Dada: You are acting differently.
Me: Why?
Dada: Most people who get terminated are depressed. You are very much cheerful.
Me: A huge stake has been pulled out from my chest. I'm free now and I can get my life back.
Dada: Point taken.
After the bad experience I had with Teletech [link to "Teletech : Enconuim and Censure . . ."], I went to 24/7 with thoughts of getting better opportunities and satisfaction with my job. All that 24/7 offered was 15% great pay, 5% opportunities to move up and 80% false hopes. The most I got here is bitterness.
Great Pay! Yes, VERY --- if you are part of the first few waves. This is their technique when trying to "pirate" people from other companies. Since most people go to call centers because the money is there, they get easily attracted.
Opportunities! Wow! Yeah, if you're part of the first wave then it's very easy to get promoted. Other than that, it's not worth trying. Anyway, I was not after this.
Benefits!!! They offer the crappiest HMOs in the Metro. Although I was able to use them a lot because I often go to the hospital for checkups. I always got sick while I was in the company. I was in the hospital at least two times every month! [link to "AH1N1??!"] [link to "Second Wave of Ailments"] Vacation Leaves were very hard to file, since there were so many agents and so little slots per day. Even applying for a VL on holidays became so much of a burden because it became a race/contest. They also implemented a rule that if an agent has 5 leaves without pay in one calendar month, he/she will not receive any credits the following month. LoL! Stupid, right? I know that VLs are a privilege that they give but there's always an if-then-else statement attached. People need to work their @$$ off or kiss someone else's @$$ in order to make the most out of these benefits.
Shifting schedules : Although this is a part of the job description, I still didn't find 24/7's scheduling system just. Schedule changes after four weeks, sometimes two weeks. Actually, no... it changes daily because every week, there's a 90% chance that the start of our shifts are several minutes or an hour apart from each other (eg. Monday shift starts @ 5am, then Tuesday shift starts at 4:15am, then Wednesday is 3:15am.. etc). Even the breaks and lunches are unjust. Most of the time, our first break would be an hour after we log in. Then the lunches will follow after another hour. After that, we'd be on the phone for two hours before we take our last break, then another three hours on the phone before we logout.
Crappy equipment: There were no concrete sleeping quarters. The lobby or "interview area" is where we slept at night. Although, erratically, the guards would shoo us away because it had to be cleaned or there's a client on the floor so they had to light up all the rooms. I think this happened to me quite often so I had to go home and skip work. I do not want to take in calls and get stressed when I have no rest at all. We did not have our own headsets too that's why we had to stick with the one-earpiece headset they have in the office. It was really hard! I always thought that I'd go deaf.
Integrity is nil. Mediocrity is abundant. The management often say contradicting things or tell their agents false hopes. When we asked the higher ups about our concerns, they will often say "Business needs."
There were plenty of instances wherein I wanted to quit but I felt anxious because I couldn't let go of the high salary. I lost MUCH of my social life while I was there. My boyfriend and I had many arguments about work. My colleagues also tell me that I have become very cranky since I lack sleep most of the time. I have become sickly, detached and bitter. I grew so tired of everything that I'd often slack off and wished to be termed already so I can escape.
November 22, 2009 ... I was told by my TL not to login anymore and I was terminated due to call avoidance, which is a grave offense in any call center. It's actually something that I knew coming but I didn't feel remorse or any disappointment. I accepted it rather than experiencing another Pyrrhic victory. I left the company smiling.
I found one of my old diaries while I was cleaning my room. That diary contained mostly what happened during my first year in college. Some are good, some are bad, some are enraging...
I told Dan that I wanted to get even with the people who bullied us in school, since a lot of them thought of us as unpopular nerds. Dan said being bitter is a waste of time and plotting revenge would be like fighting pieces of trash.
He said that some of those who bullied us are now in much worse situations. One of them is now a drug addict, two or three of them got impregnated during college, some of them became mere salespeople.
I guess he has a point. Even if we served as laughing stock during those days, we should also be thankful that we did not end up like them.
First, we're happy to announce that the team has identified and fixed the issue with the YouTube conduit; you can now find and add videos from YouTube to your library and posts. As always, thanks for your patience!
The other news we have today is about a new addition to the Six Apart family: TypePad Micro, a new free level of TypePad that is streamlined for microblogging. We see a new form of blogging emerging that lives between the quick status updates of Twitter and Facebook and the long-form posts of "classic" blogging; TypePad Micro is designed to meet that need. You can read more about TypePad Micro in Chris Alden's post on the Everything TypePad blog.
A lot of the new capabilities we've added to TypePad this year were actually inspired by some of the best things about Vox: favoriting, member profiles, a dashboard to follow other bloggers, and easy ways to post content from other social media sites. But the things that make Vox different from TypePad are still there: Vox has always been -- and still is -- the best place for "friends and family" blogging, where you're in control over who sees what. TypePad, on the other hand, is built for the blogger who wants, no, craves, attention.
Do you have a passion or interest you want to share with people beyond your Vox neighborhood? If so, we'd love it if you tried out TypePad Micro. Maybe you've always wanted to start that obsessive blog that's just about waffle restaurants. Or want a place to share videos of your favorite band (Jonas Brothers, anyone? Anyone? ...). TypePad Micro's great for those topic-specific blogs. Take it for a spin and let us know what you think.
On the Vox front, our designers are working on some cool new themes (coming soon!). We'd also love to hear your thoughts about where we should take Vox in the coming year. What are the key things you'd like to see for Vox? If you've had a chance to use TypePad this year, what are the features there that we should bring over to Vox? And, if you're thinking big thoughts, how could we connect the Vox and TypePad communities in order to bring together bloggers and their shared passions? Your feedback is really important to us, so please leave a comment here, or shoot me a message.
And again, thanks for your patience as we found and fixed the YouTube bug!
~ daisy
As many of you have noticed, the YouTube Conduit is not working. I am so sorry about this; I know how frustrating it is.
The team is looking into how to get this fixed and I will update you as soon as I hear something. In the meantime, not all is lost... There is a work-around for posting videos.
When you're in the Compose Screen, just click on "embed." Ignore the fact that it says "Widget" before everything because you can definitely use this to embed videos as well. You'll just need to input the embed code from the video, enter a title (if you want) and hit OK.
It might not show up perfectly in your compose screen, but when you hit "Save," your video should appear just the way you wanted it to.
Hopefully this will allow you to keep posting videos while we figure out what's happening on our end.
As always, thanks for your patience.
September 26 ... It was the fourth time I experienced serious palpitations. The first three were probably triggered by drinking too much coffee-vanilla. The latest was caused by the argument I had with my boyfriend during Ondoy [link to "Perfect Storm"].
October 2 ... I went to Medical City (SM Fairview) to have my heart checked up. The cardiologist suspected a lot of causes (kidney, thyroid, lungs, blood, heart, caffeine intake and anxiety attacks). It was the beginning of a series of other check ups.
October 11 ... I skipped work again because I had a 2D-ECHO scheduled. This was my first time taking that lab test and I almost freaked out when my heart made some weird noises! LoL! I also had a blood sample taken, an X-Ray and ECG.
October 16 ... I had rhinitis and I could barely breathe through my nose. This was probably caused by the unpredictable weather conditions. I went to the clinic three times. Despite that, the company nurse refused to send me home early and my supervisor cannot do anything about it. It was one of the most irritating times of my life.
October 17 ... I skipped work again and went back to Medical City. By this time, I've already recognized the nurses and they too have become familiar with me. The ENT doctor gave me 1 day of bed rest. I met up with Jeiro to lend her my red wig. I was also happy when I told her that I can go to EK the next day!!! I also told Dada about it. He was against it at first but we settled it. I really love him! ♥
October 18 ... I woke up and my rhinitis is gone --- so was my voice! That didn't prevent me from going to the Enchanted Kingdom though! Even without a voice, I can still have fun! [link to "OtakonEK 2009"]
October 19 ... I skipped work again to meet up with the cardiologist. All tests indicated that I am very healthy - especially my heart. She wanted me to take Pulmonary tests but I cannot afford anymore time on it unless I file a long medical leave. The bills also amounted to P15k (that's about 315 US dollars) so I am very thankful because we have MediCard (HMO). I just concluded that it might be my anxieties causing everything.
October 21-24 ... I was absent the whole week because my voice has not fully recovered. I went back to the ENT and he diagnosed that it's an acute laryngitis. The Operations Manager then asked for a "Fit-to-work" certificate. I never filed any.
November 7 ... My sleeping problems has taken its toll. While I was taking a nap, I experienced "Sleep Paralysis" and it was one of the most terrifying things that happened to me. It wasn't just because I couldn't move nor talk during that ordeal, I was also having auditory hallucinations. I was really scared! I am very grateful to my boyfriend because he was the one who woke me up. If he wasn't there, I might've died. [link to "Hypnagogia . . ."]
Go forth and fill your libraries with media.
Seriously, thanks to everyone for being so amazing and patient. You are the reason I love Vox.
I was just told that the Amazon Conduit will be fixed by tomorrow. I will post here as soon as I get word that it's back up and running.
I know this has been frustrating and I am sorry there wasn't more I could do to make it less so. I really appreciate your patience though.
Cheers,
"Tony Stark is a billionaire industrialist and genius inventor who is kidnapped and forced to build a devastating weapon. Instead, using his intelligence and ingenuity, Tony builds a high-tech suit of armor and escapes captivity. When he uncovers a nefarious plot with global implications, he dons his powerful armor and vows to protect the world as Iron Man." --- Yahoo! Movies
I have never read any Iron Man comic nor have I watched cartoons of it (if there were any). Although, I still watched the movie with Dada since it is a sci-fi film and it was one of the highly-anticipated shows of the month. I must say that it was worth it.
The story is kinda tragic because of the deaths involved. It also shows how Tony Stark was edified about the irony of his dream - he made the weapons that killed the people he vowed to protect. Another thing I liked about it was how Tony Stark built and set the preferences on the new hot-red suit. The special effects were very impressive!
Robert Downey Jr (Stark) and the rest of the cast all played their roles very well. He and Terrence Howard (Rhodes) had a very good chemistry so I am saddened and I was baffled as to why Marvel replaced the latter on the sequel. Replacing actors and actresses on sequels takes away a part of the story and the overall "feel" of the movie. I just hope that the new piece of the puzzle fits in well.
I give it : 
Event : OtakonEK 2009
Date : October 18, 2009
Venue : Enchanted Kingdom
Last year, I said that OtakonEK will be my pilgrimage because Azrael confirmed that this will happen every September. OtakonEK was a bit postponed this year due to typhoon Ondoy (Ketsana) [link, viewable by family & friends only], which hit the country a day before its actual date. I also thought that I won't be able to attend because of my work's schedule. As if luck was really on my side, I had an acute laryngitis which became my excuse for skipping our shift. Even without a voice, I can still have fun!!! Dada was against it at first but when I explained to him that I have been planning this for the longest, he then allowed me to go. Wheee!!!
Jeiro and Lora went to EK wearing Pirate costumes while Leidi and I were just wearing casual clothes. I planned on donning the Scarlet gown [link], but I realized that it would be too cumbersome and I don't want to pose for pictures there (yeah, I have issues).
Leidi and I missed both the 10:30AM and 12:30NN shuttles so we had to commute going to Sta.Rosa, Laguna. I was thinking that if something else goes wrong or if we get lost, we might not make it to EK! During those times, I realized that people can either be complete @$$h073S or be very helpful to the needy. Some people took advantage of the situation and charged us too high for fares, while some are very kind to point us the fastest routes and tell us the actual rates.
We arrived in EK around 1:30PM and immediately stashed our bags in the locker area. Leidi was a bit reminiscing because she said that the last time she's been there was when she was ten. It was time for her to feel the thrills of the rides she missed during her elementary years! LOL!
1) Roller Skater (mini roller coaster) -- Leidi wanted to try Dodgem (bump cars) but I told her that it's too boring so as an appetizer, I took her here. I think she had fun. Hehe~
2) Anchor's Away (swaying pirate ship) -- The line was pretty long and we waited for about 10 minutes before our turn. While standing in line, Leidi felt scared as she heard the screams and wanted to back out. I firmly told her "NO! We are going to take the topmost seats! You see blood everyday [you're a nurse-to-be!] and you can't handle this?!" Hehehe~ Of course, people go to EK to experience the thrills and I want nothing less. While the ship was swaying back and forth, Leidi got really scared at tinawag na niya ang lahat ng mga santo! LoL! She screamed "OH MY GOD -TAMA NA - SHET - ANG PUSO KO - LORD - OPERATOR - STOP - AAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!" all in one breath! LoL!
3) Grand Carousel - no lines, I wonder why? LoL!
4) Flying Fiesta (wave swinger) - Leidi said that if she survived Anchor's Away, she can survive anything! LoL!
5) Wheel of Fate (giant ferris wheel) - it was our time to relax a bit and enjoy the view.
6) Rialto (motion sim theater - feat. Speed Racer) - if my reaction to Sponge Bob was "That was it?!" for Speed Racer it was "What the fn(K"?!"
7) Jungle Log Jam (log flumes) - We didn't get wet. It was still cold, though.
8) Rio Grande Rapids (river rafting) - We were VEERRRRYYYYYY WET! LoL!
Despite the fact that we arrived late, we still managed to try out eight rides. This is my best record as of late. LoL! The Space Shuttle is undergoing maintenance so Leidi wasn't able to feel what it's like being the signature ride of EK. Nonetheless, we're able to watch the Sky Wizard fireworks display contest. The entry that we liked was #11.
We got home around 12:30MN. Cold and tired, but we had fun. LOL!
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Other trips to EK that I put in my blog:
2) OtakonEK 2008 [link]
3) Trip to Enchanted Kingdom - February 2009 [link]
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