No Call No Show

When it rains, it pours. Literally.

It was raining hard Tuesday night, I thought about not coming in to work because a mini Mississippi river was flowing right in front of our house. As luck would have it, the rain weakened so I unwillingly went out and fought the receding flood that was right in our doorsteps. I said to myself “this is going to be a long commute” after arriving at the place where I’m supposed to wait for a jeep to work, it started to rain hard again and I saw people treading knee deep waters and vehicles were being pushed by their anxious drivers and enterprising bystanders. It was time to call in and notify somebody at Workforce (OSC) that I won’t be able to come in.

Here’s how the conversation went:

I gave my name and department

Me: I won’t be able to come in today because I’m stranded.

Prick from WF: (after looking me up in his system)

So you can’t come in due to (sic) flood?

Me: Yes

Prick from WF: What time is your shift? (even though it shows in his system)

Me: 9:00pm

Prick from WF: So you’re calling in a few minutes before your shift starts? You’re suppose to call in 2 hours before your shift starts if you’re going to be absent.

Me: I was on my way to work but I can’t get a ride because of the knee deep water in the area.

Prick from WF: (as if not hearing anything that I’ve been saying) I’m going to tag this as

A … no-call ----- no-show.

ME: What? I’m at a sari sari store right now making this call. The reason I’m here, stranded, is because I wanted to come in but can’t… again because of impassable roads and all. You can come and pick me up here if you like.

Prick from WF: (as if not hearing anything that I’ve been saying, again) I’m going to give you a confirmation number and will transfer you to a TM (TL). Your confirmation number is……..

Me: (Right, like I was going to whip out a pen and paper or my mobile phone at a sari sari store). OK.

Prick from WF: I’m transferring your call now, don’t hang up.

Me: I WON’T

Unknown TM: Hello

Me: Who’s this?

Unknown TM: I’m ****

Me: (didn’t quite get the name) Can I talk to TM ****?

Unknown TM: He’s not around but I’ll handle your concern.

Me: OK. I’m not coming in because (repeating myself again)…

Unknown TM: You’re supposed to call 2 hours before your shift….you’re aware of that, right?

Me: But I didn’t plan on not coming in, it’s just that I’m stranded right now. Should I have called 2 hours before every time it rains hard?

Unknown TM: You live in the area so you should know if flood is going to be a problem.

Me: (silence)

Unknown TM: (Thinking he’s got me stumped) Am I right? You can come in late if you don’t want to get a NCNS.

Me: So you’re telling me to wait the rain and flood out?

Unknown TM: Yes.

Me: (silence)

Unknown TM: Just text or call *** if you decide to come in or not.

Me: Ok.

To be continued…NOT

16th Floor Musing

Seeing the light shine through the clouds

early in the morning gives me a certain

reassurance that everything will be okay.

It is the complete opposite of the dread

and extreme feeling of doom that I feel

during the night. This happens

everyday and I doubt that my emotions

pertaining to this will ever change. I've

felt this way 4 years ago, I'll feel the

same way in the future. The work I'm

doing doesn't have anything (well,

partly) to do with it, it's a simple case

of night equals bad and day equals good.

Simple as that. It's 5:30 a.m. now and

the sun is getting brighter and eating

the night away. I can't help but think

how symbolic that is. The night has gone

and the day has come to take its rightful

place as the king of the world. What a

righteous and magnificent king it is. The

night will surely shroud the day but

forever it will not.

No Brainer

Memory plays a large and important role in learning. The way I see it, there's nothing to analyze and think about if nobody's sitting on the seat of consciousness. Right? Anyhooo, this rant is largely about my inability or agonizingly slow endeavor to remember what I've read numerous times. I'm getting tired of making up silly stories just to remember terms and disease conditions. It was fun at first but I'm running out of stories to tell myself. Creativity isn't exactly my strong suit. For example, just to remember which is which (you see how easily I get confused?) with rubella and rubeola I remind myself that the latter comes first since it only has one L therefore it's your garden variety measles whilst the former has two L's and therefore is a more specified kind of measles...the German one, hehehe. See how silly I have to be just to remember something so simple? Man, I kill me sometimes. Another one is Hodgkin's disease. Guess how I remember the cancer cells in this disease. It's similar to a local actor's name!
Don't get me wrong, I see how effective making up stories and making connections to names and processes where there is none but why can't I just REMEMBER things automatically? Rote sounds good.

It's story time once again. What shall it be about now?

The Circus that is Philippine Politics

Some loud and very obnoxious noise woke me the other day. It was some politician's desperate attempt to get voters attention to be known and remembered come election day. They were of course using nasty and unpleasant jingles coupled with cheesy lines that even the most credulous won't believe. I'd very much like to tell them off. I'd scream and shout at these 'tards, tell them to shut up and let decent people get some more sleep, it's a Saturday for crying out loud! But I can't do that since it's election season and people expect this kind of thing. I 'd be the one looking like a 'tard if I complain. You can see why I just like election time.

The circus that is Philippine politics includes but is not limited to annoying the heck out of the "taong bayan" via the said jingles. It also includes visually and auditorially repulsing us with their dancing and singing. I'd love nothing more than NOT see and hear them but that's kind of hard to do when they've got money to advertise the talents they wish they had.

Celebrities have been part of the political scene ever since I could remember. They either support a politician or run for office themselves. I don't know what's worse, a cruel and calculating seasoned politician or a dense and untested famous personality...

I know that it's foolish to paint everyone with the same brush but with the way things are going here, I feel vindicated doing so.

Here comes one of those roving political ads, I can hear it a mile away. Please! Busted speakers and faulty electrical wiring, now! Please!

The Home Stretch

Like an annoying p.a. system, I can hear the words "last two minutes, last two minutes" blaring inside my head. The end game is close, yet I'm nowhere near prepared. Someone told me that you'd never feel prepared, ever. So I spread the word around when people say that they're not ready. Only I add "if you feel prepared THEN you'd fail". Hehehe. Now, let me make this short so I can heed the words of the prophet of doom that loudly resonates in my skull.

Second Chances

SACRIFICE...

MAKE IT COUNT...

THANK GOD FOR IT...

DO NOT LOOK BACK ...

NEVER LOSE SIGHT OF THE GOAL...

PUSH YOURSELF CONSTANTLY WITHOUT FAIL...

REMEMBER THAT NOT EVERYONE IS AS BLESSED...

THINK AND THANK THE PEOPLE WHO MADE IT POSSIBLE...

MAKE COURAGE AN ALLY...

FORGE STRENGTH...

Totally Irked

I am so MAD! Right now, doing a bathlet-wielding-Klingon on a rampage sounds sweet. Ahhhhhhggggg!!! If only cutting off limbs and heads were socially acceptable deeds to demonstrate one's dissatisfaction... if only.

I woke up before 3:00 A.M. today, almost ecstatic at the prospect of having a real income after a two and a half year hiatus. It must must have been the early morning endorphins doing its magic because the cold air, empty roads, soulless sidewalks and quiet surroundings brought about a jubilant spirit that I have long forgotten. I was happy. I was informed the day before that call time was going to be 4:00 A.M. on the 14th. So I arrived with four minutes to spare, brought out my handy dandy NCLEX book and started reading. A few minutes later I was ushered along with the new guys to a room and thought that training is about to begin. Great. A few introductions and mindless chit chats later HR girl 1 comes in with our contracts in tow. After skiming through the pages I was ready to sign when someone asked HR girl 1 what our job description was. I thought to myself "what a stupid question!". How can anyone come in this early without knowing what he/she applied for? To cut the very long and boring story short, I was lucky that somebody asked that question. I ended up leaving because what they were offering wasn't what I signed up for. Their HR people really sucks as this wasn't the only screw up they made but in true passive-aggressive fashion, I clammed up instead of speaking my mind.

I went home still feeling a bit euphoric but as the last drops of endorphins were exiting my system...the noise and heat rising...KABOOOM!

cold

UNRESPONSIVE

Yearning for Yesteryear

Is it normal to feel nostalgic about a time one wasn't old enough to even be part of? I am thinking about late 70's Manila...the old model cars, a wide and less crowded Highway 54, empty lots that now have colossal buildings on them. I was too young to remember anything from that time but when I see really old pictures of the old metro, I just can't help but feel that those were the better days and that what we have today are just leftovers...