Work Tell-Tale

At last the build was done! Thank God the coding and stuff paid off just this 7:55PM. The reservation handler and the HTTP connection that I was coding were generating configuration files correctly through the XDoclets. You see I have been battling with the AIG Insurance booking for 5 days, sweating with the XSD schema for 3 days - JAXB at first seemed to me really unfriendly, and to top it all, been having issues with the HTTP connection. Today August 29, 2008 is really special, because at long last, the build and the configuration were okay now.

What pisses me off a little was my boss was always like checking on me every now and then trying to push me around. I don't know what was he trying to do but he is already bugging me. Well what I did was I emailed him of what are the things I have done so far including 2 days ago. Below is the content of my email and I quote:

"Me I know if there is any other information like DB configuration needed for POS connection? The email you have forwarded from Alan Giles was right in mentioning that it lacked some information. I have checked the projects mentioned and just based my codes there. I have actually made the Connection Project for AIG and it is project 00006724 and it was already tagged in PROJECT_TDP_1_3_1_LAND_BRANCH. I would like to finish this up so I can finish also the unit test smoothly. Also I have made the base class for my unit tests which will be useful for handlers in reservation and shopping as well. It has with it the marshalling and un-marshaling code used in a JAXB instance as well as logging xml object which uses JAXB. I have also created my initial unit tests but haven’t wired it in my code because it will be a double work if I will proceed without the connection. Though I can opt to do functional unit testing but our project does not do that.

Things to do will be the following
1.) Commit codes that I have in 6713 and 6714.
2.) Continue the work on the connection
3.) Continue to read the use case doc.
4.) Add unit test items

I emailed you just to give you an update of what I have done so far and the things I have planned to do."

I don't know but it feels like I was in a prison cell during the Spanish era and he was acting like the Guadia Civil - walking to and fro. Oh I missed Exist Global, hehehehe.... Well he should be thankful for the simple reason that I have finished the tasks well ahead of schedule already.

I do hope I have explained myself to him well and hope he understood me well.

Anyway I have committed the 00006713(xsd schema) project updates to our CVS, but not the 00006714(handlers) as it goes with the HTTP Connection Project and some web like configurations. I think everything will be ready by Monday(crossing my fingers). I need to go somewhere and chill, though the office is really like cold but it’s suffocating.

Child

I am a child of my mother's pure love

Like a flower that blooms in mid-day spring

So dear, a perfect present from above,

Face full of peace - a smile it truly brings.

Hope to see a nice and beautiful world

Full of promises and enchanting bliss,

I will seek goodness, with love I will hold

Honor my mother, I will never miss.

I am excited of tomorrow's trip

When my arms and feet are strong and great,

My journey will be long with that ship

I will carry bags of freedom - no hate.

My youth will be filled with joys, less sorrows

But I'm stronger and so I won't falter.

I will obey what my heart bellows

My mother has taught me that I am sure.

Yes, I am a child and will remain be

Growing old with grace one step at a time,

Though I can't wait to see the world with glee

I shall sleep very well and dream my rhyme.

A cupful of friends.

How to know if people around you are real? If people can be weighed or measured then, it must be easier than counting from 1-10. But, it's not the case.

We definitely can't avoid to meeting people in our lives. They come in different backgrounds - some are cute, loud, funny, scary, ugly, smart etc.... But come to think of it, why the hell it's important to know who are real or not? I think it becomes important when you have fully given your trust to them and has shared a part of yourself - thoughts, tragedies and happiness to these people. It matters most when you see yourself in them.

Getting to know the fake from who are real is not an easy task. It's even complicated, to actually keep track of them. And why would you do that?

Honestly, just let them live their own ways and in so doing live yours. One can always be open minded and accepting but not tolerating.

I for one once felt being betrayed by a friend. The best thing to do is move on. Just think of the fun things you had with that person or persons and just live your life without them but never closing doors. I thought to myself that I am not perfect and so I shouldn't be cynical and be mean. I just told myself that I can't be a friend to everyone but can always be civil with them. I thought to myself that I can be happy with some few friends and not everyone.

Grrrr mag code review na sad mi with my project lead. Ciao!

Just for you.

The night is getting colder and colder;

Winds whispering in my ears so softly

Humming in my head, speaking to my soul.

When will be the night she would have to come?

My waiting in vain is my true purpose

Why can't the universe agree with it?

I have sent my words to the sky for you

I would like to tell you that I love you.

I have painted the sky into brick red,

Sunflowers into pink, yellow birds orange.

I will see to it that when you come here,

You will never be taken away soon.

Mother moon is glowing with might so full.

It meets the morning glory of the sun.

I will pick all of the gems in the sea.

Gather all of these riches just for you.

The night is getting colder and colder

Still hoping, longing, waiting just for you.

Thanks for calling blah blah blah...

Most of my friends are working in a call center and in fact, my first job was with a call center too. Please forgive me if I may sound blunt or offensive. Peace....

To tell you the truth, it was no fun solving other peoples issues and understanding people of different backgrounds. A more difficult one, is when the person on the other line is not willing to cooperate. Honest to goodness, most of the time it was dreadful.

I was able to survive the grueling work for about a year and seven months. The ill effects of it were tremendous. I had irregular sleeps, most of the time I was irritable, dandruff started to mushroom in my scalp and gaining more territory than the MILF each day, my pimples were getting severe and I was always tired. Most of my breaks were spent on talking what happened just moments ago on the phone or how I got away from the irate customers. I've seen some that they were gaining weight not to mention that their skin seemed dried up.

Since money was there and it pays higher if you do great in your metrics or if you know someone in the higher echelons - office politics is rampant and promotion can sometimes be a little dubious; people tend to go to spas or flock in coffee shops. Meals from fast food chains were a box office too. Those who have developed the nocturnal rituals can be seen usually at late night bars or disco houses.

But why in the name of Mother Teresa is everyone wanting to continue their lives in call centers? Well reasons are reasons and they were there to justify and convince every single cell in our bodies. Some were dignified reasons and others were merely copied reasons, and just to have their own reason, one will pick any known reasoning to be his or her own. But some reasons were really truths in their own essence. Being martyr is a virtue but being a slave is another thing.

Anyway, after long months of reflection and and self evaluation, I ended up deciding for myself what I wanted to do. I decided which will make me better as a person and gladly took challenges which others did not. In short I resigned with a huge smile. Some of my friends actually are now taking courses to better their skills. Others created a career in call centers and did their best, and others decided that it's time to really start new tracks. I guess it's better to follow your dreams than to wear a hat that was never yours.

I think in general whether be in call centers or any company for that matter, if you feel you are still enjoying what you do and that you are not stagnating yourselves, then don't quit. But, if the whole charade is getting into your nerves already, it affects your way of thinking or behaving and you are becoming less as a person, then quit. Your work will not give you a bonus for being the most martyr or the most loyal in the company. Going to a dentist to pull out that bad tooth is more practical than that of medicating with pain killers.