7 days...

It's been a week since I started at Sungard System Access. So I'm at the point where I can't help but compare between my old and new jobs, list down the pros and cons of my new job and generally reminisce about things I used to do.
Let's start with the good. I left Sun Life to learn new things, get new challenges and I already learned something new. Four days into my stay, I attended an orientation on API development. And now, I'm working on some programming exercises to practice what I've learned. So far, I'm getting the hang of it, and that's good.
People here are generally friendly, especially my cube-mates. Others, I'm pretty sure I'll meet in the weeks/months to come. Of course, it's still the people of Sun Life whom I miss most. Most especially, VILLMA... guys, when are we going to all get together?!?!
I miss Red Box, I miss the proximity to Glorietta/Greenbelt. I miss the long lunches, the pay-day lunch outs, the afternoon meriendas, the morning coffees, the after work chikahan. I miss Starbucks, Quickly, Mini-Stop, Watsons...I miss the work. I miss waking up in the middle of the night to answer data center's call. I miss using Merant VM, Tracker and even RFS! I miss the online HR forms. I miss ProdSupp - hard to imagine because it was one of the reasons why I transferred in the first place, but I think the bottom line there is I miss talking to people, to different users and immediately getting a sense of achievement when you've successfully answered their query. I know, mababaw talaga ang kaligayahan ko. Here, you get your specs, work on it, and that's that. Hardly a life for an extrovert in an introvert's body (or is it the other way around) if you ask me.

But being far from all the conveniences of the Enterprise Center has it's advantages. I get to save more (yay!). And anything that brings temptation farther away is a good thing. I also miss TEC's facilities, but even if we use a common washroom here, it doesn't have long queues and faulty plumbing so, I guess it's a tie for that point. :) For water, there's a water dispenser (not a drinking fountain), so I don't need to buy 10L of water every week from Watson's anymore. For food, if Sun Life has Laling, we have Ate Febe. So far, I have yet to be disappointed with her menu for the week. :) I order in almost every other day, and she wins hands-down on presentation over Laling, with rice wrapped in a banana leaf. Today I had a beef pot roast with mashed potato. It includes rice and a banana. Yum. :) All for P62.
Also noticeable here is the quiet... only occassionally broken by a telephone ring, or a work discussion. But since speakers are not allowed, it's really quite peaceful...sometimes in an unsettling way. My Ipod is definitely maximized in this place. I'm leaning on this as an advantage because you can really focus on what you're doing.

Lastly, unrestricted Internet! I can finally use YM during the day and I've reconnected with some old friends who I haven't had the chance to chat with in years. :) Oh, and if you'll notice, this entry was posted during lunch break.
Bottom line, accepting change is all about knowing what you're willing to give up in exchange for something new - be it good or not so good. I've accepted this change and I think everything is still pretty much going well. Anyway, C'est La Vie! ;-)