Leaving the nightshift

Finally.

It was bittersweet really. Last night was my last night as a "call girl." No I didn't resign, and no I won't leave the industry. It's just that I chose to be transferred to the correspondence department where people don't take calls and report for work like the rest of the world does - during office hours.

I'll miss my former teammates. I'm hoping we'll still go out on weekends. What I won't miss is the hypertension brought about by controlling my temper too much. I am well known for my patience during calls. Little do they know I have this volcano of a temper waiting to errupt.

Earlier I spent my last nightshift yosi break with a good friend. Without us saying it I know that we're both sad. He'll transfer to the same department, btw, but I'm leaving ahead of him.

I don't even want to start saying goodbye. I can't change my mind now.

That's why on Saturday, Imma round up the old crazyheads and party like there's no tomorrow.

To my former teammates: guys, I love you. I've said this a lot of times but I'll say it again. I stayed because I have you. Because our laughtrips are enough to make me forget that I hate taking calls. Because our friendship is suffice to make me love my work. Rest assured, I'll forever remember you as my family.

And let me say this one last time... "Thank you for calling and I hope you have a great day."

This is (a Different) Halloween!

Known to all, Halloween is my favorite time of the year. Even as a kid I make it a point to celebrate Halloween. Every year a mother would fight with my mom just because her little kid had fever out of getting real scared. My older cousins and I, and later on with my younger siblings, would pull pranks at little kids just to give them a little scare. Well "little" is an understatement. Floating candles, white lady, chains being pulled, fiery eyes - name it, we performed it. And each year the entire neighborhood prepared for the Naughty Bunch' tricks.

Now that we've all grown up, I still try to celebrate Halloween my way. I see to it that there's dressing up, even if it's only me and my little Vampirate. Last year was totally awesome because I spent it first time with The Happy Geeks. Now Halloween for me is a week-long celebration, so last year's included the Sci-Fi and Fantasy Con plus the Hard Rock Cafe Halloween Party. Rocks!

Halloween this year was a little different tho. It started off with the Pirating gig at Il Pirata, to celebrate The Little Jedi's 7th birthday. Lemon and I had tons of fun, thanks to Captain Calypso.

No other Happy Geek even after that, for I was swallowed whole by work and then some.

I work as a CSR-slash-team artist. Whenever there's an event, it's The Vampirate who's always on the front line. Thanks to off-the-phone time, my teammates and I were able to decorate a pod and turn it into a creepy tree, following the theme of the Korean horror flick, Acacia. Paper mache and painting galore! 24 hour before judging time, we were about done, but my team leader needed help with the management's pod. He was basically abandoned and had to work on his own.

Now I love my TL very much and I'll lay my a$$ for that guy, because he'd saved mine a thousand times. I spent Halloween at the office decorating the TLs' Enterprise. I didn't sleep. The other agents came and went, each one asking, "bakit nandito ka pa?" or "ang aga mo naman!" To which I just answered, "tinatapos ko pa pod eh," not willing to expound. My TL treated me to brunch because "gagamitin nya pa ako." Pancake house eat-all-you can! Now that's a treat worth staying up for.

At 7PM, the night shift agents started pouring in. I hit the shower and quickly got into my "costume" which was plain black overalls. I wasn't able to go home, remember?

Now there's this story involving a playful kid smelling like baby powder in the restrooms of our building. Buti na lang when I remembered the story I was done taking a bath. It'll be a new urban legend altogether if the thought crossed my mind while I was in the shower. Naked woman running and screaming. EWWW...

I brought the extra clothes just in case we didn't finish decorating the pod and I had to stay over. Five minutes to log in, I was still building stairs. TL put me in floor-walker mode to get  everything done. An hour before deadline, I was still cutting styro and putting them together. Take note: I haven't slept a wink. I was literally on autopilot. My TL made it a point that the nourishment kept coming. I had my last grande Caramel Macchiato before everthing was completed.

At 10:30, my TL gave me a go signal to go off-the-phone. I took a nap. I could barely feel my right side when I got up. A smoke and nth mug of coffee later, I was back in action.

Painted my face nicely to look like a corpse. Well considering my lack of sleep, it wasn't so hard at all. My teammates and I dressed up to compliment our pod design. People were impressed at the painstakingly crated tree with paper mache'd roots and branches. I believe we have a fighting chance to win.

Spent the rest of the night socializing and laughing my a$$ off with fellow ghouls and creatures of the night. Hugs and kisses followed me everywhere. While three kilometers away I know The Happy Geeks were having a blasted time at Hard Rock Cafe. I could just imagine how fun it must've been, I assume more fun that last year's event. I secretly wish I could get kidnapped and brought to the party. I laughed when Karen Kuna mentioned she thought of the same thing that night. Goth chicks of the same feather talaga!

Morning came. It was time to pack up and head home to my little munster. I fell asleep in the bus on my way home. I was rather exhausted to even think of partying later today. Well I didn't. I'm gonna spend this night in front of the PC, with my family and with a good book later on. Unless something else comes up *wink wink*

Happy Halloween, ghouls and gals!!!

Team Forbidden City @Dencio's

Not-so-old photos of us drinking in broad daylight. Sorry for the poor quality, I was using a phone cam (and a not so great one at that).