All I want for Christmas is the No. 1 by Clive Christian. It has been awarded as the World's Most Expensive Perfume by the Guinness World Records. A bottle of the No. 1 Imperial Majesty perfume, which is "made of Baccarat Crystal and inset with a white diamond on the neck, valued at over $200,000." Thirty (30) ml of the pure perfume is ONLY $2350.

No. 1's ingredients are "top notes of pineapple, plum, mirabelle, bergamot, lemon, and cardamom. Heart notes of rose, jasmine, ylang ylang, orris, and orchid. Base notes of vanilla, tonka seeds, cedarwood, sandalwood, and musk amber."

So if you want to smell like Katie Holmes on your wedding day, this is definitely a "MUST HAVE/WEAR" perfume.

…continuation

This was two years ago…

I was almost late on our first day of technical skills training.

Our team was merged with the other team (my friend's team).

So new trainer… new faces… new experience… new distressing moments?

TRAINING PROPER: (2 to 3 weeks)

We were trained how to: configure a router, troubleshoot it, et cetera.

I thought that it was a "no-brainer" because I'm an IT graduate. But it somehow
"squeezed my brain," so pretty much, it was challenging.

Then, we were taught how to make some small talk, which was kind of exciting.

For instance:

"How's the weather there? Oh, we have a lot of bitches here…I meant beaches,
sir."

Well, anyway the training went on… more or less eight hours a day, but I got the hang of it.

But one day, I received a "confirmation call."

I enjoyed learning new things with my co-trainees.
I shared some embarrassing
moments with them and eventually laughed about it.
We had some slight
altercations, but managed to fix it.
We made a "bond."

In as much as I wanted to stay, I had to leave. I weighed my options (career advancement).

And that was the end of it. (Was I a good riddance?)

I've been recently tagged by call center gal (one of the engrossing sites I've been to).

Since I'm new to this, so please just bear with me.

My job is to "reveal six unspectacular quirks about myself and challenge other bloggers to do the same."

Good thing it's just quirk/s, not DDS (Deepest Darkest Secret).

The rules are:
1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Mention the rules.
3. Tell six unspectacular quirks of yours.
4. Tag six bloggers by linking.
5. Leave a comment for each blogger.

And so my "quirky-quirks":

1. When I read a fictional book, I always start at the end to know the ending, especially when it's a thrilling suspense novel.

2. When I'm alone at home and have no chores to do, I will play my favorite songs, and not just play it, I try to dance and lip-synch, like I'm having a concert…waving to my imaginary audience.

3. I love watching horror films but right after watching those, I won't turn off the light/s in my room. It will take me months to "get over it."

4. I list every expense I make, up to the last centavo.

5. I'm squeamish…just by the sight of a "house lizard's feces," I feel queasy. (ironically, I'm a registered MT)

6. My body wash is Zwitsal hypo-allergenic baby bath (white one) and can't go out/leave the house without wearing my favorite perfume.

7. I want to add one but the rule says 6, so I'm tagging these bloggers…


Dr. House
Bingkee
Dominique
Tazferian
Harold
Rotini

I went out with my friends days ago.

We had coffee (as usual)… ate out...

All of a sudden, "Let's watch a movie. It's my treat" said Inday. (Not her real name of course)

"Let's," I simply replied.

Okay, so there were four films shown in four cinemas.

We could have chosen Death Race, Altered, Harold & Kumar (Escape from Guantanamo Bay).

But of all films, they've chosen this…



Yep…For the First Time.

For the first time I've seen Noypi film in a theater. It's not that I loathe watching "our own," but let's just be honest, only few have the best quality, in general.

Anyway, with popcorn on my left hand and bottled water on my right hand, I obligedly sat down to somehow make a rationale of why they've chosen this film.

The movie was… yeah, yeah… average.

The location… it was shot in Greece, so what can I say?

But the overall acting of those two leading stars?

I would give Richard Gutierrez a passing grade (besides being really gorgeous, I just realized).

But KC Concepcion?

Nah… I know she's pretty but…c'mon her acting? It was dull, monotonous, and humdrum throughout the movie. I was not impressed at all.

But I can forgive her for that because this is her first movie. There's still a sizeable room for improvement.

The movie lasted for, I think, about 2 hours (I must have slept).

And it left me asking myself, "If KC Concepcion were not the daughter of the Megastar and Gabby Concepcion, will she still be as famous as she is now?"

Just a thought to ponder on our way home.

It was my friend who persuaded me to apply. So I did, while waiting for my 'other job.'

I passed the interview.

It wasn’t clear to me that we're going to be trained as PSR (or was I not listening?) But I specifically stated "…IT…" not PSR on my application letter.

Anyway, on with the training…

COM KILLS… ehem, COMM SKILLS TRAINING (COMMUNICATION SKILLS TRAINING):

On our very first day, anxiety was already infused in my system after seeing our trainer. She was a bit strict and kind of intimidating. I was hoping that I was with my friend's group because their trainer was somewhat more affable. (just an observation though)

ORIENTATION: We have to pass the "Oral Revalida" to qualify for technical skills training. Would it be another distressing training? I asked myself.

TRAINING PROPER: (5 days)
Trained to speak like an American… and I meant American English, with the accent and all.

Like: Inernational… Inernet… Rawer… Mowdem… Tsuweni … Sana Monica…

Don’t say: Hold on. Rather: Can I put you on hold? (how about brb?)

Some were 'trying hard.' Others spoke naturally. The rest were… never mind.

Oh, well… me? Hmm, I did try to speak like an American...naturally (does it make sense?).

After every session, my body was so tired from sitting all day long, listening to our trainer.
I always looked forward to break time. Further, it was so afflictive that I could hardly sleep.

NIGHT BEFORE THE OR:
My friend and I made a deal that if I couldn’t prepare that night, we won't attend the OR.

But I guess, Mother Nature really wanted me to be a PSR because even during my sleep, I still dreamed of it. So there, I woke up early in the morning, just to compose and memorize at least 25 states of the United States.

ORAL REVALIDA DAY:
Anxiety, apprehension, dysphoria circulated in and out of my system (too much caffeine?).

I couldn’t remember anymore what had happened when I was in front of my co-trainees.

Maybe I was mortified. Maybe I wasn't.

Maybe she was impressed. Maybe she wasn’t. I didn’t know.

After hours of discomfort, finally it was over.

I know I mentioned earlier that our trainer was intimidating. Well, she turned out to be one of the nicest trainers in that company.

Really? Yup. Because she let me pass the OR.


...to be continued

September 11, 2001

It was weeks after Aaliyah died and days after our board exam. My overall system was filled with anxiety for the upcoming result…couldn't sleep.

I went out of my room.

My sister was watching something…a movie? I thought.

But on CNN? As I focused on, I saw the plane/s intentionally crashed into the Twin Towers.

Too tired to think about it, went back to bed without knowing what it was all about, until the morning came.

From the Internet to TV news to the newspapers...

The U.S...one of the most powerful countries if not the most.

The U.S... that has the facilities...the machineries to prevent this but…

Maybe some of the passengers of the American Airlines Flight 11, United Airlines Flight 175, American Airlines Flight 77 and United Airlines Flight 93 had the chance to say goodbye to their families while they were onboard.

Others were unfortunate.

Then, the U.S. eventually declared a War on Terrorism and invaded Afghanistan.

Consequently, many nations tightened their security to fight against terrorism, though others failed.

Seven years later…I am still breathing and many of us are still haunted by the tragedy.

And we are still finding justice for the thousands of people who died.
Some of us, however, have short term memory and forgot all about what we’re fighting for.


What about 9/11?

These are the reasons why women are special. And guys… you have to pay attention.

1. We can wear both skirts and shorts.
2. There’s “women’s day” but no “men’s day.”
3. We can be sure that the baby is ours. Men can never be sure.
4. We get to cry and still look good. When men cry, they look like dorks.
5. Most of all, we know the difference between a comfort room and a wall.



So, guys… do you concur?

And ladies... are you with me?

Ads/Reminders you'll see in Tondo:

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Annotation: Oh, well at least they've tried…

Right?
BOY AND MARCY-that's are friends

Thai Life Insurance 2 - Click here for more amazing videos
This is a Thai Life Insurance Video. Father who's asking to have more time with his son.

I want more time. Time to tell my son that I love him more than anything. Time
to understand him better. Listen to his opinions. To talk to him. To listen
to his songs. To tell him I'm sorry. I want more time. Time to do what I've
never done. To take better care of him. To love him more.

But is it too late?

Annotation: Remember to spend some time with your loved ones. Cherish every moment of it because they're not going to be around...forever. :(

I received this perturbing message few days ago:

Have you ever heard of Bangsa Moro Economic Development Council (BEDCO)? It was funded by OAB with a whooping 3 billion dollars to create a separate government for Moro people. Forty per cent (40%) of this went to GMA many years ago through FGMA. No wonder this ancestral domain claim surfaced. We were sold by GMA to Moro people by many years. For your information and for whatever action/actions you may want.

Janejane's annotation: Shameless. As the saying goes, "The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer." No wonder why most Filipinos want to leave and live elsewhere. Oh! What a pathetic "sight."

Further, before suggesting any treatment they will first:
>get your medical history and
>personally, get to know you better

After getting an in-depth information about you, they'll then recommend an appropriate treatment (just) for you.

During the treatment, their highly-qualified aestheticians will not just ensure you that you'll be comfortable with the process but they'll also

put an extra touch of empathy

And after the treatment, the first time you see yourself in the mirror, you will definitely going to say:

"Hey, it's you again." (A tagline of GIA)

An implication of rediscovering yourself…

JaneJane's annotation: It only suggests that GIA is 100% committed and dedicated to their valued customers. It's obvious that intense customer care is number one on their goal.