Job hunting!
My cellular phone had been busy for quite some time last week, to my annoyance (and now I'm missing that), due to a pleasant fact that almost all of the companies that I have passed my application to has called me and invited me for an interview. So the past week had been a week of riding LRT's, passing resumes and raising a pretentious appearance to a level I have never before achieved. In addition to that, last week gave me a chance to visit MegaMall and experience wearing a pair of shoes that could easily make you curse its existence and wish you could trade feet with another person even for just a brief moment.
It wasn't at all a pleasant week. I had a chance to show my love and loyalty for LRT Line 2 after witnessing and eventually experiencing LRT Line 1 during 7 AM to 9 AM on weekdays. Not that I'm saying this is the first time that I was able to ride LRT's. I used to ride LRT Line 1 going to Makati to go to my previous work but it was around 12 NN to 2 PM. Who would have thought that a few hours difference would sway my once loyal patronage of LRT Line 1 to LRT Line 2?
It was the first time in months that I was able to go to Makati again via Buendia route and I was surprised that the usual sight that I saw when I came down from the station wasn't there. I was quite sure that there was something there that I was perfectly aware of a few months back but now, it wasn't there. And all the more weird is that, as I am writing this entry, the image of that site (whatever it is) has entirely slipped my mind. I don't know if I'll be able to recall that. I had no pictures of it. I doubt I'd be meeting anyone who had a picture of that place. Who knows, maybe I'll even forget how the station looks like when it becomes too old and will have been demolished.
Yep! I haven't been to Makati for quite some time and it showed when I was trying to find this Salcedo Tower. I was to go to H.V. dela Costa then go to the 10th floor of Salcedo Tower to get to my first destination. Unfortunately, either due to my absence from Makati for a time or due to my genuine ignorance of other places in Makati besides my previous workplace, I alighted about a kilometer from where I was suppose to go to. I asked around and eventually, I landed on Salcedo tower 20 minutes after my appointed interview. But I wasn't worried. Interviews like those usually take about an hour or so before starting. So complacent as I was back then, I rode the elevator and on the 10th floor, I found the company with ease. I would thank the Filipino culture for inventing the "Filipino Time"; I had time to pass my resume, fill up some forms meet some boring acquaintances and cool myself for sweat was trickling non-stop from all over my body (that's right! from all over my body) having walked about a kilometer in the morning heat while enduring a pair of shoes that seemed to tighten with each step that you take.
You know how they always tell you at school that at work, it is imperative to always come on time. Well, this was work and I can't see how imperative coming on time was. I just thought back then that the company was quite drunk with the influence of the Filipino's "Filipino Time" that they decided to extend it to show how they love our culture.
The convenience eventually became a harassment. Yeah! A harassment! All the sweat in me seemed to have hibernated due to overexposure to low temperature and my Inbox filled with messages have been opened, browsed and closed for more than four times before they gave the exam. After the exam comes the interview. I felt blood surging through my head as I have waited for more than an hour and a half and I was interviewed by an HR representative who seemed to know that he has articulation problems in English but went on talking like that till he gave up or the words gave up on him and finally took out his cheat sheet to ask me questions. Talk about lame!
The harassment wasn't over. He told me to wait for the result. But no! I wasn't about to fall for that trap anymore. I'm not a fanatic when it comes to "Filipino Time" culture and I had another appointment that afternoon. So when I was in the lobby, I waited for my chance to ask for the result of the interview. I'm not about to wait there for their convenience. I had my share of convenience and I'm not stupid enough to get drunk.
I was right! They already had my result but they were just impending to give me the result for reasons beyond me. They scheduled my second interview for tomorrow. Fine! Tomorrow then. I've learned my lesson so you'll see.
The afternoon passed without much turmoil. I was lost also in Ortigas trying to find that Philippine Stock Exchange Building. That day, I learned that asking for directions can save you the agony of losing 1000 calories (not that I'm one to complain about losing some but still...) and drying your throat on an ordinary day of December. As an added bonus, I had discovered, after years of dormancy, that the steel from the steel toe shoes that I was wearing were, in more ways than I can say, clearly killing my feet. At least I arrived, with both of my feet in tact and parched throat, I've finished the exam with colors, I think, though certainly not flying.
"Come back on Thursday at 4 PM for your interview."
Ok. Very busy times.
The next day, with the lesson learned from the previous interviewer that summoned me for that day, I woke up at a later time that would certainly make me late for my appointment. True to my prediction of time, I arrived 40 minutes later than the agreed time. I was quite worried that they may have cancelled my appointment by me being late but I learned eventually that the company was currently experiencing a hang over from yesterday's drunkeness of the "Filipino Time" culture. I just sighed and contemplated on how to magically enlarge my shoe as it is beginning to place cumulative painful sensations on all parts of my foot. Sadly, imagination and reality has a thick wall between them. Besides, I don't have any magic powers in me.
When I heard the line "Can you come back tomorrow?" I was already cursing the woman who interviewed me and, if for a moment, the wall between the reality and imagination had been broken, Makati would have been turned to dust and the center of explosion would have been that company. At least in my mind, her head exploded. I had to repeat that a few times for me to forget the fate my feet fought with all the honor that a foot can uphold. At least I smiled at the thought. It ain't going to happen in reality, might as well amplify the effect in my mind. ~Aaaah. That's better.~
That same day, I was to accompany my friend to apply as a Technical Support Representative in a certain call center company whose name I won't disclose. So there I was, at home, trying to relish the fleeting minutes that my feet were off that guillotine of a shoe. Eventually, the minutes dissolved and it was time for me to go again, job hunting.
I worked in a call center before and the experience was quite the opposite of what I've been hearing from other colleagues who were still there. And now, I'm applying on a whim for a job that made me quit. It's really ironic. All the more ironic was, I was offered a job. I did bad with the interview to the point that my interviewer was accussing me of names which led me to wonder, how in the world was he able to read context clues out of the words that I said to make him say that I'm "Pasaway"? I only answered his questions like: Why did I take up my course; why did I apply with them; why did I resign from my previous job? I stroke my shoulder length newly straightened hair and a thought struck me. And i remembered, I haven't shaved for three days. Ooooh~ That's why.
How much of a prejudicing person was my interviewer? Just by looking at me, he concluded that. With his sense of self-majesty around him just because he was wearing that long sleeved 70's cut shirt, tucked in and speaking in English (though no palpable American accent), and that gayish attitude brought by working in a call center, I'm not about to take that from him at any other occassion than this. I could have had fought back, since I really didn't like to get into the company. I did though in a more discreet manner. He should thank my parents for raising me right. Or esle, he would've had seen what true prejudice was.
One more thing that happened thay day was a question in the interview that that faggot threw at me. If I were given two words in front of me, what would I choose: Instinct or Instructions?
How would my readers answer?
Me? I answered instinct. Why? Besides my nature of being independent and opinionated, I believe in that bent saying that goes: "You can only believe in yourself." Instinct is always there in you. Instructions to yourself comes after instinct. Instructions coming from others are assessed after assessing your instinct. But no! Our all mighty gay judge would opt me to choose instructions saying: Even if you don't know what you're doing, you'd opt to choose instinct? Inside me, all the more that' I'll rely on my instinct. Heck your scenario lacks information! How would I know if there are people around me whom I can ask? But sensing that he wants me to answer the other one, I contrived an answer that would support my sudden change of choice but subtly support my previous one. Now I know how the contestants feel in "Laban o Bawi" whenever they are being urged to change their decision.
Damn you faggot! I still haven't forgotten you, you arrogant, 70's shirt wearing, impecable feeling judgemental person! Right back at you! Of course that's an attack from behind. Oh well...
Nothing noteworthy after everything that happened in the past two days of job hunting, except that the "Filipino Time" loving company offered me a job after collectively having me wait for 10 hours in four different occassions. Two of those four occassions, either I was the only one they had to cater or there were two or three of us. A disaster of a company. I'd been handed with the contract for me to read and to sign. But I declined after reading what was written on it. There really wasn't need for time to read it since it was a one page contract. I have written business letters longer than these ~sheesh~
After that adventurous week, I'm back to being a bored unemployed young man. Aside from the blisters that I got from the pair of shoes that I just realized I may have outgrown, I was able to get some food for thought though in a satirical way of presentation. Plus, I had material to write after a week of being on hiatus on this page.
Come to think of it, being unemployed may prove to be entertaining at times. But then again, I really need to get a job or else my back pay's not going to last me this month.
~sigh~
In case you're wondering what happened to my interview in Ortigas, I failed it.
~sigh~ *again*
Couch potato till the end of the year.
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