Young Love, Sweet Love!

Who can forget their first love? I can’t, my wife can’t. I believe the readers of this post can’t. You may remember it as romantic, comedic, hurtful or down right disastrous! Remember when your young? In love for the first time? do you remember gazing out, starring at nothing? Just reminiscing the days you spent together and you can’t wait for the two of you to be together again? I remember when I was 14 years old the time. I was being teased to this girl who has just moved in to our neighborhood. To be very honest with you; I don’t know squat about courting a girl during those times. I was known to be a 100% definitive wimp (that’s tsope to you my filipino readers)! My friends called me a wimp, my cousins and hell even my mom calls me a wimp! So I really don’t know what I’m doing at that time. Although I’m attracted to the girl. Courting her was the last thing in my mind, because as I’ve said I’m a WIMP!

Then my friends step in. They introduced me to her. She said: “Hi! How are you?” Mine was “Hi. I’m ok.” with a blush effect. Since her house was only a few doors from where I live; I get to see her everyday. Summer was just starting and school’s out for two months! Every day we would see each other, and everyday we would talk to each other, taking walks around the village. Watching movies at home. I find myself staring out the window of our home starring at the general direction of their house, waiting for her to go out. I was reprimanded several times by my mom. She told me that it’s ok to be in love. But not to the pint that you will forget your chores at home, not eating…etc. blah..blah..blah! I really don’t care what other people think of me back then. I was 100% in love! Infatuated actually but let’s not get too technical;  And all I ever wanted to do back then was to be with this girl. I also remember what our laundry woman told me. “There will come a time in the future, that you will remember this situation and laugh your heart out.” I didn’t believe her back then. In fact I only believed my heart.

It was May when we became “official” That’s the time I experienced my first hug, first kiss I dreaded the the time when summer will be over and we sill only see each other in the afternoons when we get home from school. Of course, that exactly what happen. But the most surprising thing is, I only missed her during the first few days after that I don’t miss her that often. We stopped seeing each other after a while.

That’s the time I started believing the things that the laundry woman told me before. And it never fails to make me laugh. Here’s the kicker. I just recently found out that the girl was a maid in that house! No wonder she never let me visit her there, and most of the time. The people that she lives with almost always ask her on errands. and my friends knew about it.

Love is one of the precious emotions that we humans have. We might not know how to do with it, when we were young. But one will always learn from one’s mistakes. My first love was pleasant although it’s seems comedic when you think about it. Hilarious when I found out that she was a maid. (no offense to the maids out there.)  But that experience taught me that love can be found in anybody, anytime, anywhere.

That’s why I thank God everyday for giving me my dear wife Princess.  Without her my life will be miserable.  I love you theart!

Things I Miss and I Don’t Miss, When Working in a Call Center

Call centers are the fastest growing industry here in the Philippines.  Some college graduates apply for a job directly after school most of the time it doesn’t apply to their degrees, but who can’t blame them?  I won’t, because there things that can really help them “arrive” when they work for a call center.  Some of them I miss a lot, others I can do without.

I miss the following:

• Nice Salary – Call centers offers top dollar salaries, even for newly Grads.  For those without call center experience the average start up is around fifteen thousand excluding allowances some even have commissions, monetary incentives even appliances to give away to their employees.  There was a time in West Contact Services Inc. gave trips to other countries and a car .  If you start in a bank most of the time the starting is the current minimum wage, without allowances.
• The Job – Let’s face it.  The job is not rocket science.  You answer the phone, you either help the customer with their technical or billing problem or sell a product if you happen to be a telemarketer.  But it does take skill to be a good agent.  Specially patience.  Most first time agents don’t last because they lack either they lack the technical skill or the people skills needed for the job.
• Environment – Working in a call center is like going out with your friends every night (if you happen to be in the night shift) the camaraderie is enjoyable and most are really friendly.
• Fast promotions – Most call centers only require an agent 3 months of continues employment so that a person can apply for a hire position.
• The After Work Activities – after work most of the time some agents would go out and have a drink or two.  Reliving call experiences getting and sharing some tips to make the job easier.
• The Life style – Let’s face it. the large salaries give the person the right to buy all the things they want and need.  Rarely do you see an agent without the latest gadgets and clothes.

The items that I mention above is the things I miss and I’m excited  to get it back into my system.  Now let’s take a look the things I can’t do without:

• Missing one’s family – The drawback of working during nights and has taken a toll on most agents is not being able to be with their families.  You work nights so you sleep in the day, when the rest of your family is awake.  Most call centers requires agents to report for work during the holidays, so imagine spending Christmas eve in the office.  Holy weeks too.  So goodbye to family outings most of the time.  So if you got a weekend shift, cherish it.  Spend time with the people, who loes you the most.
• Large Taxes – Large salaries is equal to large tax deductions, specially if your single.  if you are, your average tax deductions makes the government happy.
• Missing Good TV – I’m a couch potato, I love watching T.V. and going to the moivies.  One of my frustrations is missing episodes of my favorite programs.
• Missing neighborhood friends – Everybody in this world have two or three sets of friends, there’s the friends that you see everyday at work, and then there are friends that you get to hang out with out home.  Working in a call center can make you miss out on your neighborhood friends, specially if they don’t work in a call center.  Take me for example. My friends works in banks, or in other industries.  So I only get to see them during my rest days.  If I’m lucky.
• The Pressure – The job may be easy, but retaining it is another matter.  There are metrics to be passed and some of them are really strict.  But if I can do it so can you.

That’s it mainly, other call center employees have different things they miss, but I think I can assume they will all agree with the second list.

Working for a BPO needs lots of sacrifices.  But it also has it’s advantages.  It’s really up to the person if he has the fortitude to stay long in this industry.  Which by the way I can’t live without.