PR Update and A New Call Center Blog

I just realized that there was a PR update recently and this blog was able to maintain its PR1. I am taking it positively, I was expecting an improvement on this blog’s Pagerank but it seems that my efforts weren’t good enough. At least, I still have a page rank. Sadly, my other blog has dropped to PR 2 from its PR3.

I hope that things will change for the better next time.

Anyway, I just started promoting a new blog in the blogosphere. It is called A Call Boy's Blog. It is not actually new, but newer than this blog, I just don’t have the time to promote it. This blog was conceived when I was still in my early months working as a call center agent. I will try to compile in this blog all the available resources that will help those that are interested in pursuing a career in the call center industry as well as my personal insights and experiences in this job that I’m very much willing to share. This is the least that I can do to help this industry that I have learned to hate… and to love.

However, since this blog was created specifically for Filipinos, a few of the posts are written in the vernacular, some are in Tagalog-English. I now have about 25 posts in the blog, so if you want to take a peek, visit me at the link below:

http://callcenterblood.com

See you there!


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Top Ten EC Droppers for the month of May

The month of May has finally ended and now it’s time to thank the top ten Entrecard droppers of the month for their continued support.

Congratulations to those who are on the list. If you have a minute or two, I'll appreciate it if you will spend some time to visit them. Thank you very much!


Online Marketing

Family Health Avenue

Zero

Symphony of Love

Moms Lifestyle

60 Were Enough

The Matthias Chronicles

Melissas Homeschool

Bulls versus Bears

Is a mans world

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MYX Daily Top 10 (May 29, 2009) Featuring the video of Rico Blanco's "Antukin."

David Cook is back on the top of the MYX Daily top 10 today with his hit song “Come Back To Me.” “The Climb” by Miley Cyrus settled on the second spot while Lady Gaga is on number 3.

Kyla is the top OPM artist with “Back in Time.” The only other OPM artist in the countdown is Rico Blanco’s “Antukin.”

Top Ten

01. David Cook - Come Back To Me
02. Miley Cyrus - The Climb
03. Lady Gaga - LoveGame
04. Britney Spears - If U Seek Amy
05. The Veronicas - Untouched
06. Green Day - Know Your Enemy
07. Demi Lovato - Don't Forget
08. Kyla & Jay-R - Back In Time
09. Black Eyed Peas - Boom Boom Pow
10. Rico Blanco - Antukin

Here's the music video of Rico Blanco's Antukin:






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Time to visit a dentist.

My long overdue visit to the dentist will hopefully end this weekend. I will be seeking an appointment with a dentist later and hopefully, I will be able to see one on Saturday or Sunday. This may not be a top priority but this could surely save me time and inconveniences in the future. It’s a good thing that dental services are covered by my health card so I don’t need to spend a penny.

Regular visits to the dentist can help prevent toothaches and dental emergencies. A dentist can surely identify early signs of problems with teeth or gums. If gum diseases, cavities and broken fillings are detected earlier, they can be easily treated. But if these problems go untreated you may be looking at more costly operations like root canals, gum surgery or tooth extraction.

I only learned recently that there’s another treatment method in dentistry that I hope has already reached the Philippines. It is called Neuromuscular Dentistry; it incorporates state-of-the-art technology as it objectively focuses on correcting misalignment of the jaw then creates a non-surgical treatment plan for therapy.

This is certainly welcome news to those that are looking for alternative method of treating TMJ (temporomandibular joint) Dysfunction. But as they said, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. So let’s visit our dentist regularly to avoid debilitating diseases.

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Amazing TV Commercials.

Today is another busy day at the office but I was able to go home earlier than usual. We normally have meetings or trainings after our shift and sometimes, I had to stay for an hour or two to finish a couple of tasks. I’m not complaining and nobody asked me to spend more time working, I just want everything in order before I leave the office. Anyway, I was able to relax a bit and I had the time to sit in front of the television mostly watching commercials and advertisements. I was amazed on how some of the commercials nowadays are skillfully crafted. Have you seen the latest Coca-cola and Sprite commercials?


Indeed, the days when advertising only entails a few lines of printed black ink in a locally circulated newspaper are gone. Information has proven to become more visual in today’s world. No wonder different companies spend thousands of dollars to come up with a television advertisements or promotional videos. Most companies hire professional multimedia post production companies to do the job.

But why would you pay a company to do something that you can do yourself? If results really matter, you should seek the best in the industry. You have to make sure that you get your money’s worth when it comes to the quality of the film or video. Of course, if this will represent your company, it should be professionally done and should be at par with full scale movies in terms of quality.

Well, the next time you saw the latest TV commercial, just think of the thousands or millions of dollars a company spent just to get your attention.



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In search of a new home.

I’ve been working in the call center industry for more than three years now and at the same time I have always been renting an apartment near my workplace. It was more practical and convenient since I’ve been moving from one call center to another. I’ve worked with 3 call centers to date and I’ve rented 3 apartments as well.

Just a few months ago, I’ve decided to look for condos and townhouses near Metro Manila. I realized that the money I’m paying for the monthly rent is almost the same as the monthly amortization of a house and lot on a subdivision near Metro Manila. Of course, it is much better to pay the monthly dues of my own house than to pay the rent for somebody else’s apartment.

So Donna and I searched the internet for condominiums for sale or rent-to-own and even subdivisions with affordable equities. We went tripping to condominiums or subdivision locations to help us decide the best house for us. I even attended a PAG-IBIG seminar to see if I can apply for a housing loan.

My friend who now has a stable job in New York is in the same situation. He told me that he is also looking for NYC condos for sale. He has finally decided to settle down in the Big Apple with his wife. He even sent an email to me recently with photos and links of different properties that he already visited. The condominium units are very beautiful although some are very expensive. He has not yet decided on which of the properties to purchase but he said he is not in a hurry.

With a limited budget, Donna and I finally decided to acquire a property in Sta. Maria, Bulacan. It is a quiet community about an hour drive from Manila. It may not be our dream house yet, but good enough for a start.



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Filipino Pride: Brillante Mendoza Named Best Director in Cannes Festival

This year’s Cannes Festival saw distinguished and renowned filmmakers like Ang Lee (“Taking Woodstock”), Quentin Tarantino (“Inglourious Basterds”), Jane Campion (“Big Star”) and other heavyweight Asian and European directors competing for the coveted best director prize. But it was a Filipino filmmaker who took home the glory last Sunday.

Brillante Mendoza of the Philippines bagged the best director prize at the Cannes film festival for his dark movie "Kinatay" (The Execution of P). “Kinatay” is a Tagalog word meaning Butchered. The movie was among the 20 films who vied for the prestigious Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival.

Mendoza is not new to Cannes Festival; he was also in Cannes last year for his movie “Serbis.” Like Serbis, "Kinatay" also received mixed reviews from various critics who regarded Mendoza as the "love-him-or-hate-him" director.

“Kinatay” tells the gruesome fate of a kidnap-rape victim who is beaten up before she is murdered and hacked into pieces.

Aside from "Kinatay," two other Filipino films made the cut in Cannes. Adolfo Alix Jr. and Raya Martin's "Manila", starring Piolo Pascual, was one of ten films given a special screening but it did not compete in Cannes while Martin's "Independencia" is under the Un Certain Regard category.

Thank you for making all Filipinos proud, Direk! Congratulations!



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