WHATTA day!

WHATTA day!

on loop: sunshine ~ twista feat. anthony hamilton (kamikaze mix)

NOTE: this, by far, is the longest post i may have had been able to write EVER... (took me more than an hour to make) and it all happened in just ONE day. senseless ramblings actually hehe. just a little warning for you hehe ;p

yesterday was incredible. i was scheduled for a phone interview in teleperformance (4/F Octagon bldg., San Mig Ave., Ortigas) at 1:00 pm but in usual hyannah fashion, i was running late. i prayed to God and asked for a sign and wisdom in interpreting it 'coz it could be his way of telling me that i shouldn't bother with teleperformance anymore since e-pacific hired me already just the night before my supposed interview in TP. i asked God that if i get to TP and i miss my interview slot that would mean it's not for me to have. but when i got to TP (25 minutes late at that), the person scheduled for the 12:30nn slot hasn't even had her turn yet so i was actually way early. i met up with the girl i was with the first time i was there and we chatted away. in the call center industry, there is something that everyone needs to be great at. it's called rapport building... it's when you are able to connect with your client and build a somewhat bridge founded by strains of friendship and comraderie. it's what happens when people say 'we CLICK'. i met two other people whom i also totally CLICKED with. a guy (half-guy actually hehe) from UP Diliman and a basketball varsity player from UE (eto all-guy hahaha *sigh ;p* ewan).

anyway, after the phone interview with GMs from salt lake city, i was informed that i passed. i was immediately led out to take a typing test. passing rate was 35 words per minute and i also passed that (i got 42 wpm ahehe). and before i even knew what the heck was happening, i was up next for final interview already. during the final interview, i was asked to mock-sell several items. i was also asked to read out loud several paragraphs of nonsense (hehe). then i was asked several questions about myself... then my opinion on several political and economic issues. after which my (very cute haha) interviewer informed me that i was hired. farty fart fart. worst thing is that, i was to be placed in a new account for Dell computers (a high-end campaign) and was to start immediately on monday. it was all like, WHOA hold up, lemme catch up or something. what caught my attention was that the project was new and top leader positions were also up for grabs... like team leader, QM, floor manager, etc. if you excel during training, they could promote your position upfront. in fact, the position i applied for was a CCA (call center agent) but after my final interview they decided that i was qualified to be a TSR (technical sales representative) which is like a level 2 cca.. which means higher salary! hahaha.

the 3 people with whom i was hanging out with in the waiting room were also assigned to the same campaign that i was in and we were all so happy coz before we were informed that we made it, we were hoping that if ever we do get in, we'd be in the same project. and we are! around 5PM, we (paul, karl and me) left TP and decided to celebrate a bit in megamall and ended up eating in mexicali. you know how you get a feeling that you've known certain people for years already even if you've just met them? well, this is a perfect example of that situation. paul was actually from the ob montessori gh during gradescool before he transferred to pisay and he earned a double-major degree in upd after that. karl was part of the ue varsity basketball team in the uaap but was injured so he didn't get to play much but (i just have to say this), he's SO cute! nyahahaha grabe. and a nice mart guy at that (wala pa gf! joke ;p). we stayed in mexicali till around 7PM just chit-chatting and making plans for team-building gigs already and stuff. but deep inside me i was so sad since i still had e-pac to consider. i love TP but i also love e-pac, much more actually (at that time, i was thinking it was because i admire my trainer and my boss.. coz they're hella good in what they do). but the opportunity in TP is too great to pass up... darn. so anyway, karl took me home *sigh* and there was no awkward moments or stupid dead air moments. it was all cool. i had a great time and am actually looking forward to working with him (and paul and louise as well, of course hehe)... but epac is also there so i dunno yet.

i got home around 7:30 and freshened up for my day at e-pacific which would start at 9PM. when i got there everyone was tense since today was a make or break day for everyone (erm... except me coz i *think* i made it already). we had to make formal revalida calls... the pressure was on since we were informed that it was a make or break tryst. when it was my turn and i dialled the interlocal number of sir joey for my revalida, he picked it up and asked if i were hyannah (we were arranged alphabetically so he kinda knew already) and i said yeah. then he said, 'get the next one. i don't need to revalidate you... you've outdone yourself'. coming from the vp for sales, i was extremely flattered and proud to have received such a comment. normally the vp for sales don't remember trainee names but i was informed that i was already assigned under team joey (the vps team made up of agents who's been with the co. for more than 6 mos. already) and jaja (top seller 7 times in a row as a CCA and now team leader of team joey) would be my mentor. actually, gaining this sort of prestige, though only at this level, gained me alot of friends. but then again, also a lot of enemies.

people were talking behind my back saying things like 'bata lang yan eh bakit ba yan nandito? naglalaro lang yan eh. di naman nya kelangan ng pera... tumataas tuloy ang standards kaya nahihirapan tayo' and stuff. this really hurt me. when my friend told me this since one of the girls told her this, i was both mad and sad. but i decided to let it slip because in some ways i knew it was true but i also know that it wasn't my fault that they (those sour-grapers) sucked at their job. i wasn't doing anything special that wasn't in our scripts or training spiels. out of the 36 of us, only 14 passed. many left in tears and it was heart-breaking to see... many sacrifices and hard work has been poured into these past 5 days, more than any i've ever done fro anything as a matter of fact, and everyone had to give up certain things to make the cut and it hurts to be cut rather than make it. even the people who were talking behind my back (one of them made it as well, by the way) were pitiful as they cried and lamented. i had no idea this meant so much to them.

we got out from e-pac just before 1AM and we were supposed to go to baywalk. this is where most of the adventure comes in. only 12 wanted to go (2 of whom didn't make it but were part of the 'circle of life' as we call it hahaha). from julia vargas we walked to, brace yourselves... SHAW boulevard. in heels and business attire. daymn. we all rode in one long jeep till quiapo then we got off and alighted a vito cruz jeep that would take us to roxas boulevard. everyone was so kenkoy and ligh-hearted during the trip and it was so fun. we got off in malate and we walked around for a bit checking out the bars and stuff. then someone suggested that we play a game called 'cheapskate'(sarcasm abound) and try to have fun with spending less than a 100 each (not including cigarettes and beer hehe) and it's supposed to last us till morning since we wanted to view the sun rise in manila bay.

we ended up buying a whole roast chicken from andok's (for only 30 bucks each hehe) and plain rice from chowking, one for each of us. we then went to the ccp grounds, bought kwek-kwek and goto and taho (8 bucks kwek-kwek, 5 bucks taho and 10 bucks goto), rented two picnic blankets for 10 bucks each and found a great spot overlooking the bay full of lights. this was around 3AM already but we were still all hyper and wide awake hehe. CCAs na nga hehe. we ate with our hands (fun! hehe) and the food tasted great (mga gutom na kasi ;p). after eating, we all just sat back and relaxed, watching the bay and the stars. we talked about everything from politics, to religion, to history, even to the end of the world. i now believe that the end is near hahaha. but really, i do. the discussion fascinated me and we all learned so much from each other (everyone were wide readers pala), factual and personal information (everyone was so open and honest to one another). there were a lot of people of people in the area despite the ungodly hours. before we knew it, it was already 5:30AM and the sun was about to rise. we got up and transferred to another side of the bay for a better view. it was beautiful and magnificent and amazing and touching all at the same time. hahaha labo. i loved that night. its a special experience absolutely no money can buy... a one of a kind memory.

after the sun rose, we headed out to go home. this was around 6:30 already and we all rode a shuttle going to vito cruz/taft. from there, we parted ways already since we got on different jeeps headed to different places. i got on a jeep headed for cubao with three others (sime, joy and wendell). i had the greatest time ever. and for the first time, i felt like i wanted to laugh and cry at the same time out of sentiment for people i knew for roughly a week only. they are all very sweet and interesting and smart and personally, they opened my eyes to what the real world is all about. the things i've learned from them i would have had to experience for about 10 years. they were wise and clever and witty and... simply just great company. it was good, clean fun (cheap too ;p). they all treat me as the baby of the group (i admit i am the most jaded among everyone.. too sheltered) even if wendell is a year younger than i am. when i got home, i talked with my dad and asked for help since i do not know where i should go now. i want to work for both comapanies but of course, that's not possible. and i have to make a decision by sunday morning. sigh. i need my friends :( they're wise and great in maing sound desions. sadly, we're all busy with different things nowadays so i haven't had the chance to see them jusy yet. soon, hopefully.