Trainings, Trainings...and More Trainings (Part 2)

I dunno how and I dunno why, but luckily I passed the first lap of the training which is CCT (Communications and Culture Training). Thanks to you, Joel, I learned a lot. I know I still have to do lots of practice. I hope I'll pass Berlitz.

So this post is Part 2 of my first trainings post (obviously), so let me introduce my trainer for PST, Shellette. First impression? maangas, strict, righteous with such a very unique voice...at ang lakas ha, mind you, parang kuwarenta kmi sa klase kng magsalita siya, like 40 kids in a very noisy room. Talagang with gusto which made me think probably she was a pre-school teacher, and I was right. She used to handle elementary classes. But somehow, the impression that I had (based on how she spoke), is contradicting to how she dresses and with the presence of tattoos and piercings. So I was thinking, hmmm...this girl felt so 'suppressed' during those times when she was still teaching so when she finally got the job in Convergys, she had this liberating feeling, in-explore niya lahat. Hehe...ginawan ko na siya ng kuwento. I think she's cool, pa-bibo lng ng konti papa-impress...peace. And I like her sense of fashion, astig, may angas, tapos this girl can have different looks on different days, as in. Sometimes funky, sometimes boyish, sometimes classy.

As for my impressions with my co-trainees, wala naman nabago, we're more bonded now. Mas madalas ang inuman. hehe. And we always talk about THE Berlitz, we have this goal of 100% passing, sana magkatotoo para may manlilibre jan sa inuman.hahaha.

LoooooOOOOng Weekend

it is a long weekend because Monday is a holiday. Which gives me enough time to rest because come Tuesday i will be very, very busy. I dunno if I could manage juggling two jobs at the same time, but what the heck, if it won't work, at least I gave it a shot.

so how am i spending weekend?i am now busy watching over the karpinteros and the electrician because of the ongoing renovations in the house.i haven't viewed any TV show for the last 5 days because i can't freakin' get a good signal reception for any of the stations. i can't even watch Rudy Fernandez's tribute hehe. Good thing Gary's status message in YM is 'Rudy Fernandez dies' and that's the only time I knew he's really dead.

what I do while killing time is either watch DVD or surf. I like people-surfing, typing names of interesting people on the Google search box, and start reading. No, i am not a stalker, i am just curious...and bored.i also like viewing pictures and reading other people's blog.usyusero sa tagalog,hehe. sometimes that's where i get my idea on what to post next on my blog. i like reding cooool blogs, ayoko ng pa-bibo o pa-intelihente, i get bored easily. i get the feeling it was never really an 'original' thought if it is not that candid. it feels so unreal. i like candidness, those that will truly show someone's kapilyahan at kakulitan, un natural. i like john lapus' blog, kikay pero may sense, ang 'blog ni inday' mejo boring na pero ok lng nman.

almost all my sentences there started with 'i like', pansin nyo?hehe. anyway, i still have a day and a half to rest, more surfing, DVD marathon, and probably spend time with friends. fix my things if in case i decide to move to another house. haaaayyyy...i still have to prepare for the most-dreaded Berlitz exam. anyone who knows a foreigner that I can talk to for a whole day right before Berlitz?

just in case you know someone who could help me, please message me right away, ok?i am dead-hungry now, which is a good indicator that I am sane. I better grab a bite first.

Friday Night Session

Friday afternoon, I did something really stupid (but hey!t'was good adrenaline rush...another "learning" experience), details shall be on a different blog post 'cause it's gonna be a long, shocking, eye-opening post. Later in the afternoon, Bolai and Daff picked me up because I will be joining their inuman session somewhere in Regalado. And the biggest surprise was that, our trainer, Shellette (i'll be doing another post for my PST training), will be joining us, too. We (Daff, Bolai, Shellette and Sheila - shellette's friend) met in Tandang Sora, and we just hitched (Shellette's car) all the way to Regalado.

I really like Shellette (but Bolai, she's freaking straight, right?), she's cute, she has different looks on different days, may angas (which is one of my weaknesses) pero like lng nman...hehehe.

Going back to the inuman, Joseph was there, of course, at kung nandon si Joseph dapat nandon din si Junsal. Paolo Lopez was there, too, Monds and her gf, Katkat, and Paolo Galura and his wife just dropped by about two hours after.

I was my usual self, tamang nakikinig lng sa debate kung dapat ba Tagalog ang PST o hindi. Butt in sometimes, but the argument was already 'heated' with just Daff and Sheila, so di na ko eepal. Sheila really speaks good english, nakakainggit, lambing pa ng boses, khit argumento na malambing pa din. hehe.

Shellette had a few shots of Red Horse but demanded for a power nap a few hours after. But we understand, dont worry. That's not a demerit to your personality, we understand you need to rest because you still have to drive, right?

Monds and gf were so sweet, cuddle ng cuddle, di ba Kat? Si paolo naman tahimik din, nakikipagdebate kung minsan pero mukha na siyang lasing. Mapungay na ang mga mata ni Junilee. Junsal, as always, would show a different personality when drunk, kakaiba talaga promise. May mga hirit siyang maangas, but anyway, alam namin lasing ka lang. hehehe. As for Joseph naman, sakto lng, parang si Daff. Si Bolai foodtrip and Katkat, uminom ka ba?hahaha.

We (katkat and I, with Shellette and Sheila) went home at around 12. I didnt know I was dead drunk till I started moving and walking. and guess what? I puked in the cab...eeeewwww...as in ang dami...buti n lng hindi sa car ni Shellette, else banned na ako sa PST. Manong cab driver was so mad, taxi meter says I'm supposed to pay just 60 bucks but I paid manong 200 for the carwash. Sorry po talaga, manong whoever. When I reached home I puked again, then slept till 7am, and woke up with a really bad headache, and I smell soooooo bad. hahaha.

To wrap it up, I enjoyed the inuman. It was indeed an effort for Shellette to join us, thanks, and also thanks for the ride. You laid your cards on the table (especially the lovelife part), which is something we all didnt expect. Were you just drunk or you really wanted to open up? Anyway, whatever, we appreciate you going an extra mile to reach out.

3rd Song

got this idea from jeselle's blog...it's called the third song. Why? Just for the heck of it, you ask yourself a question, or questions, and let the third song answer for you...songs must be heard over the radio (that's why i am always online on Yahoo! Radio, waiting for third song to answer my questions). I do not recommend mp3-saved songs 'cause obviously it will only generate the songs you want 'cause those are the songs you saved on your mp3 player, right?

There's no guarantee that the answers are true...but it's fun, especially when you travel from Katipunan to Makati, you don't get bored at all because you would always anticipate and wait for the "third song." (But you can always restart counting when you don't like the answer you get...hahaha)

Just to share with you my third songs for tonight (my first time to really wait for the songs over the radio), and i didn't cheat, these were the answers:

Question: I want to know how she feels about me...
3rd song: Tears In Heaven (Eric Clapton)
"Time can bring you down Time can bend your knee
Time can break your heart Have you begging please
Begging please
Beyond the door There's peace I'm sure.
And I know there'll be no more... Tears in heaven"

*ang lungkot naman...more like my song for her than her song for me...waaaaHHHH!pero malay ntin nalulungkot din siya di ba, umiiyak din siya...wish ko lng...hahaha...mukhang forever n 'ko iiyak hanggang sa heaven... =(

Question: I want to know what she really feels for him...
3rd song: Celebrity Skin (Hole)
"You better watch out For what you wish for
It better be worth it So much to die for
Hey...so glad you could make it
Yeah...now you really made it
Hey...there's only us left now..."

*i am not even familiar with the song, bahala na siya o kayo mag-interpret...(yawn)

Question: What about us?
3rd song: Let Her Cry (Hootie and the Blowfish)
"And just...Let her cry...if the tears fall down like rain
Let her sing...if it eases all her pain
Let her go...let her walk right out on me
And if the sun comes up tomorrow
Let her be...let her be.
This morning I woke up alone
Found a note by the phone
Saying maybe, maybe I’ll be back some day
I wanted to look for you
You walked in I didn’t know just what I should do
So I sat back down and had a beer and felt sorry for
Myself."

*perfect 'no?let it be...see, minsan may sagot tlga ang third song..

A DAY IN THE LIVES OF THE LAKWATSERAS

Starring: Alvin, CCM, Parx, Dingdong, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Maki and My Dear
With the special participation of: My Dear's brother-in-law

After my last day of training last Friday, I had to go back from Makati to Katipunan, to prepare my things, and then they picked me up and headed to Nueva Vizcaya, all courtesy of Alvin. (Thanks! I super enjoyed!) Banaue was, of course, in our itinerary, but a lot of things happened way beyond our expectations. =)

Our first stop, as Alvin would insist, is the DOUBLE HAPPINESS place where we could all pee and stretch. Thanks to the super driver Maki (may impit sa dulo dapat, kung hindi ‘di ka in sa Nueva), we were able to reach the kapilya just on time. Without toothbrushing or even hilamos, they just changed clothes and went straight to the church. I didn’t join them of course, because I was so sleepy and I didn’t bring clothes for worship. I just stayed in the van and tried to get some sleep but Mr. Smith’s phone kept on alarming (tama b un, alarming?) so I was up every ten minutes. Geesh!

Right after the worship service, we had breakfast at Alvin’s place. Yummy ang breakfast, nilagang talbos ng sayote at talbos ng ampalaya, and papaitan! Plus saging siyempre, di pwedeng mawala un. Buti na lang di pa luto ang sinangag na salagubang, kasalukuyan pa lang tinatanggalan ng pakpak ang mga wlang kalaban-laban na salagubang pagdating namin. We slept for about an hour or so, (basta ako tulog agad, imagine I was up from 7 am Friday till almost 10 am Saturday).

Sinundo namin si Ate Rona on our way to Banaue, but before that, we passed by this store called G&B, where they specialize in buko of all sorts, fresh buko juice na ikaw mismo ang magtitimpla, bibiyakin lng nila, hot and yummy buko pie, ...nilagang buko, adobong buko, afritadang buko (of course I am just kidding, but if you know someone who cooks those, text me asap hahaha). We all had a great time, super busog, you could even ask Dingdong dahil may take-out pa siya). That’s when we started having ‘downloading’ (poo-poo) problems. Mr. Smith downloaded right there sa G&B, Parx was supposed to download right after him but ugh, barado ang toilet bowl, ewwww. Parx was disappointed, stomach hurting and all, we went to pick up Ate Rona and her many baons. We just waited for Parx to download and some picture taking sa likod ng bahay nila Ate Rona dahil, wow, bonggang-bongga ang rice field, daig ang wallpaper ng Windows XP. Ate Rona’s brother-in-law joined us, too, so that somebody else could drive while the super driver Maki is catching some sleep.

On the first to second hour of our trip to Banaue, everything was going well, we had pictures taken sa ilalim ng arko ng WELCOME TO BANAUE, pang-friendster, hehe. More pictures were taken in Viewpoint where you could see the famous Banaue Rice Te-Ray-ses (as Alvin would say it). All of us had free caps courtesy of those UP students who interviewed us for their thesis. So it was smooth-sailing, minus the pictures with the Igorots because it was drizzling, so wag nang magtaka kung bakit wala kaming pictures with the natives although sabi nga ni Mrs. Smith, may kasama naman kaming native (beep!beep!Maki!). Then it rained, so we had to run for shelter, went back to the van and scouted for a place where we could consume our baons. And we just ended up eating in the van, right next to the Banaue Town Hall. Sarap ng baon, we had adobong (taba ng) baboy, tinapang bangus, adobo sa gata na bibe (di ko ata ‘to tinikman), talbos ng kamote, kamatis at bagoong. Wow! Dami kong nakain kaya ayun, downloading problems n nman. Huhu. And while we were eating, surprise, Rica Peralejo passed by to attend a gathering at the Banaue Town Hall. Of course we didn’t want to miss this opportunity (hahaha showbiz), so we waited for her for just a few minutes and had our pictures taken (minus Mrs. Smith dahil hawak niya lahat ng Tupperware at kaserola…sorrryyyy, wag k na magtampo, si Rica lng nman yan, buti sana kung si Jolina, hahaha).
…to be continued

Trainings, Trainings...and More Trainings

So this is what’s been keeping me busy nowadays. I should have been part of the SMART Faculty Immersion Program but my training schedule did not allow me to do so. First part of the training is the CCT, then after that would be the PST, that is if you pass CCT first. My trainer is so cool and m co-trainees as well. So let me just introduce to you my new-found friends:
Joel (the trainer) – nobody from the class had enough guts to ask about his sexual preference but the way he dresses, and talks, can be considered as a give-away. He is so cool and funny. He had unlimited number of anecdotes to share and we all just end up laughing because of his gestures. Even Joel himself would end up laughing, too. That’s one good point of a teacher, storytelling with actions and all, no inhibitions and being able to laugh at himself. Joel has been consistently asking me to ‘exaggerate’, which is something I find challenging to do…but hopefully I get the hang of exaggerating so I wouldn’t be hearing the words “Sappho, exaggerate!” as if exaggerate is my last name. =)
My co-trainees:
AC – one of my favorites because he always makes me smile. He looks like a typical parlorista - dyed hair, skinny jeans, sleeveless shirt and a body bag. You might even ask for her scissors and comb. But no, AC is not a parlorista, mind you, he is pretty good in exaggerating. He even pronounces Cainta as Ca-een-tah, it was even misheard as Utah. And that was the first icebreaker ever that made us all laugh to the highest power. AC is friendly and very open. He is also very generous giving us yosi during breaks. When asked about his greatest passion, he readily said it was his ex for a year now. And that’s another icebreaker…harhar.
DAFF – my seatmate and lunch buddy. He also coaches me with pronunciation, and the in’s and out ‘s of the call center business. A self-confessed DOTA and sex-addict, this guy is cool and relaxed. With very good accent, too.
PAOLO – only 20 years old, the youngest in the class, a UP ComSci student, but is currently in AWOL to work and earn for his tuition fee. My bibong groupmate in almost all of the activities that were given to us. Although very young, he has lotsa things to say, not by experience though, mostly from the textbooks he has read. Paolo is my baby, I always tease him not to join the gimmicks because he is too young and he would always answer, “’di na ko baby,’ no!”
DADDY MON – the oldest from the class at 56, and still single. But very cool also, and always willing to share his stories. He had a mild stroke a few years back and is having difficulties using his right hand. But he never gave up, at his age and condition, he was still motivated to work and very eager to learn. That’s an inspiration for me because at my early age now, I feel I have lost the desire to live and work. =(
MARVIN/MELVIN – sorry I keep forgetting your name. He is also a call center virgin like me. This guy is a cono, the way I see it. And very quiet, but is game to all things Joel would instruct him to do. A fresh graduate from UP. We didn’t have the chance to bond because he belongs to a different group, and he doesn’t smoke, but I think he’s nice.
JOSEPH – one of the seasoned agents from our batch. He could also qualify as a team leader based on his call center experience. I could always imagine Dom in him, with his physique, sense of humor and I don’t know what else, I just think of him as Dom. Period. (See, I can’t still get them out of my system. Hehe.) I wish he would become my role-playing partner because I know I would learn a lot from him.
JUNSAL – Joseph’s partner in crime. They would always laugh at one corner when Joel becomes really funny and foolish. Very good accent, too. When asked about his passion, his answer was his kids (hmm…ideal father), but what about your wife? hehehe.
DORX – her name is spelled with an X, not a –KS, that’s what she would always stress. Also a fresh graduate and a call center virgin. She is basically quiet, I only get to hear her get excited when they (with Rica) talk about b-o-y-s. (Peace!) She seems nice and kikay.
RICA – my role-playing partner. Very fluent and is really good with the English language. She used to teach at UP, but settled for a call center job because this is where the money is. She is very warm and friendly. Thank God she is my partner in role-playing because I do learn a lot from her.
PAOLO – the second Paolo in the class. He would always talk about cars, or joke around and make fun of Volts. He doesn’t smoke but would also go downstairs during breaks just to mingle and exchange laughs and stories. This guy looks mayabang, and presko, you know the typical guy who thinks he knows it all. But let me just stress the presence of the word LOOKS on the previous sentence. I don’t know if he really is. What I know is that he is pasaway because during breaks he would browse you tube or imeem which is a no-no during the training.
BOLAI – another UP student. Very quiet, but I think she’s cool. All UP students are cool, right? ALMOST all. Harhar. Also a yosi-buddy but her brand is Winston Lights. This woman is deep and mysterious….hmmm…I think I should get to know her more. Too bad I wasn’t able to join their first-ever inuman session because I had to go to Banawe. There will be a 2nd time, I hope and I really am joining this time.
KATKAT – a semi-vegetarian, and also very quiet. I wonder if they have let go of all their inhibitions during their inuman…and did they talk anout me?hahaha….Also a seasoned agent and is always talking to someone over the phone during breaks (I miss those times).
YANI – also one of my favorites. Gay and happy. My uwian buddy. I know it would be easier for him to just ride a bus via CUBAO ILALIM but he always chooses to ride CUBAO IBABAW so that I could have someone with me on my way home. Bait naman ni Yani. Very soft-spoken but is also very open to his adventures and misadventures.
CHENG – she was a former student of the school where I used to teach, and that is also why I don’t mind not bonding with her at all. She might know some of my secrets and I don’t want that to happen.
MONDS – I wonder if he is gay, but whatever his sexual preference is, I think he’s nice. Just a little aloof maybe, but he seems nice. Very quiet, prefers to eat alone and just read books during breaks.
VOLTS – a really weird guy with a very weird voice. That’s why some of us love making fun of him. He hates his mother-in-law very much he always talk about her.
DAN – looks like a security guard using Astringent No. 3. But well, looks can be deceiving. Also a seasoned agent and is really very eager to learn. He even has a better accent than me. =( Joel would always ask him if he is drunk because when he recites, he mumbles words, but then after a few seconds and he gets enough confidence, he does speak well.
LIAN – also my lunch buddy. He is from Iloilo and I really like his accent. He is a very nice guy, always willing to get coffee for me.haha. He looks like Joel Moore, the stupid guy from the movie The Hottie and The Nottie. But no, Lian is not stupid. He’s smart and I like his attitude.
And of course, Reena, who was never my co-trainee but is always there to help me out. Thanks for the mug and all the stories we’ve shared. Thanks for always being on the rescue especially when I broke down at the restroom when I was asked about my greatest passion for the last two years. And sorry, for whichever side of the coin I choose, I still end up hurting you.

Sana...

...nagagawang lunurin ng luha ang lahat ng sakit.
...kayang burahin ng galit ang pagmamahal.
...kayang palitan ng bagong pag-ibig ang sugat, luha, sakit at galit.

xOxO