there will be “blood”…

Listening to: “Requiem for a Soldier” by Amici Forever (Band of Brothers TV)

Reading: “His Dark Materials I: The Golden Compass” by Philip Pullman

It has been quite a stressful week. Guess what? They started monitoring our calls this Monday. It was “nerve-wracking” to a certain degree (what if i don’t pass?? what if all my calls were bad?? horror, doom, doom, doom). So far, British callers were indeed better than their American counterparts, especially when it comes to patience and politeness (none of that, “I want the number NOW!” *curse, curse, curse*). Plus their voices sound better (and the accent, of course). And no one has accused me of being from “India” (yet). I guess reading Shakespeare, Austen, Woolf, Tolkien, Gaiman & Co., and being exposed to British media has paid off. Not to mention the calls were short (and I don’t have to explain a lot, unlike my previous job; wherein I handle credit card accounts).

So, the good news is that met my OJT requirements today (two instances of 95% accuracy ; one 100% accuracy; 92.50 QA – just have to work on the ZPT – I was afraid I’d be stuck on 95%, luck was also a huge factor)! Yey! But that’s no reason to slack off, if anything, I need to keep my ratings consistent.

On a different subject..

I still have 2 new books to read. Bought them last pay day, “Hannibal Rising” by Thomas Harris- at last, I have completed the saga; that’s the only book I haven’t read; the reviews were mixed, but I have to check for myself- and “Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla” – I continue to follow Gunslinger Roland Deschain and his “Ka-tet”, as they search for the elusive Dark Tower.

And…I just found another really excellent “Harry Potter” video on YT. To the tune of “Everything Changes” by Staind.

“the girl who was…”

Listening to : “Promise” by Akira Yamaoka (SH 2 OST)

Currently Watching : “Turn A Gundam” (on the 30th episode as of yesterday. Besides the “unusual” opening and ending songs, I like it. More politics and very minimal romance – only very “minuscule” hints. More conversation and less “grandiose” fighting scenes.)

Just doing some random reading as well. I’m getting a bit fed-up with all the memorisation for tomorrow’s Training exam.

First one’s an article about the late Diana, Princess of Wales (I have a fascination for “dual” personalities).

“The Girl Who Was Supposed to be a Boy” (something I can relate to – they were actually going to give me that dreadful name, “Abraham”; I have enormous issues with self-esteem. I usually struggle between bouts of “over-confidence” and “self-doubt”; I think I’m entitled to a moment of “wangst” here ).

As Diana grew, she came to understand that her being born female meant she had little value to her family. As she said herself, “I was a disappointment. My parents were hoping for a boy. They were so sure I’d be a boy they hadn’t even thought of a (girl’s) name for me” (Campbell, 1998, p. 1). Although she was finally given the name of the one ancestor who almost married into the royal family, her position probably led to both her sense of inadequacy and her carefully cultivated aura of being special. “In Diana’s adult life, the circumstances of her birth – ‘the girl who was supposed to be a boy’ – assumed enormous significance in her mind as the first of a series of rejections that would splinter her self esteem. Diana recalled wondering during her childhood if she was a ‘nuisance to be around’” (Beddell Smith, 26).

Second would be this, “The Born Identity” (a closer look at the Adlerian Theory of Personality); Quite amusing/interesting.

The First Born Personality

Daydreamers, Punishment Doesn’t Work, Want to Impress

The first born lives in a world of conditional love. Always thinking that love can be lost at any moment the first born interacts cautiously with others.

In The Beginning

The first born starts life as an only child basking in more than enough love. Everything changes when mother brings this tiny stranger home from who-knows-where. When the stranger whimpers, mother tells the first born to wait while she takes care of the baby. The oldest child is stunned at being rejected. He never got set aside like this before.

“Is It Something I Did?”

As the oldest child watches mother have entirely too much fun with this stranger he (or she) concludes that he must have done something terribly wrong for mother to reject him. He begins to feel guilty about what he does, thinks and feels, a sense of guilt that carries on throughout life. But, he can never figure out what he did wrong.

Lifelong Implications

The first born lives in fear that he will inadvertently offend someone so that what little love there is will be lost. He is afraid to say what he thinks, wants or feels so “I don’t know” becomes a standard answer. What do you think? I don’t know. What do you want for supper? I don’t know. What would you like to do tonight? I don’t know.

First Born Body Language

Body language lets you identify the first born as he keeps nodding his head in agreement. The first born waits to know what you think before venturing an opinion, an opinion that will agree with what you said. The first born will expend great effort to please you if you mention what you want. However, real interaction with the first born is difficult.

First Born Strengths

First borns do have strengths. Having led younger siblings, they tend to be leaders that others will follow. Listening to others makes them into research thinkers that enable them to pursue research tirelessly. Combined with training their being tuned in to others makes them into good counselors, high school and college teachers, pastors, mentors and physicians.

Understanding Others Is a Challenge

Understanding others challenges first borns. Growing up, they did not have to understand younger siblings because they could overpower them. As adults, they still do not understand others. They tend to be continually surprised by others’ reactions. Birth order intrigues first borns with its insights into people.

Copyright article 2006 Cliff Isaacson. All Rights Reserved.

it’s another “bloody” week..

“My tale is the most bitter truth:
Time pays us but with earth and dust, and a dark, silent grave.
Remember, my child: Without innocence the cross is only iron,
Hope is only an illusion and Ocean Soul’s nothing but a name…”

from “Bless the Child” by Nightwish

Listening to: “Dead Boy’s Poem” by Nightwish

I promised I’d make a “Jack Sparrow” drawing if I pass my “L 101″. It was a “landmark” exam, which became the deciding factor, whether we are to continue on to the next “phase” of the training; or not. Thankfully, I made it (instead of studying seriously the night before the exam, I chose to watch a movie and go “music-tripping”, while reading snippets from my “notes”, bit surprised that I got the highest score). I have “mixed” opinions about this job though, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed. Let’s see what happens next. It’s like high school all over again at some point (I have to work a bit harder than usual, because I dislike memorisation)!

But enough of that. Spent most of the day sleeping. Just finished the latest “John Rambo” movie, just out of curiosity. Not too bad, but not winning any awards either. “Note-worthy” scenes can be found occasionally. There’s one where men, women and children where forced to run through rice paddies filled with land mines, those who survived were then systematically gunned-down. As opposed to glorifying the violence, it was done in such a way that it repels the viewer with it’s “barbarism”.

This time around, a brooding and disillusioned (aren’t they all?) John Rambo was to be found living in an unnamed fishing village in Thailand. He earns extra money catching cobras (and other poisonous things) for the Thai version of “sabong” (cock-fighting in the Philippines). Enter a group of missionaries who would like to hire his services; basically all he needs to do is take them upriver, to war-torn Myanmar. John refused (what do you expect?) at first, but finally caved-in after “a-standard-conversation-with-the-female-lead”. He does the job successfully, but later learns that the group has been apprehended by “the-evil-general”. Out with the “bolo-n-bandanna”, and you can probably figure out the rest. Yes, the movie was pretty generic, but compared to the previous “Rambo” films, this has a little extra depth. It compares favourably with the final “Rocky Balboa” movie. Both characters come full circle (John finally comes “home”).

On another matter, I’ve seen Episode 16 of “Gundam 00″, a couple of days ago. New Opening and Ending songs were introduced around episode 14, I believe. Both were not to my liking (the singer sounds like she has a head-cold). The story’s still as interesting as ever (the plot-soup thickens), but for some reason I’m starting to get a little annoyed. Three (!) more Gundams appear (just when Setsuna’s about to be done-in by Ali Al Sarges, in a very “deus ex machina” moment; but I’m suspending judgment for the time being ). They’re called Thrones (named after German numbers – Eins, Zwei, and Drei ), another “ambiguous” character was introduced, along with the members of the AEU “Over Flags”. I still don’t understand Louise and Saji’s “significance” to the plot (although I have a vague suspicion that they are supposed to “represent-the-ordinary-people” and how the current situation will affect their lives or something).

Basically, my little complaint here is that the creators are introducing new characters whilst not really expanding on those who have been there the longest (although it can be argued that the new ones were there to further the plot and consequently reveal more information about the main characters, who knows?) Mostly, I’d prefer if the a show has fewer “players”, but has “excellent” character development (Death Note, Cowboy Bebop or most of the older Gundam Series ). And the “blatant” romance must be kept to a minimum please! A fan gave this comment on the CR Forum: “I like Gundam SEED because it has comedy and romance”. Huh? So what about the themes of “war and peace”, humanity, “race” (coordinators vs. naturals) and things like that? Don’t get me wrong, even I like “comedy and romance”, but for that I watch “Hanazakari no Kimi Tachi E”…not Gundam. Oh well, just my little rant there.