4th wedding anniversary

December 18, 2008. Another remarkable day for me and my husband since we celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary. I can't believe it that we haven't strangled each other yet to death until now, hahaha!

I have been uber busy with the holiday and all that I feel I have neglected my blog sites for almost a week now. Well, I swear, after this season is over, I'll try to post as much as I can.

Since we have been really busy with work and the holiday rush, I wasn't able to file for a vacation leave like I normally do in the past. Okay, I admit, I don't have any vacation leave credits for this year because I consumed it all. Well, you know how fun it is to be off work!

So, due to a very hectic schedule and recession (hahaha!), Migs and I just went to a dinner before going to work. Well, the dinner is not just a typical dinner. We went at MELO's steak house @ Westgate.


The place is really nice. It should be nice because the prices of their dishes would draw a hole in your pocket. Melo's serve steaks, their specialty, then a variety of Western cuisine. Check their menu and you'll think twice if you will eat a killer 20-oz-wagyu steak or you will just hit the mall and buy yourself a new cell phone.


Well, we just ordered buffalo wings for appetizer, then Melo's famous steak and gambas as main dishes. Good thing about fine dining restaurants, they do serve extras for free like breads and soup of the day for appetizers and desserts.

Let us not talk about the price because I'd rather not disclose that info and check it for yourselves so you will also experience their to-crave-for selection of dishes. And how you'll never forget having to dine with Melo's because of their friendly attendants and again, the price that you have to pay after.

The best part of the date was having to eat their gigantic steak with mashed potato and some veggies you'd forget your name. It's really superb! Then after the heavy meal, they served a tempting chocolate mousse with grapes. Hell yeah! And the toasts they served were really delicious with caviar. They also have creamy crab soup as soup of the day. Looks yummy, but since I'm allergic to seafood, I passed on that. If only we're rich, we would have bought all the dishes they serve and disobey one of God's 10 commandments about being a glutton. Hahaha.

I know we were not able to go out somewhere else as we planned to, but the date was really fun and something we would want to do again in the future, if money permits. Hahaha. Just think that you will spend the same amount of money if you go out of town or something. Try Melo's, you'll enjoy it, and I'll bet my life on it. Happy anniversary to us!!!


►►simply mhei◄◄

CONVERGYS ALABANG CHRISTMAS PARTY 2008

Convergys-Alabang once again had an awesome Christmas party on December 15, 2008 help at The Palms Country Club.
The Convergys' Black Fashionista Party- Noire, was this year's theme so obviously, everyone, or mostly all employees ( We couldn't help it if there were some party poopers right?) wore their best black outfits ever.
The party was really fantastic, with great selection of dishes as usual- western cuisine, with several Japanese dishes like sushi and wraps. If only my stomach cooperated with me that night I would have been a glutton.
Since Convergys (CVG) alabang has more than two thousand population at this moment (who would be able to guess that with a factory-sized building,hahaha!), the place was jampacked with party people and some geeks who just want to make sure that they would also be part of the once in a year party.
The annual dance contest was joined by the talented people of CVG, dance group called MOVERS CONNECTION being the awarded as this year's champion. Then ofcourse, the ever famous band of CVG which is MALAYA played series of great songs being rock as their genre. Ofcourse, if there are parties, there are perks like raffles and prizes for the dance contest and best dressed, etc. As usual, I was hoping I would win something even just a small token, and surely, after 4 years with the company, I still didn't get any AGAIN. Life sucks. I hate my friend Red who won trip for 2 to Palawan when I need i
t of all people since our wedding anniversary is just a few days away...grrrrrr RED!!!! Hahaha...sounds bitter eh??


Highlights of the night were the following: Having actor John Pratts as one of the judges for the dance competition and having Parokya ni Edgar as the band for this year's party.

Parokya ni Edgar's songs are just wonderful as ever! They played their old songs and they made the night someting to remember, something to write as blog post. They're all down to earth and I think they enjoyed performing for the CVG people.

Right after the party was a separate party for the TCONS or COACHES (91c01) ...that's us!!!! We went to Central BF Parañaque. We could have gone somewhere else having nine thousand pesos as our team fund with all those awards we had in the past. We had our exchange gift, had another pair of havaianas as a gift from my monita Ivy. (Thanks Ivy!! ) Then right after my hubby and I went bar hopping and went to my wavemates and original CVG friends at LAIYA which is just right after central, so we literally bar-hopped from Central to Laiya. The day has been fantastic and tiring but all worth it.
simply mhei

Another week

My rest days are over once again..In short, I have to drag myself to work again. I know I shouldn't be this way, but sometimes, if you have been doing the same thing over and over, you need a breather..You want to try something new...I'm not saying that I am not enjoying my job anymore. I am surrounded with good friends, wonderful colleagues and excellent bosses. Everyone practically knows who I am, and pay is somewhat(?) good, what else can I ask for?

I just felt that it's about time to do something else...not really find another job, but move up to do the ladder, you know what I mean?

Well, I would love to stay with the company, being one of the top corporations in the country, also being known all across the world. The benefits are good and I can still in some ways splurge with the salary that I have right now. I would rather have this job than just doing a typical clerical job if you know what I mean. Ofcourse, no pun intended here. I don't want you to think that I'm being paid less or what not. I just want to feel how it is to have a raise. a raise that is not just a few hundreds or thousands away from what I am earning now, but a raise wherein I can really feel the difference, and the scope of my job will change as well.

Problem is, due to the economic crisis we have and my employer has (US) lately, I feel that it's out of the question. Honestly, I have been dying to apply for a higher position since summer, and up until now, there are no positions being opened in our site. There are opened job requisitions  for other sites and I thought of applying but I was torn between starting all over again and not being qualified for the position.

Well, going back to my work at the moment, in just a few hours, I'll have to face irate customers AGAIN. Unfortunately, our agents are done with their transition period, that only means--- I'm back to being a call girl, err, I mean I have to hit the phones again until another set of transition agents come in. (Hopefully by in 2 weeks time). Well, that's REALITY that I have to face...
♥♥♥simply mhei♥♥♥

DE LA HOYA-PACQUIAO FIGHT

Yesterday was another day to celebrate for the Filipinos. I have two reasons to celebrate. I cheered amongst millions of Filipinos upon the victory of Manny Pacquiao a.k.a. Pacman after defeating Oscar De La Hoya, which is believed to be the most awaited dream match of the year.
The game was really great, specially if you were able to watch it commercial-free. Fortunately for me, I work for a satellite provider in the United States that caters to pay per views and boxing events, so they showed it on all the televivions in the office, they even set up a big screen on the third floor pantry so employees can bring guests to watch it live. Mind you, that's with free flowing snacks that I was even able to bring some home. I rendered overtime to take in calls since a lot of people wanted to watch this grand event. So aside from the overtime pay, watching the fight and getting free snacks, I'll have PHP400 gift cheque that I can use almost everywhere since I rendered OT for 4hours. Cool, isn't it?
Well, the fight had been swell, honestly, I thought all along that De La Hoya will win over Pacman since the former is taller with longer arms than the latter. I didn't want to see any of the two lose. De la Hoya is good looking (hahahaha) and Pacman is a proud Filipino. But of course, only ONE will be proclaimed as the winner. It's not a title match anyway.
De La Hoya had his shares of major blows on the first and second rounds, apparently, Pacman was able to give his best and gave De La Hoya hard punches by the 4th and succeeding rounds that De La Hoya decided to concede before the 9th round started.
Pacman really had a lead on majority of the scorecards even before De la Hoya called it a night. Pacman had landed 224 of 485 punches whereas De La Hoya had only 83 out of 402. Pacman had 195 power punches and De La Hoya only had managed to give Pacman 51 power punches.
Pacman surely gave Filipinos someting to celebrate about. He's really living to that "destroyer" image. He's small but indeed terrible! I pity De La Hoya for having his hadsome face bruised. You can't win 'em all, anyway.
And another thing that I celebrated about yesterday?? Well, It's my fourth year stay with the company I work for...one more year and I can file for an early retirement...Hahahaha!!!
♥♥♥simply mhei♥♥♥

Lunch @ Poquito Mas

My husband and I are certified food lovers. We try all the interesting restaurants, with different cuisines and specialties, we even go barbeque or tapsilog(marinated beed with garlic rice and egg) hopping whenever we don't have anything to cook at home.

Last week, we just tried POQUITO MAS located just near our office- Westgate, Filinvest Corp. Alabang, Muntinlupa City, Philippines. Well, honestly, it was our 2nd time to eat there. I love spanish-latino cuisine as their banner say so-SPLATINO CUISINE.

In Spanish, Poquito Mas means "A little bit no more". Well, that is maybe because they have hefty servings, you will really be bloated after dining at this fab restaurant. And the place looks so homey, has a Mediterranean touch, ambiance is really refreshing. They even have a small conference room if you want to celebrate with your friends, then a dining area outside for people who smoke. It looks a little ancient to me but the interiors are really of class. They serve Spanish and Mexican primarily, but Poquito Mas also serves international cuisine, Asian is one of them. They have lunch buffet on weekdays (The reason we went back).


They serve the best tacos in the world!! You can have it soft or you can have it hard. There's a lot in their menu that it took me a long time to finally decide on what to eat. Ofcourse I don't want to be a glutton on that day and I'm thinking about our budget. Their nachos are just great!! The salsa really goes well with the nachos. And they have several selections of mouth-watering pizzas. This is making me hungry. Hahaha.

On our first visit, we decided to order my ever fave nachos, a rib-eyed steak and callos. And when we found out that they serve lunch buffet at a very reasonable price (PHP299 before tax), we visited Poquito Mas last Friday. Their selection of food on their buffet table are just mouth watering! They have salads, breads, pasta, egg noodles, chicken and bacon, lemon chicken, meat balls, pork belly, barbecue, tropical fruits, brownies...there's a lot that I lost track. Well, I forgot about my diet again and ate a whole lot. I just couldn't help it. Well, I'll look like an idiot if I'll just order onion rings and a glass of iced tea and just stare at Miguel eating different kinds of food, enjoying every bite then the money we'll pay for our food would be deducted from both of our wallets! That's unfair!

We really had a good time at Poquito Mas. They also have Mexican dinner buffet, that's what we will try next. Check out this place.  I'm sure you won't regret it.

♪♫♪Simply mhei♪♫♪

my son

Today is Sunday, a perfect day to spend time with your family. After a very tiresome week and working endlessly, we deserve to take a break. The week has been really busy for me, going to work at 9pm and leaving the office at around 11 to 11:30am. Don't get me wrong. I do not work for more than 12 hours, that's against our labor code. I don't go on double shifts neither. I love my job but I'm not workaholic. Shift really starts at 9pm for me, having to work for a call center. I'm just the average employee who works for 8 hours plus an hour of lunch and two 15-minute coffee breaks. Time is just different from a regular office employee. I stay at the office late not because I have to finish loads of work. I stay at the office even hours after my shift to wait for my husband. We work for the same company and his shift starts during the wee hours of the morning. Now, you may think that I wait for my husband to keep an aye on him, to make sure that he doesn't have girls...Heck, NO!! You might even think that I'm playing the martyr's role...uh-huh!! Since we only have one car and due to the economic crisis, our set up is to wait for each other rather than having one commute and the other one using the car. Miguel, my hubby, would go to work at least 5 hours early his shift and I will stay 5 hours late to wait for him, get the picture? Honestly, this arrangement saves us big time, we only spend less than a hundred pesos on gas going back and forth the office, and if we commute, we'll spend more than a hundred bucks. We are also cutting cost on the electricity. Since we're at work, we don't use the aircon at home too much, we don't use other electric appliances. We have a sleeping lounge at the office so Miguel just sleeps at the office before his shift starts and I sleep (sometimes) at the office while killing time and waiting for him.


So that makes me busy the entire week? Since we have Josh, our son, we only get to see him during our rest days. We leave him to our nursing home, courtesy of my loving parents ofcourse since we don't have a maid. So whenever we are with josh, we make sure that we spend it as splendidly as possible. On your left is my Joshua, my 3-year old son whom we love so much. As much as we really love to be with him 24/7, we have to work hard for his future. This boy is so sweet. At a very young age, he makes sure that he says I love you. He can't talk much yet, but you can see how smart he is. I admit, he's sometimes a pain in the neck for being so obnoxious. He will throw anything he can get his hands on, scatter his toys everywhere and break vases, etc. He's not afraid of me so whenever I scold, he finds it funny and would tease me even more. But wait till he sees his dad! He'll hide under the table because he knows he's in trouble big time. He probably got that attitude from his dad. Joshua is so friendly that he says hi to every people who passes by. He even will say hi to fish vendors and post men. But since he's an only child, he loves attention so much that when he notices that our attention will divert to someone else, he goes ballistic. But for me he's such an angel specially when he's sleeping soundly. He looks like me, right?
Well, can't wait to see Josh later. We'll probably go to the mall, eat, then go home. Anyway, I still have two more nights to put my son to sleep. I'll go back to work on Tuesday. I have Sundays and Mondays as rest days. Then Miguel have Wednesdays and Thursdays off, so we will bring our Joshua back to his nursing home on Thursday night. That's how our family life is.

♥♥♥simply mhei♥♥♥

My Christmas WISH LIST

Well..to date, it's 31 days before Christmas Day. I'm sure a lot of people are already preparing for the yuletide season. Malls are certainly jam-packed with excited men and women trying to outwit each other getting the best deals on every boutique. Christmas lanterns and lights are everywhere...Christmas songs are playing on practically all radio stations...Even snatchers and kidnappers are out in every corner.

You know what the best part is? CHRISTMAS BONUS!! I really can't wait to get my bonus or what we call here in the Philippines as thirteenth month pay. Why do you think it's called so anyway? When we only have twelve months in a year? And why are there some companies who gives 14th month pay and even 15th month pay? Well, no matter what the reason is, so long as I get it, so long as I'll have bonus, who cares about knowing why it's called such. Hahaha!

And because I am uber excited to get my bonus, I don't know how will I spend it. It is not as big as you think but at least it's something to look forward to. You can't get it just by sitting or staring at nothing. I have a long list of Christmas wishes! Below are on top of the list:

1. A brand new cell phone. I was just flipping through some magazines last week and I saw this ultimate phone-Sony Ericsson's Xperia X1. It's one of the latest mobile phones created by Sony Ericsson. Touch screen like my phone(Ericsson W960i), windows mobile...well, it has a lot of great features.. I really love it!
2. Digital camera. Well, I don't have one yet. Since I LOVE taking pictures, it will really make me happy if I will be able to buy a digicam.
3. Perfume set. I love collecting perfumes of different scents. Of course I'll look stupid if I buy same scents, do I? I like those perfume sets, those with lotions and shower gels. I checked this place in Festival Mall that sells a variety of perfume sets at very reasonable prices. I wanna get my hands on all the perfumes and colognes they are selling because the prices are really cheaper than mall prices. Oh, well...
4. A pair or two of platform sandals. I saw a nice-looking wedgy shoes @ People are People but it cost a fortune. Not really...but for me it's not something I would buy on a regular day. Then I'll check the rest of the shoe stores and check the deals. Well, friends, if you want to buy me a pair of wedge killer shoes, pictures are on your left, size 6, hahahaha!!
5. A dozen of flip flops. I just love the designs of Havaianas, very comfy too!! I already have a lot that I can already put up a havaianas boutique at home. Well, I can't help it...I love collecting 'em. I just can't wear it at work anymore because of the dress code..but I sometimes try to cheat and only wear heeled shoes when the boss is around. Hahaha! Even if you wear those cute flip flops everyday, I swear these slippers won't look old.

I sound sooo selfish...Of course, I also wish to get my son and my husband a few things:

FOR MIGUEL (MY HONEY)

1. A brand new cell phone too. Well, not as pricey as mine. Hahaha. I just bought him a cell phone last summer when he left his Sony Ericsson W850i in the computer lounge @ the office, but for some reasons, the lcd got busted. I know he'll settle for something not as posh as my ultimate dream (after my Sony Ericsson W960i) since he's more of splurging his hard earned money on our car.
2. Half dozen of flipflops. I know, I said mine has to be a dozen and his should only be half of what I should have... It doesn't sound too selfish, right?
3. Oakley's Warden shades. He had one before, and don't ask me what happened. But he looks good on it so if my budget will allow me, then I'll buy him another one.
4. Aqua di Gio. He has been begging me to buy him this perfume but I'd always settle for something less expensive.
5. A dozen of polo shirts and short-sleeve ones too. We are both not into buying clothes avery payday like other working people does. So we usually buy bulk during this time of the year.

FOR OUR BABY JOSHUA:

1. TEN dozens of bottles. Before, we really buy those Avent milk bottles for my son. Now that he's three, one of his habits is to throw his bottles(or anything he can get his hands on) like ping pong balls. Naturally, it would break. Then I would buy another one and same thing will happen. So what's the sense of buying a branded bottle when I can buy 10 bottles already with the price I have to pay for those huge and costly bottles.
2. A new pair of shoes. We have always wanted to buy my son a Nike shoes but the price is really unreasonable. And he may only be able to use it for a few years since he'll grow up and I just wasted 2-3 thousand PHP. But if there'll be a sale before Christmas, I think I'll finally buy him one.
3. Nebulizer. This, I'm 100% sure I'll buy. Joshua has been very asthmatic lately. We even had this not so good experience when we recently rushed him to the hospital. (Asian's Hospital) I have a health card and I hate to say this but it sucks big time! My health card only covered the room and consultation, but I paid for the rest. Anyway, I really have to buy him a nebulizer so I won't go lunatic looking for someone who has one.
4. Five 1.6 kgs. of milk. My son is such a milk addict. He's not into eating solid food. And I always run out of milk because he asks practically every hour.
5. 3 dozen's of shorts and t-shirt. Since joshua is getting bigger, his clothes looks like muscle lothes on him, protruding milk belly and all that.

These are just some of my wishes for this season. Feel free to choose what you want to give me as your Christmas present.

pictures of our teambuilding/bday of boss

We had our team building last week/birthday of our ever beloved boss AJ. Since i don't have a digital camera, i was able to upload the pictures just now. Like what I've said on my last post, the place was really awesome!! I hope we can go back there for the team's Christmas party.

We had our hard earned 3-day off after the team building, since we had split-offs for the past 2 weeks. This coming week, we have another 3-day off, life couldn't get any better, right? Well, after our rest days for this week, we will go back to the same Sunday-Monday off. Darn.


Here, some of us posing @ the pool side. We have been soooo tired since we came from the 10pm till 7am shift then we headed right away to this place. In short, we only slept when we went home so it was like we were awake for more than 24 hours. But it's all worth it.The swimming pool looks just great! It can accommodate 50 guests I think and you can still move around the pool. There are trees around as you can see, fully landscaped greenery and something that looks like a fountain, that is really not a fountain, do I make sense? Hahaha!

The place looks inviting. You can relax and have fun at the same time. If it get's too hot, there's a nipa-like cottage that you can go to or you can just stay at the air-contioned entertainment room, where you can choose to sing or to make fun of whoever is singing!!


And if it get's way too cold, you have the option of staying inside the sauna forever and loose those ugly pounds (ouch!!!), or you can do a walkaton or something to perspire. That's by the way Richard on your left, he's the other TCON (Transition Coach) that was not on our group pic that I posted the last time. He's the epitome of staying inside the sauna for an hour and being the runner(or our boy, hehehe) of the day.

If you get too drunk, then you can sleep in this nipa hut. Just beware since it's beside the pool. Next thing you know, you're already thrown at the pool by your good-natured(?) friends.




What's the best part? You can take pictures just about anywhere!! If you're a photo addict ( like us), then you can never run out of posing to do and places to have your picture taken.






You can take picture as soon as you get to the place...while waiting for the food to be served. Also after eating when your stomach is already full






When doing absolutely nothing, when others are busy doing something and you're just waiting for your turn...when getting drunk..Or how you look before drinking and after...







Resting by the poolside after having an absurd water fight with your peers.... Or just simply posing because the view is great....





I hope we can do it again...without spending a dime...(dream on Mhei!!)

♥♥♥simply mhei♥♥♥

team building/bday party of boss

Yesterday was really awesome. Well, it really didn't start swell for I have to work during the wee hours taking endless calls. I swear, I almost thought of quitting because of those irate customers disputing their bills, asking for credits, complaining the service they get from us, complaining of having to wait on the queue forever....Good thing that we have a team building afterwards sponsored by the birthday celebrant- our boss, AJ. He reserved a very cool resort in BF Parañaque. Actually, the owner of the place is his relative. I don't think it's really being rented for the place is superb! It's just a house, well, not really JUST a house, since it's really huge. I'll post the pics sometime next week..stupid me, I forgot to get Ann's memory card so I can upload 'em right away.

Let me introduce the rest of the Transition Coaches, or TCON's as they call it at work. Let me do it clockwise...I'll start from top left. Billy, the bald guy, who is one of the heartthrobs whenever we have transition agents (Agents who graduated from PST or Product Specifics Training, "transitioning" from training to the production floor). Next is our ever beloved BOSS AJ, who is somewhat strict (that's a compliment boss) but with a funny bone in his body. He's very efficient, mind you. Just make sure you hit the metrics and you're good. Next to boss AJ is Ann, our baby doll. Don't ask me why we call her baby doll because I honestly can't remember where it all started. Then, there's Ayith, which is THE LEGEND, being with Directv (our account) since it started it's operation in Alabang (need I say more?). Ofcourse, next to her is yours truly. After me, there's Jen, the mommy of all mommies. She really is a mom to everyone, even me, who's a mom,hahaha! KC or Khryzz is the person next to Jen, who's the sister of our old boss. Then, there's Cath, our AHT(Average Handle Time) queen. peace Cath :) Rose is next, I don't know how to describe her...she's good, she's the type who will tell you stories about life in general. After Rose is Ces, The youngest of all, one of the hot chicks (next to me,hahaha!). Well, behind that good looks-you'll never guess it but she can slap you real hard, and for her that's just a tap. After her is Chryss, who is not reporting to work anymore...(miss you Chryss!!) Then, there's Ivy, small but terrible (literally???). Then Dheck, another one of the sought-after TCON's, always being tagged as the TCON who smells good (so don't we smell as good as him?). next to Dheck is Marco, a very happy guy, he always smiles-not to himself. Then Eric is next, or should I say Don Eric? The big time alabanger guy who's feet stays glued to the ground, well, not literally or he won't be able to move his wheelchair to places. And last but the least,er, not the least, Rosh, one of the funniest. Oh, there's Richard, but he wasn't in the picture or he would have ruined everything.(good thing..hahaha!!kidding Chard!)

Going back to the party, the place is really great. The pool is big, there's jacuzzi, sauna, there's an entertainment room, and there's a hut on the second floor where you can relax and just drink or whatever. There's another hut on the pool side wherein you can lie down and just feel the wind breezing on your cheeks. Boss AJ ordered a lot of food, courtesy of Contis' and bought beers and vodkas. Well, I don't drink anymore, so I just spent majority of the time singing my heart out in the entertainment room, which is air-conditioned. Some went to swim, some stayed on the the bigger hut and played cards while drinking and the rest went to our concert in the entertainment room. It really was fun, that although we didn't sleep for almost 24 hours, being with friends and enjoying the time made it really worthwhile.

our hard-earned car

I have always wanted to own a car. I have been working my ass out for the longest time and finally, we were able to buy(along with my husband) one last summer. Well, it's not a brand new car, not something that will cost you a fortune, not something you can be proud of like Miata or Porsche...But I'M DEFINITELY PROUD OF IT since it's our first car and from our hard-earned money. It's just Mitsubishi Galant model 91. We're so lucky to get it at a very competitive price, let me not mention though how much, but we got it in a perfect(well, not so perfect since it's a second hand) condition. No scratches, cool aircon, superb sound system and all the works! It's just very untimely for us to buy a car when everyone else would rather commute because of the gas hike. Right now, I would still say it's a good buy and we can go almost anywhere without having to commute, or ride a cab. It's no longer a hassle for us to go to my mom's place to leave my son (we don't have a maid) and pick him up after a few days. (When it's our off). Plus the recent gas roll back which is at least for a peso or two ever... I hope that continues.

I did mention that it was in a very minty condition when we bought it. Well, just a couple of months after, we were so lucky that we got hit by a truck, or let me rephrase that, WE HIT A TRUCK!! I didn't know if my hubby just didn't see the truck slowing down or he was just daydreaming...He was the one driving by the way since I don't know how to drive. I tried to, once or twice, but he said I'm a clutch driver. (Ours is just manual transmission) In short, I'm always on the passenger's seat, with my husband as the driver. Going back to the incident, I don't know how luckier we can get...we actually hit that stupid truck (Or..are we the stupid ones??) just right across where there were a handful of policemen. So in short, we have to pay or we'll stay there forever. What's worse?? (I can say this is cataclysmic) WE DON'T HAVE A LICENSE!! And what else? It happened the day before our pay day!!Sucks, right? Thanks to our life savers AYEN AND NICO whom I phoned. They came to the rescue an hour later and paid the police 750pesos. They said we were lucky because sometimes you will be asked to pay around two thousand or even more. If you come to think of it, we were still lucky because no one got hurt (We were with another officemate Rina), and we hit a truck that didn't get any dent at all.

So, what happened to the car?? Well...it got dented big time. The hood had a big dent, the grill of the car was busted totally, so we have to use my son's shoelace (very clever right?) to close the hood of the car. Now, what we are doing is to have it fixed one at a time. We started with the hood, it's a little ok now, then, we had the aircon fixed. I think it got affected by the accident, and now we had the grills replaced. So it looks as good as new (Well, not really). At least it looks like a car again,hahaha!

Now, I've realized that maintaining a car is such a pain. You have to make sure that the car undergoes tune-ups, change oils, overhaul, what have you. You also have to take it to the nearest car wash every week. Then, you also have to pay for the registration every year whick would cost you 3-5 thousand!! Well, that's the price I have to pay literally for wanting comfort of not commuting and passing short cuts.

CALL CENTER WORLD

Call centers or contact centers in the Philippines have grown rampantly over the years, giving thousands of people high paying jobs that provides services to western markets, specially American companies. Approximately around 10 to 20% of Filipinos employed in the country work for off shore contact centers. This is one of the most sought-after jobs in the country, you just have to sit and talk to irate customers and you get paid big time. This being the major trend in the industry, there are now courses that focus on working on a call center.

Western investors pick Philippines as top priority in outsourcing their companies for several grounds. One of the major reasons is the fluency of Filipinos in English. According to several reviews, natives from the Philippines have the highest level of proficiency in the English language all across Asia. Filipinos are eloquent speakers and have the most naturalized accent that can be easily understood by western customers. (Love your own, right?) They are secure that we can communicate effectively even to customers off-shore.

American, British, and Aussie employers hand-pick Philippines as their target because of the fair labor costs. It is way expensive to hire someone from United States, or United Kingdom than getting people from our country work for them, which is good, for without this kind of industry, I'm probably jobless or not being paid well.

Filipinos are also known to have good work ethics, being able to adapt easily, making it another basis why people from the west prefer to outsource in the country. They are confident that they are investing their money correctly. It is also believed that we, Filipinos, are already familiar with their culture, thus, we can easily adapt to their environment.

So how does it work? Or how do you get a career in this type of industry? What skills you should acquire to be able to land a job as a call center agent or customer service representative? What are the benefits? What are the pro's and con"s of being in one of the most talk flourishing jobs in the Philippines?

It's pretty simple. SPEAK ENGLISH with a good twang and you're ready to go. You really don't need to have that heavy Brit accent to work for a contact center. As long as you can construct a coherent sentence, can understand the language, and can speak clearly (since you will undergo culture and communications training anyway), then all you need is to polish your English vocabulary.

Next rule of the thumb: instill in your mind that PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE. Like what I've said earlier, you will be talking to irate customers. Most of the time, customers will call because they have problems, they will not be calling in the first place if they are just doing great and they feel like just talking to a customer representative of her cable provider just for the heck of it.

Flexibility to shifting schedule should also be put into consideration. If you will work for a call center, you should be aware that it has 24/7 operation hours, which means, you have to work at nights, Sundays and holidays (Even on Christmas Day). So you'd have to give up your usual night-outs or dates with your boyfriend. You need to adjust your body clock because changes in schedule can happen in a short span of time.

Computer skills can also be an advantage. I'm not saying that you have to be a computer savvy that you know how a mother board looks like or what have you, just basic knowledge on how to run a computer will be fine. It will be to your edge if you know some technicalities though. Since you will be using computers to access your customer's info (I doubt if we still have call centers who don't use computers), you'll need to know keyboard shortcuts, like control V for pasting and control C for copying, etc.

Ofcourse, you should also have the ability to make the customer believe you are giving accurate info, the skill to pacify a very outrageous customer and most specially, you have to be analytical or you woudln't understand, what more assist your customers.

Some would say it's one of the easiest job you can have, next to being a dancer, well, I completely beg to disagree. If you are already working for a contact center, you'd think again. FOR THOSE INTERESTED, AND WANTS TO TRY YOUR LUCK, JUST EMAIL ME YOUR RESUME AND I'LL HELP YOU.

Signs that you're INLOVE

Sometimes I wish I can be single again and all. I's not saying that my married life is on the rocks. It's actually doing just great. I just envy my friends when they tell me how awesome their partners are. Here I go again...being hopeless romantic. So how would you know if you were struck by Cupid?? Ofcourse I love my husband so much, but I can't help but think how would it be if you have been single for the longest time and all of a sudden you stop and say to yourself "I think I'm inlove", with a gleam in your eyes. So, what are the signs then?

*YOU FEEL COMPLETE-From having an uber pessimistic personality, you turned into a very logical human being. You feel like no one understands you before the way he does now. You see yourself building a family with 3 kids with him. Yes, you feel like uttering that line from a movie "You complete me".

*YOU ARE CORNY-You suddenly become a party pooper-you just want to be with him. You can no longer be found at any get-together. You nake plans to go out with friends and cancel it on the last minute because the object of your affection asked you out for a date.

*RADIO IS YOUR NEW BESTFRIEND-You put your JAY-Z and NELLY cd's in the drawer and you start listening to Frank Sinatra and Angela Bofill all day. You listen to every line intently, feeling like every word makes sense. You feel like the songs are created just for you.

*YOU FEEL LIKE DYING WHEN YOU'RE NOT TOGETHER-You feel devastated when you have to part ways, specially when he can't be with you to go to a business trip. If only you can fit yourself inside a luggage just to be with him. Then you go to your friends (which you neglected literally when you met him) and bore them to death about your new love story.

*YOU THINK ABOUT HIM 24/7-You think about him when you wake up, while doing the laundry, while eating, when you are at work (you write his name across yours), while preparing dinner and before going to sleep. Everything reminds you of him, even that silly cat of you neighbor.

*YOU LOOK LIKE AN IDIOT-You laugh at all jokes though they aren't really funny. You smile at all times and that sparkle in your eyes will always be there specially if you talk about him. You started doing weird things you though you wouldn't dare do in the past and now you feel it's fun.

♥♥♥mhei♥♥♥

Signs of being a shopoholic

You might ask me what a shopaholic is? The term was derived from words "shop" and "alcohol". Shop is addictive and so is alcohol, so if you put it together, it's way over control. If you spend too much on shopping, then you're one hell of a shopping addict!

Here are some of the signs that you are becoming obsessed to shopping:

1. Your day will not be complete without buying any thing.
2. The idea of going out to shop gives you thrill.
3. You wouldn't miss the next big sale.
4. When you get depressed or somewhat stressed at work, you proceed to the nearest shopping mall.
5. You just bought 3 pairs of stiletto shoes and you are eyeing another pair and considering on buying it.
6. You have a huge selection of clothes, some even have tags on it still.
7. You buy stuff that you don't really use.
8. You have more than one credit card.
9. You get a little guilty when you get home for buying that jewelry that cost sky high.
10. You're always way over your budget.
11. You splurge on gifts.
12. You only leave the mall when mall is about to close.
13. You have a lot of belts one can ever imagine.
14. Boxes of shoes are scattered all over the room since you don't know where to place 'em anymore.
15. You always have the latest in fashion and you make fun of fashion disasters.
16. You know practically all the brands of perfumes in the world by heart.
17. You have 30 lipsticks of different shades, 2 dozens of blush-ons, 20 sets of eye make-up and they are all stuck in the drawer.
18. You go from one boutique to another until your feet gets hurt that you want to sit down and rest.
19. You can barely see your name on your credit card, it's been so worn out since its being swiped at all times.
20. You love collecting shopping bags of different brands.

So, are you one of them??? Beware!! :)

SO DO YOU WANT TO OVERCOME BEING A SHOPAHOLIC?? HERE'S HOW:
http://hubpages.com/hub/shopaholic

DO WE STILL BELIEVE IN LOVE?

When I was a kid, I still remember how I would answer those slum books of my friends whenever I was being asked what love means. On churches, pastors would talk about how God loves us that He gave His only Son. In school, teachers would explain the different types of love. Parents would tell you not to fall in love. Friends would give you tips on how to make your partner feel loved. Books will give you insights on when you should be or should NOT be falling in love….

LOVE…what does it really means nowadays? Has it become just a 4-letter word in the English dictionary that’s being used everywhere? Even on guessing games? Hell, yeah… I would say that LOVE has been the most clichéd term used by practically every breathing human being in all parts of the world. It loss its real definition… It’s not as magical as it used to be like those exemplary fairy tales with a happy-ever-after ending… It has become so meaningless that we just use it just for the sake of using it…We use it as sarcasm (“Yeah, right, I love you”)…We say it to make your partner feel somewhat better (“I really love you but I need to break up with you)…We say it so we can have something or someone in return (“I love you so much…Now, how about buying me that diamond ring we saw at the jewelry shop last night”, “I love you but I love your best friend more”, “I love you from the bottom of my heart, so can we have sex tonight?”)…We say it to make up with our shortcomings (“I know I cheated on you but I LOVE YOU”)…We say it when we don’t have anything to say (“(long silence) I love you baby”)…

We have grown the real essence of this profound word that we say it 24/7 anywhere we are. I’m sure you’ll hear it in any form every time and you’ll have nightmares if you didn’t hear or say LOVE or I LOVE YOU before going to sleep. Your brain is malfunctioning if you contest what I’m trying to get at. I’m not genius; it just makes me wonder why we are no longer after the same connotation on fairy tales. I’m not talking about deep shit here. I’m talking about the REAL, UNCONDTIONAL LOVE that we’re willing to risk our lives for our love-ones…that we see ourselves with the person the we love until hair are all gray, jaws are dropping, wrinkles are everywhere , hunch backs and all that.

Correct me if I’m wrong: We often misunderstood love with attraction. Women will say “I’m begging to like him” when she just met the guy and went out thrice…”Oh, we love the same movies…I’m beginning to fall for you.”…That’s crap! Men will say “I want to marry you and be with you for the rest of my life” but even before tying the knots you’ll find out such a pig he is for cheating on you half a dozen times. I am not saying that everyone has the habit of confusing love with attraction. I’m just saying that majority of us, even me, commits the same crime.

We also associate LOVE with LUST. You’d tell your best pal that you are falling for your boyfriend whom you dated for what, a month?? And what’s the main reason?? Because he’s good in bed and he makes you feel really special? I know that it is a normal emotion that exists in the real world particularly for couples who spends a lot of time with each other. But it’s not lust that will make your bond stronger; it will be the amount of time that you are together talking and finding out if you will click or what not. LUST is more of physical rather than emotional.

So when did we stop believing in LOVE? When did we outgrow the feeling of loving someone like the way Cinderella’s prince charming (sorry, I dunno his name…if you know it, you’re a full blooded love struck) did when Cinderella forgot her shoes (clumsy of her) and little Mr. Prince Charming there tried to look everywhere just to find who owns the shoe. When did we do away with just saying I LOVE YOU when you really meant it, not just to get her in the bed then forget all about her the next day? When did we start dismissing the idea of being like our grand parents that are still together till their last breath?

I know that there are really people who have not-so-good relationships that left them all alone and hurt, which led them to believe that LOVE isn’t that true after all. Once in our lives, we see everything perfectly, everything is the right place, and then all of a sudden, your boyfriend breaks up with you to be with another hot chick, KABOOM!!! You don’t want the idea of being INLOVE again even if you will live all by yourself in the future. And what you do is to mope the whole day, listen to music that will eat your heart out, eat humungous amount of food, then once you’re fully recovered, you’ll start doing what your EX did to make even. Your heart will be as hard as a stone, you will promise yourself NOT to be in love again…

What will be the end result??NONE. We’ll just go from one relationship to another and see what happens next. Unlike before that even by just mentioning his name with give you shiver, that you can talk about him forever with that sparkle in your eyes…You can describe him with all the positive adjectives from the Miriam dictionary and you feel that it’s not enough…That you can create an essay, even a novel of what you do together and how you’ve met…

Nowadays, you just stay with your partner for a long period of time just to say you have someone, but the spark is gone...the passion is gone…the willingness to do everything for the person you ultimately love is no longer there…You will no longer go to the extremities even if you look like an idiot for the person you’re with…willingness to accept him is out of the question now…Where did it all go??? How can we take it back??

ALL WE NEED IS LOVE. RIGHT??