Alone in the City

You know what else I've come to realize in Manila?

It's sad and lonely when people bail on you. 

I might have known that for awhile already, I just didn't admit it.

So I vowed to myself that I will not easily bail on people anymore. 

If you're someone who has been bailed on, don't worry, it's an opportunity to experience new things on your own like walking the streets of a new city on your own. Stay strong!

 :D

(Photo grabbed from the Internet)

You know what else being alone can teach you?
It teaches you the value of your friends' presence.
For instance, I found the train rides home very sad and lonely. So, during the few times that some of my friends and I got to go home together, it made me really happy. It's a different feeling. I got to laugh with them instead of just putting on a poker face like I do when I'm alone on the train. My friends made the train ride enjoyable. Thank God I have them. 

Scrapbook+

OJT - Employee training at the place of work while he or she is doing the actual job. Usually a professional trainer (or sometimes an experienced employee) serves as the course instructor using hands-on training often supported by formal classroom training. 

(Source: www.businessdictionary.com)

In the Summer of 2013, I had a glimpse of my future.

Did you know?

That the auditors at SGV are branded as underpaid busy young professionals accustomed to pulling all-nighters and known to have the tendency to have a breakdown even in front of the interns  

This is how the office looks like in the morning - EMPTY.

People are here are just nocturnal. 

Many of them start coming in late in the morning and stay there until the sun rises the next day.

EXPECTATION

I thought the photocopy machine and the stapler were going to be my new best friends.

(Photo grabbed from the Internet)

I was wrong. Here's what really happened.

READY FOR TAKE-OFF

THE FIRST FEELING

The feeling of being lost in the midst of all those skyscrapers.

It's like I'm in one of those Korean movies :D

 (Photo grabbed from the Internet)

Ayala Avenue at night
(Photo by Luke Juan)

GALA GALA DIN SA MAKATI

Ganito kami sa Makati

(1st week and 2nd week gala moments)

Haggardo Versoza sa MRT

 (Photo courtesy of Marc Joseph Loyola)

(Photo grabbed from the Internet)

Sunday evening rush hour. Didn’t see this one coming. OMG. Skin to skin lang naman.

And well, it’s the lasting feeling of siksikan and standing so close to complete strangers. The MRT is how I get to  and from the office everyday.

BACK AT THE OFFICE

Meet Ms. Erlyn, my supervisor. Takot ako sa kanya. Mukhang mataray eh. Pero mabait daw yan basta lang hindi tinotopak. She called me a’premium’ several times. I thought I was the worst-case scenario. It didn’t seem to me like they need me around here. So on my first day, I was just sitting around until I was given two FS's for footing. Buti na lang. Anyway, it’s only the first day, things may get more exciting. (Sorry I don't think it's appropriate to be uploading the pictures of my seniors.)

Just I'd hoped for, I was assigned on my second day. 

Loyola Memorial Chapels and Crematorium, Inc. (LMCCI)

MY SENIORS

Sir Luke. The model.

Sir Elmar. The funnyman.

Ms. Russel. The achiever.

VOUCHING. 

VOUCHING.

MORE VOUCHING.

"Gwendolyn, pa-vouch"

 "Antayin mo lang 'yung iba pang boxes."

TREATS FROM MY SENIORS

Happy Lemon. 

Don't leave Manila without ever trying it.

 (Photo not mine)

Starbucks.

Katuwang sa trabaho.

I had to do all the vouching during my first week but on the third week, JR came. He's my junior intern from San Beda. Nauna po kasi akong pumasok by one week as an intern. That makes me his senior. It's our batch's private joke. (Sorry, I don't think it's appropriate to post his picture either.)

LOYOLA LOYALTY.

From the Loyola that provides services to the dead, JR and I were transferred to the Loyola (Loyola Plans Consolidated) that serves the living... who are anticipating death nonetheless. Here, I learned to face the client when I was tasked to inquire about the nature of certain accounts. That sure was scarier than working at the crematorium.

Oh, here's another senior I'd like you to meet.

Sir Derick. The natural gentleman.

I spent my second week with him auditing a condominium corporation in Taguig City. And yeah, I have a little bit of a crush on him. Usap usap din over lunch, libre niya pa ako ng Tokyo Tokyo. Unfortunately, three days were all I had with him. Pinahiram lang ako sa kanya eh. How sad. Haha.

Second client ko na 'to, Easy Rock pa 'rin pinapakinggan nila. Naiinis ako sa sobrang drama ng FM station na 'to. Akalain mo, kahit yung FM station jingle nila, SLOW SONG! My gosh. Anyway, sorry Easy Rock.

And on the last week, FOOTING... and going to and from the Report Production Services (RPS).

All the vouching and footing paid off! 

FIRST WEEK ALLOWANCE

More to come.

Casual Day at SGV

GOOD TIMES

Gala gala din pag may time

My classmates have over a thousand pictures. Pero 'yung exposure ko? Don't ask. I learned my lesson. Never stay away from your friends with cameras. Nakaka-bitter lang talaga T.T

And here's the catch, pag nakakasama ko friends ko, I wore the same clothes the last time na nakasama ko sila unintentionally. So, parang inulit-ulit ko lang yung mga damit ko. My gosh! 

Anyway, it's the memory that counts. I was there and maybe a lot of my experiences have not been documented with pictures but it's okay. I'll have more SGV experiences soon.

Put 'yer Geeky Glasses on and go to IMAX

With the GPP Boys

With Optimus Prime

Hand-chopped burger at Solaire

THE LAST FEELING

NOSTALGIA

(Photo grabbed from the Internet)

It's the same sun that's setting to end their day.

The MRT

During my one month stay in Manila for my on-the-job training at SGV & Co. Makati, the MRT is how I get to and from the office every day and also when I go out and meet with my friends. As you might expect, it’s crowded. It’s way weird standing so close to strangers and when I say close, I mean skin to skin. What’s so great about it is that you get to actually experience Manila. You learn what people here actually go through. What’s greater is that you learn to be equal with everybody else. You understand the discomfort felt by the stranger next to you. You understand how everybody else is also in a hurry just like you. So, you don’t get mad when you get pushed and you don’t expect special treatment just because you’re late for work or school or whatever. Like everyone else in the train, you have to endure the feeling of being like a headless fish in a can of sardines and be patient with the long queues in the entrances and exits.

(Photo grabbed from the Internet)

I also happened to witness some RAK (Random Acts of Kindness) like when a middle-aged woman offered her seat to an old man with a cane. At other times I myself have been the receiver of these RAK like when I was already stepping on the yellow line, which is dangerous according to MRT authority, and then the lady queuing next to me held me and stepped a little behind. See? She understood how I was scared of stepping on the yellow line.

However, I can't remain to be just a spectator or a receiver, I would have to pass it on. One thing I realized is that you need an opportunity to practice RAK and you would never have that opportunity when you always keep to yourself. So go out and be kind to the world. Another thing I realized, though I’m not so sure if this always holds true, is that it’s easier to do RAK to strangers plus there’s an I-feel-good-about-myself factor to it, don’t you think? I just thought that (perhaps, based on experience) when you keep being kind to people close to you, they might get used to it and you end up feeling abused when it’s not voluntary anymore. Just a thought. Anyway, so that’s what I learned from the MRT.

Great News

I’ve decided to write again! It seems like it’s the only thing I can do without a great need for affirmation or moral support. So stay tuned to what I’ve been up to this Summer. And I hope you would also share what you’ve been up to. Happy reading and have a happy Summer.