The value of time

“What you get free costs too much.” -Jean Anouilh

Beware SM shoppers. If very friendly people in semi-formal clothing approach you in order to give you free items such as umbrellas, knapsacks or even movie tickets (and the chance to win a BMW!), make sure you have 3 hours and a lion’s share of divine patience to spare. If you don’t, just walk away.

I learned that people in sales have this unique gift for conversation, but a lack in empathy. I understand that they need to sell in order to earn (hence the intensive training on what to say, how to say it and how to counter common excuses), but to overhear that they get scolded for “lost sales” (which I am a part of), is simply inhuman. Sure they need to try hard, but if a potential customer simply chooses to remains so — that is, a potential — then the salesperson can do squat to convince that customer otherwise. Not even a supervisor or manager can change that. NO MEANS NO. Nobody is obliged to buy a product, however good it is, within a deadline. Heck, if I really wanted to buy a product, I want to think about it at least overnight. I don’t like having my hand forced NOW.

Detention in an air-conditioned room, face to face with a sales agent can be the most trying time of your life. All for 3 knapsacks and 4 movie tickets. Considering what I lost that day, I regret it.

Corporate madness

So there I was, punctual at my interview on the dot, for a position at a donut retailer. I was told to wait at the lobby extension, so I did, expecting that I would be called in within the next 30 minutes or so.

A full hour passes before the receptionist tells me that the interviewer was stuck at a meeting but he’d arrive soon.

Another 30 minutes passes. An army of frontliners of this donut retailer’s sister company passes by me to get to a seminar room. The excitement was palpable in their faces as they entered in full battle gear: company provided shirt, pants and cap, with a hairnet for the ladies.

People shuffle into the lobby. A meeting is held, a check signed. Smiles abound. But not on my lips. Strike 1!

My patience wearing thin, I SMS G and my mom: How unprofessional! I’ve been here for an hour and a half and I still haven’t been interviewed! The reply: Well, speaks f d company.

Finally I get called, along with the two others left in the lobby. The interviewer said that he was sorry for the delay, but he had to make an impromptu presentation to upper management just that day. Strike 2!

I was offered a job, but I sincerely think that I deserve more than the salary on the table, considering my work experience. Strike 3! You’re out!

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My mom was right. The whole experience today spoke volumes about the company. Even without being employed, I learned that in this company,

1. punctuality isn’t valued, even by upper management.
2. upper management must have its way, even at the cost of ruining other people’s (not just their employees’) meticulously prepared schedules
3. experience doesn’t count for much, even for a potential officer of the company.

I don’t mean to blow my own horn, but I think I know what I am entitled to (which is far lower than what I dream of earning). With all things considered, this company simply has no guts to do the right thing, at least as far as punctuality, sensitivity and just remuneration are concerned.

Sucks to be you, Mr.

Silent Sadness

I look back at months of posts and wonder: where has my passion for writing gone?

The new posts seem lackluster in comparison to the posts of old. It's like color was removed from the canvas of my mind, and all that's left are shifting shadows of lif that rarely, if even at all, give justice to the rambling of my soul.

Where has it gone? When will it come back? 

Campaigning against poverty

I've been online for the past hour or so, mesmerized by the number of websites specifically made for campaigns against poverty. It all started with a simple click on a banner that said "Make Poverty History". Mouseclicks later, I'm once more brought to that familiar place in my mind where I ask myself: What am I doing? Am I helping solve poverty? Or am I part of the problem?

One line in a video particularly struck me: The poor in developing countries pay back in debt more than they received in aid.

Has the world gone mad?! I'm far from naive, and I understand that economics, governments and the world's banking outfits (yada, yada) all played a role in this. That there is no simple solution. That if interest isn't imposed, the lending party will be losing. Aren't we just one human family? Has compassion been thrown out the window?

People are simply looking out for themselves (and their companies, governments, etc.). I agree. Maybe that is the problem: Peopl are simply looking out for themselves.

Read. Be informed.
Spread the word.
Check out the videos: MakePovertyHistory – Videos

A middle-class worker rants

I received this email and was intrigued. Being in the same shoes as the middle-class worker, I understand and agree with his messages to the various players in the political arena today. This would be a good follow up to yesterday’s piece that highlighted articles from the Inquirer.

Ako ay isang middle class pinoy, isang officer sa isang malaking korporasyon at may asawa…dalawa anak. Di na importante pangalan ko kasi parepareho naman tayong mga middle-class….trabaho 9-5, inom konti tapos uwi sa pamilya, laruin si baby, itutor si ate/kuya tapos tulog na, pag wala na pera intay nalang ng sweldo.

Sa nangyayari ngayon sa ating bansa, lahat nalang ng sector ay maingay at naririnig, tayo lang mga middle-class, tax paying at productive Pinoys ang di naririnig. Subalit, buwis natin ang nagpapaikot sa bansang ito. Pag may mga gulo na nangyayari, tayo ang tinatamaan.

Kaya eto ang liham ko sa lahat ng maiingay na sector na sana makagising sa inyong bulag na pag-iisip.

Sa Mga Pulitiko:

• diyos ko naman, sa dami na nang nakurakot ninyo di na ba kayo makuntento kelangan nyo pa ba manggulo.

Sa Administrasyon:

• hayan ayus na ha pinatawad na namin ang pandaraya nyo sa eleksyon, pruweba dito e di kami umaatend sa mga panawagan ng people power, kaya sana naman gantihan nyo kami ng magandang serbisyo at magaling na pamumuno at malaking bawas sa kurakot naman please para kahit papano maramdaman naman namin na may napupuntahan ang binabayad naming buwis.
• saka Madam GMA, step down ka na pag parliamentary na tayo sa 2007, tignan mo, i-announce mo mag-step down ka kapag parliamentary na tayo, resounding YES yan sa plebiscite at tigil pa ang mga coup at people power laban sayo. Try mo lang………

Sa Oposisyon:

• mga leche kayo! kayo ang nag-papahirap, at nagpa-pagulo sa Pilipinas. hindi kayo makuntento sa kung sino man ang naka-upo bilang presidente. kayo ang nag-dadala ng hiya sa mga Pilipino. gawa ng rally dito, gawa ng rally doon, labanan ang mga proclamation ng administrasyon. sawang-sawa na kami. ung mga nalibing ng buhay sa Leyte, tinutukuyan ninyo ba ng pansin?
• di nyo pa ba nakikita na dalawang klase lang ng tao ang nakikinig sa inyo….isa ay bayaran na mahihirap kungdi man ay tangang mga excited na reporter na parang naka-shabu lagi….mga praning e at naghahallucinate.
• Bago man lang kayo maglunsad ng kilos laban sa administrasyon, pumili muna kayo ng magiting at nararapat na ipapalit sa liderato ngayon. Hirap sa inyo paresign kayo ng paresign wala naman kayo ipapalit na maayos. Advise lang galing sa isang middle-class na syang tunay na puwersa sa likod ng lahat ng matagumpay na People Power, magpakita muna kayo ng galing bago nyo batuhin ang administrasyon. Wala na kaming narinig sa inyo kundi reklamo, e wala naman kayong ginagawa kundi magreklamo….para kayong batang lagi na lang naaagawan ng laruan…..GROW UP naman…sa isip sa salita at sa gawa.
• please lang gasgas na rin ang pagrarally nyo na katabi nyo ay mga bayaran na mahihirap, magtayo nalang kayo ng negosyo at iempleyo ang mga rallyista para maging productive silang mamamayan. Sige nga, pag nagrarally kayo yakapin nyo nga at halikan yang mga kasama nyong nagrarally!! Nung People Power namin nagyayakapan kami lahat nuon.
• Wala naman mangyayari sa mga rally nyo nakakatraffic lang, kami pang middle-class ang napeperwisyo. Di nyo kayang paghintayin ng 3 araw ang mga rallyista nyo kasi kelangan nyo pakainin at swelduhan ang mga yan. Kung gusto nyo tagumpay na People Power kami ang isama nyo….pero pagod na kami e, sori ha.

Sa Military:

• Alam nyo lahat tayo may problema, pati US Army may problema, 2,000 plus na patay sa kanila sa Iraq na parang walang rason naman, pero nakita nyo ba sila nagreklamo? Wala diba kasi professional sila na sundalo…..yan dapat ang sundalo di nagtatanong sumusunod lang. Kasi may mga bagay na di kayang maintindihan ng indibidwal lamang, at ang mga nakatataas lang ang nakakaintindi ng kabuuan, kaya ito ang panuntunan ng lahat ng military ng lahat ng bansa. Pero parang military natin yata ang pinaka-mareklamo. Sabi nga sa Spiderman “with great power comes great responsibility”…..kaya maging spiderman kayo lahat at protektahan ang mamamayan. Sa totoo lang natatakot kami kapag nagrereklamo kayo, kasi may baril kayo at tangke, kami wala.

Wala ako comment sa mga mahihirap, di naman kasi sila maingay na kusa e, may bayad ang ingay nila. Saka wala rin naman sila email.

Kaya paano na tayong mga middle-class?? Eto hanggang email nalang tayo kaya ikalat nyo na ito at magdasal tayo na umabot ito sa mga dapat makabasa nito at makiliti naman ang kanilang mga konsyensya.

Signed,

Isang Middle-Class pinoy na walang puknat na
binabawasan ang sweldo ng Buwis!