PB

plane me

me at the plane for my first hong kong trip! (25 months ago)

'will take similar picture later! hehe

kamustasa!

alas-dos ng umaga. malamang manahimik muna ako ng mga ilang araw. wala akong internet access sa pilipinas. balikan ko 'to kung meron ng pagkakataon.

rant 2

to finish off my story..

closing interview. because of what happened to the situational interview, i was a bit hesitant to continue my application. i said that if there's another phone interview, i would decline…but since i learned it's a "closing interview", i guess this would be quick, just tell me the result and offer. but oh boy, i was ever wrong!! absolutely wrong! when the first question i was asked from the supposedly "closing" interview was "where did you graduate and what course?" i was upset already. at that time i had the hint that this is another round of their non-senselessness..but nevertheless, i answered her. when the succeeding questions were like, "how do you ensure your unit testing?" "what cobol do you use?" i was baffled. was this a closing interview or a technical interview part deux? then she asked me if i know anybody from accenture, i named 2 or 3 people. then when she told me about their expansive location in manila, i mentioned to her that those people i know are from their cyber**** office, she replied like " i don't know them, we are like 10K people working here so that's impossible." my gulay, anak ng tinapa. then why ask me about their names in the first place!! this happened right after she explained that "if you are a person who's really concerned about the working location, then i suggest do not work for *********." if her last statement were true, then they should have tell this information to every single applicants in their very first phone call! so that they don't mess around and waste other people's time in their ridiculous and totally futile interviews!

then we talked about the trainings, she mentioned that i'm obligated to get all their trainings that they throw at me irregardless if there is additional bond or contract. which i politely asked why is that the case? she then told me that "because we do not pay for people who just sit down and do nothing". i told her that if i would be in such situation, can they just assign me to something else that doesn't require trainings? (as i hate bonds) but she really insisted in her reasoning that they don't pay people who sit down. (apparently, they do pay for senior managers who bitch around.)

it ended without them offering. that's how their closing interview is.

you are wasted.

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now these are my simple tips for employers.

0) if you say it's a 30-minute call. make sure it'll last 30 minutes. may be less. but not more.

1) if you say closing interview, do not ask silly questions like "where did you graduate?"

2) intelligent questions will be answered by intelligent answers. your idiotic queries will be answered by silence. you're lucky if you get a sigh.

3) though i love the performing arts and drama, please, i'm not an actor, don't make me act.

obviously as i sounded here, i emailed them the night after the closing interview and call off my application.

too bad i'm not gonna have their free iced teas in the mornings and afternoons. too good i'm not in the chance of  replacing tiger woods in their ads.

rant

not the palahniuk book. this a rant, a long rant about my application encounter with a renowned international outsourcing company. well, like everyone else i've been looking for greener pastures recently. not that i super enthusiastically and fervently wanted to dump my present job. i guess it's more for the sake of seeking further opportunities. if none found, then no big deal. i'm still lucky and blessed to have a job waiting for me once i can get back in the philippines.

so here goes, let me tell you more about this experience. everytime i tell people that i'm applying for this company, they all turn sour and remorsefully oppose, (saying i'm just wasting my time)…save for 2 or 3 people i know working inside that company. so out of intrigue, i continued my application. ain't gonna hurt i guess. worst case is i won't get accepted. just like with all other applications, it started with a resume. to cut this thing short, just submitted my resume, got a reply, some phone calls, scheduled some interviews (which btw turned out superb example of idiocracy).

HR interview was the first. nothing major here. just the norm questions. the only bad thing is i had to stand for about an hour over the phone as i don't want to attend the call at my place where people could here me talking.

Technical interview. ok this one is not too bad, but not to good either. i found some questions, let just say, dense/unintelligent enough to provide any possible answer. okay this is really hard to defend but no less than once that i got myself in a situation that i can't provide the answer not because i don't know the answer but more of the stupidity in nature of the query. paradoxically formulated questions.

Situational interview. this is the minor bang. i couldn't imagine how good an actor i became. i would have to answer the questions in first person…instant acting class, as in drama style, reenactment complete with my oration with her acting as my manager. i was asked precisely about the different situations i've had before including the time, day, how i talked to my manager, my manager's reply, my reply to my manager's reply. the reply of my manager to my reply to my manager's reply, etc, ad infinitum. one of the case she kept on asking, "and after that what did you do?" <me answer> "and after that?" <me answer> "and after that?" <me answer>, "and then after that?" me answered, "i went home because it's late already and i'll continue my work tomorrow. another one is she asked "so how did you wrote it? where?" me answered, "on paper, i wrote it on paper". and a lot lot more i just don't have the luxurious time of enumerating them all. now don't get me all wrong here. i didn't answered blatantly until i felt this is all wasted time. she keep on asking me questions again and again, simply rephrasing her originaly question. i kept on saying "just like i mentioned earlier…". now this was another hour and a half of time that they could never return.

Closing interview. this is the major bang. let me finish this tomorrow. i'm all sleepy now. hehe

packing nights

so very few hong kong days left. i started packing my things a few weeks ago, i've got quite some stuff around here..amassed belongings from my 25-month stint in this city. one packing night (disambiguation, hehe), i felt silly that while sorting things out my winamp happened to play random songs that are kind of gloomy…haha true i had some nice time in here. 'have met some wonderful people and friends. learned a lot about things from work. learned a lot about things not from work.

now i don't what to be dramatic here. but i just wanted to say thanks to every amazing individual i've met in hong kong.
so long and thanks for all the fish,
jeremy

friday night [candle]lights

'was planning to go to mong kok last friday with sechie…could do a night market for the last time before leaving (which is very soon, btw!). so we're supposed to meet around 7ish in tsim sha tsui, and she hasn't arrived yet until a few minutes past 7, which got me a bit thinking 'cause i'm always used to her being early. when i got to the meeting place, voila! i was taken by surprise that there were ton of people with her! turned out they arranged some despedida (farewell) party! they brought some take-away chickens and a birthday cake, and then we passed by grocery to get some more drinks and ice cream. so off our way to hung hom, instead of mong kok shopping..

top (l to r) jaime, joel, adie, and cher. below (l to r) sok, sechie, and me.

by the way, it's nobody's birthday. hehe. thanks everyone for the fun night!

ess muss sein!

it must be. this is one of the greatest book i've ever read. instant favorite. i've been hearing about this kundera before..some if his works even became movie..but only recently i had the chance to read one of his novel. the unbearable lightness of being.

although a topic i surely could not relate in, infidelities, kundera never failed to catch my psyche. the way it was written is outstanding. the way it was narrated, that is, not in a straight timeline of events may not be original, but it still did achieve its intention.

the story surrounds the affairs of main four individuals, tomas (protagonist), his wife teresa, sabina (tomas' mistress) and franz (sabina's lover). well, it doesn't just go on with the infidelities among them. there is so much than that. it's about life and fortuities. it even entails concept that requires philosphical anaysis…topics that people debate on. again, one of the book that is so profound that it requires to stop readong from time to time and think. i love how it discussed the difference between men and women in handling an umbrella during rainy days., that women normally don't care if they're gonna hit their umbrellas with other peoples' umbrellas. that it should be a matter of realizing who is superior and inferior (the inferior will avoid hitting the umbrella of superiors) and how men would always humbly avoid the clash and raise it up no matter what. which is absolutely true!! the story happened mostly in prague and zurich, in the middle of atrocities as the russians invade the city. so, keeping my mouth shut now 'cause i want you to go over it on your own and discover the intricacies of reality yet in a so trivial existence. unbearably light.

highly recommended.

higanteng duhat

pag nasa tiya ko ako tuwing linggo, madami akong nakakaing nuong ko lang nakain ng araw na 'yon. halimbawa, nung nakaraang linggo, inalok ako ng tiya ko ng prutas…plum, parang isang malaking duhat ito. nang makailang kagat na ako sa higanteng duhat, nasambit ko "ganito pla ang lasa ng plum!"  natawa ang tiya ko, sabi "sus, bat ngayon ka lang nakakain nyan?!" hehe…

duhat lang kasi ang meron sa pilipinas. lasa din syang duhat, menos ung pakla ng duhat pag madami ka ng nakain.

Machines (used) for Sale

1) PSP (Black) - Value Pack, plus 4GB Original Sandisk Memory Stick Duo, 1 UMD (Untold Legends: Brotherhood of the Blade) - Ps. 10,500.00

2) I-river H10 6GB (Silver) - MP3 Player - Ps. 6,200.00

3) Motorola V3i (with iTunes / 256MB) - Ps. 5,600.00

4) Sony Ericsson P900 - Slightly defective touch screen - Ps. 2,500.00

5) Nokia 8310 - Ps. 1,400.00

Please email jeremydavid.chua@gmail.com if interested.
Reason for selling: Don't need them anymore. =)
Thanks!