bursting beer belly

I'd have to deal with crossroads for the third time in my life (as far as I can vividly remember). The first was when I had to transfer schools in college, but that wasn't a big deal (or at least I think so). The second was when I had to choose between NCCA and Lopez Museum as my practicum organization. I've been training with Telus for a little over two weeks, and just this afternoon, I received a call from NCCA telling me that I got the position of Culture and Arts Officer. At first, it was music to my ears. Who wouldn't feel that way? I had just received my second failing grade in call simulation, and the moment I heard the words "Culture and Arts Officer" associated with myself, my frustration faded away, giving way to euphoria. I've been wanting the CAO position at NCCA because I believe it would be one of the best (if not the best) entry-level jobs for Philippine Arts graduates like me to apply everything I learned back in college. I was in that stat...

Dispatcher: Asan ung partner mo? Student: Nasa duty po... Dispatcher: Ganun ba? Bakit, anong year niyo na ba? Student: 4th year na po... Dispatcher: Ayun naman pala e, makakaraos na rin! Student: Oo nga po e. That's what you think! I just wanted to say it out loud when I overheard a short conversation between a dispatcher and a nursing student while we were waiting for our FX taxi to fill up at the Market Market FX Terminal earlier. I wasn't sour-graping, but it was nostalgic when I heard the words from the dispatcher's mouth. I remembered my senior year, just a few months ago. I was very excited to finish my degree because I believed that once I completed it, life wouldn't be so hard for me anymore. I thought I'd easily land a job that would earn me a fortune, and then I'd buy all the things I'd wanted as I grew with the company. But, as I've mentioned in my previous posts, it turned out to be utterly different. I realized that the "real world begi...

I write. It’s nothing special; nonetheless, I write. I’ve been training at Telus for over a week now, and I’m getting along with my co-trainees and trainers pretty well, at least from my perspective. Aside from the camaraderie we share, we sometimes make fools of ourselves to enjoy the process while absorbing all the information we need to become competent inbound/sales customer interaction associates. We are currently in the client specifics stage, and we’re really beginning to feel the pressure. Navigating through the application while addressing the needs of the customer seemed easy at first. But when I tried it myself, I quickly became rattled and confused. At the end of the day, I managed to pull it off and received a passing grade. Confidence and proper judgment are just a few key points to remember as an associate in this industry. Our QA emphasized that we (the CIAs) need to control the transaction rather than let the customers overpower us. Of course, this should still be done...

Last Tuesday, I received a job offer from Telus International as a Customer Interaction Associate (CIA). Though my heart isn’t fully in this industry, I accepted the position because I had no choice. It’s been three months already, and I needed to find a job. I still have two pending applications with other companies related to my field, but I have to settle for what society offers rather than wait for something that could take years to materialize. I need to help my father financially and support our family as well. Moreover, I was getting tired of doing nothing every single day. I’ve started training, which will take more than a month before we actually hit the floor. At least, for now, I have something meaningful to do, and I’ve finally landed myself a job.

edamame - "immature soybeans" netroots - "grassroots activists who use the Internet as a medium" pescatarian - "a vegetarian whose diet includes fish" pretexts - "present themselves as someone else with a view to gaining access to information" prosecco - "an Italian sparkling wine" soju - "Korean vodka made from rice" subprime - "having or being an interest rate that is higher than a prime rate and is extended especially to low-income borrowers" webinar - "an online seminar" wing nut - "one who advocates extreme measures or changes" ( AFP - Tuesday, July 8 )

In a span of over 400 years, the Philippines has undergone significant changes. From the beginning of the Spanish conquest to the dawn of the new millennium, Filipinos have faced the challenge of coping with the demands of their current "ruler." Through this, one can begin to define what Filipino culture is. So, what is Filipino culture? First, let's break down the concept into its simplest form by defining each word on its own. We'll start with the less complicated word—culture. This concept can be described as "people's way of living." It consists of the physical environment in which a group of individuals lives; the languages they share; the traditions they feel connected to; and their behaviors and relationships with one another. These aspects emerge as a result of the continuous interaction among these groups of people over time. Therefore, similar to art, culture can be considered an offspring of human nature. Furthermore, it is safe to say that cu...

I got the list from the world boxing council website HEAVYWEIGHT (over 200 lbs) CRUISERWEIGHT (200 lbs limit) LT. HEAVYWEIGHT (175 lbs limit) SUPERMIDDLEWEIGHT (168 lbs limit) MIDDLEWEIGHT (160 lbs limit) SUPERWELTERWEIGHT (154 lbs limit) WELTERWEIGHT (147 lbs limit) SUPERLIGHTWEIGHT (140 lbs limit) LIGHTWEIGHT (135 lbs limit) SUPERFEATHERWEIGHT (130 lbs limit) FEATHERWEIGHT (126 lbs limit) SUPERBANTAMWEIGHT (122 lbs limit) BANTAMWEIGHT (118 lbs limit) SUPERFLYWEIGHT (115 lbs limit) FLYWEIGHT (112 lbs limit) LT. FLYWEIGHT (108 lbs limit) STRAWWEIGHT (105 lbs limit)

(...continuation of the previous entry) We (my friend and I) were about to go home, so we opted to head to Quiapo. She was going to visit a company in Ortigas first, so she took an FX en route to Megamall. Ten minutes passed, and I still couldn't find an FX bound for Pasig. Not being familiar with the area, I didn’t know if there was a terminal nearby, so I decided to take the jeepney since it wasn't too hot anyway. There were only two passengers in the back, both near the vehicle's threshold, when I got on, so I sat next to the man on the right side. I hadn’t ridden a jeep in that area since the fare increased, so I asked the driver how much it was to my destination. He looked at me in the mirror and said, "23 pesos." I didn’t have the exact fare, so I paid 25 pesos instead. He glanced at me again as I handed over the fare and received my 2-peso change. Before we turned right onto Recto, the only passenger on the left side near the threshold got off, vacating tha...

Yesterday, I experienced the filth of the real world once more. My friend and former classmate and I set aside the day to apply for a very interesting and highly appropriate job position at a government agency in Intramuros. We met up at a computer shop along Taft Avenue, near UP Manila, at noon. She had to take an exam for another company in Makati, and I had to get my Transcript of Records from the Office of the University Registrar at UP Manila. As with many similar days in my life, I ran late. I arrived at the registrar exactly 17 minutes before the office was about to close for lunch at noon. But I guess good luck was on my side this time around (remember my previous entry?). The office was not closed; in fact, it welcomed me to enter. I was just very happy that this time it wasn’t going to be another frustrating mishap. Or was it too early for me to conclude? Read on. Everything went quite well until I chanced upon—or should I say reunited with—this very unfriendly friend at the ...