Friday, March 30, 2012

My name is Anne, how may I help you?

Life as a call center agent is quite stressful! Good thing, I'm in technical support, and not in billing or sales, or I could have gone mad already! When I was a newbie, an upset customer shouted at me and I almost cried after the call! I've been with the company for more than five years now and I've talked to different people with varying personalities!

There were times when I got offended by racists, almost had a heart attack because of irate callers, got insane with super slow customers, lost patience with people who complain just about everything, laughed with non-sense jokes, shared experiences with 80-yr-old peeps who use email, and suggested beautiful places in the country to those who love to travel!

These are some of the weirdest and funniest conversations I had!

ME: May I have your telephone number please?
CUSTOMER: [proudly] I don't know my phone number. I don't call myself.
ME: [speechless]
#tumbling mode# 

CUSTOMER: [confidently] I'm a linguist and I know a lot of international languages! Where are you located?
ME: Really? That's awesome! I'm in the Philippines!
CUSTOMER: [full of excitement] NI HAO MA!
ME: [awkward silence for a few sec] That's Chinese.
#lakas makaloko ni sir#

CUSTOMER: I'm an IT guy and I know technical stuff, you don't need to be too slow with me.
ME: Okay, Thank you. What Operating System are you running on the PC?
CUSTOMER: What's that?!?
#IT??IT pala ha?#

CUSTOMER: I have a Filipino friend and I love Filipino dishes!
ME: What do you love most?
CUSTOMER: Kim Chi!
ME: [disappointed] Oh, that's Korean!
#eh-wan ko seyo!#

ME: [opening] Thank you for blah blah blah.. [interrupted by caller]
CUSTOMER: [loudly] I want you to send somebody out to my house now! [then hungs up]
#ikaw na nag-iisang customer namin! Bang Galing eh!#

CUSTOMER: [irate] I cannot connect to the internet! Your company is disgusting! If you can't resolve my problem, I'm going to switch to a different provider!!!
ME: I'm really sorry for the trouble but I will do my best to help you. Is your computer ON right now?
CUSTOMER: [shouting] I don't know how to turn the damn computer ON!!! blah blah blah....
ME: [in mute] Pano ka nga naman makapag-internet kung patay ang computer mo..
#sakit sa bangs#

CUSTOMER: [angrily] I can't believe that you cannot pull up my account without my account number?!
#hindi rin ako makapaniwala sa sinabi mo sir#

CUSTOMER: What do I type in the "first name" box?
ME: [in mute ulet] First name ko, sige type mo first name ko! 
#adik much!#

CUSTOMER: I can't believe you disconnected my dsl service for $80! I will sue you guys!!
#taas kilay#

CUSTOMER: Are you still single?
ME: Yes.
CUSTOMER: You don't know how lucky you are for being single!
#ayii, si ma'am.. may pinagsisisihan!#

CUSTOMER: I'm a relationship expert and you should visit my website!
ME: That's interesting! What's your website?
CUSTOMER: It's ****themasterdater.com. That's m-a-s-t-e-r-d-a-t-e-r not masturb*ter.. [then laughs]
#kunwari wala akong narinig#

I also have a share of bloopers!

CUSTOMER: Do i need to restart the computer?
ME: Opo. [silence from customer] I mean.. yes!
#pak! kung ano ano kasi ginagawa#

ME: Okay, so I'll go ahead and transfer you to our belling [coughs] billing department.
#bulol#

CUSTOMER: What's a router?
ME: A router is a device that will enable you to be able to.. [pause]
#redundant much#

I guess there's still more mind blowing conversations that I just can't remember right now. Next time na lang.. :)

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Papa's Birthday!

Papa celebrated his 59th birthday last March 23! It was a fun-filled day shared with the whole family!

Happy birthday Papa!

It was a simple celebration with simple, ever-present but uber-delicious food!

Mom's yummy spaghetti! Everyone's favorite!
Rocky Road / Double Dutch


Papa's visitors were his super-hyper grand kids so there were lots of laughing, running, shouting and crying all day long!





It's very seldom that we become complete (because we live in distant towns) so pictorial is a must!

Mama and Papa :)
Ate Joy, Me, Kuya Jay, Mama, Papa, Kuya Joel!
Papa and bunso
One Big Happy Family :)

Sunday, March 18, 2012

I've found my solemate!

Yup, solemate! Not my soulmate (that I haven't found yet!). I'm not really an impulsive buyer but one thing I can't resist... shoes!!! My favorite brand right now is Solemate, an SM exclusive shoeline. These are flat shoes that are really comfortable to wear but costs only PhP299.75 per pair!

These are my recent buys! I got all four pairs last Friday! I actually felt guilty buying all four but they're cheap so I think it's ok! :p

This one's my new fav!
Peeptoe polka with bow!
My fav color.. pink!
Round toe with bow
Plus I also got a pair of aqua shoes that costs only PhP249.75! Perfect for my beach escapades!

This one's by Aquatech

These are the other pairs that I got previously. One thing though, you shouldn't wear these when it's raining because they're made from cloth and can be easily stained.

All from solemate!

And this is my entire shoe collection! Some are from Officine (sister company of Alberto where my brother works), from Liliw and random picks from other brands!

Kailangan magulo?

That's it! In total I have 28 pairs of shoes. I think that's not much compared to
other shoe collectors. But I promised a friend that I won't be buying shoes for the next 2 months! Okay, good luck! :p


Saturday, March 10, 2012

Food Trip in Antipolo!

Just tonight, I dined in two different restaurants in Antipolo! Both served good food at affordable prices!

First stop: Tiolo! A newly opened restaurant that serves mainly barbeque, steaks and pasta!


I ate spaghetti with meatballs and tropical juice. The pasta was good, the sauce is sweet and the meatballs are yummy! Best part is it costs only PhP83!


My friends were satisfied with what they had too! I took a bite of the porkchop steak and I loved it; will definitely order that next time!

Porkchop Steak
Chicken Cordon Bleu
Roasted Pork
After the sumptuous meal in Tiolo, we then headed to our next target: Hanoel! A small coffee shop! Well, the main reason we came here is not because of the coffee, but the Korean owner named Chris Lee who happened to be very good looking! ;p


It is worth coming to this coffee shop (not only because of Chris!) because of the relaxing ambiance and unique interiors! 

You can post your thoughts here!
Love this double deck!
Featured Menu!
They have different musical instruments (that's not only intended for display) like the piano, guitar and violin (plus those that I don't know the exact names). Too bad I don't know how to play any of them!




And let's not forget what's on the menu! I ordered mocha frappe which is just right but not yet comparable to Starbucks' blend.


But I super loved the waffle! The outer crust is crisp yet the inside is soft and chewy, and it is very creamy! And the caramel and chocolate toppings are just perfect!


And I also liked this korean version of halo-halo, with some fruits and fruit loops cereal and sweet monggo.


I enjoyed both resto and would hope to come back! But what I loved most in Hanoel that I didn't find in Tiolo? Chris Lee!

Isn't he charming? :)



FYI:
Tiolo
2145 Circumferential rd.Brgy. San Roque , 1870 Antipolo, Rizal
Mon - Sun:10:00 am-10:00 pm
(02) 695 9467

Thursday, March 8, 2012

It's more fun in Baguio City!

Believe it or not, I'm 25 and it's my first time to go to Baguio! After all the numerous unsuccessful plans, I finally stepped foot on the country's summer capital! Yey!

We took the Victory Liner Bus, departed at exactly 12mn, and arrived in the terminal by 5:30am. 

15 min stop over in never ending Tarlac!
Finally, at Victory Liner Terminal :)

It was pretty early when we arrived and we had to look for a resto that's already opened by that time. 

Chowking!

We were going to stay here for 3 days and 2 nights so we had to buy food for our breakfast and dinner. 

Stopover at the i-dont-know-the-name park!

We had to split jobs, four beautiful girls stayed to watch over our stuff and the two boys and the other hottie went to the market!

Super relax!
Me and my luggage!
Major in.. Marketing! ;p

Then we went to our super nice and colorful transient home. Very affordable @ PhP5000 for our 3 days stay, fully furnished, 2 rooms with 2 beds each, dining and sala and a clean CR (equipped with hot/cold shower, ofcourse!)

Busy with kitchen work!
Busy taking pics!

Time for the Day 1 Tour! We rented an fx taxi to serve as our service. It is definitely worth it and recommended to rent; convenient and time saver! (PhP2000 for 8hrs)


Super bait Kuya Ferdinand! Driver and Tour Guide!

At the Memorial Marker in Kennon Road
Lion's Club of Baguio
Wacky!

In Baguio, we were offered strawberry taho everywhere we go! I didn't like it though, it's too watery! Is it because of the weather or the altitude? ;p

Official Strawberry Taho Model!

Next stop.. PMA! They say there's a lot of handsome military guys there, but I didn't notice anyone! There were less (should I call them) soldiers than I expected!

In front of the PMA building
Salute!
Sun dial.. it's 11am!
Are they not allowed to smile?
It's super super fun! Yeah!

Then, we went to Camp John Hay! We were surprised to know that they do have their own Tree Top Adventure!


In full battle gear, haha!

I wanted to try something a-bit-extreme but some of us are afraid of heights, so we ended up with the Canopy Ride. It's an almost 30-min ride around the vast area of tree top adventure, a nice way to savor nature!


nervous guys??
Yehey!
Super nice!
Kunwari model!
We had fun!

Late lunch at Cora's Restaurant in Mines View Park. There's nothing special with the food.

Gutom na!
Chopsuey, Bulalo and Crispy Pata!

Pasalubong shopping and more pictorial in Mines View Park! It was raining though so we had to leave and just went to Good Shepherds to buy their most famous Ube Jam!


fun fun fun in the rain!
Ofcourse, we won't miss the igorot costume!

We went home, wanted to rest but got excited and decided to go to SM Baguio!

Photo ops while waiting
Box office sa SM!
Shorts in SM Baguio?? Epic Fail!

Day 2! Good morning Baguio!! When I woke up I found out that they had a slumber party and I missed the fun! But I had a goodnight sleep, so no regrets! :)

Breakfast: Hotsilog!
Ready in no time!

We went back to Mines View Park for more pics, then to The Mansion and Botanical Garden!

Awesome view!
Korean mode!
Back to more fun look!

Kulitan mode!
Revised more fun look :p

Had to temporarily stop the gala to pick-up another friend who just arrived in Victory Liner Bus Terminal! Then off for quick lunch!


Lechon Cebu Liempo @ Chickboy!

Next stop was at the Chinese Temple but had to leave immediately because of the rain (blessings!). So then we went to Strawberry farm to buy fresh strawberries (what else?) and eat strawberry flavored icecream! Stay away strawberry taho, please! :)



Chinita!
Successful jumpshot!

Strawberry Icecream at Strawberry Farm!

Our next destination was the Tam-Awan Village! There's a PhP50 entrance fee and we were so lucky we arrived just in time for their Cultural Show held every Saturday at 2pm! It was nice to see those kids showcasing their culture and talent! And oh, I just love the courtship dance! :)





It was a bit tiring climbing thru the Tam-Awan Village, so we were exhausted by the thought that we will climb the 200+ stairs of Lourdes Grotto! But to our surprise, we got to the top in no time!





Before heading home, we dropped by at Starbucks in Camp John Hay for our favorite Frappuccino! It was hot when we came in but it got pretty cold after, and we were drinking iced coffee.. another epic fail!

Dark Mocha Frappe..my favorite!

Time to go home! Rested for a while, then cooked and ate dinner! It's the last night in Baguio, of course, we can't miss bar hopping! We chose Cafe Will because it's not too crowded nor too noisy.


Freezing cold night again!


We drank soju, and I swear I won't drink that again! We read somewhere that it is sweet, but for me it tastes like isopropyl alcohol! And it made me tipsy, which made my friends happy! haha!



Day 3 in Baguio! We were able to visit Baguio Cathedral and had a walk in Burnham Park too. I didn't have pics anymore, I consumed the 2GB memory of my cam already and I can't decide which to erase yet so we settled with our mobile phone's cam! We left Baguio by 1pm via Victory Liner and were back to Manila by 8pm.

Super enjoyed my first time in Baguio!! Looking forward to future adventures with my super bestfriends! :)

It's more fun in Baguio!