Finding A Job Is A Full Time Job (part 1)

So I thought of re-visiting this blog because this one was built almost exactly a year ago during the Holiday season. Funny how times and seasons can really activate your mind about things you built a few months back, which really didn't really take off so to speak - in other words, an epic fail.

As I write this, I'm stuck in a drowsed state but somewhere in between sleepy and wanting to be sleepy, but not so sleepy to write a blog post, which, according to a recent buzz phrase in the writing industry, is a thing called "free writing", if such a word actually exists or holds merit.

You may have heard (or not) about how I closed the curtain on college a few weeks back but it seems as though college doesn't want to close the curtains on me, having all those requirements and submissions and fees that I need to bring to the table. I needed a one month break from all that. However, there's this PE professor, a badminton one, that wants to make his subject seem more important that it really is:

* Made me write a research paper about badminton, history, rules, parts of the racket, where the racket or the shuttlecock materials came from (clue: it's from the skin of an exotic animal..dont wanna get into that)

* Anyway, I still haven't got the grade for this badminton thingy.

But despite the slight delay on T.O.R. release requirements, I decided to kill the time and apply for jobs in smothered rooms they call offices, that belonged to companies. So I applied.

Sure enough, after being a freelancer, a free person for the past 7 years of my adult life...this is a rare moment wherein I'm actually entering establishments and practically issuing a demand that goes like: "hey, put me in your payroll".

First company:

A dimly lighted office located on the uppermost floor of a 31-story building. Position is Web Content Writer. HR made me take an exam. Could't find the CR afterwards. 1 week later , was invited for a final interview with the manager, who happened to be a cool guy who liked me (or seemed to). Interview went kinda like this:

Verniel: Hey pal, I used to be an intern in HR so I have a pretty good idea of what you're gonna say next. GOtcha

Manager: Really..uhh...(really intimidated)...do you think I suck at interviewing?

V: Honestly, yeah.

Manager: Way cool pal. You're shorlisted.

* Of course the conversation didn't really go like that. it's just a summary. This application is waiting management's decision on Dec. 17. Huh! That's like, in 3 days!

Second company

This one is in a building which I won't reveal to you..it's called Burgundy Tower. So I came with this killer corporate attire and tried to become the Golden Boy of job interviews (or let's just say the Pacman, whatever). I was determined to become the SEO analyst for this company. hey, this is it....

I reached the office on the 9th floor..oh sorry that's the 14th..I almost forgot. And I was stopped by a guard who seemed to assume that I am in the building for some evil reason. I said hey dude I was invited by Miss Cherry for an interview..to which he replied by giving me a long form which looked like a midterm exam questionairre...and duh I had to fill up personal details again. What's my resume for?

When I entered the office proper...I asked the receptionist.."Im looking for miss cherry"..to which I got the reply..."ANDYAN LANG YUN SA TABI TABI". Fine, proper, and polite. ;) So I waited there and lo and behold I saw an internet cafe..no it was an office! there were chairs and cubicles..and each small cubicle is further divided into two "micro" cubicles, making it appear as though the company wants their employees to kiss each other involuntarily on the cheek while working...*sigh*

On top of all those chairs and tables and cubicle divisions was one (1)...yes...one electric fan that kinda ventilates the whole room.

That;s ok with me. But look..everybody's wearing shorts! i came in long sleeves...

"Hey mr. Cutar, you have to take this exam"...Cherry was glaring straight at me..the HR who was supposed to take care of me. So I was taken to a micro cubicle.."You need to finish this writing exam in exactly one hour". I said, 'no problem!"

I was wrong, there was a problem. The computer aint working. Hello, is there an IT guy who can fix it? It seems as if I'm alone here! No one is around. HELPP!! No, it's not one of those ghost stories wherein the victim screams helplessly in the end...but it's pretty darn close.

I stood.

I looked for the nearest HR personnel (who was playing some FB game at work) and said: "Thank you very much for inviting me, I appreciate all this..but I need to withdraw my application. Thank you so much".

Discrimination aside, I just didn;t see myself working there..so I just withdrew. I wish the company luck though!

And those were the first two companies I applied with. Will post other job interview stories I had during the past few weeks, and how I found the right one (that's the good part, hey).

To be continued...

Blogging Is Sweeter The Second Time Around

What would be the reason why a blog owner would suddenly show up and write a post after more than a month of absence? I guess it has to be the love for writing (or the lack of it..whichever works for you). For the past month, I've been a non-writer -- immersing myself in activities which make a person "normal" in society. I forgot that WRITERS ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE LIKE THAT.

Writers are supposed to be like this:

* Eccentric
* Weird
* err...Couch Potatoes?
* Moody
* Sarcastic
* Inquisitive (in short, mtanong)
* Reflective
* ERRATIC (a weird word which came up after one of my erratic moments..so I learned it)
* Solitary

As a self proclaimed writer, and as someone who has written more for others than for myself, I can say that I have at least...ALL of the mentioned qualities above. LOL. And each time I start becoming a "normal" person in the most stereotypical sense of the word...I lose the flair for writing.

And I found out...BLOGGING is not meant to record daily activities. I tried that. It was stressful! Blogging is a sort of catharsis (a cliche' word which actually means, a process of expressing pent up feelings and emotions).

Emotions must pile up throughout days and weeks before you can start writing something that makes sense.

Anyway, for the past two years, I have written a bunch of articles which aim to entertain target audiences all over the web. Sure I earn from these articles, but it wouldn;t hurt if you take a look. Have fun:

CLICK HERE TO SEE VERNIEL'S ONLINE ARTICLE PAGE

eternal 1 hour / more Bruno Mars comparisons / sighs

When you're waiting, minutes seem like hours!

Look at me. It's 2:30, just 30 minutes away from my next class but it seems like forever.

That's what happens when your accounting professor is absent.

And that's what happens each time you're waiting for something...whatever it is....it takes forever!! (ok, no need to elaborate the details on that..lol)

***********

Anyway, yesterday someone did a CRIME. Again. The crime is telling me that I look like Bruno Mars. lol! What's with the Bruno MArs comparisons? I started hearing that a few months ago. Rumors, please stop!! haha. I mean, I'm flattered but I like myself just the way I am!! (yup and just the way you are)..lol

*****

When you're undergoing emotional stress and things get rocky..all you can do is SIGH (physically. because some people will argue and tell you to pray. but that's a given).

SIGHS!!!!


Ok, I'm fine.

don't get too happy YET...

In my experience, it is better to limit your celebration when things are going well in your life. Why?

Because nature has its way of robbing happiness away. If you get too happy...the next thing in line for you is..well, some kind of sadder event. hahaha

If you earn a salary and you get too happy about it, you won't save a single penny. Gagastusin mo lahat yun.

If someone tells you that you look good, and then you reacted with extreme happiness, it's easy for the other person to say, JOKE LANG.

So I think the right kind of happiness is "controlled happiness". lol. It is also called "delayed gratification".

Limit or delay your celebration if something good happens to you. Place your successes in a box until a quieter time (as the Dave Matthews song goes.)

There's another side to this, and it is sorrow.

Remember that if you're experiencing too much sorrow right now...keep in mind that the next thing in store for you is joy, happiness, success, triumph.

It's true.

I'm starting to think that this is what the Bible means when it is written, "Sorrow is better than laughter". I think sorrow speaks of good things ahead. But present laughter (I mean, too much of it) leads to future grief.

So I think the pattern of nature is this:

Cry before you laugh.
Fail before you succeed.
Pain before gain.
Practice before perfection.
Work before play.
Rejection before approval.


I've found that if you turn this pattern around, in most cases you end up losing in the end in some way.

Kaya pala si FPJ pabugbog muna. hahaha.

I mean, I admit this is not true 100% of the time. There are exceptions. But if you're experiencing minor successes right now......don't give your class A celebration yet. There are greater things ahead of you!

Good day.

if you have a cat, read this. :)

Just a few days ago, I have been reading a magazine article, and one writer wrote about an interesting attitude that all cats have in common.

Now, I'm not sure if this is 100% real, but I just feel like blogging about it. lol

Research has shown that when a cat enters a room full of people, the animal usually approaches the person who has the most amount of indifference (in other words, kung sino yung taong pinaka-hindi namamansin sa pusa...yun ang lalapitan ng pusa..haha).

This attitude is hard-wired and automatic in cats. To prove if this idea is true, I tried it on our cat, Blessing. When he entered the room one morning while everyone is having breakfast, I didn't call him or throw him any food. I acted as if I didn't see the poor cat. After a few minutes, I can see the cat (through my peripheral vision) approaching me slowly! Then he started to play with my foot, trying to get my attention.

Confirmed.

Anyway, the research also found that the same trait or attitude of cats toward indifference ARE PRESENT IN MANY HUMAN BEINGS! lol

But don't bother trying this on people. Do it to your cat first!!! hahaha.

Why the Bible and my iPod go great together.....

Most people today equate the Bible with religion, rules, and worse yet, superstition. (To us apostolics, it's a different story). On the other hand, people associate iPods with pop music, technological advancement, keeping up with trends...

In my opinion, the two can be used together for worthwhile personal purposes...if you know how.


For example, just recently I downloaded the audio version of the King James Version of the Bible on my Apple device. Thank God for modern technology (well, it's not exactly a new technology, but I'm just happy about it). Now I can listen to the Scriptures everywhere I go, and "encode" the Words of Truth in my heart and mind on a much greater scale.

By listening, I am able to see a new perspective of the Bible that I've never had before. For example, in the book of Proverbs, I usually just read on and on for a long time, and have trouble grasping the meaning of each verse when I start feeling sleepy. But when I began listening to the audio (thanks Steve Jobs!), the book of Proverbs is clearer to me now. :)

By the way, you can use the "Audiobooks" feature of iTunes to start syncing Bible files in your device. If you want to know how to do this and where to get te files, let me know at 09162275715. You can do this at absolutely no cost.
"Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God". (Romans 10:17)

But of course, I still believe in reading the Bible! If you already do read yours, keep it up! But if you could add AUDIO to your spiritual menu, that would be better.

So let me ask you, what's in your iPod? :)

Don't lose the opportunity. Put the Greatest Book in History inside the best gadget of the modern age.

*** *** ***



(Happy birthday to my brother, Charis, who's celebrating his 27th birthday today. God bless you bro!)

new year's eve / overflowing food / beef or sugar?

Please don't ask for videos. I'll post them later. (Or I might, depends on the mood).

So........

I made it to 2011!! As I played Kenny G's version of Auld Lang Syne on my iPod minutes before 12 midnight of Jan 1, I felt like having a toast (soda only) with my brothers and cousins for such a wonderful year that has passed. I mean, lots of people didn't even make it! So thank God we're here.

Food was, well..."overflowing" was an understatement. Up to the last minute of 2010 I was hoping that I could at least lose a few inches off my bulging tummy...but to no avail. Why did they ever invent New Year celebrations?? It's just a way for people like us to fall for all the yummy recipes being offered. :)

Kidding aside, I had an awesome N.Y. celebration. What better company to have than family, right? And besides, I have no choice. They have no choice too, they're stuck with me...so hey we might as well celebrate together and drown in food. :)


Just before midnight we found time to kneel and pray and just thank God for all His goodness.

Gifts were cool. I got a new towel, new socks, and a piece of yellowish paper with Ninoy's face printed on it. :) (they said I could use that paper to buy things from the store. What are stores???)

Traditionally, we celebrate New Year's eve with lots of family members, in-laws and relatives. But this year, it wasn't possible, so here are the only people present:

We decided not to participate in any "firecracking" or fireworking..but we did make noise by the sound of the DRUMS...lol. I'll try to post videos of that. I also took video clips of fireworks from our neighbors.

AFTERMATH: Today, January 3, 2011...I woke up at 6 pm and couldn't stand up. My thighs are numb, my muscles are weak, and I couldn't move! I thought I was going to go lame (which is a lame theory)......thank God I'm ok now. They say it's because of too much sugar I took the past few days (soda, chocolates, fruitcake, rice, pasta, etc......). Others say I had too much BEEF (bulalo, beef steak, meatballs).

So which one is the culprit? Beef or Sugar? Post comments. :)