July 30, 2012

The Longest Day Part 2 of 2

July 27, 2012 – Friday

It’s 5:44PM and I’m still waiting for the final interview. I was here around 2:15PM and I’m hoping that this will end soon and that I’ll bring home the bacon (job offer). When I applied in Sufferland almost 3 years ago, it took more than 14 hours for the 1-day recruitment process to end. I got my job interview at Sufferland around 1AM. I hope it doesn’t happen here at Transcom. I’m starting to feel sleepy.

transcom

I came here at Transcom hoping to take pictures of Tiendesitas but I guess that will be for another time. My greatest fear at this time is my salary due on the 30th (Monday). The termination paper was printed July 23, 2012 and it’s the same day where the cut-off for the 30th pay happens. If my ATM is still empty by Monday morning, I will be in serious trouble.

6:00PM

I was just handed a Versant English Test. I guess this is my 3rd time to take this test. Prior to this, I was given the usual computer and sales test (navigation, DSL connection and grammar).

6:30 PM

I just finished the Versant English Test. I didn’t perform well with the sentence construction part of it. I also had a hard time retelling a story. It’s like I had a memory gap and had difficulties hearing some words. Perhaps my hearing has been affected by hours of taking calls for the past 5 years. I remember taking this test a few years ago and I aced it. This time was my terrible performance with the Versant English Test.

I was only confident on the reading part of this language test as well as on the repeating the sentence part and answering a simple question (from a bottle!). Questions like:

  • What color will you mix with Red to make it Orange?
  • How many moon does the Earth has?

I hope I passed it. It’s embarrassing for me to fail the Versant English Test since I’ve been taking calls for ages. Hopefully I’ll advance to the final interview and bring home the job offer.

6:56 PM

The results of the Versant English Test were released. There were 3 waves of applicants that were called one after the other. It’s like a StarStruck or X-Factor moment. Each wave of applicants called were composed of 4-5 people. The first two waves that were called were naligwak and na-tsugi (didn’t make it). We’re the 3rd group to be called and were greeted with “Congratulations! You passed the Versant”.

7:30 PM

We just finished our dinner. I had Chicken Curry for P40. Good thing they also provided a P30 snack tab so I only added P10.

9:30 PM

I just finished the final interview with a Filipina (probably a TL) and an Australian (the account manager).

10:30 PM

I was told I passed the final interview and I was given the medical exam endorsement paper. My first day of training will start on August 6, 2012 and the contract signing will also occur on that day after I passed the requirements which includes:

  • Proof of Social Security Number (photocopy)
  • Proof of Tax Identification Number (photocopy)
  • Valid NBI Clearance (original copy and should cover first 6 months)
  • Photocopy of Birth Certificate
  • Pre-employment Medical Exam (company-shouldered)

So on Monday, I’ll be at SM Megamall for the renewal of my NBI Clearance. Hopefully I’ll find the account very interesting, fun and promising. I was given a Technical Account for an Australian company which caters support for laptops, tablets and other gadgets.

It was indeed a long day. I got home around 12:00AM so I was technically awake for around 31 hours.

BTW, if you want to know more about Transcom, you may visit their Facebook page here. You can also send them a text message at 0917-553-9775. Their recruitment office is located at G/F Transcom Center Building, Las Fiestas Road, Frontera Verde Compound (a.k.a. Tiendesitas), Pasig City.

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July 29, 2012

The Longest Day Part 1 of 2

Let me post here the article that I wrote on paper while I was applying a job at Transcom near Tiendesitas, Pasig City.

IMG_6111

This line leads to the entrance of Mega Trade Hall for the DZRH Job Fair

July 27, 2012 – Friday

It’s 5:12PM and I’m seating here at the 4th floor, waiting area, of Transcom (a BPO company) near Tiendesitas, Pasig City. Yup, I’m applying for a job. So much has happened within the past 24 hours and I haven’t got any sleep since yesterday afternoon.

Around 5PM yesterday, July 26, I was watching a re-run of “The Amazing Race Season 3” while preparing to go to work. Then I had a dinner around 6:45 PM, took a bath and then off to work. I was on leave from Tuesday-Wednesday. So I took my 9 hour shift (including my paid lunch) as normal.

Before I went home this morning (around 5:30AM) my TL approach me and said that we’ll be seeing the HR. The moment she mentioned this, I already have a feeling that they’ll serve my termination paper. They did. They asked me if I have any questions and I just asked for the complete name of the country manager. They provided it and even gave me the names of the VP and company attorney as if saying “go ahead, file a complaint against the company”.

So I went home and told my mom about it. I was actually surprised that my mom already had a gut feeling that I was just terminated from Sufferland. It probably showed all over my face. So I told her everything that happened and my plans. This is probably the 5th time that she saw my “mom, I just got fired from work” look.

Around 9AM, I was already at the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) building at Banaue Avenue in Quezon City. I filled out a Complaint Request Form, have it encoded and verified, photocopied 3 times and brought the papers to the labor arbiter’s office. By 9:30AM, everything is set for a hearing in August. This is my 2nd time that I filed an illegal dismissal case at this government agency. The first one was 3 years ago versus Teleperformance. I won that case but chose not to get reinstated for fear of retaliation. Besides, I was already working with Sufferland for almost a month when the decision was served.

I walked towards Santo Domingo Church and it was my first time at that church. I love the tranquility of the place and said a prayer asking God to be my avenger and give me Divine Justice. I then had a meryenda at Dunkin Donuts and decided to go home.

IMG_6113

I passed by SM Megamall and thought of checking the Mega Trade Hall for a possible job fair. Sure enough, there is a job fair sponsored by DZRH on the occasion of their 73rd Anniversary. I checked the exhibitors and most of the jobs are from the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) Industry. Here we go again.

I saw the booth of Transcom and since I haven’t been to Tiendesitas, I decided to have an initial interview and it was a casual talk. I passed with minimal pronunciation lapses and I saw my younger self in the next applicants. Most of them are first time to the BPO industry and they were asked to read a series of sentences. Most of them didn’t pass the initial interview. I ended up as the only one in the van en route to Transcom.

Transcom owned the entire building and they have a recruitment center on the ground floor as well as on the 4th floor. I was also given a P50 meal stub followed by a P30 snack stub a few hours after. I was able to see their pantry, recruitment and waiting areas as well as the toilets. The entire recruitment area, pantry, the hallways (areas that I have access to) were carpeted. Sosyal! (Glamorous).

I immediately liked the building of Transcom. It has a convenient store and Metrobank is on the ground floor as well. I imagined myself attending the training on this building. The training rooms here at Transcom are named after the provinces: Bohol, Cebu, etc. Even the interview rooms have their own name like Moriones, Pahiyas, Sinulog and even their core values like Fun, Innovation, Passion, and Honesty. The seats at the waiting area are similar to the ones being used in airports – those made with metal.

To be continued.

Teen Choice Awards 2012 Winners

When I saw the list of this year’s winners for the annual Teen Choice Awards (TCA), I was a bit surprised that a lot of the winners are also my favorites. I’m starting to think that my taste for movies, music and TV seems to remain with that of a US teen.

Teen-Choice-Awards-2012-Logo-PHOTOS

Here are my favorite actors, TV shows and movies that won the recent TCA: Tyler Posey, Channing Tatum, Josh Hutcherson, Michael Trevino, “Teen Wolf”, “The Vampire Diaries”, Facebook, Ellen DeGeneres, “The Hunger Games”, Ian Somerhalder, One Direction, “Call Me Maybe”, “What Makes You Beautiful”, Chris Hemsworth, Zac Efron, and “Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1”.

See a complete list of winners below (From Huffington Post TV):

TELEVISION
Choice TV Show: Drama

“Pretty Little Liars”

Choice TV Actor: Drama
Ian Harding, “Pretty Little Liars”

Choice TV Actress: Drama
Lucy Hale, “Pretty Little Liars”

Choice TV Show: Fantasy/Sci-Fi
“The Vampire Diaries”

Choice TV Actor: Fantasy/Sci-Fi
Ian Somerhalder, “The Vampire Diaries”

Choice TV Actress: Fantasy/Sci-Fi
Nina Dobrev, “The Vampire Diaries”

Choice TV Show: Action
“CSI: Miami”

Choice TV Actor: Action
Adam Rodriguez, “CSI: Miami”

Choice TV Actress: Action
Linda Hunt, “NCIS: Los Angeles”

Choice TV Show: Comedy
"Glee"

Choice TV Actor: Comedy
Chris Colfer, "Glee"

Choice TV Actress: Comedy
Lea Michele, "Glee"

Choice TV: Animated Show
"The Simpsons"

Choice TV: Male Personality
Simon Cowell, "The X Factor"

Choice TV: Female Personality
Jennifer Lopez, "American Idol"

Choice TV: Reality Competition Show
"The X Factor"

Choice TV: Reality Show
“Punk’d”

Choice TV: Male Reality Star
Paul "DJ Pauly D" DelVecchio, "Jersey Shore" and "The Pauly D Project"

Choice TV: Female Reality Star
The Kardashians, "Keeping Up With The Kardashians"

Choice Summer TV Show
"Teen Wolf"

Choice Summer TV Star: Female
Troian Bellisario, "Pretty Little Liars"

Choice Summer TV Star: Male
Tyler Posey, "Teen Wolf"

Choice TV Villain
Janel Parrish, "Pretty Little Liars"

Choice TV Female Scene Stealer
Candice Accola, "The Vampire Diaries"

Choice TV Male Scene Stealer
Michael Trevino, "The Vampire Diaries"

Choice TV Breakout Show
"The X Factor"

Choice TV Breakout Star: Female
Hannah Simone, "New Girl"

Choice TV Breakout Star: Male
Beau Mirchoff, "Awkward"

MOVIES
Choice Movie: Action

“Abduction”

Choice Movie Actor: Action
Taylor Lautner, “Abduction”

Choice Movie Actress: Action
Zoe Saldana, “Colombiana”

Choice Movie: Sci-Fi/Fantasy
“The Hunger Games”

Choice Movie Actor: Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Josh Hutcherson, “The Hunger Games” and “Journey 2: The Mysterious Island”

Choice Movie Actress: Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Jennifer Lawrence, “The Hunger Games”

Choice Movie: Drama
“The Lucky One”

Choice Movie Actor: Drama

Zac Efron, “The Lucky One”

Choice Movie Actress: Drama

Emma Stone, “The Help”

Choice Movie: Comedy
“21 Jump Street”

Choice Movie Actor: Comedy
Channing Tatum, “21 Jump Street”

Choice Movie Actress: Comedy
Emma Stone, “Crazy, Stupid, Love.”

Choice Movie: Romance
“The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1””

Choice Movie Actor: Romance
Zac Efron, “The Lucky One”

Choice Movie Actress: Romance

Kristen Stewart, “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1”

Choice Movie Voice
Taylor Swift as Audrey, “Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax”

Choice Movie Chemistry
Jennifer Lawrence and Amandla Stenberg, “The Hunger Games”

Choice Movie Liplock
Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson, “The Hunger Games”

Choice Movie Hissy Fit
Charlize Theron, “Snow White & The Huntsman”

Choice Movie Villain
Alexander Ludwig, “The Hunger Games”

Choice Movie Scene Stealer: Male
Liam Hemsworth, “The Hunger Games”

Choice Movie Scene Stealer: Female
Ashley Greene, “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1”

Choice Movie Breakout
Rihanna, “Battleship”

Choice Summer Movie: Action

“The Avengers”

Choice Summer Movie: Comedy/Music

“Katy Perry: Part of Me”

Choice Summer Movie Star: Male
Chris Hemsworth, “Snow White & The Huntsman” and “The Avengers”

Choice Summer Movie Star: Female
Kristen Stewart, “Snow White & The Huntsman”

MUSIC
Choice Male Artist

Justin Bieber

Choice Female Artist
Taylor Swift

Choice Music Group
Selena Gomez & The Scene

Choice R&B/Hip-Hop Artist

Nicki Minaj

Choice R&B/Hip-Hop Song
“Starships,” Nicki Minaj

Choice Rock Group

fun.

Choice Rock Song
“Paradise,” Coldplay

Choice Electronic Dance Music (EDM) Artist

David Guetta

Choice Single by a Group
“We Are Young,” fun. featuring Janelle MonĂ¡e

Choice Single by a Female Artist
“Eyes Open,” Taylor Swift

Choice Single by a Male Artist
“Boyfriend,” Justin Bieber

Choice Male Country Artist
Hunter Hayes

Choice Female Country Artist
Taylor Swift

Choice Country Song
“Sparks Fly,” Taylor Swift

Choice Country Group
Lady Antebellum

Choice Summer Song
“Call Me Maybe,” Carly Rae Jepsen

Choice Love Song
“What Makes You Beautiful,” One Direction

Choice Break-Up Song
“Payphone,” Maroon 5 featuring Wiz Khalifa

Choice Summer Music Star: Female
Demi Lovato

Choice Summer Music Star: Male
Justin Bieber

Choice Summer Music Star: Group
One Direction

Choice Music: Breakout Artist
Carly Rae Jepsen

Choice Music: Breakout Group
One Direction

FASHION
Choice Fashion Icon: Female

Katy Perry

Choice Fashion Icon: Male
Justin Bieber

Choice Female Hottie
Miley Cyrus

Choice Male Hottie
Ian Somerhalder

SPORTS
Choice Female Athlete

Serena Williams (Tennis)

Choice Male Athlete
David Beckham (Soccer)

OTHER
Choice Book

“The Hunger Games” trilogy, Suzanne Collins

Choice Comedian
Ellen DeGeneres

Choice Twit
Demi Lovato

Choice Web Star
Sophia Grace and Rosie

Choice Video Game
Just Dance 3

Choice Social Network
Facebook

July 25, 2012

Coming Soon: The Bourne Legacy

the_bourne_legacy_poster

Is he as deadly as Jason Bourne? We’ll find out very soon. Nuffnang Philippines, please give me some movie tickets Smile

the bourne legacy

I can’t wait to watch this movie. Hopefully, I’ll win the Nuffnang Philippines on-going contest to secure myself two tickets to this movie. Wish me luck!

July 24, 2012

My 5th Admin Hearing: Abandonment of Work

I recently attended my 5th administrative (admin) hearing in my current call center. I’ll be celebrating my 3rd year in this company on October 2012 and so far, I have incurred 5 admin hearings to date. This time, I was charged with abandonment of work.

Gavel on termination of employment document

A few weeks ago, I attended a once-a-year photo contest in Laguna. It was on a Saturday and the week before that, I was on leave for 3 days (Tuesday-Thursday). So Friday is between two non-working days, a leave and a rest day. So I’m feeling a little “tamad” (lazy) to go to work. Unfortunately, I have to be in the office on Friday to hand-over my contribution to my boss (team leader). So as much as I wanted to send her a text message saying “tinatamad akong mag-work” (I feel lazy to go to work), I decided to go to work.

My shift was between 10PM (Friday night) to 6AM (Saturday morning) but I am required to be in Laguna by 6:30AM and I don’t know how long it would take me to travel from Taguig to Laguna. So I decided to go on a half-day. I’ll take calls from 10PM-3AM. My boss was absent at that time and only our Subject Matter Expert (SME) is around. Unfortunately, by the time I was looking for him to advise him that I’ll be on half-day, he took his lunch. So I just left a message to my team mate to inform our SME that I’m on half-day and I left my contact number. I was already on my way to Laguna when my SME called me and asked why I left early. So I told him the reason and I thought everything’s okay.

When I went to work the next week (Monday), I received an Incident Report (IR) and a Notice To Explain (NTE) about my half-day and I was surprised that they labeled it as Abandonment of Work. I was very surprised that they see it as Abandonment of Work when it could only mean simple absent. The letter informed me that it was queuing that day and that my under-time somehow affected the Service Level (SL). I was like “WTF!”. Aren’t these guys reading The Labor Code? Are they not aware what Abandonment of Work is?

So I attended the admin hearing. My SME was there together with my TL and the HR representative and they are all pointing out that I didn’t inform an authorized person (like another TL, another SME or the manager) of my half-day. I informed them that I got excited by the event (it’s my first time to attend such huge photography contest) that it didn’t occur to me to tell the other “authorized person”.

I’m still waiting for the Notice of Decision (NOD) about this 5th admin hearing of mine but I already decided that I will file illegal dismissal before the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) if in case they’ll terminate me for this. I just feel so bad that even though I’m a regular employee, I don’t feel any job security in the call center industry. It’s like there is a mentality among management that they could easily terminate an agent because of a simple absent. I feel that they are not reading The Labor Code of the Philippines. They don’t even know what Abandonment of Work is.

“Abandonment of job is a form of neglect of duty. There is abandonment when the employee leaves his job or position with a clear and deliberate intent to discontinue his employment without any intention of returning back.” (Philippine Labor Laws Website)

In my case, I don’t have a clear and deliberate intent to discontinue my employment. In fact, I was only absent for half-day and I returned to work the next working day.

What do you think guys? Do you have a similar admin hearing case?

July 8, 2012

Jeremy Renner for Esquire Magazine

Esquire Magazine recently made Jeremy Renner the cover of their August 2012 issue. It’s fitting for Jeremy Renner to be the cover of this fabulous mag (and I’m predicting he’ll cover more magazines) since his upcoming movie, The Bourne Legacy, is one of the most anticipated movies of 2012.

jeremy-renner-esquire-august-2012

I actually became a fan of Jeremy Renner when I saw him in the Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol movie as well as The Hurt Locker. I’m also a fan of the Jason Bourne movies and like most Filipinos, I’m looking forward to watch the latest installment to the Bourne series.

Not to mention that there are scenes that were shot in Manila. It would definitely be a bonus to us Filipinos. I just hope that Manila is not portrayed as a dangerous city for tourist.

Good luck Jeremy Renner on your upcoming movie!

Jeremy Renner is the next big action star!

July 7, 2012

Yahoo! Philippines OMG! Awards 2012

Yahoo OMG Awards 2012

Here are the winners of this year's Yahoo! Philippines OMG! Awards. It was a star-studded awarding event held at the SM Mall of Asia Arena yesterday, July 6., 2012.
This year's nominees and winners (thanks to Showbiznest) are:

CELEBRITY OF THE YEAR
Anne Curtis - Winner
Shamcey Supsup
KC Concepcion
Sam Pinto
Marian Rivera

MAJOR IMPACT
Vilma Santos - Winner
Sharon Cuneta
Nora Aunor
Ramon Bong Revilla Jr.
Dolphy Quizon

ACTOR OF THE YEAR
Coco Martin - Winner
John Lloyd Cruz
Gerald Anderson
Dingdong Dantes
Derek Ramsey

ACTRESS OF THE YEAR
Angel Locsin - Winner
Anne Curtis
Marian Rivera
Cristine Reyes
Carla Abellana

MALE SINGER OF THE YEAR
Christian Bautista - Winner
Jovit Baldivino
Elmo Magalona
Someday Dream
Gloc-9

FEMALE SINGER OF THE YEAR
Sarah Geronimo - Winner
Charice Pempengco
Angeline Quinto
Julie Anne San Jose
Yeng Constantino

BREAKTHROUGH ACTOR OF THE YEAR
Xian Lim - Winner
Alden Richards
Enchong Dee
Edgar Allan Guzman
Martin Escudero

BREAKTHROUGH ACTRESS OF THE YEAR
Kim Chiu - Winner
Rhian Ramos
Maja Salvador
Lovi Poe
Erich Gonzales

MOST PROMISING ACTOR OF THE YEAR
Enrique Gil - Winner
Elmo Magalona
Paulo Avelino
Rocco Nacino
JM De Guzman

MOST PROMISING ACTRESS OF THE YEAR
Kathryn Bernardo - Winner
Julia Montes
Bela Padilla
Eula Caballero
Bea Binene

COMEDIAN OF THE YEAR
Vice Ganda - Winner
Jose and Wally
Vhong Navarro
Ogie Alcasid
Vic Sotto

COMEDIENNE OF THE YEAR
Eugene Domingo - Winner
Pokwang
Angelica Panganiban
AiAi Delas Alas
K Brosas

BEST MALE NEWCOMER
Daniel Padilla - Winner
Diego Loyzaga
Richard Yap
AJ Muhlach
Slater Young

BEST FEMALE NEWCOMER
Solenn Heussaff - Winner
Jasmin Curtis-Smith
Yen Santos
Coleen Garcia
Kylie Padilla

FAVORITE FEMALE TV HOST
Bianca Gonzales - Winner
Toni Gonzaga
Kris Aquino
Pauleen Luna
Pia Guanio

FAVORITE MALE TV HOST
Luis Manzano - Winner
Boy Abunda
Vic Sotto
Willie Revillame
Ryan Agoncillo

BAND OF THE YEAR
Parokya Ni Edgar - Winner
General Luna
Urbandub
Kamikazee
Wolfgang

MALE RADIO DJ OF THE YEAR
Papa Jack - Winner
Mo Twister
King DJ Logan
Sam YG
Christsuper

FEMALE RADIO DJ OF THE YEAR
Nicole Eala - Winner
Grace Lee
Sam Oh
Tracy Abad
Angelicopter

BEST RADIO SHOW
The Morning Rush - Winner
Boys Night Out
Good Times With Mo
The Wake Up Show
Sam And Gibb Show

BEST FM RADIO STATION
WLS FM 97.1 - Winner
Magic 89.9
RX 93.1
Love Radio 90.7
Mellow 94.7

FAN CLUB OF THE YEAR
KimXi - Winner
Chasters
DongYan
JulieElmo
Ashrald

MOVIE OF THE YEAR
Unofficially Yours - Winner
Temptation Island
No Other Woman
Praybeyt Benjamin
Babae Sa Septic Tank

IT COUPLE OF THE YEAR
Angel Locsin and Phil Younghusband - Winner
Marian Rivera and Dingdong Dantes
Shalani Soledad and Roman Romulo
Judy Ann Santos and Ryan Agoncillo
Anne Curtis and Erwan Heussaff

LOVE TEAM OF THE YEAR
Kim Chiu and Xian Lim - Winner
Bea Binene and Jhake Vargas
Sarah Geronimo and Gerald Anderson
Julie Ann San Jose and Elmo Magalona
John Lloyd Cruz and Angel Locsin

CHILD STAR OF THE YEAR
Xyriel Manabat - Winner
Xaijan Jaranilla
Mona Louise Rey
Yogo Singh

SPECIAL AWARDS
Sunsilk Standout - Shamcey Supsup
Magnum Royalty - Divine Lee

It seems that the Kapamilya Network ABS-CBN dominated this year’s Yahoo! Philippines OMG! Awards. Congratulations to all the winners!

July 5, 2012

Avail Time During Independence Day 2012

After the avail period of Memorial Day, we have another avail period. This time, it's Independence Day in the United States and we're not expecting large volume of calls. So thank Heavens for the avail time this Fourth of July 2012. What I'm looking for in this year's US Independence Day is the vampire film "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter". I'm hoping to watch it as soon as Jaybob or Cool Release uploads in on their site.

USA_Independence_Day_wallpaper_3007

The concept of the film is great. It combines the popularity of the vampire myth with historical figure like the first president of the US: Abraham Lincoln. I guess it's the first film that made a twist to a US historical figure.

Other than movies that are inspired by the US Independence Day, I'm also looking forward to guys wearing underwear and draped in the US flag. I envy the US tolerance in treating their flag. I haven't seen anything like it in Philippine setting.

Right now, I'm on a 1-hour avail time and I love it. Almost all of us (2 teams in our bay) don’t have a call at this point. Only 1 person (among 25+ agents) currently has a call. I'm thankful that the account can afford to have agents be on an avail status and doesn't resort to voluntary time-out (VTO). On the other hand, those agents who wanted to avail of a VTO (like me) are forced to stay in the office and attend all sorts of huddles, trainings and discussions from Sales, Training and Quality Assurance.

I admire the way Americans treat their Holidays in general. They are really celebrating it with a bang! Independence Day in the US is known for fireworks, proud display of the American flag and barbeque. It’s also a great reason for Americans to go out and enjoy the sun.

Tomorrow is a dreadful day because after the calm, comes the storm. Perhaps the volume of calls tomorrow (after the ID celebration) will double. It's definitely Queuing Day tomorrow. I’m not at home and guess how many calls I’ve received in my 8-hour shift – 2!

Picture taken from The Smashable.