Puzzled Me

I went back home late at night

And noticed mama sitting under the moonlight

Lots of tears fell down from her eyes

Showing that she felt something bad inside

I sat beside her and asked her why?

She hid her face and told me she's only tired

I'm puzzled! Oh, good Lord! Come show me some light

I went to the other room where my papa lingered

And saw him slumbering with his hand on his head

I was really puzzled during that night

I wondered why I had this kind of life

Trouble seemed to be always in my sight

 Into my room I stayed for a while

And reckoning why did mama cry

Am I the reason why?

The following day I saw them arguing

And hearing those evil words

Really brought to me a lot of pain

I stepped into my room as my tears kept on falling

Because I don’t want them to notice me crying

In my heart remains the very pain

That annoyed my mind and lost my strength

I questioned God why I had a drunken father

And brothers that didn't seem to care

What a messy life I had!

But later that day I soon realized

That it ain't good to question Him

...but who's really to blame?

Author: Em-em dela Peña---------------------------------------First published in SLSCST's Campus Headliner (2004)

Mother Earth needs some LOVIN'

Are you tired of looking for a better place to live? If yes, then we have to remind ourselves about our responsibilities to take care of our dear Mother Earth.

We might not be able to clearly notice all of the bad elements affecting our environment, but they are for sure there. Our environment is getting worse day by day, and it is getting harder and harder for our families to stay healthy.

Philippines was once a country that is blessed with an impressive, healthy environment. People were very lucky back then that they were able to breathe fresh air and drink clean waters. Now, it is becoming expensive to experience the natural kindness of the environment. that some people would travel to the provinces just to experience everything about nature.

To make it affordable is just so easy. You just simply love the environment. You don’t need to start it big time. I believe that it is more efficient to start it slowly but consistently and little by little, it will become part of your system. And when it’s part of your system then it is going to be easier for you to extend your kindness to keeping your surroundings clean.

           Please allow me to remind you that it is not yet too late to save our environment. Let us also reach out to people who don't care about Mother Nature and hopefully change their point of view and share with them our goal in saving and preserving the natural beauty of Mother Earth, so that the future generations will still be able to enjoy these wonderful things that God has entrusted to us. 

How To Make Your Thesis Paper Captivating?

Who wants to read a boring paper? I guess none, right? 

We always wanted to read something that would engage us; a paper that is fascinating and clearly articulated. Now, the question is - how do you write the “best” thesis paper? The most crucial part in writing a compelling paper is to come up with a great thesis statement. It is believed that the thesis statement is the spine for your entire paper. It works like glue that unites all the ideas presented on the paper.  You have to challenge yourself; think out of the box. The more complex, specific, and interesting, the better your output will be.

Title Strikes

Start your paper with a striking but not confusing title. You have to be precise and avoid “wildcard” words that can cover a range of topics. It should be something that captures attention and produces a vivid impression on the sight or the mind of the readers. In addition, an ideal thesis title should in no more than 7-8 words.

Get Excited About Your Topic

Regardless of the topic that you would want to write, you have to try to get excited. Our brain works double time whenever we feel excitement. I know it’s hard to pretend especially when you’re dealing with a boring topic but eventually you can master it. Just keep trying.

Strong Opinions Matter

Writing a great thesis paper requires your strong opinions about your topic. Like radio broadcasters and newscasters, they spew strong opinions to captivate audiences. But with thesis paper, you have to be very careful in using powerful words as it may become very harsh and will then put you in trouble. If you are unsure on how to formulate strong opinions, make friends with Google and read some sensible journals pertaining to your topic. Write down any interesting opinions that look interesting to you. Understand it and then create your own. Avoid Plagiarism.

Focus On One Main Idea

It is tiring to read an article that is not so organized. And it gives you a headache when the author is providing you different ideas which some of them are not really necessary or do not relate to the main topic. Coherence and Consistency are very important. The paragraphs in your thesis body should be sticking together; supporting the chosen topic.  Do not puzzle your readers. Remember – readers are not gamers. They just wanted to read, learn and relax; they do not want to guess. Stay focused in organizing your thoughts so you can produce a worth-to-read paper.

Take Time to Proofread

Don’t be too lazy to examine your text carefully to find and correct typographical errors and mistakes in grammar, style, and spelling. This helps your paper becomes more appealing to the readers. Admit or not, grammar and text errors are two of the reasons why an article becomes trashy. You may also ask a friend or colleague to read your work and then ask his/her opinions. In that situation you have to be open to any comments and suggestions that he or she may come up with.

Concluding Your Paper

The conclusion statement shouldn’t be underestimated. This will be your last chance to defend your study in writing; the other one is your face-to-face defense with the panel of critiques. In this section, you should not retrace everything but instead summarize all your findings and its limitations. Your conclusion should combine all the answers that will satisfy both your thesis problem and your readers.

Why Call Center?

The commercial of a cup noodle brand showing a customer service rep assisting her customer over the phone inspired me to join the BPO industry. I was like "talking and helping strangers over the phone is very cool!", so I gave it a try.

    And it is indeed fun talking and helping strangers over the phone, though sometimes it is very tough dealing with some customers. I experienced both inbound and outbound support, and dealt with different kinds of customers – some were friendly and some were harsh. One time, while talking to an irate and very rude customer,  I didn't notice my tears were already touching my tired cheeks. But then again, business as usual as; I continued providing support as if I did not hear her rude comments.

    Many said, most people especially youngsters joined the BPO industry because it pays more. Others said, it is designed for rich and lazy people who want to earn easy money. But hey, that is not so true. Sitting and talking for almost 8 hours (sometimes more than 8 hours) is not an easy thing. It may look like it but it is very stressful, especially when working at night.

    But despite of this overwhelming experience and the mix reactions from these unbelievers, I do not have any plans of removing myself from the BPO world. I learned a lot and was able to use this whole experience in my daily life. It stretched my patience enabling me to easily control my emotions whenever I have to deal with difficult people, including the people that are so dear to me – my friends and my family.

     Now, when people would ask me what’s my profession. I would definitely tell them that I am a proud member of the BPO industry – a Call Center Agent. Yes I am proud of it; I am proud because it is indeed one of the toughest jobs in the world. It requires knowledge, strong emotions and passion in order for you to become efficient and effective in providing help over the phone.

     Some people do not call it a job and yes they are correct, because for many, including myself, it is a career - a fulfilling profession.

i am Sagi - brave and independent

“It was 7:30 in the morning of December 9, 1985 when Francisca Quintano Costas, married to Rogelio Valdez dela Peña Sr., delivered a baby boy.  The baby almost faced death when Francisca had to wait for her husband to arrive before she would want to deliver him.  But God wants him to see the beauty of the world so Francisca courageously delivered him all by herself on the second floor of their old house in San Antonio St., Brgy. Zone I, Sogod, Southern Leyte. They named him Emmanuel.”

Up until now, I am still amaze and very thankful of how my loving mother brought me out into this wonderful world though I find it funny when my mom told me that they did not intend to create me. And that explains the 10-yr gap between me and the 4^th child. By the way I am the youngest child and my family calls me Em-em; I have 2 brothers – Rogelio Jr. (2^nd) and Apolinario (3^rd) and 2 sisters – Glorime (1^st) and Helenita (4^th). All of them already have their own families so I grew up with just my parents.

While kids in big cities were busy with their expensive toys and gadgets, me and neighbors were busy on the street  playing different kinds of Filipino games such as Shato, Patintero, tagu-taguan (hide and seek), bahay-bahayan (a role-playing game where children will act as a family), tumbang preso, etc. These games are more exciting and fun than the famous online games that we have today, at least for me. I am proud to say that I am so blessed that I was born in the Province because aside from these humble yet super fun games, I feel so lucky enough to enjoy fresh air, delicious & healthy fruits, and clean sea & rivers that are free of charge.

It was during highschool (in SLSCST) when I got to showcase my talents and skills in dancing, drawing, music and painting. I joined our school’s dance club and drum & bugle corp. where I played as a lyrist. I was given a chance to sing in one of our school’s events, both solo and group. The last two years of my highschool life was focused on dancing and drafting technology as my major course in preparation for college.

I am addicted to computers and internet so I enrolled Associate in Information Technology at Southern Leyte State University - main campus. Here, I nourished my skills in computer programming and web designing. 

On January 30, 2005, I followed my immature self and quit college. Yes, I did regret this at first. With so much dreams filled on my mind, I conquered Manila alone. My first year was like a hell as problems and other challenges were my buddies. I accepted them; study them and fight them. I became a strong and independent person. A changed person, if I may say.

I had my first job on June 27, 2005 as a secretary/messenger at Manulife Phils Located along Ayala Avenue. It took me 4 months to decide to quit and landed myself in the BPO world. I worked as an outbound agent at ePacific in Ortigas, Pasig. It was a no good experience so I quit and transferred to Clientlogic (now Sitel) as an inbound rep for nearly 7 months (April to October 2006). Not contented with salary, I moved to Sykes and stayed for almost 3 years (Nov 2006-Oct 2009). Unfortunately the program that I was in declared end of life so I gracefully exited the company and transferred to Convergys-G5 and worked for AT&T for 2 years (2009-2011). 

          So far, I am enjoying my life. I love the feeling of being independent most of the times. Right now, aside from working I also go to school every other Saturday. I am currently studying Broadcast Communication at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines-Open University in Sta. Mesa, Metro Manila.  Whatever the future may be, I can say that I am so READY.