A Goodbye to Bumhood (Prelude)

Bruno Mars' The Lazy Song has been my 

anthem for a few months now.

But soon, I'll be singing a different tune.

The four-day "long weekend" is about to end for most people. It’s a shame that the metro is still feeling the aftermath of typhoon Mina and most people we’re not able to go out and really enjoy their vacation. I bet people’s plans got screwed up and some out-of-town trips got cancelled because of this. Pity. Well, it’s not like I have such plans. I usually spend my rainy days cuddling under my covers and being online all day. I find it rather amazing that I can spend all day long being online and not get bored. Aside from being logged on to Facebook, there is an abundance of websites I usually frequent: forums, emails, online newspapers, photo websites and of course Youtube to name a few. This is why I find it odd when people say that they easily get bored with the internet. There are literally millions of websites that you can visit and equally a millions of things you can learn from them. For instance, just a few minutes ago I learned that GPOY stands for Gratuitous Photos of Yourself. It’s the term people use to describe the photos they take of themselves while camwhoring. So in that sense, camwhores can also be called Gratuitous Self Phototakers. Amazing isn’t it? I love how I learn new things everyday when I'm online. The net is such a wonderful place. I wonder how I’ll be able to survive a week without it...Shudders.

Anyway, I guess being an everyday online bum is a luxury I won’t be able to afford anytime soon. My seven-month "long weekend" is about to come to an end.

The company I applied at last July 25^th finally called me up last week to finalize my job offer. I was beginning to lose faith and give up since it’s been almost a month and I haven’t heard back from them yet. I set up a mental note that if after the long weekend and I don’t receive a call from them, I’ll go to the other interviews I have lined up. I was surprised that I received a call from their HR last Thursday and told me to go to their office the following day to sort out the contract details. I’ve been a bit worried about the job offer since my brother’s girlfriend who used to work for them (back office) told me that they don’t really pay well. So all throughout the waiting ordeal, I was keeping my expectations low as I didn’t want to be disappointed. But first, I figured I really have to see the contract before deciding on anything.

It turns out the offer isn’t half bad. Well it’s not stellar either but because it is for a non-voice account (chat and email support), I guess you could say that the offer is pretty decent. And it's just enough for me. There’s the usual salary package (which is higher than what I used to earn from my previous call center job) plus the allowance (which is a bit lower than most), and the 15% night differential, HMO coverage, insurance, the works. The company doesn’t offer yearly appraisal though, but that’s alright. I don’t see myself in the company in the long run anyway since I really plan on pursuing social work after I get my degree. I have to set my mind that this job is just for me to pay the bills and my soon-to-be expenses, nothing more. It's not that I'm not going to love it but it's just a way for me to properly set where my priorities are. And the pay is biweekly so that’s a good thing, seeing as I really suck in managing my finances. By the way, I’ll be part of the pioneer wave for software support; as to what we actually do support, that I don’t know yet.  But I’m excited anyway.

The job will start on September 19 and the new hire orientation is on September 16. That still gives me plenty of time to bum around. This week though, I’ll be busy preparing for the other requirements that I have yet to secure. There are still a lot of things I need to take care of: (1) I need to follow up on my SSS ID as it’s been seven months and still no word about it; (2) I need to have the date of birth on my HDMF card changed as it says January instead of June; (3)I need to renew my NBI clearance as it expires next month; (4) I have to obtain a Certification of Good Moral Character from my previous school for my enrolment next semester; (5) I have to inquire about how much school is going to cost me and (6) I have to complete my pre-employment medical exam. I’ll be asking Gem to tag along with me once I go to Makati to finish some of these. I like to help her take care of her other requirements, because she's on the job hunting prowl as well. 

Aside from all of these, I also plan to watch all the movies I downloaded and back-up all my files before work starts. It’s such a major bummer that our main desktop isn’t working for me to do this soon. We have yet to buy a new RAM module because the computer isn’t completing POST; diagnosis thanks to my years of experience as tech support for computer hardware. And speaking of faulty hardware, I also need to do a clean up on my netbook since it’s already starting to act up. I know I won’t be able to have much time to do these once I’m working the night shift again. Ack, come to think of it I have a lot of things on my plate. I just hope to finish them all before September 16.

Speaking of school, I have decided on where to attend this coming second semester. There’s not much universities here in Manila that offer the course that I want to take (BS in Social Work). Most of the reasonable-priced ones are either in Central Visayas or in Northern Luzon and that’s not an option for me. I narrowed it down to two choices but since the first choice offers the course in three semesters a year, I’ve decided on the other one. The down payment on school number 2 is a bit cheaper compared to school number 1 and it won’t be as expensive as it’s not trimestral. I’m only hoping that the treatment for the curriculum isn’t theology-based as the school where I plan to enroll is a Christian school. Either way, I’m so excited to be a school boy again!

Aside from my urgent to-do list, Em and Pong will finally (finally!) come visit us this weekend. The last time I saw them was about two years ago when they visited us here from Cebu for a few days. I’ve known Em since freshman college and her boyfriend Pong is such fun guy to hang-around with so I’m naturally looking forward to their homecoming. When it comes to hang-outs, we usually don’t go out partying like the rest. Instead, we just have a cozy sleepover, eat, talk, laugh and do all sort of high school things. Seriously, we don't act like adults when we're together. I have this thinking that we act like high school teens which is why people often mistake our ages. We also plan on having a videoke party like the good ‘ol days (as Em requested) and maybe frolic around the pool in Gem’s condo. After two years, the Brotherhood will be reunited again. I can’t wait!

Seeing as I’ll no longer be living like stagnant hermit these coming days, I’m excited for my life to again pick up pace like it used to. Bum life is  fun. You sleep whenever you want to and wake up without the worry of being late and being stuck in traffic. The only thing to worry about is what to eat for your next meal. You can watch all the TV you want to and be online 24/7. Life is worry free. In the span of seven months of being a bum, I learned a lot. I realized and experienced a lot of things. But I guess no one can live like this forever. It was fun while it lasted but as with all good things, it has to end too at some point. Life has to move forward and no one can stay in the same relaxed, stationary state forever.

My life will move forward this coming September 19.