A Reliable HMO Just When I Needed It Thursday, November 29, 2007

When I was still in Convergys, my previous contact center, our HMO or health maintenance organization was Maxicare. I just loved it, and I still do. One of the great things about Maxicare is that whenever you need medical assistance, all you need to do is go to an accredited clinic or hospital and they'll take care of the rest. No need for phone calls or a pre-screening in a clinic before you're endorsed to a specialist like Intellicare. Sorry, but I'm not a big fan.

A few months prior to my leaving Convergys, they switched HMOs and Intellicare was a real pain to deal with. You first needed to be seen by a clinic or the company physician for proper endorsements before you're allowed to use the card itself at the hospital. For others it may not seem like a big deal, but for my former officemate, it meant the life of her husband. He was having a really bad case of hypertension and his BP was around 200+ already (I'm not so sure about the details anymore as it's been years since the incident), and the hospital they went to had to turn them down because they "didn't follow Intellicare's procedure." She ended up paying for everything herself instead just so her husband could get immediate treatment, and filed a formal complaint against Intellicare as soon as she got back to work.


When I joined eTelecare, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that they had Maxicare as their HMO. I recently had appendicitis and all my husband and I did was to go to the hospital and everything was taken cared of. I didn't even shell out a single cent for anything while I was confined. And no clinics or pre-evaluations needed too. As soon as I was being treated, a Maxicare representative came in contact with my husband to assure him everything was arranged and he didn't need to worry - and we didn't.

Last 2 Days in Eastwood Thursday, November 15, 2007

For my work this week, which started from Tuesday and ends this Saturday, we were assigned at the eTelecare office at Eastwood City Libis, Quezon City which is currently one of the places I hate primarily due to the fact that it is very inaccessible and the path I have to take along Cubao is honestly not that good. Seeing a lot of people bystanding and sleeping on cardboard mats along the streets honestly makes me nervous.

Second, there is no footbridge access so you literally have to run across the highway with speeding cars to get to Eastwood. I'm not that good of a crosser, particularly if there's no official way to cross and there's no near stoplight to help.

Lastly, I hate having to walk a great distance just to get to where the jeeps going to Rosario or Citibank is, considering that I'm a terribly slow walker.

I'm glad that we only have two more days left in Libis and after this, we're back in Shaw Boulevard on a night shift that starts from 8pm-5am.

A Real Shifting Schedule Saturday, November 10, 2007

When I first applied for a job at eTelecare I was informed that the schedule we were to have was not stable and it would be a shifting one. Well, they weren't kidding. Initially, the schedule I had was a 7am-3pm shift, which was replaced by a 4pm-1am one, then followed by 5am-2pm, and there was this one time we were asked to come in 11pm-8am. The interval days (or should I say hours) in between shifts were pretty harsh, but I honestly got used to it already.

For now, our Client Specific Training will be held on the same schedule, 5am-2pm. However, it'll be held at Libis instead of Shaw, where our office is. I honestly hate that place, since it's so not accessible and the road I need to walk on is honestly not that safe.

I'm just glad that the training will only be conducted for a week, then we're back to Shaw again. When our office said the schedule was shifting, they were really right. Little did my team and I know that not only the schedule was shifting, but there would also be occasional location changes as well.

Goodbye Travel Blogging Friday, November 09, 2007

My days (or should I say months) of travel blogging has come to an end. The guy we four bloggers work for has called to a close on our travel blogging stint, and November will be our last month. I guess I'm just a bit sad since I've grown so accustomed and attached to the work that I had. For now I'll just focus on my other blogging jobs, the video music blogs and another blog in which I'm a contributor for.

I'll surely miss blogging about places I've never been to, and some that I actually have gone to. I'll also miss my new best friends, Wikipedia and Wikitravel.

Oh well, I guess good things really do come to an end. I'll just have to find a new blogging job to supplement the income I've lost. Hope my efforts of finding a new blogging job will be as successful as the one I previously had. I guess I shouldn't feel too upset, after all, I do already have a real job now at another call center. But I guess the real reason why I just love this job is that I get to do what I really love, writing.

I Need Help with my Motorola V3 Monday, November 05, 2007

For people who read my blog, I will be very much thankful for anyone who can shed light on how I can transfer the pictures I have on my mobile phone, a Motorola V3 to my PC. I have the USB cable and all, but when I plug it in and after my PC detects the new hardware and installs it, nothing happens after that.

I tried installing the Motorola Phone Tools program that came with the phone in the form of a CD, but that doesn't work with the phone I have. It keeps giving me an error message that states "Your phone is not detected" or something.

Unfortunately, for this type of phone, sending pictures via Bluetooth or Infrared is also not an option compared to Nokia phones, and the only thing I can think of at the moment would be to send each picture one-by-one through MMS to another mobile phone. Aside from being expensive, I also don't have someone to pass all my photos to since Henry and I share just one mobile phone.

I was really looking forward to uploading pictures from Keisha's birthday and some of Simone's pictures too, but I guess I'll have to wait until I figure this out.

Working at eTelecare Global Solutions Monday, November 05, 2007

Yesterday was my fifth day at work with eTelecare and so far, I'd have to say that I like it a lot. I haven't been working for several months (or close to a year) already and have been staying at home for quite some time now. To be honest, I really enjoy being back at work as I learn new things, I ride the MRT and commute, and I have my own pen again (lol).

I'd have to thank my uncle Jaime who literally gave me the right things at the right time, like my Tommy Hilfiger bag and blue Champion sneakers which I both use at work. As sandals with no heels are not allowed at eTelecare, my sneakers are my new best friends during dress-down days (Friday-Sunday) and holidays.

The only thing I miss though is the time I now don't have with my kids and Henry. I am just glad that this company gave me the privilege of starting on Oct. 30 instead of the 29th. As the recruiting offer from their HR Department informed me, the company is very family-oriented and they understood that since it was Keisha's 4th birthday on the 29th, they wouldn't force me to start on that day.

On a lighter side, I'm also looking forward to my first pay on Nov. 15 and when I finally manage to get my PayPal funds through Unionbank, I just might have enough spare cash to get my hair done.