The Banker's Council

Dneero: SpitzTunes -- Bring on that New Year!

2008-12-29T01:11:00.001-08:00

Dneero: It's About the Wicking!

2008-12-26T20:05:00.001-08:00

Dneero: SpitzTunes -- Happy Holidays!!

2008-12-25T07:08:00.001-08:00

Dneero: So, What Do You Think of Payday Loans?

2008-12-23T17:01:00.002-08:00

Dneero: Uncovering Opportunity in a Crisis

2008-12-23T17:01:00.001-08:00

Dneero: About You ... dNeero-ites

2008-12-06T16:37:00.000-08:00

Dneero: From dNeero-ites about Christmas

2008-11-20T16:31:00.000-08:00

Dneero: Tell Me Something I Don't Know

2008-11-17T16:50:00.001-08:00

Dneero: Sports Clothing for exercise, play, and ...?

2008-11-10T14:41:00.000-08:00

Dneero: A Yo-Yo Holiday

2008-11-10T07:33:00.000-08:00

Dneero: Yes, we did!

2008-11-09T13:36:00.000-08:00

Dneero: Movies Stuff

2008-11-03T14:20:00.000-08:00

Predictify: The Next NBA Champion Team

2008-11-01T22:08:00.000-07:00

Dneero: Tell Me Something I Don't Know - Sunday, October 26th

2008-10-27T14:57:00.001-07:00

Dneero: Starbucks' pick from iTunes

2008-10-26T22:45:00.000-07:00

Dneero: Credit Unions are CREDIT-able

2008-10-26T14:39:00.001-07:00

Dneero: Yoiks, I lost my files!

2008-10-24T07:15:00.000-07:00

Dneero: Basic Wine Stuff

2008-10-20T15:42:00.000-07:00

Dneero: Customer Service or Customer No Service

2008-10-20T15:39:00.000-07:00

Dneero: Social Influence

2008-10-18T21:49:00.001-07:00

Dneero: Let's Talk About Cars

2008-10-18T21:47:00.001-07:00

Dneero: Where's Your Loyalty?

2008-10-18T21:46:00.002-07:00

Dneero: Cyber Relationship

2008-10-18T21:46:00.001-07:00

Dneero: What about dNeero?

2008-10-18T21:45:00.000-07:00

Dneero: Tell Me Something I Don't Know

2008-10-14T20:04:00.000-07:00

Dneer

Philippine Holidays for 2009

2008-10-11T22:26:00.000-07:00

f we were to base the Philippine Holiday “schedule” on Proclamation 1463, we’re possibly looking at the following:

A. Regular Holidays

· Araw ng Kagitingan – Thursday, 09 April
· Maundy Thursday – Thursday, 09 April
· Good Friday – Friday, 10 April
· Labor Day - - Friday, 01 May
· Independence Day – Friday, 12 June. Might not be moved to nearest Monday anymore
· National Heroes Day – Last Monday of August (31 August)
· Bonifacio Day – Already on a Monday, 30 November
· Christmas Day – Friday, 25 December
· Rizal Day – Wednesday, 30 December

B. Special (non-working) Holidays

· Ninoy Aquino Day – Monday, 24 August (or might be retained on Friday, 21 August)
· All Saints Day – Sunday, 01 November
· Last Day of the Year – Thursday, 31 December

· Eid – open date, but the internet says 20 September.

Plus other holidays that may be announced from time to time.

Just a thought: if TWO regular holidays fall on the same day, do employees get 400% pay? (Don’t answer that.)

Disclaimer: This is in no way an authoritative or official declaration of Philippine Holidays for 2009. All information or conclusions were based on previous declared events.

Dneero: Fall 2008 TV: dNeero-ites want to know

2008-10-11T07:05:00.000-07:00

NUFFNANG CONTEST WINNERS

2008-10-05T23:51:00.000-07:00

Check out NUFFNANG for more details!

It’s been a month since they started the contest, and they have finally announced the lucky 68 Nuffnangers who will get prizes.

Nuffnang received so many responses and entries, and the people at there had fun reading all the entries, and seeing how creative everyone was while still managing to meet all the requirements needed.

Presenting, the official 68 winners:

www.acconectedlife.net

www.iamdownloader.com

www.ibeejing.com

www.boysessence.blogspot.com

www.quingdom.com

www.pinoywebsurfer.blogspot.com

www.galwinfabian.com

www.lalaksut.blogspot.com

www.manuelviloria.com

www.randomdetox.com

www.pinoysportsblogger.blogspot.com

www.mindy-tv.blogspot.com

www.mauieflores.blogspot.com

www.charmspassion.blogspot.com

www.suzakulace.blogspot.com

www.bum-spot.blogspot.com

www.laarnay.com

www.azraelmerryland.blogspot.com

www.gannsdeen.com

www.blogmarc.com

www.wahb.biz

www.pinoylottowinner.com

www.jezvest.blogspot.com

www.zdiaz.com

www.filipinayzd.blogspot.com

www.sandokatpalayok.com

www.maalamat.blogspot.com

www.mommyelvz.com

www.chococherrycoco.com

www.berryblog.net

www.gl3nnx.net

www.macappleboy.com

www.thefilipinoweb.com

www.marroxas2010.blogspot.com

www.pinkista.net

www.pinaymommyonline.com

www.atchucan.blogspot.com

www.angperegrino.com

www.edelweiza.com

www.thewebmagazine.blogspot.com

www.blogcebuworld.com

www.brainbitsandbeats.blogspot.com

www.kapamilyaonesite.blogspot.com

www.pinaylighterside.com

www.dacrocyte.blogspot.com

www.beauty-in-out.blogspot.com

www.joedelsanvictores.com

www.earthlyexplorations.blogspot.com

www.subtleoasis.com

www.mylifejoys.com

www.flaircandy.com

www.dpositiveside.blogspot.com

www.scrollandspin.blogspot.com

www.houseofnika.blogspot.com

www.gummybaby.blogspot.com

www.hilig-pinoy.blogspot.com

www.apolthegreat.blogspot.com

www.ljdiaz.com

www.rockinerrol.blogspot.com

www.tonyocruz.com

www.excesc.com

www.badudets.blogspot.com

www.insearch4you.blogspot.com

www.muzikistah.com

www.marvz18.blogspot.com

www.pakjwan.i.ph

www.pinoyambisyoso.com

www.council.ph

Hey, whaddya know, my other blog is in the list too! This is our very first internet contest win, ever! Thanks very much, Nuffnang!

Nuffnang will be sending out emails to the lucky ones by next week. I hope there will be other upcoming Nuffnang contests with more prizes!

Again, congratulations, everyone!

Warning: PAYPAL Scam

2008-10-05T03:45:00.000-07:00

BEWARE: NIGERIA PAYPAL SCAM

I have been a member of various local and international online auction sites for many years, having made successful transactions as both buyer and seller on different occasions. I have likewise been a Paypal user for more than 2 years already and use their services for payment transactions related to the online auctions and other online services I avail of.

I have been recently trying to sell a friend’s laptop (a NEC Versa) in various auction sites (ebay.ph, auction.ph and bidshot.com, among others). I have had a few inquiries and offers to swap but nothing positive has yet come out of those.

Anyway, I’m writing about the SECOND time someone had emailed me, offering to buy the laptop. I’ll write about the FIRST buyer some time later, maybe in a week or so, after I put in all the details and conversations.

Anyway, it seems this second person named BANKS FOLLY (email: bankslive23@yahoo.com) had seen my ad over at ebay.ph. He wrote:

Hi Mate,
I want to buy your item and i want you to get back to me now if the
item is still available so that payment can be make for the item
asap..............I will pay you PHP 57,800.00 for the total cost of the item
including shipping and i will be paying you via PAYPAL and i want you to get
back to me with your PAYPAL email address so that payment can be make for the
item asap...........I will want you to ship the item via USPS Global Express
Mail.....So get back to me now so that payment can be make for the item
now..............

Thanks
Banks Live

An interesting proposition, it would seem. I’ve read about these types of activities in the past and had received many so-called “offers” from these “buyers” who always wanted to have their items shipped to a relative in Nigeria. So I wrote him back:

Send money via paypal using this same address.
I will only ship item when I see funds transferred to my account at the PAYPAL.COM site. I will NOT ship just because I receive email from you or anyone else.
Paypal does not do escrow services. They do not hold money and wait for tracking number or shipment to be sent.
I have been using paypal for 5 years so I know how it works.

I didn’t hear from him again.

Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is. CAVEAT EMPTOR (Buyer Beware)!

Paypal is NOT (and does not provide) an ESCROW SERVICE. They will not hold payment for anyone or expect confirmation of shipment (tracking numbers, etc) to be sent to them. PAYPAL is about a person-to-person DIRECT transaction always.

Coming up: A complete narrative (including conversations) about the purchase of the same laptop, but by a different “buyer.”

Dneero: Fall TV Season Has Begun

2008-10-03T16:08:00.000-07:00

Dneero: Election 2008: Issues, issues everywhere ... Will They Help The World?

2008-09-30T09:02:00.001-07:00

Personality

2008-09-29T16:39:00.001-07:00

Two months ago:

Today:

Dneero: U.S. Presidential Politics ... OMG!

2008-09-28T14:58:00.000-07:00

Implementing Guidelines: RA 9504

2008-09-24T23:59:00.000-07:00

REVENUE REGULATIONS NO. 10 - 2008

Implementing Pertinent Provisions of Republic Act No. 9504,
“An Act Amending Sections 22, 24, 34, 35, 51, and 79 of Republic Act No. 8424, as Amended,
Otherwise Known as The National Internal Revenue Code ”
Relative to the Withholding of Income Tax on Compensation and Other Concerns.

Download Full Text and Annexes below:

Full Text
Annex A
Annex B
Annex C
Annex D
Annex E (Certification)
Annex F (Waiver)

Dneero: Windy Alternative

2008-09-24T18:34:00.000-07:00

Dneero: Run for the Impressions!

2008-09-24T17:31:00.000-07:00

Philippine Holiday: Proclamation 1625

2008-09-22T00:14:00.001-07:00

Download the document here.

Oct. 1 a holiday to mark the Muslims’ Eid’l Fitr–Palace
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 12:04:00 09/22/2008

MANILA, Philippines — President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo declared October 1 a regular holiday in solidarity with the Islamic community that would be celebrating the Eid’l Fitr, or the end of Ramadan on that day.

Arroyo issued the directive under Proclamation number 1625, dated September 19, but was released by Malacañang on Monday.

"In order to bring the religious and cultural significance of Eid’l Fitr to the fore of national consciousness, it is necessary to declare Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2008, as a regular holiday throughout the country," the proclamation read.

The Islamic community celebrates Eid’l Fitr, three days after the end of the holy month of Ramadan, which started this year on September 1.

During Ramadan, Arroyo ordered military troops running after Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) forces in central Mindanao to exercise restraint, to allow the Muslim community to observe the holy month.

Joel Guinto

Dneero: Your Eyes, Your Mind ... Primetime TV - Fall 2008

2008-09-20T16:52:00.000-07:00

Free Web Hosting!

2008-09-16T05:57:00.000-07:00

Dneero: It's TV Time 2008!

2008-09-15T04:13:00.001-07:00

Dneero: Identity -- You

2008-09-14T23:32:00.000-07:00

Dneero: Top Five Music

2008-09-14T16:26:00.000-07:00

Dneero: dNeero-ites want to know!

2008-09-07T18:26:00.000-07:00

Google Adsense

2008-09-05T07:18:00.000-07:00

Dneero: No Sweat

2008-08-31T18:54:00.001-07:00

Dneero: McCain Runs with Palin

2008-08-30T09:30:00.000-07:00

Dneero: Happy talkie, talkie ... Visual Talking

2008-08-29T08:51:00.000-07:00

Caffeine Click Test

2008-08-28T09:41:00.001-07:00

Created by OnePlusYou - Free Dating Site

Useful Information for Everyone

2008-08-27T16:55:00.000-07:00

Thank you for visiting!

As a gesture of my appreciation, do help yourself and download one (or all) of these e-books which I know will be able to help you in work or at home.

How to get a Job Fast (PDF Format)
Basic Guide to Job Interviews (PDF Format)
How to be a Workplace Warrior (PDF Format)
The Successful Career Change Guide (PDF Format)
Resume Writing Secrets (PDF Format)
The Job Hunter's Handbook (PDF Format)
Think and Grow Rich (PDF Format)
Work from Home (PDF Format)

Likewise, I'll be posting a links and tips every few days, regarding far-ranging topics from employment to travel, fashion to television, and others as well.

Do check out the various links within the pages as well. I hope you find them useful.

1. Various International Travel Tips

Dneero: Eat Healthier, not Cheaper

2008-08-25T16:53:00.000-07:00

Dneero: Obama Runs with Biden

2008-08-23T10:53:00.000-07:00

Homily for the 25th Anniversary of the Death of Senator Benigno Aquino, Jr.

2008-08-22T07:45:00.000-07:00

Homily for the 25th Anniversary of the Death of Senator Benigno Aquino, Jr.

Church of the Gesù, Ateneo de Manila University, 17 August 2008
by Fr. Jojo Magadia, S.J. (current Jesuit provincial)

When I was telling a group of friends about this Mass for the 25th anniversary of the death of Ninoy Aquino, the common reaction was disbelief: "Twenty-five years? Already?" Even more striking was the conversation that followed. One said, I was driving my car when I heard the news and I felt so heavy and distressed and sad, and there was this strange emptiness inside. Another said, I was just coming out of class, when word spread on the crowded corridors of our school, and many were stunned and confused and outraged. A third one said, I was at home, and a friend called me, and as I heard the news, the tears started coming for reasons I could not understand.

One after another, my friends and I recalled, how each one remembered that day so vividly, where we were, what we were doing, the thoughts and the feelings that hit us when the news broke out, what we did after, how we all found time to fall in line with the millions of Filipinos from all walks of life who paid their respects at Santo Domingo Church, how some of us joined that unforgettable twelve-hour funeral march from Santo Domingo, down España, crossing Quiapo and Luneta, and all the way to Parañaque, singing and praying, as millions more lined the streets in solidarity, chanting "Ninoy, Ninoy!", dressed in the signature yellow. I remember feeling so proud of being Filipino and so proud of Ninoy Aquino, and so emboldened by his death, to continue the fight, and to take part in the next three years of nonviolent struggle, and to join the Filipino people in assuring each other with Ninoy's immortal words, "Hindi ka nag-iisa." Yes, those were graced days of unimaginable courage, and I consider myself so blessed to have been part of that.

As I look back, I ask myself, how did Ninoy Aquino do it? How did he leave such a mark on many of us? Was it the disbelief and shock that blood was spilled? Was it the incredible audacity of a man who knew he was risking death, and yet went on with such determination? Was it the sacrifice that was so strikingly and powerfully communicated? Was it the dignity that came with courage recovered?

I suggest that there were two fundamental experiences that marked those days –redemption and conversion.

First, redemption. In the Old Testament, the idea of redemption boiled down to something quite simple. It had to do with the payment of a price, in order to release the enslaved or imprisoned or oppressed. It had to do with ransom, in order to liberate and grant freedom to one who is held captive. It had to do with setting free from a power that controls, that burdens, that possesses and imposes and dominates, that makes people unable to take their lives into their own hands, and determine their own futures with dignity. The sacrifice of Ninoy Aquino left such a mark on us because it redeemed us who witnessed the boldness and bravery of someone who was willing to give up his life for those he loves.

The Filipino is worth dying for, Ninoy said, and that anchored our actions in those days. It gave us a share in his vision, his daring, his tenacity. It gave us a spirit that was so fresh and infectious. It made us creative, thinking out of the box, in our ways of fighting the injustices of those days, to the point of being playful and even enjoying ourselves. It gave us a staying power that didn't give in to petty discouragements, through three long years of seeming impasse. It gave us energy and faith to just hang on, no matter what and no matter how long. Ninoy's death was our ransom, our redemption. We were saved, because through his sacrifice, we felt a new strength. We were won over by the power of good and righteousness that Isaiah speaks of in today's First Reading. Observe what is right, says the Lord, and do what is just, for my salvation is about to come. And Ninoy's sense of what is right and just gave us a new vitality.

Second, conversion. In that most touching 1973 letter Ninoy wrote to Senator Soc Rodrigo, he recounts his experience of solitary confinement. He was already in prison, when on March 12, 1973, he and the late Senator Pepe Diokno were ordered to get dressed, and thereafter, the two were blindfolded, handcuffed, and flown by helicopter to an unknown destination.

In that letter, Ninoy writes: "When my blindfold was finally removed, I found myself inside a newly painted room, roughly four by five meters, with barred windows, the outside of which was boarded with plywood panels. There was a six-inch gap between the panels and the window frame to allow slight ventilation. There was a bright daylight neon tube that glowed day and night. There were no electric switches in the room, and the door had no knobs, only locks on the outside. The room was completely bare except for a steel bed without mattress. No chairs, tables, nothing.

"I was stripped naked. My wedding ring, watch, eyeglasses, shoes, clothes were all taken away. Later, a guard who was in civilian clothes brought in a bedpan and told me that I would be allowed to go to the bathroom once a day in the morning, to shower, brush my teeth and wash my clothes [two shirts and underwear]…. the intention was to make us really feel helpless and dependent for everything on the guards."

In those days of solitary confinement, Ninoy reached a point of desperation and desolation, as he questioned the justice of God. He told Soc Rodrigo, "I remembered your famous words: Hindi natutulog ang Diyos…but I felt, at that moment, he was having a very good sound siesta and I was afraid when he finally woke up, I would have been gone! … Would God allow me to die without seeing my family? What terrible crimes have I committed to deserve this fate? The magnanakaws are living it up and I who tried to walk the narrow path of public service with integrity am now about to meet uncertain fate? Is this justice?

And then, something happened. "Suddenly," Ninoy relates, "Jesus became a live human being." And he awakened to the truth that in Jesus was "a God-Man who preached nothing but love and was rewarded with death…. who had power over all creation but took the mockery of a crown of thorns with humility and patience. And for all his noble intentions, he was shamed, vilified, slandered, and betrayed."

"Then as if I heard a voice tell me: Why do you cry? I have gifted you with consolations, honors and glory which have been denied to the millions of your countrymen. I made you the youngest war correspondent, presidential assistant, mayor, vice governor, governor, and Senator of the Republic, and I recall you never thanked me for all these gifts. I have given you a full life, a great wife and beautiful lovable children. Now that I visit you with a slight desolation, you cry and whimper like a spoiled brat!

"With this realization, I went down on my knees and begged His forgiveness. I know I was merely undergoing a test, maybe in preparation for another mission. I know everything that happens in this world is with his knowledge and consent. I knew He would not burden me with a load I could not carry. I therefore resigned myself to His will."

This, my friends, is conversion. And it is this conversion that we were invited to in those three years of struggle against the dictatorship – a conversion that meant working and giving it our best, but in the end, knowing that we could only depend on God. It was a conversion that meant accepting our limitations, and allowing the Lord to move in and fill in the blanks, and bring all the loose ends together into some unity. It meant surrendering everything, and then allowing ourselves to be surprised by the Lord's ways, as he would later show so wonderfully at EDSA in 1986.

For Ninoy, and for those who saw his conversion, it also meant embracing the ways of active non-violence, which called for courage and daring. It sought reconciliation, and not the defeat of an adversary. It was directed at eliminating an evil, not destroying an evil-doer. It entailed a willingness to accept suffering for the cause, should it be called for, but never to inflict it. It rejected hatred, animosity or violence of the spirit, in addition to renouncing all forms of physical violence. It demanded a fundamental faith that in the end, justice would prevail. And that is why, the conversion to non-violence also means an openness to even the inclusion of the dogs who depend on the crumbs that fall from the master's tables, an openness to receiving the aggressor who turns away from his old ways, an openness to reconciliation and forgiveness, after repentance.

As I look at the Philippines today, I feel sad. I am sad about the brazen corruption of many who are supposed to serve in public office. I am sad about how we Filipinos have become so tolerant of injustice and oppression, and how we do not challenge ourselves enough, and easily let ourselves off the hook. I am sad about how many have given up integrity to claim their share of the booty that the powerful dangle before them. I am sad that so many of our people have to leave their homes and their families, in search of employment overseas, because the country could not offer them opportunity. I am sad about the acts of violence all around, from the violence of the criminal, to the violence in Mindanao, to the violence of poverty and hunger and inequality and miseducation. This morning we received news from the Assumption sisters, asking for prayers because of the war that has just begun again in Lanao del Norte. I feel sad about the greed of those who abuse power, and selfishly cling to it at any cost. And through all this, it is so easy to be discouraged. But if we were to give in to this discouragement, then this commemoration of the sacrifice of Ninoy will have been merely ritual, and nothing more.

Instead, today, I suggest that we are asked to step back for a moment, and look back to the life of this man, twenty-five years after the great sacrifice of his life. We are invited to consider that what Ninoy's experience really tells us is that the struggle is really not meant to end, that the true offering of self is a daily and ongoing oblation that can only last a lifetime, and that the fight for justice must go on, ever-renewing itself, and ever re-creating itself in the face of new injustices. We are challenged to re-tell the story of Ninoy to our young, those who did not see, firsthand, those years of amazing spirit, and to rekindle in them that fire that burned so strongly in many of us.

My friends, if we are to live through all the difficulties in our country today, if we are to persevere with dignity and determination, we can draw our strength once more from Ninoy, by reclaiming the redemption he offered, and the conversion he shared. This day, we thank the Lord once more for all our Filipino martyrs and heroes, men and women, known and unknown, whose lives have been a great light and a source of hope, that feed into the work of continuing national transformation.

Today, we pray very especially for President Cory Aquino, for healing and for strength. We pray for peace in Mindanao. We ask Ninoy to pray for us and intercede for us, for we know he is with the Lord he sought to serve, the Lord in whose redemption Ninoy participated, the Lord in whose hands we entrust our lives and our loves, confident that he will bring us his peace.

Amen.

Dneero: Phelps is a Tiger

2008-08-22T06:48:00.000-07:00

Supermarket Situation

2008-08-17T03:18:00.000-07:00

Original article posted here.

The Express Lane at the Supermarket.

How 'express' is express?

I go to the supermarket once a week and at times need to buy a few items only (cooking oil, coffee, soap). So I proceed to the check out lane marked 'Express Lane - 12 pieces or less only' so I can pay for my purchases quickly without having to wait in line too long or have to muscle my way through a procession of push carts. I am usually able to pay at the cashier within 5-10 minutes.

I have experienced, in at least three separate occasions, that it took me more than 10 minutes from the time I lined up until I was able to eventually transact with the cashier. The reason? Someone ahead of me had a cartful of grocery items.

I did a double take. Was I in a lane accepting more than 12 pieces? Nope. Maybe the person ahead of me had large items that only looked numerous. I counted. Nope. The person definitely had more than 12 pieces in is shopping cart.

So what was he doing in the Express Lane in the first place? Maybe he was also in a rush. But then again so was I and a handful of other patrons.

Sometimes I try to call the attention of the cashier or another employee of the supermarket, to no avail. So the person ahead of me gets to have his purchases rung up. When my turn comes, I ask the cashier directly why the other customer (who had 20 pieces in his grocery bag) was allowed to use the express lane. In response I receive any one of the following:

The cashier did not notice that the customer had more than 12 pieces in his cart and it was too late to ask him to transfer lanes.
The cashier did not want to offend the customer by having him move to another lane.
There weren't many customers at the Express Lane so she (or they) allowed the customer to pay for his purchases there.

I even received a reply that was totally off-tangent: The customer was using his credit card. Duh!

Each time, I voiced my concern and dissatisfaction to the supervisor on duty. She apologized profusely and assured me that my observations would be acted upon. However, I had been to the store a few more times and the situation still happens.

One other incident that left a very bad taste in my mouth was when I was at the same supermarket around mid-afternoon and was about to pay for my purchases (still at the Express Lane).

I saw one of their employees coming from the selling area bringing a can or two of beer and some chips. He went straight to the cashier and asked her to punch the items on the register. I was apalled that I was not even given the proper courtesy, by the employee or the cashier, in such a situation.

Then and there I voiced my complaint, asking why they had preferential treatment for employees who do not follow procedures and fall in line. I went to the store supervisor and sought an explanation for the incident. The first reason I got from them: the employee was on a 20-minute break and had to rush. That would have been an acceptable reason and I would have let it go at that.

But the items that he bought were beer and chips. Did they have a beer break in the supermarket already? A new benefit perhaps?

I could not accept the explanation at face value. It was too shallow.

After a few more minutes of questioning, the employee admitted that the items were requested by the Assistant Store Manager.

Aha! That says a lot about them.

Dneero: Visual Talking

2008-08-17T02:25:00.000-07:00

Do you buy or pay for ...?

2008-08-17T02:14:00.000-07:00

The Interview

2008-08-17T00:14:00.000-07:00

Originally posted here.

Courtesy. Professionalism.

These are broad terms for a person’s actions relating to his official tasks or activities that would leave a mark on his reputation.

This came to mind because of a situation that left a not-so-good initial impression on me by someone in the same field I am in - Human Resources.

As a background, I have been looking for new employment opportunities for some time already. I have gone through various interviews and other exploratory discussions with many companies.

This week - on Wednesday at 1:30 PM to be precise, I received a call from a female representative (probably the secretary) of company ‘M’ located in one of the business districts in the metropolis. The lady mentioned that they had received my CV (resume) via an online job application site, through which I sent my application earlier. She asked me to come for an interview on Friday, at 6:00 PM.

Now that schedule initially struck me as being odd, so I asked the person why the schedule was after office hours. I was told that the person who would be interviewing me, their Human Resources Manager, usually came in the evening to get more work done after everyone else had left. I got the impression then that the company might have a shifting schedule, but this was denied by their employee. They had regular daytime work schedules. She only mentioned that the Manager often came to work early and perhaps left the office earlier than 5:30 PM.

So, being satisfied somewhat with the story she gave, I confirmed the 6:00 PM interview schedule for Friday.

The interview day came. I decided to be at the vicinity of their office an hour earlier to be able to relax a bit at the adjacent mall. At around 4:30 PM when I was already at the mall, taking a cup of coffee, I received a text message from the company representative. The interview was canceled because their HRD Manager was sick. I was to wait for their call the next week for a new schedule.

So I asked (also via text) why they only advised me almost an hour before the interview. I told them I was already nearby and was just keeping myself busy in the meantime. And I got an unexpected answer. Apparently the Manager only “texted” the employee a while back, perhaps a few minutes before they told me.

If the 6:00 PM schedule was odd, this situation of an eleventh-hour notification was downright absurd. I’m not complaining much about the last minute advice though. It’s the reason they gave that really got to me.

I thought about the situation.

Since the HRD Manager “texted” the employee, that meant he wasn’t at the office.
If the HRD Manager was sick, wouldn’t they have known it as early as the first working hour of the day? They could have then informed me much earlier.
If the Manager had reported to work earlier, wouldn’t they have known if he had left earlier than usual and wouldn’t be returning?

I’ve been into Human Resources for more than 10 years. I have heard the best (and even worst) excuses the employees give when they can’t report to work. Most are acceptable, honest-to-goodness valid reasons. A few may sound suspicious, and there are one or two totally unacceptable and unbelievable concocted excuses.

Now this one, about the HRD Manager being sick - well, it still keeps me thinking. I would have probably thought that it’s a poor way of giving an excuse. I’m not saying that the Manager was just malingering. Maybe he really wasn’t feeling well. But the way it was relayed - it was really something you just couldn’t forget.

I’d like to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Perhaps the Manager had an urgent appointment elsewhere. But then they should have just said so.

Maybe he was out somewhere on official business and couldn’t get back on time. They should have just said so.

Is anyone at fault in this situation? Maybe not. But given the chain of events, the subordinate employee probably did not have the skills of diplomacy or tact to deal with (allegedly) instant events that would affect other people’s activities as well.

I don’t mind waiting a few more days. The long weekend is upon us anyway. It’s not worth the stress to ponder about these things that may be resolved very soon anyway.

Then again, we’d have to see what comes up next week.

Being Jobless

2008-08-16T23:59:00.000-07:00

I have moved on from my previous employer a few months ago, having decided to try and have a go at being an independent consultant. It may be a tough challenge, but it's something that I've always looked forward to and see the time when I could work for myself. A week ago, on a day that was particularly slow and uneventful, I was trying to keep myself busy. I answered a few emails, replied to some inquiries, and had a relatively quiet morning.

Now there wouldn't be anything out of the ordinary in doing that - unless you were me, at this particular stage in my life. I had been used to working - being an employee in the corporate world - with my own desk, PC and a fixed 8-hour workday, 5 days a week. For so many years I had been a typical office "slave." I was getting frustrated. Things were not moving as fast as I had wanted them to. In fact, I felt that things weren't moving - or happening - for me - at all. I was questioning myself, asking a lot of questions. WHY? WHAT? WHERE? HOW? WHEN? WHY?

Why aren't things going right for me?
What do I have to do?
Where did I go wrong?
How long will I have to endure this?
When will things turn around for me?
Why me?

I decided to browse around at home for a book to while away my time. Nothing caught my fancy. However, I thought to myself, I just had to find one to keep me busy. I was starting to feel down and depressed - desperate even. On the table at the den was the Bible. If there's nothing else for me to do, I might as well do some contemplating. I would try to learn and understand how to overcome the trials that had come my way. Trials that still challenge me even until now. I just stood there for a few minutes, staring at the book. The cover read, "Christian Community Bible - Catholic Pastoral Edition." Random thoughts flooded my mind.

What do I really want at this point in my life? Am I ready to forge ahead on my own? Now what do I do when faced with a blank wall?

As of tomorrow, I will have been unemployed for 70 days. Seventy calendar days. I've kept myself busy by sending my resumes to different companies. I've been interviewed by quite a number but I still don't have work, a regular, desk-job type of work that I've been used to doing for so many years. Oh, I do have savings - a bit - a little bit. But I can't rely on those, what with electricity costs and other necessary expenses skyrocketing already. I'm looking forward to maybe 1-2 more months of being in the "safe zone" - being able to pay for those basic needs. But what does October hold in store for me?

Optimistically, I would have found a job by then. Pessimistically, I'd either be running after a few people who still haven't paid me their loans (contracted as early as 2006). Or worse, I'd have other people coming over to collect overdue payments. Who knows where I'll get funds by then. So I took the Bible. I stuck my finger into one of the middle pages there and opened it. Was it providence perhaps? Or just plain dumb luck. There it said, on the top part of the page.

JOB

I paused for a while. Were the fates sending a signal, or were they just tempting me? So I decided to read through it. I scanned the pages and read a few chapters.

The book of Job is much more than a "story." It deals in depth with the major questions of the human condition. The misfortunes of Job - after having been abundantly blessed all his life, he is reduced to utmost misery - are merely a pretext to have us reflect on this reality: human life on earth is not satisfying. Job only needs to contemplate nature to believe in God and divine providence. However, his misfortunes bring him to reconsider the concept he had of a tacit agreement between the just man, himself and the just God. Job accuses God with all the force of his thwarted hope and, in the end, God will have to intervene.

So I've been thinking to myself, "This is only a test. There are better things out there for me." Sure, but in reality, I'm still jobless and my money is bleeding from my pockets faster than someone who's been stabbed with a fan knife. I still try to keep a positive outlook on life, hoping that the next phone call I receive will be the good news I've been waiting for. Just tonight though, after going through the day with the thought that I had done quite well with the daily chores at home, I had a bout of what I'd think of as not just depression. It was probably despair. I got into an argument with a family member late this evening, stemming from what could probably be a minor oversight on my part. Suffice to say that if you were in my shoes and looked back at the incident after a few days, you'd just shake your head. The argument and the consequent dialogues could even pass for a radio drama spiel, or a segment in one of the evening soap operas. There I was, being bombarded with strong words, and me launching wave after wave of counter-attacks and tirades. I felt worthless.

I was being defensive at times, even to the point that I thought I would snap. I probably received 7-10 blows to the arms and head, but I didn't mind. What was there to lose? You can't put down someone who can't go anywhere lower than where I am. I'd had it. I was (am) jobless, with almost all my money gone, and receiving rants about my misfortunes. I hear a lot of reasons why I'm jobless. If they were all bullets, I'd have been riddled to death, with so many holes that I'd be worse than Swiss cheese. I hear it again. I'm jobless - no, not just jobless, but WORTHLESS. My self-esteem, if not totally gone, is probably down there somewhere in the 9 levels (or circles) of hell and won't be coming back up anytime soon. So what do I do? Just sleep it off. Nothing a few winks won't cure, or at least set aside long enough for me to find more worthwhile activities.

Tomorrow will be another day. It will provide other opportunities I will have to explore. But there's something good to look forward to. But it hasn't presented itself yet. And I'm not sure when I'll see the light at the end of the tunnel. Oh, it's there, but I still have to find a flashlight first and make my own light to guide me through the long dark night. Wish me luck.