2022

 After 6 years...

I never followed up on my YouTube & Blog. LOL. I tried to post an unboxing video last year on my YT account...but FAIL of course. I've edited the video and all pero it's too late na since it should've been posted like a week after I received the package (rollerskates).

Anyway, just a quick life update:

1. I moved to America last January 16, 2020.

2. Pandemic/Lockdown started 2 months after moving here and is still ongoing - not the lockdown tho. (F.U. COVID 19).

3. Got married to the LOML last Feb. 21, 2020.

4. Got to bum for a year and a half since I needed to wait for my work permit and SSN. 

5. Moved to New Jersey from Indiana as soon as I got the job at H&M in NYC (Herald Square) -super thankful for this of course.

6. Still with H&M after 7 months...but moving to a different brand 2 weeks from now. Call it a promotion ;) Now I get to have my work-life balance/turista mode in the city since that store closes early + it's literally above the PATH train. (Super duper thankful and lucky with this one...but then again, I don't wanna jinx it LOL).

7. Work has just been killing me. Store hours: 9am-11pm (but we get out at 12mn - if scheduled a closing shift)...mejo fucked up diba?! tapos in the middle of the craziest, busiest part of the city pa!

8. Been learning how to handle crazy thieves in the store as well as "Karen's". Nakaka challenge pero fun din naman since this is something "new" to me.

        Some crazy scenarios that I can remember:

              a. Scammer trying to do a return has his receipt and all but prior to returning the items, I already  spotted him getting our clothes "the returns" from the floor. When he was about to do his returns, one of the items he got from the floor couldn't be scanned and tags as "transaction does not exist". Of course, I explained it to him and mentioned that "all of his items are not on the receipt"...and he may "try to return the items in the store where he originally bought 'em". In addition, I said "oh, yeah...I've seen you downstairs..." and then he kept asking and pushing me to answer his question "What do you mean 'you've seen me'"...I just responded with "Oh nothing...I just saw you". Eventually, he got hysterical and as a defense mechanism, he threw a fit and kept arguing with me by the register to the point that people in line were already looking at us. I then called security to ask him to leave but of course he kept going and raising his voice at me...and eventually said I'm "Racially Profiling" him (of course he had to bring in that card). But at the end of the day, I didn't want to deal with that shit so I literally asked security to escort him out. LOL. got no time for that...people getting really creative these days just to get away with theft. 

              b. Another interesting story was the very first time I saw theft happening right in front of my face (I swear, the audacity of these people). I had no idea that WE CANNOT apprehend/touch these thieves (Only in America. *rme*). So of course I waited for the thief by the escalator going up the main floor where the store entrance is. I was literally in front of him by the escalator and then I turned around and said "Can please you remove our items??" while poking his shoulder (lol). Did it a couple of times until he said "You can't touch me!...I'm a customer!"...and then literally ran and exited the door. That bitch. Of course, I ran after him (and some of the staff saw me). I tried to ask one of the managers to stop him but he was like "Nope, not gonna risk my life". After that incident, the other manager told me that we do not do that here in America. I was just really frustrated because we couldn't do a single thing. That's why these fuckers just do it over and over again in different stores. *sigh* When will they learn? lol. But also, lesson learned for me because what if these crazies had any weapon on them?...so yeah, safety first! LOL. 

              c. This one happened just a few weeks ago...a thief was about to get caught with like 3-4 shopping bags full of our items..she didn't know where to exit because there's only one door open in the store. This bitch literally retreated, went back upstairs and did a diversion by setting an area of the store on freaking FIRE. Fucker was an arsonist?! like seriouslyyyyy...they're really getting creative. *sigh* The store is just getting too dangerous for me...I still wanna live until 90. LMAO.

...These are just 3 out of the 2543634363 incidents I witnessed in a span of 6 months. Imagine staying there for a whole year?!

9. What else what else...basta so much things happened within the past few years. So much new learnings even at this age (31, yes...I'm still in the calendar po. lol). So many new places and new faces. New friends, new enemies? jk. And just letting go of people...totoo pala yun noh, pag tumatanda ka na, mas pa konti ng pakonti nlang yung TRUE friends mo. LOL. makikita mo talaga kung sino nalang yung mag stick to the very end. Sad but at the same time genuine and real. Just holding on nalang to past memories...pero malabo na mabalik yung ganung state. OH WELL.

Anyway, I think I said a lot of things na. lol. (Not enough for the 6 year gap...pero gets?) Just a really quick update from 2020-2022. Hopefully I can write more in the coming days pero we'll see how this "new job" treats me (may " " kasi new old job..since I'm just transferring to H&M's sister brand - COS). Maybe I'll just make this my new-old diary since no one reads/goes on this page anymore lol. Will definitely post my Customer Stories here so I can look back at it sa future and just laugh about it or maybe be amazed by it. :D 

'til then,

-E.