SIGE NA NGA. Maggi-give in na ako. Nakakaawa naman kasi itong blog ko, iniiwan kong magisa sa cyberspace, hindi ko mashadong pinupuna kasi akala ko may sasalo sa pagaalaga. Eh ayaw din nung isa. Sus. Bakit nga ba ako namimilit ng ayaw. Eh ayaw nga, eh. Eh sa tinatamad nga, eh. Ikaw talaga, JC. Masyado kang namimilit.

Sige na nga.

Prologue: Thanks to them fans
Ang galing. Imaginin mo nga namang mayroon pa talagang nagmamahal sa akin dahil may mga bumibisita sa Blackmoon. Mayroon pa ngang isa, nagpapaalala talaga: “You haven’t posted for a long time,” he said.

Asus. Sige na nga. Magkukuwento na nga ako tungkol sa mga nangyari sa buhay ko. Buhayin ulit natin si blackmoon.

Pero thanks sa mga dumadalaw, ha?

Chapter 1: Ang magulong mundo ng APAC.
Truth is, APAC is far from the term coined above. It has, in fact, despite my previous bad impression of it, so far caught up with half of my expectations. The un-reached half of them, being 1) No internet access in the workroom although the pantry offers computers available for surfing; 2) corporate style of dressing,
something you all know I don’t really like; 3) you can’t bring coffee in the training room. I mean, what�s the use of coffee if you can’t bring it with you every time? I double-checked APAC’s Mission and they never stated anything about letting their employees die of hypothermia.

Anyway, everyone knows I finally relented to taking this job in Alabang in order to at least make myself useful. But of course, I haven’t really told much about the developments, save for my �ber-long lamentation over at livejournal.

So let’s take the tour, then.

Nestled deep down in the south of Manila, AllState Promotional Advertising Corporation, also known as APAC Customer Services, found its home in a four-storey building in Plaza C, Northgate, Alabang a few years ago; starting with only a little less than 400 people under its wings. Although an established name in the US, it was the first time APAC ventured for outsourcing, and has proved itself successful now with a workforce size nearly four times the size of its original number, and basing some of the biggest clients from the US.

To get to the building is enough to make you think it is indeed in fierce competition: the area makes you think that the Filinvest people had a call center village in mind when they developed this place–behind the tall grasses occupying the first blocks toward Northgate is the obviously the competitive buildings of Convergys and HSBC, two of the better known call centers around. APAC, however, is definitely making sure they are up to par with the two other competitors, and true enough, another site is in progress to accommodate more agents to become a part of its name.

I was able to land a pharmaceutical account when I got there, a fact which my best friend Mark greatly insists I am up for doom, because I just landed on one of the hardest accounts in APAC (he�s on dental-and INSISTS his account is the easiest in the medical area). I AM up for a challenge anyway, I reckon. Currently my batch–or my wave, to be more apt–, is composed of 25 diverse people, most of them having experiences from the field before. We just started product training a while ago, and thankfully, my body didn’t have much trouble coping up with the 10pm-7am shift. After all, it’s almost the same time I am always awake for internet before, so what’s new?

What else? Commute is still hard for me; leaving me no choice but to give an hour and a half of travel allowance in order to avoid tardiness. It won’t make much difference though if I pushed through with Makati, although the way to Alabang has more traffic than the former. I have fewer expenses here, tho, but I have to admit THE relationship is suffering. Our time schedules aren’t working, and the gap isn’t helping. Initiative is lacking either. Don’t ask.

That’s as much as I can tell you today, me thinks. I’ll have to think up more stuff as I go along, okay?

Chapter 2: Ipagyabang ang bago
Oo nga pala, sikreto lang natin ito, ha? Napanood ninyo na ba yung Mr. and Mrs. Smith? Ako talaga yung original na nasa line-up noon, nung wala pa si Jolie. Tingnan ninyo pa:

Kaso nung umayaw na ako, dun na tinawagan ni Brad yung producers at sinabing gusto niya daw pasakitan si Jennifer Aniston dahil wala na siyang career at ayaw nitong magpa inject ng fat sa lips niya. Kaya nabigyan ng pagkakataon si Angelina Jolie.

Besides, I have another movie to do. After all, I couldn’t let George Lucas down, can I? I had to make a spectacular movie without getting too distracted. Besides, cute rin naman si Hayden, eh.

(halata bang wala na naman akong magawa? Wala pang tulog yang lagay na yan �)

Epilogue: Ang malalang pagyayabang.

Once, someone told me I looked like Mikee Cojuangco. I never believed his compliments.

Then, just last month, a co-worker told me out of the blue that I was pretty. While we were in a PUJ.

While in a drinking session, probably the prettiest girl in our wave told me I resemble Mikee. That’s twice the name now.

And then, my trainer asked me, while the two of us were in an elevator, who that celebrity was who was likened to me. I said I used Jennifer Aniston as an adjective (you know those “give an adjective that starts with your name introduction kind of crap? I went, “adjective? Jennifer Aniston.”), but I didn’t use it because I LOOK like J.A, but I thought I was as neurotic as her character in Friends. She then said that I look like Jennifer all right–Jennifer Love Hewitt.

What in hell do these people see in me that I don�t?!?!

My new hair, perhaps?

Di nga. Pretty ba ako? Har har. Joke lang. Hua Ze Lei na naman ako. hahahahahaha!

(ay, shet. Makikita na nang iba ang irereserve ko pa lang sana sa kanilang mga mata para sa Saturday. HF peeps, punta ako jan Saturday, ha? )