10 Lessons.. from my OJT experience

1. Learn to enjoy the company of your officemates. They can help you.
2. RHIP. Actually, this is a re-learned lesson from CAT. Bosses are bosses.
3. English is the language in the workplace. It’s not enough that you can write skillfully, you must learn how to speak fluently.
4. It is cheaper to use the Stored Value Card when riding the MRT – you get a bonus ride [Beth pointed this out].
5. If you work on the 31st floor of a building, you should include yourelevator ride in the time of your commute.
6. Sometimes, bosses don't care what you are always doing, as long as you getthe job done. (hahaha, I've seen this. nakit na akong naglalaro ng games. Patimga ka-opisina ko ay naglalaro. But, it's okay as long as you do your job.)
7. Eight hours is a long time. We should get a job we love, or eventually love our job.
8. Drink water. Seriously. Sometimes, you can get really engrossed in your task, you forget to drink water.
9. Take your job seriously, but don’t be too serious. Too serious people are not fun to be with.
10. Work hard. Play hard.

Cadence

Arrived at Tektike around 7:25. Had breakfast at Seattle’s Best. I spent…no splurged P155 for breakfast.

Ground Zero – our office – was empty when I arrived. Lights were still out. But the aircon was on.

I’m gonna really miss this place.

It’s my last day. My tasks are:
1. Finish the long report I’ve been working on since Monday.
2. Upload/Transfer all the audio and video files I’ve downloaded
3. Edit all the tabs I collected
4. Reply to emails
5. Write a blog entry about this.

This is the best internship. I really liked my job…. though I’ve been sluggish at work during this past week. Some days are good. Some days are bad. Sometimes, the work is dragging. It’s a love-hate thing. But all in all, it was a blast.

Our bosses took us out for lunch. Yumyumyum. Too bad, Dotty (my very nice boss) is out of town. And we got to ride the special elevator - a.k.a. for-the-executives-only elevator

Although I’m giddy to go back to school, I’m really gonna miss working here. It’s not just the luxuries I enjoy (aircon, broadband internet), but the environment itself.

I wanna work for Chikka. I like the job – though I would sometimes like something else to do aside from doing research. I like that bosses are not so bossy (not all though). No need to wear make up. No need to wear heels. As one of the bosses described it: It’s just like a tambayan – people hang out and just do some stuff.

One happy kinda stressful summer.

Another chapter written. Another chapter ended.

Fire! Fire!

2:45pm. I was busy (Yes, I was busy) working on a report. Two of my co-interns - Mace and Yan - said they heard the fire alarm. Minutes later, Peter (our HR guy) announced that there was a fire drill. I heard the alarm, then I heard sirens. I thought maybe Peter was just saying that it was just a fire drill, but there is a real fire. Peter was asking us to go down, out of the building, using the stairs.

Chikka Asia Inc. resides on the 31st floor.


31st floor.

Chad and Roger - other co-interns - said that we should hide in the bathroom. In a way, was looking forward to going down the stairs. But they were dreading it. There was power failure earlier this week in the building and the elevators weren't working. So they went down using the stairs. I wasn't there. And now, they will have to do it all over again. Harharhar.

I thought would be easy going down the stairs since our movements will not be fighting gravity. Tsktsk. I was wrong. There is a big difference going down the five floors of Melchor Hall (the highest building I've climbed up and down using stairs), and going down the 31 floors of Tektite.

By the time we reached the 25th fllor, the task was already dragging. And still...25 floors to go! When we finally got down, Stock Exchange Road was filled with people... and firetrucks. It was an elaborate fire simulation. The fire fighters were actually...roping(?) down the building. It was a hot day. So... we went to Mini-Stop and ate ice cream. We bought that Selecta ice cream for P118 and ate it all up before going back to work. We got back at around 4pm.

My feet hurt. It is our company outing tomorrow in Bataan, and we had a fire drill. Hahahaha. I think all of us will have feet pains by tomorrow morning. So much for the planned company olypics. Hahahaha!

The disadvantage of working on the 31st floor. Tsk.

10 days

Tuesday is that day of the week when you feel that time seems to pass too slow. The week has just begun and the weekend is far away. I just realized that summer is ending. And I am both dreading and looking forward this schoolyear. I am both dreading and looking forward to being a student again.

In 10 days, I will say goodbye to my first job. Back to going to school.
In 10 days, I will get my final paycheck in my first job. Then my only source of income will be my allowance.
In 10 days, will not wake up at 5:45am, will not go home at 6:45pm. I will adapt my body clock to my class schedule.
In 10 days, I will bid farewell to my office computer and its DSL connection. Back to my sumpungin PC at home and my dial-up connection.
In 10 days, I do not have to stare at the monitor for 8+ hours. I can now shut my eyes for 8 more hours.
In 10 days, I will bid farewell oh farewell to everdearest airconditioned office. Give me strength to survive a non-airconditioned environment.
In 10 days, I do not have to ride the elevator. Goodbye elevator ride to the 31st floor.
In 10 days, the view from my window will be our back yard. Farewell to the tall buildings of Ortigas.
In 10 days, I will be having breakfast at home.
In 10 days, the caffeine level in my body will decline.
In 10 days, SM Megamall will be far far far away.
In 10 days, I can really read and really enjoy reading.
In 10 days, I will have time to play my instruments again.

10 days more
10 days to go
10 days only

My Desktop

My desktop on a normal day...


11 windows open:
4 work-related windows for research
1 friendster window (sometimes a friend's blog)
1 Edsamail window (or a web-based game)
An excel window - work
A Word window - work
A notepad window - work
Chikka - work/non-work
Media Player - non-work

The Interns

- Chikka Asia Inc. - Summer Interns 2005 -
From left to right:
Roger - Internet Pastime: JPIA (He is the FP Chair)
Ina - From Bidshot. She's in a different office. Dunno what she's up to.
Mace - From Crushcow Internet Pastime: Everything
ME! - Internet Pastime: Email, Blog, Friendster, tabs
Chad - Internet Pastime: Naruto, friendster (He is the CAP Pub Director)

The Weekend

When I've started my life as an intern, I have realized that my weekday social life is limited to talking with around 8 people in the work place per day. My cyber social life includes checking emails every 2 hours, friendster (in the morning, lunch and before going home), and then visiting blogs (an average of 3 times a day PER BLOG).

A lot of my conversations here in the office involves IMs. So I crave for company of really talking to people. Last week, I think I have exhausted myself in my planned social activities.

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First, the Friday Block Dinner. My College Block - Block Y - gathers for a "Block Dinner" during the past three weeks. I only attented the dinner last Friday - since I had no other activities. I realized I missed going to school. I missed the jokes and hirits of my blockmates.

Then came Saturday. My piano lesson was moved from 6-7pm to 10-11am. :D So I could party all day after that. It was my HS to current friend's graduation blowout. I really really had fun fun! I haven't been in the water from quite some time. I think some of my swimming skills are diminishing. Hehehehe. I tried very very hard to play the billiard. And thanks to my unbelievable lousy skills, I made the other team win. Harhar. :P

But during the day, I had this guilty feeling. Zyra's blowout was only finalized the day before. Michelle's (a college friend) graduation blowout was scheduled that night for 6pm. And she invited me weeks before. Since we only had the pool up to 6pm, I planned to pass by to Meech's party.

However, I was enjoying the company of my Avo friends, so... we decided to go to Sara's place after swimming. Food and TV was enough to keep us happy. And I got to play her new kit! :) However, that guilty feeling got strong that I decided to call Meech just to say hi and congratulate her. I learned that only me and Yhca (another college friend who was in Batangas) didn't come. but I guess her reason is more valid than mine.

I don't like choosing one friend over the other. I don't like to think that some people weigh a lot more in heart. But some people do - and maybe that's normal, and okay. But I didn't like the implications of that. It seems that with my strong feelings for past-made friends, I can't trust new ones... or not as much. As Beth said, you can move on, but it's hard to grow out of it.

Sunday was Mother's Day. We cooked, we ate. I was so exhausted with the past activities. I had low energy on this very special day. Oh well. Cheers to my mom! Yay!

So that was my week-end. Exhausting. And it's Monday again. Another workweek. Thet've given us a ton of work already. But I'm working and playing. Just like in accounting - I strive for balance.