My American Idol Experience

Hindi, hindi ako nag-audition sa American Idol.

Pero alam ko na ang pakiramdam.

Nagkaroon ako ng opportunity na mahire sa isang call center na: pioneer account, wave 1, senior agent ka, tapat ng Galleria ang location (which is good because I go to VCF there), okay ang pay, boss mo yung dati mong boss, at...ipapadala ka sa Ohio para sa training.

Emotional turmoil. Torture. Kinailangan kong maglakad pabalik-balik sa Buendia pagkatapos ng interview para lang marelax ako.

Pero ang pinakaheartbreaking sa lahat...kukunin ka na sana nila...kaso wala kang passport. Hihintayin ka nilang magkapassport pero 3 days lang dahil kelangan pang mag apply ng visa.

Nakita ko ang sarili kong parang contestant sa American Idol. Hopeful, goal oriented, at desperate. Kakayanin kong tumawid ng alambre para lang magka-passport ng time na yun. Ang problema, wala ka naman alambreng tatawirin.

Sa training class dati tinanong kami kung ano yung dream destination namin. Umuulan ng Paris ang mga sagot nila. Ako lang ang nagsabi ng US. Hindi ako into travel, kasi nga homebuddy, introvert at emo ako. Pero if I have to go anywhere abroad, US talaga.

Sayang. Pero I will not pretend na kunwari na lang walang nangyari. It hurts, but since I've learned a lot from it, this experience is not bad at all.

I have learned to submit to the divine power I cannot control- God's will. If God wants me to have this job, He'd make away. Otherwise, I have to accept that I'm getting a 'no' from Him on this one.

Nagpunta sa Singapore si Ate last year and inaya niya akong mag-ayos ng passport kasabay niya. Naiisip ko, wala naman akong balak mag-abroad anytime soon, bakit ako kukuha? Wrong move. Very bad decision. Opportunities knock pala, you have to be prepared for it.

And nag-struggle ako with spiritual frustration and what I believe is a quarterlife crisis, diba? The best of all, through this experience, I see things back in the perfect light. And if this disappointment is what God has to bring in my way to end of this period in my life, then it's worth it.

I was rooting for Alex Lambert pero natanggal na din siya. Dang.

Huling Araw...and the Week After

I'm not good at leaving work. Hindi ko matagalan ang 30-day notice. Halos AWOL nga ako sa unang work ko sa Chancel Rep. Hindi ko naman tinapos magpaclearance sa Ambergriss so technically, AWOL din yun. Sa NCO naman, same day last day, walang 30 day notice = not for rehire. So medyo torture sa 'kin ang last month ng UHG.

Gustong-gusto na naming maglast day, hindi nagsink in sa 'min until the last week na, this will break the routine. Hindi na kami papasok sa T*tech the week after, wala na kaming trabaho, we have to start applying for a new work elsewhere, hindi na kami araw-araw magkikita and...we were leaving some friends. Whew! I guess that's what the 30 day notice was for, huh...to absorb all these, to prepare for the changes, but huh! The whole time isa lang ang naiisip namin- ang tagal ng last day! (kitang-kita naman sa picture diba? Parang walang malungkot.) Seriously, it was a greeaaaat two and a half year in UHG.

Friday was my last day employed and on Sunday morning, I stuffed all my stuff in back of the cab (that rhymes!) and came back to home sweet home. Ginawa ko 'to habang tulog pa si Ate at Kuya and just texted them later. Wow! High-five. I suck at goodbyes, I must be a dude.

First time ko 'tong tumira kasama ang ibang tao at magbayad ng rent. Sa totoo lang, I want this! Ito ang nakukuha ko kakanood ng Friends and kakabasa ng mga libro ni Sophie Kinsella, you know...going home to the place you pay the rent for, hehe, the independent life, the roommate! At bakit ko siya mas ginusto? I found myself a nice place! Bedspace lang ito, pero in a townhouse! And our room was in the attic, on the 4th floor, the family can kill each other hindi namin malalaman. Meron sofa (sa loob ng kwarto!) and thank goodness si Ate mismo ang naglilinis dahil sobra siyang neat freak! Dalawa lang kami sa kwarto at ako lang ang nandoon during the day. I sleep on the kingsize bed and Tisay, my roommate, sleep on the mattress on the floor, totally her choice by the way. So it's like paying for a room for a price of a bedspace! At ngayong wala na 'ko dun kay Tisay na ang buong kwarto, gosh! And not to mention, mababait ang may ari ng bahay. Kung hindi ako aalis ng T*tech I wouldn't have thought about leaving at all.

On the downside, that place bores me to death! It's like Vegas, with all the lights, but no gambling at drinking. Anong gagawin ko dun? And this living independent thing...sa kuripot kong 'to and with Pablo at home, it's not for me, maybe not now.

What was I busy doing a week after UHG ended? Finally, kinuha ko na ang diploma ko at transcript, nagparenew ng NBI, began watching our DVD's of "How I Met Your Mother", did my first volunteer work in VCF, and go crazy for American Idol.