Experiences | The Versus Workshop

Bullied for the right reasons

By cclozano On October 3, 2021 In Experiences, Reflections, Vocations with 0 Comment

I guess I’m lucky to have not experienced getting bullied at school. It must be because I have been in the company of good classmates that turned into good friends. But I couldn’t say the same for work. When I was a young student, I was an introvert but talkative, soft-spoken yet loud, studious and equally naughty, and jumping from one classroom to another in the hopes of being everyone’s friend. Because my family moved several places, from elementary to high school and up until college I would find myself adjusting to new environments and meeting new faces, but thankfully worked my up to the best classes. But nothing can prepare me when it was time to join the workforce and get a taste of what it’s like to earn a living.

Solitaire from tabletop to your desktop

By cclozano On September 26, 2021 In Entertainment, Experiences, Finds with 0 Comment

Is it just me but every time I see a deck of cards, I’d immediately clear a table or the bed or even on the floor and start shuffling and laying cards to play several rounds of solitaire. It’s out of boredom I guess but more than just to pass the time, solitaire helps stimulate a soft mental activity that somewhat relaxes the brain and relieves stress. And even without the physical cards, who is not guilty of squeezing in a few minutes of solitaire on a Windows PC during breaks or when work becomes too stressful? On a Mac, there are no card games installed by default, good thing I found solitaire.org, a website where you can play solitaire online for free just like you do the classic way.

How to win interviews during the pandemic

By cclozano On September 25, 2021 In Experiences, Reflections, Vocations with 0 Comment

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought us the new normal. And companies are adapting to keep business as usual. If you’re having a hard time acing your interviews and landing your next job in this pandemic, perhaps you’ll need to change how you prepare and anticipate questions that may sound too easy but are asked to reveal what most recruiters and hiring managers take as signals to flunk candidates.

Most interviews these days, if not all, are done remotely through video calls. Which is both challenging for the interviewer, who now has a bigger pool but will want to save time with speedier screening in gauging suitability for a position, and the applicant who’s weighing options if it’s the ideal company to work for but will have a tough time without the opportunity to dazzle through the interview in person.

Getting by

By cclozano On September 12, 2021 In Community, Experiences, Reflections with 0 Comment

It’s getting tougher each passing day. As in the photo, it’s like praying for the heavy rainfall to stop and urging the sun to come out because the rusty, leaking roof can’t take it anymore and will break your house anytime. The irony that is life. We’ve been dealing with the pandemic for over a year now. How many times have you heard somebody say “COVID is real!” Perhaps they got sick and hospitalized and lost a loved one, or among those who believed the virus and the vaccines to be a hoax or scam. You’d think you’re lucky you haven’t caught it yet and still alive. Unfortunate that the new variants of the COVID-19 virus are now widespread, causing the health statistics to get broken again and lockdowns becoming the usual, vicious remedy. And our social feeds becoming an online obituary is not exactly helping.

Upskill for free with Skillshop

By cclozano On September 11, 2021 In Experiences, Finds, Vocations with 0 Comment

If you’re looking to explore and upgrade your skills, particularly on Google’s professional tools and solutions, but thought such would put a huge dent in your budget, you’ll be happy to know that there’s actually a one-stop-shop training website called Skillshop where learners at any level can get online training to master the Google products, tools, and platforms for free. Doesn’t matter if you’re already a seasoned pro or just started with your upskilling goals, Skillshop offers comprehensive courses that you can take at your own pace to help you excel in your job, scale your business, or secure that next big opportunity you’ve been prepping up for.

Watch for health

By cclozano On August 21, 2021 In Experiences, Finds with 2 Comments

Watch your health they said and I took it to heart. No, I actually took it to my wrist, because I needed to check on my heart. For years now, I’ve been using a digital watch that doubles as an activity tracker when I workout, usually quick runs, after work. This, after a doctor, warned me that my heart needs my attention. But with the global pandemic happening, forcing us to stay at home, work remotely, but running out of focus when it comes to our own well being, I’ve been wearing it now most of the time to watch my health. And recently leveling it up when I finally got myself an Apple Watch SE.

Don’t get easily duped

By cclozano On August 7, 2021 In Community, Experiences with 0 Comment

You think you will never fall victim to a phishing attack or any online scam, what with all the information security technologies and data privacy restrictions businesses claim to have put in place to protect us, consumers. While I don’t get that many unwanted emails recently which usually go straight to my spam folder, a few serious-looking messages will sometimes pass through the filter and get into my inbox. Not that you’ll have a hard time figuring out if they’re fake, these email messages make it look like they’re coming from a legitimate company you signed up with, the most common of which are supposedly urgent notifications from banks instructing you to click on a link to update your details. You end up losing your hard-earned money if you don’t think twice before you click.

The internet is rife with heartbreaking stories of people getting duped and their savings drained until empty. Enough to scare you to change your account passwords more regularly. And with all the gadgets we use daily that now pay more attention to security, you’d think we should be good. Not at all, and at a time when we’re faced with uncertainties given the pandemic, these scammers aren’t stopping, in fact, they’re getting better. Last month saw me too busy, and if I didn’t take a second look, I would have been duped. Unsuspecting, with an email that arrived at a bad time.

Vax on the rush

By cclozano On July 17, 2021 In Community, Experiences, Reflections with 1 Comment

Pasig's vaccination card you'll be proud to show off.

On the day my wife and kids and others in our compound are getting their 2nd dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in Caloocan, I finally also got mine in Pasig. It’s only my first jab and had to sign up in the city where my work is located because I just couldn’t miss work and probably won’t last if I line up at 4:00 am and spend more than 8 hours waiting in too long a queue. Because that’s what my family had to endure, and many others in our barangay and perhaps in other cities as well, just to get vaccinated. Everyone seems to be rushing to get vaccinated now because of news that vaccines are scarce and running out of supply. And that some establishments are now requiring proof of vaccination before you’re allowed entry.