Stubborn Customer

I've been working in the call center industry for more than 2 years now from different call centers and contrary to what people say, working here isn't easy. This job will certainly test your patience and the stress brought by your stubborn customers will definitely take the zip out of your life at the end of your shift. I have spoken to different types of people and despite the length of my experience in customer service, there are still customers who never failed to make me utter the crassest words stacked in the recesses of my brain. The trite expression "you can't please all people" holds true in our jobs. And this customer I had earlier made me curse to death.

The customer wanted to add a hyperlink in his webmail account. However, that is not possible as there is no way to add hypelinks in his free web-based email. With all the empathy, positive scripting and what have you in the call center world, I told him about it. The customer did not buy what I said and demanded a supervisor. "I want to speak to your supervisor and I want this problem fixed right now" were his exact words. There were no supervisors visible that time and if there was one, I'm certain he wouldn't accept it as this issue is not really escalatable anyway.

With all the mettle I could muster, I typed this. "Sir, I understand you want to add hyperlinks in your email, however, that's not possible as there is no option to add hyperlinks in your web-based email. There is nothing to fix because there is no problem at all. The feature you are asking is simply not available. Understand that."

And then viola, "the user left and abandoned the chat page" message showed up. Mr. Stubborn closed our chat session.

This world is really peppered with snotty jerks. They are stubborn, insufferable, irrational people who always want to get their way.

Funny SMS

Inday: (Speaking in English twang) Mr. conductor, can you please carry my LUGGAGE for me. It's quite heavy kasi eh.

Konduktor: Sure mum. Saan deto? (with a distinct Bisaya accent)

Inday: That thing over there?

Konduktor: Ito po ba? (pointing at the Louie Vuitton luggage)

Inday: Nope.. The other one.

Konduktor: Itong trolley mum?

Inday: Nope. (Whispering) That one!

Konduktor: (Uttering in a loud voice) Ah itong SAKO !?!?!?!?!?

Inday: (A bit embarrassed but still cocky) It's a bag made of SYNTHESIZED POLYESTER!!!!

MRT Fun

This story was related to me by a friend of a friend. Friends A and B had a rendezvous at SM Mall of Asia. Since B was new to the metropolis, riding a train was a bit alien to her. A, arrived earlier than the agreed time and asked B to take MRT so she can get there faster. B, being adventurous and always on the go, took her first MRT ride all by herself.

A, waited for almost an hour and was wondering why B hasn't arrived yet. She texted B and this was her reply:

"Pasensiya na A, malalate ako ng kunti kasi bumalik yong train eh. May naiwan na pasahero yata"

That text message made A's day full of laughter .... Apparently, B, did not get off at the last station.

Poor Lady

I took a bus going home and there was this "maarte" lady who wants to get off at the MRT Annapolis station. There are designated bays where buses can load and unload passengers in that area and when our bus stopped at the unloading bay, the conductor told her to get off and she just have to make few walks going to Annapolis station. But the lady brazenly refused to get off as she wants the bus to stop right in front of the MRT station. The conductor just shrugged it off and continued collecting fare. While our bus was already beside the MRT station, the lady told the driver to stop. But the driver did not hear her and the conductor deliberately ignored her cry. Out of sheer frustration, the poor lady shouted scornfully and told the driver to stop the bus so she can get off. Unfortunately, her desperate effort went futile as the bus can no longer stop as we were already taking the flyover. The bus can only take a halt at the next unloading bay which is really far from the MRT Annapolis station. Poor lady, she had walked under the scorching heat of the sun on her high heels and sexy dress. (Nawala tuloy poise niya) She wouldn't have suffered that much if she had gotten off when the conductor told her so.

After the lady got off, this thing came into my mind. Let's just say the conductor's adherence to the loading and unloading policy is admirable. But, would it hurt him if he had told the driver to stop right in front of the MRT station and showed an act of chivalry and courtesy to the lady knowing that there were no traffic enforcers to apprehend them anyway?

Doraemon

I am not fond of watching local TV stations like ABS-CBN or GMA but I'm just thankful that the latter station introduced Doraemon and reaired it. I love this show so much. Doraemon is said to be Asia's most popular anime icon and had graced the cover of Time Asia magazine where it was selected as one of the 22 Asian Heroes (the only anime character selected!). In March 2008, Japan's Foreign Ministry appointed Doraemon as the nation's first "anime ambassador." Cool!!.

The cute talking blue robot, Doraemon, is different from other famous anime series in the sense that it is a comedy about a child's fantasy of the real world. Most popular animes we see today revolve on fight scenes showing swift moves and cool action sequences. Most of Doraemon's episodes depict moral lessons about honesty, perseverance, courage, etc. The series also tackles several noteworthy environmental issues like homeless animals, endangered species, deforestation, and pollution. Topics such as dinosaurs, the flat earth theory, wormhole traveling, Gulliver's Travels, and the history of Japan are also covered.

For those clueless about Doraemon (I hope there's none), here's a refresher. Doraemon is a robotic cat, who travels back in time from the 22nd century to aid a schoolboy, Nobita Nobi. Nobita is a weak, coward, dim-witted and clumsy boy in almost everything he does. The only main female character is Shizuka, who serves as a semi-romantic girlfriend of Nobita, but otherwise a supporting, minor character. Nobita's main human friends, Suneo and Damulag (Gian in Japan), are both bullies to him when they are around together. However, Suneo seems to warm up kindly to Nobita if Gian is not with them. This suggests that Suneo is allied with Gian for only his power, so that he is well-protected from attack.

The stories are formulaic, usually focused on the everyday struggles of fourth grader Nobita, the protagonist of the story. In a typical chapter, Nobita comes home crying about a problem he faces in school or the local neighborhood. After Nobita's pleading or goading, Doraemon produces a futuristic gadget to help Nobita fix his problem, enact revenge, or flaunt to his friends. Nobita usually goes too far, despite Doraemon's best intentions, and gets into deeper trouble than before. Sometimes, Nobita's friends (usually Suneo or Jaian) steal the gadgets and end up misusing them. However, by the end of the story, there is usually retribution to the characters who end up misusing them, and a moral lesson is taught.

Childhood Recollection

My teammates and I had a great time talking about our childhood memories. My childhood is one of the best chapters in my life and since these memories are still fresh in my mind, I decided to write about it. This childhood recollection made me realize how rambunctious, defiant and mischievous I was during my younger years. Seemed like I was a bit similar to "Denise the Menace".

1. Sinister Me - This was the wicked thing I ever did against mama and my older sister. When I was 7 years old, I punched my older sister on her back when she changed the channel from Popeye to a sappy ABS-CBN teenshow. Mama scolded me vehemently as punishment. Enraged, I went to my room sobbing and then prayed to the Lord to bring mama to heaven. When my anger trickled away and I started to realize my fault, I prayed back earnestly and revoked what I prayed earlier.

2. Frustrated Cook - Mama came from the grocery store and left the plastic bag chockful of groceries in our kitchen. While she was resting, I sneaked in the kitchen and took the Maggi Soy Sauce and brought it to our playhouse. When she knew about it, the bottle was already half empty. Good thing mama was in good mood so I didn't taste her fury again. That was my first attempt in cooking. My ingredients were dragonflies, butterflies and grasshoppers mixed with gumamela flowers and leaves. Of course my playmates and I didn't eat it.

3. Demanding Me - I abhored going to church but mama forced me to do so. Since my playmates had been forced by their mama too, going there wasn't bad at all. One time during the month of May, Flores de Mayo, I refused to go to church for the reason that I was envious with my playmates as they had beautiful and freshly picked flowers. So I demanded my mama to buy me fresh flowers sold at the store near our house. Mama did it without complaints.

4. Gambler, Not Quite - I've learned how to play Tong-its and Chikicha at the age of 10. At that time, I already played it with money involved at school. One day after class, I threw my bag in the couch and rushed to the vacant lot upon seeing my playmates there playing patentero. My mama took my bag as she was suppose to place it at the study room but to my misfortune, the coins inside it made a noice. Out of curiousity, she opened it and to her astonishment, a purse chockful of coins and playing cards greeted her. Mama went ballistic and I ended up being spanked 5 times. Beside that I was given an award. And that award was a week of no TV and no playing outside the house.

5. Duckling Killer - One of our neighbors raised ducks and had them colored flamboyantly. One day, the owner forgot to lock their gate so the fancy ducklings escaped and intruded our backyard. Their cuteness and charming colors piqued my curiosity so I approached them and held one of them in my hands. Oblivious of her presence, the mother duck came rushing towards my back and poked my leg with her beak. Out of surprise, my grip lossened up and the little duck fell to the ground which slightly maimed him. To retaliate, I hurled a small wooden box towards them. The mother duck and the rest of the ducklings managed to dodge the box but one of them, unfortunately, failed to evade and was crushed to death.

6. Wrestler - Me and my younger sister were best of enemies when we were still young. We were extremely opposite in almost everything. One time, we wrestled over the remote control and we never seemed to stop. So my uncle came to intercept and separate us. Unfortunately, my uncle suffered as we bit and clawed him on his hands and face. My mama was furious at what we did to uncle. She took 2 knives and gave us one each and said "galit na galit talaga kayo sa isa't isa ha, ayan yong kutsilyo, mag patayan kayo." That ended the bullfight. I was 12 then and she was 11.

I Love You, Mama

I'm probably one of the luckiest sons in the world for having such a wonderful mama named Clarita.

Mama raised a brood of three by herself when Papa went to heaven when I was still three years old. Growing up, I saw how she worked hard and sacrificed a lot to raise the three of us. She's a supermama who juggled work, home and still have time take good care of us. Mama is not the typical mother who is expressive and showy about her love to us. She rarely say I love you and talk to us in the most intimate way. Despite that less talk and bonding moment, she never failed to provide us everything we needed.

Mama was strict when we were still young. I still remember how I was upbraided when I puched my older sister on her back when she changed the channel. Whenever we ate meals, we were always careful when eating as she doesn't want to see foods spilled on the table. We were always mindful not to heaped our plates with food because she doesn't want us to waste food not eaten. I feared her whenever she's around the house because I know she would scold me again for not doing my assigned household chores or for doing it sloppily. And so I hid all the broom sticks in our house before she came home from work so she can't use it to beat me.

There was one time I hated her so much after she had scolded me that I prayed to the Lord to take her to heaven. But after my anger dissipated, I immediately prayed back ardently and recanted all I had prayed earlier. I was such a lazy, selfish and a bad son and I deserved all the punishment she had given me.

But the years I was away from home made me look at things from a different perspective. I learned that her style of motherhood was the best for us. We grew up to be strong, independent, and steadfast. I began to see her as a woman of strength, a woman of faith.

Mama, thank you so much for bringing me out into this wonderful world. Thank you for your hardwork and sacrifices so we can live in this world with ease and comfort. Thank you for being strict as they made me become who I am right now. I may not be the most successful person out there, but I have great conviction and loyalty. And thank you for showing me what uncondional love REALLY means. Thank you for everything. Happy Mother's Day, Mama.

Cheesy Me

Graphics for Emotional Comments

After I came home from the cathartic vacation to my hometown, the days following it had been remarkably different. Differrent in the sense that I had gone out of my comfort zone inadvertently.

My friends have always known me as a telenovela hater. I've already had so much drama in my life so why would I bother to add more to it. Besides these shows are too cheesy that is way beyond normal. But lately, they have noticed myself starting to deviate from what they have thought about me. I was nonchalant about their observation at first but as I listened to a romantic song one late evening, it dawned on me that indeed something has changed in me. Of course, I didn't change to something undesirable.

I have noticed that I started to become unbelievably sentimental and mushy. One time, my friends and I were together talking about the usual silly and puny things like celebrity gossips and rumors about a colleague of ours. They noticed I was quite, distant and seemed spaced out while the rest of them had a great time slandering. And then I broke my silence and started talking about family, relationship and forgiveness and other chessy stuff. The look on their faces suggested they were dumbfounded and then they started laughing. Questions like what happened to me, why I was talking that way, what have I eaten and stuff like that were hurled towards me.

Honestly, I was not like that before. I was never sentimental and I rarely talk about mushy topics about family, love and whatnot. I guess, my realization to my family's status quo and my effort to strengthen the bond between us has changed me spirituality and emotionally. And this affected the way how I deal with the people around me lately. I sort of snapped out of being a tad shallow and I started to act maturely. Anyway, there's nothing wrong with being mawkishly amorous, right?

Cool Site

Some websites are really awesome while others are just plain boring. Yesterday out of boredom, I blog hopped and found this simple yet outlandish website. Death Clock tells you when you are going to die and it has a timer that tells you how many seconds you have left. You can also create your will, obituary, testament and other stuff. It's creepy yet ludicrous but spanking cool nonetheless. According to the site, my death arrives in 2068. I will be 83 years old by then. Sheesh.. I don't want to die that old. I don't want to see myself incapable of wiping my own ass after defecating or wearing adult diapers.

Scared To Death

Last night before going home after my shift ended, I went to the nearest carenderia in my place to fill in my hungry stomach. However, something happened that scared the life out of me.

Inside the eatery, I spotted two guys eating together, they seemed to be friends and one of them, a tall, mascular and brown skinned guy caught my attention. Despite that manly build, he appeared gay to me because of the way he was seated. He is such a huge gay guy, my mind had uttered.

I've ordered a food to be taken out and while I was waiting for it to be served, a man bumped behind me. Glancing towards his direction, I saw him headed towards his motorbike and it seemed he was saying something offensive but which I vaguely understood. All of a sudden, the gay guy stood up and confronted him. Based on his reaction, it appeared he was furious and in bellicose mood. I miscontrued him to be gay. Both of them were in a heated argument and within a moment, the ungracious man grabbed something from the ground. My knees shoke when I saw a half sized hollow block on his hand. The commotion intensified when the companion of that misconstrued gay guy picked up an equally huge hollow block. Imagining huge hollow blocks flying in the air, blood splattering all over the place gave me goose bumps and scared me to death.

Good thing that before the bloody fight erupted, the equally frightened tindera handed my food. Without batting an eyelash, I immediately grabbed the plastic container and walked as fast and as furtive as I can away from them. It gave me a sigh of relief. Few meters away from the fight scene, screams reverberated and bystanders not so distant came flocking.

Such incident really freaks me out.

Reunited

I took a leave from the hurly-burly of the metropolis to attend to my older sister's wedding and to be with my beloved folks. Though I encountered a lot of predicaments prior to it, my vacation was worthwhile and it even served as a catharsis.

The days preceeding my vacation were really tough. I lost my wallet and an inconceivable petty event took place that had me missed my flight. I had rebooked it but I was charged more than twice from the original cost of the ticket. That was too much but I accepted it without any complaints as I was in dire need to be home before the actual date of the wedding. Those incidence were melancholic and had almost left me at the verge of giving up but it never thwarted me from going home.

Seeing some of my relatives and my mother waiting for me outside the airport smothered all the nostalgia and plights that life had dished out on me. My mom's presence filled me with so much joy that I immediately hugged her tightly. Me, my mom and my two sisters are not really that close. We don't bond and talk that much like most siblings and their mother would normally do. My two sisters are home buddies while I am always out of the house and spend most of my time hanging out with my friends. Though we are not expressive and showy about how much we care and love one another, deep inside we know we love each other more than anybody else.

Being away from them because of my work made me value every moment I have with my family. So when I came home, I took the moment to show to them how much they mean to me. I didn't do it by saying I love you. Honestly, I feel ashamed in uttering those words and I haven't said it to anyone yet even to my dearest friends. I did it by simply starting a conversation with them and enjoying every second of it. If before I used to eat my meals in front of the television, this time I spent it with them and discussed anything under the sun. I swear, it brought me so much happiness by just doing it. It made me realize that what's lacking in our family is conversation.

Beside talking to them as often as I can, I also did most of the household chores especially washing the dishes. When I was a student, household chores were one of the reasons of fights in our house. I was so lazy that I always whined and stomped my feet as loud as I can whenever my mom asked me to do a certain task. I would even malingered to shirk my assigned chores. Now that I've grown up and realized how I love my family, I've done almost all chores in the house excluding the laundry. hehehe.. Those were the things I did that I thought would strengthen the bond between us. And I believe it worked as we've already shared our secrets and plans for our future.

My sister's wedding was succesful and that especial event was filled with bliss and merriments. The happiness I felt seeing my sister walked the aisle of the church going to the altar with my mom on her side transcended all the mishaps that had befallen on me. That moment made me realize that happiness can only be pleasurable and meaningful if it was felt after a series of frustrations and pains. And those strings of mishap happened to me to measure how far I would go, how long I would endure and how much I would sacrifice just to be with my family.

The vacation only lasted for 8 days. It was really short but I savored every moment I spent with my family and I will cherish those wonderful memories with them. This Christmas and New Year, I have planned to visit them again and this time, I'll make sure it would be longer than this.

Charlie Bit Me

My friend showed me this hilarious video from youtube and I instantly liked it. I've played it over and over again but I still can't get enough of it. I just couldn't help myself from drooling how cute these little boys are especially the younger one. They are irresistibly cuddly. I want to kiss and hug them tenderly and pinch their lovely cheeks.

The older brother has a funny voice and British accent. I just love the way how he said "ouch" and "Charlay bit me", it's like a music in my ears and the look on his face when he said it from 0:21 to 0:23 is priceless. And Charlie is indubitably the cutest baby I have ever seen on TV or Internet. His bald, huge head and his smile are adorable. He looks so fragile yet I want to pinch him till he cries. I just love the way how he giggled when his brother was hurting. How I wish I could have kids as cute and adorable as Charlie and his big brother.

Here's the video.

Skyscrapers

I really have this fascination with skyscrapers. Whenever I pass by around a tall building, I could not help myself from staring at it and appreciate its hugeness and magnificence. I am still astounded how these humungous structures were erected and how they were built to withstand mother earth's fury. Despite its adverse effects in the ecosystem and contribution in global warming, skyscrapers for me, are still a masterpiece and definitely one of the manifestations of man's ingenuity and a telltale of human civilization.

Here are some photos of world class skyscrapers:

Burj Dubai Empire State Building

Petronas Towers

Sears Tower Taipei 101 PBCom Tower

Intel to Pull Out?

I've read a news article online and this is something really bad for our economy. Intel, which employs more than 3,000 Filipinos and has invested $1.51 billion, is pondering on withdrawing its operations in the Philippines due to our country's high cost of electricity. Though this bad news is not yet certain, Intel has 6 to 9 months to decide whether to pursue in retreating their operations in our country or not.

I just hope they would go for the latter as this retreat will have a negative impact in our economy. My compassion goes out to their Filipino employees who will bear the brunt by this said pull-out especially now that prices of commodities have skyrocketed. May the Intel officials, despite the staggering high cost of electricity in our country, would realize that Filipinos are hard-working, dedicated and talented workers and may this realization aids their decision regarding the fate of their site in the Philippines.

Unscrupulous Taxi Drivers

I had another encounter with an unscrupulous taxi driver just yesterday while me and my friends headed to a comedy bar in Quezon City. I'm pretty sure most people have their share of bad experiences with them too.

We hailed a taxi along the intersection of East Avenue - Edsa and before we hopped in, I told the driver our destination. He responded saying "Sa Laffline sa Timog?" to clarify. I replied in confirmation by saying "Opo" and the four of us got in thinking he knows where to take us. There are two ways on how he can get to Laffline, he can go straight ahead to Timog where GMA is located or he can take Kamuning road via Edsa. Since the red light was on on the way to Timog, he veered to the left and took Edsa. Presuming that he would take the other route, I closed my eyes and took the moment to take a nap and relaxed.

The driver should turn right from Edsa once we reach the Edsa-Kumuning intersection. Since I didn't feel any motion of turning, I opened by eyes and to my surprise, we are already past Kamuning. I blurted out "Kuya diba sa Timog tayo, bat di ka lumiko sa kanan?" The driver retorted sarcastically by saying "Bat di mo sinabi?" (It's as if it was my fault) The cool that I am, I ignored his sardonic reply and just said "Okay, mag u-turn na lang tayo sa may Cubao". He uttered "San yun?". Hearing those words sent volts of anger to my brain and I became belligerent. I ranted at him. "Di niyo ba alam yong way or niloloko mo lang kami?!! Kanina sinabi niyo di ko sinabi kung saan kami papunta. Anong di sinabi, sinabi ko yon bago kami sumakay. Kung di mo alam yong way, sana sinabi mo na lang sa simula ng mabigyan ko kayo ng direction at ikaw pa tong galit." He continued on running his car. I asked him to stop. We got off the taxi, paid him nothing and slammed the door. This driver's style of shenanigan was so lame. It's conspicuous that he was just pretending that he wasn't familiar with the place.

That was not the only bad experience I had with a "mandurugas at gagong" taxi driver. The very first encounter I had was 2 years ago. I was already late for my first day of training that time. Since I was new to the place, I took a cab and told the driver the address that I obviously read from a piece of paper. He must have come to realize that I was not familiar with the place so the crooked taxi driver took advantage of my innocence by driving me in circles around Ortigas Center before he sent me to my destination. I ended up paying 80 pesos. Few days thereafter, I realized that our office was just few walks away from where I hailed him. The cost would have been only around 30-40 pesos.

Another one happened at Landmark in Makati City. After a friend of mine was done with her shopping, we went outside the mall and looked for a taxi. Since we are desperately in need for one as we have to run some important errands, we did not bother to fall in line at the taxi stand. We saw a taxi parked not so far away from where we were standing and we approached it. I told the driver our destination, he nodded and we got in. The driver fired up the engine and the taxi moved. However, he didn't turn on the meter. I told him "Kuya paki on naman ng metro". "Ay hindi kami gumagamit ng metro", he retorted. It was okay with me as long as we can get to our destination on time. "Magkano po ba singil ninyo?", I asked. "150 pesos", he answered. I was taken aback with what he said that I immediately told him to stop the car and whined, "ang lapit lang nun, tapos 150 pesos yong singil niyo. 50 pesos lang kaya ang bayad namin dun. Itigil mo bulok na taxi mo at bababa kami". We got off and to retaliate, we left the door open and ran away giggling. This driver was asking exorbitantly.

These unscrupulous taxi drivers need to be punished in whatever way possible. They may have swindled just a small amout of money but still they are cheating and their deception is utterly vile. They are no different to corrupt politicians. I may sound harsh and cruel but I always wish that these wicked and greedy predators will end up being robbed by their passengers or worse catch an accident while they are travelling on their taxi alone looking for another prey.

Ken Lee

My teammates have been cringing in laughter while blabbing about this Ken Lee video clip they saw in youtube. This video has piqued my curiosity so when our shift ended, I immediately went to Netopia to see it myself.

The video is about a girl's horrible English while auditioning for a singing competition called Bulgarian Idol. If Alyssa Allano's rendition of "Keys Me" was funny, Ken Lee's rendition of "Without You" was hilarious. It seems that someone has already snatched the title from Allysa.

Her accent in English is terribly bad that I hardly understood any word she uttered. If I was not familiar with the song she was singing, I would not know she was singing Mariah Carey's "Without You". Her pronunciation of the words "Can't Live" in the song sounded like "Ken Lee" and that's how the video got its title. Allysa is definitely much better in English than her.

This video made me realize that Filipinos are indeed the best speakers of English amongst all of the countries in the world where English is not their native language. Beside the cheap labor costs, I think our fluency in English is the primary reason why call centers abound in our country.

American Idol

A Filipina has made it to the top 12 yet again in the highest rated singing competition in the planet, American Idol.

I am not an avid fan of that show or any reality show in particular but knowing that a fellow pinoy made it thus far, liking that show temporarily won't give a pain in my ass. Though I dont get to see it as often as I want to because of my schedule, I find ways on how I get myself updated about what's up with Ramiele Malubay.

I'm proud of her more than the 2 previous Fil-Ams because she can really speak fluent Filipino. Unlike Camille Velasco and Jasmine Trias who barely speak their native tongue. Knowing that Ramiele knows our language and she even taught Ryan Seacrest speak a little Filipino on national television makes me feel that she's really proud of where she came from. Her presence in that show is a great manifestation that Filipinos are truly talented.

Ramiele has a talent and good looks and there is really a big chance that she would nail the title. I just hope that the Filipinos in the state would be united and support her. If she won't make it as the ultimate American Idol (I hope she would), making it to the top 3 is already so much for me.

How I wish we Filipinos in the Philippines can vote too. Being the texting capital of the world with over 25 million text messages sent on a daily basis, making Ramiele Malubay the winner is just a breeze.

Pacman

I was raised in a family where playing games have been the common form of bonding moment during family gatherings. As I grew up, the love for sport was etched in my heart and thus I became a sport aficionado particularly in volleyball. In fact, I had played that sport in school competition when I was in my elementary years. I stopped playing it when I entered high school as I became busy with my academic requirements. Beside volleyball, I also have knowledge on how to play a variety of sports such as bowling, billiards, dart, soccer and tennis. Basically, I am a sport-minded person and an advocate for its cause.

However, there is this sport that is so popular in our country that I adhored the most. I hate it because for me, it doesn't really promote anything but only violence and hostility. Winning the game by striking heavy blows against the enemy until his body succumbs is despicable. It's no different to cockfight which is illegal in our country.

Despite my negative perception against boxing, we really can't deny the fact that this person has brought much pride and honor to our country. He has changed the way how foreigners thought of the Philippines, that it is nothing but a country striken with poverty and corruption. With his numerous victory in international boxing, he has made our country famous and has been dubbed as a nation of world-class boxers.

Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao deserves all the recognition a fellow Filipino can give to him. I am so proud of him and he has made me proud of being a Filipino.

Manila Ocean Park

Ever since I've heard the news that a world class oceanarium will be opened in our country, my excitement to see it had soared so high. Finally, on Tuesday, March 18, 2008, the long wait was over as me and some of my officemates set foot at the Manila Ocean Park (MOP).

The Manila Ocean Park is strategically located just behind the Quirino Grand Stand at Rizal Park in the city of Manila. Though it is not yet complete, it's main attraction, the Oceanarium is already open to the public. The Oceanarium is divided into 7 sections:

1. Agos (Flow) - a rainforest motif complete with 8 tanks of freshwater fishes.
2. Bahura (The Reef) - exhibition of artificial corals in 48 tanks
3. Laot (Fishing Ground) - features big fish and Eagle-spotted rays in a long tank.
4. Kalaliman (The Deep) - showcases marine animals found in the deepest parts of Philippine waters.
5. Buhay na Karagatan (Living Ocean) - the main attraction of the oceanarium is a 25-meter long walkway tunnel with 220-degree curved acrylic walls similarly seen in Ocean Park Hong Kong, Underwater World in Singapore, Siam Ocean World in Bangkok, Thailand and Aquaria KLCC in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The difference between MOP's is a 220-degree curved tunnel as compared to the standard 180-degree curved tunnels seen in other Asian countries.
6. Overhang Tank - variety of rays fly over while you're under this unique Overhang Tank.
7. Pating (Shark) - features several species of shark.

The entrance fee for adults is P400 while for children is P350. The MOP is opened Mondays to Sundays from 10AM until 9:00PM.

The MOP contruction has 3 phases. The First Phase is the Oceanarium which is already open. The Second Phase which includes the marine-themed mall and hotel will open in mid-2008 and the Last Phase, the open marine habitats will open in the second quarter of 2008.

My experience at the MOP was a bit disappointing though. I expected the acryclic tunnel to be long. Unfortunately, the tunnel is only 25 meters long compared to the famous Sentosa Oceanarium in Singapore which is 83 meters. The sharks they have are really small. I wanted to see huge sharks big enough to devour an entire human being as what we've seen on films. The park's ambience failed to completely mimic the real seascape. Though the lighting effects are amazing, the flooring doesn't resemble the real sea floor as it is made of up typical tiles we see in malls. It is true that MOP is bigger compared to other oceanariums in Asia, however, much of the space are empty. I shouldn't have placed much expectations from our very own MOP as it is still in it's soft opening. I'll give it at least a year and once everything is complete, i'll see it again. I just hope that by that time, the park would be able to show its grandeur and beauty.

Nevertheless, this is the very first oceanarium in our country and this is something we must be pround of. The Manila Ocean Park is an addition to our tourist attractions and another source of job opportunities for Filipinos and income for the government.

Not Feeling Okay

I'm not feeling okay these past few days. I've been afflicted with petty illnesses that have grown to become much of an annoyance.

Back pain has been one of my health problems eversince I started working in this industry. Everytime I'm not able to get enough sleep, my back aches and it feels like it's being impaled by a needle. Though my current work is relaxing, my lifestyle however can be identified as the culprit. Lately, I've been only getting at most 6 hours of sleep. Most of my time is spent on partying and I have also become quite busy with outdoor activities. Living alone in the metropolis is kinda lonely and partying and doing outdoor activites help me kill the boredom.

The pain in my back still lingers despite the number of Salonpas I've put on my back and Alaxan intake. I guess my body has already become immune to those medications. This back pain is recurring and has been tormenting me for a time. I can't believe I allowed myself to suffer its brunt for more than 2 weeks now. This has to stop. On my rest day, I plan to indulge my body to a soothing whole body massage. I hope this massage eradicates the pain.

Beside the back pain, I'm also racked with common colds. Our office is like a huge refrigerator, it's freaking cold inside. Since my shift ends at 1pm, when I go out of the office, the scorching heat of the sun awaits me. A sudden shift of temperature in our body causes a lot of illnesses and one of them is common colds. I hate common colds because nasal congestion always go with it. When you have nasal congestion, breathing has become a burden especially when you sleep. As far as I can recall, it's been more than a year since the last time I caught that illness. I was taking a particular vitamin that time but I discontinued it as it made me become hungry and sleepy, thus I gained weight. And I don't like it.

These sickness that I have right now indicate that my body's immune system has become deficient. These should serve as my wake up call to take good care of body. Eating a balanced diet and getting enough rest are the best ways to prevent these illnesses from recurring. And it should start today.

Smoking in Call Centers

If you happen to pass by at Emerald Avenue in Ortigas Center at the ungodly hours of the night, you'll be taken aback to see a lot of people smoking. These people are mostly call center agents smoking excessively till kingdom come. For me, smoking in call centers is understandable as it is the most convenient and easiest way of releasing the tension that is concomitant in our daily work. However, if it is taken exorbitantly or it seems like much of a vice, that is already something else. I, myself smoke but I do it occasionally and not to the extent that I crave for it. I know it may sound a cliche but too much smoking is indeed bad for our health.

Before you light up that cigarette and burn your lungs, take a moment to ponder on its dreadful effects and take control of it before it takes its toll on your health. Here are the few health problems associated with excessive smoking.

Smoking affects our cardiovascular system which causes myocardial infraction (heart attack), creates diseases of the respiratory tract such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and emphysema, and cancer, particularly lung cancer and cancers of the larynx, mouth, head and neck, breast, bladder, esophagus, pancreas, and stomach. It can also lead to birth defects of pregnant smokers’ offspring and impotence to name a few.

Off for Vacation

Finally, the long duration of nostalgia is about to end. Next month, I am off for a 10-day vacation to my hometown and as early as now, I have already purchased my round trip ticket to take advantage of the low air fare.

I originally planned to go home this month to attend to my younger sister's college graduation. However, I had to cancel it as my older sister is getting married next month. Both occassions are important to me but I have to choose which one to attend to as I can't afford to go home twice within a hiatus of just a month. I'm gonna be broke if I do that especially I just lost a parcel of my savings few days ago.

It's been more than a year now since the last time I went home and I missed my family so much. I am so excited for my older sister's wedding. This is the first time that a family member is settling down and this momentous event is something I shouldn't miss. Envisaging my sister walking the aisle of the church and kissing the man of her dreams gives me ambivalence. I'm happy because she finally found the man whom she'll spent the rest of her life. The man who will take good care of her and love her till the end. Im at the same time sad because my sister has to leave home and start her own family. Nevertheless, the happiness I felt trancends the latter.

This wedding is not only the union of my sister and her fiance, it is as well a reunion for our clan as our relatives up to the 2nd degree from all parts of the country are invited. This is gonna be a merriment full of fun and excitement.

I Lost My Wallet

Each one of us may have already experienced losing something we value so much particularly our hard earned money. Though it is just a mundane thing, losing something is surely depressing especially if it was lost out of negligence. I for one had lost the fruit of my hard work as a result of my recklessness.

I lost my wallet YET AGAIN, the first one inside the bus and this time inside the jeepney. The person who found my wallet was very lucky because there was money on it, some coins and my atm/debit card. What worsened the pathetic situation was the fact that I had to beg for money from the people around the area so that I can go home as nothing was left with me not even a single centavo. Though I texted my friends and informed them of my predicament, I did not receive a reply from them right away as they were already sleeping. I attempted to call them but I did not continue because my cellphone might turn off as there was only one bar left on it.

The entire process of begging for money was really humiliating. I wanted to shrink and disappear. But I had no choice. I was already desperate. I had to do it as that was my last-ditch attempt so that I can go home. Some people that I approached were dubious of my intention but God did not completely forsake me as 2 good samaritans believed in me and gave me money. I was able to go home.

The strings of mishap did not end there. Oblivious of another evil that was lurking, I didn't bother to call the bank to block my card. I opted to just go to sleep and call tomorrow as I was already very tired and I also have work the following day. The person who found my wallet was a ruthless evil. Not only contented with the money inside my wallet, he swiped my atm/debit card and bought stuff from Mendrez, Mercury Drug Store and he even went to Malate and partied. I found out about this when I checked my account online to get my account number before calling the bank to block my card. I was extremely anxious about my money and at the same time furious about myself for my negligence. It wouldn't have reached that far if I had exercised caution and care and called the bank right away the moment I realized my wallet was lost. With the help of my officemates and some supervisors, my card was blocked giving me a sigh of relief despite the amount amassed by the nefarious jerk.

Thanks to my friends and officemates who cheered me up and helped me surmount the plight that had befallen on me. I'll just think that I treated my friends to a sumptuous buffet if it's the only means I can do to avoid the pangs of regret.

My Call Center

The past 2 years I've spent in the call center industry had never been easy for me. Not easy because those years were spent working just for the sake of earning money to defray my expenses and nothing more. When I was young, I dreamt of having a job that would give me fulfillment and satisfaction and something that I would enjoy doing. However, the work I had in my previous call centers had been tough and unbearable and it seemed like much of a drudgery.

My previous call centers were for voice accounts and working there was like a hell. Hell in the sense that they treat you as if you're like a robot who doesn't get tired of answering calls for the entire shift. The only rest you have is your break schedule and putting your customers on hold. Calls after calls just keep on coming and there were even times that you're forced to render overtime because there were many calls waiting. I was living that kind of miserable life for 2 years from those 4 call centers. Working in those call centers had sucked the life out of me and the exhaustion had taken its toll on my health. I begun to hate working on the phone.

Just when I was about to make up my mind to quit working in the call center and just go home to my province, I saw an ad in Manila Bulletin that has changed my life significantly. Transcom Asia offered an email/chat support account. I never thought there was such a thing as email/chat support. All I knew back then was that call centers only handle calls. That is why it's called CALL center to begin with. Nevertheless, I dressed up and headed towards their then recruitment office at Ortigas Building. I applied and was hired.

I did not expect too much from this company because I don't wanna be disappointed again. However, it seems that everything is working well specially when the new Transcom Center has become operational. Transcom is not a perfect company as it also has its flaws and one of them is latency. However, that did not hinder me from liking the company. There are so many things I love here. The building is awesome and huge. I love the design, simple yet elegant. The roofdeck is just so amazing and from there, you'll get a breathtaking and panoramic view of Ortigas Center and Eastwood City's impressive skyline. The facilities are as great as the building itself. It has huge rest and shower rooms with hot and cold showers, nice sleeping quarters, impressive employee lounge equipped with wonderful stuff like TV, dvd player, billiards table, air hockey, internet kiosk, magic sing, xbox and so much more. The pantry area is so big and is accentuated with elegant couches and tables in different styles and colors, 3 refrigerators and microwave ovens plus the area has lighting effects too. Computers are flat panel and a bunch of hdtv are placed everywhere. The company has a gym too. Most call centers don't have that.

Beside the state of the art facilities, what makes me really love my work, is the account itself. Email/chat support is an amazing account. This is the extreme opposite of my toxic accounts in the past. This account is the most lax and so far "epal-free" account at Transcom. Out of 7.5 hours of work excluding breaks and lunch, you're only busy for 5 hours while the remaining time is spent on browsing approved websites. Yes, there are sites that you can browse legally such as Wikipedia, Google, CNN, ABS-CBN and a lot more. Most call centers probihit accessing any websites other than those related to the campaign. Though there is a policy of not browsing unapproved websites, it is not really strictly imposed. The proof of that is this post. Blogspot is unapproved website but I made this post at the office. Of course I did it discreetly. Hahaha..

Furthermore, shift change happens every quarter and not every month. So your body clock ain't affected that much as you have ample time to adjust. The pay isn't bad at all. The compensation package is way above the competition plus hmo benefit is already available the moment you start your training. What more could you ask for?

Working in this company has changed my perception that a call center is a purgatory, a place where one suffers and torments in exchange of something that gratifies the insatiable mundane desires.

So for those who are comtemplating on resigning, don't prolong your agony. File your resignation now and submit your resume to Transcom. Who knows, this might be the company you've been waiting for all this time.

What If There Were No Call Centers?

While I was scouring a particular topic from a forum, my attention was stucked in a topic I have never thought before and had me pondered for a moment. What if there were no call centers?

As we all know, the call center craze has been widely felt in our country today. Since its inception in 1997 (i'm not really sure), the industry has grown exponentially and has provided a lot of job opportunities to Filipinos. It's growth has prompted the growth of other industries and has improved our economy significantly.

If there were no call centers, I guess I would probably be staying in our province in Butuan practicing the degree I've earned in college and be overworked yet underpaid. The streets of Emerald Ave. in Ortigas Center, Ayala Ave. in Makati, and Eastwood City in Quezon City and North Cybergate in Alabang would not be as glitzy, lively and illuminated at night as they are today. We will not see much of those towering skyscrapers and humungous condomininiums erected around those business districts if not because of the presence of call centers.

If there were no call centers, there would probably be few 24-hour stores like Ministop and 7-11 and the ubiquitous fast food chains like Jollibee and McDonald's would close at 10:00PM. Posh coffee shops like Starbucks and Seattle's Best would not be very popular and would not be selling like hot cakes as they are today. Those stores have become so famous to call center employees that even call centers use them as incentives to motivate agents in boosting up sales or improving csat scores.

If there were no call centers, we won't see managers aging less than 30 years old, receiving 6 digit monthly salary. Climbing up the ladder would take one employee ages or sometimes waits till the next person above him retires or passes away (hehehe). Unlike in call centers where promotion is so fast that a year or even less, is enough for one agent to get promoted to supervisor. And the list goes on.

The call center industry has made a great impact in the improvement of the lives of call center agents and helped leapfrog our economy. It's presence in our country has created a multitude of opportunities and it's tremendous growth has spurred the growth of other industries. Indubitably, the call center industry has contributed significantly in propelling our country towards development.

System Outage

System outage is common in call centers specially those who have just started their operation or who have just transferred to a new location. I am not a techy person and I don't know exactly why there is such but I guess, technology really sucks sometimes. We all know that call centers rely all of their operations through the internet and computer and no matter how the company takes care of those things, system outage is inevitable.

Management dreaded this outage as it's a disruption to the normal operation of the call center and it might even mean a loss of revenue. But for us agents, it's a good thing as it gives us a moment of temporary relief from stress. When it occurs, one could really feel the sudden shift of atmosphere on the floor. Agents who are exhausted and lackadaisical suddenly become exhilarated and exuberantly boisterous. As what my teammates would say, it's utter bliss.

My current company has this problem too since we have just transferred to a new location. Though the building is nice and the facilites are awesome, system glitches happen once in a while. I am pretty sure though that there would come a time that this problem will be remedied.

Whenever I hear a buzzing sound and the floor starts to become chaotic, I can sure say that the system is out again. It may be an outage of citrix or avaya, but most of the time both. There was even one time in my previous call center where the system outage affected the entire account and we can no longer connect to the internet. And mind you this happened for the entire shift. Good thing though that the management did not send us all home. We just stayed in the office, made team huddles and took the opportunity to bond with one another. T'was one of the happiest days in our campaign. Beside chitchatting and gossiping that day, we got paid too. How I wish system outage happens everyday.. Hehehehe..

Call Center Hopper

The call center industry has been reported to have the highest attrition rate amongst all industries. This can be due to several reasons: resignation, termination, job hopping to name a few. Based on experience, I should say the latter has been very common for most agents. I, for one is guilty of that.

Call center hopper was the term coined for call center agents who hop from one call center to another frequently. We really can't blame them if they do that. Let's just say they haven't found the right company yet that offers what they are looking for. For 2 years in this business, I've been to 5 call centers already including my current one and the entire process of hopping gave me ambivalence. I was happy because finally, the agony I've gone through in my previous company had come to an end and the feeling of excitement towards the environment and facilities of my new company and the joy of meeting new people had engulfed me. I was sad at the same time because bidding farewell to my colleagues in my previous company made me cry for a while. Parting is indeed such a sweet sorrow.

Call center hopping is not really a good thing. Aside from the fact that you'll have to start all over again from scratch in your new company, adjusting yourself to your new environment and people around you comes along with it. Having a lot of call centers in your resume strikes a negative perception against you. This might put your application in the new company at risk as the interviewer might think that you are not worth to work for them as there is a big chance that you'll leave them as soon as you find another call center better than them.

Another disadvantage is that you'll find yourself stuck in being an agent while the colleagues you left in your previous call center were already promoted to higher positions such as team leader. The longest I've stayed in one company is just 6 months while the shortest one is 2 months. With this kind of duration, promotion is rarely possible. As far as I know, it takes at least a year for an agent to be promoted to team leader. Some got promoted right after regularization but that seldom happens if you work in huge call centers with thousands of employees.

I'm on my third month now in my current company. I love it here. I am happy with my account, my teammates and my company and I hope that this would be my 5th and last call center.

So for those who are still contemplating on hopping to another call center, why not try to be patient with your current company, work hard and find ways on how you can enjoy your job. Who knows you might be promoted if you stick a little bit longer.

Shifting Schedule

One of the challenges that agents face in their work is the shifting of their schedules. Shifting shedule is common in call centers who have 24/7 operations. This is done to make sure there are enough agents staffed to answer calls whenever a customer calls in anytime of the day.

I am lucky that in my current company, our schedule changes every quarter. As far as I know, most call centers change schedules once every month. But, I was surprised when a friend of mine told me that agents working for a directory assistance campaign shifts schedule every week. This must be very difficult to do thinking that your body clock hasn't adjusted yet to your current schedule and then here comes another schedule just after a week. No wonder why directory assistance campaign has a very high attrition rate compared to other accounts. I asked her why she's still there, and she told me she's already used to it.

Coping up with shifting schedules really varies from person to person. Some can adjust right away, others might take some time, while a few can barely endure it. If you fit the latter, then the call center may not be the right work for you.

One of the things I really hate is when schedule changes without prior notice. Since all agents are aware of this "flexibility gauger" thingy, they are expected to adjust immediately and to adhere to the schedule adherence policy. This means that there should be no reason for being late no matter what happens regardless if you live in the boondocks or got stuck in the horrendous traffic of the metropolis. Even if you were not informed of your new schedule, that doesn't mean you can get away with the sanctions. Because schedule adherence is one of the priorities in the call center world, failure to comply is sanctioned beyond expectations. One incident of tardiness equals one memorandum and if it continues, termination might be the final verdict. Agents are responsible of knowing their own schedule as most companies will post it to a place conspicuously, thus, not knowing your new schedule is a very lame reason.

The secret to be able to cope up with this shifting schedule is to maintain a routine and manage your time. So 9 hours of work, plus 8 hours of sleep equals 17 hours. You still have 7 hours left. One hour commute to and from work and 1 hour of time to dress up, so you still have 4 hours to run some errands.

Free from Discrimination

The call center industry is said to be one of those industries who have zero tolerance for discrimination. Regardless of your sexual preference, age, educational background and whatnot, if you have the skills suited for a call center job, you are welcome to work here.

In my 2 years of stay in this business from different call centers, I can say that most call center agents are in between the age of 20 - 30 years old. While a big chunk of agents can be considered youth, there are a few who are nearly the age of retirement. In my previous call center, I had a teammate, her age is 56 years old, that is 4 years less than retirement. Though she's the oldest among all employees, she never showed that she's a worthless granny. Her vigor and enthusiasm manifest her dedication and love for work. Everyone on the floor including our manager adores and respects her.

Aside from seeing hardworking grandpapas and grandmamas, the presence of gays and lesbians proved that call center is indeed for everyone. Queers are prevalent in this industry and they come in different forms and sizes from agents up to the top management level. I guess this industry is next to the entertainment world in terms of gay employment. It's indubitably true that gays are a source of fun and laughter wherever they are placed. Their boisterousness and facetious stories of their love and misadventures certainly never fail to make everyone laugh.

It is just so heart-warming knowing that there are already companies in our conservative country who do not show indifference and hostility to these people who are long been disparaged and underrated. Climbing up the ladder should not be gauge on someone else's educational background, age or sexual preference, but rather on their performance and their capabilities to handle higher positions. Thanks to the call center industry for providing a niche where no discrimination exists.

In-House Call Centers

As many call centers have sprouted around the metro, finding the right company to work for seems to be a little complicated nowadays. This can be due to the fact that many new players in this business are offering higher compensation packages than those who are already well established.

For most neophytes, compensation is preponderant than any other things, while for some, it is stability that weight more. Whatever it is you think paramount, it still depends upon the purpose why you are seeking a job in the call center. If you just want to work in this industry to fill in the the hiatus while waiting for the licensure examination result, a company that offers a higher compensation might be more important for you. But if you want to make it a career, a company who have been in this business for quite a while or who have stood the test of time, might be the one you are looking for.

Personally, if I wasn't happy and satisfied with my current company and account, I have already been working in a company that is prestigious and offers a compensation more than what I am currently receiving. I will definitely go for in-house call centers if things here will start to become sour. In-house call centers are call centers of huge companies who's customer service operations are being offshored rather than being outsourced.

Working in in-house call centers have several advantages. Agents of these in-house call centers pride themselves as employees of their companies, thereby enjoying the prestige and honor of their companies. They even call themselves "world-class employees". Unlike agents of outsourced call centers who are merely employees of their call center itself and not of their company's clients that they are working for. Aside from that, there is no fear of lay-off in the event that the account will be pulled out. This is so true for outsourced call centers. One of my friends had that fate when their client pulled-out their business and moved it to another outsourced call center because their call center failed to meet the metrics set by their client. (This might no longer be true as one of the biggest in-house call centers is rumored to hand down its operations back to outsourcers) And of course the most wonderful thing of all, most in-house call centers offer higher compensation packages and benefits than those well established outsourcers. In a nut-shell, in house call centers offer better packages and promising employment , thus making them desirable and sought after call centers.

For those who are still searching for the right company, I have listed below the address of some of the huge in-house call centers in the metro. Goodluck!.

Dell Customer Contact Center Eastwood City-Libis
2nd Floor, 1800 Eastwood Ave. Bldg.Eastwood City Cyberpark188E. Rodgriguez Ave.Bagumbayan, Quezon City

JP Morgan Chase Bank
31 Floor Philamlife Tower8767 Paseo De Roxas, Makati City

HSBC Electronic Data Processing (Philippines) Inc.
39th Floor PBCom Tower6795 Ayala Avenue corner V A Rufino St.Makati City 1226 Philippines

Absenteeism and Lies

In every call center, policies regarding attendance are strictly enforced as compared to any other industries. The reason behind this is because most call center companies are paid by their clients on a per call basis. This means that the more agents are absent, the more calls are abandoned, thus a loss to the company. But no matter how rigid this policy is, absenteeism is still prevalent among call centers.

When a call center agent calls his company's sick line to report his absence, is he really sick? Some maybe sick but most are just lying.

Most of the shallow yet overused sickness as a reason to be absent are sore throat, toothache, back pain and I never thought of this very awkward yet funny and effective reason, lbm.. (this agent might have used up all of the known petty illnesses and the last thing that came in to his mind was lbm) Honestly, I have almost been terminated because of absences. Thanks to my stats, it saved me from being jobless. I have used some of the sickness stated above except the last one. Hehehehe..

Not all agents who are absent because they are sick are indeed sick, most of them just malingered because they don't feel like going to work. They would rather go back to sleep and savor the wonders of sleeping at night, which most of them are deprived of or go to bars and hang out with friends and guzzled on hard liquors as if there is no tomorrow.

I will never ever forget this extemely funny incident related to me by one of my officemates. He texted his supervisor informing him that he can't come to work because he's sick. But the truth was, he just went to a bar with his friends. When my officemate was having a wonderful time grinding on the dance floor and already tipsy, he bumped to the person on his back. Wanting to apologize, he glanced at that person but he was so startled to see that the person behind him was his supervisor, staring straightly back at him. You think he was screwed? After he gained sanity from his drunken stupor, he immediately approached his supervisor and asked him jestingly, "why are you here, you're suppose to be with our team?" Smart enough, he asked that question right away before his sup could utter a single word. Knowing that both of them shirk their work and just partied, his sup gave him a wink. You know exactly what that means.. Hahaha.. very bad supervisor...

Email/Chat Support

Answering calls after another for the entire shift is just so exhausting and seems so difficult to do. Aside from the fact that you can't indulge to much in eating your favorite ice cream as you might lose your voice, being cursed to death by your customers aggravates the already irksome situation. These are the common reasons why working in a call center might no longer be desirable for most agents. I guess the only redeeming feature working here is the compensation package and nothing more.

Having worked on the phone for 2 years from 5 different call centers, I can already consider myself as a certified call center hopper. I find myself already tired and fed up from answering calls. I even begin to loathe answering our very own phone at home. But here I am still working in this business. The only reason why leaving this industry is so difficult for me is none other than the pay. I am pretty sure most call center agents would say the same thing.

Before you file your resignation and hop in to the next call center, why not try to apply for chat support? This job is similar to voice support but the only difference is that conversation is done through chat. Quite interesting, isn't it? I, myself is a chat support agent. I've been doing this for 3 months now and I am loving it. Hopefully, I would be staying here for good.

With this new job I have, worrying about my voice is already a history. I can now eat my favorite rocky road ice cream with chocolate syrup and minced almond peanuts on top of it anytime and as long as I want. As a hardcore party animal, partying there and everywhere is no longer an illusion. Oh lovely..

For those who have the same sentiments like me, I have listed below some of the call centers in the metro that have email/chat support positions. May you find that call center that will satisfy your pursuit of happiness.

TRANSCOM ASIA (NUCOMM INTERNATIONAL)
5/F. Ortigas Building, Ortigas Ave. Otigas Center, Pasig City

PARAGON INTERNATIONAL CONTACT CENTER
27/Flr. RCBC Tower 1, Ayala Ave. Makati City

SYKES ASIA
19/F One San Miguel Bldg., San Miguel Ave. cor. Shaw Blvd., Ortigas, Pasig City

ALORICA
33/F Wyunsum Corporate PlazaF. Ortigas Jr. Ave, Ortigas Center, Pasig City

ADVANCE CONTACT SOLUTIONS, INC.
9th, 10th, 11th, 18th and 20th Floor, Citibank Center, 8741 Paseo de Roxas Avenue

IBM DAKSH 3/F Edsa Central PavillionEDSA cor. Shaw Blvd.Mandaluyong City

Call Center Humor

Call center agents are human beings too, prone to commit mistakes especially during a conversation. Despite the stringent training in English communication and constant exposure to native speakers of English over the phone, grammatical lapses in between conversation are sure to happen.

On the other hand, if agents have their own show of embarrassing yet funny moments, customers too have their own show of ignorance and stupidity. Truly, these humorous moments are one of the reasons why working in a call center is full of fun.

Here's a compilation of call center booboo's taken from different call center forums.
Have fun reading!!!

1. Sir, kindly state your first and last name starting off with your area code?

2. Sir, do you happen to remember your first name, please?

3. So how long is the camera?

4. Ma'am, please turn off all electrical appliances within the vicinity of your modem. This might be causing the interference.

5. Customer: So what do I do now?
Agent: Click on the OK button, and now let's keep our fingers crossed...

6. Customer: So are you a boy or a girl?
Agent: Well, let's just say a little bit of both....(Nyah!)

7. Sir, let us not tamper with the Safe mode. It was placed there for a purpose!

8. Customer: Mr. Stanley just stepped out of the house. This is his wife.
Agent: Can you ask him to step back in again, ma'am?

9. Customer: So do I turn the camera over?
Agent: Yes, sir. You would have to turn yourself over. Right, Sir.

10. Agent: (gave an assumptive question to get the billing add) So ma'am, you are still living at P.O. Box...
Customer: Honey, I dont live in a box. I have a house.

11. Agent: Do u have an email address?
Customer: Yes. it's blah blah blah, and then the LETTER 2 @aol.com

12. Agent: Im sorry ma'am but im not pulling up a listing for that exact match in my database. Not even for the address.
Caller : Can u give me credit for this call?
Agent: (checking service provider id) im sorry ma'am but youre using a payphone. I cant give u credit for this call Caller: I paid a goddamn dollar and fifty for this call! I want it back!
Agent: Well I cant make the coin go out of the phone ma'am.
Caller : I want my dollar and fifty!!!!
Agent: (exasperated) Please hold for the coin.

13. Cust: I have a problem with my internet, I can't connect.
Agent: What is your connection, is it a dial-up or a dsl
Cust: Its a dial-up.
Agent: When did you tried connecting?
Cust: Just now while talking to a friend.
Agent: How many phones do you have?
Cust: Just this one.
Agent: Have you tried connecting while not using your phone?
Cust: Do I need to do that?
Cust: Yes sir because your connection is dial-up.

14. Agent: What is your browser? Cust: Internet Exploder.

15. Agent: Ok lets fix your issue here... Kindly do this and "press any key" to boot from CD?
Cust: ahh.. I missed it... where's the "press any key" in my keyboard?!

16. Tech: Thank you for callin'.... (cust butts in irrately)
Cust: Why my keyboard is not arrange in alphabetical order?!

17. Agent: So sir, what seems to be the problem?
Cust: Help me remove Earthlink in my PC... Earthlink is slowly taking over my PC!

18. Cust: What's your supervisor's name?
Agent: darna Cust:Spell that?
Agent: d-a-r-n-a...darna of team 4
Cust: And what's your name?
Cust: Ding

19. Tech: Thank you for calling America Online, my name is Rick, how can I help you. Customer: My screen is very fuzzy and out out focus. It was fine yesterday, but a download from your company caused this. Tech: Well lets check a few things on your computer. (Customers Wife in the Distance: Dam it Jim, you've got my reading glasses again. Use your own.) Customer: Opps, sorry my fault, bye.

20. Agent: Thank you for calling .... how may I help you? Cust: I could not print. My computer is telling me that it could not find my printer. I moved the printer and placed it in front of my monitor but it still could not find my printer.