day 1 of the challenge

this is day 1.

a photo of you with 15 facts.

here are the facts i wrote down:

1. smoker
2. caffeine addict
3. balbon (hairy)
4. call center agent (customer service representative)
5. night owl
6. book worm
7. i love cats (i have 5)
8. self confessed munchie (i'm always eating)
9. frustrated model (hahaha)
10. OC (especially concerning loose threads on clothes)
11. i have 6 piercings (3 on my left ear, 2 on the right and look for the other 1 haha)
12. a have a tattoo ("triquetra"; the charmed symbol; upper right side of my back)
13. i still keep a journal (for random thoughts and sudden bursts of inspiration)
14. i'm a DVD junkie (Friends, Will&Grace, S&TC will forever be playing in our house)
15. i love myself (if i don't, then who will?)

99 days to go.
i'm working on day 2.. =p
stay tuned..

The 100 Day Photo Challenge

hey there!

i don't know why but i just couldn't help myself.

i saw this posted on my friend saree's facebook wall.

i was just a bit curious at first so i checked it out and then as i kept reading it, i got hooked. so now, i'm going to do it!

maybe i'm just bored to death here at home or i'm delirious with hunger but i've already decided to do it.

this is the 100 day photo challenge.

methinks it's really going to be a challenge because i don't have a computer and i need it to upload photos everyday. but i know i'll manage so here we go.

feel free to take the challenge yourself.

The 100 Day Photo Challenge

Day 01 - A picture of yourself with fifteen facts
Day 02 - A picture of you and the person you have been closest with the longest
Day 03 - A picture of the cast from your favorite show
Day 04 - A picture of yourself and a family member
Day 05 - A picture of your favorite memory
Day 06 - A picture of a person you’d love to trade places with for a day
Day 07 - A picture that makes you laugh
Day 08 - A picture of your most treasured item
Day 09 - A picture of the person who has gotten you through the most
Day 10 - A picture of someone you do the craziest things with
Day 11 - A picture of something you hate
Day 12 - A picture of something you love
Day 13 - A picture of your favorite band or artist
Day 14 - A picutre of your favourite store
Day 15 - A picture of something you want to do before you die
Day 16 - A picture of what you did today
Day 17 - A picture of something that has made a huge impact on your life recently
Day 19 - A picutre of something you love to do.
Day 20 - A picture of somewhere you’d love to travel
Day 21 - A picture of something you wish you could forget
Day 22 - A picture of something you never leave the house without
Day 23 - A picture of your favorite book
Day 24 - A picture of someone you miss
Day 25 - A picture of you from last year
Day 26 - A picture of something that means a lot to you
Day 27 - A picture of your favorite night
Day 28 - A picture of your favorite place in the world
Day 29 - A picture that can always make you smile
Day 30 - A picture of your favorite quote
Day 31 - A picture of food you made
Day 32 - A picture of you dressed up as a celebrity
Day 33 - A picture of somewhere you went today
Day 34 - A picture of your favorite restaurant
Day 35 - A picture of your hometown
Day 36 - A picture of your pet
Day 37 - A picture taken at school
Day 38 - A picture of your favorite drink
Day 39 - A picture of your favorite food
Day 40 - A picture of your friends
Day 41 - A picture of your favorite weather
Day 42 - A picture of you and your best friend(s) from third grade
Day 43 - A picture of you celebrating
Day 44 - A picture that describes your life
Day 45 - A picture of your favorite cartoon character
Day 46 - A picture of you and your best friend(s) from 7th grade
Day 47 - A picture of your favorite animal
Day 48 - A picture of you more than 10 years ago
Day 49 - A picture of you and your best friend(s)
Day 51 - A picture of you wearing sunglasses
Day 52 - A picture of you dressed up
Day 53 - A picture of you in a car
Day 54 - A picture of you on your last vacation
Day 55 - A picture of you with a date
Day 56 - A picture of you all bundled up
Day 57 - A picture of you in your backyard
Day 58 - A picture of you with someone who has passed away
Day 59 - A picture of you playing in the snow
Day 60 - A picture of you at a sports game
Day 61 - A picture of you in the fall
Day 62 - A picture of you on a ride
Day 63 - A picture of you from a photobooth
Day 64 - A picture of a band/singer whose music always puts you in a good mood
Day 65 - A picture of you at a park
Day 66 - A picture of you in the air
Day 67 - A picture of you doing something childish
Day 68 - A picture of you outside
Day 69 - A picture of a crazy night out
Day 70 - A picture of someone you don’t go a day without talking to
Day 71 - A picture of you at camp
Day 72 - A picture of your first car
Day 73 - A picture of you somewhere warm
Day 74 - A picture taken professionally
Day 75 - A picture of you receiving a reward
Day 76 - A picture of you drinking something
Day 77 - A picture of you and friends making silly faces
Day 78 - A picture of your first concert
Day 79 - A picture of you in the water
Day 80 - A picture of you and someone you love being silly
Day 81 - A picture of you with a character
Day 82 - A picture of you at the zoo
Day 83 - A picture of you and a teammate
Day 84 - A picture of you sleeping
Day 85 - A picture of your favorite holiday
Day 86 - A picture of someone who helps you with school
Day 87 - A picture of someone you grew up with
Day 88 - A picture of your dream car
Day 89 - A picture of you at a hotel
Day 90 - A picture of you wearing your favorite color
Day 91 - A picture of you and your friends playing a game
Day 92 - A picture of your school
Day 93 - A picture of your favorite board game
Day 94 - A picture of you and your friends eating
Day 95 - A picture of your celebrity crush
Day 96 - A picture of your favorite movie
Day 97 - A picture of something you no longer have
Day 98 - A picture of you and your friends out somewhere
Day 99 - A picture that was first on your facebook.
Day 100 - A picture of you smiling

slower running.. twice the effort

it has been quite a while since i last updated this. so bear with me if this is going to be long. enjoi reading anyway.. =)

ok here goes.

last time i updated this, i was unemployed and bumming off. i was drinking constantly with my cousins and friends and spending the nights on the net surfing, chatting and watching naruto.

well, as of december 6, 2010, i have been employed with a company whose site is near tiendesitas, where my cousin, shiela, works.

i went through a 1 month training for a CSR/TSR post. and as always, i had blast during training. you know me, the perpetual trainee.

now, i'm taking calls and i'm loving every minute of it. i can't believe i missed working this much. well, that's actually understandable after being unemployed for 11 months.

now it's february and i'm still here. more shockingly, i'm rendering OT (overtime). and not just OT, but RD OT, too (rest day overtime). the only thing i'm not so fond of is the pay. but that's manageable.

in this company, i instantly bonded with kaye. we were together during the application process and then again during our contract signing (pang- artista.. hehehe). i'm a smoker, kaye's a smoker. i'm gay, she's gay (well, biologically she's a girl but you know what i mean). i don't know how we got close but i do know that we are.



then there's apple. the funny, bubbly, never-lacks-personality girl in the group. she was with kaye and me during the contract signing (again, pang-artista). she's my jollibee/mcdo/chowking/uncle john's buddy. never a dull moment with this girl.



and of course, i can't forget my starbucks ally (as well as my other jollibee/mcdo/chowking/uncle john's buddy) yna. this girl is a workaholic. RD OT all the time plus regular OT. fun to be with, smoker and a nice person.




of course there are other people in our class (batch, wave, whatever you want to call it).

there's mommy emma, fel, spike, mark and the others who resigned (or got scared): aslan, jasper, ryan, arriane, bryan, francis, micah and kelly (who i never really got the chance to know, along with many others >,<)... wait.. there's this other guy who always had a question for the payroll department... but then i forgot his name. walang bearing. hehehe






workwise, i'm doing good. the work load is manageable... i mean after my telemarketing stints, this is actually chicken feed. but i'm getting cocky. my work now has it's ups and downs but i manage. do you really want to read about my work?

didn't think so.

so anyway, since i've been out of the house and constantly travelling (it seems like all i do now is travel.. it's very exhausting), i've been visible again in our area. and i just can't help it if i accidentally bump into the x-files.

j4. j3 sent me a message on FB. i'm not interested. boring. and i just can't argue with him anymore. what? now he wants me again? because now i have a job? or because now i can afford a haircut? hahaha well, from updates from friends who are still his friends, he's leaving the country by the middle of the year. going to germany, i think. good for him. now he'll know what "german cut" means... hahaha

j5. j5 and i decided to just enjoy the moment while it lasts. without sex =(...... he's been very persistent from the beginning and i like him.. a lot. it's just that we both know that he's also leaving the country to (and i quote) "see if the grass is really greener on the other side"... well j5, it maybe greener but it's just as hard to cut. and we're not fools in love who believe in the magic of long distance relationships. nope. we're 2 wise guys who believe in the reality that it takes effort to make a relationship work... a lot of effort.

i still see him though. (*,*)

you see? my lovelife (or the lack thereof) is a lot more interesting than my work.

let's continue.

when i started working here, i wasn't even looking for a relationship. hook ups, maybe. a quick hi-yes-top-or-bottom-ok-see-you-later convy, probably. but not a relationship. at papanindigan ko yan hanggang sa susunod na buhay. hehehe

i'm still not looking. i swear.... honestly... ok maybe i am.. (>,<)

let's see. there's this guy... let's call him b1.. shiela introduced him to me. he's tall, fair, a bit on the chubby side (chubby in ways that i like), he smokes, he frequently asks questions about me (according to shiela), he asks me for a date, i refused. why? simple. because he does not make sense. he is nonsense. hahaha seriously, i think he's shallow. i mean, i can carry on a conversation about blackheads and whiteheads but how that conversation went is just bordering on torture. i actually thought i was going to die and shiela was looking at me and giving me her "i told you so" look.

so kaput went the relationship before it even began. and besides, i'm way past the "lollipop" stage of my life... you know, when you're looking at a guy and all you can see is a big red lollipop... never happened to you? just me then?

there's this other guy... let's call him t1. now, i like this guy so far. but then again, we haven't had the chance to sit down and have a "proper" conversation. he said i met him in PR (planet romeo for you heteros). we're friends in FB and he formally introduced himself to me in my comfort zone: the men's restroom. and i appreciate that. he's cute (in a short kind of way haha ang tangkad ko talaga), on the chubby side (just like b1) and i still like him. despite sonia's constant reminder that he's not that cute. let's park this one for the mean time. ii'll look into it, i'll give you an update and i'll get back to you on that (tama ba? kimmydora ito)

then there's those other guys. but then the only thing i can say is i'm not interested. one of them even prompted me to post this message on my FB:

"REJECTION is best accepted withconfidence, grace and a great deal of composure"

kiyembot! hahaha

and there's this guy that i like... i really don't know why i like him. he's almost the complete opposite of what i normally look for (i guess i'm growing up). he's shorter than me (or so i believe), a little on the darker side (complexion), thin (i know i used to like thin guys but lately i've had this thing about chubby guys, maybe because i'm getting my own beer belly, wait, forget i said that), and he joins man pageants.. hehehe lets call him m1. and if you read this again, you'll know who he is. (>,<)



he's in a relationship now. how sad. i don't know how it happened, neither am i interested. but it's nice to know that love's still out there. (*,*)

and speaking of love, i just watched an episode of S&TC, and they say that you're only supposed to get 2 great love in your entire lifetime... methinks my 2 great love is books and DVDs.

sorry, i'm blabbering.

anyway, i can't think of anything else to say.

next time i'll post the pics from my birthday last year. i spent it on matabungkay beach resort in batangas.

'til next time.

ta-ta!

confusion 101

24th november 2009

i thought i've already decided. i was going to leave my current company and go search for a new one. pronto.

i have accepted the fact that i may be unemployed for sometime and that money would be hard to come by. that's the biggest challenge i would be facing especially this
coming holiday season.

i once read that "you'll know you've made the right decision when you picked the harder choice and your heart is at peace" (from youngblood 3, i forgot the
title of the essay and the writer... sowee...) and i believe it.

the last company i was with,i stayed for 2 years. it was one of the best (if not the best) company in the BPO (business process outsourcing --- "call center")industry. i left when i felt that i have already gotten everything that i can from the job. in tagalog, wala na. yun na yun. todo todo na. naabot ko na ang lahat ng
pwede kong maabot sa posisyon ko nung panahong yun.

add this to burn out (from doing the same thing over and over again for 2 years), fatigue, lack of sleep and health issues (i developed hypertension during those
times and it still haunts me to this day), my desire to go back to school (i'm an undergraduate), my options of going abroad (the future is bright, you know) and you
will get the sum total of why i left.

anyway, nung umalis ako dun, mabigat sa dibdib. mabigat talaga... as in.

after 2 years of working hard, trying to establish myself, making a name for myself, knowing the product/service by heart (i can still remember our service and how we present it to our customers) and dedicating two years of my life to it, hindi ako
makapaniwala na natapos ang lahat sa isang papael at isang pirma ko.

isa pa sa hindi ko mapaniwalaan ay kung gaano ako ka-"at peace" sa decision kong yun... mahirap, oo. alam ko na matatagalan bago ako magkapera ulit (45 business days
bago ko makuha yung last pay ko) at alam kong mejo kakailanganin kong magtipid. eh dun pa naman ako hirap na hirap... hahaha

walang feeling ng defeat. walang disappointment. walang feeling of inadequacy. pero ang nanay ko, malungkot. hahaha

i guess i was blessed in having a family and a circle of friends who, after saying "ba't ka nagresign? sayang naman", never judge me and respected my decision. so did
my team lead who, quite frankly, seemed to be happy to be rid of me... hahaha wala po akong AP (attitude problem), napadalas lang talaga ang absent ko
nung bandang huli dahil nga alam ko na pa-resign na 'ko... hehehe

i was unemployed for 8 months after that. my friend lavinia said that it might've been my karma for letting go of something i shouldn't have. i disagree. because
during that 8 months, i only went to job interviews like 3 or 4 times so i think i didn't miss out on that much.

during the 8 months that i was unemployed, i lost a lot of weight. i got my hypertension under control, i got caught up with my favorite tv series, i was able to
watch my DVDs (by then i had a lot that i haven't seen) and i was able to reconnect with my friends and family. i really made sure that i was relaxed and was enjoying
every minute of every day. i was in unemployment heaven.

so now when people ask me how to lose weight, i simply answer: "stop working". they laugh but i'm serious. no work = no money. no money = nothing to buy food with. no
food = losing weight. makes sense?

anyway, it took me eight months before i finally decided that i need to have a job. so i took what's left of my money, printed a fresh batch of resumes and went job hunting.

i was supposed to apply in a company in the same building as my previous company (i was employed in a company whose fortress hails in robinson's equitable tower, 24th floor. go figure) but during that time, the other company was looking for someone else. i didn't fit their needs during that time. i fit half of it, though... hahaha

so i went someplace else. i wanted to apply in a center located in raffles bldg (hint: this company recently changed its name. the previous name, as far as i know
was from a spice and they had the word "solutions" after the spice). so i went to raffles bldg. where the guard graciously told me that the HR department of the said
company is in Discovery suites (yet another clue!). i thanked the guard and made my way to discovery suites.

after crossing the street, i spotted a colleague from 2 years ago. i stopped and asked him where he's working at the moment and he just pointed to the building where we met and said "bumalik ako dito.". my only question was "hiring ba sila?" "ewan ko. try mo sa 8th flr." he answered.

it was then that all the memories of this place came back.

hanston building.

i was here 2 years ago. when i was here, i had a bf (ui... haha) and this is where i had my first taste of "outbound". i wondered if they'll take me back. i bravely marched to the elevator and pressed the up button. when i got to the 8th floor, i saw.......... no one. only a few people were applying. i guess nothing's changed... =p

in the lobby, i was waiting for my initial interview while listening to the other applicants talk about their former companies, their reasons of why they chose to
apply in this particular company and a few more topics i didn't care a bleep about.
i was in bella mode with my big dark glasses acting as a screen so i was spared the torture that is "small talk" with complete strangers. thing is, when i'm going through an interview, i tend to alienate everyone in the immediate vicinity (except for the interviewer). i run through my answers to common questions so i wouldn't
stutter or buckle during the interview itself. of course i do this in my mind, lest everyone thinks i'm crazy.

so after rehearsing my lines about 5 times in my head, i tried to entertain myself with the people around me, without them knowing. at least two of them were talking
(more like boasting) about a class/seminar that they have been attending (and paying for every session) for the past week or so. they were all newbies (call center
virgins, people who don't have any experience in the call center industry) and was actually talking a big game.

i wanted to see what they're worth (just to see if the freakin' seminar works) and fortunately, i was called with 3 of them for the initial panel interview. i was psyched. not to belittle anyone, but my confidence was very high that day. i was ready for a battle.

during the interview, i was called first. i was asked to introduce myself and say something about me. chicken feed. i can answer that question while doing an art project, one eye closed and sipping coffee. i recited my speech and smiled. the interviewer was obviously pleased with my answer and proceeded to ask me 2 or 3 more
questions about my resume. then the others were asked to introduce themselves and say something about them.

"i'm hard working" said one. wrong answer. for me at least. how can you prove you're hard working? his resume was empty. no work experience at all.

"i'm honest" said the other. alright, who isn't?

"i'm dependable" said the third. i need money, can i depend on you?

there were other answers straight out of my grade school good manners and right conduct textbook. things you can't prove (when asked to) or provide evidence that you
really are the things you claim to be. and accent and pronunciation are also not that good... even to me who hasn't been in the front line of the action for 8 months. i knew how proper pronunciation sounded like.

my answers were more practical. i said i was a smoker and if the interviewer asked me to prove it, i would have light up right in front of her. there are other ways to introduce yourself other than creating the illusion that you are a goody two shoes who won't do any harm to the company. what are you? a saint? last time i checked, they were all dead.

later on, in the lobby, while waiting for the interview results, the others started talking to me. and since i knew that exams were the next step, i was out of bella
mode.
"'eto ang galing nito eh" said guy number one. i was humbled. i smiled sweetly.

"oo nga. ang tahimik pero ang galing pala" said the girl.

"kabadong kabado ako tapos nung nagsalita na 'to lalo akong kinabahan" guy #2 said.

what can i do? i needed the job and in my opinion, i could have done a lot better.

i smiled at them and told them that it was all in the mind. and it takes a lot of practice to introduce yourself the way you want others to see you. and i've had a lot of practice. i told them to continue practicing and never lose hope (when the dreaded envelope finally came --- the one that confirmed they didn't pass).

i went on with the hiring process and was lucky enough to be hired and for a pioneering account none the less.

it was the icing on the cake. or so i thought. i was given the cherry after i signed the contract. my schedule wasn't going to be a graveyard shift (a shift that starts in an ungodly hour and ends when the sun is all ready to burn your skin). my shift was 4pm -1am. i like it.

so much for that. more stories of this adventure on my next posts. although, you can find some stories about this job in previous posts.

i apologize for not writing sooner... i'll be writing again soon.

About the Author (hahaha parang libro lang)

let me tell you some things about myself.

physically, I'm at least 5 ft. 6 in. in height and around 120 lbs. I'm also fair skinned. I was born and raised here in the Philippines, exactly where, I won't tell you... hahaha

i'm a call center agent.
I've been working for the call center industry for more than 3 years now.
i have irregular sleeping hours. being in the call center industry that caters to customers half way around the world, i'm required to go to work in the early hours of the night and go home in the wee hours of the morning. sometimes, i feel like a vampire.

i'm a caffeine addict.
i have a pretty serious coffee addiction. When i'm so down and it feels like the whole world is ganging up on me, a grande mocha frappucino from starbucks will make it go away. i drink as much coffee as i can which explains why i have problems sleeping.

i'm a smoker.
i have been smoking since the age of 15. i was already smoking when i had my first sexual experience. i was already smoking when i graduated high school. i was already smoking when i had my first job. i was already smoking when i got to college. and up 'til now, i'm still smoking.

i love to drink.
with good company, good booze and good food --- great fun is sure to follow. let me just make this clear, i'm not a raging alcoholic. so spare me the lesson and give it to someone else. i'm an occassional drinker. i drink when asked. haha

i read a lot of books.
I don't have a favorite author. My choice of books differ... i read every book I feel like reading. I don't like reading thick books. Which is the reason why I haven't read any of the harry potter books... i have seen the movies, though... hahaha

about the blog.
this will be a blog documenting my attempts at chasing my dreams... exactly what my dreams are, i haven't got it figured out just yet... hahaha this will also chronicle my day to day living, the fun side, the discussions we have in the office while others are taking/making calls, and i might even include some of the articles i've written years before.

i think these information is enough for today. you'll find out more if you continue reading.
i may be in the office 5 times a week, 9 hours a day, but i will write frequently... just don't tell my boss.

btw, my name is joey isaac.

p.s. pictures to be posted soon.