My horoscope says...
"When you consistently deliver above and beyond people's expectations, you will consistently be recognized in the manner you deserve. Working harder gets you farther; it's as simple as that."
I AGREE.
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"When you consistently deliver above and beyond people's expectations, you will consistently be recognized in the manner you deserve. Working harder gets you farther; it's as simple as that."
I AGREE.
"Passion, Patience", that's what I have. I'm not Perfect but at least I know I can Prove my worth now that I've been given this Precious opportunity. Whether or not I receive truly heart-warming and flattering expressions of gratitude from my trainees (which I've been receiving in overwhelming numbers!), at the end of the day, I know to some it may just be a job, but for me, I can't help but care.
My recent class with my Korean boss drew ooh's and aah's from my own self. No. I am not advertising or plugging for Samsung. And no. We're not talking about anything that feeds the green.
For lack of a better topic to talk about what with our five days a week, two hours a day free talk sessions, we suddenly started talking about mobile phones. Samsung, being proudly a Korean company, was of course the main topic of discussion.
My boss mentioned that what sets apart Samsung from all the other competitors in the hand phone market is its strategy to keep its prices up. Curiously enough, the more expensive its cellphone units are, the more consumers the company attracts.
With primarily the elite as its target market, Samsung indirectly paves the way for an even broader market coverage as its strategy depends on a theory about consumer idiosyncrasy. This strategy, according to my boss, is successful because the mass consumers' tendency is to follow the trends set by the elite, trends of which are no mean feat if to be followed after but are nevertheless followed. At this point we see the high price factor being equated to factors such as reliability and quality, factors of which are of primary importance to the elite.
Then again who are the members of the elite? At the risk of this blog sounding like a term paper, hehe, I'll still answer it. The elite are the professionals, the businessmen, the rich, whose lifestyles are always on the go and therefore heavily in need of gadgets and equipment that is light and fuss-free. And what is light and fuss-free? Isn't this the gadget that offers a promise of reliability at the touch of a finger and is therefore expensive?
From the point of view of the strata lower than the elite, members of whom include yuppies, students, etc., if the elite sports it, then it must be trustworthy. But "trust" alone as a factor doesn't make a product "desirable" to these lower groups. Albeit sounding like a hasty generalization with no studies for support, it is nevertheless noteworthy that from an observer's point of view, the trends set by the elite are almost always considered by the lower groups as not just trustworthy, but "beautiful" as well. Thus the word "trendy".
If it's the trend, then it's the craze. And it should be followed. And bought. At whichever cost. However the means. Rich or poor, these people got to have it.
Hurrah for Samsung.
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Of course the story doesn't end there.
Quoting Kun-hee Lee, Samsung's current chairman since the death of founder Byung-Chull Lee in 1987, "Korea is currently one of the world leaders in the semicon industry and the shipping industry. But what will we feed the next generation?"
The idea is really simple. In the present Philippine set-up, the call center, the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry is the dominant force that brings food to most tables in the country.
But in 10, 20, 30 years, with the neverending advent of "modern" technology, what would the Philippines feed the future generations should the BPO industry become a thing of the past?
Thought-provoking isn't it? The irony of it all, our heavy dependence on the importance of the "now" gives us an unhealthy diversion from becoming forward-thinkers.
Yes! I do! I am more than ready to take the plunge!
For the planning of the wedding of my cousin, that is. Hehe.
August 12, 2006 would be the day when Ms. Cardenas, again, my female cousin, hehe, would no longer be called as “Ms.” Such would also be the day when I officially would have already gained an experience in wedding planning with, of course, the help of another female cousin and her beau and soon-to-be fiancé.
Yes. Wedding planning. I’ll be a wedding planner. Okay, right, like JLo. And yet, okay, fine, like JLo but not quite. I swear. I could distinctly recall clearly hearing my male cousin sneering and snorting over the idea in an otherwise choppy overseas call he placed for me for my birthday.
“Kuya, did you really call to greet me a happy birthday or did you just call to hear my squeals of retaliation over your trippings?”
Hell yeah. He spent over six minutes mainly on his former favorite past time (when he was still living with us) of immersing himself in pure delight of hearing/seeing me frown in exasperation, frustration, annoyance, vexation and what-have-you’s.
A colleague made a comment earlier that since I already have a venue (singing, writing and dancing) for venting out my extreme emotions of sensitivity and anger plus any other strong feelings, it’s high time that I have this wedding planning business as an outlet for my mushiness; that singles like me could, one way or another, still enjoy romance sans a partner.
And to set the festive, ehem, wedding planning mood in the air, here’s my initial list of I Do’s and I Did’s:
I did already call the wedding planning seminar I’ll be attending next week. Hmmm… Please not let me be the only one who’s single there. Please let it be mostly and mainly for wedding planners…
I do take the challenge of establishing a wedding planning business.
I did the initial R&D already, mainly for my cousin’s wedding.
I do have the determination of, this time, keeping my business alive and kicking! Hehe.
I did, finally, download (after almost a week of dilly-dallying) the rough draft of the bride and the groom’s wedding programme.
I do have the passion for this type of business, what with my being a hopeless romantic as my foundation. ;p
I did already set a meeting with this cousin of mine who would be helping out in making sure that the bride (our cousin; yeah, hehe, us three girls are all cousins) remains afloat (and not drunk..wahehe..kiddin’ girl).
I do enjoy and am truly excited by the idea of having my own hands make dream weddings a reality.
I did see a future for me in this venture which is why it’s already a go for me!
However….
Though I do love making dream weddings of others come true, I also do fear that someday, I would not be able to turn my own into a reality what with my bad history with the opposite sex…
Could this also already be the start of a frustration turned into disillusion wrongly channelled to an enterprise? I’d hate to know if the answer is a deafening “yes”.
Came from one of the articles I submitted to the Lifestyle Journalism Awards. I didn't win but I think this one's worth posting:
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I was once one of the many Jills of all trades in what could be called as a “whatever” generation.
Members of this generation who are in their early and late 20s are tagged as such since either the courses they took in college or their own ambitions differ from the jobs they have. Harsh as it sounds, they’re seen with no identity as the expertise they originally developed is overlapped by skills they need to fit in an industry that is totally different from their field or from what they want. Gone is the adherence to the principle of the previous generation that they should be honor students from top universities. The principles of the members of this generation are either to take second courses or to take the “in” courses and to acquire as many skills and talents as they can to earn both prestige and a decent living.
They are the geography students who become call center agents, the engineers who study nursing, the doctors who are in other countries working as caregivers, or even, those who passively adhere to what courses their parents want for them in college.
Prior to college graduation, I was already aware that the real world is like a mean kid who is fond of bullying fresh graduates with no job experience, much less any related experience at all. Luckily, the course I chose offered its students a dizzying array of almost any kind of opportunity in the field of communication. And sure enough, there I was, eventually immersing myself in the seemingly endless extracurricular activities and job opportunities that helped boost my belief that right after graduation, my curriculum vitae would be a stand out and that I was taking multiple steps at a time in achieving my ultimate dream.
Ultimate dream. Like somebody from a drama who’s depicted as literally “going the distance”, the very words “ultimate dream” abruptly stopped me in my tracks. Where would I go? Where would I stop? My destination? Or, to be downright cheesy, my niche? More importantly, was I just working for the sake of working and earning money?
Browsing through an internet forum, I came across someone who was very frustrated and downright disappointed that she apparently lost her “identity” because she had no choice but to accept a job offer from, you guessed it right, a call center. She said she was already in her early 30s and prior to the said offer, she was already “accomplished” in the field of her own choosing. Being a “call girl” at that time, I immediately defended the field that I was in, saying that though it’s true that the BPO industry’s still too young to gain full respect and recognition from its older counterparts, it is nevertheless a living, breathing entity capable of an independent existence.
However, after some time, such defense began sounding more and more like an advertising campaign for call centers. Though there’s really nothing wrong with that as many in my generation have found success, fulfillment and, yes, for practicality’s sake, literal wealth in the industry regardless of the courses they chose in college, I began to realize and understand the point of the lady from the internet forum.
This realization came at the time when I found myself slumped in one corner, doing nothing but pitying myself as two of my former bosses who hail from two very different industries made me swallow very bitter pills as consequence of my erratic and undecided actions. True enough, like more or less 700 students from the graduating batch of my alma mater, I was an honor graduate. But “what I was to offer a prospective employer” should not be the question I must answer if I do want to reach the finish line. I was made to realize that I should instead be focusing on what it is that I really want rather than forcing myself into something for causes that are, whether I’d like to admit it or not, as lame as earning prestige and working just for the sake of working.
This “whatever” generation to which I belong to should start contemplating on the realization of their ambitions even if it’s true that many of us are facing a high wall due to the hard reality of one being forced to permanently set aside his dreams for the blinding practicality, finance-wise, of, no offense meant, being a nurse when one really wants to become an engineer, or being a mere call center agent when it’s in one’s heart to become a lawyer.
Wealth and health, job stability and benefits - these make us happy. But in the long run, and maybe, during the sunset of our lives, are we going to be happy and satisfied if we realize that after everything we’ve done, we’ve not really pursued our own calling; that we’re no more than just members of a “whatever” generation who gave up on standing out from the rest of the crowd and proving that nothing is impossible?
Point is, since we could not really escape from the present-day reality of being something that we otherwise would not be if only we have it easy, what we should do first is know what we want or at least strive to know what our dreams are and follow it no matter how tough the road is. I’m not saying that one shouldn’t try the latest job trends in the market. I’m just saying that if what we are in right now isn’t really what we want, let just this be our stepping stone to achieving our goals!
I always say in my job interviews that since my current priority is earning for my family, I am willing to set aside law school. Said words, though partly used as a technique to receive the nods of my prospective employers, mostly hold true for me. My dreams of becoming a lawyer and a talk show host someday are not really that far even if I become something else in the meantime as it is what I really want.
Loyalty, commitment and passion to whatever and whoever it is we work for are dependent on having a clear goal. If our current priority is earning big for our families, there is nothing wrong with setting our sights on other careers. But having a clear goal for ourselves that, for now, may be an impossible dream, is different because it is what holds our identity, what makes us stand out and last in something we are in. It all boils down to owing it to ourselves, to our own dreams separate from those of others.
Again, I was once one of the many “Jills of all trades” in what could be called as a “whatever generation”. But I take it as a derogatory remark to still be called as one of the members of such who thrives in come-what-mays and who forgets that I could only help others if I take care of my dreams. I’m now working not just to earn but to someday, be somebody; somebody who was once a Jill of all trades but ultimately became a Mistress (okay, master)/Ace of something.
The meeting today with our regional general manager/jedi master Kamesh reminded me of Jean Grey's words to Wolverine in X-Men 3 which Boss Tina and I eagerly watched last night in Greenbelt instead of wallowing in misery in the office for OT and the night owls of BPOs.
"You're making me blush..." <insert the "bitin" love scene... haahaa>
I swear my face turned at least three diff shades of red when Tina started narrating in front of the entire ECCI sales team how the FIL-AM (word for the day by Nelson: Feeling American... hehe) boss from this certain company started taking interest in our products and services because of how I look and because of, quoting Kamesh, my "sexy American accent" over the phone (which is, also according to Kamesh, almost always crossing the boundary of professional and nagging).
Owwwwkaay... At the risk of lifting my own chair and making my own head bigger, I'd shut up already. Whatever. Hehe. =p
Effective June 15 (or the day thereafter; earlier I said it was May 31), I'll not be "Precious from ECCI" anymore.
The people below are the ones I'll surely miss:
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Raquel Flores, Accounting Department (the first ever person who gave me a warm welcome with her smile; hmm... I really do wonder why she turned blue here... hehe)
Judilyn Aguinaldo, Accounting Department (my "batchmate"... hehe; "Ang ganda ko pala" - Judy upon seeing her pic from my digicam)
Vincent Cruz, Project Manager, Technology Business Group (Brilliant!)
Suganya Sreenivas, Administration ("Mommy" to Abenam and to everyone else. Wife to big big boss Sreeni)
from L to R: The backs of Lourdes Lasian & Lhiza Mendoza, Training Business Group; Rex Abrigo, Special Projects
Dave Singh, Manager, Training Business Group (A definite chick magnet. *wink*)
Tina Junio, Sales and Marketing Executive, Technology Business Group (one of the few reasons why I don't want to leave...)
How can I forget this view?!
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Hmmm.... Now I can't just go to Landmark to go shopping what with the limited money I'll have after I leave... Haha.
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