Welcome to the Philippines Office in Makati Metro Manila
Greetings. A very warm and early welcome to the Philippines here in our new office. I have only been here one day so far, and the jet lag is absolutely ridiculous. First, the plane ride is already 24 hours with only a 1.5 hour transfer in Japan – but just as my luck would have it – the flight was delayed three hours. Then to top it off, the flight was stuck on the taxi for over an hour waiting for a spot to squeeze in – Japan has a very busy airport on a Saturday night it seems.
With all that said, we’re excited to get a bunch done here so far, it really doesn’t seem like there’s ever enough time in the day here – I guess one good thing about the jet-lag as I woke up at 4AM and decided to fix some power issues (that are very common here) in the new space. Today is your Super Bowl Sunday, and I decided to take our office to the local Hooters – a bastion of American culture here in the Philippines and a sure spot to find the game here at 7:30AM for the kickoff.
We’re going to watch as much of the game as possible until the furniture store opens around 9:00AM. We need to somehow furnish this place in time for our interviews tomorrow morning to get some well needed support. Rhodora has been giving me plenty of tasks to do here – any idea I had of making this relaxing has already gone out the window.
Today’s To-Do List:
Phone System & Virtual Fax
We’ve already set up the VOIP phone system and verified for awesome call quality to and from USA. This is super critical as most of our client base is there, and this is a critical path to our own growth.
Get Furnished
Definitely the biggest challenge with a Penthouse here in the Philippines – the top floor of a building is great – but there are no elevators. Somehow I need to get office furniture up here. Did I mention a spiral staircase?
Coffee, Coffee, and more Coffee
Waking up so early has it’s drawbacks, and our team will be working odd hours both day and night – having the right amount of caffeine is a critical part of the VA Staffer office. Hmm – maybe some tea, that’s great too.
Prepare for Interviews
2300 sq ft seems big, until you have over 20 interviews in a day. I’m thinking of one of our favorite clients who is an international HR Manager. I wish she was here to help out, we’re way over our heads in this task.
I hope you all have a great day and…. One last thing.
GO SEAHAWKS!! And have a Blessed day J
