Another additional member to the family

Just woke up from my usual post-work sleep cycle that goes with a call center job. I noticed a text message from my brother. It goes like this: "cody john ladia ambrosio was born @ 8:46am may 26, weighs 5.92 lbs at 18.5 inches"

My brain, fogged from waking up, takes a bit to register and then hits me. The Ambrosio clan and my brother's family get an additional member. The peripheral import goes to me that being a uncle would be another descriptor to my person.

The thought of being a uncle in the long run, means I have to provide some support to relatives within the immediate circle as network support goes for relatives.

For the meantime being the odd, in-between jobs uncle would have to do until something puts me in a more comfortable position. I welcome Cody John Ladia Ambrosio to the family and this reality we live in. ^_^

Creative Consultation

Last Sunday, I went to pick up my copy of Livewires #4, though my brother's Lions, Tigers and Bears #4 is out of copies. Asked shop owner and friend Vinnie to get a copy for my bro. After the matter of comic pickup settled. Me and Vinnie had a talk about creative matters. I started off using the topic of blog entries and updates as a starter item before graduating to the main concern.

As to the blog matter, it was explained as to the agenda that goes into the blog, that can either be like personal journal when you feel like saying something when you do so or have something to say or as a regular routine since one's readership is expected or a mixed proportion of both which depends on what one wants to showcase on their blog. This was a lead-in item to go into the matter of creativity.

It was a matter of tapping into the creative well so to say. Creativity, even though a non-physical attribute, needs to be exercised and practiced like any muscle or skill to maintain or improve performance. Creativity needs an agenda in it as well, which defines the stakes involved as well as the level to be set in order to be met or exceeded. This would determine whether the so-called magic projectile would come into play.

I mentioned to Vinnie a number of projects I have planned after getting away from the call center for good: researching material for a RPG campaign, a personal attempt at writing a story with familiar characters and possibly other unattended stuff. Vinnie did raise some valid points about permission requested as to character use issues. In that case, I can work around the gaps since some people that needs to be contacted regarding that are hard to contact or keep in touch with. I can create some new characters to fill the gaps anyway.

That session turned out insightful as to the matter of creative endeavors. I still have a ways to go in doing creative planning and moreso the execution of it. More next time.

OppoSiths

Watched Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of The Sith with my parents and niece last Thursday. Read and heard from other people and blogs that it was toss of being bad and good, depending on the person watching it. But as a general trend to say of the 1st 3 episodes compared to episodes 4 to 6, style and substance have definitely overshadowed content or the lack of thereof. It was of note that the 1st 3 episodes are geared for the younger audience, which of course entails a number of things to be simplified ad infinitum and other sensibilities to make it appealing to kids.

Of course, such things makes it a painful session in listening and watching wooden dialogue and acting which has become obvious with my niece who has little tolerance to these proceedings except when she watches it at home on DVD. Even the special effects scene can become a tedious exercise, my niece was getting dizzy from the the flashing lights from the light saber duels that litters the movie proper. I hope its not a bad sign that the movie would bring an incident of epileptics having seizures from those light saber duels.

Technical critique aside, I would agree with what my friend Vinnie that the little touches are fine but it falls behind because of poorly done execution. The little touches are definitely in line with the details the older viewer of the movies would know of that makes sense in build up. Example of such is when the Clone Soldiers would become the infamous Stormtroopers of the Empire as we know in Episodes 4 and upwards. Never thought that there would be helmet optics when we see the helmet being placed on Anakin's face as he was "repaired" by medical droids with cyber replacements. Even the ship of Senator Organa which would subsequently be adopted by Senator Organa's foster daughter and Anakin's actual daughter, Leia. The other nice touch was the explanation how it was possible for Jedi to reappear in holographic spectral forms, this was explained to be the training carried out by Jedi Master Qui-gon Jinn. Talk about never-ending training for Jedi.

So all in all, people either loved the movie or hated the movie. It just a matter of what one is looking at.

Low morale on a sinking ship and other things...

Just realized that I got my schedule changed without my knowledge. My previously selected schedule of 10am to 7pm is now moved over to 8pm to 5am. Same restdays still retained. The clincher on that is that the lunch hour is reduced to 30 minutes. That with the mandatory overtime into the equation got me ticked off that my time of escape from the humdrum of work is reduced and having to go the extra time.

Based on internal communications. seems to me that the account in question is being slated to be pulled out if the performance of the call center handling it, the one I'm in, doesn't shape up to handle the bulk of calls and other call center metrics yada-yada.

Given that situation, a lot of agents from other shifts get placed into the Graveyard Shift. Talk about a conscription act to handle a seemingly losing proposition, like Vietnam.

Some of the above stuff regarding the call center matter really adds a bit of info and inspiration for my C.S.R. (Combat Service Replacement) story once I have the free time to write but ideas are slowly getting put together given how energy and creativity draining being in a call center can be.

Checking the blogs of my other friends, I will definitely considering switching over to another comment service provider. That would help make my blog feel the same as previous time before the interruptions happened.

Just a moment to post on this here blog. More to follow, if possible.

Not So Nice Society We Live In

Decided to add an observation since I noticed this in chat rooms and moreso having negative emotional stuff absorbed from my call center job.

People nowadays can be nasty or intolerant in some cases. People are so loaded with expectation and pre-conceived idea of things. People can also be self-absorbed, self-centered individuals.

Damnit. Just because other people don't conform to their ideas, doesn't mean they get all touchy-trigger-happy with snide remarks, insults and invectives, now do they?

Jeez, such an angry society we live either here or in other parts of the world. The hate and anger can get infectious at times, moreso if one is exposed to it by sheer intensity of it whether in contact or from it radiation by being at the periphery of it.

Its no wonder why people hurt other people, people mistrusting/misunderstanding people and other things which makes humanity not so great by higher powers and other beings that we have yet discovered or encountered.

I mean such a short-fused person would be the ambassador to any alien and just plainly flat out says "F*** You!" then humanity would be extinct in a matter of seconds or in generations' time at most, given how humanity has tenacity to put up a fight as a matter of defiance and bravado for their existence and the sheer ignorance of it.

God this rant is making me run off for a bit. I better shut up now and move to more pleasant things to counteract this.

Blog repairs...

Got some time on my hands to look into the template coding to check out my previous comment provider. And to my disappointment, the comment provider went out of service due to lack of financial support to continue operations. Its always a material/economic unit dependency to maintain existence of something. One facet of this reality can be said in lieu with a individual human existence.

Immediate solution was using the comment facility of Blogger to handle the comment chores on this blog which it is native too.

I'll post more stuff soonest as well. 16 working days for me to go before leaving the call center to other job areas.

Notice served

I have already turned in my resignation to my supervisor at the call center job I'm in. I'll be out of the pressure cooker by June 3. That would be like 4 weeks to go or so. It was brought about from a long discussion between myself and my supervisor. Another contributing factor is my recent patch-up with friendship with a high-school friend of mine for creative endeavors. That and being in the company of friends have given me an epiphany enough to make me think it through along with what my supervisor talked to me about.

Those elements came together and having voiced my feelings on certains matters with my Dad, it got me going on taking matters into my hands as far as the career path is concerned. Working for a total amount of around 8 months or so in two call centers is more than enough of my fill living under tightly controlled conditions. I mean handling phone calls, documenting said phone call, taking a leak, the usual breaks and lunch are all under the timer. Heck, living under such conditions makes one think you would have your sex session done under such time pressure as well. I am also beginning to translate the idea that if the Philippines is to be the call center capital of the world, then it would be like how humans are to be used as batteries in The Matrix.

Once I get into my "In-Between Jobs" status, I would have time on my hands to do some writing and contributing for sure while seeking out another job with a more suitable pace and atmosphere.

One of the things I would do in that time is to do some maintenance check on this here blog since I noticed the lack of comments of late. I suspect my comment-script provider is on the major fritz or something. Also some experimentation in blog templates would also be in order as well.

Anyways, that's the latest from me. Next time, soonest, whenever.

Another FCBD for the Year...

Last Saturday was a virtual holiday for my friend Vinnie since it was Free Comic Book Day that time. It wasn't totally as he described given the cost it went to having it sent here to the Philippines and the attending fees and duties payed to Customs plus all that jazz. Recently discovered this virtual holiday around last year during one of my usual Saturday visit to his shop.

The ritual on this day normally happens happens after Vinnie closes the shop and the gang troops over for dinner at a dining place of group consensus, either preplanned or otehrwise. The distribution of the finite stocks of freebie comic samples are handed out before or after the feasting. The samples distributed to the people who were at the dinner would be based on their preferences and other considerations like limited stocks and priority in the preference.

After receiving such the bag of freebies, the group would part ways since other have to get going while the others would have the usual round of karaoke to cap the night. I have to forego the karaoke part since I have a company outing to go to the following morning.

The usual suspect I got from this virtual holiday is Johnny Raygun, which is a fun independent read which is tongue-in-cheek as far as sci-fi superhero comic books go. The Bongo Comics giveaway and Star Wars comic book freebie definitely goes to my brother. The ones I consider kid-friendly and little girl friendly I give those to my niece.

I'll go back to collecting my thoughts some more while everybody here in Philippines is suffering from the vitality-sapping heat. Makes one empathize with the vampires on account of sunlight for sure. Next time.