I could discuss all three but I will just talk about hotels. Especially my experience in calling a Walt Disney hotel.

Each hotel has actually its own opening and closing spiel when you call them. Each has its own spiel, but it’s all the same… really. It only change in the name of the hotel. You know, “Thank you for calling…” for intro and “Thank you for calling…” when you say goodbye.

One day I called a Walt Disney hotel. First time. I was greeted by the generic greeting “thank you for calling…” I was expecting it. I booked a room for two with a kitchen and has an ocean view. After that, I said goodbye. I was expecting the generic closing spiel again. And the representative said…

“Have A Magical Evening…”

Then she hang up.

When I heard her say their closing spiel. I was enchanted. They really lived up to their name. I was really amused. In astonishment, I called up the number again just for me to hear her say their closing spiel again.

I dialled the number.

This time, a male representative picked up the phone.

Opps.

For a second, I thought of hanging up. But I did not. I continue talking to him and I inquired a room on purpose and then I said goodbye. And the moment that I’ve been waiting for came.

But he just hung up.

I just noticed.

When I was in grade 6, I was a baseball player. Me and my buddy stayed on the side of the diamond to watch a game, suppose to be. Unfortunately, we did not. We just stood near the diamond and talk. To make the long story short, my friend got hit by a baseball on the head. Don’t ask me how fast the ball was because I did not notice it either.

I saw him rolling over the ground while holding on to his head. I knew immediately that he got hit by a baseball on the head. Well, it’s just between a baseball and a baseball bat that would hit his head.

Obviously.

With his face showing how extremely painful he was feeling, I asked.. “are you okay?”

…

People rush through the scene, those who have witnessed, and asked as well if my friend was okay.

It’s just so horrifying to see where you came out, especially when you’re about to sleep.

- ARTHUR PICCIO a.k.a. ARTHUR PICCIO

Do not look for his name in the internet, you might find it. If you will find it, you will be thanking me why I created a blog for this person. Yes. You’ll thank me but not Arthur.

Promise.

I did not put his picture in this blog because both of us will be insulted. I did not also put his complete name “ARTHUR FRANCIS JONATHAN JOSEPH DIAZ PICCIO” because I am not sure if that is his complete name.

Anyway, Arthur was my classmate in some subjects back in college. Politics-related kinda subject. We’re officially not friends nor enemies, but we know each other. Ask him about me, he won’t respond. Maybe he will but all would be lies.

I have so many things to say about this person.

I got it.

I have nothing to share. I have nothing good to share.

I always believe in the saying that if you have nothing good to say, it’s better to say nothing at all. It may not be the exact words but it somehow means the same thing. Valentine’s day is about love and I do not want to be the antagonist in every feel-good story, but I have an opinion about lovers going on a date on the day of the hearts. I don’t know if it’s just me or what but going on a date on Valentine’s day is just cheesy. I can’t justify my opinion, really.. I just feel like it’s cheesy to go on a date on Valentine’s day. A day before or a day after Valentine’s day, for me, is the perfect time to go on a date in celebration of the Valentine’s Day.

That’s just for me.

I have no date this love month by the way.

You might think that I’m bitter. Well, even before when I use to have one, I never go on a date specially on that day. Promise. It is okay to celebrate your birthday on the exact date. It’s okay to celebrate christmas and new year on its actual date. It is okay to celebrate holloween, all soul’s and all saint’s day, araw ng lahi, ramadan, etc. on it’s  respective date BUT valentine’s day. You get what I’m saying?

Don’t get me wrong, I am not against those who want to go on a date on that day. The thing is, I just find it corny.

Well. I just laughed.

You know what the “alt-tab” keys in a computer keyboard? Those are the keys you use to transfer from one browser to another or to alternate between the two most recent tasks.

After being in a customer service account for over a year, I was transferred to a back office account. Thank you Lord Jesus! All I would do is to provision the customer’s account so that his/ her phone will work. No customer interaction whatsoever. It is just you and the computer.

During my first week in the production floor for my new line of business (LOB), I sat side by side to a tenure back office agent. She’s pretty. She was accommodating and she taught me everything about the tools, the techniques on how to close an account within a minute, to figure out what are the tickets that are easy to resolve, things like that. She’s really, really good. But one thing I noticed about her is that she is so freaking fast to use the “alt-tab” keys. Damn! She has like more than ten browsers opened in her computer and she memorized all those tools. I do not even remember if she looked at the description of the browser if what that page is all about. She just open the browser and she got the page she wanted open. Whew! watching her doing the “alt-tab” thing is just entertaining, especially her cute fingers like tentacles of a squid when it moves to press the keys. It’s just unbelievable. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I even thought for a second that she was not human.

Every time that I would watch a movie, I would always look for a line in the film that would help me better myself and the rest. There were so many inspiring lines that were said in the film but there was one line that struck me the most, it was in the last part of the film where Morgan Freeman, played as Carter, narrated the message in his letter to Jack Nicholson, played as Edward, saying . ..

“Find the joy in your heart . ..”

It was a simple line yet it left me bewitched all throughout that scene. I paused for awhile after 23 years of rushing in to get into the line, then I asked myself, “am I happy now?”, and my answer is NO.

I tried retrieving all the past memories I’ve had and remembering what made me so happy, and there were just a few. I also thought of things that could make me happy as well like money, watching movies, eating Big Mac burgers, etc., and I felt that it could make me happy .. . but not forever. The past 23 years of my life was challenging, trying to know where I fit, relationship that only brought pain, and life after college that I hope it wouldn’t be so dim. I realized that all those experiences were made for me to be a better person. Things in life just come and go, the more it comes and go, the more I lose a piece of myself and my life. As I continue my journey to what they called life, there were things that I get to leave behind and there are things that I get to have along the way . .. and along the way .. .

I saw you . ..

I asked myself countless times if I will just leave you behind like the rest, which made me happy somehow, or pick you up and bring you with me and place you in a special place in my heart. “Find the joy in your heart” is just a simple line, it is a statement, but to me it is a question . .. and if this is indeed a question, my answer will always be YOU… yes you, my joy, my favorite instant pancit canton.

Guys, always remember. Eat after watching a movie and NOT while watching.