Inspiration along J. Luna Street

Today, I took a step further to appease my hard-to-please group head by going to Divisoria. By the end of this quarter, we’ll be having our sports programs for employees and we’ll be needing a supplier for the uniforms. So off I went to the land of wholesales and bargains – and not to mention cute Chinese and Korean shop owners – to scout for possible suppliers.

Before going to 168 mall, I have to stop by our Tutuban branch to meet an Area Operations Manager (AOM) who will assist me that day. Knowing fully well that I am not good with geography, said  AOM will be my guide to find the cheapest shirt suppliers possible.

After meeting the branch personnel and the AOM, we exchanged a few words inside the branch.

“Sir pwede kayong ka-partner ni [insert name of our female celebrity endorser] sa pelikula. Mukha kayong artista,” said the branch personnel.

“Ah, hindi naman po siguro.” Pa-tweetums pa ang pohta, sabay whip ng mahabang hair sideways.

Damn right, I said to myself. I never thought of ever going to Divisoria for my work. I am meant to be in an office with a controlled thermostat.

But since I am here, I’m going to scout for a possible Valentines gift for Nix. I know, Valentines is a marketing ploy, but I think it’s sweet to give him something for Valentines. Yihee!

The day could have gone well had it not been terribly, unbearably hot. If I were in the beach, well that could have been good. But hello, I’m in Divisoria. I swear my arms were fried to a toast. Even the inch-thick layer of sun block I used an hour earlier won’t help me with this glaring heat.

And I have to teach those tinderas a thing or two about customer service. Aba eh, parang sila pa ang customer. They all have a signature air of contempt for people inquiring about their wares. One conversation I had with a shopkeeper had me almost pulling her hair.

Nox                              : Ate, magkano isa nito? Referring to a cute backpack.

Bruhildang Tindera     : Wholesale yan.

Ah, okay, I get it Some stuff should be bought by wholesale.

Nox                              : Ah, okay. Ilang piraso kapag wholesale?

Bruhildang Tindera just looked at me like I said something stupid and didn’t answer my question. There were a few awkward seconds and I thought maybe she didn’t hear me because of her sunog-dahil-sa-rebond hair covering her piggy ears. Lady AOM said wholesale meant one dozen.

Is it my fault that it’s my first time to shop alone in Divisoria and not know what wholesale means? Am I not worth to be explained what freaking wholesale means? Fortunately for her, I’m too tired to have a word with the owner of the store. There’s always a next time for revenge. I swear, bitch will die soon.

But that is not the point of this entry. The conversation I had with the lady AOM is worth sharing.

After, getting enough quotations, we headed to have a late lunch. We exchanged a shallow talk about company programs and how long she has been working with the company. Turns out, she’s been with the company for 23 freaking years.

The shallow talk became personal and thought-provoking. She said that it was not her dream when she was young to work in a private organization. She wanted to become a government teacher, and she was for some time. Knowing that she is the first-born and that she will be able to help her siblings better if she’ll have a higher pay, she transferred to our company. And she stayed with the company for 23 years and counting.

Her story made me think about my plans in the future. I don’t want to work for someone forever. I want to have a business for mom and dad. They’re getting older everyday and I know they won’t live forever. I want to give them the best in the world, something they deserve, but I can’t do that with my pay. I just got promoted but still, it ain’t enough.

I love them very much that they’re one of the reasons why I work my ass off everyday freaking day. They have given up so much for me and for my siblings. For sure, they had grand plans in life when they were my age. But I guess they weren’t able to get what they want because they raised us.

Hay, emo.

Well, I am convinced I should put up a business venture in two years time. Problem is, I don’t know what business I should do.

Any ideas? :)