The Day I Turned HP Down
Posted by special_child at 05:32 AM on July 4, 2006 as a favorite post.
Yes, it sounds ridiculous, but I did.
Exactly 12 hours ago, I was on the phone contacting their HR personnel...
HR: Hello?
Me: Hi, may I speak with Ms. -----?
HR: Yes?
Me: Ako po si Marvin, from last Friday? I'm sorry I couldn't come today kasi...
HR: So anong napag-usapan niyo?
Me: Hindi po pumayag nanay ko eh. Sabi po nya kung meron po kayong daytime opening, papayag po sya.
HR: Ah, si ----- na ang kausapin mo dyan. So that means na hindi mo tinatanggap yung offer?
Me: Uh... ganun na nga po.
HR: Ok, that's it. Thank you.
I was trying to keep it from almost everyone I encountered the past weekend. It was just last Thursday that I got a call, saying that on Friday afternoon they (HP) were gonna give me a job offer. Friday afternoon came, and I saw their offer. It was good... the benefits were good... but my concern was that they were getting me on the 2 - 11 PM shift (for the Middle East, Europe and Africa account) or the 11 PM - 6 AM shift (for the North America account). And it sure as it was a big problem that my mom didn't approve of shifting in the first place, even if I personally like the idea and even if I already said "Yes" to shifting when interviewed previously.
So I was given the chance to talk with my mom over the weekend. But the more I thought about it, the more it made my mind go ballistic... with me ending up getting sick by Saturday that I didn't enjoy the surprise party for our EA Director Sir Paul that well. It worsened on Sunday. And when I woke up Monday morning, I thought I would have woken up on the right side of the bed. I was wrong. 
Letting go of your first job offer is really hard, especially when you want to get a job that a lot of people weren't able to get, and get it already considering that it's after graduation. I just hope this won't be a fairly regrettable decision.
Top Ten Facts That Might Or Might Not Have Affected My Decision
10. Last Friday night, I saw my blockmates and watched Superman Returns. All but two (Allan and I) did not have jobs, and Joseph pretty much emphasized it that night.
9. Allan hasn't graduated yet, so it's excusable. How about me?
8. After I left HP that afternoon, I got the colds.
7. Saturday afternoon, I wasn't feeling well already.
6. Cindy, the person in HP whom I forwarded my resume to, was present in Sir Paul's surprise party.
5. I was seated in a table of ten during the party, seven of which were HP employees.
4. Cindy knows about the situation of me not signing the job offer, which she tried to bring up during the party.
3. My aunt and uncle called that night, advising me to turn down the position.
2. I was sick the whole day Sunday, I lost my concentration during the Mass, and I still wasn't decided. I don't have other job offers yet.
-and... (drum roll please)-
1. Mom doesn't want shifting. Period.
Oh well. At least the big burden of thinking through everything is gone. I can sleep soundly now, I guess.
Marvin the Martian™, jaz thinking aloud 
P.S. Where is that elusive job?
Currently enjoying "Fly Me To The Moon", performed by Sitti.
Currently deciphering some articles on the web about Harry Potter.
Currently checking the lights flicker... somehow.
Currently feeling burden-free.
Under The Banker's Seat: A Retrospective
Posted by special_child at 12:44 AM on July 13, 2006 as a favorite post.
What was a spark of hope turned out to be just plain and simple... hope.
Fridays are really unpredictable for me nowadays. Before, I know it as
FMD - Friday (is) Movie Day. Now that I'm still part of the statistic (and I'm getting pretty bored already), some small things, like the one I'll be sharing in this entry, really make the day not so.
Last Friday, I received a text message that goes something like this:
"KDoND: May chans kn 2b a Kapamilya Deal or NoDeal contestant!Ur invited 2come 2 ABS-CBN QC on Mon 7/10/06 @ 10am 4a screening.Mgdla ng valid ID.Dnt erase ds msg."
Considering that I have sent a message through just once, I'm ecstatic to know I've been selected! But boy... was I wrong about the screening.
Monday came, and I got up early. My mom went with me to ABS-CBN, and when we arrived at the designated gate I was surprised to see LOADS of people. I thought, maybe these people are the ones going to
Wowowee. Then again... another mistake. They were also to be screened! Unbelievable. To my estimate, there were about 500 people there. And that was only in our batch. There were 2 other batches to be screened.
Yes, we were able to go inside the set of
Kapamilya: Deal or No Deal. It was pretty tiny as compared to what you can see in the TV airing, just like the studios of
Pilipinas: Game KNB? and
Wowowee (though I haven't seen the
Wowowee studio for myself). Everything was intact; the contents of the briefcases just lying on one side as if these were nothing. The big Sony plasma screen, though, was nowhere to be found. When we were seated in the studio, I got a seat directly underneath the banker's perch.
After the seating arrangements, we were given a piece of bond paper and a ballpen. Then in came the resident psychologist of ABS-CBN's programs, Dr. Randy Dellosa. He explained that this is the second step (of five) towards becoming the next KDoND player. We were to take a personality exam (the usual one, wherein you have to specify Always, Sometimes, Never... kinda like ITEO, but for yourself). When the 20-question test was done, they gathered everything up. Ten minutes later, only seventeen people were selected from that throng of 500.
Top Ten Questions In That Personality Exam (Some Rephrased) 10. I make decisions quickly.
9. I strongly believe in luck.
8. I look at possible alternatives before making a decision.
7. I am an analytical thinker.
6. I always think twice before deciding.
5. I believe that if it's my destiny, then nothing can stop me from winning.
4. I ask for help from others when I cannot decide for myself.
3. I am always worried and think all of the time.
2. I want to get rich in an instant.
-and... (drum roll please)-
1. When I win a game, I will play again so that I could win more.
To cut the long story short, I was not that lucky.
Marvin the Martian™, jaz thinking aloud
P.S. Cheers for my hundredth entry!
Currently enjoying "Sabihin Mo Na", performed by Top Suzara.
Currently deciphering "One Hundred Years Of Solitude", by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
Currently checking a cockroach enter the room... (yikes).
Currently feeling booooooored.
SOMA: State Of Marvs Address
Posted by special_child at 02:57 AM on July 25, 2006 as a favorite post.
Fellow bloggers, ladies and gentlemen, good morning.
A turbulent but exciting week has passed since I last addressed you, and I am here to actually share what had happened since that unfortunate event of me not being selected in a show that could make me an instant millionaire.
*clap clap*
I have been in despair the past few days, mellowed by the rain, toned down by the silence of my phone, and haunted by people as per my decisions, but I know that my resilience will prevail. *clap clap* Majority of my promises have been broken, yes, but someday... sooner or later... the grace will be with me to fulfill it.
*clap clap*
Three months have passed since the day I ended my schooling, and now I don't even recognize the excitement I had whenever classes were called off. Have I been hardened by bumlike situations? Or have I just been struck with envy even though there isn't anything to be envious of?
Come to think of it, there is. I am envious of people who are still going to school, primarily because the people I so dearly loved I now miss. I was a pretty active student *clap clap* - academics, extra-curricular, Friday night gimmicks, even a drink or two - and now I have degraded to a certain bum that does nothing worthy of being considered "productive".
Yes, I have completed all levels of Diner Dash and all but one of it is not done with an Expert Score. Yes, I have finished all scenarios and levels of difficulty of Monopoly Tycoon. And yes, I am minutes away from unlocking Episode 6 of n_v14. But do I consider these as "productive"? Kinda.
*clap clap*
There are ten points that are part of my agenda today, and I present them to you in an orderly fashion:
Top Ten Points Of The SOMA
10. I watched Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, and after the movie ended it's as if the entrance to G4 Cinema 3 was Gokongwei Lobby after a departmental exam.
9. Last week was probably my most active week to date, where I got to leave the house pretty much everyday.
8. I got my right middle finger pricked, and it's the first time I've been blood tested. Actually, it was for a medical examination. Oh, and I lost weight. *clap clap*
7. That afternoon, I got a job offer. I had three days to ponder into accepting it or not.
6. I now have a pesky foreigner calling me on the phone.
5. Friday and Saturday last week was really hyper, from a weirdo movie called Lady In The Water to a Timezone Powerclub Activity where I didn't win anything except for a free movie ticket that was still given if you registered late.
4. Guess who Gretchen and I saw strolling in Glorietta! Arthur, our high school friend!
3. Watching Superman Returns in 3D was quite an experience. It's me and Jaja's first time in IMAX!
2. After months of waiting, my best friend and I finally met again. We even shared a hearty merienda and loads of hyper talk with Jaja and Gretchen's friend, Ellen.
-and... (drum roll please)-
1. I turned down the Accenture job offer... after all that I have done.
To all of you who have lent your time to my rantings, I thank you. Good morning and mabuhay!
*clap clap*
Marvin the Martian™, jaz thinking aloud
P.S. Rain, rain, go away.
Currently enjoying "Why", performed by Avril Lavigne.
Currently deciphering "One Hundred Years Of Solitude", by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
Currently checking the Windows Media Player visualization.
Currently feeling like clapping.
Happy Birthday, Harry Potter!
Posted by special_child at 01:19 AM on July 31, 2006.
Out of nothingness and boredom, I shall greet a literary character a very happy birthday.
Harry Potter, who I must say brought back the beauty of reading to a huge percentage of kids and adults alike, is now celebrating his nth birthday provided he's alive. Why n? Because facts in the fiction (irony) contradict themselves (definition of irony). According to factmonster.com...
"Near the beginning of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone it says that "tomorrow, Tuesday, was Harry's eleventh birthday." July 31 doesn't fall on a Tuesday very often. Most readers of that first book assumed that, because it was published in 1997, Harry attended Hogwarts during the 1990s. In 1990, July 31 fell on a Tuesday. This would mean that Harry was born in 1979 and would turn 23 in 2002.
But wait—this theory is contradicted by evidence in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, in which Harry helped celebrate Nearly Headless Nick's deathday anniversary on October 31, 1992. Harry was 12 at that time. So this would mean that Harry was born in 1980, and that he would turn 22 in 2002."
So much for a plain celebration, it's just like people born on a February 29. Who cares what your age is? Haha.
Thanks to Harry Potter, I have now looked forward to reading books again. This series of books have been my most read ones, the only two books in the series I've read once are Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, because I don't have a copy of those myself. Though I am planning to buy a new collection to display in my future library, and I plan to reserve a copy of the seventh book myself and read it within the day it would be released.
Top Ten Characters I Love In The Harry Potter Series
10. Hagrid
9. Peeves
8. Remus Lupin
7. Sirius Black
6. Ron Weasley
5. Harry Potter
4. Minerva McGonagall
3. Hermione Granger
2. Albus Dumbledore
-and... (drum roll please)-
1. Gilderoy Lockhart
In other news, I would like to thank my friend Tina. You have refined my PC.
Marvin the Martian™, jaz thinking aloud
P.S. Another one down? Is BPI down?
Currently enjoying "Just Got Lucky", performed by JoBoxers.
Currently deciphering "One Hundred Years Of Solitude", by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
Currently checking my Windows Media Player being updated.
Currently feeling bummed out.
