No Regrets

Two years ago, I wrote a blog post as I was leaving my job and applying for med school. Reading it now, I had no idea that things would turn out this way. At that time, I can remember that I was insisting that I wanted to be in UPCM and that being a doctor was something that I really wanted to do, enough to not care whether it was the hardest thing I'd ever have to do in my life.

I just wanted to share it, seeing that to this day, I have no regrets. But a lot of things have changed. A lot of things surprised me. And that makes me hopeful for the future. 'Cause you never really know for sure what things have yet to come.

"It seems as though just a few blog posts ago, I was talking about having to start another page in my-oh-so-predictable life: WORKING. Little did I realize, not until now, that it has really been 4 months already... FOUR MONTHS since I had a LEGITIMATE job.

Unfortunately though, the time has come for me to leave--with the advent of my contract's end. Still, my stay has been exciting, challenging, and enjoyable (among other things ^_^). As a tribute (also, as inspired by Jade), I shall enumerate the memorable experiences I had:

:)

• land the first job I've ever applied to and have been interviewed for
  
• process documents (SSS, NBI, for the others-thanks sa StaffRIGHT) that made me feel like a legitimate citizen of the Philippines
• coming on my first day, wearing a white blouse and brown slacks
• administering my first test, complete with buckle-ing, cold hands, and shaky voice
• being at work for 12 hours straight
• mistakenly have an applicant wait for 2 hours for feedback that I could've given in less than 15 minutes
• blank out in the middle of a phone interview because the applicant had call center experience, and at that time, I DIDN'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT THE JOBS AND WHAT QUESTIONS TO ASK (Imagine how the call ended. Haha)
• think about a scene from a Koreanovela in the middle of an actual meeting with the bosses in the Board Room (sorry na, parang My Girl reminder talaga yung Board Room namin. Kulang na lang si Julian. ^_^)
  
• pag-kickout sa New Hire Trainees papuntang Secret Room kapag medical mission ang mga applicants (Hehe. Hi DANA! Hi ISTINE!)
• FastBytes meals (Samurai: Meryenda Meals and Takoyaki Balls, McDo: breakfasts (that eventually cause us to not eat anything else for the day), 7-11: primary yosi and 1.5 L Gatorade Blue source, Chicken Bacolod: lunch with Dana and Christine and OUR FAVORITE LECHE FLAN, Jollibee: 39ers lunches 'pag nagtitipid, Country Style: bagels, snoboard doughnuts, and Birthday Spaghetti
• ka-adikan sa FudgeeBarr, Lemonade from the vending machine, Turon, libreng kape, at unlimited supply of paper towels (perfect for colds ^_^)
• pa-iba-ibang mood ng mga bantay na guwardiya :D
• being late for work for just 1 minute, more than once
• people watching/bashing: girl in SHOCKING yellow pants -- di masasagasaan, 5-inch stiletto heeled girl -- mukhang hirap na hirap sa paglalakad, pitis boy -- parang di bumili ng t-shirt since grade 5 siya
• kwentuhan with Tito Joey, leaving love notes with Patti, Jos, and Mommy Jo
• Chocolate Dome Cake surprise from GE Recruitment Team (Yum!)
• English booboos during examinations
• compiling FUNNY (and UNBELIEVABLE) APPLICANT ANSWERS (I shall make a separate post for this someday)
• compiling UNIQUE FILIPINO SURNAMES (I shall make a separate post for this someday... again.)
• car watching in between tests- making reports daily, answering phone calls, interviewing people, administering tests
• learning GERMAN and ITALIAN through the Living Language books
• going out with Jaypee, Edward, Kitel, Jade and Riva only once at Filinvest (sa Exit Interview ko, sana matapat ng sweldo para makapunta ko sa Makati!)
• chika moments with the trainees, mega-encouragement and all
• talking about various topics with Jade: politics, friends, manners and upbringing, taxes, clothes and shoes, food glorious food, the idea that someday we will get rich and live abroad, life abroad, family matters, gadgets, cars and gas consumption and toll fares, jobstreet, lovelife crisis and shrink therapy sessions, life down south as opposed to the fast paced life in makati, psychology, tranportation mode (Troesch, 2008) Haha. Kasama na rin dun ang pagbasa ng mga sulat at pagtingin ng mga pictures from the past. (Haha. Si Mr. Legs)
• meeting lots of people, making friends, and trying to do the job well
• tediously revising databases to be more centralized and efficient in computing stats
• lots of photo moments: at the secret room with Riva's cellphone and Jos' camera, at Plaza B and Luneta still with Riva's phone, random places like FastBytes and malls
• finish encoding 6 months worth of applicants' resumes in JUST THREE DAYS. Imagine how many applicants we had all in all! Libo.
• tasting Jade's gourmet pasta (FAVORITE), conversations between food makers (Riva and Jade) and food eaters (Tin and Dana) Hahaha.
• riding bluey from the front of Plaza B to the parking lot
• Mood Ring days (Wear jeans to work)
• shredding (by hand, meaning tearing) the remaining documents that have been encoded... marami-rami din yun
• cleaning up SRS stuff one by one to ensure that a good transition is made

Haay. Apparently, listed down a lot of things. I'm gonna miss all of these when I leave. Bakit nga naman kasi kung kelan inuugat ka na, saka ka pa bubunutin. Oh well, that's life. I must say though, that this has been a really good experience for me. I had fun with my job, I loved the environment, and I've grown to know and love the people I work with."