Ang sarap maligo sa umaga...

28 December 2005, Manila - It's something awesome, taking a bath in the morning, or in the sunny-part of the day. I guess that is because of taking a bath every day at 7:30PM or 8:00PM every work day is like a big task that you endure while you are working - every time a drop of water goes from your head to your toe, the distinct kind of coldness lulls you to sleep. But this time, going on a work shift during the day (2PM to 10PM), the coldness of the Christmas season is acceptable and in fact very much welcome. It wakes me up instead of pulling me back to bed.

I will miss this. Anyway, I'll be going back to the real world soon...

* * *

Waking up, getting out of bed, and walking downstairs, I sit down. Today, the real effect of the transfer hit me. I tried to rationalize the effect of being transferred, but I was just taking things inside, I don't want people to know what I feel. I feel betrayed. But then, I rationalized it with, "if I were in his position, would have made the same decision?" I know, I wouldn't, but I have to understand that he is thinking of the numbers that have to be presented to clients. It's just that for me, even though I came from a military background, the objectives are equal to the cost and the people behind the achievement of those objectives. People think that military people are not people-based or insensitive - on the contrary, they could be the most empathic people on earth. They take lives in front of their eyes without showing emotion - could there anything be more emotionally challenging and affecting than that? They hide their emotions behind the reason of "mission." In this situation, people who do not know how it is to be below do not know what they could and must feel.

What will this day be? Should I file my resignation? When? Will I wait to feel what it would be like?

I have always coped with challenge. In ROTC, I also thought of quitting. But then, after being given the anthology lines, like "you never can tell how close you are, you may be near when it seems afar," and "it's when things seem worst that you mustn't quit," mixed with thoughts of faith... I either stick it out or shape up. I believe in these six magic words which the Corps has taught me, "This too shall come to pass." The concepts of success, have been put in my heart - Anthologies, Classmates, Time Management and Stability under pressure (ACTS). These concepts make me stay and fight on. Perhaps, these words make me sort of childlike. I don't care. If that is what it takes to pull off this challenge, I will stick here.

* * *

Disposing people is not as easy as it sounds. But some other people do it without any hesitation. Well, if you look on papers and numbers and not on people at work, then people will be nothing but employee numbers or NT logins, not people striving to do their job to meet the team standards and be part of the team.

* * *

Having fun. Four days of no work is definitely fun. Coupled with being with your family on Christmas - I wasn't with my family last year just to go to work. Now, I have the opportunity of staying at home and celebrating the Christmas with my relatives. That's one thing I appreciate with this temporary change of assignment.

* * *

Don't bring your work away from your station. In NHO, they taught me that. But if you don't do that, how can you become efficient? Besides, how can you talk to people - as in converse with people and not with devices talking to your ears - without thinking and considering what will happen at the end of the call? That's what makes a person different from a computer or a PABX!

Sincerity is not a sound - it is an attitude. But people think they can sound it without meaning it. Well, they can, I cannot. I've been a perfectly good liar in various tasks, but not in this job.

Prayer for the stressed

A Prayer for the Stressed

 

Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, The courage to change the things I cannot accept, And the wisdom to hide the bodies of those people I had to kill today because they pissed me off.

 

And help me be careful of the toes I step on today As they may be attached to the ass I may have to kiss tomorrow.

 

Help me to always give 100% at work...

12% on Monday
23% on Tuesday
40% on Wednesday
20% on Thursday and
5% on Fridays.

 

Help me to remember...
When I'm having a really bad day & it seems that people are trying to piss me off, that it takes 42 muscles to frown but only 4 to extend my middle finger and tell them to bite me!

Wish List

Christmas season again. Exchange gifts abound. For those who are planning to give me a gift, here is my wish list:

• Writing Effective Email
• Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus
• Bible Handbook
• Emotions Revealed
• Special Words: Notes for when you don't know what to say
• Conversational Japanese, The Complete Idiot's Guide
• Giving and Receiving Feedback: Building a Constructive Communication
• Glass Chess (the type which one has a transparent glass, while the other piece is glass-blasted. dimension of about 12"x12"...)

What will happen, I wonder?

In aid of legislation

Of course, the House of Representatives minority group again has every right to question people and ignore their individual rights. In aid of legislation.

Hmmm. They say they are using these investigation in aid of legislation. Well, where are the bills or laws created with the information gathered from those investigation, which used a lot of resources paid for by the people's tax? The senators and the congressmen do not do anything to uplift the economic status of the country, criticize all steps taken by the President, and then pull the people into revolt or doubt of the government's motive. How about their own motive? Who is questioning them? Who is interrogating them?

Besides, if something is in aid of legislation, I think the atmosphere of the communication should be open and not accusing. The problem is, the person who is being asked is already presumed guilty, and has to prove his or her innocence, quite the opposite of legal proceedings. If I were in an interviewee's position, if I sense a poisoning of the well done before I speak, then why should I still speak?

For instance, before Garcillano was given the chance to speak, Opposition senators and representatives have already indicated that if he gave a conclusion which is different from the one they have jumped into, then he is lying. They do not even know the whole conversation! They do not know the whole context! Even the former deputy director of NBI Samuel Ong (was it his name?) indicated he had not released all the tapes/CDs yet!

* * *

There is a saying that I don't remember where I got, "In politics, there is no permanent friend or enemy." Is this true?

If so, does this tell us that politics does not have any values, everything is relative, which tells us that there is no right and wrong?

You will ally yourself with a leftist organization so that you will get some support, then work against them when they have something which is against another case. In a Filipino movie, that would be branded like "no pride." I don't care about the pride, but that is definitely a question on our leader's (political and religious) values. I mean... the religious leaders have a values question?

And we are the only Christian country in Asia!

God help us.

Tired.

I am on the 4th week of being in a special attention due to handling calls for longer than others. The first week was good, the second was not, and neither the third. First day of the fourth, I had an AHT (average handling time) of over 20 minutes. If I continue like this, I might as well not worry how to write a resignation letter. Heheheh.

Seriously speaking, I am tired. I have had good quality feedback/sessions, but it is the time of handling a call that I will get transferred or fired. It is almost unreasonable. But the company has its standards and policies. If they don't appreciate my good performance due to long period of handling calls, working for customer's issues and resolving properly so that they won't need to call again to find out that the solution given to them was only a workaround or bullsh*t (which I never had the problem of using, because I have grown weak in lying), well, so be it. I won't regret being fired by a company that does not appreciate real resolutions and instead works on numbers.

When I started here, and got my fifth-month appraisal, I was impressed with the appraisal method. The combination of the numbers and the personal appreciation by the supervisor made sure that the numbers will not kill a good agent which was suffereing in numbers but is generally efficient and effective. When the supervisor becomes a master of number, however, then you do not have anything to balance the numbers game.

In the next few weeks, I don't know, I guess I have to start finding work. And no longer in this kind of work. It has reduced my learning to speaking into the way the company wants me to speak. There is no "personalization" in my work. There is nothing of me as a human in here.

I think therefore I am from UP

I saw this girl wearing a black shirt. It said:

"There are only two universities in the Philippines:

1. Mapua

2. Others"

Yeah, right.

* * *

Last Tuesday, 06 December 2005, before I watched The Myth (for the --th time), there was a girl in front of me who was wearing a white shirt. From the print on the back of her shirt, I understood she is a college student. The print says:

"I think therefore I am from UP."

The t-shirt reveals she is from UP Manila. Of course, I know this shirt comes only from UP Manila.

Honestly, I am proud I am from UP. If there is anything that UP has taught me, it is two things:

1. To think critically and open-mindedly; and,

2. To work with the primacy of the nation over self-interest.

To print that "I think therefore I am..." is a very selfish, proud attitude that does not represent the identity of the UP: sacrifice, nationhood and unity, being one with the masses, and leadership through serving. True, UP works with academic leadership, but where does that intellect go to? Division, bias and insensitivity to the needs of the country. Where do UP students go? After getting the best education the nation has to offer and given through the taxes of the people, they go to the United States, to the United Kingdom, to become nurses for other countries. Yes, they have families to feed, but is that the real reason?

UP has the Oblation has the symbol of sacrifice for the nation and its people. The professors teach reason, unity with the masses, and putting the people's interest in everything that you do. But what is this elitist behavior in the primary university that is supported by the people it is separating itself from?

UP is quick to criticize the people in the leadership, but where is that criticism going to? Where is the solution? UP, who has "fought" for the rights of the masses, criticized the President, cannot even give the benefits of its own workers!

UP, pity you.