Outsourcing Jobs

This is a very old video, I found it only recently.

I didn't realize this idea was true until a few weeks ago. I know someone who accepts outsourcing jobs and passes them on to someone (he outsources too). It is somewhat strangely funny.









Saw this pin on a friend's board. She happens to be a freelancer too. I asked her how it's possible to work 4 hours a week and still be rich, she said he outsources.

Source: amazon.com via syao on Pinterest

Enough said.

Work Woes

I'm a homebased freelancer. People who learn of what I do automatically think my life is easy. Very WRONG! Since I don't have co-workers, I am left all alone to fend for myself.

I am working for someone who trusts me so much that he leaves me alone while he does his thing. Ang problema pag kailangan ko ng support or I need clarification, ang hirap nyang hagilapin. Pag nag roll out sya ng bagong information about a new product, gagawin na lang nya without informing me. Akala nya siguro mind reader ako kaya alam ko lahat. It's so frustrating kasi I want to be good at what I do, I want to give the best possible customer experience. Kuha sya ng CEO nya na di rin alam kung paano sasagutin mga tanong ko.

The other person I am working for, supper support naman. Ok sana kaso may kulang sa instructions nya or when he explain things parang hindi ko maintindihan. I think it's a cultural thing and it's not personal but it's really hard. May gusto syang ipagawa at gagawin ko naman. Tapos sasabihin nya kulang eh yung instructions nya kulang din.

One employer thinks I'm sooooo good I can read minds while the other probably thinks I'm stupid because I don't understand him. Hindi ko alam kung matatawa ako or maiinis. Hehehe.

Yan, that's how I've been feeling lately...

Technical Support Representatives

A former co-worker of mine is now a Team Manager at Convergys (CVG) in Commonwealth. They are looking for Technical Support Representatives right now. Here are the requirements.

INBOUND TECHNICAL CUSTOMER CARE REPRESENTATIVES 
(DSL/Internet/Networking)

Educational Background

• Bachelor’s degree preferably in Computer Science or Engineering

Candidate Profile

• Proficient in basic computer operations
• Must be flexible and willing to be assigned to varying work hours
• Able to relate with customers courteously, and develop rapport
• Dependable and has good work ethic
• Pays attention to detail
• Is fluent in English and communicates effectively
• Able to solve problems creatively and effectively

Dimension & Scope

Interface with customers through inbound internet to solve problems and help the customer with products and services.

 They are also looking for Customer Service Reps for other accounts but he is hoping to get more TSRs for his account.

 The basic salary is 14750 but with allowances so it would add up to 19750. Plus rice allowance, HMO and health insurance. There are other bonuses but I don't know what they are.

Homebased English Tutors

A new Korean website that offers online English tutorials will open this year. They are looking for homebased English teachers. This job offers a lot of flexibility, teachers may select their teaching hours and days. Part timers, teachers, students, call center agents and anyone who has good English communication skills may apply.

Please follow the instructions to facilitate the process.

The Qualifications:

* Good command of the English language, meaning can understand and speak English well, no to minimal grammatical errors.
* A clear voice with a good accent. You don't need to have an American or British accent, a neutral accent would be best as long as you don't have a strong Filipino accent (Bisaya, Ilocano, etc.)
* Good attitude towards work. Filipinos have the reputation of always being late, and some, always absent.
* Have a pleasant personality and can accept constructive criticism.

Take note that it doesn't matter if you are a college graduate or not. Your skill and attitude are more important that a diploma.

The Requirements:

1. A reliable computer. Minimun specs: XP with at least 500MB RAM.
2. Stable Internet connection. Broadband or DSL, wired is preferred but not necessary.
3. Webcam
4. Headset or mic and speakers
5. Skype program. You may download this from www.skype.com.
6. Updated resume.


The instructions:
You have to send your updated resume to the Tutor Manager Cristy, include your skype ID as well. Her e-mail address is cziley2k2 [at] uplink.com.ph. Tell her you got this information from Fiona. On the subject line of your e-mail, put your name and the position. Example: Juan Dela Cruz - Online Tutor.

Once you've sent your resume, you may add her to your Skype contact list. Her Skype ID is edelweiss322. Just mention when you are requesting to be added that you are an applicant. Please wait for her response as she may not be able to immediately do this since she is also teaching and then does her interviews when she has the time. She will schedule you for an interview and also a demo. She will not proceed with the demo if you do not have your webcam installed so please be prepared.

You may think that we pay too much attention to detail or are strict. Actually, I am giving you all these instructions to facilitate the screening process. Don't be intimidated by my e-mail. Just follow the instructions here and you'll be fine.

For the rate, you need to ask teacher Cristy that. It's ok to ask her. You may ask her anything you want as long as it's related to the job.

I hope my instructions were clear. The site will open in 2 months and they are looking for 10 - 20 teachers to start the ball rolling.

Good luck!

• Location: Anywhere
• Compensation: To be discussed
• Telecommuting is ok.
• This is a part-time job.
• OK to highlight this job opening for persons with disabilities

Customer Service Everywhere

I went to Manila Central University (MCU) hospital last night because my blood pressure would not normalize and I was not able to get enough sleep the whole day.

I arrived at MCU siguro mga 11 PM na but was attended by the ER doctor around 12:30. He was not a gentle and personable doctor. Another doctor took his place, this doctor was a little gentler but was a bit on the condescending side when she spoke to me. She mentioned about giving me an ECG but because of the commotion inside the ER (may isang patient na talagang serious, his family thought he was dead), nakalimutan na ako ng mga doctors. I was given medication then that was it. No one remembered to take my blood pressure after taking the med.

Syempre nairita ako, I stood up asked the first doctor, "What am I waiting for?" Mukhang wala sya sa sarili nya, he just said "Huh?" Sinalo ng katabi nyang doctor and asked what the problem is. She checked on my chart then told me she will get my BP then decide what will happen next. Mabuti na lang maamo ang mukha nya and she was pleasant. Iba talaga ang nagagawa ng pag ngiti ng isang tao sa overall aura nya. She was not all smiles or grinning from ear to ear, in fact she was not smiling all the time but her eyes were smiling. She was pleasant to talk to, her manner was soothing and she was not condescending at all. Imbes na mairita pa akong lalo, I was glad she was the one who discharged me. I was pleased with her attitude and demeanor.

On a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the highest, I would give her 9. I would give her 10 but then I am not exactly satisfied with the hospital services and utilities, she had to give me information I did not like exactly and her hair was a bit messy but she was still good. Her name is Dr. Javier of the ER. If anyone of you happen to drop by the ER of MCU, silipin nyo si Dr. Javier, one of the student doctors there. She is pretty, slim, long hair and puppy dog eyes. Hehehe.

Kanina I had to go to Mercury Drug to get my med. I went to the branch that was close to MCU, kahilera ng Yellow Cab. Yung clerk na natapatan ko was talking to a customer. He had an Ilonggo accent and kept addressing the customer as nanay or ma'am. I was suprised he did not take my "order" right after taking the nanay's order. Mukhang baguhan sya. Nakakatuwa sya kasi inspite of his slight nervousness he tried his best to be good at what he was doing and probably was following their company's customer facing procedure. Nung ako na kaharap niya, he would check first if the medicine that I asked was available. Kung available, he would proceed to ask me what else I need. Tapos for mefenamic acid, he asked me for a prescription. I said I was never asked for a prescription for mefenamic acid before then he said next time I should have one. He was not stern or condescending, he was nice and pleasant too. Yun lang I feel that he's still wet behind the ears and he did not know which medication were available or not or how they are spelled. Hehehe.

When I gave him my money, he said "I received P100." Parang Jollibee diba? Pati na nung binigay nya change ko, he said "Your change is ..." Aliw ako. Hehehe.

Right before I left the store, I checked if I had my prescription with me. I asked the prescription from him and he immediately looked for it. He returned it to me and was apologetic. I smiled and said it's ok. I was amused.

I would give Boyet, the Mecury clerk, 8. Apparently, he still need to get into the flow of things. His wants to give personalized service but this slows him down and some customers do not appreciate this. I like his style. He tried to cover all his bases and he was sincerely apologetic with his minor kapalpakan. I do not get to see his kind of customer servicing style from the other Mercury Drug clerks all over the Philippines. Not that I'm saying these clerks are bad, I think the clerks are ok naman, well some are ok and not all. It is kinda refreshing to see smiling and sincere clerks once in a while. Boyet is one of them. This is just my opinion.

From Congratulations to Riding Hard?

A co-worker got promoted and has been transferred to a different location. Syempre, kanya kanyang batian. We all congratulated her and we are all happy for her. Nothing unusual about that. But if you read the thread of that one topic, magugulat ka paanong nag mutate from a simple congratulations to "riding high."

Let's call her Miss Empathy. Magaling sya sa mga empathy statements. She looks shy and naive and sounds like a teenager. Wag ka! She knows the ways of the world talaga. One time, the members of our account had an informal meeting with a representative from the client side. Ice breaker churky ni Mr. Client, write a sentence about yourself that no one else in the group knows and they will all try to figure out who wrote the sentence. Miss Empathy made a lasting impression on the client and our trainor, Mr. Biceps. Ang statement ng lola:

I find hentai boring.

Nagulat lahat. Si Mr. Biceps, till now ikinukuwento sa mga ibang former co-wokers namin. Nakakagulat nga naman kasi come to think of it, if hentai is boring then she must want something more hard core than that.

So ngayon, half of those who greeted Miss Empathy mentioned hentai don sa greetings nila. Pati Big Boss namin nagugulat why a lot of those who greeted her mentioned hentai. He even teased Miss Empathy that he will call IT to check her PC for hentai stuff at baka di na sya makalipat at mapromote. She reacted saying she's a big girl now, she doesn't browse for hentai. She's into S&M na. Ayan! Dami nag react to what she said. I said I can imagine her in tight black outfit with a bullwhip and handcuffs. Yung isa parang na shock apparently his imagination was really running wild. One said two piece bikini na lang, another said necklace na lang ala Rose of the Titanic.

Other's did not react at once because they probably did not know what S&M stands for. One girl, 19 pa lang sya, asked what it means, iba iba sagot. Nakakatawa talaga! Big boss suggested that we should Google the image of S&M. Loko din boss namin!

For 3 days our yahoogroup was super active. But then by Saturday morning, tumahimik na. Nagtaka ako parang biglang natameme lahat. So I decided to Google some of the stuff mentioned. Ito yung last e-mail:

Wow interesting.

Sheila share ko naman favorite namen ni papa R ha?

Do a google search of “riding hard”. Click the first link.

This is irresistible. Do this at home

After this e-mail, Miss Empathy reacted, she will Google this daw. That was the last. Wala na sumagot, wala na nag react. Dahil sa day off ko, nagkaroon ako ng chance to browse. This is what I found.

Mukhang nahimasmasan lahat ng tao after Googling "riding hard." Nyahahahaha!

Anober?

Dami kong natututunan sa work. Aside from work related stuff, I learn new words like churky.

May bago na naman akong nasagap. I'm not sure if this expression has been around already but I heard this first at work. The expression ber (sounds like bird minus the d).

I always hear from our expert this, "Ano ber?"
Or from one of the ladies on the floor, "Ano ka ber?"
My manager told me while we were chatting, "Anuver?"

Puwede rin anukaber, sinober, etc. It sounds kinda cute when the ladies say this. May mga bading din kaso iilan lang bading sa area namin.

I miss having gay co-workes. They add life to the office.
Maraming bading sa company pero wala sa account namin. Technical kse nature ng account namin kaya siguro walang bading. Sa ibang accounts maraming transexual at may mga transgendered(?). Natanso na ako sa comfort room, may nakachika ako, lalaki pala! Hahahaha!

Yesterday was bad, Today is better

I had a semi-shitty day yesterday.

I woke up feeling weak and tired. It was my first day and I was hormonal. Ugh! HR kept texting me about some requirements that I failed to submit earlier, I had to look for some of them.

Then as I was about to take a shower, I noticed that my right ear-ring was missing and I panicked! Pucha that piece was given to me by my Mom from the US. Diamante yata. I looked all over my room and the bathroom but I could not find it. I was thinking that if I dropped my ear-ring at home, I could still find it. But if it was dropped at work or in the cab, that's it! Goodbye hikaw. Patay!

While taking a shower the next door neighbor started taking a shower too. Natural, we had to share the resources and I ended up getting less because they were closer to the source. Buwiset! Kung kelan nagmamadali ako. Magkasunod pa sila naligo ha! And to think they were not going anywhere at 4:30 in the afternoon, day off nilang mag asawa. Of course, I could have just asked them to give way to me since I was going to work and I was almost done but I did not have the energy to ask. Siyempre I would have to go out with conditioner in my hair and in a robe and towel. Not a nice sight. Kahit tapos na akong maligo, iniwanan kong bukas ang gripo full force para mapuno yung big pail ko at mahirapan sila mag ipon ng tubig for a while. Hehehe.

After taking a shower and dressing up, I had to look around for the last time for my ear-ring. Ikot ako ng ikot. I was getting more tired moving around and not finding it. I gave up and went to work. Na late ako ng 5 mins because of this. Buti considerate ang trainer ko.

After our shift, we were sent our schedules. Since the schedule was not final and unassigned, our trainer decided to give it to our batch so we could choose our scheds. The file was sent to one guy so it's but normal he gets to read the sched first. Malas ko, I was the last to see it. They all were able to get their scheds, I ended up getting what was left. The guy who got the list of scheds wanted the same sched I wanted but he was holding the list of schedules. Nauna na raw sya and he won't give it up daw. Sabi ko I won't give up either. It came to a point where he said something like makikipag away daw sya sa akin if he doesn't get it or aawayin nya ako. I said makikipag away din ako. I was looking at the schedule but I could not focus because he kept yapping and talking noisily. He kept saying hindi sya papayag at gusto niya toss coin na lang. Susme! Kalalaking tao sasabihan ang babae na aawayin nya! Tapos kung anu ano pa sinasabi. Nainis ako so I said he can keep the sched because there is no way the issue will be resolved. He said he wanted to toss the coin with me but I refused and I started to walk away. He still kept yapping, he said magmumukha raw siyang masama. Huh? Ano ba yan?! I told him it will never be resolved that way so he can have it. I walked and never looked back (drama!).

I understand his point that he wanted the sched. Sa totoo lang ang pangit ng ginawa nilang sched because the it appears that the morning shift people has the advantage of getting a closer to normal time and days off. The night shift scheds had days off right in the middle of the week. Sino ba magkakagusto nito? Nakakainis diba? Nakakaturn off yung ko worker ko kse he was acting like a kid and he said things like aawayin ako. Kalalaki nyang tao sasabihin yon, dinig pa ng ibang agents on the flooor. Mas matanda pa ako sa kanya, he should have shown a little more respect rather that saying makikigpag away siya sa akin within the ear shot of the other people around us. Kaya ayun, walk out ang lola. Of course I showed some petulance by walking out but I'd rather give up that sched that argue loudly with him. If he feels or thinks he looks bad infront of the other people, that's not my problem anymore.

I got home exhausted physically and emotionally. I wanted to just go to sleep and forget about everything but I couldn't. I felt I needed to resolve one issue, my ear-ring. I hoped that I dropped it at home and not anywhere else. I had to sweep/clean my room and the bathroom for the last time. Pinagpag ko pa bed ko, removed my pillows and blanket and ran my palms and fingers onto the surface of the bed sheet. Walang hikaw. I shifted through the dirt and found nothing. When I finally hit my bed, I felt worse than ever. As I was sliding my hands under my pillows I was thinking, what if I suddenly feel my ear-ring under my pillow at nandon lang pala. In less than a minute, I felt something like a big piece of dirt under my pillow. It felt odd so I turned on the light to see what it was...

Bad sleeping 'doubles heart risk'

I saw this news bit on BBC News. I says there that people who have too much or too little or disrupted sleep are linked a to doubled risk of a fatal cardiovascular disease.

Hmmm... No wonder my health has gotten worse lately.

The news article said:

Researcher Professor Francesco Cappuccio said: "Fewer hours sleep and greater levels of sleep disturbance have become widespread in industrialised societies.

"This change, largely the result of sleep curtailment to create more time for leisure and shift-work, has meant that reports of fatigue, tiredness and excessive daytime sleepiness are more common than a few decades ago.

"Sleep represents the daily process of physiological restitution and recovery, and lack of sleep has far-reaching effects."

Curiously, the researchers also found that those individuals who increased their sleep to eight hours or more a night were more than twice as likely to die during the period of the study as those who had not changed their habit.

Professor Cappuccio said lack of sleep had been linked to an increased risk of weight gain, high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes.

However, he said the link between too much sleep and poor health was less clear, although he suggested that staying in bed for prolonged periods could be a sign of depression, or, in some cases, cancer-related fatigue.

"Our findings indicate that consistently sleeping around seven hours per night is optimal for health and a sustained reduction may predispose to ill-health."

This news article is interesting to me because of what I have gone through lately and still going through somehow. I knew that my blood pressure problem is related to my sleep problem. I also had a feeling that my weight gain is due to stress, which is also affecting my sleep.

People in the call center industry should be strongly aware of this. There are certain centers that change schedules as often as every week. They should re-consider fixing schedules. These centers will someday be in serious trouble if they don't.

ARGH!

I am so stressed and confused that I have nodules in/around my neck that would not go away! I have had this sore throat that bothers me on and off.

Ayaw ko na mag call center. I would rather be a janitress and clean an entire building right now. It's not that working for a call center is bad or not good enough for me, it's just that I would rather do manual labor right now and not use my brain anymore, or what's left of it. Hehehe.

Haayyy...

Cocky Wave 3

It's Over

A few days ago, I really felt so stressed that I finally quit my job.

Nanghihinayang ako.

I would have stayed on if the account hadn't been pulled out from the company. I would have stayed on if I was prepared to tackle software/email issues. I would have stayed on if I didn't need to take care of my health. I would have stayed on if I didn't have to need to fix my papers so I could "leave" ASAP.

Nanghihinayang ako.

Sayang ang 5 months ko sa company. Sayang yung pagiwan ko sa mga kasamahan ko sa trabaho, napaka babait nila. Sayang ang relations ko with the manangers (team and operations), mabait din sila, lahat sila. We were given some leeway on the floor due to the nature of our work. We were allowed to have a snack while working because we could not take our breaks on time when were have a lot of emails to work on. We were allowed to work on our own, they did not monitor us all the time. They trusted us, they knew we were responsible enough to do our work without supervision and we did just that.

I was touched by 2 people's gestures when I finally decided to quit. They talked to me and tried to talk me out of quitting. I didn't think they would even bother to talk to me but they did. Unfortunately, some things were out of their hands, they could not change some of the rules/policies to accomodate me. Ok lang, I am happy knowing my presence meant something to them.

I got an email from my former big boss. I was touched by his words. He is cool. He is just misunderstood at times.

Ssayang talaga... I feel like Claire Dela Fuente singing that song... Next song would be Diana Ross's Do you know where you're going to...

Haaayyy....

Useful Account Management Tips

I have been a tech support rep for quite sometime now and the top issue for any kind of online account is sign in issue. People forget passwords for most of their accounts like ISP or e-mail accounts. Can't blame these people, sa dami ba naman ng mga accounts nila online, mahihilo talaga sila sa pag manage nito.



One useful tip in managing any account is to set an alternate e-mail address for your account. E-mail accounts like Hotmail, Yahoo and Gmail has this option for account owners to set an alternate e-mail address for their Hotmail/Yahoo/Gmail accounts. Setting an alternate email address is useful in resettting your password, the alternate e-mail address will get the password reset instructions if and when you request for it. One time, my assh0le ex-churva tried to reset the password of my Gmail account. He did not know that Gmail would alert my alternate e-mail address if a password reset has been requested. I think he thought he would be able to access my Gmail by providing my personal information lang. Yahoo used to have this feature, dati you can reset the password just by supplying personal information and the answer to the secret question. Kaso I had set an alternate e-mail address that's why he was not prompted for the personal info and secret question. Bottom line nahuli ko sya trying to hack my account. Of course, he did not admit it but I knew it was him. Hehehe.



Some accounts like Hotmail provide you an alternative way of resetting your password by providing your location and the answer to your secret question. This is fine too but then if there's someone else who happens to know these information, patay ka.



Another tip: When trying to sign in to your account, if you get a password error message try not to sign in more than 2 times in less than 15 mins. If you make 3 failed attempts in 15 mins, moste likely you will be blocked from accessing your account. You will not be able to access your account at once and in sonce cases, if you make mutiple attempts (like 8 times in 30 mins), your acount will be locked. Once locked, you won't be able to access your account any more unless you go through tech support or some other proper channel. If your account is a paid subscription, chances are you can easily call tech support or customer service because you have this priviledge for phone support. If your account is for free, all you get is e-mail support and as we all know, most e-mail support for free accounts take a long time before someone responds to your query.



Dear reader, I strongly suggest you explore your account's settings and options so you can add an alternate e-mail address for your account. Also, try to check the support links for all your accounts, incase you may need to contact support. Good luck!

One thing I've learned from work

One thing I've learned from working for my current call center company is.....






the word





Churky/churkie.


Everyone here uses the word CHURKY in place of anything at all. Kinda like churva/chorva.
The account that I'm in is male dominated, only 1 gay guy. Imagine all these cigarette smoke reeking, beer lugging, cuss loving men talking and mentioning the word churky. Nakakatawa! Hahahaha!

"Tell the customer that he should sign in to his account using user@churky.com."

"Give steps from clearing cache and cookies, setting privacy and security to default, all the trouble shooting churkiness."

"Have you ever beem churkified?" = This came from bad ass Carlo.

Barely breathing

Been busy since mid-March. I got a job as a call girl, I mean call center girl again. Testicle supot. Technical support. It's a new account because the service that we support is relatively new, ergo bugs and problems haunt us. Wala naman kseng perfect na product sa mundo.
Hay naku. I'm tired.

Hello to the RFaraon Fans Club Members! Good luck!

Stressed

Stress according to Wikipedia:

In medical terms, stress is a physical or psychological stimulus that can produce mental or physiological reactions that may lead to illness.Technically speaking, stress is a disruption of homeostasis, which may be triggered by alarming experiences, either real or imaginary.[1][2]

Distress is the most commonly-referred to type of stress, having negative implications, whereas eustress is a positive, desirable form of stress. Both can be equally taxing on the body, and are cumulative in nature.

I've going through a lot of stressful situations lately, both positive and negative. Even the positive changes in my life are causing negative efffects on my body. I hope I survive with minimal damage to my system.

I need the change because my sub conscious has already warned me of the possible effects of homeostasis, and of not helping myself first before I help others.

*gulp*

Tis the Season for "Hold-ups", Robberies, Muggings and Carjackings

When Carlo arrived at the center this morning, he looked harassed. We asked him what happened and he told us, "I got mugged... Again!"
HUUUWWAAAATTTTT???
Yesterday, I nearly arrived late and I told everyone our ride got held up by some accident. Then Carlo asked me, "You got held up too?" I guess he was hoping someone else could relate to what happened to him that day. Tuesday morning, a guy came up to him and asked for his wallet. I'm not sure if the guy had a knife. We think the guy was in dire need of cash kasi he didn't ask for Carlo's cellphone, just the wallet and the money inside, of course. He lost his las P500, his baon for the entire week.
This morning, on his way to work, 4 men held up their jeep. One man brought out a gun. Carlo checked out the gun, it was real. Ilan lang silang napag tripan: Carlo, a student, and this lady who just arrived from Bahrain. I guess they saw Carlo's bulge, the front pocket of his pants, kaya nakuha na cellphone niya. The student had his nN73(?) with him pero wala na ngayon. Ang biro namin, binalikan ang cellphone nya kasi nakalimutan the last time. Hehehe.
Pag dating sa Buendia police station he saw 5 more people filing a report, mukhang maraming nakawan at holdapan this morning. A bus load full of passengers was robbed early this morning, yung oras na petiks ang pulis siguro. An Assumption student had to go to the police station barefooted kasi tinangay ng holdaper ang kanyang sapatos.
Ayus!
Ingat na lang sa mga holdap at nakawan. Tis the season... Malapit na kasi ang Pasko?

Wave 23 A

This is what we do in our call center training. We take pictures and make fools of ourselves.
Guess who our trainer here is.

Laziness or Child Depression?

Finally, I have my 2nd official student today. Well, she hasn't enrolled yet but her parents came here tonight, with my student of course, so they could meet and talk to me.

I asked her name, she told me her name but she didn't smile. It felt like she was angry or something. Then I asked her what her problem is, she said she doesn't want to go to school. I told her she has to finish grade 2, she's got a few months left before summer starts, it would be a waste if she just stops and then repeat grade 2. She had this demeanor that was tough, like she was angry at someone but trying hard not to show it. She was wearing pambahay clothes and a cap. Her father removed the cap, her hair had these colored rubberbands, like someone fixed her hair before she went to school in the morning but it all got messy somehow and she doesn't really care how she looks.

While her mother and I were talking about her and her experiences in school, she appeared disinterested. She fidgeted, sang to herself softly, gazed at all the corners of the room but tried to avoid looking at me except for a few times when her mother and I discussed the possibility of transferring her to another school. Not my idea, of course.
I can't help but think that she is depressed. I did some research and found this on the website of Oregon Counselling, written by Michael G. Conner, Psy.D. She seems to have some of the signs of depression namely:
# Crying, feeling sad, helpless or hopeless
# Feeling discouraged or worthless
# Loss of interest or pleasure in others or most activities
# Drop in school performance
# Inability to sit still, fidgeting or pacing (she stood 2 times to go to her father, she wanted him to carry him or sit on his lap; it seemed like she felt safer sitting on her father's lap but then she would go back to her seat after a while)

She wasn't rude or anything like that, I sensed that she's unhappy and was trying not to show it, she was indifferent. She seemed angry and she definitely was disinterested in anything that was related to school.
From what I gathered she was harassed/bullied in school... By some school officials. Hmmm...

Her mother doesn't want her to repeat grade 2 due to obvious reasons: waste of time and money among other things. Her parents are definitely worried because they don't know how to help her. I just hope I can help her.

Good luck to me! Hehehe.

Oh No!

Oh no... Right after I posted my first post for 2006, I got a msg from my sister. Sinisingil ako ng contractor for the materials, twice ng cost that he quoted!

#$%@*&^%+=?><@!!!!!!!

IBALIK NYO AKO SA PILIPINAS!!! Waaahhhhh!!! Ayoko na dito!!! Akala yata ng mga tae dito sumusuka ako ng pera! Pati karpintero sobra singil! Mabuti pa yung karpintero namin sa Manila maayos kausap. Grabe!

I made a terrible mistake, and expensive one at that! It's pretty clear now I shouldn't have moved. I want to move back to Manila but I can't, I don't have money anymore and I don't want to go back to our house there, not after having my own place.
I have no one to blame but myself. Palpak desisyon ko! Ang tanga ko! I frustrated over this kapalpakan. Sumasakit sikmura ko, nasusuka ako but I can't afford to go out. Heck, I don't have money for an antacid tablet! Que lastima!

Hay buhay!