Project 365 updates
My goodness. I wonder when I’ll ever get updated with P365 posts? Up at DigitalMe (that’s what I’ve taken to calling my photo blog, Digital Memories), I’ve only posted up to Day 14 so far. And well, here are the stories behind the photos (clicking the photos will allow you to view them in DigitalMe):
Ahh pantry food. I don’t think I’ve ever blogged about pantry food.
We are entitled to one free meal per shift at the company pantry. You get two choices of viands, unlimited helpings of rice, a dessert and a glass of your choice of available drinks (iced tea for me – red, apple, or regular). I have been working here for almost four years and I’ve come to the point where the tastes and smell of the pantry will stay with me for the rest of my life. Haha.
I don’t eat there as often as I used to. On the one hand, it’s not much fun eating alone; on the other, I don’t have time to enjoy a full meal.
When dining alone, I like sitting by the window. This was something I’ve been doing since back when the pantry was located at the 6th floor, facing the MRT. I used to imagine what goes on at the MRT station, watching the comings and goings of the trains. When the pantry moved to it’s current location at the 4th floor, the window view drastically changed. It’s not as conducive for musing while you eat, but it’s not so bad…
Alfred and Vanette were my frequent lunch dates in the past two to three years. Now that they’ve left the company, I find myself sitting here again. Today though, I had lunch there again with Edsel.
Now this here for Day 13 is a rare photo. By now you should be familiar with my office window right? Well, on a few rare nights back in January, the console and TV were set right next to my station and my agents were able to enjoy playing video games while we were in a meeting. Some of them hogged the controllers so they could play while on avail time. Now that’s not the reason why this is a rare photo.
These two guys I was able to capture on my camera phone are no longer with the team. They have already left the company. Had I a choice, I’d have kept them. To be honest, the high attrition rate for my team in the past four months is really alarming and something that really frustrates me. I have sent out SFC (separation) notices more times in the last four months than I’ve had to in the previous year.
This attrition is actually a direct result of our high absenteeism – something that I thought I was already able to handle and finally address, but it keeps on recurring every couple of weeks. Before moving to this current account, I already knew that absenteeism was one of their pain points. I used to think that it won’t happen to my team, but well, guess what? I was wrong. I’ve ran out of ideas, now I’m prone to believe that the team name I inherited from their previous manager is jinxed! 🙂
There are days (and nights) when I just crave for a Mister Kebab meal.
No, I don’t actually order their Chelo Kebab because my favorite is the Keema with Eggplant, with yoghurt sauce on top, with buttered rice. Oohh buttered rice. Almost good enough to eat without the Keema. Haha. 🙂
I first had a taste of Mister Kebab when we had a family dinner at the original location along Quezon Ave, near the corner of West Ave. We had seen it featured on TV and decided to meet up there one night. It’s not your typical family restaurant. That night many years ago, the place was full! We had a small table for the four of us (mom, dad, kuya and myself), and we tried out different dishes. I liked the food but didn’t like the place much – it was too dark and stuffy for me. Now – I love the new place and how cool and open it is.
It’s one of our favorite breakfast places now (or dinner for us since we go there after our shifts). It’s very affordable and the portions are just right for us. Oh, and it’s open 24 hours so it’s very convenient for when our shifts end at 5AM. 🙂
Anyway, I’m not sure if anyone else cares about these stories but they serve to remind me of many things and that’s why I write here. The photos are not very pretty though since they were captured using my camera phone and at the beginning of the project…