A Tribute to all of you...

When you enter the operations floor in the WorldClass, WorldWild, Inc. (a call center), you will immediately notice the buzz of teams trying desperately to catch up and be the number one in the ranking.

Team Pirates' TL is telling an agent, when i talk to you, look at me (he thinks he's the uber-buff coach)! If you check Team Mirror, you will see their TL (the ifeminite one but a looker also) smiling and softly saying, we'll go out after the shift...Ayala here we come. While Team Happy's TL is happily bouncing about with the tune of hip-hop on his side. On the side is Team Eyebrows, their TL busily typing away on her keyboard, totally nonchalant of the members (this one is the negatively obssessed with sales--fraud!). Team Denim's TL is quietly smiling about in the middle of the floor, chatting with the other TL (calling him Daddy). The Team Shinee's TL is galloping his way out with the lovely golden chick. If you check the middle of the floor, you'll notice the 'island.' The ever present and workaholic Queen Bee (a head turner) is in the midst of her concentration, you'll even catch her muttering some incoherent lines (must be the downside of the job title).

Suddenly a raucous laughter is heard from the right end of the floor. A whiteboard with black and white pictures taped all around it, marks the sales for the day with a line on the right side, happy ka? A tall almost bald guy, Lex Luthor and a girl with golden highlights, on her hair is standing,Kate Moss laughing loudly. The Pharoah with his left hand on his nape, is snickering. Captain Planet is seen on kneeling on top of his chair, turning and turning and turning some more, commenting with his endless dilemma of making a ton-load of sales. Blondie Cruz is on the end of the row, reading the TOS (and thinking, where's the camera?). Princess Mi-At y Elorde (logged out again for no purpose) is in the middle of the group, sitting on the ergonomic chair, blushing because as always, she's become the focal point of green jokes. Stargazer Bandit is sitting on a chair with he left leg under her, laughing; Audrey Hepburn is standing on the other side of the row, laughing; Mrs. White is busily selling away and you can hear her say, Congratulations...; The Flash is laughing so hard with his tight black slacks and; Jamie reBond is sitting on her chair closing a sale, and trying hard not to laugh with the customer on the other end.

Then suddenly, silence from the group. Each of the members, including the Pharaoh smiles, then, laughter again.

***

The Infamous Lines/Styles

Princess Mi-At y Elorde punches the speaker button on her Avaya, PAC, i cannot log-in because my special project is not working, i already logged in sa Avaya. I'll just log in as soon as my special (spatial?) project is working. Then pushes, the mute button, Lain sad kaayo if di...Labayon ta' ka...

The Pharaoh shouts, where's The Flash? We have a post-shift meeting... Daddy, hina-harrass ka ba ng mga agents mo? Kanu-a man ta muadto Sumilon--cge, Dumaguete na lang, WOW philippines na 'to...

Lex Luthor stands up, goes over Jamie reBond's station, ubani ko SM, palit ko'g fish food...Kinsa muadto SM kay mupalit ko'g shampoo sa ako dog... Asa man ako Yakult (with his arms on his hips)?

Blondie Cruz, turns her head, Unsa unsa man? Adto tah Bohol, kitan tanan! uy Girrrrrrllllllll....

Kate Moss turns her chair and gives a one-liner, unya happy ka? Yeko ar...semi-gol tuo oks

Jamie reBond, ning-ning ka ma'am?

PAOlo Paraiso

sioPAO
For safety purposes, non-disclosure of true identities in this blog has been arranged.

The Pharaoh-the leader and 'PAGE'maker*
The Flash-the guy 'now you see, now you don't'
Princess MiAt y Elorde-the girl who uses the Sossy High for rexona
Kate Moss-the model in the group
Jamie reBond-the reserved BUT cool girl
Lex Luthor-the guy in between
Captain Planet-the rattlemaker*
Blondie Cruz-the poser
Mrs. White-negosyanteng mommy
Audrey Hepburn-the chick with a bike*

Stargazer Bandit-the author of the blog

*not in the picture

MELANCHOLY

Alone on the corner, i stand.
Searching for somebody who can save me.
Left. Right. Left. Right.

The breeze blows, sensing me.
The cold wind caresses my skin,
hairs violently erecting on my nape.
Whispering: Melancholy. Echoing.
Like a mantra. A prayer.
Melancholy. Melancholy. Melancholy.

Slowly, the abysmal feeling
claws on my chest.

I felt you before. So many times.
Sensing familiarty, I shriek.
I welcomed you. Embraced you
with amorous arms.
Red, crooked lines appear on my
left arm.
I taste it, metallic.
Melancholy. Come and stay with me.

COME, DEATH

Tapping my little fingers
with the doldrums of the moment.
But the temporal lunacy of reality
evades me.
I pause, and fancy
the thought of total destruction.
As the the line goes:
Dying
is an art, like everything else,
I do it exceptionally well.
The thought of death
seduces me.
The blade of the knife caressing my skin,
excites me.
The sporadic churn of poison in my stomach
captivates me.
I crave for silence.
The constant monotone of death
bribes my heart.
I crave for death.

DREAM

I close my eyes, waking up from
the reality I thought was real.
I laughed and rejoiced, thankful
that I'm back in this abandoned
existence.

I felt the grass on my hand
as the pebbles slipped through
my fingerslike sand.
I tried to reveal my sadness,
I shrieked--good.
I tried to check for the pain,
I giggled--good.

I embrace the nothingness
and detachment that solitude
has confined me into.
The incessant leaking of my ardor
has taught my being misery
--my being warped into the chasm
of delirium.
Surreal. Distorted. Odd.

Passion or Finance

I'm in the midst of a dilemma. Could be trivial but what i opt to take would change my life at that point.

It has always been man's destiny to search for eternal happiness--contentment is relative to the subject. With the current mental disposition, state of my pocket, and the allowable vaccum of my creative juices...I'm confused.

I recently applied for a position in a famous advertising company here in Cebu. I got accepted but not to the position i applied for but better. On tuesday, i will be officially a COPYWRITER. The one thing i dreamed about when i was still in my undergradute years in UP. The job that was so glamorous for me; so enticing and; so much fun.

But, i'm currently still employed by a call center company. I didnt tell the Ad agency because in the first place they didnt ask me if i was employed, they assumed i wasn't. It's not my habit to volunteer information. Going back, with my current job i am about to be transferred to another program, a technical support program which will inevitably increase my salary per month BUT let me clarify it to you, i don't like my current job. I do it because I have to. To support myself and try to be independent.

The answer is obvious for me but i cant help but to feel confused because its a Do or Die situation for me.

This has become a war between PASSION versus FINANCE.

I'm a woman of passion and substance.