novocaine for the tired soul

2004-03-03T04:06:00.000+08:00

Closing time - time for you to go out, go out into the world.
Closing time - turn the lights up over every boy and every girl.
Closing time - one last call for alcohol, so finish your whiskey or beer.
Closing time - you don't have to go home but you can't stay here.

I know who I want to take me home.
I know who I want to take me home.
I know who I want to take me home.
Take me home...

Sorry to say that this site is closing down for good...as I have found a better home.

Please point y'all fricken' browsers to

http://www.tabulas.com/~novocaine/

where the new Novocaine for the Soul will be hosted.

See yah!

2003-12-20T12:26:00.000+08:00

Bong. 10 days and counting before Christmas. In a few hours, it's gonna be Simbang Gabi in most parishes (for the last year I didn't participate in one due to my past call center work)

And as always, because of the highly-materialistic nature of the event (which is so faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar from the essence of the season as we love to know it as always), it's better to play safe -- I mean, play the Humbug game, and only give gifts to the people I aformentioned. The bad thing is, I got my salary last weekend and it's at the appaling rate of the figure which is even way below than my stipulated semi-monthly rate based in my probie contract (gotta go ahead and contest that to the almighty head of the Finance department if I can't get clear info from my sup or my peers as to what the heck really went wrong with my thing here; but one of the possible reasons is that I'm on the 10x4 shift which is in one way or another contributory to my predicament :( )

Enough of that money rant. Because I keep on thinking about that, I'm stuffing myself with some thngs I really don't need to stuff. Sira na nga ang araw ko because of that note posted in the main door of the floor to which I'm stationed at, and this is in reference to my failure to attend an update training session last Friday. I swear because of that note I had the hell of my life for around 20-30 minutes before i was able to attend that training -- obviously late (although I talked to my supervisor beforehand that I'll be going first to WF before attending training since I have to follow that goddamn office protocol). Good thing because the training ended that quick (not that late as I indicated in the SC form), Moi the trainer stayed up to explain what I missed out in the frst part -- all self-explanatory.

Hope this week would be not as tough as the past few weeks, although I admit I really have to work on some of the metrics -- some metrics I'm good already, but to be able to maintain a striking balance I should be good at the average time I have a customer in the line though).

2003-12-20T12:25:00.000+08:00

Party of all parties. I didn't come to the company party two nights ago but I went together with Marc (and his wife) to the account party at Grillaz in Rockwell. Thing is, I dropped-by first to their place in Guadalupe to greet his wife since it's her birthday that day and to see my godchild who's literally bouncing. We stayed there for almost 1.5 hours and gawd, even if I already ate food in Marc's house, I still ended up ordering food from that joint to complement the bottomless iced tea...which had me as a loser! Anyways I'll add more about this episode when the good modo in me strikes me in.

2003-12-12T09:25:00.000+08:00

The long week gets real longer. Irate callers start getting in my nerves and it's real hard toying with them (as I love to do). So many issues have wracked us because of what we do on the floor. Dang.

And it's only less than two weeks before the Season. Cash-strapped, and demotivated as I would be because of financial issues (aside from the fact that this would be the first Christmas without my mom). Have to return back to pensive and humbug mode where I won't care about Christmas. I'll just maintain a list of who amongst the people I know deserve to get a gift, depending on my budget: my dad (who'll be celebrating his birthday on Christmas Eve), my nephew, Alfonso (my godchild and son of Marc Ian), and my contribution to the account Christmas Party this weekend.

And speaking of parties, I may not be able to come to the company Christmas party tonight at the Manila Polo Club because of a prior commitment, although I'd love to see ourselves bantering with each other -- heck, kanya-kanya na kami since we got our shift skeds after nesting -- and hack all the possible food that The Bong would be serving (remember Thanksgiving -- I also got that hard-to-digest leg part). Anyhays, if not, hope we could see each other in the account party tomorrow (that is, if I come, since I don't think it's feasible to go because the food is on us; ang sagot lang ng mga sup are the drinks. :(

2003-12-05T10:20:00.001+08:00

HANGHIRAP NAMAN!!! NATIONAL IRATE DAY IN PROGRESS!!!

PURO NA NGA IRATE CALLERS, MGA EWAN KO PA!!! MGA ENGOTS PA!!! TAS FEEL KO BUMAGSAK PA AKO SA MYSTERY CALLER!!!

Buti naman kahit papaano bawi naman ako sa QA. Sigh.

2003-12-05T10:20:00.000+08:00

Only 20 days till Christmas. And all the more reasons to play the Humbug game!

And, shit, it's my monthsary with Liezl! 11 months and yet we rarely meet because of different work schedules. Too sad.

Was able to talk to Alfie almost an hour ago, and sad to say, he doesn't wanna return my headset as of this moment; he is actually demanding some downpayment from me since i lost his headset.

My god...wala pa akong pera na maibibigay sa kanya! Sheeeep! For one, that was a result of the headset swap which Alfie and I did last time around. Damn, the thing is, I accidentally lost or misplaced his headset when at one point I decided not to take it home and left it in the secure drawer in the office due to my final interview with my present employer -- only to find out that there was some jerk from another program who accessed that drawer and took that headset. That I realized that the drawer location was not secure at all...and that incident triggered the issue which in a way resulted into bad blood between me and Alfie.

Thinking that the issue would be resolved since I can get my headset at any time from him and return it so that my papers would be processed, I just had the gall to go to my former office, albeit at a bad time when the N**** team was making calls telemarketing to **** customers. And Alfie was too busy at the trime I arrived, I let him finish first because he had a sale. Needless to say, the conversation turned into a sour one, since he was first demanding payment/indemnation for his headset (which costs PhP5,000 according to a former team lead of mine) before he'll return it to him. The thing is, I told him that I need the headset so I could return it to him and that I could start processing my last pay. He wouldn't listen to; he was still insistent that I pay first before returning the headset to me; and that time I told him that I don't have enough money at that time and I reluctantly agreed to a slash on my downpayment for my headset and indemnation for his lost item.

Well, after this shift, after I post this entry in the blog, I'll go to the main office in Libis and return what I have to return, and if possible clear this issue with the IT department (where headsets are issued and returned upon service termination) because I have other plans (Plan B, Plan C, etc.) since Plan A with Alfie appeared to have failed.

Damn.

2003-12-05T10:19:00.000+08:00

Coming off from one of the most boring days of the week as always (it's my restday), it seems like I'm starting from square one. And I'm not used to it.

Methinks that I'd wanna back-out from my current sked once the rotation changes for shifts towards the end of the month. I've come to realize that the 10x4 shift isn't doing me any good. Worse, with my kind of schedule, I've been sleeping since 1-2 pm and then I'd wake up at 9 pm which gives me less time to prepare for stuff! Tuloy mas masarap pang matulog lalo pa't malamig na ang simoy ng hangin!

The good news though is, according from soneone in the BBS where I'm with, our 13th month pay (which is grossly small for me since I'm only here for a month) will be credited to our accounts either tomorrow or early this weekend! Some money back on my account to spend with, for the least, so I could buy some stuff once the 15th sets in.

Still, I want to see Alfie so I could get my headset from him and start fixing my papers for my exit clearance (how many times did I say this thing?). Supposedly I was to see him yesterday, kaso tinamad na naman akong lumabas. Maybe later during my lunchbreak I'll go ahead and see him in the ops area (chanced upon JP Matubis, a former N**** colleague, earlier while I was on my way and he works with Alfie in the first shift of N****, he told me I'm welcome to see him anytime though)

Kelangan ko nang pambayad ng utang ko sa credit card!!! Pucha!!!

One more thing, I have to stop my addiction over the Internet real good! It's wiping-out my money. Maybe if I go online this weekend, I have to control my urges once again. better yet if I stay instead with either Fred or Joemar, or dine-out with my girlfriend Liezl (shit, how do I tell her that I have no mooooore money as of this point to spend? Much as wanna see her again after so long, though...) And I have to spend more time speaking my thoughts out online or offline so I could also arrest the writer's block which is setting-in due to my incessant addiction over the net and the urge to throw away money on senseless things!

I have to start putting my life back on track, or else. This should not continue further once 2004 sets-in!

==============================

Scheduled EB's to attend to so I'd make sure I'd have some money, since december 15 is still far away:

This December 12, I'll be with some Pexers as we'll hold the Pex Friendster EB at Krocodile Grille, Greenbelt 3, Makati. (That very same day is also the Christmas Party of our conmpany, so I'm actually torn as to whether or not I'll attend our party since it also translates to food, food and food!) Then I got word from a friend at Tinig.com that they're planning an EB to be held during the weekend after the Friendster EB (Dec 13-14); hope I could renew ties with the other Tinig.com people and once I have this prevalent writer's block over and out, I'll resume writing for them (I have time and again promised Alex that I'll write with them but i haven't started a thing yet)

2003-12-05T10:17:00.000+08:00

DISASTER?

A week ago, national disaster was already on the midst after Fernando Poe Jr., the revered "Action King", declared his availability of rcandidacy for the highest post of the land. His annoucnement, while eliciting a positive response amongst his politico-supporters and the ordinary masa (the same masa who supported Erap the kingpin during his candidacy and his term), shocked the majority of the population who thought that an Erap was enough and that the country deserves NOT to experience another disaster after the 2 1/2 term of Erap that almost left the country and our democratic institutions in ruins.

But now, disaster is on its way once again. This time it's called "FPJ".

I recall a few months ago, it was foreseen that FPJ if ever would be termed as the "unwilling president" because he would be forced to run even if he doesn't want to. That I admired from this man who at one point in my youth I idolized through some of his movies. That time, he didn't want to cave-in to the pressure and request of the shrewd politicians who'd use him for their personal gain and that he would rather serve the country in his personal way. (Even if The Great Labandera had rescinded her earlier decision not to vie for the highest office of the land late last year, Da King that time was reluctant to requests for him to run for the presidency.) And that I would admire him all the more if he decided with finality to stay away from the chaotic world of politics.

That won't happen, at least for now.

And the most recent volatile political developments may have served as the reason why he suddenly changed his mind. Instead of sticking with his initial word that he won't sacrifice himself to the political altar, he stunned a nation when he ate his words and he allowed himself to be enslaved by the shrewd politicians.

Much as I admired him for his guts before, whatever admiration left to this personality has been wiped-out. Damn those shrewd politicians whom he allowed to take-over his life and his decision-making!!! Damn these mindless voters who want to use him for their gain (and in the end will manipulate him to do what is wrong so he could be kicked-out of office)!!! And if ever he gets to be the standard-bearer of Satan's advocates in the country, damn those who will vote for him because he doesn't deserve to run the country since he doesn't have enough qualifications to warrant him to run the country!

Are we people willing to have an "unwilling president" sitting in office? Woule we be willing to risk our country to a person who is actually not willing to run it on his own, just like what we did to Erap before?

2003-12-02T09:32:00.000+08:00

JUST SPEAKING MY MIND...

Welcome back to the wonderful world of blogging after my self-imposed exile to give way to my unwanted net addictions, unwarranted writer's blocks and adjustments to my new environment as a C**********. (Don't care what the words in the asterisks mean though)

And I'd realize that it's just a few days away from Christmas. Ah, now, I have the reasons why I should play the humbug game!

Anyway, my first week on the floor was kind of mixed feelings, especially when I stumble to a deadend where I grope for words whenever I think I can't answer further a customer's query. Damning, isn't it? But that's what customer service IS for -- you dictate the flow, you take control of the call and all that. I just think I was adjusting to a new climate, a new environment, and hopefully in just a short period of time I'd be able to gain momentum.

But what's just hard to swallow though in the first few weeks is my schedule. Yeah, I report to work for only four days with three days-off, 2 days straight each. The thing is, the reason why I took that sked was because I thought I was already toughened with my stint when I was with call center "E" where I handled 12-hour shifts once per week. Damn, those where 12 hour shifts of selling over the phone! At least after a week of experiencing 11-hour shifts (for the past week my schedule was only for three days because Thursday was Thanksgiving Day in the States) is better than 12-hour shifts of selling over the phone. Maybe I'll get used to this kind of shiftwork, and I may not hesitate to get this same schedule come next rotation.

Tow more things. First, I have to start the ball rolling with my clearance with my former company. I realized that I'm in dire need of money to start settling my bills and have a respectable balance on my current bank account so I'd have enough savings. Ang nakakainis lang, itong si Alfie hindi ko mahagilap para lang makuha ko sa kanya yung headset para maisoli ko na yan sa Libis. Bad trip, this needs for a chase between me and this guy (incidentally I lost his headset) so I could return the said item and just wait for my last pay so I could dispose of it the way I want it.

Second, I validated my registration with the elections commission yesterday, even if I ddn't want to. Initially, I was adamant to vote because I just don't find anyone worthy of my vote, from president down to members of our Sangguniang Bayan (town council). It's useless to vote nowadays because the people we usually elect to these positions don't really render services to us -- they are as corrupt as we ever imagine, and they don't render the service that we, the electorate, expected from them, especially during the campaign period. However, my dad as usual tried to convince me (although I keep on telling everyone that I'm not that interested with politics anymore) because if I don't vote, it's like I'm gonna be a traitor to the country and that I might hand over the country to the idiots if I don't cast my ballot and vote for the right people; since by not voting, it also means not taking part in change. He was right all along.

But i'd like to reiterate that I'm not that interested in politics anymore!!!

2003-11-22T08:09:00.000+08:00

Back to business.

Been off-line as always. I just really need to pass this whole damn thing so that I could finally go on-board with the account which I (in)voluntarily chosen to 2 weeks back.

And while I'm writing this helluva thing, I'm just waiting for the chopping block to fall on me, if I make it or not. Formality as it may seem, I need to hear the answer from our trainer if I made the final stage of training. That is, if I will make it to the Ops.

Looking at my results from the QA department, it seems that I made average, but I just need the recommendation -- as if she'll give our walking papers from training to ops, as if it were a classcard which is given by the prof to the student.

And looking back at the week that was, I was kind of figuring out initially if I could really pass this nesting thing. Instead of the usual simul calls done by other agents/trainers in other centers, we were exposed to the real world -- that is, LIVE calls done by REAL clients. It's for a tough account, in which for some reasons I can't disclose further for reasons beyond my control. During the first few days, we're like lost souls wandering in the woods, in which everytime we answer calls (especially the irate ones biatching about anything they wanna biatch about), we always look for supervisors around the training room especially our trainer. Gawd, it was really a hard time everytime we were lost for words everytime we face their issues, especially the weekend before we were never able to browse over our notes for the past week in classroom training.

In a way, that served as a culture shock for me. Coming from a different field in the contact center industry -- I spent most of my contact center career as a telemarketer (do I have to repeat for the nth time that I'm happy to be out of that field?!?!?!) and some two weeks answering calls for a local telco (that item I never declared in my resume' since it was just two weeks, I was also under an agency which, thank God, didn't deduct a portion of my pay during my stint for seemingly selfish reasons, maybe it is industry practice) -- it was really like facing a monster with me unprepared. I was giving erroneous information to customers just because I lack information as well, and my confidence level taking calls was low during the early stages of nesting, but good thing I was able to pick-up the slack. I realized that it could be the start of the niche which I was really looking for.

Now I'm still waiting. But I hope to get into the bus and go on-board to the thing I really appreciate.

2003-11-16T06:51:00.000+08:00

As the song goes, it's nice to be back. Practically I didn't bother blogging the whole week (but I got addicted the more on the net, especially with Friendster na dahil pala sa kaka-kalikot eh naging immobile ako because I kept on changing my mail address there until I have to switch back to my old one) because I have to take the client-spec training seriously. And my efforts were paid-off.

And I'm back to my normal life. Got my first paycheck two days ago, so I need not be dependent anymore on my brother whom I owed P2,100 just to be able to survive during my first two weeks of being called as someone from PeopleSupport. As for my last paycheck with my old company, I have to start attending to it -- that is, if I wanted to get it before Christmas Day -- but the changes in my schedule for my exit interview with the HR hampered that.

As for the week that was, just two main words: tough yet optimistic. Tough because we were subjected to information overload by our trainers (good thing there were no everyday quizzes unlike that of our counterparts) yet optimistic because after everyone passed the assessment, now we should be looking forward to the nesting stage where we'll be taking in live calls from customers. (Anyway we practiced amongst ourselves during the week through a series of simulations)

And with this, it will mark my return to my life as a nocturnal person beginning tomorrow (maybe after my exit interview; but the wait's not that long, though).

Just last night before I satisfied my Internet addiction and update this thing, I hung-out at Greenbelt 3 (I swear it's my first time ever at that place) and met Pexers who also are members of Friendster. After all I wasn't expecting that we'd be that much; in fact only 5 (including a guest, that would be 6) were there including myself, Sta|ker, oozle (with a friend), spongklong, & Johnston (who came in a little late after we finished eating). Had a good dinner at Krocodile Grille and we're eyeing a possible repeat possibly next month; what we'll be doing is to plan ahead though. Afterwards, we went to MusicOne and saw the latest release of Anton Ramos' Chill Out Project CD. Damn, it was really too good for me after I listened to it that I was tempted to buy it, but second thoughts prevented me from doing so (unless I check on possible cassette copies of it; I'm no CD collector and I was just planning to borrow a copy of that from whoever I know has a copy of that album so I could transfer it to my mp3 player on my mobile phone).

Anyways, have a good weekend fellas. I might be found on the blindside beginning tomorrow, the beginning of yet another challenging week for me.

2003-11-15T15:04:00.000+08:00

GETTING TO KNOW MORE ABOUT ME...

Another of those online quizzes that I saw in Friendster...

*****SIMPLE QUESTIONS*****
1. FULL NAME: Reynaldo Arco Refran
2. NICKNames: Rey (most of the time), Elrey (sa bahay)
3. HEIGHT: 5’7
4. WEIGHT: 240 lbs
5. HAIR: black
6. SIBLINGS: 2 bros, and 2 sis
7. DO YOU LIKE TO SING IN THE SHOWER?: no
8. DO YOU LIKE TO SING IN THE TOILET?: sometimes
10. STAR SIGN: pisces
11. ADDRESS: Andrea 1-A, Bacoor, Cavite
12. SEX: Male
13. RIGHTY OR LEFTY?: Righty
14. WHAT DO YOU WANT IN A
RELATIONSHIP?: happiness and contentment
15. HAVE YOU EVER CHEATED?: yup.
16. DO YOU SMOKE?: no (but I fantasized smoking pot)
17. HAVE YOU EVER BEEN DRUNK?: yes, but I still keep my head

*****FAVORITE QUESTIONS*****
18. MOVIE: Charlie's Angels, Bruce Almighty, X-Men
19. SONGS: rock, house, new wave, hip-hop
20. MODEL OF CAR: My family owns Toyota Mark II 1970's and Mazda 323 1998 version (?) but if I were to buy one I want a Ferrari (kapal!)
21. BAND/SINGER: All-American Rejects, Linkin Park, Incubus, Bush
22. TV SHOWS: News, NBA, UAAP, PBA, The Amazing Race series, Survivor series
23. ACTOR: George Clooney
24. ACTRESS: Jennifer Garner
25. FOOD: Filipino (adobo, sinigang); American, Japanese
26. NUMBERS: 16, 8
27. CARTOON: anime'
28. DISNEY CHARACTER: Stitch
29. BOOK: Lord of the Rings series, philosophical and political books

*****LOVE LIFE ETC*****
30. DO YOU HAVE A BF/GF?: Yep!
31. HAVE YOU EVER ARGUED WITH YOUR BF/GF?: Ndi naman nawawala yan eh.
32. DO YOU HAVE A CRUSH?: Uh-huh.
33. DOES YOUR BF/GF KNOW ABOUT YOUR CRUSH?: Hmmmm...
34. DO YOU WANT TO GET MARRIED SOMEDAY: When I get stable enough to warrant a family.
35. HOW OLD DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU HAVE YOUR FIRST CHILD: refer to above answer
36. WOULD YOU HAVE KIDS BEFORE MARRIAGE?: Dunno.
37. HOW OLD DO YOU WANNA BE WHEN
YOU GET MARRIED?: refer to answer to question # 34

*****EITHER-OR (PICK WHICH ONE YOU PREFER)*****
38. MUSIC/TV: music
39. AUTUMN/SPRING: spring
40. GREEN/BLUE: blue
41. OLIVE/BLACK: black
42. SUMMER/WINTER: winter
43. HANGIN OUT/CHILLIN: chillin
44. DOPEY/FUNNY: funny

*****ALL ABOUT YOU*****
45. WEIRD SAYING YOU HAVE: Syeters!!! (Pinoy slang for "shit")
46. WHAT SCHOOL DO/DID YOU GO TO?: I went to the urban jungle-filled University of the Philippines-Manila
47. HAVE YOU EVER TAKEN DRUGS?: Nevah!
48. WHAT'S A MAJOR TURN-ON FOR YOU?: mabait and maganda in both the inside and the outside.
49. HOW FAR WOULD YOU GO ON A FIRST DATE?: if she could fantasize me and arouse my interests.
50. YOUR PET PEEVES: Bro Eli Soriano's antics, irate ballers, traffic, cockroaches I see in the streets which I enjoy stepping on them, corrupt politicians, telemarketers and hard-sellers (although I worked with them one point in my life)
51. EVER BEEN HOSPITALIZED?: Not that I know of.
52. WHICH 5 PEOPLE ARE YOU OPEN WITH AND TRUST THE MOST? Most of the time my friends since I see them more everyday but when I have the time, my family.
53. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF SOULMATES?: Friends?!?!?!?
54. IS IT RIGHT TO FLIRT IF YOU HAVE A GF/BF?: No problemo.
55. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU CRIED OR GOT TEARY ABOUT?: When one of my long-lost friends (hell yeah) took her life almost a month ago due to...:shutup:
56. WHAT'S SOMETHING ABOUT GUYS/GIRLS YOU JUST HATE: Mga kupaw!!!
57. ARE YOU HAPPY?: Hell yeah!!!
58. WHY?: My new career in PeopleSupport
59. WHAT'S AN OBJECT YOU CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT: The Internet (I even surfed there for almost a day -- imagine 23 hours straight)
60. LOVE OR LUST?: Love
61. SILVER OR GOLD: silver
62. DIAMOND OR PEARL?: diamond
63. SUNSET OR SUNRISE? sunrise
64. HAVE YOU EVER GONE SKINNY-DIPPING? Nope.
65. DO YOU SLEEP WITH STUFFED ANIMALS?: Nevah -- even when I was a child I didn't.
66. DO YOU HAVE ANY PIERCINGS?: None.
67. WHAT COLOR UNDIES ARE YOU WEARING RIGHT NOW?: white
68. WHAT SONG ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?: Swing Swing -- The All-American Rejects
69. WHAT ARE THE LAST 4 DIGITS OF YOUR PHONE NUMBER?: 8176
70. WHERE WOULD YOU WANT TO GO ON YOUR HONEYMOON?: Somewhere in the North
71. WHOM DO YOU WANT TO SPEND THE REST OF YOUR LIFE WITH?: My special someone
72. WHAT'S THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT THE OPPOSITE SEX?: if 36-24-36 and flawless skin
73. FAVORITE SPORT?: Basketball as a spectator, but I wanna get into the badminton craze.
74. WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY?: The fact that I am content with my life
75. WHAT'S THE NEXT CD YOU GONNA GET?: That new one from Anton Ramos
76. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS OR GLASSES?: Nope
77. WHAT'S THE BEST ADVICE GIVEN TO YOU?: Follow your heart (when I was at the crossroads of my career when I decided to move to PS)
78. HAVE YOU EVER WON ANY SPECIAL AWARDS?: Nope.
79. WHAT ARE YOUR FUTURE GOALS?: To be stable and to be content with what I'm doing right now -- striving for excellence and reaping its rewards.
80. HAVE YOU EVER BEEN KISSED?: Of course!! *Mmmmmmmmmmmmwah!*
81. DO YOU LIKE FUNNY OR SCARY MOVIES BETTER?: Mostly scary
82. ON THE PHONE OR IN PERSON?: In person
83. HUGS OR KISSES?: Hugs and kisses
84. WHAT SONG SEEMS TO REFLECT YOU THE MOST?: Beautiful Day, U2
85. IF YOU DIED TOMORROW WHO WOULD YOU LEAVE EVERYTHING TO?: marami eh, but I'm not thinking of that yet coz I still have a life to live.
86. WHAT MAKES YOU ANGRY?: those who brand deep-thinkers and nationalists as "commies"
87. WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST FEAR?: being alone in this world
88. WOULD YOU RATHER BE RICH OR FAMOUS? RICH!!!
89. WHAT TIME IS IT IN ALBANIA NOW?: It should be around 12:30 am as of this writing?!?!?!
90. IF YOU HAD 24 HOURS LEFT TO LIVE, WHO WOULD YOU LEAVE EVERYTHING TO?: My family and my special someone
91. HAVE YOU MET SANTA?: Si pader lang pala yun eh!
92. IF E.T. KNOCKED ON YOUR DOOR HOLDING UP A PEACE SIGN ASKING TO USE YOUR PHONE WHAT WOULD YOU DO?: tell him that the phone rental doesn't cost 3 25-centavo coins anymore.
93. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU TALKED TO THE PERSON YOU LIKED?: last night, during the EB
94. DO YOU HAVE ANY PETS?: 3 askals
95. WHAT'S YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS?: rrefran@peoplesupport.com / reyrefran@yahoo.com
96. LAST TIME YOU WERE DEPRESSED?: when I was in the verge of deciding whether to stay with hell or move on to a better world that's PS
97. ARE YOU AN ALCOHOLIC?: nope. I'm just a freaking social drinker.
98. WHO SENT THIS TO YOU?: Totus (former Nitro colleague)
99. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THAT PERSON: See you on the flipside dude...
100. DO YOU WANT YOUR FRIENDS TO WRITE BACK? Of course!!!

2003-11-10T16:12:00.000+08:00

My Matrix name is:

RETRO

Wanna Play?

2003-11-09T20:38:00.000+08:00

For the second straight day (except for the night that I went online -- Saturday evening till this morning), I lived the life of a BUM doing nothing inside the confines of my house, practically because I was holed-up.

As if I was on a rut today. Even if our barangay celebrated the fiesta in honor of our patron saint, I was not in the mood celebrating it. What for?

Kain, tulog. Ni hindi nga makapagligpit ng mga gamit eh. That thing oinly happened when my sibs got home from Cebu hours ago.

And feeling that I haven't accomplished much during the weekend, I'll put myself to sleep early on to prepare for the challenging but exciting week ahead.

Dang.

2003-11-09T09:14:00.000+08:00

Music: Swing, All-American Rejects
Mood: Bum mode turned on.

As expected, since I was the only man in the house, I did nothing except watch TV and eat. I did sme laundry but not much. And to make things worse, I only slept a few hours which made me sleepy.

At least I already know how to live life as a bum for a day. Honestly, I just dunno that because hindi ako nabakante when I was between jobs and that I kept myself busy during the time that I was in transition.

But the one thing that I could say about being a bum at least for 24 hours: Masarap. A good detoxification pattern from all the week-long troubles. Hindi na kelangan na magpunta ka pa sa spa or outside your location. Basta wala ka lang kasama pwede na.

2003-11-07T20:15:00.000+08:00

Music: Numb, Linkin Park
Mood: Back to contemplative.

I am doing this whilst stuck in heavy traffic ater an hour's wait of a ride back home -- due perhaps to an artificial shortage? Or plain traffic on the way back to the business district?

I know I should've hurried back home if I had my way. Dad and my sibs will spend the weekend in Cebu visiting my late mom's relatives, and am expecting them back on the bottom part of the weekend. So ako lang ang maiwan na tao sa bahay and they'll expect me to keep it clean. Fine, I can do that. And to put more stress, it's going to be our barangay fiesta this weekend. But I don't care celebrating that; anyway it'd just be a waste of money to throw it away to something. Lalo na kapag alam mo na inutang. It's impractical nowadays what with the worsening economic situation.

Anyways, on the distaff side, we did discuss the sales training. Adding some bragging rights, I'm quite familiar with it since I did 97 % telesales in my entire contact center career. And the good thing is if ever in our job descripts as customer care people, we'll do not more than 30 % of sales jobs -- it's just cross-selling and up-selling, the stuff which I really would've wanted to do when I first filed an LOI with my former employer months back.

And some disheartening news:

1. Since I said that we're split and I was among those going, I said 25% goodbyes to them since most of the people I worked with for the week will not be with me anymore; I'l be with the 8 brave souls who will go to a more complicated account. But I can see on the brighter side that I can make this rigid training with flying colors.

2. Lalong maiipit ang employment clearance ko nyan. My exit interview is to be held this Wednesday, but I badly needed my money before Christmas. Syet naman kasi, andaming gugulin. Worse, I'd also have a hard time convincing the people in my old company to give me one of the tax forms that my new employer is asking so that it could be reconciled with the year-end thing for those who worked within the same year.

Almost near my destination, thank God. Now I can do whatever I want for he weekend, even if it takes bumming around or acting as if I were a bum.

2003-11-06T22:46:00.000+08:00

Music: Wasn't listening to music. At this time I'm figuring out some sleazy talk on AM Radio.
Mood: Happy

Just leaving a short note on whichever I call this thing.

I MADE BOTH THE TOEFL ASSESSMENT AND THE CS EXAM!

Chicken feed. Some say it's no big deal, but it's no big deal if you read and review your notes.

It pays rin pala yung kalokohan ko na tuwing walang magawa eh nagta-transfer ng notes mula sa training manual hanggang sa steno notebook na kasama sa mga binigay.

So tomorrow's agenda is lighter since there's no exam I guess.

And by the way the 54-man Batch 95 was already split this morning. 9 of us will be going into this account which services credit reports in the US (check for credit standing, if they could buy a car or plan for their next big purchase, yada-yada), and I volunteered for that. I love challenges, and the thing is, I can adapt more aside from a fewer people in the team, I can learn better in a longer training timeframe (we'd have a nesting period whilst the remnants won't; they'll sit on the floor Asap)

2003-11-05T22:10:00.000+08:00

The third day of training is noting but more of a drain!!! More info overload occured and tomorrow, the dreaded Customer Service written exam would take place, and I have to pass this one to meet the standards.

I also had this nerve-whacking TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) Assessment Test in which most part of it was a breeze but I had a hard time in the listening part because I haven't even decided on the answer whilst going-over with it.

Gosh. As if I wasn't able to take the exam ever. It was similar to the English technicality exam which everyone took during the application process. Yung kanina, mas malala lang kasi mas maraming items.

Hope I can survive the exams and all so that I can move forward to the next level of difficulty (as if it were a game) come next week!

2003-11-04T20:26:00.000+08:00

Music: Assorted Daft Punk music
Mood: Worrying about information overload, though.

Another tiring, mentally-exhausting day. Thought all along that it was just the second day of training but true to my fears, information overload has finally set in in just the second day. Exciting client, cool people to be with (our group is like an amalgam of people) but mentally-punishing regimen.

Just this morning, I decided it would be the last time for me that I could go on-line while I'm having the feel of the company, the training and all that. I could still go on-line during the weekend when I have no scheduled training for the least and I'll stay-up till Sunday morning, the way I'm doing it lately. If my Internet urge still persists during training days I might just check out Friendster or Pex but not to blog perhaps. Mentally-exhausted ka na nga pahihirapan mo pa sarili mo sa pag-iisip.

This may just be training, but I have to take it seriously. Why? Because our guidelines dictate that if we fail the battery of assessment tests (passing rate is 85 %) during the 2-week training we're out for good. Sayang di ba? (At least there's a mercy of 2 retakes if ever you fail any of the assessments, but ayoko nang pabutin pa sa ganyan ano?)

violetjersey was right all along when she described my addiction to the Net when we met last Sunday lunchtime. Malala na. Maybe I need some withdrawal, which is as painful as the process undertaken by someone who wishes to withdraw from smoking yosi.

2003-11-03T20:52:00.000+08:00

Music: Beautiful Day, U2
Mood: Worrying about information overload.

"It's a beautiful day
Sky falls, you feel like
It's a beautiful day
Don't let it get away."

These were the lines from that U2 song (mind you guys, I like U2 because they fall into the new wave genre) which ran on the top of my head all day. As the lines said, it was really a brand-new day indeed. Because I started another chapter in my employed life which I hope would really make me content ever -- as in nakahanap na ng maganda at tamang timpla -- after that harrowing (for me) experience as a telemarketer selling products to uninterested people.

And the good thing about it is that aside from venturing into inbound customer care (inclusive of sales) which means less pressure (I would learn later that it is tantamount to them putting one foot into the ground/forward), so no pressure and obligation for me on my part!

Relatively easy. I just need to brush-up on the knowledge, policies, and all that which would be tackled in this information overload for this week.

And I hope that I would retain the magic or stuff that brought me to where I was before, so that I could maintain my momentum.

2003-11-01T04:32:00.000+08:00

Music: Moremusic104 (a good station from Washington, DC playing all kinds of rock)
Mood: Struggling sleepyhead (I need some coffee please! Donors, anyone?)

SOME AFTERTHOUGHTS

No jack o' lanterns or something like these goodies that we usually see when Christmastime sets here in the Philippines. What I saw even on news images are people trooping to the cemeteries to pay their respects to their dear departed.

As for me, I'd be doing that with my dad and my sibs to pay my respects to my mom who went to The Great Beyond almost six months ago (after suffering from a lingering illness, for a fact). Good thing I'm quite ready to be back on my feet after I sprained my ankle 4 days ago. 'Coz we might stay there at the memorial garden while the day is up (we might be home only come nighttime, but for me this would be cut short because I have to report back to my office to bid the folks there a 'so long'...I hate saying the "G" word.)

Anyways, speaking of that last (at last!) 12-hour shift which I will endure as a telepest (a bastardized term for telemarketer...that's how the US people call these people nowadays), I'm too darned proud to say that at last I'll be free from a career which i in the long run disliked because of the nature of the job and the pressure that came along with it. In fact, I am known to be a person who works well under darned pressure, but if this pressure is something that entails among others forcing people to do something even if it weren't what they really want (i.e. selling, blah blah) it's already a different ballgame. And much as I don't wanna go back at least for a day, I have to to give my team lead the medical certificate which proves that I was examined for my sprain, and so that I could subliminally say: "Ang sarap ring silaban nitong opis na ito!!!" (because my company held my penultimate salary which according to some peers I'll be getting after a month -- hopefully before the Yule season). Dammit, I'll be leaving the company poor and penniless. Baka umutang muna ako sa kuya ko para lang mabuhay ako for the next 2 weeks as a trainee with the new company I'll be joining.

But I realized that I was off for three goody days. Darned! No income for the company which i work (and soon I will remark as "worked for"). During this convalesence, I did take advantage of what my friend told me a week ago (I posted it also here sometime) -- pause, reflect, relax. Somewhat it did make a difference for me when I was like doing nothing and instead of worrying too much about work, my boss, and my peers who were kinda thinking that what hapened to me was plain karma, I was looking forward to the next stage of my life without too much expectation or indignation. The only thing was, if I had the resources, I would've made this break into a total detox which I badly, madly need at this point.

And speaking of the new company I'l be joining, I have to keep in mind that I have to complete all the pre-employment requirements that I have to bring by Monday. The text message from the HR person who accosted me to all these reminded me (after I asked) to be there at the 14/F, 9 am. Now, the only thing that I lack would be the clearance from the NBI (which if you get there 3 hours before the counters for the clearance opens -- you're the first to be served; as the day progresses, the queue gets longer), but because of that freak accident and my being in dire straits, I wasn't able to procure that before the government offices went on a loooong Halloween break. Maybe if I get to smuggle some moolah from my bro' this weekend, that would be my first order of business before I start traning so that the HR folks won't have problems with my requirements and for me to be sure that I accomplished them as well.

Lastly, before I log-off (dunno until when, but maybe for a prolonged period coz I said I don't have the moolah anymore) I have to say that I might be off-line for an indefinite period of time. That means no live blogging (I might manually write a diary of whaddaheck happened to me during the days, but it would only reflect on this blogsite when I go online again) for a few days and no updates whatsoever also on the forthcoming Friendster EB amongst my BBS peers. (Scheduled on the 15th of this month -- that means I have the moolah by that time, bagong sweldo kasi eh.) But I still do hope I'd be in touch with some people maybe through the mobile.

See 'ya all on the side, fellas. Not that long though.

2003-11-01T02:56:00.000+08:00

Music: I Wish I was Your Lover, Sophie B. Hawkins
Mood: Upbeat.

CLEAN-UP TIME. TIME TO GET TO KNOW ME MORE IF YOU WANT. (from Friendster)

1. WHAT IS YOUR MIDDLE NAME?
-> Arco
2. WHAT KIND OF PANTS ARE YOU WEARING AND WHAT
COLOR?
-> light blue jeans
3. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
-> R. Kelly's Ignition (the full version) which I
wanna play over and over again, enough to make me
have an LSS of this!
4. WHAT ARE THE LAST 4 DIGITS OF YOUR PHONE
NUMBER?
5. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE?
-> burger steak & rice
6. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?
-> BLUE or MAROON! (I hate to be a greenie)
7. HOW IS THE WEATHER RIGHT NOW?
-> humid
8. LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
-> my friend Ate Jyrs
9. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT THE OPPOSITE
SEX?
-> the legs
10. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT YOU THIS?
-> of kors! (si yvette ;) )
11. HOW ARE YOU TODAY?
-> ngarag
12. FAVORITE DRINK?
-> water, sodas, iced tea, 4 seasons juice
13. FAVORITE ALCOHOLIC DRINK?
-> Red Horse and Colt 45 beers
14. FAVORITE SPORTS
-> indoor sports, but I wanna play badminton to
shed fat
15. HAIR COLOR?
-> black
16. EYE COLOR?
-> black
17. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?
-> nada
18. SIBLINGS AND THEIR AGES?
-> mau - 35, liza - 32, roel - 30
19. FAVORITE MONTHS?
-> july
20. FAVORITE FOOD?
-> pastas and meat-based dishes (adobo, sinigang)
coz I'm skilled in cooking those stuff
21. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?
-> Charlie's Angels 2
22. FAVORITE DAY OF THE YEAR?
-> march 5 and dec 25
23. ARE YOU TOO SHY TO ASK SOMEONE OUT?
-> most times yes, but i'm willing to give it a
try though.
24. DO YOU LIKE SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDING
MOVIES BETTER?
-> scary movies; happy-ending ones are too cheesy.
25. SUMMER OR WINTER?
-> neither. i'd go for the rainy season. summer
sucks because of the heat.
26. HUGS OR KISSES?
-> both.
28. CHOCOLATE OR VANILLA?
-> chocolate but if it's vanilla coke, ok lang
29. DO YOU WANT YOUR FRIENDS TO WRITE BACK?
-> of course! ;)
30. WHO IS MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND?
-> i have no idea.
31. WHO IS LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND?
-> i have no idea either.
32. WHAT BOOKS ARE YOU READING?
-> Philosophical books and travel guides.
33. WHAT'S ON YOUR SCREEN SAVER (Also DESKTOP)?
-> nil.
34. FAVORITE BOARD GAME?
-> the classic scrabble
35. WHAT DID YOU DO LAST NIGHT?
-> sleep. i have to sleep early coz my work
starts at 4 am.
36. FAVORITE SMELLS?
-> hugo boss, bench fragrances, calvin klein,
polo sport. if i have no moolah i go for baby
cologne. hehehehe
37. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU THINK OF WHEN
YOU WAKE UP IN THE MORNING?
-> can I please get the hell out of my current
workplace as I wanna live lufe on my own; I'm
sick of your frickin' faces!!!
38. FAVORITE ALBUM TITLE?
-> that first album of craig david which due to
too much LSS i forgot the title for Chrissakes.
39. EVER BREAK SOMEONE'S HEART?
-> not yet.
40. DO YOU SMOKE? IF YES, PLEASE ELABORATE:
-> no, but a part of me wants to smoke crack.
the thing is, i don't even know how to smoke
cigar.
41. WHAT IS YOUR WORST TRAIT?
-> being too marshmallowey -- in other
words, "pikon" or "balat-sibuyas"
42. WHAT IS YOUR BEST TRAIT?
-> understanding, easy-going, friendly, patient
43. HAVE ANY NICKNAMES?
-> i'm better known as REY but the folks inmy
house call me ELREY
44. WHEN DID YOU LAST "GET SOME"?
-> just this morning ;)
45. ARE YOU HAPPY?
-> yah.
46. ARE YOU HORNY?
-> when i think/drool over someone.
47. DO YOU BELIEVE IN DESTINY?
-> ja.
48. WHITE SHIRT OR BLACK SHIRT?
-> white shirt.
49. FAVOURITE LOVE SONG:
-> won't say, it's the theme song of me and my
pretty baby
50. “FAVOURITE” SONG BOUT LOVE GONE SOUR:
-> barely breathing

2003-10-29T14:49:00.000+08:00

Music: Times Like These, Foo Fighters
Mood: Mostly in pain. I'll tell you why.

KARMA?

I was really really contemplative and at the same time optimistic (though during our 10-hour shift which started 1 am yesterday -- the mother of all shits as I call it...hahahahaha -- I never generated any sale, though I attempted to but they're not interested to decide at that moment) that I would hurdle all my troubles in my last week with my current company. Until yesterday afternoon.

I was supposed to have my physical/medical examination as part of my pre-employment requirements for the company which I will start with next week. While I was to cross the corner of Amorsolo and dela Rosa streets (the back of Makati Medical Center), I suddenly lost balance, tripped and suddenly found myself on my knees under the scorching heat of the sun. two strangers whom I was to cross the street with suddenly noticed me and after thinking of it for a few secs and me asking for help, they helped me out from the sidestreet where I laid on my knees. And while they took me to the sidewalk (na-realize ko na ambigat ko pala) I fainted so many times due to the scorching heat. I thought I was about to pass-out. And since the location is just at the back of Makati Med, some nurses who happened to pass by there volunteered a wheelchair for me so I could be brought to the emergency room. When I got into the emergency room, I suddenly found out that the healthcard that my current employer provided is not accepted there, so idecided to go to the hospital which accepts my card -- and it's PhP81 worth of a taxi ride away. it's because it shoulders all my medical expenses. I decided to make good use of it before I resign from my current work. There, upon reaching the emergency room of Medical City, I was subjected to the x-ray after putting an ice pack on my right foot. (It was exactly placed at the ankle which hurts the most till now) And thank goodness that the results said that good thing my foot wasn't fractured; the doctor suspected that the ligaments of my foot were torn, so a complete bed rest is recommended -- meaning I should take a rest for a few days so I could recover and walk. (This would also be the same thing that the doctor at the lab where I had my physical pre-employment exam -- yes, I proceeded with it this morning after I was forced to go to my cousin's office to return some stuff even if initially I wouldn't wanna go because of my situation -- and she also told me to put some bandage and external pain-killers on my foot, but of all things I shouldn't go to the manghihilot)

Thank God, no physical therapy needed -- if I'm OK, I could be back on my feet Asap, just like the aftermath of another nasty incident last Christmas where I injured my left knee fater goind all-out in our Christmas party in the contact center where I first worked.

As I tried to go back on my feet after getting-out of the emergency room, I was in terrible pain -- kulang na lang inuwi ko na yang wheelchair na ginamit ko sa Medical City -- and something suddenly flashed-back to me. I was knocked in my senses in a way. What happened to me hours ago was bad karma for me for deciding to pack my bags from the company I'm with (for a few days more). This is the third, for a fact.

The first happened when I was to undergo the final exam with PS...I left my headset in my team lead's "public" (as for what this means, I'd realize that in the next shift) drawer(which was actually loaned from one of my former teammates after we swapped headsets) since wala akong dalang anumang gamit except for my usual clearbook which contained the scripts and the stuff I use at work. (That interview would be the source of my second bad karma though) And when I got back to report the next day, I suddenly discovered that that headset is gone, maybe the people from other programs took it since they don't have their own headsets. When I reported it to my former teammate, this infuriated him up to the present. Parang hindi ko sya makausap ng deretso dahil dito. And because this headset isn't found till now, I risk debiting PhP5,000 from my last pay if ever as a penalty for the loss of the headset which is not even mine.

The second was actually the episode between me and the non-compete clause which i signed months back when I was forced to accept the job offer of my current company.

And the third...sheesh. This brought me much pain. Can't even walk straight. Or put my weight on my rightie that much.

Good thing I informed my TL of this matter, and she understood me for what happened. It might look like I'd only report on my last day (this Saturday) or not at all, depending on the situation of my right foot. I do hope the prescribed pain-killers would help ease me, as well as the rest that I'll get would be enough for me to muster the strength of getting back on my feet.

2003-10-27T22:46:00.000+08:00

Music: The LAUNCHcast Chill-out station
Mood: Ecstatic but quite pensive.

WHAT THE HELL AM I THINKING AT THIS POINT?

In a few hours from now, I'll be starting what I see as the most turbulent week of my life as an employee -- yet. This week would be my last week with the contact center I'm connected with. Maybe just because I was thinking in the long run that I was forced to serve it out for fear of losing my last benefits and the tax refund if ever I go on Awol. And sheep I'm prepared to face everything, since instead of 3 days only it's goinna be a 4-day work week (I suddenly adjusted my supposed 1 of 2 leaves that I should have for this week though, so thisd week would mean less than 1 leave)

But at this point, what am I contemplating? Nothing much. Just that I do my job, make my last hurrah, and prove to the people there that I'm no push-over.

*****************************

Today's events in the news is as turbulent as it may seem. The unnoticed railroading of these opportunists under the Pacman party (NPC) to oust the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Hilario Davide Jr. has blown into a constitutional crisis that pro-Davide people forewarned last weekend. Rallies in support of Davide (spearheaded by the administration after Ate Gloria Labandera earlier in the day broke the executive department's silence on the issue) and in support of these opportunist lawmakers (led by the Estrada hack groups) were held at -- the venue of all venues -- the Batansan complex (muntik na silang mag-pang-abot). Good lOrd, no voilent incidents occurred there.

If only I had the time to join this cause in support not only of Davide the crusader (remember his role during the Erap impeachment trial) but also of the judiciary in general, I would've done so.

Our country is now in deep shit once again, as worse as the Estrada crisis (almost 3 years ago has passes since then), thanks to these politically-motivated boneheads passing-off as lawmakers. If ever the people would have the gall to choose (or un-choose), maybe they should consider junking these hags:

1.) Bautista, Jose Virgilio (SANLAKAS)
2.) Magtubo, Renato (Partido Manggagawa)
3.) Velardo, Rene (BUHAY)
4.) Jalosjos-Carreon, Cecilia (Zamboanga Del Norte)
5.) Aggabao, Giorgidi (Isabela)
6.) Albano, Rodolfo (Isabela)
7.) Cojuangco, Carlos (Negros Occidental)
8.) Cojuangco, Mark (Pangasinan)
9.) Cruz-Ducut, Zenaida (Pampanga)
10.) Dangwa, Samuel (Benguet)
11.) De Guzman, Del (Marikina)
12.) Dilangalen, Didagen (Maguindanao w/ Cotabato City)
13.) Estrella, Conrado (Pangasinan)
14.) Falcon, Jesnar (Surigao Del Sur)
15.) FUENTEBELLA, FELIX WILLIAM (CAMARINES SUR)
16.) Gatchalian, Sherwin (Valenzuela)
17.) Ipong, Gregorio (North Cotabato)
18.) Jaafar, Soraya (Tawi-Tawi)
19.) Jaraula, Constantino (Cagayan De Oro City)
20.) Joaquin, Uliran (Laguna)
21.) Joson, Josefina (Nueva Ecija)
22.) Lacson, Jose Carlos (Negros Occidental)
23.) Lanot, Henry (Pasig City)
24.) Lapus, Jesli (Tarlac)
25.) Ledesma, Julio (Negros Occidental)
26.) Libanan, Marcelino (Eastern Samar)
27.) Lobregat, Celso (Zamboanga City)
28.) Lopez, Ruy Elias (Davao City)
29.) Nicolas, Reylina (Bulacan)
30.) Nieva, Ernesto (Manila)
31.) Ortega, Manuel (La Union)
32.) Paras, Jacinto (Negros Occidental)
33.) Pingoy, Arthur (South Cotabato)
34.) Plaza, Rodolfo (Agusan Del Sur)
35.) Villanueva, Emmanuel (CIBAC)
36.) Ylagan, Perpetuo (Romblon)
37.) Yumul-Hermida, Georgilu (Quezon)
38.) Zamora, Ronaldo (San Juan)
39.) Zubiri, Juan Miguel (Bukidnon)
40.) Angara-Castillo, Bellaflor (Aurora)
41.) Angping, Harry (Manila)
42.) Antonino-Custodio, Darlene (South Cotabato and Gen. Santos City)
43.) Aquino, Agapito (Makati)
44.) Baculio, Augusto (Misamis Oriental)
45.) Badelles, Alipio (Lanao del Norte)
46.) Banaag, Leovigildo (Agusan Del Norte)
47.) Barinaga, Roseller (Zamboanga Del Norte)
48.) Bautista, Claude ( Davao Del Sur)
49.) Duavit, Michael "Jack" (Rizal)
50.) Durano, Joseph "Ace" (Cebu)
51.) Dy III, Faustino "Bojie" (Isabela)
52.) Erice, Edgar (Caloocan City)
53.) Escudero, Francis (Sorsogon)
54.) Espino, Amado (Pangasinan)
55.) Espinosa, Edgar (Guimaras)
56.) Bernardo-Lokin, Ma. Blanca Kim (CIBAC)
57.) Bersamin, Luis (Abra)
58.) Biazon, Rozzano Rufino (Muntinlupa City)
59.) Bondoc, Juan Pablo (Pampanga)
60.) Bulut, Elias ( Apayao)
61.) Cagas, Douglas (Davao Del Sur)
62.) Macarambon, Benasing (Lanao Del Sur)
63.) Macias II, Emilio (Negros Oriental)
64.) Marañon, Alfredo (Negros Occidental)
65.) Mathay III, Ismael (Quezon City)
66.) Mitra, Abraham (Palawan)
67.) Montilla, Angelo (Sultan Kudarat)
68.) Nepomuceno, Francis "Blue Boy" (Pampanga)
69.) Remulla, Gilbert (Cavite)
70.) Rodriguez, Isidro (Rizal)
71.) Romualdo, Jurdin Jesus (Camiguin)
72.) Salceda, Joey ( Albay)
73.) Saludo, Aniceto (Southern Leyte)
74.) Santiago, Joseph (Catanduanes)
75.) Seachon, Fausto (Masbate)
76.) Singson, Eric (Ilocos Sur)
77.) Solis, Jose (Sorsogon)
78.) Soon-Ruiz, Nerissa ( Cebu)
79.) Suarez, Aleta ( Quezon)
80.) Suplico, Rolex (Ilo-Ilo)
81.) Sy-Alvarado, Wilhelmino (Bulacan)
82.) Syjuco, Augusto (Ilo-Ilo)
83.) Taganas-Layus, Celia (Cagayan)
84.) Taliño-Santos, Emmylou (North Cotabato)
85.) Teves, Herminio (Negros Oriental)
86.) TEODORO, GILBERT (TARLAC)
87.) Tulagan, Generoso (Pangasinan)
88.) Umali, Aurelio (Nueva Ecija)

Note: The impeach-Davide proponents are listed in uppercase letters.

*** As of late afternoon's news on radio, Representatives Bautista, Domogan, Erice, and Magtubo rescinded their signatures in the said complaint. At least kahit papaano nagising sila sa kanilang mga sentido.

2003-10-25T15:57:00.000+08:00

Music: Y101
Mood: Not that good. Still nursing a nasty hang-over from last night's party.

SOMEONE HAS TO PUT THIS THING IN CHECK.

There is another innate urge in me to go Awol for today. I wasn't able to wake-up that good, being addicted to the Net. And that very nasty hang-over brought about when I attended the team partty which actually turned-out to be a send-off (which initially I really hated though coz I hate being accorded goodbyes). Dammit. Parang nababangag na naman ako. Kapeesh!

Anyways, methinks that I really wouldn't wanna work as a telemarketeer or a telesales rep. I already must look forward to my other job -- as what a friend told me, for the coming week -- it is a moment to pause for thought, contemplate the present, and plan for the future. Do not do very much and put yourself to pressure.

2003-10-24T07:17:00.000+08:00

Music: Currently into diverse chill-out tunes as always when I'm on the computer
Mood: No definite mood.

BANGAG MODE TURNED ON.

F*ck. Friendster is down at this moment. Meanwhile, Ederic is asking me if I could add him on my account at MySpace.

Anyways, having second thoughts on attending the last goodbye for Len. Depends on Sta|ker though, he's on his way to Tafat. My current location is a kilometer away from our meeting place; good thing as of this writing he's on the Skyway already. Some not-so-good signs have already pervaded on shdwbxr & AAC.

Would have loved to start downloading more tunes for my cellphone if I was not sent to the other station here in the cafe'< i>yung nasa harap na lang ang saksakan ng USB port. Peste!

But what I prolly won't forget was my stupidity the other day. I was riding a PVP bus [going to Makati when I was about to sign the job offer of...PeopleSupport (now I'm proud and prouder to reveal where I'm going)...] and I placed the ticket on the seat cover (which I nominally do because there are some bus companies which don't do random ticket inspections). the thing is, an inspector boarded the bus along the Slex (near the San Andres area) and he was asking for my ticket. Since I changed seats I curtly told him that I'll just look for it at the place where I was from. Kaso nalaglag rin pala na hindi ko na makita kung saan pa nahulog yun at pinagtitinginan na ako ng tao. Then the inspector asked me to leave the bus dun pa lang sa Cash and Carry. Sheesh. Napahiya ako.

*****************************

By the way I was also thinking if I should go to the team party (Maserati) tonight at Nin's place in Tandang Sora. If I'll attend the cremation today with Sta|ker, I have to go home early so I could get enough rest and forego with my plan of seeing a priest or going to a self-retreat. (I was planning to do that on the next segway of my leave) And if ever I come tonight, I'll demand a heart-to-heart talk session with my boss. I really have to; I'm in deep shit already.

2003-10-23T06:54:00.000+08:00

Music: Don't Dream it's Over, Crowded House
Mood: Pensive and ecstatic. :smokin:

SO LONG...FOR NOW

10.23.2003
6:55 AM PHT

Dearest Len, (I swear this would only be the first time I'll call you by your nick since during e-mails I always refer you as Elaine or Sacro)

'Sup? How are things doing there in the flipside? As always, I do hope everything is owell wherever you may be. Maybe it's just me or maybe it' also with the others -- especially my tropa (our common friends connected in a way or another) who had more time to be with you, I sigh -- that we cannot avoid thinking of you especially the good and the shining moments that you spent with us in a way or another while you were still here with us.

Methinks that I was kinda betrayed by what happened because we have had last contact in any way maybe more than a year ago, your last message to my mobile phone (which was lost in a nasty incident involving those low-life Ipit Gangsters in the Cubao area, inside a regular bus) and you told me back not to text you anymore in the number you were using that time; but you assured me that you'll keep my mobile number and text me back when you feel like talking to me. I never heard from you again nor I had the gall to write you some short mails just to cheer you up on a bad day that you always experienced back then. I would only hear from you back last Sunday in a shocking way -- that sent us all back to reality.

Whew. All that sent me to some reminiscin' way back from that very short meeting where I knew you in person during the Pex Anniversary bash 2 years ago. But that was a good 2 minutes only. Then after that months after, when I found myself in some horse-shit and I was quite addicted to Pex, I got the opportunity to know more of you when we started exchanging e-mails. That was during the time I slowly decided to retire my old nick from Pex due to some flak I'm getting...or was it just because I decided to concentrate with life outside Pex? Ayun...at least kahit sa labas ng Pex nagkakwentuhan man lang tayo about school, life in general, some philosophies of yours na medyo half-baked pa rin ang pagkakaunawa ko noon tulad na lang ng mga discourses mo i.e. religion, and even skirmishes with some people like our common dislike of the Clique and Pakers in Pex (I'm sure you're still familiar with them even if these guys have mellowed-down or have banished 'emselves) and last but not the least (if my memory still serves me damnright) the moment when I asked you to defend Yuri_Prime a.k.a. Krelian a.k.a. unified_theory (who hapened to be a fellow gamer and schoolmate of yours) from these boneheads...actually do you remember that I also told you once that I was lashed upon by these nincompoop alternicks just because I stood by him? (I also have no contact of him whatsoever, but I don't even have an idea if he knows your whereabouts now)

Sabi nga ni Abbee nung dalawin ka namin nung Monday hanep ka pala magparamdam. Grabe ever. We bought you flowers and when your bro' arranged it under the altar it suddenly withered even if I, Abbee and Kath (who saw you as an inspiration for her) thought na maayos ang pagkakaayos nun. At iba ka rin pala kung makatitig sa amin. Yung portrait mo nakatitig sa amin when we first sat at the other side of the chapel; and when we transferred and had some chitchat with Erving (nahiya ako sa kanya parang mas at ease pa ako ke Eric :) I swear) eh nakatitig ka pa rin sa amin. Maybe it's like you appreciated your presence...although deep inside you're thinking that the way you are being remember here is not the way you wanted...teka saan nga ba yung thread about "what do you wanna do after you die?" You prolly posted there for sure, kaso bulok pa rin yung search function ng forum ah. Speaking of pagpaparamdam, parang nagparamdam ka sa akin the next day when I suddenly felt damn sick after being awake for more than 24 hours -- after we visited you at the chapel I have to report straight back to work (just so you know I now work as a glorified telemarketer in one of the top call centers in the world that is going some bust, but I will change my status to some tech support guy in its rivals come next month -- sayang nga lang hindi mo na ako makikita pa na nakaabot sa ganun) and serve my time there although I think I'd wanna go Awol! I am not happy with the hell I'm experiencing now at work! Nakakangitngit! (in typical reybelde fashion) By the way, it was a pleasure to meet Hyperion as well in the chapel...a non-confy. ;P

I'm counting more or less than 24 hours before the people whom you have touched dearly in your 21-year stopover here -- first and foremost your family, your classmates, your friends in Pex and other fora, your fellow gamers, and others -- will send you off. That includes me, Kath, Abbee, Kuya A (for sure napansin mo na umiyak sya after seeing you in your casket -- note that he really wanted to see you personally during your lifetime), and Paul (Sta|ker, whom I discovered again after eons...and he remembered me as The Weakest Link guy...naikwento ko ba sa yo na sumali ako roon?)...in fact ngayon nga hindi namin alam kung ano isusuot namin bukas. Same also goes to some people you know (and I know as Pex-friends also) who were also shocked by the news but cannot physically make it tomorrow -- nuss (he went there first last Monday before we could go there in the chapel) and lech0n 420 (yo' good ol' rockin' buddy -- alam mo na asenso na buhay nun ngayon...working in c3/SourceOne Asia and would be a supervisor there soon.)

Pero isa lang ang masasabi ko before that very emotional moment comes: Isang NAPAKARAMING SALAMAT SA IYO for having known you and at least having been a part of your life here. I know you hate reading looong letters (and I hate making loooong ones either) since hindi naman tayo nagcommunicate ng ganito at parating mala-chat lang, but I hope you'll find eternal happiness and solace wherever you are right now. ;)

See you on the flipside. Till then.

Rey
(former reybelde in Pex)

POSTSCRIPT: Pwede ba i-add kita sa Friendster ko as amongst my friends? ;) Thanks in advance!

2003-10-22T15:23:00.000+08:00

Before I sign-off for today, lemme post these inspirational stories which I post in Friendster that I have to delete from our bulletin board...

THE LAW OF THE SEED

Take a look at an apple tree. There might be five hundred apples on the tree, but each apple has just ten seeds. That's a lot of seeds!

We might ask, "Why would you need so many seeds To grow just a few more apple trees?"

Nature has something to teach us here. It's telling us: "Not all seeds grow. In life, most
seeds never grow. So if you really want to make something happen, you had better try more than once."

This might mean:
You'll attend twenty interviews to get one job. You'll interview forty people to find one good employee. You'll talk to fifty people to sell one house, one car, one vacuum cleaner, one insurance policy, or a business idea. And you might meet a hundred acquaintances just to find one special friend .

When we understand the "Law of the Seed", we don't get so disappointed. We stop feeling like victims. We learn how to deal with things that happen to us.

Laws of nature are not things to take personally. We just need to understand them -
and work with them.

IN A NUTSHELL

Successful people fail more often. But they plant more seeds.

When Things Are Beyond your control, here's something that you must NOT DO so as to be happy: You must not decide how you think the world SHOULD be. You must not make rules for how everyone SHOULD behave. Many times, such thoughts can bring you spiralling down into more unhappiness.

On the other hand, let's say you expect that:
Friends SHOULD return favours.
People SHOULD appreciate you.
Planes SHOULD arrive on time.
Everyone SHOULD be honest.
Your husband or best friend SHOULD remember your
birthday.

These expectations may sound reasonable. But often, these things won't happen! So you end up frustrated and disappointed.

There's a better strategy. Demand less, and instead, have preferences! For things that are beyond your control, tell yourself: "I WOULD PREFER "A", BUT IF "B" HAPPENS, IT'S OK TOO!" You prefer that people are polite.. but when
they are rude, it doesn't ruin your day. You prefer sunshine.. but if it rains, it is ok
too!

To become happier, we either need to:
a) Change the world, or
b) Change our thinking.
It is easier to change our Thinking!

IN A NUTSHELL:

It is not the problem that is the issue, but rather it is your attitude attending to the
problem that is the problem. It's not what happens to you that determine your happiness but rather how you think about what happens to you!

****************************

ONE HOUR OF TIME

A man came home from work late again, tired and irritated, to find his 5-year old son waiting for him at the door. "Daddy, may I ask you a question?"

"Yeah, sure, what is it?" replied the man.

"Daddy, how much money do you make an hour?"

"That's none of your business. What makes you ask such a thing?" the man said angrily.

"I just want to know. Please tell me, how much do you make an hour?" pleaded the little boy.

"If you must know, I make $20.00 an hour."

"Oh," the little boy replied, head bowed.

Looking up, he said, "Daddy, may I borrow $10.00 please?"

The father was furious. "If the only reason you wanted to know how much money I make is just so you can borrow some to buy a silly toy or some other nonsense, then you march yourself straight to your room and go to bed. Think about why you're being so selfish. I work long, hard hours everyday and don't have time for such childish games."

The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door. The man sat down and started to get even madder about the little boy's questioning. How dare he ask such questions only to get some money?

After an hour or so, the man had calmed down, and started to think he may have been a little hard on his son. Maybe there was something he really needed to buy with that $10.00 and he really didn't ask for money very often. The man went to
the door of the little boy's room and opened the door.

"Are you asleep son?" he asked.

"No daddy, I'm awake," replied the boy.

"I've been thinking, may be I was too hard on you earlier," said the man.

"It's been a long day and I took my aggravation out on you. Here's that $10.00 you asked for."

"The little boy sat straight up, beaming. "Oh, thank you daddy" he yelled.

Then, reaching under his pillow, he pulled out some more crumpled up bills. The man, seeing that the boy already had money, started to get angry again. The little boy slowly counted out his money, then looked up at the man. "Why did you want more money if you already had some? " the father grumbled.

"Because I didn't have enough, but now I do," the little boy replied.

"Daddy, I have $20.00 now. Can I buy an hour of your time?"

--- Author Unknown

****************************

WHAT IS A COACH?

A coach is a politician, a judge, a public speaker, a teacher, a trainer, a financier, a
laborer, a psychiatrist, psychologist and a chaplain. It also helps if he is an astrologer or at least understands numerology.

He must be an optimist and yet at times appear a pessimist, seem humble and yet be very proud, strong but at times weak, confident yet not over-confident, enthusiastic but not too enthusiastic.

He must have the hide of an elephant, the fierceness of a lion, the pep of a young pup, the guts of an ox, the stamina of an antelope, the wisdom of an owl, the cunning of a fox, and the heart of a kitten. It will also be to his benefit to develop the acting ability of a poker player with a pat hand.

He must be willing to give freely of his time, his money, his energy, his youth, his family life, his health and sometimes even life itself. In return, he must expect little financial reward, little comfort on earth, little privacy, little praise but plenty of criticism.

However, a good coach is respected in his community, is a leader in his school, is loved by his team, and makes lasting friends wherever he goes.

He has the satisfaction of seeing youth develop and improve in ability. He learns the thrill of victory and how to accept defeat with grace. His associations with athletes help keep him young in mind and spirit; and he, too, must grow and improve with his team.

In his heart he knows that, in spite of the inconveniences, the criticisms, and the demands on his time, he loves his profession, for he is THE COACH.

--- Author Unknown

****************************

BLIND BUS PASSENGER

The passengers on the bus watched sympathetically as the attractive young woman with the white cane made her way carefully up the steps. She paid the driver and, using her hands to feel the location of the seats, walked down the aisle and found the
seat he'd told her was empty. Then she settled in, placed her briefcase on her lap and rested her cane against her leg. It had been a year since Susan, thirty-four, became blind.

Due to a medical misdiagnosis she had been rendered sightless, and she was suddenly thrown into a world of darkness, anger, frustration and self-pity. Once a fiercely independent woman, Susan now felt condemned by this terrible twist of fate to become a powerless, helpless burden on everyone around her. "How could this have happened
to me?" she would plead, her heart knotted with anger. But no matter how much she cried or ranted or prayed, she knew the painful truth that her sight was never going to return. A cloud of depression hung over Susan's once optimistic spirit. Just getting through each day was an exercise in frustration and exhaustion. And all she had to cling to was her husband Mark.

Mark was an Air Force officer and he loved Susan with all of his heart. When she first lost her sight, he watched her sink into despair and was determined to help his wife gain the strength and confidence she needed to become independent again.
Mark's military background had trained him well to deal with sensitive situations, and yet he knew this was the most difficult battle he would ever face. Finally, Susan felt ready to return to her job, but how would she get there? She used to take the bus, but was now too frightened to get around the city by herself. Mark volunteered to drive her
to work each day, even though they worked at opposite ends of the city.

At first, this comforted Susan and fulfilled Mark's need to protect his sightless wife who was so insecure about performing the slightest task. Soon, however, Mark realized that this arrangement wasn't working - it was hectic and costly. Susan is going to have to start taking the bus again, he admitted to himself. But just the thought of mentioning it to her made him cringe. She was still so fragile, so angry. How would she react?

Just as Mark predicted, Susan was horrified at the idea of taking the bus again. "I'm blind!" she responded bitterly. "How am I supposed to know where I'm going? I feel like you're abandoning me." Mark's heart broke to hear these words, but he knew what had to be done. He promised Susan that each morning and evening he would ride the
bus with her, for as long as it took, until she got the hang of it. And that is exactly what
happened. For two solid weeks, Mark, military uniform and all, accompanied Susan to and from work each day. He taught her how to rely on her other senses, specifically her hearing, to determine where she was and how to adapt to her new environment. He helped her befriend the bus drivers who could watch out for her, and save her
a seat. He made her laugh, even on those not-so-good days when she would trip exiting the bus, or drop her briefcase. Each morning they made the journey together, and Mark would take a cab back to his office. Although this routine was even
more costly and exhausting than the previous one, Mark knew it was only a matter of time before Susan would be able to ride the bus on her own. He believed in her, in the Susan he used to know before she'd lost her sight, who wasn't afraid of any challenge and who would never, ever quit.

Finally, Susan decided that she was ready to try the trip on her own. Monday morning arrived, and before she left, she threw her arms around Mark, her temporary bus riding companion, her husband, and her best friend. Her eyes filled with tears of gratitude for his loyalty, his patience, his love. She said good-bye, and for the first time, they went their separate ways.

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday... Each day on her own went perfectly, and Susan never felt better. She was doing it! She was going to work all by herself! On Friday morning, Susan took the bus to work as usual. As she was paying for her fare to exit the bus, the driver said, "Boy, I sure envy you." Susan wasn't sure if the driver was speaking to her or not. After all, who on earth would ever envy a blind woman who had struggled just to find the courage to live for the past year?

Curious, she asked the driver,"Why do you say that you envy me?"

The driver answered, "You know, every morning for the past week, a fine looking gentleman in a military uniform has been standing across the corner watching you when you get off the bus. He makes sure you cross the street safely and he watches you until you enter your office building. Then he blows you a kiss, gives you a little salute and walks away. You are one lucky lady."

Tears of happiness poured down Susan's cheeks. For, although she couldn't physically see him, she had always felt Mark's presence. She was lucky, so lucky, for he had given her a gift more powerful than sight, a gift she didn't need to see to believe -- the gift of love that can bring light where there had been darkness.

God watches over us in just the same way. We may not know He is present. We may not be able to see His face, but He is there nonetheless. Be blessed in this thought: "God Loves You -- even when you are not looking."

Addendum -- Matthew 28:20 (NKJ) "... I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen

****************************

PATHS TO PONDER

Can you imagine living in the desert for a whole year, observing the activity of a mound of busy fire ants? Deborah Gordon of The Santa Fe Institute did exactly that, and discovered four main groups of workers: cleaners, haulers, gatherers, and security ants. Each category consisted of an ever-moving line of ants marching in cadence toward a specific goal.

Cleaners carried debris from inside the nest, to a dumping ground. Hauler ants circled the top of the mound, clearing clutter from the entrance. Gatherers marched off on time-consuming missions for food, and security members fought off threats to the community at large.

How could one person observe so much? Deborah painstakingly painted a tiny dot of color on the back of each ant, to the tune of over 50,000 dots! The dots enabled Deborah to chart the course of each line of workers. One of the most fascinating
aspects of her study was watching the ants overcome obstacles and threats to their orderly world--a stick across the trail, invading insects, lack of water, and fire.

Haulers immediately stopped to help gatherers; cleaners came to the aid of the security force. None ran for cover, but scurried to and fro, working to protect and serve each other. They overcame obstacles by fulfilling their own tasks, then helping fellow members of the community to excel at their tasks, too. Complex adaptive behavior. That's what Deborah called the ants' behavior.

How adaptive are we when unexpected obstacles or events litter our path? How do we react when people around us stumble? What have we done this week to make our community and world a better place? They're questions worth pondering.

"Watch the path of your feet, and all your ways will be established." (Proverbs 4:26 NAS)

2003-10-22T14:51:00.000+08:00

STILL PARANOID.

Currently listening to: The LAUNCHcast Chill-out station
Current mood: Quite pensive but happy

The paranoia due to last Friday's developments is really blowing to the topmost of my head -- especially that urge for me to go Awol -- but for now I really have to put it in check.

But still what I'm really hoping for at the very least is for time to move really this fast -- I mean, REALLY FAST!!! As fast as Road Runner.

My friend who's skilled in reading the tarot said that i am impatient, but I just see that the more I report for work, the more I lose patience. Yeah, right. Am seeing my performance dip and that my motivation is losing. On the contrary, it seems that I'm drifting towards breaking personal bonds that I made during my stay with this company.

Blame that on that darned coaching session. Blame that on their incessant spying (a TL was s proud that he was spying on my posts in a BBS). Anyways I'm currently serving my day-off and I hope to make the most out of it before it's too late.

****************************

[rant mode turned on]

According to last night's news, some sectors operating within the political opposition are already working out for a possible candidacy of Estrada friend Fernando Poe Jr. as president, and that they would launch it in a few days' time. Even known opposition mouthpiece Net-25 last night trumpeted it as its main news headline and added that Pmap (the paid hack group that instigated the Edsa 3 destabilization) is the main group behind the Run-FPJ move.

Now, the Inquirer has headlined it and it said that pressure mounts for the action king.

If this ever happens, boneheads and nincompoops will flood out once again. Worse than wat we see right now.

[rant mode still on]

****************************

Fully recovered after that stress which started when I visited the wake of the late Pexer Sacrosanct till that damning 11-hour shift whuich left me drained. Speaking of the wake which had with me good friends shadowboxer and ako_ay_cute, we lasted for four hours. Though I was never able to know her deeper (not just being e-mail buddies, but being more of a real-life buddy with whom you could hang-out -- we only had contact 2 years ago during the Pex Anniv party for around 2 minutes owing to the large number of Pexers I got contact with and wishing to hobnob), still I was fortunate that we have exchanged views, insights, rants, raves and everything. Kung hindi lang ako nagluko we would be more than e-mail buddies though. But inspite of what happened, the mere fact that she's now happy in the bosom of The One Above is consolation enough.

Here is one of her posts which I will forever imbibe and which reflects the meaning of life:

"random thought:
"what is the meaning of life? knowledge? pleasure? or experience? knowledge can't be obtained without experience, and pleasure can't be known without experience of what is not pleasurable. then is experience the key to life? experience is worth nil if it doesnt contribute to our knowledge. knowledge and experience, experience and pleasure... perhaps life is a bit of everything."

-- Sacrosanct, just forgot the date and time she posted it in Pex

Tomorrow I will post a letter for her here. A letter which she may never see but which will headline all the good things about her and which will highlight what we have been into during the relatively short time I knew her. Though it would seem as this is my send-off to her (I hate goodbyes as I don't want to be accorded a goodbye when I resign next week).

2003-10-19T16:35:00.000+08:00

MY LAST SONG SYNDROME THAT I KEEP ON SINGING NOW THAT I'M FACED WITH TRANSITION BUNGHOLE...SOMETHING THAT STILL KEEPS ME GOING THOUGH

WHERE ARE YOU GOING
Dave Matthews Band

Where are you going, with your long face pulling down?
Don’t hide away, like an ocean
But you can’t see, but you can smell
And the sound waves crash down

I am no superman
I have no answers for you
I am no hero, oh that’s for sure
But I do know one thing for sure
Is where you are, is where I belong
I do know, where you go, is where I want to be

Where are you going, where do you go?
Are you looking for answers, to questions under the stars?
If along the way you are growing weary,
you can rest with me until a brighter day
It’s okay, where are you going, where do you go?

I am no superman
I have no answers for you
I am no hero, oh that’s for sure
But I do know one thing for sure
Is where you are, is where I belong
I do know, where you go, is where I want to be

Where are you going, where do you go?
Are you looking for answers, where do you go?

Where are you going?
Where do you go?
Let’s go.

2003-10-19T15:52:00.000+08:00

STARK REALITY...CRASHING BACK TO EARTH.

Kaboom!

After all the hoopla -- especially what happened to me last week -- now I find myself back to earth. Got 0 sales (as usual), and this really alarmed my everdearest TL who pulled me out for coaching toward the end of the shift.

What was alarming really was alam na nila na wala na akong sync na magreport pa sa trabaho at gawin yung trabaho ko. Time and again during that session she emphasized that i have to change my ways that I have adopted lately so I would be given a graceful exit from the company -- especially in some critical areas. Meaning, I was put on a lifeline -- although I only have 5 working days to report there (that's already less the leaves I will be taking advantage of)

Sheesh. 5 days to satisfy the lifeline, or else I get a failing mark on my exit.

Even my beloved TL's are alarmed with my "antics". Kapeesh!

Is this something really alarming -- note resigning agents except the so-called top telemarketers or colloquially "scammers" would usually have their performance dipped, as in the case of 2 colleagues of mine who before doing the great escape got less sales, and dipping stats which was as alarming as what I have right now -- or is this just a threat as i discovered that my resignation letter wasn't received by the HR department yet...

Moral: Satisfy the given lifeline or else these thoughts will betray me everywhere I go. Act like a friggin' hardened telemarketer (kahit na wala na dyan ang puso ko, kelangang gawin kahit na makikipagplastikan ka pa)

But still, I'd always find solace in the words i recently posted in Pex -- actually, just earlier -- as to my thoughts on whether to go or inbound, and I'll always keep this in mind:

"Been tired of being in outbound telemarketing especially that I realized that selling (over the phone for that matter) isn't really for me and therefore isn't making me happy either. I see myself more as a person who provides assistance rather than one who cinvinces something especially for a short-term gain.

"I don't give a rat's bunghole if I won't earn as much as what the top telemarketers earn (spiffs, commissions) if I make a career change (which will become a reality in the coming days though), but what I see to it is if it would really give me contentment and happiness.

***********************

Still in the state of shock. A friend whom I lost contact with a year ago passed away, according to a Pexer. Dunno what really caused her death, even my circle of friends.

Good thing I was quite privileged to meet her during my past Pex incarnation but as far as I can remember saglit lang kami nag-usap. That I think was during the anniversary. After that we would usually exchange e-mails about life, school, and even the most mundane things affecting our world. A very sensible person, she will sorely be missed here not only in Pex but also by the people who knew her in her 22 years of existence here on Earth.

Requesciat in pace. May the good Lord bless and keep you in the place where you truly belong -- in His bosom.

2003-10-18T07:04:00.000+08:00

BAN BUSH!!! GO OUT AND SPEAK YOUR MIND!!!

Things are slowly falling into place now. Yesterday morning I was called by one of the companies which I was eyeing after my current one to sit-in on a job offer discussion (since they can't yet offer me the contract due to my wrap-up of my current commitments -- meaning nakatali pa rin ako sa kanila, but they assured me that i'm already on their active file, and later after the discussion they asked me to call them before my set start date with them so they could give me ther contract and sign these docs). My job: to be an inbound eRep and hopefully might go to tech support (which is a faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar cry from my current job descript as a telepest). This is really something I'm looking forward to, and I really hope that would be the last stop of my "contact center tour" (as I aptly call it)

And this development overshadowed my once-again disappointing experience of not having sold anything over the phone in yesterday's shift. Of all the 16 members in our team (excluding 2 or 3 absences I guess), I was the only one who didn't make a sale.

Nakakahiya. I'm getting paranoid already, what more with the job offer.

Deym!

2003-10-16T15:13:00.000+08:00

PIC OF THE DAY:

Taken from the Bayan Muna website

It's just days before the Dubya visit. And more and more people are getting paranoid about it. There ARE real reasons why we should get paranoid about the 8-hour visit of the policeman of the world.

As a friend would say in Friendster...

Mabuhay mga aktibista!!!

George Dubya! Fag!!! U.S. TERRORIST!!

2003-10-15T13:43:00.000+08:00

MIXED-UP

Been quite offline in publishing this blog for the past few days due to that Friendster addiction. Fixated because my friendlist keeps on growing...and if I get another one, I usually message them by way of PM, so a conversation would ensure especially if it were a long-lost one.

And for now, I'll be temporarily pulling-down the comment feature in this blog. Was it just one or was there something wrong when I was pasting the codes in this template? Gotta check the problem first, and if I got the clue, I'll have it up and running once again.

So if you wanna talk to me or drop me a line, please use the Shoutbox section in the left side of this page, or you can e-mail me.

***************************

Last Monday, I had the chance to interact again with a long-lost friend who I terribly missed for a very long time (for Christssakes). I lost contact with her and her sister who I endear myself because I was terribly busy with the demands of my job. Later on, I discovered that she is skilled in reading the tarot, some hobby another common friend of ours disliked due to its nature. She gave me a very good reading of what's gonna happen in the coming days. the readings say it's 50-50 --- positive and negative. Positive in the sense that there would be a welcome development, especially in my career, but negative in the sense that there might be a dangerous sacrifice in the course of this.

Gosh. I'm scared. And paranoid.

***************************

After five sale-less working days...

I HAD A SALE!!!

Good enough to break a jinx unless a bad trend would set-in my state.

That's why I initially planned to take myself off the phones during my last few days wirth our team so I don't have to burden myself with the stats. But because of that development which boosted my waning confidence in telemarketing and Jun's cascading to my boss asking me to give him a good reason why I'd rather wanna do admin work i nstead of making calls, I changed my plan. Anyways, in the second half of next week, I'll go on-leave already to take advantage of my remaining credits. (Note: leaves aren't convertible to cash so better use it before it's bust. Anyways at least i could have some vacation grande.)

But still...how I'd wish that the days will come by so fast...

2003-10-13T10:29:00.000+08:00

PEOPLE AROUND ME IN FRIENDSTER (mostly from PinoyExchange)

Ada
tina11
PexConnect
cmars2
NoisyCricket
spongklong
ederic
Mickey2000
Johnston
Sta|ker
BabyFATS
ROG3R
^mhelay^
ASH KNOX
enchantress
jharrrdy
Mister Dean
Sorsha
zimdude
enchiladas
LINGGIT^F
kath001
oozle
josexxxph
regptrp_md2b
poshgummy
shey_anne
alaina_05
Una_dagmar
ReLaTiViTy

Non-forum members:

Terry (former colleague in my first contact center job who's now in AL)

And the list goes on and on and on...nga lang down ang Friendster.

Logging-off.

*******************************

No work for today. Hopefully the same goes tomorrow because of Columbus Day in the USA.

If there'd be...here we go again. These people who'd yell at us telling "Hey TM's, I pity you. Don't you deserve a holiday?"

Or if we won't be making calls, Jun (or in cahoots with Ivy) will...haaaaarrrrrrrrrruuuuuuuuummmmmmmpf!

Pero purga na ako sa ganyan. Gusto ko na mag-terminal leave. I want those job offers NOW!!!

2003-10-11T13:33:00.000+08:00

MOOD OF THE DAY: Upbeat

Kaso nakakatamad pumasok sa opis ngayon. The annoying 12-hour shift selling something to people who don't want to be solicited (even if there is an EBR) pesters me.

Bahala na, ayokong pumasok. Tutal, pa-resign na rin lang ako.

By the way, some more LSS:

NO ORDINARY MORNING
Chicane

If there was nothing that I could say
Turned your back and you just walked away
Leaves me numb inside I think of you
Together is all I knew

We moved too fast, but I had no sign
I would try to turn the hands of time
I looked to you for a reason why
The love we had passed me by

And as the sun would set you would rise
Fall from the sky into paradise
Is there no light in your heart for me
You've closed your eyes you don't longer see

There were no lies between me and you
You said nothing of what you knew
But there was still something in your eyes
Left me helpless and paralyzed

You could give a million reasons
Change the world and change the tides
Could not give me the secrets
Of your heart and of your mind
In the darkness that surrounds me
Now there is no peace of mind
Your careless words undo me
Leave the thought of us behind

You could give a million reasons
Change the world and change the tides
Could not give me the secrets
Of your heart and of your mind
In the darkness that surrounds me
Now there is no peace of mind
Your careless words undo me
Leave the thought of us behind

If there was nothing that I could say
Turned your back and you just walked away
Leaves me numb inside I think of you
Together is all I knew

We moved too fast, but I had no sign
I would try to turn the hands of time
I looked to you for a reason why
The love we had passed me by

And as the sun would set you would rise
Fall from the sky into paradise
Is there no light in your heart for me
You've closed your eyes you don't longer see

There were no lies between me and you
You said nothing of what you knew
But there was still something in your eyes
Left me helpless and paralyzed...

2003-10-11T10:05:00.000+08:00

For the first time in days, I woke up to a brand-new and great day.

And I have so many things to thank for.

First, my troubles regarding my self-inflicted (duh) transition is finis. Second, I don't easily get affected anymore by my poor stats, and that what keeps me running is that I should just do my job in my last 2 (or 3) weeks in my present job; so I shouldn't be intimidated anymore if my colleagues and sups ask me "Do 2 or 3 sales today!" when in fact I can mentally retort to them "Allow me to do my stuff; give me a chance. If I get sales, good. If none, no problem either; at least what I should get is a graceful exit before I go on terminal leave."

Yes, I might go on terminal leave towards month's end. So I could use-up all my remaining leave credits I got from regularization. And methinks I deserve some breather before I plunge in as an eRep (as for this, they will get back to me before the month's end). Most probably see me in the North flipside.

2003-10-10T13:09:00.000+08:00

SOME GOOD NEWS!!!

The issue bothering me for a week now -- that so-called non-compete clause -- was finally clarified after I talked with our HR minutes ago. She told me that as a company, they do not see any problem with me working in their competition -- it's just that (based on the clause in question) I CANNOT divulge everything which pertains to my current program that I'm in.

In other words, since I'll be moving to a purely-inbound outsourced center, it would be a different thing.

Meaning, I'M SAFE.

At natapos na rin ang mga sakit ng ulo ko.

2003-10-10T02:13:00.000+08:00

A VERY INTERESTING READ. READ ON...

MY SHORT ESSAY ABOUT THE PHILIPPINES

Filipinos always complain about the corruption in the Philippines. Do you really think the corruption is the problem of the Philippines? I do not think so. I strongly believe that the problem is the lack of love for the Philippines.

Let me first talk about my country, Korea. It might help you understand my point. After the Korean War, South Korea was one of the poorest countries in the world. Koreans had to start from scratch because entire country was destroyed completely after the Korean War, and we had no natural resources.

Koreans used to talk about the Philippines, for Filipinos were very rich in Asia. We envy Filipinos. Koreans really wanted to be well off like Filipinos. Many Koreans died of famine. My father¡¯s brother also died because of famine.

Korean government was awfully corrupt and is still very corrupt beyond your imagination, but Korea was able to develop dramatically because Koreans really did their best for the common good with their heart burning with patriotism. Koreans did not work just for themselves but also for their neighborhood and country. Education inspired young men with the
spirit of patriotism.

40 years ago, President Park took over the government to reform Korea. He tried to borrow money from other countries, but it was not possible to get a loan and attract a foreign investment because the economy situation of South Korea was so bad. Korea had only three factories. So, President Park sent many mine workers and nurses to Germany so that they could send money to Korea to build a factory. They had to go through a horrible experience. In 1964, President Park visited Germany to borrow money. Hundred of Koreans in Germany came to the airport to welcome him and cried there as they saw the President Park. They asked to him, ¡°President, when can we be well off?¡± That was the only question everyone asked to him. President Park cried with them and promised them that Korea would be well off if everyone works hard for Korea, and the President of Germany got the strong impression on them and lent money to Korea. So, President Park was able to build many factories in Korea.

He always asked Koreans to love their country from their heart. Many Korean scientists and engineers in the USA came back to Korea to help developing country because they wanted their country to be well off. Though they received
very small salary, they did their best for Korea. They always hoped that their children would live in well off country.

My parents always brought me to the places where poor and physically handicapped people live. They wanted me to understand their life and help them. I also worked for Catholic Church when I was in the army. The only thing I
learned from Catholic Church was that we have to love our neighborhood. And I have loved my neighborhood.

Have you cried for the Philippines? I have cried for my country several times. I also cried for the Philippines because of so many poor people. I have been to the New Bilibid prison. What made me sad in the prison were the prisoners who do
not have any love for their country. They go to mass and work for Church. They pray everyday. However, they do not love the Philippines. I talked to two prisoners at the maximum security compound, and both of them said that they
would leave the Philippines right after they are released from the prison. They said that they would start a new life in other countries and never come back to the Philippines.

Many Koreans have a great love for Korea so that we were able to share our wealth with our neighborhood. The owners of factory and company were distributed their profit to their employees fairly so that employees could buy
what they needed and saved money for the future and their children.

When I was in Korea, I had a very strong faith and wanted to be a priest. However, when I came to the Philippines, I completely lost my faith. I was very confused when I saw many unbelievable situations in the Philippines. Street kids always make me sad, and I see them everyday. The Philippines is the only Catholic country in Asia, but there are too many poor people here. People go to church every Sunday to pray, but nothing has been changed. My parents came to the Philippines last week and saw this situation. They told me that Korea was much poorer than the present Philippines
when they were young. They are so sorry that there so many beggars and street kids. When we went to Pagsangjan, I forced my parents to take a boat because it would fun. However, they were not happy after taking a boat. They said that they would not take the boat again because they were sympathized the boat men, for the boat men were very poor and had a small frame. Most of people just took a boat and enjoyed it. But my parents did not enjoy it because of love for them.

My mother who has been working for Catholic Church since I was very young told me that if we just go to mass without changing ourselves, we are not Catholic indeed. Faith should come with action. She added that I have to love Filipinos and do good things for them because all of us are same and have received a great love from God.

I want Filipinos love their neighborhood and country as much as they love God so that the Philippines will be well off. I am sure that love is the keyword which Filipinos should remember. We cannot change the sinful structure at once. It should start from person. Love must start in everybody in a small scale and have to grow. A lot of things happen if we open up to love. Let¡¯s put away our prejudices and look at our worries with our new eyes. I discover that every person is worthy to be loved. Trust in love, because it makes changes possible. Love changes you and me. It changes people, contexts and relationships. It changes the world.

Please love your neighborhood and country. Jesus Christ said that whatever we do to others we do to Him. In the Philippines, there is God who are abused and abandoned. There is God who is crying for love.

If you have a child, teach them how to love the Philippines. Teach them why they have to love their neighborhood and country.

You already know that God also will be very happy if you love others. That¡¯s all I really want to ask you Filipinos.

Jaeyoun Kim
September, 2003

My take?

Just one word. Nakakaiyak.

2003-10-10T00:27:00.000+08:00

MOOD CHECK: Currently listening to Radio IO 80s through Windows Media Player. The 80s!

Yesterday marked my third straight day without any sale -- a real contra-indication that I should leave my dirty job as a telepest calling for ****. The matter-of-fact is, during our post-shift (which i wittingly call post-sh!t), during our group weekly performance review where the agent will be individually mentioned to see how he/she fared the past week, there was a sidenote beside my name.

"resigning, walk the metrics..."

Nabulgar na pala ang pano kong mag-resign. She even intimated to everyone that I would be staying till the end of the month (which is so true, hope time passes so swiftly). Supposedly this thing I'm gonna do must be a well-guarded secret (ala Andre', a former colleague who has passed on to the real number 1 contact center now in the country) But at least TL and Soic have already accepted the fact that I'm really not meant to be a telepest and bugging others to sell something (even if we have that so-called EBR which gave us the bragging rights to contact them)

But what irked me most was TL Natalie who was seated beside me. Because I encountered a customer who claimed (in a semi-irate tone) that some agent contacted her about the same offer and I'M NOT INTERESTED, so I decided not to push and instead as part of our SOP I have to terminate the call by giving her the website should she change her mind...and TL Natalie overheard it! Sheesh. Andyan na naman po tayo... If she were on my shoes...ah no comment na lang...

Pero kung si Super***** na naman yun... Actually, I don't wanna break her trust in me.

**********************************

Oh, by the way, our American company president is dropping-by to meet us and have some chit-chat daw 2.5 hours from now, that's why we have to dress our best. Thing is, I have another purpose why I have to dress-up. because I'll try my luck in "C". The third option in a loooooong list.

2003-10-09T03:42:00.000+08:00

SOME REALLY, REALLY NICE WORDS

From a good friend whom I knew since my Pex addiction, ^mhelay^, as she posted this in Friendster:

Ang masasabi ko lang kay Rey ay tunay siyang maka-Masa. Makibaka!!! hehehe *peace* Reybelde! mentioning my looooooooooooooooooooong-retired nick in our BBS)

How I miss those days especially when I and my friends were very, very active not just in the student movement, but also in the fight for social emancipation. na ang ginagawa namin pagka-pasok ay makibaka at makipag-umpukan sa rali...

Someday I might write my thing about this subject.

2003-10-09T03:17:00.000+08:00

Just two days ago, I put this "self-inflicted" problem of mine to a standstill. Won't be doing anything for the meantime; most probably I'll ask for a lawyer first -- but I still have to secure contact details of lawyers offering interpretation of contracts and yada-yada. Care to find me one?

Work-wise, the urge of me leaving my present work for good is rising. I haven't had sales for two days straight, and my napakagaling na Super***** almost made contact with mne which my senses suggest that she might wanna take me to another coaching session which one Pexer said "takes forever." Anyway, good thing that didn't materialize (as of the shift), but most probably this would happen now. Kasi naman eh... Narrating what happened during the day to a friend over SMS, she told me that I should hurry out ASAP!

And in connection with my job as an outbound rep, allow me to post this bad news:

Court's Ruling Clears Do-Not-Call List

DENVER – Americans can again sign up for the national do-not-call list to fend off unwanted phone solicitations after a federal appeals court allowed the government to fully punish errant telemarketers, at least for now.
The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday temporarily blocked a lower court's order barring the Federal Trade Commission from enforcing the registry of more than 50 million numbers.

"The Supreme Court has held that there is undoubtedly a substantial governmental interest in the prevention of abusive and coercive sales practices," the ruling said.

The court questioned the conclusions of U.S. District Judge Edward Nottingham of Denver, who said the list violated the telemarketing industry's free-speech rights by barring calls from businesses but not charities.

It also noted that Congress had found some telemarketing calls "subjected consumers to substantial fraud, deception and abuse."

FTC Chairman Timothy Muris called the latest ruling a victory for American consumers and said his agency would return to enforcing the list. The Federal Communications Commission had stepped in at the last minute to handle enforcement, allowing the registry to take effect last week.

Nottingham's ruling had forced the FTC to shut down an Internet and telephone system that allowed people to register new numbers with the list and file complaints against telemarketers. FTC officials say it will take at least a day to get it up and running again.

The court fight isn't finished. The appeals court said the FTC could run the registry while a challenge from telemarketers winds its way through the courts. Oral arguments were scheduled in Tulsa, Okla., on Nov. 10.

Sean Gallagher, an attorney who represents American Teleservices Association and two telemarketing companies, said he was disappointed by the appeals court's decision but refused to call it a defeat. "This does not reverse the judge's ruling that the law is unconstitutional," he said.

Ed Kahn, a Denver attorney specializing in constitutional law, said Nottingham ignored the fact that FTC rules already allow consumers to put their phone numbers on charity no-call lists.

"This is not a case where government is acting on its own, but an action only after the consumer opts in and signs up," Kahn said.

The list has been the subject of at least two major court challenges by the telemarketing industry. A federal judge in Oklahoma said the FTC lacked the authority to create and enforce the list, a ruling made moot when President Bush signed a hastily passed law clarifying that authority.

It was Nottingham's ruling that had been closely watched because of the constitutional issues. His decision crippled the FTC's ability to fully punish telemarketers and kept it from sharing information about the list, hindering the FCC from enforcing it.

The FTC also had to stop providing the list to telemarketers, meaning they were free to call listed numbers without fear of reprisal.

The 10th Circuit has consolidated the appeal of Nottingham's decision with two related challenges: a case brought against the FCC by Denver telemarketers and the FTC's appeal of the ruling in Oklahoma. Arguments in all three cases will be heard at next month's hearing in Tulsa.

Attorneys for telemarketers argue the FTC has not shown charitable calls are different from commercial calls. They also said the First Amendment rights of telemarketers need to be protected.

It's just minutes to go, jerk. Before another loooong 8 hours of tribulation and stumping ground. Hope to meet my best bud Joms during lunch break so I could discuss with him how to deal with this crap. Off to the urban jungles where I should be there in around 15 minutes via cab. Ciao.

2003-10-08T03:18:00.000+08:00

BWA HA HA HA. NAKARMA NA RIN SI PING LACSON.

Before I log-off to go to that boiler room in that side of Makati, it's good that I found an mp3 of Plumb's song Boys Don't Cry.

Here's the location

2003-10-06T16:38:00.000+08:00

Today marks the third straight day that I woke up dumbfounded -- make that DEMENTED! Just because thinking about this problem makes me worse and worse, I think I'm frigging walking timebomb that will explode any moment from now. Kapeesh! Add to that my growing dissatisfaction with the routinary thing that I'm doing (how I'd wish I'd go Awol instead, but I might lose my last pay if I do that)

And because my state of mind was affected, I canceled my prior appointment with a brod who I met only last weekend in our fellowship in that pad called Cubao. I and Fred were about to listen to an opportunity seminar (note: this isn't networking; we'd just to test our waters on insurance selling), but because I also got word that Fred was under the weather, so what I did was I canceled that and went surfing aimlessly the whole day, even to the extent of looking for a sensible person in IRC.

And that was the day I was introduced to the wonderful world of Friendster. The rest is history. Until now I'm becoming addicted to it though. What a good way to forget your life's frustrations.

2003-10-04T21:45:00.000+08:00

LIAR!!! LIAR!!! LIAR!!! LIAR!!!

Ang nakapang-iinit na ulong balita sa araw na ito. Hatid sa inyo ng palasyo ng Malakanyang at ng mga tutaan nitong sumasamba sa Panggulong Bush-!t.

2003-10-04T21:26:00.000+08:00

Due to some obvious reasons (I just can't help talk about this thing called the NON-COMPETE CLAUSE as phone calls and even eye-to-eye conversations didn't help me out as of this moment), I defer working on our dreaded 12-hour shift. Since our sked was reshuffled half a month ago, I hated working on Saturdays because why should we telemarket on a wekend where it's the downtime of ost Americans -- i.e. doing household stuff, watching a Tv football game at night, et al.?

I'd rather spend the night with Fred (a college friend of mine) or I'd rather do some productive stuff so that I could be bailed out of my desperate situation.

2003-10-04T10:22:00.000+08:00

Today, I woke up dumbfounded. As dumbfounded as if I were a confused shithead. Just because of that phone call I got suddenly paranoid, in a race to call the 2 people this HR guy asked me to call in reference to the issue of that stupid clause.

And I was in the cafe' practically the whole morning. I barged in the IRC room (I seldom chat through IRC) and looked for a sensible person with whom I can talk. Heck, even if it were my first chat with her, at least she was sensible that's why I had the gall to open-up my issue to her without hesitation. She was supportive, to say the very least, as she even offered me some solutions that I hope would work especially with my case.

To cap it all up, I downloaded Kazaa so I could search for some musical lyrics. Here are some of them, to which I still have LSS of 'em:

KING OF PAIN
Sting; redone by Alanis Morrissette

There's a little black spot on the sun today
It's the same old thing as yesterday
There's a black hat caught in a high tree top
There's a flag pole rag and the wind won't stop

I have stood here before inside the pouring rain
With the world turning circles running 'round my brain
I guess I'm always hoping that you'll end this reign
But it's my destiny to be the king of pain

There's a little black spot on the sun today
That's my soul up there
It's the same old thing as yesterday
Tha's my soul up there
There's a black hat caught in a high tree top
That's my soul up there
There's a flag pole rag and the wind won't stop
That's my sould up there

I have stood here before inside the pouring rain
With the world turning circles running 'round my brain
I guess I'm always hoping that you'll end this reign
But it's my destiny to be the king of pain

There's a fossil that's trapped in a high cliff wall
That's my soul up there
There's a dead salmon frozen in a waterfall
That's my soul up there
There's a blue whale beached by a springtide's ebb
That's my soul up there
There's a butterfly trapped in a spider's web
That's my soul up there

I have stood here before inside the pouring rain
With the world turning circles running 'round my brain
I guess I'm always hoping that you'll end this reign
But it's my destiny to be the king of pain

There's a king on a throne with his eyes torn out
There's a blind man looking for a shadow of doubt
Ther's a rich man sleeping on a golden bed
There's a skeleton choking on a crust of bread
King of pain

There's a red fox thorn by a huntsman's pack
That's my soul up there
There's a black winged gull with a broken back
That's my soul up there
There's a little black spot on the sun today
It's the same old thing as yesterday

I have stood here before inside the pouring rain
With the world turning circles running 'round my brain
I guess I'm always hoping that you'll end this reign
But it's my destiny to be the king of pain

King of pain
King of pain
King of pain
I'll always be king of pain

IGNITION
R. Kelly

You remind me of somethin'
I just can't think of what it is

Girl, please let me stick my key in your ignition,
babe
So I can get this thing started and get rollin', babe
See, I'll be doin' about 80 on your freeway
Girl, I won't stop until I drive you crazy

So buckle up 'cause this can get bumpy, babe
Now hit the lights and check out all my functions,
babe
Girl, back that thing up so I can wax it, baby
Honey, we gon' mess around and get a ticket, babe

'Cause we off up in this jeep
We foggin' up the windows
We got the radio up
We all up in the back
We got the s*** bouncin'
We goin' up and down
And we smokin' and we drinkin'
Just thuggin' it out

Jump up, down once I hit them switches, babe
And I'm about to take it where you wanna go, babe
Guarantee you I'm about to get some knowledge, babe
And it won't be no runnin' out of gas, babe

It's like woo...pull over, baby
And let me put this love van off in your trunk, babe
So buckle up 'cause this can get bumpy, babe
Girl, we gon' mess around and get a ticket, babe

'Cause we off up in this jeep
We foggin' up the windows
We got the radio up
We all up in the back
We got the s*** bouncin'
We goin' up and down
And we smokin' and we drinkin'
Just thuggin' it out

Now hold on tight 'cause I'm about to go faster, babe
Girl, you're dealin' with a pro behind this wheel,
babe
So tell me have you ever driven a stick, babe
You'll be screamin' every time we shiftin' gears, babe

So brace yourself while I'm hittin' them corners, babe
And when it's over put that tails on your license
plate
Now buckle up 'cause this can get bumpy, baby
Girl, we gon' mess around and get a ticket, babe

'Cause we off up in this jeep
We foggin' up the windows (Yeah)
We got the radio up (Uh)
We all up in the back
We got the s*** bouncin'
We goin' up and down
And we smokin' and we drinkin'
Just thuggin' it out

When I hear you say {Green light} I'mma go
{Yellow light} Do it slow {Red light} I'mma stop
When I hear you say {Switch lanes} hit the signal
{Pit stop} Take a break, hit the hazards when we park

When you say {Green light} I'mma go
{Yellow light} Do it slow {Red light} I'mma stop
When you say {Switch lanes} hit my signal
{Pit stop} Take a break, because we're 'bout to go
this far

'Cause we off up in this jeep (Off up in this jeep)
We foggin' up the windows (Baby, you and me)
We got the radio up (Got the radio)
We all up in the back (All up in the back)
We got the s*** bouncin' (Got this baby bouncin')
We goin' up and down (Goin' up and down)
And we smokin' and we drinkin' (Smokin')
Just thuggin' it out (It's the thuggin' out)

(Let me see you) Bounce-
bounce-bounce-bounce-bounce-bounce-bounce
Bounce-bounce-bounce-bounce-bounce-bounce
(Now let me see you) Bounce-
bounce-bounce-bounce-bounce-bounce-bounce
Bounce-bounce-bounce-bounce-bounce-bounce
(Now let me see you)

Now usually I don't do this, but, uh
Go 'head on bring 'em off with little previews of the
remix

Now I'm not tryin' to be boo
But hey, pretty girl, I'm feelin' you
The way you do the things you do
Reminds me of my Lexus, cool
That's why I'm all up in your grill
Tryin' to get you to a hotel
You must be a football coach
The way you got me playin' the field

P.S. Can ayone send me out the lyrics of Plumb's latest Boys Don't Cry? Damn I'm also having an LSS of this.

2003-10-02T19:22:00.000+08:00

At last, I had a sale for today. As usual, me kasabay na hirit mula sa pinakamamahal kong Super***** na "Kumusta na po? Isa pa, ha?" Pressure once again in my midst...but at least it's for my stats and my balanced scorecard. Ask anyone about those things and they'd gladly tell you that I'm not really meant for outbound telesales; hence I'm better off doing customer service.

And because my TL was bugging me for days about my decision on whether should I stay or should I go, I subtly asked her if this was urgent. As she told me yes, I confided her that I will proceed with my resignation, and in turn she asked me to produce a revised resignation letter with efectivity on Nov 2, 30 days after today. Kapeesh, my effectivity was moved. Meaning, 2 more weeks of tribulation doing outbound calls to customers (sheeeeeeeesh) and 2 more weeks of shitty work. So I had to call "A" to inform them of the development, and they told me to call back once my time with my present job would be up.

Had lunch with Harold at that place called Eat in RCBC Plaza. My first time to dine there and all I can say is that its perfect for people with a gastronomically-discriminating preference. Even if it's quite expensive (especially for "new" food choices), sulit pa rin ang pera mo.

And while I was doing some personal stuff, I received a call from my mobile -- yes, my mobile -- from the same company in which I had my final interview. At first glance, does this mean that they're interested in hiring me that's why they called me up to fix something before everything goes smooth?

Here's the situation.
Tyak na mau-ul0l kayo if you're in my shoes.

They called me to inform me that if they proceed in hiring me (at that time they're doing a background check on me (through my stated references). It was because if ever, there'd be a legal impediment for such -- they made me aware about the so-called NON-COMPETE CLAUSE in the contract I signed when we were hired by my current company, and it states that we should not work in another call center (or their competitor) for a period of time, say, 12 months or 1 year. The only thing for me to get out of that clause is to secure a waiver from my HR Department so if ever things could go out right, my transition could be scot-free.

And because of the legal impediments (yah, I'm already talking legal here), this began a series of headaches on my part which would last up to this day. Parang hinahabol ako ng konsensya ko nito, akala ko lang na from the time I tendered my resignation this noontime, my issues would be resolved.

I WAS WRONG. DAMN WRONG.

*********************

Oh, by the way, Ateneo lost to FEU in yesterday's Game 1 of the UAAP Finals. Not in a good mood to talk about this though as I am still in a state of moodlessness.

And, at last, the political season has started. Enter turncoats!!! bwa ha ha ha

2003-10-02T17:30:00.000+08:00

Alright. Another friggin' unproductive workday fulled with this pressure crap. I'm beginning to hate the environment that I'm into. Good thing ako na lang ang umiiwas sa paningin ng Super***** ko. Kasi pag lalapitan ako eh makikipagplastikan tas pagsasabihan ako na "Please make one today." How I wish Oct 20 is really near as I'll call-up "A" so that I could start training with them after I finish my current commitments.

Ang bwisit pa nito, na-misplace pa ang headset ko na nilagay ko lang sa drawer ng TL ko. To make matters worse, the headset that I was using was just a swap with my peer Alfie (tyak mapipikon yun kapag hindi makita kahit na magbayad pa ako ng US$100 for that) Well since I'm leaving my current company anyways, all that I was hoping for is that I'd just see my headset lest I'd pay the penalty -- that's my loss from my supposed last pay.

And...tadaaah! My final interview with "P" -- Marc's new company. First had this essay and then typing proficiency test. The interview commenced immediately after the typing test, which left me little (or no) time at all to strategize (my favorite part whenever these events arise). Kaya tuloy pagdating sa part na simulation of curtomer service skills (wala raw right or wrong answers doon), doon pa ako nagkalat. Pakshet! But at that time, since I already had 2 pending pass applications, hindi ko na muna inaasahan yan. Like most interviews, I end up being told that they will call me up once everything is finished -- esp. the reference checks. (Marc would later tell me na ganun talaga kahit na papasa ka doon, they will tell you that they will call you up because if you pass, the contract/offer is there for your scaning.

And how I wish I would darn pass my application process for this company. This gave me more reasons why I SHOULD get the hell out of my current company and its premises.

2003-10-02T05:05:00.000+08:00

NABUBUWANG NA AKO NGAYON!!!

Still haven't made-up my mind on whether to stay put and take the offer or pack my bags as I said yesterday. Both enticing, but I only have to decide on one. As the cliche' goes, you can't serve 2 masters at the same time.

And I also had the urge to join Marc in his new company. Sabi nga nya, bakit hindi ko kamo subukan? I did pass my resume' in the building adjacent to the place where I work, then after which I passed the initial interview and the English technicality exam. Due to time constraints (I had to see my brother to fix an important family matter), I told Allan, the HR dude who entertained me, to have my essay, typing test, and the final interview rescheduled tomorrow. Before going to my next destination, I returned to the office to get my bag, and to my surprise andoon pa pala sina TL at mga kasama ko. They even didn't have an idea what I did and why I returned to get my other things.

Yesterday, while I was on my way home queuing for the ride back home, I met the same lady whom I bumped last night as we both alighted the bus in the Dasma area. At that time, methinks that she was mabait not because of her physical difference -- she is an inborn leg amputee and uses a prosthesis -- but also because maamo ang mukha niya. While in the queue, dun kami nagkakilala ng maigi -- she even opened the conversation with "Ikaw din pala nakasabay ko sa bus kahapon ah!" with a matching smile.

As we got to know each other and as the conversation came along -- I learned that she is a college professor at a university in Mandaluyong who had among her students a text-friend who lately doesn't even reply to my messages to her, and she's used to travel that far inspite of her disability and that she just hops inside her home and she doffs her prosthetic leg -- and that she is a mother struggling to get along with life. At the same occassion, I seixed the opportunity to open-up my situation with her and presto...she offered her prayers for me so that I could have resolution, especially my career dilemma. Her words -- keep the faith.

Hay naku. After being able to meet-up with someone new, it feels like I'm beginning to have a fresh start.

2003-10-01T06:00:00.000+08:00

Busy at work as usual. Thing is, I'm still undecided on what to do next -- take the offer or pack my bags and be ready to go elsewhere where the world will lead me.

Yesterday, my good friend Marc -- Ian for the people within Nitro -- went back to the office a day after he formally resigned due to personal issues. So happy for this dude because he got accepted in another call center. Methinks too that I wanna move there because I heard that they also have a good working environment. Good people, no telemarkewting jobs, no pressure at all -- actually I'm better off pacifying irate clients than pitching/selling over the phone to leads/people I do not EVEN know. (I repeat, telesales isn't my calling) Balita ko pa nga, pwede pa pumetiks!

I also saw their opening through a post in PinoyExchange. Why shouldn't I try it then?

Last year, I recall that I applied there, but i was too close but no cigar. Owe that to my poor communication skills and inexperience in the industry. but after having been with 2 contact centers, I think I'm now ripe for this company.

***************************************

Oh, by the way. I was overly ecstatic yesterday after learning that Ateneo beat La Salle for the right to face FEU for the UAAP Championships. At last naputol rin ang kayabangan at karumihang paglalaro ng mga bataan ni Mr Suave Pumaren.

CONGRATS ATENEO BLUE EAGLES!!! BRING ON THE TAMS!!!

2003-09-30T15:05:00.000+08:00

Syet. Sweldo na pala ngayon. Dami na namang bayarin, lalo na sa credit card! I admit that I became a spendthrift the past billing month...add to that the possible cable bill (kahit na hindi naman masyadong ginamit nung kalahati ng September kasi nasira ang telebisyo namin) and other expenses such as my usual fare allocation for 11 working days per kinsenas.

And speaking of this month's salary...I'm not that happy. Aside from the PhP10,000/US$200 (never buy me because of that high night diff) per month basic, my payslip should dictate that I was absent for a day because of the 9-11 holiday!

How I'd survive this...sabi nga nila, bahala na si Batman.

2003-09-29T14:45:00.000+08:00

Just woke up after a loooooooooooooong slumber. As I woke up, I realized that there is just little time left in my employment with my company.

I already have tendered my resignation 2 weekends ago, with effectivity 30 days after. Last week I applied with another call center and got accepted in no time, but since I'm still with my present employer, its HR decided to put me on the active file roster.

But last weekend after my usual performance review (I got "rergularized" last week), my first-line supervisor offered me a counter-offer as an antidote for my resignation -- move to another program. The offer is enticing, since I'd be doing the stuff that I REALLY wanted to do in a customer contact center: helping out customers in assistance, instead of merely selling something (especially now that telemarketers are being threatened by the US National No-Call List). She even told me that they're also negotiating for my transfer, but the decision is still up to me; if I wanted to, I should file a letter of intent not later than this week.

This really bugs me to death at this point! Should I stay or should I go (although methinks that I'm leaning to go)???

2003-09-29T04:07:00.000+08:00

At last, after being off-line to the online world (a self-imposed hiatus at least, lately limited to lurking which was not the same as I was 2 years ago), I'm back. But still looking some novocaine for my tired, restless soul.

The last time around, I was damned to work in the 4 corners of the ofice. But now I have found my niche in the call center industry -- an industry booming here in our country owing to talent and the exploitable potential of the youth. Still struglling to make both ends meet, but at least I have found something which I could even consider as a career. The only thing is, I'm stuck in this time warp in which I haven't found the right section for me in the industry.

Anyways, hoping that this blog will finally flourish unlike my previous blogging attempts which have stagnated though. :D