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Do you believe in love at first sight? How about in soulmate?
My answer is, I don't think so. But there's one sure thing I do believed and it's proven and tested; "The more you hate, the more you love".
It was usual for counter and kitchen crews in Jollibee Marketplace to play cat and mouse. Almost every minute, there will be an argument on product availability and so on and on and on. And I can say, being a counter crew is no ordinary job. Notwithstanding pissed off customers, you always have to be polite and wear a smile (Tired? Next question please). That's why you can't blame them if accidentally they threw their anger straight in your face. (Like I said, it was YOU and you're not a kitchen crew, so you might understand them.) But in the eyes of a chef, I mean kitchen crew, ‘twas definitely unacceptable. As the kitchen's product controller, I was the counter’s enemy number one. You might be asking whose the leader of the counter team? Good question. She's no other than Chelle, the very cute and sexy lioness. We used to discuss conflicts in the worst possible manner you can think, shouting at each other. Where are the managers? Well, they are our referees.
It was a beautiful afternoon when I asked her to watch movie and she joyfully accepted. We had a great time together. As time goes by, we discovered each other personalities. She was very sweet and thoughtful. Few days past and she became my girlfriend. That was one of the best times of my life. Unfortunately, it's not allowed at work so we have to keep it a secret (and I'm not good at it). Most of our colleagues were suspicious that there's something fishy going on and we denied the rumors. But few days before my contract expired, we confirmed our relationship with our friends. There are so many up and down that we went through. And to make the love blazed constantly, one must give, forgive and sometimes, sacrifices should be made. We were 5 years and 5 months together when we decided to tie the knot.
Now, I'm happily married to this lovely lady who was once an antagonist in my life.
Counter: PC, yc (hamburger with cheese) 1, chicken meal (chickenjoy with spaghetti) 2, single(1pc. chickenjoy) 1 all for dine.
PC: Acknowledged! Grill man, 1 batch of y (hamburger) and yc please. Fry man, please drop 2 batches of joy.
Counter: PC, joy rice 10 s. o. (special order) thigh parts.
PC: Counters, legs and wings avail for joy. Please suggest.
Counter: PC, how many minutes for thigh part?
PC: 15 minutes. Please suggest leg and wing part.
Counter: PC, customer’s willing to wait.
PC: OK, O. R. (official receipt) please.
That's the common scenario in the kitchen and it was our music everyday (from the time store opened until closure). There were times when counter and kitchen crews had heated arguments but for all of us, it's part of work. After store’s closure (around 1 AM), it's time for a little bonding. Most of us would gather to the nearest "lugawan" to enjoy a bowl of hot "lugaw" with tofu and boiled egg.
Since most Jollibee stores open 6 AM (some are earlier than that) to serve breakfast, you need to wake up 4 AM to prepare yourself for another Jollibee day. It's hard at first but you'll get used to it and as a service crew, you need to do multi-tasking otherwise, you would not finish your 5 months contract with them.
My very first team was in Bustillos branch, a Jollibee franchise. In few weeks time, I was chosen as pasta crew trainer. No one from our team believed that 'twas my first service crew job but it really was. After my contract expired, I was hired in Marketplace branch (another franchise) where I experienced to be a Jollibee mascot for a kid's party. I really had so much fun. After 5 months, I was transferred to Kalentong branch, another Jollibee franchise. The management was a lot different. I could say that this was the strictest workplace I'd ever work for. After Kalentong, I worked at Jollibee SM Sta. Mesa branch. I did my job well which soon placed me to the highest rank of crews in the kitchen, product controller (PC). I was dreaming to be a regular employee to sustain my studies but as the saying "Kung hindi ukol, hindi bubukol" goes, my contract ended after almost 6 months.
I learned a lot in my almost three years of work experienced with Jollibee and it'd been one of my great inspirations towards a great future!
It all started with pest control..
Who would have guessed that someday I'd be able to graduate in college? Actually, everyone I know never had a doubt that I could make it (yun ang alam ko) and it took not only physical strength but most of all, FAITH.
I finished elementary and high school in my beloved province of Mindoro a.k.a. Mangyan Town. Life was hard after graduation. I didn’t know how would I possibly sustain my studies if I’d go to college. There were some opportunities that came my way. One of which was a scholarship grant from Megaworld Foundation in Makati but unfortunately, I wasn't shortlisted. I was offered to study in our province through the help of TESDA but I refused (I already promised myself that whatever happens, my college education should take place in Manila). So, I let 2000 slipped away until one day, another opportunity knocked on our door. It was a job in Manila. I was hesitant at first since ‘twas going to be a whole new different world but I was convinced by my beloved mother to try my fate in the hands of a friend. It was a "Pest Control Company" in Quezon City. I enjoyed my stay for a few months until a big chaos occurred and I had to give up my job to protect myself and my family. At that time, I was already enrolled in PUP. Job wasn’t easy to find then. It took several months before a Jollibee franchise let me became part of their team. I was orphaned by Jollibee for almost 3 straight years. Working as a service crew gave so much color to my life. I discovered that it was my passion to serve people (politiko ako nung elem & HS e..hehe).
Aside from pest control and Jollibee, I was also involved with networking company which helped me augment my income to finish my studies.
Now, I'm working as a call center agent. It may not be a prestigious job but I'm very proud of it!
