Happy New Year, everyone!

I was supposed to make a year-end post last night but since we were all too busy with food preparation, the plan slipped through my mind. Not enough pictures. I promise this year will be better once we have Yogi. It was a hoot seeing our dog scared shitless of the fireworks though. She kept following us around all over the house. I didn’t know whether I should be amused or pity her in that state. Were your pets scared of the fireworks/firecrackers too?

Speaking of holiday festivities, it is probably the only time of the year (except maybe for Holy Week) that people are in-town and reunions can be scheduled with ease. I met up with some of my block mates from college a few days ago and we had fun reminiscing over dinner at Mesa. Gen, who’s currently based in Dubai, initiated the meet-up.

Wanna know a secret? I have this really bad experience on meet-ups with this batchmates of mine. A few years ago, I was at the mall with my sister when I spotted a couple of them having lunch at this certain restaurant. It turns out they were having a get-together and I wasn’t invited because they didn’t know my number. I mean, seriously? I have Facebook (where they are even my friends) and I have Twitter. Not having my mobile number should never have been an excuse. I don’t force myself on people but when your block was composed of only 20 – 25 people during college, from freshman to senior year, surely you’d expect at least a sense of courtesy for an invite to be sent your way. But that’s all water under the bridge now. I’ve moved on.

I have high hopes for the new year. I have yet to come up with resolutions but I hope to be as productive as I was last year. Just not as sickly, please. I hate being sidelined due to health issues. It destroys my focus.

Happy Holidays!

The 'rents are currently in-town to spend the holidays. Ahhh, can anyone say home-cooked meals? I missed that. The stove was busted when dad left for Surigao and since no one among us knew how to fix it (or connect one to an LPG tank) we survived on canned goods and take-outs. For two months! So college life, right? Which is why I love it when my mom's around. She can never stand seeing us famished. She even bought me Spam when we did the groceries a few days ago.

Noche Buena celebration was pretty low key. It was just us in the family. But it was fun, since we were together. Pretty funny though how it was my mom who ended up buying a new gadget for herself. While us siblings are sharing a laptop, she gets to have her own netbook! We named her Pinky (tacky, I know!) and she’s a spiffy Samsung N150.

Inggit! I sure wished we had Yogi with us already. While the rest already had digicams and DSLRs to document their holidays, we had to settle for the good, old camera phone. Oh well, God has bigger plans. If not this year, maybe the camera is meant for Summer 2011. I can wait. I just hope I can get a leave by then. Three days would suffice already.

Happy Holidays, everyone! I hope you had a great celebration with your loved ones.

Freakin’ Five Years!

Today I celebrate my 5th year with APS. Pretty amazing, huh? For someone who had sworn off working for call centers before, I can only wonder how I managed to stick around for half a decade. Much of the credit goes to my officemates. It’s always true. You can never last if you hate the company of who you’re working with. I’m just thankful that we are quite a wacky bunch. We have our own quirks, yet we all managed to get along so well.

And speaking of work, yesterday we had the Christmas party for WFM Cebu at Pump 1. I wasthisclose to not attending since I hated looking for an outfit at the 11th hour to fit the theme they chose. Good thing my sister still prodded me to attend. After all, I forked out quite a contribution for this party. I’m just so happy I received the gift I had on my wish list. Now I can start fulfilling my quest to follow JK Rowling’s footsteps. (joke!)

Bubbles, Me, Boogie and Badet

Rey hosting the program. In all fairness, the food was GREAT!

I got the notebook from Fully Booked that I wished for! :)

Thankful…

How can you not love an account who celebrates Thanksgiving? Yayyy, no work for me tonight! It’s the first time I actually get to enjoy the perks of the celebration ever since I started working for a BPO company. I was always the loser who had to work on holidays.

But there’s still a lot to be thankful for this 2010. I’ve had my own share of hits and misses but I choose to remember the blessings I’ve been given.

CAREER

My promotion came just when I needed it the most. It was not about the money; I was thisclose to giving up because of the working environment (incompetent boss, anyone?). Today I am in the company of the best in our field. My current boss is such an excellent mentor and I am learning a lot from her.

WORLD CUP 2010

Yes, I will never get tired of blabbing about it. It was one of those events that made this year so memorable for me. I’ll probably even include this in my “the year that was” post by December 31st. My love for La Furia Roja has grown since I first saw them play against Switzerland. Oh, and while we’re at it… happy 29th birthday to my boyfriend husband love of my life, Xabi Alonso!

HEALTH

Not a great year for me, health-wise. But I’m surviving. Maybe it’s the stress of the new workload, or I’m just getting older and my immune system is failing me. Haha! Here’s to a sick-free 2011!

And lastly, I’m thankful for my friends and family. We’ve been through a lot through thick and thin. Thank you for keeping me grounded. Your company keeps me sane and things are brought into the right perspective whenever I seek your advice. 

So what are you most thankful about?

I’m back!

My 3 day training ended yesterday and it was a relief when we finally took the assessment afterwards. Guess what? I PASSED! What's even more surprising was that my score was in the 90s. (to date, the highest known score from all who finished the sessions is at 98) I couldn't be more happier. HPMT (High Performance Management Techniques) nearly drained the life out of me. It was information overload at its finest. 

But I'd like to tip my hats off to the trainers. It's never easy training people who are no longer used to classroom sessions. Oftentimes some were on the brink of dozing off. But we survived! And for that, I am truly grateful. I felt like it was such an achievement on my end considering I was never a good student back in the days.

This month also marks the return of the Harry Potter movies, specifically the first part of the finale, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I'm so excited. My VL for the 19th was already approved when I learned that the movie will actually open here on the 18th. Oh well... good thing I have a flexi schedule.

So who among you are watching Deathly Hallows on its opening day too?

My Grown-Up Christmas Wishlist

I'd be a hypocrite to say I don't crave for material things. I do. In fact, every December we've made it as a project to save up for a certain gadget or appliance that we fancy. Everything is paid in cash. The credit card is considered an evil entity in this household as long as spending patterns aren't normalized. And because I have bills to worry about, wishlists are the only way I'm motivated to work even harder for the things I really want. Allow me to share to you ten things I really want to receive (or buy) this holiday season, or hopefully by 2011.

A Canon 1000D camera - Not for me, per se, but rather for my sister. She has an eye for taking great pictures and I want to encourage that talent. Besides, we need a new camera if we are to push through with that summer trip to Tandag next year. Who knows, this might translate to better profile photos on Facebook right?

A Xabi Alonso soccer jersey - An imitation would be fine, but an original (branded) one would be even better. Those who know me are aware of how much I adore this guy. Who wouldn't love the name Xabi, eh? My World Cup 2010 memories bring me nothing but pure joy because of him and the rest of La Roja. If only the guy can be cloned.

An all-expenses paid trip (one week) to any provincial destination of my choice - I say this time and time again... I am in need of a long-overdue one week vacation. Working in a BPO environment can be very toxic. Once in a while, you need to de-stress yourself to relieve the pressures of the job. If someone offers me a (free) tour of Vigan or Iloilo for that matter, I'd haggle for leave credits from my boss and gladly go on that trip without batting an eyelash.

A domain of my own (http://iamnofangirl.com) - Pretty far-fetched for now since I have no credit card. But who knows? Right now I'm enjoying my renewed interest in blogging. It's always nice to read through your past entries and realize how much you've grown emotionally (and physically!) since you wrote it.

DVDs (original ones) of my favorite TV series – Ugly Betty, Modern Family, Criminal Minds. Any of those three would be fine. Ugly Betty keeps me grounded and focused with my attitude at work. Modern Family provides me the necessary humor I need in my stress-filled life. Criminal Minds is my form of escapism on what it would be like if profiling was my current job.

I might add more but these are the immediate answers that came to my mind when coming up with this year’s wishlist. I never did one for my birthday so I think this should be aptly called, “my birthday-slash-christmas wishlist for 2010”.

The One where I’m alone for the weekend

First off, yeah… it's an obligatory Harry/Ginny photo from Deathly Hallows. Can you believe it? Thirteen days more to go! Vacation leave has been approved for the 19th so I'm all set. It's the beginning of the end... of my teenage years. Joke! Truth be told, I started reading Harry Potter back in 2001. I was already a senior in college. (Trivia: Chamber of Secrets was the first book that I finished) I always knew OBHWF was end game back then. Felt relieved that JKR had the same thing in mind by the time she released the final book. 

On the other hand, my sister's friends are currently in Cebu for a short vacation. I envy them. I can't stop blabbing about vacays since I haven't had any out-of-town trips for quite sometime now. Loser, right? I know! But work demands so much of my time. I am slowly turning into a workaholic who has no time for fun. Huhuhu! They brought us durian jams from Davao though. Nothing is stopping me from making mango-durian float over the weekend. Tastes like heaven, I tell you.

I am glad Sheila (my sis) finally gets the chance to enjoy a day-out with them since they all live in different cities. Reunions like this happen once in a blue moon. Like my college besties, their friendship has withstood the test of time (them being friends since high school). Take a wild guess where they’re spending the weekend? 

BANTAYAN ISLAND!

Can I just die of jealousy now?

Dearly beloved brother...

Is it too much too ask that you live within your means? Every month, this never fails to be an issue in this household. You are earning your own keep. Learn to budget. Stop with investments that you can't even afford. Better yet, learn how to say no. Remember that you are only human. You cannot solve every problem that your friends have. Now that we're at it, can you also be honest with us? It's not all the time we can clean up after your mess, you know?

Love,

Your disappointed sisters

Is a week-long vacation in the works?

This is the thing when you're given the chance to go on PTO. The day you're supposed to go back to work? You don't want to drag your ass off to the office anymore. But reality bites. This is what I get for being such a workaholic. I try to be the best at everything I do but there are just some things where I fall short of. Isn't this what they call real-life? You learn from things that you experience one day at a time.

Speaking of which, I made the most out of my first paid time-off in more than 12 months. Me and my sister dropped by at Cempark to pay our respects to my grandmother and uncle. After which we went malling and I got myself some new flats to spruce up my sneaker-dominated footwear. I worry about my spending habits though. I'm not addicted to shopping... I'm more into food trips. See how unconventional I am?

A major, major overdue update…

My eye has healed completely. Thank god. I thought I’d forever sport a swollen eye to work. :) So how have I been over the past few days? Pretty great. I love all the things I’m learning at training and I cannot wait until I go live. The pressure hasn’t sunk in yet. But the challenge is there to prove myself worthy of the position. I’m just thankful to be part of a solid support group. I have an awesome mentor and super-supportive teammates.

In my hiatus from the blogging world, it seems that a lot has happened. There’s the unfortunate hostage drama with the Hongkong tourists which was terribly heartbreaking. I know it’s pointless to compare. But haven’t they learned anything from the countless procedural dramas over the years? Someone needs to be subjected to marathon of Criminal Minds. I can only hope international relations between Hongkong and the Philippines will mend in time.

And who can forget the infamous “Major, major” eh? Venus Raj may have placed 4th in the 2010 Miss Universe pageant but she made the most impact with her Q&A blunder. Heck, she even made it to Yahoo! It was like Charlene’s “high tide or low tide?” all over again. You gotta love beauty pageants for giving you a goldmine of quotable quotes when it comes to the question and answer portion.

No, it’s not sore eyes…

I have Blepharitis. Iccck! I'd rather not expound on what it is because it would just gross you out. You can google it if you want to. It pisses me off though because... why now? Why couldn't this have manifested itself while I was still an RTA? Why now when I am in my first week of training for my new position? I hate being sick. I hate being held back on important things I need to accomplish immediately. Not to mention the dent it would cost my pockets for the antibiotics that were prescribed to me by the company doctor. But it looks like I have no choice. The meds have to be taken diligently otherwise I’d be left with a swollen right eye.

New Home, New Beginnings...

I've moved my blog to Wordpress. Just some slight tweaking though with my previous entries because I am such a stickler for order. I can never stand seeing my entries not formatted properly. This is the very reason why I usually end up changing blog templates every month. Let's see how this goes with my new home. Hopefully more productive blog entries to come! :)

Speaking of new beginnings, I am happy to say I got accepted for the job I had interviewed for a few weeks ago. It's a lot more complicated than my current job description but I went for it as a challenge. I officially start training in August. In the meantime, we are still awaiting news regarding my replacement (for my current department). It took a promotion before TPTB could act on hiring additional manpower for one of the largest accounts in the company. Our staffing had been bleeding for close to four months already!

But enough of my bitterness. It is time to leave that all behind. I look forward with eagerness to my new responsibility and working for a new boss. Now is the time to embrace change.

The week that was…

The World Cup has taken over my life. Well, sort of. It's just that I have been rooting for Spain since the tournament started and now it's pretty annoying when people trashtalk the team in favor of Germany. The fan in me actually gets affected by all those black propaganda against La Furia Roja. But hey, you can never please everybody right? As my sister would say, "let them eat their cake and we'll eat ours too". It's a whatever floats your boat situation and I won't force them to like my team if they don't.

I also miss the academic atmosphere. Had I been the diligent type as a student, I would love to go back to school and take up a graduate course. But sadly, I wasn't blessed with such brains. I have a few officemates who enrolled this semester and I wish them luck in juggling work and studies. It ain't easy multi-tasking after all! :)

Lastly, I feel guilty for not being able to submit a Carnival entry last week. It was supposed to be a walk-in-the-park topic since I love FRIENDS! Sadly, real-life caught up and I just didn't have enough time to type my entry. I'll make up this week, and that's a promise!

Windows Live Writer

Test post from my Windows Live Writer software. Thanks to Little Miss Kessa’s entry, it had me tinkering immediately with my laptop trying to figure out how to access it on my end. I have a lot of catching up to do in the world of blogging. I’ve missed two Team Carnival entries already so I vow to make up for it this week.

My previous week just had been so busy. I interviewed for a internal job hiring just out of gut feeling. Man, I forgot what it felt like to be interviewed again! ^_^ I had butterflies in my stomach the entire evening that I thought I’d pass out. Here’s hoping this week will be a stress-free one.

Moving On

It is quite alarming how, lately, people are handing resignation letters faster than you can say "snap!". Sad isn't it? If this continues within the next few months, our team will be sitting ducks due to understaffing and demoralization issues. TPTB couldn't care any less. If I didn't know any better, I'd say a hostile take-over was in place with all those external hirings she's clamoring for. Perhaps it's about time I move on as well? Things are getting pretty cramped inside my comfort zone. Ohhh resume, where are you?!?

Pandanon… NOT!

 

This, is what I'll be missing out on Saturday. Loser, right?. Anyone would be foolish enough to refuse a beach outing with officemates. But sadly, with the current state we are in, others have to take one for the team. (Nyahaha!) Understaffing is seriously depriving me of a social life. Oh well... until TPTB lifts a finger to rescue us from the murky waters we're in, all I can do is dream of the sandy shores of Pandanon or any team outing destinations we might have in the future.

 

On a more personal note though and out of sheer boredom, I have decided to start blogging again. Perhaps it was out of fear that I could barely string words into sentences anymore. I needed to brush up on my writing skills and what better way to do that than chronicling one's kagagahans over fandoms, right?