A Lost Boy's Dilemma: Thoughts in behalf of my Generation

I am by heart an individualistic person. Who else wouldn't? In this age of in-your-face commercialism, factory-made things where everything almost always look the same, living in this privacy-starved and privacy-abused culture is downright impersonal. It's even harder to know exactly what/who you really are. One could just easily blend into this cookie-cutter culture like everyone else. Well, I wouldn't want that, though I might be showing random symptoms of being like the majority.

http://913935cf.seriousdeals.net

While reading between the covers of my recent read, "X Saves The World - How Generation X Got The Shaft But Can Still Keep Everything From Sucking" by Jeff Gordinier, seeking some enlightenment on why my generation is here, I am imagining the song, "Next in Line" in my head. <chuckles> Though the book is largely based on an American Gen Xer's point of view but it still does strike unknown chords inside me. It's pretty scary when you feel unsure what your life mission is or what you really really like to be a couple years from now. Call it "Generation Lost". It sounds more suitable, but then again it seems any present generation is usually called by that moniker. I guess our own granddads might have also been calling themselves that, when they were in our confused stage of life.<Laughs> 

As this year comes to a close, I sincerely hope that each of us would know who we really are, individually. That way we can be happier persons. Happier persons' dreams tend to come true always, you know. <smiles>

Advance Happy New Year Everyone!

.    

Call(center) Boy's Christmas Eve Message

http://5ad596bc.whackyvidz.com

Today is just routine for me though it's Christmas Eve but I'm just at home doing exactly the same things I am doing at any other regular day. I would be sleeping after I post this, would still be working later at 9PM so that means I have to spend Christmas working, answering calls, giving excellent customer service as much as possible. <smirks> It is expected there would be some watery eyes among officemates later in the office in the moments right before the long-hand of the clock strikes 12 midnight, especially those callcenter moms who have to go to work as they're unable to file their holiday leaves on time or that the  leave/s they've been requesting had been denied. It's always been that way for me for some years now. And the comfort I get from this is that on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day (at least on the part of the world I'm in), I am helping people with their issues with the product/services they get from the company I represent.

Amidst the things that upset us or make us sad, such as the most recent Typhoon Sendong calamity, for those of us who have generally been doing ok, or are finding Life boring at least, we should feel blessed and that we were not those who have been through painful ordeals. I feel so sorry for the flood victims. The best I was able to do was to send some of my stuff, including the used clothes that our christian community had originally set aside for our rummage sale as fundraising, with the approval of our community head of course; I wish I could do more though... If we think our own personal life is a mess, it could've been worse. We are all still blessed, one way or another. It's just that we usually don't realize that we already are. And it's really good to share especially at Christmastime.

http://a1625971.whackyvidz.com

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!
<signed> The Callcenter Boy

Help for the Typhoon Sendong Victims

from website:http://www.redcross.org.ph/donate

I had arrived  in my hometown just a day before, when I heard about the flood in Cagayan de Oro City. I saw pictures and the devastation was extensive; vehicles being washed into rivers takes my memory back to the footage I saw on the most recent tsunami in Japan. Just less than 24 hours before it happened, I was at the airport waiting to get home; was even worried that all the flights to Mindanao would be cancelled but due to some fortuitious event, the expected Philippine Typhoon (codename: SENDONG) Signal No.1 was not declared till about 4PM that same day. I arrived at about 10 in the morning by the way. I was even glad I had beaten the typhoon on its path. I found out about the extent of the damage caused by the calamity the day after and it was overwhelming, aggravated by texts from people I know on that same day who happened to be located in the areas affected, with one very close friend in Dumaguete City, Negros Occidental who was still able to text me while she and her family were saving the things they still can grab. Good thing she saved her cellphone first, that way she was able to let her friends know otherwise we would all be very worried.   

In this connection, let us extend our hands to the people not only in Cagayan de Oro (the area with the most number of deaths) but also to all the areas affected. This is the first time parts of Northern Mindanao and Visayas have experienced this kind of tragedy as normally these areas are not on the usual path of typhoons.  

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I am posting here some websites links for ways we can help:

http://www.redcross.org.ph/donate  >>> Philippine Red Cross website

http://www.istorya.net/forums/general-discussions/460987-istorya-net-operation-sendong-donation-drive.html  >>>  iStorya.net forum

http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=261131883947025  >>> Facebook page

http://naffaausa.org/typhoon-sendong-how-you-can-help-with-donations-and-information/  >>> National Federation of Filipino American Associations


Let us do our part. Let us make Christmas ever more the season of sharing and giving.

Redeem the Callcenter Boys and Girls!

A callcenter that mainly supports U.S. customers starts on either 8 P.M. (if it's daylight saving time) or 9 PM and closes variably between 10 A.M. and 2 P.M. if it's not a 24-hour support. So it was basically a complete 360-degree turnaround for someone who's a day person like me especially when I was still starting. I even at one point, started calling myself a "vampire" because I was always wearing shades during daylight whenever there's a dire need to go out to buy or do something out of the dark comforts of my bedroom. <LOL>. With these struggles and then some, I have been thinking about how it feels to carry the "callcenter boy/girl" tag on our foreheads. Not that the big eyebags or stressed/distressed faces are enough to justify the stresses this kind of job brings, but there are a lot more things that we in this field, should be more concerned about.

1. Fewer quality time with family members and/or loved ones could really take a toll on the relationships. I have known people in the business who have had been happy at some point, but got separated; among any other reasons for the break-up, but I believe HAVING TIME for each other is basically the most important factor in any relationship.

2. Then there's this larger risk of getting held-up by criminals while on the way to work, especially at night. And it is a fact that callcenter boys and girls are a significant percentage of victims of these good-for-nothings. We can read all that in the papers. The "Callcenter rep" or "callcenter agent" moniker seems to be equated with lots of money. 

3. And very importantly it's also very sad to note that callcenter agents, according to studies done by authorities, are also prone to promiscuity and Sexually Transmited Diseases which in a way degrades the profession and seem to demote it on the level of low-lifes and deemed dirty and not desirable. I guess being away physically from a loved one or the lack of intimate human touch almost everyday might be one of the factors for it.

What does this tell us?

That the callcenter people can be considered abnormal, not in the clinical way of course, but it's about like getting a bit more consideration and compassion from those people who lead "normal lives." And of course, we who are in this field should also be considerate enough to at least show to people the good side in us, that being one doesn't mean we have to be what other people deem us to be, with all those negative aspects. For me who have had the opportunity to start working in the callcenter business when it was not as saturated as it is now or hyped up, when the "callcenter boy" or "callcenter girl" was held in due respect, without tarnish on its name, I feel sorry for us. But it is not too late to redeem ourselves from all this bad publicity.

<signed>

The Callcenter Boy

A Hold-up Story

http://a2200fcd.ultrafiles.net

I have heard lots of crime stories involving callcenter agents. Some were tragic and some were just plain funny in a way. The most recent I heard was about a guy wearing a dark jacket (I guess it was a stylish one, LOL). He was standing alone near a street lamp, waiting for a jeepney ride I suppose. Maybe he is on his way to a party, when a man stopped him and held him at gun-point and demanded for all his valuables. The surprised guy said he doesn't have anything valuable apart from his wallet; the gunman retorted that he must be hiding something more than that. The guy said how come he think that way; the hold-upper replied, "You must be a callcenter agent! You're wearing an expensive jacket. Apparently you're on your way to work!"

That ends the story. No one seems to know what had become of that poor guy; not a tragic one I hope. It is quite amusing how these low-life criminals think that callcenter boys and girls are all rich and laden with "goodies" for them! Funnier still is when these guys associate things with the callcenter boys and girls like, an expensive or stylish jacket, mug or any liquid tumbler (especially if it bears the  name STARBUCKS, beware you guys!) or even a pair of shades. Isn't it funny? <Laughs!>   

Till here, next time.
<signed>
The Callcenter Boy

ON PATRIOTISM AND POLITICS

Disclaimer: Dream Weaver does not side with any specific political affiliation and is supportive of the current government administration regardless of the political party the majority of the people it constitutes.

Image courtesy of Charlie Sindiong

ryanericsongcanlas.wordpress.com

I always have been trying to avoid politics in the course of my collective consciousness. I find it a very sensitive topic; it might even get me into a fight. And although I love my country ( I just cannot replace it with a Green Card or whatever color any other country may have it on) and would dream about seeing in the not-so-distant future our beloved Philippines as prosperous in every aspects, I personally deemed it useless to add to its miseries by getting too much involved in its politics. Not that I come from a political family, which  I don't by the way, but of just being a responsible citizen aware of all the goings-on and such. I don't need to be in the streets to join rallies to prove my point although if you come to think of it, I might even be more deserving to be there than some of those who had participated. For one thing, I pay taxes dutifully as they are deducted from my monthly earnings even before I receive it on my account. Not that I complain about it since it's my duty and I'm proud to be fulfilling just that. I don't need to be very vocal on my views, not because I can just write it <LOL>, I would only say my word when I feel it's more than enough and always make it sure that  its done in a constructive way; Criticism is not always negative and a good one does not take sides, you know. Ranting about the current government is not my thing, coz in the first place its not always helping. Taking some other definite and effective actions are, whether individually or in a group.

Working for a cause or joining a group whose goal is making the world a better place to live in is one way of helping and paying back society. Most importantly I guess, we all need to be aware of what's going on around us. Not just the bad things that we, a cynical hard-to-please lot, tend to easily notice and pinpoint BUT the good ones as well. What we basically lack as a people is our sense of trust in our government and we cannot blame ourselves for doing so, with our history mired with corruptions and exploitations by people we thought we had trusted enough to vote for them. But then again let's don't forget there's always another day to look up to things and be more positive and trusting. I mean, although it might look that majority of them might be less of what we expect, especially value-wise, but not all of them are like that. If there's bad fruit, there's always a good fruit. I also believe it is really good to attend conferences or invitations by our local governments and knowing about the plans our local fathers have for our respective towns or cities, because it gives us a deep sense of pride. Love of place is the root, Patriotism is the bigger picture. We would help our country, regardless of the leaders who are in position right now if we have it truly burning in our hearts.  
  

grabbed from:
 http://ryanericsongcanlas.wordpress.com/2009/06/12/philippine-independence-day-june-12-1898/

It is my ardent wish to still be alive when the Philippines attain its absolute prosperity. How about you?

It's your Day, TIXIE GIRL!

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She is an only child and the sister I never had. Our friendship started from way back in kindergarten and as far as I can remember we were just about the two little artsy-fartsiest kids in our class as we were both inclined to Art (we still are!) and drawing. I remember some classmates would ask us to draw figures for them coz they didn't know how. Even way back then, I have not felt any rivalry between us. It also helped that our moms were both working in the same hospital and basically know each other quite well. Her birthdays during our elementary years were such a tradition among our classmates, of going to their house for her birthday party which were always fun. I played on their piano even on ordinary days whenever I get to visit.<smiles> Her grandma (God bless her dear soul) would avidly listen to my playing although I missed a lot of times on some keys and was not the child prodigy I imagined I was. Hahah! I actually haven't given it much thought until when her grandma died last year. She told me how her grandma used to tell her even when we've already grown up that if ever I should go visit, I should always play on their piano. I was touched when she told me that; it was the same day she told me her grandma had just died.

We had shared, opened to each of our life's struggles. She's just about the one single person I can tell, without apprehensions, what I really really feel. Although she's in a different city miles away, we still keep in touch. And Facebook plays a large part on it.<LOL> Though there were periods of not being able to contact each other by any means, especially when either or both of us are on to something that one needs to be alone, such as the healing period after a relationship that just ended, or that because we were just plain very busy with the humdrums of everyday living. But when we check back on each other it seems that only one day has just passed! There might be parts of our lives that we must've missed on one another, but we always catch up on things.

She is 'The Pencil-Pusher" and the one who introduced me to the wonders of Marjorie Evasco's verses, especially the "Animasola" among other things. I am very much grateful for her.<smiles>

      

Happy Birthday Tixie Wixie!

Those Spurts of Fleeting Inspiration

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I promise to write on my blog everyday.


Ok, ok, I take that back...just only when I feel like it. This is my 19th blog entry so far since I started in October, so do not bet on my first statement.<chuckles> I just don't want be a monotonous twerp blogging basically the same formulaic words everyday: I eat, sleep, work, eat, sleep, work, eat...ad infinitum.

Sometimes emotions get hold of you that you wanna burst so you need to let it out (this is exactly what I feel at times), or you think you have this best plot for a prospective best-seller or whatever it is that bugs you all day; the best thing to do to appease your tormented soul is to jot down these "ephemeral children of the mind"  but when these i-have-the-greatest-idea/story-and-i-wanna-write-it-down moments happen, it's usually you're nowhere near some piece of paper and a pen or anything to record those down. What a waste of ideas, forever lost in the drain of collective passing memories. Like dreams, they just pop-up and then gone. Just like love and midnight kisses, they "...seem to cool in the warmth of the sun." as one Nat King Cole song goes.

I won't promise on the everyday blogging, don't bet on me on that. And hopefully I'm in front of my laptop whenever those fleeting moments hit me. And for those ideas/thoughts lost, I mourn them. Darn! Who knows I could have been the next literary wonder....<sigh>


Till next time!
<signed>
The Callcenter Boy - Literary Aspirant

Christmas: The Season of Forgiving

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This Christmas I promise to be more participative on the Yuletide cheer and not be such a mini-Scrooge like the past few seasons and since today is the first of December so it is the most exact time to start. The past few Christmases are such a blur to me, they're just ordinary days. I mean, I go to church because some days in December happen to fall on a Sunday<LOL> but not really as much as to hear the ideals of this season. It just won't sink in. I don't think it's right that people are forced into making peace with the people they're still having "issues" with, just because it is the "Season of Forgiving" even if deep inside they're really not yet ok. And using Christmas as the only reason (or excuse, to be more blunt about it) to making people guilty for not being forgiving is just plain lame. I guess this "Let's-forgive-because-it's-Christmas" thing is primarily the reason why I got disenchanted with it. Just think about those people who have had traumatic experiences such as rape victims or the family of victims of murder like those in the Maguindanao Massacre, etc. I don't think that would be just as easy for them as it would be for everyone else. Well, any month or any day could just be the Season of Forgiving, right? Besides, true forgiveness comes from within at anytime. As long as one is ready and humble enough; it could take time though.

By the way I'll be working during the holidays, but like I said I promised myself to be just as cheerful and jolly this time, maybe even just short of like hohoho-ing like Santa! <laughs>

Happy Holidays everyone!

<signed> The Callcenter Boy

It's The Most Wonderful Weather of the Year!

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It's the most wonderful time of the year!(To the tune of the christmas song with the same title.)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFtb3EtjEic

 

 

We are now having cooler weather thanks to the trade winds coming from the Northeast, the "Amihan". This is such a welcome respite from the hot humid one we had the previous months, and fewer storms and typhoons at this time of the year too!

The country's weather is at its best this time of the year they say, when the "-ber" months start. This is the time for longer walks in the morning even as late as 8 A.M. when we start to feel the good ol'e Sun getting uncomfortably warm every minute. I think this period of cooler weather ends sometime as late as March or even the first weeks of April when the hot summer takes over again. I also notice that during these months my head is cooler than it usually is, I get fewer allergy attacks (by the way, I have lots of allergies, which I would be blogging about soon), my electricity bill of which airconditioning occupies a considerable part of the consumption, is cut in half; people are more carefree than they already are and also, fewer crimes I guess. I hope I'm right on that last part. <chuckles> I do not think it is only due to the magic of the upcoming Yuletide season; I believe the weather is the prime denominator.

Till next time,
<signed> The Callcenter Boy

Drunken State of Wakefulness (or, A Day in the Life of a Callcenter Boy)

http://a2200fcd.ultrafiles.net

**The word "circadian" is a 20th-century invention. It was coined in 1959 from the Latin "circa" (around) + "diem" (a day).
It refers to events occurring within a 24-hour period, in the span of a full (24-hour) day, as in a circadian rhythm.
(http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=6766)

 I got home from work about 3 hours ago and I am still up writing this blog; I am a bit sleepy so please forgive me if there are typos that I might have missed after I publish this. <sheepish grin> It's been a long dragging day at the office. And let me say, a "day" in a callcenter person's life is not circadian** -specific(my own term, actually<grins>). In my case, it's from 9pm to 6am. And that should be it for me for the next two months or so, then it would be changed again. No permanent schedules in this kind of job.

Last night, I arrived as usual 15 minutes early for my shift. Only two of my officemates were there. Nico and Tisha (not their real names, to protect privacy) were already preparing their tools of our trade - and that includes but not limited to the headset, which to me is our "crown of glory and agony". <Laughs>. Now these two guys have had been with the company for longer than I have been; I do admire their work ethic. It was really good they're already there, at least I wasn't alone "on the floor", a callcenter term for the agents' working area. Our day started smoothly since it was still a Sunday for them and we were what we call the "opening" agents - those who answer the first calls of the day. We open their day (the callers') so it is assumed we should be upbeat and perky although we are on the other side of the globe and just about a little more or less 24 hour time difference. Haha! So much for acting as if sunlight is streaming from our office window (by the way, we don't have windows in our building; a compact structure with centralized airconditioning) while assisting their various needs. There were times I'm just slumping on the office chair, but still on upbeat voice mode nevertheless. <Smiles>.

Anyone who says that a callcenter agent's life is a breeze, well it's not totally true. A lot of things people hear about us callboys and callgirls are just hype. I guess there are more hardships than what have collectively been assumed as the good life. Firstly we have to be awake when our body says "sleep" and don't forget those difficult callers who can drain our energies appeasing, pleasing them, making them happy. I mean, here's where the "selling" ourselves take place. Haha! The challenge to bend some people's view/s, previous bad experiences with the product and/or the company we represent, into positive results that should be a win-win situation between both parties is not just a walk in the park. AND about the big salary hype about callcenters, all I can say that one would get paid exactly for what he/she had really strived hard for. It's real hard work. And amidst it all, there's nothing much more rewarding than to know that we are able to help a person regardless where he/she is in the world. I can imagine the unseen smiles our callers are wearing everytime we are able to resolve their issue over the phone and made them feel they're valued. I would also do the same way too. If you love helping people, then I bet this kind of job is for you!

Have a great day!**(remember, not circadian-specific,ok? hehehe)

No Goodbyes but Farewells

Another callcenter girl, a friend of my friend who is working in another company, has just resigned over the week. It had been, is and would always forever be a cycle. The coming and going of things, of people. The sun. The tides. The starting of a journey w/ the first step and the dusting of the wanderlust dust on one's clothes once it ends. The opening of the first page of a book we are so eager to read and the closing of it once it's all been read and over with. it's inevitable.

I was used to departures and arrivals when I was still small. For one, in the course of my adolescent life, my father was always assigned to other places because of work; seems like missing someone even dear is not such a big deal. I guess that started it. But it doesnt mean I care less for people when they are far and away. The caring never change, memories never forgotten; deep inside all of those things are still in here and here <pointing to head and heart>.

http://8c7326e5.theseblogs.com

I am quite amused to realize how "farewell" evolved into something that means departing because for starters, it actually is a shortened word (see how people tend to be quite lazy in talking? hmmm..) for the archaic "Fare-thee-well"; "Fare-you-well" in modern usage. Isn't that kind of sweet and thoughtful, much more profound than just saying "Goodbye?"  <smiles>  Seriously, it's all about hoping (and praying) that everything good would come in the way of the ones who are leaving. A very good friend once asked me how it might feel if she's the one who's leaving (she left anyway, and naturally I'm happy for her). I'm almost always happy for those who are leaving, I know they're following some kind of "dreams" so to speak. I didn't answer her but I just thought that whichever perspective we see it, its seems fair on both sides of the fence. You see, it's just Yin and Yang, it's Balance. Both sides lose something or things, and gains some too. It's just like how the Sun sets to make way for the Moon,vice versa, give-take; those things, you know...yeah...I'm mumbling now... And when one is leaving, I know how scary that can be; the BIG unknown might lie just across the street even. So for consolation and propping up of one's spirit it is good Karma to think that everything should all be well and nothing's to worry. More so when you say the phrase itself.

So if ever anyone of you is leaving, it won't be Goodbyes you would all be getting from me, but always "Fare-you-wells".

Lost in Time and Date (or, How does your job change you?)

Look how time flies!
http://913935cf.seriousdeals.net

There are 365 days in a regular year (except on leap years); I suppose holidays or other special occassions are redmarked on everyone's calendar. But not me, not on my calendar if I ever even have one. I just rely on my cellphone's date and time. To me, the days are all the same when I started a call(center) boy. And I'm bad at remembering birthdays. The times I was able to greet some friends were those when I was able to read their birthday notifications on social networking sites, almost always on the unavoidable (LOL!) Facebook. For one who works even during holidays, every day of the year seems to be the same as any other. Even the spark of Valentines Day and the feel-good atmosphere of the Yuletide season don't sink in to one's core anymore.

I don't even celebrate my own birthday, especially when it falls on a workday. So I just spend the day sleeping, as I'm always (and I guess, forever will be) on night shift. It might sound pathetic to some but for me, always having this grateful mind especially on one's birthday is just about enough. On the contrary, I don't feel sorry for myself for not having to celebrate it, much less with other people since there are always other days to do that. Aside from being able to save some bucks in doing so, I would rather sleep or rest than to go out and have fun. I bet a lot of "call" boys and "call" girls agree with me on this one. <chuckles>

Some say I'm an individualistic person and I respect what they think. Anyway I guess it's just my own way of evolving with my current work. We have to know how to adapt to anything, especially to things as essential as our jobs.

What's your job and in what way/s does your current job change you?

My Daily Mantra

"The greatest thing you'll ever learn, is just to love. And be loved in return."

                                                                                 --from the song, "Nature Boy", sung by Nat King Cole 1947

Very well said (or sung)...

Just that.

Truly Filipino Music Going Global

Russian Choir: Russischer Knabenchor DUBNA

The song is in Filipino. Visayan or specifically Cebuano, to be exact. Although it was first introduced in 1973, it is still popular among Filipinos probably due to its infectious lively tempo.

I know that any Visayan or Filipino for that matter who speaks and understands the dialect, can't help being amused by the song's lyrics. I just wonder if the singers in other countries do know what they were singing about; specifically what the following stanzas mean. But I can see that they do enjoy singing the jolly melody! <chuckles>

"Ayay usab si Dodong
Nagtan-aw kang Inday
Nagtabisay ang laway"

(English Translation by Tom Marking)

Hey!, also the young man
He's looking at the young lady
His drool is falling

The song tells of a country lass (Visayan: inday) going to the village fair, performing a sing-and-dance number and in doing so, looked more like food to a certain young man (Visayan: dodong) than an attractive young woman dancing, since he was drooling (saliva dripping from his mouth, to be more detailed as we please) while watching her. <Laughs> 

Another version of the song.

San Francisco State University Chamber Singers

under the direction of Dr. Joshua Habermann. From www.youtube.com

And here is the complete lyrics and English translation of this beautiful song.

Cebuano Version

English Version (translated by Tom Marking)

ROSAS PANDAN Ania si Rosas Pandan Gikan pa intawon sa kabukiran Kaninyo makiguban-uban Sa gisaulog nga kalingawan Balitaw day akong puhunan Maoy kabilin sa akong ginikanan Awit nga labing karaan Nga garbo ning atong kabungturan Dika ding dika ding dika ding Ayay sa atong balitaw Manindot pa ug sayaw Daw yamog ang kabugnaw Dika dong dika dong dika dong Ayay usab si Dodong Nagtan-aw kang Inday Nagtabisay ang laway Ayayay ayayay ayayay Aya-ay sa akong balitaw Kanindot ba mosayaw Daw yamog ang kabugnaw Tigadong tigadong tigadong Ayay usab si Dodong Nagtan-aw kang Inday Nagtabisay ang laway Balitaw day akong puhunan Maoy kabilin sa akong ginikanan Awit nga labing karaan Nga garbo ning atong kabungturan Ayayay ayayay ayayay Aya-ay sa akong balitaw Kanindot ba mosayaw Daw yamog ang kabugnaw Tigadong tigadong tigadong Ayay usab si Dodong Nagtan-aw kang Inday Nagtabisay ang laway Ayayay ayayay ayayay Aya-ay sa akong balitaw Kanindot ba mosayaw Daw yamog ang kabugnaw Tigadong tigadong tigadong Ayay usab si Dodong Nagtan-aw kang Inday Nagtabisay ang laway Nagtan-aw kang Inday Nagtabisay ang laway

ROSAS PANDAN Here is Rosas Pandan Just arrived from the mountains To be with all of you To celebrate the fiesta This song is my livelihood An inheritance from my parents A most ancient song The pride of our hill country Dika ding dika ding dika ding Hey!, our song Is still nice to dance to Like fog on a cold day Dika dong dika dong dika dong Hey!, also the young man He's looking at the young lady His drool is falling Ayayay ayayay ayayay Hey!, my song Is it nice to dance to Like fog on a cold day Tigadong tigadong tigadong Hey!, also the young man He's looking at the young lady His drool is falling This song is my livelihood An inheritance from my parents A most ancient song The pride of our hill country Ayayay ayayay ayayay Hey!, my song Is it nice to dance to Like fog on a cold day Tigadong tigadong tigadong Hey!, also the young man He's looking at the young lady His drool is falling Ayayay ayayay ayayay Hey!, my song Is it nice to dance to Like fog on a cold day Tigadong tigadong tigadong Hey!, also the young man He's looking at the young lady His drool is falling He's looking at the young lady His drool is falling

from the website: http://www.tomandcathymarking.com/cebuano/rosas_pandan.htm

This and other Filipino songs being sung by choirs/chorales in different parts of the world are an enduring legacy of our own groups of singers who have toured around the globe, promoting our own musical heritage and sharing/teaching them these songs that truly represents what and who we are as a nation.

A big toast to them!

Random Thoughts in a Busy Place

Everything is a show unfolding before our eyes.

I see by myself other peoples' lives found, lost, broken, made whole again. I am part of it but an outsider as well. People choose to see or not to see me; some go past through me as if im a specter. This is the good thing about it; I can go and come as I choose. They cannot see especially when I don't will them to see. The things that I do, dont really matter; if at all, just seen only by that Infinite Being above. 

Looking at everything from some "tinted glass" romanticizes everything, that if theres pain unfolding, it muffles it...and made pain mute as if a picture roll on a silent film of that bygone era. And Happiness through it, is just akin to a drunken state of mind, a temporary antidote to everything sad...as if making it not too intense so as to make you believe you would never ever know Pain again.

I see myself through the tinted glass as a refuge. We are all just faces on a wall sometimes, almost always wearing masks. Mostly poker faces. Who knows how much emotions are hidden in those masks? Through the looking glass, my eyes are shielded from those faces seemingly emotionless but judgemental. My eyes, our eyes are windows to our own being.

This Clicking Life

I had chanced upon a former officemate not too long ago in a mall. After the usual pleasantries, our talk went into the topic about work. I quite proudly said to him that I'm still with the same company, even joked about me getting a loyalty award or something of that sort. Then it was his turn. He just said he just "click" to work. And I was like, "Are you sure what you're talking about?" Like, "No way would it be that easy! Sure, I also click on the mouse at work in the office.." But then he further clarified that it's from the comfort of his own couch, chair or wherever he is sitting on at home, just clicking on advertising pages being sent to him. I sure do hear about these online jobs, work-at-home part-time jobs mostly. But I never really had gotten myself into that trend, not yet. Then he encouraged me to try it and gave me a website link of which you can see below.   

http://www.clixsense.com/?3819350

After giving it much thought, I did finally click on the link above and signed up. Actually my main reason why I hadn't tried it before was the fear of malicious programs that might infect my system. So I basically did make sure first that my laptop (I don't have a desktop, by the way) is completely covered by a very trusted antivirus program. And then I fully convinced myself that I'm not that stupid to give anyone who's asking for my own account password online, or other personal information. I guess it's really common sense and the gift of hunch that spare us all from being victims to these pathetic hackers.   

It was tough going at the start, and as with everyone else, I also started on mostly on $0.001 per click per advertising page. But that didn't discourage me. There were times I felt a bit bored just clicking on some random advertising pages being sent, but just imagining how much would I be getting at any targetted time is enough to keep me back on track. I realize how easy can this job be!  And besides, clicking on some pop-up advertising pages is way less stressful than explaining to a customer over the phone on how to resolve their own problems with the product we, as "callboys" and "callgirls", represent. THAT realization definitely made me stick to this PTC (Paid-to-Click) job. Since then I have been earning. Yet, not that much that it levels up to my current pay in the callcenter business for now, at least it's a welcome addition to my funds, some little extra money to put into my "gimmick" or recreation. <chuckles> And maybe in a year or two if all goes well with it, I might even do this full-time. <Smiles>   

The Pacquiao Phenomenon

Streets were deserted. At times you can hear the breeze blowing, which you would rarely be able to do so in a noisy busy highway just about midday, unless it's a windy day. Was this Twilight Zone? An aftermath of a major catastrophe? But there's no evidence of a devastation anywhere. No really, it was all because of the Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez fight. You have just witnessed the "Pacquiao Phenomenon" in the Philippines wherein virtually all Filipinos are glued to the boob tube to watch the "Pride of the Nation" engage the next boxer who aspires to any of the boxing titles under his belt. 

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They say crime rate in the Philippines goes to zero everytime the ultimate Pinoy boxer fights in the arena. How nice would it be if he fights everyday! Regardless of what fight analysts and critics say about his most recent victory, the Pacman is still undoubtedly the best. And the best of him comes primarily from his humble heart and unassuming character.

A "War" Thought....

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Today is Armistice Day(Veterans Day). It was on November 11, 1918 when the Allied Forces and Germany declared the end of "the war to end all wars" so to speak. I guess everyone thought then that World War I, of which officially had ended on Armistice Day, would be the last and biggest war the modern world would have ever had but then World War II happened that lasted from 1939 to 1945, a much more devastating war with huge losses of lives. And then onwards, wars such as those in Vietnam and the more recent Gulf Wars mottled the World History annals like stains on pristine white paper. Smaller in scope but destructive nonetheless. <tsk><tsks>

As most of the western part of the world celebrate Armistice Day today, I get to thinking what other "wars" would there be up coming for us in the future.

Just a thought...

Coffee-drunk

I drink coffee. Period. I drink it when I wake up to go to work. In the office right before I go on "auto-in" to take my first call of the day, I would fill up my small thermos with coffee till it's almost to the brim. I have the liberty to do so since it's basically free for everyone there. <chuckles> I guess that is one of the stronger reasons why I am hooked to it. I would get my second and third servings between my first breaktime and lunch (which is, by the way, usually in the wee hours of the morning, say 1 A.M.) And then sometimes another serving about 2-3 hours before my shift ends.

You might really want to ask me how bad it is? Well, let me list all the things I notice myself:

• It's an automatic task everytime I wake up and prepare for work. My brain doesn't need to tell my hand/s to pour the sweet smelling thing in the cup. Just like that. Snap! (LOL)

• My urine smells coffee when I pee but its almost always when I'm still in the office.

• My sweat smells like coffee. Even on times I'm not drinking coffee..really! A bit scary, huh?

• Maybe it's just my imagination but my head hurts when I can't drink coffee in a day.

They say that coffee is somehow beneficial (sort of) to our health. I've read about it somwhere... Some say it's anti-aging (though some studies say otherwise) and an anti-oxidant that could prevent certain cancers, heart rhythm problems, and strokes among others. But really guys, too much of a good thing, even the sweet aromatic lovely savory stimulating coffee that I love, is just plain bad if taken in excess. So at least to balance out the damage that might already have been done, I balance it by drinking lots of water or pair it with something healthy, say an apple.

My Mantra: Keep drinking coffee and eat an apple. A cup of coffee keeps you kicking and an apple a day they say, keeps the doctor away. <winks>

A Thought on my favorite Love Poem

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Excerpts from Cien Sonetos de Amor (One Hundred Love Sonnets) by Pablo Neruda

YOU must know that I do not love you
 and that I love you,

because everything alive has its two sides;

a word is one wing of the silence,
fire has its cold half.

I love you in order to begin to love you,
to start infinity again

and never to stop loving you:
that’s why I do not love you yet.

I love you, and I do not love you,as if I held

keys in my hand: to a future of joy–
a wretched, muddled fate–

My love has two lives, in order to love you:
that’s why I love you when I do not love you,

and also why I love you when I do.

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

SABRÁS que no te amo y que te amo
puesto que de dos modos es la vida,
la palabra es un ala del silencio,
el fuego tiene una mitad de frío.

Yo te amo para comenzar a amarte,
para recomenzar el infinito
y para no dejar de amarte nunca:
por eso no te amo todavía.

Te amo y no te amo como si tuviera
en mis manos las llaves de la dicha
y un incierto destino desdichado.

Mi amor tiene dos vidas para amarte.
Por eso te amo cuando no te amo
y por eso te amo cuando te amo.

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

There's always two sides to anything. Yin and Yang, Night and Day, Man and Woman, and what-you-may-call-its. But one thing that struck me really is not as how one complements the other but how differences can be just basically the same at one point. And translated to LOVE and LOVING, it shows that regardless whatever which side you are on, whether to LOVE or not to LOVE, with all the trappings that go with that...there's this raw, intimate feeling of well-being and a deeper understanding of one's existence.

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I found this free video site...

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It's good to be spontaneous.

It's fun to be surprised.

Enjoy watching!

Murmurings of a bored soul...

Life is boring ...seems that  the world is getting less interesting; Wonder lost its magic and the monotonous hue of depression sets in. I feel happy nonetheless, for those people I meet who are smiling, or is it just my imagination? <chuckles> Take for example the barbecue guy in the corner on the road where the jeepney passes its regular route. His face is the epitome of what the mysterious King Melchisidec, from Coelho's book, "The Alchemist" referred to as, to paraphrase it, "...knowing your own purpose and reason for living." Or the graceful way a streetsweeper clean with her broom and the smile on a beggar's face shouldn't be regarded as just a smile or probably to lesser extent, a mannerism. But simply that inspite of our own imagined difficulties about them, they could be happier or more fulfilled than any one of us. One's very hefty salary or the capability to go to different places, and other "good things" in between, are not the prime measures of one's own fulfillment and happiness.

 

In my case, it's as if there's something that I'm missing ...I feel I still don't know myself at all. Could it be Love that I lack? Or potential? Or maybe motivation, and oh, don't forget optimism. Yeah, we somehow know we all lack a bit of something, and the struggle to make life at least bearable (and savor what little happiness we can squeeze from it <sigh!>) is what makes all these worth living for, the least. Hey, have you all ever felt that you just wanna let fly? Let go? Scream? A scream for freedom from the clasps of negativity and "mustn't-haves" (like bad relationships for one), real and imagined. I think all these comes to laying down our own roots and plunge into the deepest corners of our own desperate souls, and maybe, then maybe we can see a crying child--our own little lost self that needs comfort and then maybe, just maybe, we can derive strength out of that weakness...it could be very overwhelming, an none-too-simple concept but I think we all need to see beyond what's seen or reached. I still don't know myself completely. And I think that by doing unexpected things, different things, I can finally see "myself" and confront the person that is "Me".

And I look into the mirror, see myself beyond the eyes, the mousy hair, the lips(eager for a smile but just suppressed it), the moles and freckles on my face and often question myself, "Are you happy? Am I making you happy?"

Reflections while walking from work to home...

There is something else on how people walk. Aside from what we actually see - the stride, the step; graceful for some, sloppy for others, the gait - hurried or very much relaxed or even like a prance of a deer's as you can imagine. <chuckles> Other than these there seems to be something else because we all know there are certain things that cannot only be seen but perceived in a deeper sense. Seems we just take for granted this mundane thing we basically do ourselves or see everyday, every moment of our lives, we all know...that that certain walk could be the last for some -they could've been walking to their end with the grim reaper might already be waiting for them on the corner. For others, it might be a new beginning: a sign of hope, a celebration or for something greater to happen; a child's 1st steps, a single step that starts a thousand miles of travel by whatever means, or a patient's 1st steps right after a bad knee or foot injury.

I always get mystified by those who just started to travel or have just arrived.. Like, where are they going to? or where did they come from? If only the feet and legs could speak, what stories could they have shared! The dusts and wearies of a thousand travels sums up to that present moment and inevitably moments change, whether to our liking or not. There are lots of inconveniences and we can even point a few "devastations" and disappointments of travel but as much as possible, I take it as it is. It has always been my belief that a journey is never really "planned" until the actual travelling.

Walking from and walking towards. What better describes these phrases than this one simple word - Change.

How many people we see walking everyday? And do we at certain points in time, ask ourselves, "Are they happy with their journey?" Life's journey is never-ending until we die. And we go by our own lives, maybe oblivious to our surroundings. One can see in the multitude of people milling around or walking past in the crowded streets of any city or in the leisurely promenade in the malls, the faces --forgettable or unforgettable. Mostly just "masks" of the true person. How many of us walk from our own problems? For some, it may be an escape from the painful truth or maybe a burden. Or how many walk or, even run, to where LOVE is waiting for them? Wouldn't it be great!?<smiles> Or going to work --a testament of living-- or  going to new careers; to their job interviews, to their first day on the job; to travel to work in lands across and beyond. And oh yes, Adventure! It keeps the fire within one's soul burning..and adventures within one's soul is as interesting as adventures without.

The beauty of walking is not just on what's immediately seen but what is felt. It is the will of moving forward --as such a symbol of simply willing to change. Move forward--going forth---not just as it is as we physically see it, but moving forward to a better something.

Looking back...again.

The first time I've heard all about these callcenters was through a friend's friend who had applied to one. And true enough even before then, "BIG PAY!" was its official slogan. <smirks> And I guess I admit rather hesitantly, that it's the biggest factor why I'm drawn to this industry although the difference between my 1st pay of my company and my job prior to this (in an architectural/construction firm) was just almost a thousand bucks shy. But I grabbed at it anyway, since especially they said all I need to do is to just sit and answer calls from people. At that time, the "people" I'm refering to is almost exclusively Americans since U.S. companies were the first ones who had pioneered the outsourcing concept.

Without thinking about the work hours which are almost always graveyard shift, I jumped into the bandwagon. And boy, what an adjustment was that for me! I always consider myself a day person and an occassional insomniac so it was really a struggle. I literally dragged myself out of bed in the first few months. And when I had my insomnia attacks, I'd just party the night away if its on a restday (I have since moved on from that phase in my life, hehehehe) and end up feeling so wasted and tired during office hours the workday after. Or if its in the middle of a workday, I would render OT's if at all, because OTs (this means "overtime" by the way) weren't rigoriously tracked then. You can just do OT all you want, even if it's not a very busy day and you get paid for it every minute! I know any old-timer in our company love to reminisce the days when anyone can just render OTs just that easy. And that's one of the things I still miss on those good 'ole days.

At first I thought I'd just be a callcenter boy or call-boy for a few months...and almost everytime when I felt sooo stressed or beat out, my mantra is, interestingly, "Don't quit, loser!" And I guess that was very effective for my psyche because right now I realize I'm already quite a bit overstaying in this fickle, changeable world of call-boys and call-girls.

Bravo to us!