Category: Work

Streamline Your Job Transition with Online Clearances

While the clock is ticking toward my official last day at work in a couple of weeks, I’ve started preparing for the transition to a new job. That means reaching out to old friends who might be able to help, checking JobStreet.com (Lina has become a familiar face in my inbox lately), and gathering the documents I’ll need along the way.

One thing I’m grateful for: the days of standing in long, sweaty government-office queues are mostly behind us. Applying for NBI and police clearances can now be done online, and even the payment of fees can be completed through e-wallets and other online banking options. It’s one of those small but meaningful changes that makes a stressful transition feel a little lighter.

For my NBI clearance, I applied through the online portal and was pleasantly surprised by how smooth the process was. A couple of small things helped: logging in through my phone so my details were easy to access when I needed the reference number, and updating my address online even after setting the appointment. When I finally went to the nearest NBI office, the entire visit took less than 10 minutes. Impressed.

Police clearance is also available online now. Just like with the NBI process, I used GCash to complete the payment. There’s a small additional fee for paying online, but honestly, it’s a reasonable trade-off compared to going to the bank, waiting for your number to be called, and spending half the day in line wondering if the teller is more tired than you are.

I also checked on my mandatory contributions—PAG-IBIG and SSS—which are thankfully accessible through their mobile apps. It’s reassuring to see how many of these steps can now be done from home. Transitions are never easy, but having simpler systems in place makes preparing for what’s next feel a bit more manageable.

Little by little, things are falling into place. And somehow, that makes the approaching last day feel less like an ending—and more like a beginning

Been AI-while Crocodile (I’m Back)

Saltwater crocodile lying in shallow mangrove creek water with greenery around
AI-generated image

So what did I miss? After four years of WordPress dormancy, I’m back—and a lot has changed on the social media platforms I used to know. Twitter is now X. There’s TikTok, which until now I haven’t wanted to use—not even look at. Facebook is no longer just for keeping up with friends (you now even have ex-friends who choose to stay just to see you fail). Then there’s AI.

2026 is definitely an AI year, and I don’t even need to define what AI is unless you’ve been living under a rock. I first became aware of AI’s growing presence last year through the news, and then more personally through someone abroad who mentioned that her son had started working with an AI company—with a very significant paycheck. Stress on very significant.

This means businesses are now starting to invest more heavily in AI. Good news if you’re a stockholder or part of the teams developing it. Bad news if you’re just an end user. It reminds me of the anxiety we felt when we first learned about increasing and improving manufacturing automation somewhere around the year 2000.

AI is meant to change our lives, like it or not. It is meant to take over, like it or not. Like the print on my favorite Uniqlo shirt says, “Neither friend nor enemy.” It’s all in how you perceive it. The faster you accept its existence and adapt to its use, the better off you’ll be.

So I choose to adapt. In fact, I’ve been using it much more frequently lately. I choose to befriend AI—even if it’s probably one of the reasons I now find myself with a lot of free time.

Jobless in a few weeks.

Halo Cold Room!

Two weeks ago I had interview at home but I felt the odds were against me. Besides the nerves getting in the way, there’s also quality of my Skype making things worse.

I was expecting a video call but thankfully it didn’t happen so mid-call I unbuttoned my long-sleeve polo shirt, ditched the crappy in-ear headphones and swapped it with an Xbox headset that made me hear the interview questions better albeit too late. It felt like I was in one of Marcus’ online games and my chances of winning were already slim.

I know both attendees who were in that Skype meeting but I didn’t see myself being contacted by them–my previous bosses–any further. I also had a hint who the other applicant was and he’s got potentials so I didn’t set my hopes that high.

But all is not lost–I heard from them again. I got picked, I’m in.

Early part of last year was also when I got accepted for a supervisory position coming from my role as an individual contributor. What’s interesting is, I realized, my personal folder shows I saved my resume for team leader trainee application exactly the same date when I’d write my application for QA supervisor–both happened on January 15. I’m becoming a fan of coincidences more.

My current team is still clueless but they will soon learn about me leaving them. Whatever their feelings are about this change–I’m sure there will be happy-that-he-left-us sentiments–I will miss them as I am starting to see these agents become more confident and performing almost on par with the big boys. Good luck to you guys, see you around. And for me, it’s back to the comfy cold room.

  • Two years ago Marcus asked me if I could bring this Halo toy at work.

***

Mood: 2/10 Honks! (Inspiration to step up all started in Work At A Pizza Place game of Marcus.)

160-pound Run in Pictures

So I got tagged on Facebook during the recent 3K fun run. 

I could use some weight loss. (Image from Facebook)

Smile, it’s a fun run. (Image from Facebook)

Two laps around the scenic Nuvali lake. 

Not gold but feels like one.

Credit for the first two image goes to those who shot it during the event. Thanks!

***

Mood: 2/10 Honks! (Taking a dip with the in-laws today.)

Last Smock

So it’s been eight years since I found myself wearing an antistatic smock. This room in the picture is gone, goner than any structure on Marcus’ Fallout game. Retrenchment breaks buildings apart faster than nukes, huh?

Incidentally, I’m still into my 2008 posts migration and one I’ve already inserted the name Intel which I once held back to be discreet about some topics. Now all those are basically declassified.

***

Mood: 3/10 Honks! (Plan B on blood extraction. Cancelling today’s St. Luke’s appointment.)

Thanks to Thanksgiving Day Time Off

Image from the web.

 

“I’ll give you 5 minutes to yourself, but only 10 seconds at a time.”-kids (via Twitter)

 

Do I have time? Such is the question that would linger every now and then. Among other things, time management is the toughest. Time they say is the great equalizer because everyone, regardless of status, has only 24 hours each day to spend. Yes, rich or poor, black or white, young or old, fat or thin, healthy or not, just 24 hours each—what differs is what is at stake for each minute lost. Extra time in reality does not exist and it won’t be a surprise if someone would wish if only they could buy time that the others won’t use. But then again, we can’t. Even Donald Trump can’t.

Do I have time? Take note of ‘I.’ I for individual, I for me. Sadly, we are not alone and time is not ours all the time.  Our jobs, bosses—bad bosses included, relatives, neighbors, friends, parents, wife, and kids, in no particular order, want either a small piece or a big chunk of our 24 hours. It takes a bit of skill, a bit of negotiation, a bit of luck, and a lot of sacrifice to manage time.

Even the holidays do not present total freedom. Unless you get to escape, if your personality and lifestyle permit you to do so, and isolate yourself to enjoy the whole day on your own—half of it I would spend in bed—you have at least one or two other people whom you need to spend time with.

This week I have that opportunity to enjoy the much-awaited time off. Thanks to the Americans who would ignore repeated and annoying rings and trade all business calls for a time together with their family and friends in front of their favorite roasted turkey and beer. Thanks to Thanksgiving Day, I have time to be just at home. No late night drives for two days. How to spend the next days is another matter but we’ll see. There’s iflix, there’s Minecraft and Call of Duty, there’s errand to the grocery store, there are things to pack, there’s a birthday to celebrate.

 ***

Mood: 2/10 Honks! (Waiting for Marcus’ plan of the day.)

Logo Loco

I am among those who get excited when companies announce that they have a new logo and I even would like to believe that given the time and tools I could create a good one, if not better, myself. Pardon the statement, it sounds more like I am frustrated graphic artist, but having a logo is not as simple as knowing how to make one. Every element in a logo should deliver the right message as the outcome becomes the symbol that sums up the company’s vision and mission. It is meant to get everyone like its employees and its target market recognize it and, more importantly, know at first glance the core message that it tries to deliver.

Many corporations were spot on with their logos but there were several who, despite their best intentions, failed to find that one minor detail thus a logo that is ridiculous or one that sends the opposite of its key message.  While I haven’t been part of a logo team of any company, my rusty marketing subject plus my imagination tell me that to come up with a logo involves a tedious and a creative process. Again, the vision and mission statement should be the foundation and some critical questions should be answered. What idea or products do you sell? What impression do you want to tell your target audience—i.e., your employees, your market, your community? How do you want your company to be perceived? If it appears good on shirt could be one but that should be among the least of the concerns.

It is therefore imperative that the right team is in place to come up with the right—not necessarily the best—logo. Ideally, every stakeholder must be there and everyone must at least possess a keen attention to detail as a logo is a tattoo that once completed would be hard, time-consuming, or worse, painful to change.

Lastly, like any product, a new logo should also have its own promotion to reach its target market. It should be handled by a good marketing team who knows how to sell it and knows the right media that could effectively get the message across. Anything less would make all efforts go to waste and the logo ends up as good material for a weekend article or an entertainment for people who likes to kill time online during their rest day.

My own rest day logo so there is no need to like it.

 

***

Mood: 4/10 Honks! (Good news: Marcus’ school is closed due to Typhoon Lando. Bad news: our gym is also closed.)

At The Other End Of The Line

Newbie outbound agent’s life.

 

Who says D) All of the above?

 

 

***

I am among those who like posters and typography. I love looking at menu artworks especially that of Starbucks which is one way of being seen in front of the store without having to spend a cent. I am also interested in corporate photography that are used in slide presentations–usually compensates for boring lectures. All these, however, require tools to accomplish which is the reason my ideas remain inside my head. I can’t buy the software, I can’t buy the camera.

Fortunately, I finally found time to check out Canva.com which offers an online tool for anyone who has a poster idea. The website has a range of layouts and a number of typefaces to go along with each design. The poster above is my first creation using its free service. I need a back office job.

***

Mood: 3/10 Honks! (Next stop, find a tarpaulin to place the house on sale.)

Thanksgiving Staycation

The calendar on my phone tells me it is Friday, past 3 a.m. I have just awakened from a cold sleep. I gazed around but no double-deck beds, no La-Z-Boy recliners either. I stepped out and no hallway too. On my left is a living area and on my right, the dining–floor fully carpeted. On the kitchen counter are tea and coffee packs neatly arranged on a white porcelain tray. Obviously I am not at work. Aw snap, I remember, I am in a Bellevue Alabang suite.

Thanksgivings haven’t been like this. It is not so often that I spend my time off with some other people at work and I am not bothered. I am with a party of selected employees and bosses but there is absence of stress. The only pressure was if I can keep up with everyone else during meal.

Brunch was at Shakey’s Paseo Sta. Rosa. Dinner was at Yakimix ATC. Ironically, in between these gut-busting itinerary our group watched a movie: Hunger Games. It was my first time to watch it and despite lack of sleep I was able to finish Mockingjay – Part 1–maybe it was because of Katniss Everdeen, or maybe President Alma Coin, or maybe just because I had one Starbucks venti Americano with an additional shot.

I am now stuffed as a turkey and buffet breakfast is fast approaching. Time to consider the gym.

Bellevue Alabang, What really goes on inside a staycation guest head
Staycation thoughts.

***

Tidbits:

I typed staycation and spell check suggests ‘stay caution.’ Well, the bathroom scale agrees.

Hunger Games is like work: there’s Capitol and there are people who want to obliterate it. (Don’t ask me but I’m Katniss’ cat.)

***

Mood: 2/10 Honks! (I want to do this again.)