with you. Thank you for making me feel super for all this time. It got me over a lot of the foolishness that I've gotten myself into and you taught me a lot of lessons in a way that only you could have.

I'm not sure what happened exactly, but it seems that you've moved on to other things and you really have gone your own way. We'd still see each other, but the feeling is no longer there. It's as if we agreed that we would no longer be the same, except that I wasn't told of anything.

I could get emotional here, and you know that I do have the tendency to do that, but I won't. I wouldn't make this into a rant and a cry-over-spilled-milk letter anymore. You did what you felt you had to do. I might never get the reason why you changed the way you treat me, and that is okay. I'll never claim to understand. I'll just say, it's what you wanted, apparently.

Thank you. For caring, for the love, for all the times you listened, and got me through the trying times. I no longer want to feel that I was left alone again, left in the air by what you suddenly did, but cold shoulder, getting cold feet, or what-not, I'm thankful for being close to me, for that super time I had when I'm with you. Thank you.

OMG~! Project PTC update

Well, after months of testing out if there is really a money making opportunity to be had online, here's the result:



Well, it ain't much, but I didn't spend anything for it, so I'll take it. My overall assessment of this paid-to-click industry would be for people who are damn popular and can get hoards of people to join as their referrals. If you have that capability, then you can earn a sizeable amount on a regular basis. Other than that, it takes way too long to earn enough credit to cashout. Like me, I didn't have any referrals and had to click away at advertisements till I reached the minimum.

So there. Just thought I'd share it.

Got Coffee?

Funny logo I found browsing around my normal reading places:



This should be cool in repackaging our local products for export. Haha.

Credit goes to Jessica Zafra over at her blog.

No, Miss Palin. Being close to Russia doesn't count as foreign policy experience.

The title above is based on a remark that Sarah Palin allegedly mentioned that she has foreign policy experience because the state where she came from [she's the governor of Alaska] is close to Russia. I just find it funny.

Thanks to a peculiar sleeping habit, sleeping at 4:30AM, I woke up at around 9AM just before my dad left to do some groceries with my aunt. I stayed at home and watched Game 2 of the Major League Baseball World Series. I'm rooting for the Tampa Bay Rays to win it all this year seeing that they overcame the defending champions Red Sox and my personal pick at the start of the season, New York Yankees. I enjoyed watching the game, though the only gripe I have with the game is that it takes so long to finish. The average game time is around 3 hours, so its not for everyone.

I finally got to finish reading The Bourne Betrayal today and it was a really good read if you're into that genre. I stayed online for a good part of the afternoon chatting with a lot of people [which doesn't happen often, mind you]. Former teammates, wavemates, and close friends were all online so I was able to somewhat catch up with what's happening with them.

I went out and had dinner with my bestest friend. It was just a short meeting, a little bit of catching up with each other. After the past few times wherein our plans didn't go through, this one did and this time, she's the one who waited for me, mind you though, not because I'm late. It's because she was so early. Before 9PM, I'm back at home, to the surprise of even my dad. Haha.

It's my college friend Lou Bryan's birthday today. There were initial plans to meet up and celebrate but I'm not sure if it pushed through. No matter, I'll just take the chance to greet him anyway. Happy Birthday! Hawohey~!

What else to do? Hm. Time to head over and watch Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart report the political news. Someone might note that it both Colbert and Stewart are comedians and not really news reporters, but then again, they make more sense than what most people come up with these days anyway, and in a more entertaining fashion.

TOIC Assessment Thoughts

So, in roughly 7 hours from now, I'll be sitting in a room with 13 other hopefuls taking a written assessment to become one of the five new TOICs for our Program. It is a huge moment for me because a.) It means I'm really leaving behind the TSR level and I'm per se, a manager if I make it and b.) It means that it's another step in my career in eTelecare.

With those in mind, there are thoughts that keep swirling in my head. A part of me is concerned because I'm not sure if I'm ready to fill the shoes of the leaders that I'll be expected to fill. I mean, all the leaders I've been under have their own distinct methodologies and styles to build their team. I feel that I have nothing of that whatsoever. I expect a lot out of a leader, and I'm sure that the same would be expected of me if I'm placed in the same shoes.

Another part of me knows that this would be the next step for me to take. I am quite happy that an opportunity like this presented itself. I mean, how often do you get a chance to move up the ladder? If I have to guess, not so often. With so many people leaving [I have my own theory there, but it heavily involves the terms Shift Teng and Trend Micro... haha!], now is the time for me to step up and grab the opportunity and see how I'll stack up. It gives me the opportunity to evaluate how I've fared so far and improve from there.

When TL Bebot offered to put my name for assessment, she told me of her experience that was similar to mine. She was an L2 as well before, and within 6 months, she had her own team. The question that she asked was: Did my TL recommend me because I'm ready or is it because the opportunity is here and it's a waste not to take?

Productivity > Negativity

It's a boring day, and I had nothing much to do. I tried writing a blog for my Multiply account, but I wasn't able to finish that. I might've been so bored that I opened up my Friendster account for the first time in over a month. My friendster account seems to be nothing more than a placeholder of my existence there. I hardly use it, and I don't update it anymore. I use Multiply for basically everything that I could use Friendster for.

 

So, enough with that and onto Friendster. I just got a couple of friend requests from former teammates and aptly processed them on their way. I checked out some of my friends' profiles and stumbled into one that boggled my mind juuuuuuust a little bit mainly because I've known this person quite well and she seems to be a very bitter person who seem to never get over the negativity in her past. She never gets tired of talking about her ex, her dad's mistress, how everything bad seems to come her way and her never ending obsession with resigning because she feels she's not being treated right. I was in her Friendster profile, just roaming around when I read this:

 

"I don't want to be alone. I want to be surrounded by happy people."

 

Isn't it ironic that a person who doesn't want to be alone, and wants to be surrounded by happy people is such a negative grouch? It's like asking for respect but not giving it yourself. It cannot be achieved by wishing ill will to other people, that much is for sure. Logic and positivity doesn't work with this person, that much I can assure you. One could not draw happiness [and in effect, happy people] in one's life by being so negative. It reeks of a huge ego, and being self-centered.

 

I liked this person for a time, and at first I was amused with her attitude. Straight to the point. However, she's too darn straight and pessimistic with everything. It's one thing to wish the death of another human being, when you are kidding around, and a completely different thing to really want it done. I tried my hardest and I tried to pull out all the stops to make her feel special and happy, but I guess that doesn't work with everyone. It doesn't mean that I gave up on the person, it is just that I don't want to do something for someone who doesn't want me around or is seemingly contented with the negativity. Hey, if it floats their boat, then so be it.

 

So, I'll opt to spend my efforts elsewhere, where it would be more productive, and I could think of myself for a change. I worry that for the past few months or so, I've gone out of my way for everyone and their dog to make them happy. I do not regret anything I've done because for the most part, it has turned out well and I'm also happy as a result. This person just made me realize how thin I may be spreading myself. I just want to focus on myself a little more this go-round. I don't want to leave myself behind and just always sacrifice for others. I may be a good person, but I'm no saint, either.

 

On Being Stood Up

For the last week or so, I've asked two girls out for a date. One is my bestest friend (I know, don't lecture me on how exaggerated the term "bestest" is, but it is a term of endearment) and the other is my former agent, who I'm still trying to understand what she is to me and what I am to her, really. Guess what, I didn't have any dates. None. Zilch. Zero. Not having a date was not the issue. Despite the fact that they agreed beforehand about it. Yes, I got stood up.

First, there was Cheng who was asking me what time I normally take my lunch. I told her I took it at around 3AM, but apparently it didn't work with her schedule, so we agreed to meet up after her shift [8AM, three hours after mine ends] and have breakfast together. We had it set down and we were constantly checking up on each other through email and instant messaging [one of the few perks I truly enjoy as part of the support group]. After my shift ended, she was asking as to what I'll be doing to pass the time. I told her I'll be sleeping for a bit. We agreed to it. She gave me a heads up that she didn't have her phone at the time and we'd have to communicate via our respective Messengers again. Fine, no problem. I slept until 7:30AM, giving me a bit of a headstart. I logged in again, but poof. She's gone from the messenger and I'm left waiting for almost an hour without any response. All I got the next day was a sappy explanation saying that she went straight home at 8AM. She didn't even inform me of any change of plans or apologized for any miscommunication. I don't want to get mad at her. I'm not sure if she forgot [but I mean... really?], but this is the second time that I got left up in the air on my own. The first time, she said she fell asleep in the office. Yeah. Kinda sucks, no?

Then there was Tintin. It was my day off and she had her shift in the office. I contacted her the day before asking if she wanted to have lunch with me after her shift, so that it wouldn't have any conflict with her schedule. She agreed. Next day came, and when I told her of the time, she just said she'd rather just sleep because she's feeling.. sleepy. Uhm, ok. So, I spent another day moping around at home with nothing to do aside from browsing the internet, and running around the compound for no apparent reason [It couldn't be exercise].

I feel dejected this week because of these developments. It seems that the people I like tend to avoid me, maybe its just me but then again, who can blame me? I've gone through a lot of things like this before but it still stings everytime it happens. Did I do something? Said anything? Yes, it sucks. I am upset because it seems that I'm being avoided. I feel hurt. I know that this paragraph is so exaggeratedly useless because I started ragging and ranting already. I already have enough concerns with my current position and team because of the virtual nosebleed sessions I get when I'm supporting them, and this is an unwanted add-on. So, there. I said it. I'm upset, though I never told both of them anything about it.

I took comfort from my superfriends Lyn and Diane. They are like my voices of reason, providing rationale in the seemingly messed up situations I get myself into. They're like my pillows on each side of my bed: they keep me from falling down. Though if I drool on either one of them, I'll probably get hurt. ^_^ V. I resolved myself not to worry about those things anymore because it's done, and in the past. Things could have gone a lot better, but there's no crying over spilled milk. I should just clean up whatever mess I have, and just take it from there.

Being stood up has been a truly humbling experience for me. It seemed that things were going my way for a little while, then this brings me crashing back down to Earth in an instant. Come to think of it, its not just the thought of being stood up that stings, it's also the thought that the people who you thought would come through for you would be the ones to leave you up in the air, without any real reason. It's one thing to be told of what would happen, its another thing to just be left waiting and moping. Then again, I hope its just me.

Breakfast at Kopi Roti

It's another boring trek home, and I wasn't even able to get some sleep beforehand. One glance at the fingerscan machine tells me its already 9AM, a good four hours since my scheduled logoff time. I don't have anyone to take the trip home with me today, so I was thinking of eating somewhere new, for a change. I remembered an old tip of my former teammate MJ. She said that the bread in Kopi Roti is wonderful and its worth visiting sometime. We planned to visit it before, but never got around to doing so. That was over a year and a half ago. With nothing much to do aside from sleeping, I hopped on a cab and headed to Kopi Roti in Katipunan, a quick 10 minute trip from our office in Eastwood.

Quick note: Kopi Roti originated in Singapore. Kopi = Coffee and Roti = Bread.

The closest branch was in Katipunan Avenue, in Quezon City, relatively close, but out of the public transportation's reach [I mean Jeepneys and tricycles]. The place itself is not too big; a few tables inside and much more set up outside. I was all alone, so I settled in the closest seat to the door.



I ordered myself a Kopi Bun, soft boiled eggs [which looked weird in the picture], and a cup of Kopi. I got charged for 105Php for the whole meal. There were a few people inside and most of the patrons are outside in the open area. I did not want to be outside since the branch was located along the busy streets of Katipunan, where cars drive by nonstop for most of the day [imagine the pollution].







I settled in and had a good breakfast. The Kopi Bun, the store's specialty is like a giant pandesal with a very creamy filling. The bread is very soft in the inside but the crust is very crunchy and chewy. It was very filling and the Kopi compliments it quite nicely.

The soft boiled eggs were something I'm not too crazy of. It was okay, but definitely not worth the price in my opinion. For 35Php, you get two soft-boiled eggs with what seems to be soy sauce and white pepper powder. It was a unique take on how to flavor the egg, but definitely not what drives the people to Kopi Roti.

After breakfast, I was thinking of dessert, but the Katipunan branch apparently doesn't serve the desserts in the pictures of their menu. Too bad, there seemed to be something really nice I wanted to try out. Oh well. ^_^