Ninja Blog  

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It's the last day of the week for us at work, and i thought I'd drop by my blog page at Multiply. So I called in a ninja to help me make it past IT's security. The mighty Ninja Wuxi does it again.

I'm at work right now and it's been ages since I last wrote while at work. I used to be able to blog any time I wanted when I was still working in Ortigas as part of our Marketing team. Now I've been reduced to hunting ninjas in order to be able access certain websites. Oh well.

For the longest time I've been aching to write something interesting but all the thoughts in my head seem to bore even me - though some thoughts are best kept to myself.

We're gonna start taking the day shift on Tuesday. About time they changed our schedules. Looks like I'm gonna stay in this company a little bit longer after all.

I lost P1,300 this week. Don't ask me, ask her.

I know cynicism does not suit me, but I'll know for sure once I find out what cynicism really means.

I miss my old friends. I saw pictures of my old high school buddies over at Facebook and they had a mini-reunion last Saturday. I actually have 2 sets of high school friends. You see, I spent the first 2 years of high school at a private school in ParaƱaque and the last 2 years at a public high school in Manila. Those guys at Facebook are my friends from ParaƱaque. My other high school friends from Manila actually setup our own social networking site exclusively for our high school's alumni. When I joined I was glad to see all those old friends at school. They all seem to be living the good life, which is really great. A lot of them had their own families now. It really felt great seeing them again, even if it was just on the Internet.

Things at home are doing pretty good too. My brother got his own PC, and his trumped mine in terms of specifications. Oh well, at least I didn't have to pay for it this time.

As 2008 ends, I would just like to say this to anybody who took time to read my blog: Expect a 2009 full of ups and downs. If 2008 was any indication, 2009 promises to show more thrills and spills, more heartbreaks and more opportunities to look forward to. I wish you all a happy new year, and Bob - save that last bottle for me.

Old Notes To Self  

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This is one of my older rants posted earlier this year. With everything that's been happening at work lately, I feel that there's a need to re-post this to remind myself not to give up. But then again I'm screaming too loud on the inside to hear myself say it.

An "Aha!" Moment (June 17, 2008)

So here's the 411. I recently quit/lost my job, but I was lucky enough to find a new one. The thing about it is I had to swallow a few ounces of pride and accept the position offered to me despite the fact that I had to go back to the phones again; sort of my own personal demotion, so to speak. In other words, I had been feeling a little depressed and disgruntled these past few weeks and my ego was a shot away from being crushed. But I am still grateful, and I'll tell you why.

Today as I was on my way home from training, a man got on the bus I was riding in and started talking to anyone who would listen about the issues they've been having with the bus company that they've been working for. Apparently, the guy was some sort of union leader and he explained how the management of the bus company had deprived them of certain benefits such as vacation leaves and their 13th month pay. He also explained that the management did not abide by the terms of their CBA or Collective Bargaining Agreement, so their workers' union decided to go on strike. He asked for some financial assistance from all of the passengers on the bus, and he seemed like he would get on as many buses as he possibly could just to be able to convey their union's message and earn some sympathy. He said the money they would collect would be used to keep their strike going in order to fight their company's oppression. I saw how passionate and sincere this man was with his cause. In fact, I actually gave the guy some change (which I don't normally do, being the tightwad that I am) to help their cause despite the fact that I had barely enough money for me just to be able to get home. That's when I realized how lucky I was to be able to receive not only a fairly competitive wage but also a decent compensation and benefits package from this new company that I work for. I know its not much to brag about, but hey - at least I am still able to feed my family.

I'm sure many of us have had the same woeful dread of waking up on a Monday and agonizingly dragging our feet to the office. I say this because in the last few years that I have been part of this industry, I have met a lot of people and, let's just say that some of them aren't exactly jumping for joy with what they do for a living. I've also had my share of grievances before. In fact, I learned the definition of the word "disgruntled" from all of the issues that I've had with Management, HR or Payroll. This afternoon's experience just made me think twice about complaining excessively about how miserable my career has been, simply because in more ways than one, I am still fortunate.

Identity Crisis by Brad Meltzer (2004)  

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I would have to admit, I'm not much of a comic book fan. I watch a lot of cartoons, but I just couldn't picture myself holding up a comic book, much less a graphic novel. But I believe that's all just about to change because of this book: Identity Crisis by Brad Meltzer which was published in 2004. I swear, the story line almost (fake bravado) had me in tears. Here are a few snippets from Meltzer's interview with DC Comics that talks about this novel. If you haven't picked up a good comic book in a long time, this book's a good place to start.

Q: You have six million books in print, two movies in development, and a WB television series that was the critic's darling. What convinced you to put it all aside for the chance to write Identity Crisis?

Brad: To put it simply, I love the characters. That's really it. It's sort of like that kid in your old neighborhood who used to have the best toys, so you wanted to go to his house to play. Well, DC has the best toys. I love my novels, and I love my characters, but DC has Superman. And sometimes, you just want to play with Superman.

Q: Your most recent thriller The Zero Game debuted at #3 on the New York Times bestseller list. How do the stakes change when you're writing a murder mystery involving superheroes, instead of say Supreme Court clerks (The Tenth Justice) or Capitol Hill Staffers (The Zero Game)?

B: I treated it exactly the same. I tried to pull all the emotion out of every character. The only difference was, in Identity Crisis, I'm dealing with superheroes, which raised a totally different set of issues: How do you hide from a man who can see through walls? How do you lie to a woman who has a magic lasso to make you tell the truth? You'll see.

Q: Identity Crisis has been a billed as a murder mystery featuring the World's Greatest Superheroes. Aside from the identity of the killer or the murder victim, what can you tell us about the series that readers might not already know?

B: The murder is really just plot. To me, what the book is really about is the cost of being a hero. People always assume that the villains should be scared if they see a man in a cape—but to me, the person who should be terrified is the person putting on the cape. Identity Crisis let's me bring a little more "man" to the "super."

Q: The Justice League of America is at the center of Identity Crisis. What is the Justice League and what interests you about it as a writer?

B: Rule one of writing: write what you love. The JLA are there because I just love those characters. I've loved them my whole life. Truly—that was the first comic my Dad bought me. JLA #150. Of the JLA, though, I picked those I love most: Green Arrow, Batman, etc, etc. Some, I just didn't have room for. And as for villains, those were the ones who really opened the story for me. Every hero is only as good as their villains.

Q: The icons of the DC Comics universe—Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman—have all been around for more than fifty years. What is it about these characters that allow them to thrive?

B: Somebody recently asked me about writing Superman, and they asked if I felt the need to add my mark on the character. Superman doesn't need my mark. Superman has been around for 60 years, because, as a character, he's almost perfectly defined. He doesn't need more definition. My goal is to find something that's in him...pull it out...show it to you, and you know when you see it, it's something that's been in there all this time, and it makes complete sense. That's what I tried to do with all the characters in Identity Crisis. Remind you what makes a hero great.

Q: What characters surprised you while writing Identity Crisis?

B: Batman. My whole life, like every twelve year-old comic book kid, I've dreamed of writing Batman...of watching him interact with Superman...and helping him lead all the heroes to victory. But when it came time to talk to him, Batman was the toughest to write. Not because I didn't understand the character, but because, unlike my dreams, he didn't want to spend time with everyone. He wanted vengeance. And he certainly didn't want to chit-chat. That alone changed my whole plot. Batman was just too big.

Q: Novelists tend to be solitary types, but comic book writers often have a much more active relationship with the artists illustrating the work. What was it like collaborating with Rags Morales and Michael Blair?

B: If I want, I can hand in my script and walk away. But the art is the other half of any comic book story, and if it's not dead on, it doesn't matter how good the story is. So...I speak to Rags almost every day, even though he certainly doesn't need my help. Mark my words. The name people will be talking about when issue 1 hits is Rags Morales. He's the heart behind Identity Crisis. The story is all about emotion—and Rags is one of the few artists who does real emotion. Rage, envy, shyness, hate, loss—Rags does each one truly differently. This isn't just "bad-ass pose time for the heroes." This is their humanity. Plus, Michael Bair on inks and Alex Sinclair on colors... all three are killing themselves for this book. I've seen the art for the first three and a half issues. Brace yourselves. The art is the only thing I'll hype.

Q: What do comics and graphic novels need to do to continue to reach a mainstream audience? Where you conscious of that challenge while writing Identity Crisis?

B: First, they have to stop apologizing for what they are. Somehow, over time, a literary hierarchy has been established with "literary fiction" on top of the pyramid...and comic books somewhere toward the bottom, just above comic strips. The worst part is, the comics industry believes it, forever wondering how they can be "accepted." Let me tell you something, just because something is in a graphic format doesn't mean it needs to be apologized for. And just because a novel is serious, doesn't mean it's serious fiction. The only thing comics should worry about is telling a good story. You do that and people will find it.

Q: The New York Post ran an item mentioning Identity Crisis declaring that, "In the world of comics this is the event of 2004. The mini series has also been mentioned in the New York Times and Spin magazine and been named the event of the year by comic industry magazine Wizard. Given the high level of anticipation, are you nervous about how fans will react?

B: It's certainly humbling. Obviously, any time you start any project, you hope that people are going to react. The scariest thing is when you put something out there, and nobody notices. What's kind of surprised me is how vocally everyone has reacted—and I mean that in the most positive sense. I've gotten flooded with emails, and my own message board has been loaded with comment after comment after comment. Will we live up to the hype? Only the story will decide that—which is exactly as it should be.

Q: What source material inspired you while writing Identity Crisis? Do you have a muse?

B: I've been reading comics for as long as I've been able to read. I grew up with them, was amazed by them, and matured with them. Identity Crisis is my love letter to these heroes. They've been with me my whole life.

Q: So as a murder mystery, this is not a story that ends with smiles, is it?

B: Is there ever a happy ending at the end of a murder mystery? The heroes are going to be much more unhappy, beyond the mourning associated with who's dead. Life has changed. People always love to hype things as saying that the 'Universe will be changed forever!'—I make no aspirations to say that I'm changing the universe, but I think, of you look at my run of Green Arrow, it will be hard to look at that character in the same way. That's the catch—have you left the character, or characters...changed? Not have you pulled off an event that can be undone in an instant. Any death can be undone—we've all seen it within, what? The past six months? But for me, that's not the ultimate harm you can do to somebody. There are far worse things that you can do to someone that involve leaving them alive.

Q: One last question: if you had one super power, what would it be?

B: Flight. No question.

Source: http://www.bradmeltzer.com/comics/identity-crisis/

Heroes and Villains  

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They just never run out of surprises, don't they? I'm telling you, I've seen the first 5 episodes of Heroes season 3: Villains and so far, I must've said "Whoa!" about a hundred times already.

Okay, so I'm exaggerating. But I just can't get enough of this show If you've followed the first two seasons, you have gotta see Villains. I don't want to put in any spoilers, but - who would've thought they'd see the day when Noah Bennet (horned-rim glasses) would have Sylar for a partner? Claire realizes one more fact about her. She can never say "Til' death do us part".

Unlike Claire Bennet though, Nikki Sanders is dead, but not Ali Larter. Whoever shot Nathan Petrelli at the end of season 2 is revealed. New people with unbelievable abilities are also introduced. And we finally learn what Sylar actually does to the brains of his victims after he cuts their heads open.

Believe me, if season 2 was a letdown because it was cut short, Villains has surely more than made up for it. And the best part is, it isn't even over yet!

Whatever You Say  

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I may not be a literary genius, but I have always been writing from the heart. That's why my blog posts don't always come out as interesting to everybody as I hoped they would be. And right now I'm pretty sure this one's gonna come out as unperfect as ever, because I am again writing from the heart - which honestly needs a little fixing right now. (Cue the cheesy sad love song in the background).

I hate going into details, so I'll keep this as vague as I can. Another thing I hate is having to compete for attention. If you don't like the way I am then that's just how it goes. Some people just like to see what they want to see in someone, and not everybody's willing to accept someone else's imperfection. That much I can understand. As much as I'd hate to feel bitter about this whole situation, I can't help but feel a little hurt somewhere near the chest cavity. Must be that lasagna I ate this morning.

One thing I know though, this will not be the end of this. I'm hoping you'll read this because I can't find the courage to ask if you even want to talk to me. (pathetic, I know). Believe me, I'll understand. Let's end this, I'll listen. Whatever you say.

Screaming On The Inside.  

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As if it wasn't enough that I've been having personal career growth (or lack of) issues as of late, fate once again decides to throw in the kitchen sink and mess me up emotionally too.

I'm stuck in another one of my infamous no-win mobius strip situations and I can't seem to find my way out. Frankly, I ain't even sure if I want to get out of this mess anymore. I'm so tired of screwing up and so sick of how life screws me back. I just want to sit on the edge of a cliff for hours and just watch the stars as I listen to the calm whispers of the sea.

Then I wanna jump over the effing cliff. I'm screaming on the inside. Somebody listen to me please.

Vengeance is Not Ours, it's God's - A Declamation Piece  

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I never got to do this back in school, but I have always admired those who did this piece. I dunno, I just find it interesting, and I'm sure some of you would remember this.

Vengeance is Not Ours, it's God's

Alms, alms, alms. Spare me a piece of bread. Spare me your mercy. I am a child so young, so thin, and so ragged. Why are you staring at me? With my eyes I cannot see but I know that you are all staring at me. Why are you whispering to one another? Why? Do you know my mother? Do you know my father? Did you know me five years ago? Yes, five years of bitterness have passed. I can still remember the vast happiness mother and I shared with each other. We were very happy indeed.

Suddenly, five loud knocks were heard on the door and a deep silence ensued. Did the cruel Nippon’s discover our peaceful home? Mother ran to Father’s side pleading. “Please, Luis, hide in the cellar, there in the cellar where they cannot find you,” I pulled my father’s arm but he did not move. It seemed as though his feet were glued to the floor. The door went “bang” and before us five ugly beasts came barging in. “Are you Captain Luis Santos?” roared the ugliest of them all. “Yes,” said my father. “You are under arrest,” said one of the beasts. They pulled father roughly away from us. Father was not given a chance to bid us goodbye.

We followed them mile after mile. We were hungry and thirsty. We saw a group of Japanese eating. Oh, how our mouths watered seeing the delicious fruits they were eating, Then suddenly, we heard a voice call, “Consuelo…… Oscar…… Consuelo…… Oscar…… Consu... …… Oscar……” we ran towards the direction of the voice, but it was too late. We saw father hanging on a tree…… dead. Oh, it was terrible. He had been badly beaten before he died……and I cried vengeance, vengeance, vengeance! Everything went black. The next thing I knew I was nursing my poor invalid mother.

One day, we heard the church bell ringing “ding-dong, ding-dong!” It was a sign for us to find a shelter in our hide-out, but I could not leave my invalid mother, I tried to show her the way to the hide-out.

Suddenly, bombs started falling; airplanes were roaring overhead, canyons were firing from everywhere. Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Mother was hit. Her legs were shattered into pieces. I took her gently in my arms and cried, “I’ll have vengeance, vengeance!” “No, Oscar. Vengeance, it is God’s,” said mother.

But I cried out vengeance. I was like a pent-up volcano. “Vengeance is mine not the Lord’s”. “No, Oscar. Vengeance is not ours, it’s God’s” these were the words from my mother before she died.

Mother was dead and I was blind. Vengeance is not ours? To forgive is divine but vengeance is sweeter.

That was five years ago, five years…… Alms, alms, alms. Spare me a piece of bread. Spare me your mercy. I am a child so young, so thin, and so ragged. Vengeance is not ours, it is God’s... It’s... God’s... It's...

Good Times Lemonade  

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Well you know what they say, when life gives you lemons make lemonade.

Cliche, I know. But that's exactly how I feel right now. Those who have read my previous posts (yes Bob, you) know what I went through the last couple of months in my chosen career.

I endured the not-so-happy experience of getting promoted, then being bounced around different departments, and ending up having to move to a different company altogether and being relegated to my previous position. I know it's been 4 wonderful years since I started out in the business. A little sad yes, because after 4 long years I'm back to where I started.

But the optimist inside me tells me that it's really not so bad. Besides, those were 4 years of employment. I look around me and I see that not everyone was as lucky as I was.

Some people spent the last 4 years of their lives on the streets. Those a little more fortunate spent the last 4 years at home, unemployed, while taking care of 6 or 7 children. Some even spent their time in jail. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not finding consolation in other people's misfortunes. I am merely trying to say that I have absolutely no right to complain.

Maybe we all just need to make lemonade.



All Hail The Avatar!  

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Nickelodeon's Avatar: The Last Airbender just finished its third season - and how! I mean, I've been following the show since it first aired and I have to say, season three's finale has got to be the best season-ender yet! I know it's a cartoon but you just got to appreciate the creativity and the imagination of all the show's writers. And besides, the kid in me simply loves the show. So for those kids-at-heart who haven't seen Avatar, here's a brief introduction.

The show takes place in a world where human civilization is divided into four nations: the
Earth Kingdom, the Water Tribes, the Air Nomads and the Fire Nation. Each nation has its own base element - earth, water, air and fire. Within each nation there are "benders", or individuals who have the ability to manipulate their nation's element, such as earthbenders, waterbenders, firebenders and airbenders.

In every generation, one bender from any of the four nations is chosen to become the next
Avatar, the spirit of the planet manifested in human form, who can manipulate - or "bend" all four elements. The lead character Aang, is the last living airbender after the Fire Nation wiped out the entire Air Nomad population. The main antagonist, Zuko is the Fire Nation prince. Or at least he was the antagonist until the end of season 2.

The first season basically laid out the background and introduced the audience to the main characters. It also showed how Aang, being the Avatar, learned how to waterbend. In season 2, more characters were added and Aang worked hard to gain earthbending abilities. It also introduced what I thought was a uniquely awesome ability -
metalbending.

In the third installment, enemies became allies as Aang learned how to firebend. He has to master all four elements in time to defend the world against the evil
Fire Lord Ozai, who wants to become supreme ruler of all nations, before a comet passes over the skies.
The passing of this comet will strengthen the firebenders' ability and make the Fire Lord virtually unstoppable!

I'm telling you, if you haven't seen Avatar, go buy the DVD (
or learn how to torrent) and watch all 3 seasons. You won't regret it, I promise. I can't wait to see if Nick will come out with a fourth season, although I have a pretty good feeling that they will. You see seasons 1 to 3 were titled after the elements in the story - Water (Book I), Earth (Book II), and Fire (Book III). But weren't there FOUR elements?

Near-Dead Blogger  

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I know I haven't been updating my blog for quite a while now. That's what I get for not having full admin internet access on my workstation. Yeah I do have internet at home, but most of the time I'm either too tired to sit in front of my PC or I'm busy watching TV. Or I could simply be out with my friends. I hardly ever touch my PC at home, and I feel bad about it. I've been struggling with the new schedule, and I haven't completely adjusted to sleeping in the day. There's just so many things I want to do but couldn't all because of this perceived lack of time. But I'll get around to working on it soon. I hope. Now where'd I put that book about having better time management? Oh right, I don't have one. Figures.

An "Aha!" Moment  

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So here's the 411. I recently quit/lost my job, but I was lucky enough to find a new one. The thing about it is I had to swallow a few ounces of pride and accept the position offered to me despite the fact that I had to go back to the phones again; sort of my own personal demotion, so to speak. In other words, I had been feeling a little depressed and disgruntled these past few weeks and my ego was a shot away from being crushed. But I am still grateful, and I'll tell you why.

Today as I was on my way home from training, a man got on the bus I was riding in and started talking to anyone who would listen about the issues they've been having with the bus company that they've been working for. Apparently, the guy was some sort of union leader and he explained how the management of the bus company had deprived them of certain benefits such as vacation leaves and their 13th month pay. He also explained that the management did not abide by the terms of their CBA or Collective Bargaining Agreement, so their workers' union decided to go on strike. He asked for some financial assistance from all of the passengers on the bus, and he seemed like he would get on as many buses as he possibly could just to be able to convey their union's message and earn some sympathy. He said the money they would collect would be used to keep their strike going in order to fight their company's oppression. I saw how passionate and sincere this man was with his cause. In fact, I actually gave the guy some change (which I don't normally do, being the tightwad that I am) to help their cause despite the fact that I had barely enough money for me just to be able to get home. That's when I realized how lucky I was to be able to receive not only a fairly competitive wage but also a decent compensation and benefits package from this new company that I work for. I know its not much to brag about, but hey - at least I am still able to feed my family.

I'm sure many of us have had the same woeful dread of waking up on a Monday and agonizingly dragging our feet to the office. I say this because in the last few years that I have been part of this industry, I have met a lot of people and, let's just say that some of them aren't exactly jumping for joy with what they do for a living. I've also had my share of grievances before. In fact, I learned the definition of the word "disgruntled" from all of the issues that I've had with Management, HR or Payroll. This afternoon's experience just made me think twice about complaining excessively about how miserable my career has been, simply because in more ways than one, I am still fortunate.

Not So BS-Proof After All  

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The title says it all. I guess all good things do come to an end. I bet she's laughing her guts out (I hope she is, literally) while holding her P35,000 paycheck. Oh well.

I just got back from the provinces after attending the burial of my mom's sister Tita Elvie. At least her suffering from her long battle with liver cancer is now over. At least I think it was liver cancer.

It's time for me to look for new and better (and hopefully BS-proof) employment. Hold that thought while I update my resume.

Coming and Going  

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I'm starting to get annoyed by all the stories I'm hearing about people planning to leave the company. I knew this would happen months ago but what i don't like is them sort of subtly encouraging some of our other colleagues to leave too. I know everybody has thought about leaving this company, what with everything that's happened in the past few weeks, but I just wished they'd think about it real hard first and make a decision of their own. I hope they don't decide to leave just because they see that others are jumping ship too. I honestly am tempted to join the pack but being the anti-conformist that I am, I want to believe that I'd make my decision based on how I feel. That and the fact that I don't want to start all over again. I've worked hard to be in the position that I am now. I'm not happy with what's happening at work nowadays, but hey, the show has to go on.

Its hard enough to see some of my closest friends at work leave. It's even harder to think that the ones that are still here are also thinking about leaving. Its just so sad.

So Far, So Good  

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So it’s time once again for this literary genius (wannabe) to spill his guts out to a faceless audience on the internet. It’s been exactly 5 months and 3 days today since I last spoke with a certain colleague of mine. I never thought fights could last this long! It doesn't bother me too much now though, and I’m not exactly eager to patch things up with her after what she did. Sorry, no details. Anyway, at least I’m in good terms now with the other protagonist in the sensational scandal to start 2008. And I am grateful for that (You reading this?). Really, thanks.

This year also marked the beginning of a new chapter in my call center career. I got bumped over to marketing, and I’d have to admit it’s pretty much like trying to learn French. But as the title says: so far so good. I am learning a lot from this new experience and I can never say enough about how much I appreciate everything that has happened to me work-wise. I think I’ve mentioned this before in my previous posts but whenever I look back to where I came from, and realize how far I’ve come – it’s a mind-blower. It’s one of those very rare moments when I truly am proud of myself. But I know I still have a long way to go, so I remain vigilant. Or at least I try to be.

I’ve also lost a couple of good friends at work this year. I mean the ones that I wish had stayed left, and the one that I had hoped would leave hasn’t. Oh well. Dianne, Ram, and RJ – I wish you guys all the best.

Two thousand and eight also celebrated my 29th birthday. Twenty nine effing years!?? I mean, who knew!?

I guess I’ve spilled enough guts for this post. And Shane if you’re reading this thanks for mentioning me on your blog. As you say, alak na!

There is one other very significant detail about this post that I had intentionally left out. That’s for an entirely different entry. I’m not sure if I want to talk about that part yet. ‘Til here for now. Ciao!!

My Favorite Stranger  

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I'm taking time out to write about the friendliest stranger I have ever seen. He works as a security guard at McDonald's El Pueblo here in Ortigas. Try grabbing a bite at that branch and you'll see what I'm talking about. I mean this guy literally invites passers-by to eat there, serves you ketchup when you need it, and occasionally gives away freebies, among other things. But what really caught my attention was how sincerely he goes about his chores. He greets a few of the regular customers by name, and always seems to have a cheerful smile for everybody. If there was a guy whose happy disposition could rub off on you and somehow make your day a little brighter, this guy is it. Check out the video that I found on Youtube. See? I'm not the only one who noticed.

Pancakes  

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Waking up to the smell of pancakes for breakfast is truly one of the better things one gets to enjoy in life. Luckily, for those of us who work in a call center, those of us who don’t get to wake up for breakfast there’s lunch, dinner and all sorts of edible stuff you can get from the friendly convenient store around the block.

The call center industry has indeed - for lack of a more unique term - boomed to exponential proportions with all those foreign multinational corporations setting up their sites here and there. It had opened up a lot of opportunities for people to explore their potential and become a contributor to society without having to be confined to the limitations of one’s educational attainment.

So how does a typical
Juan dela Cruz (he has since changed his name to John once he got signed by one of the top call centers in the Philippines) spend his day? He wakes up at around 7:00 PM (he hit the sack at around 11:00 AM earlier), eats a hasty meal and prepares to go to work. By 7:30 he’s saying goodbye to his wife and kid then he’s off to work. He gets to the office at around 8:40 PM and has just enough time to enjoy 1 stick of cigarette before logging in. He enters the office at 9:01 PM and is late by 1 minute. He gets his first call as soon as he logs in to the phones. Its a sup call. The customer is so irate about the product or service that he purchased, so naturally John tries to calm the customer down while holding back his own unrelenting fury. He checks the time and he can’t believe its just 11:00 PM. To him it felt like he’d been wearing that headset for days.

The hours dragged on.

Finally his day mercifully ends. He logs out of the phone as soon as his last irate customer hung up at around 6:45 AM. He goes down the elevator and walks amongst executives and businessmen, except that he goes the other way. Their day’s just beginning. For John, he’s glad to be going home.

He gets home at around 8:30 AM. His wife made breakfast
(pancakes), and his 2-year old son wanted to play. He spends almost the entire morning with his family and finally got to sleep at around 11:15 AM, while trying to block out all the noise outside. The following week his shift schedule was changed and he barely had time to see his family awake before going to work.

Now I know
typical does not apply to everyone. Some don’t get to do the things John did in the previous example. If anything, working in a call center has made me realize the value of things that I normally took for granted - sleeping, eating right, and spending time with the family.

Pancake anyone?

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Stories from the Simian Crease by Binchee is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Philippines License.
Based on a work at binchee.blogspot.com