Milestone #? - 8 years in the making (yes a repeat post)

I'd like to first start off by saying, Blogger Beta, you disappointed me yesterday. I needed you yesterday, and you just weren't there for me. You were down! You kept telling me to refresh after 30 seconds! I did, again and again. But you didn't care and I thought about my Xanga days and almost went back to it like a bad ex. I didn't. I was good and held strong and now you're here again.

Anyway, a whirlwind of things have been happening lately. Yesterday was unexpectedly my last day of classes. My last day as an undergraduate. Yes, I AM F I N A L L Y DONE WITH SCHOOL!!!
Unexpectedly because I was suppose to have another paper due next Tuesday. However, my professor is a little nutso with assignments and just said to me (after I was done with my final presentation) that I was finito! Complete, no more see you later, just goodbye and good luck.
And just like that my 8 years of on and off dating with classes/courses/school was done. And just like that I'm considered one of the other many Americans who have their Bachelor's degree and am suppose to be making 37% more than my high school graduates without a degree.
But it wasn't just like that. I do remember the half-ass studying, the half-ass paper writing, the staying at work to finish a paper, the presentations, the hating some professors, late night or all nighters, procastinating, the dollars and dollars and dollars spent on courses.

Boy, am I ever glad that it is over.

Now for a MBA? Maybe... If it took me 8 years to finish a 4 year college degree, maybe it'll only take me 4 to finish a 2 year masters program.

WoOT!

Speaking of fabulous places, created an oasis-

Sorry for the lack of update. Lots have been happening as well as nothing at all. I've lost my ability to update at work again but not because of access. I'm training and only have three weeks left at my place so I want to tie up loose ends before I'm done and say farewell.

I took the boxes out of my car today and started to pack away my books. Then I start thinking if I should really take them with me or not. Is it pretentious of me to want to start my own collection of books? (Includes one kid book and mangas). Heh. Who knows. All I know is that, my favorite book, "The Little Prince" is missing still.

As I rummaged through my books and wiped cobwebs off of them I found random things I used as bookmarks. Christmas cards, a birthday card from my Mom- what year I don't even remember, pictures, receipts, engagement invitations. Everything brought good memories. Everything brought bad.

My how a year goes by so fast, so slow, so sad, so mad
and everything was swallowed with smiles, with tears, with menace, with desire
and out came life.

"Thank you for calling _______, how may I piss you off today?"

I've done my share of customer service in a call center. I failed at it, not at the actual servicing the customer part, but for the building the rapport version of it. It was a rule, 3-5 minutes per call. Be nice, polite, build rapport, service the customer and leave an everlasting image of my company that we are the best! This of course, knocked heads with my own belief that people are calling in to get shit done and not to make a 3 minute friend/counselor (though some really want to). All my call times? Below 3 minutes. Shit, I was like 2 customer service representatives built in 1. You'd think they'd be happy. I remember when I was just a temp. and I did a withdrawal for this dude within 2 minutes. He was super happy with me. I wish there were more people out there to service ME better... all within less than 3 minutes. Now to think of it, the next time I have to call an 800 number and they ask, "how may I help you today?" I should say, you can start by timing yourself, and if you can't assist me within 3 minutes to pass me along to someone who can.

Better yet, if you cannot verify me within 3 minutes, pass me along to someone who can.

I called Verizon Wireless today.
He asked what he could do to help.
I said I need to talk about my bill.
Then, the guy asked me for my name, address, last 4 digits of ssn, secret password, work number.
After all this crap, he must have forgotten what the call was about because he then continued to ask if I had an email on the account, if I knew I could access my account online and if to dial * something something to update my phone every two months, and if I wanted to put my work number on file.
I said, "listen" (I get this tone of voice from Mr. Man T.) "I already know allllllll this stuff... I just need to talk about my bill alright??"
"oh okay okay okay"
me: ::fuming::

So I said, Look under my 8550 bill, page 20, I'm being charged, for an "in-Verizon" call. Why?
"oh okay let me see, what page?"
"page 20....."
"oh our pages are different, what date?"
"11/7, that's NOVEMBER 7th"
"Okay... where are you getting charged at?"


I had to be silent for awhile count to 3 and backwards and forwards again and threw a piece of paper at my cube mate. Hi Verizon Wireless, I'm a loyal customer, please train your associates to read your OWN bill. Thank you.

"The call from 8165, that's a Verizon number, why am I being charged?"
"Ohh noo the dashes mean you're not being charged, we're just keeping track of the minutes you used."
"What? No, you're not looking at the right bill. Look at 8550 not 8165"
"oh, okay okay okay"

Repeat x3.

Ultimately Daniel said, yeah, I shouldn't have been charged, he has to add up all those minutes (it will take him to 2pm) and call me back.

Of course I'm adding them up myself to make sure.
Of course I don't expect a phone call back and will be calling them at 3.

At least he didn't talk to me about the weather... that's the worse.

I'm like the cheerleader... but without the whole cheer thing.


Over the weekend I was fortunate enough to watch an all girls football scrimmage. Sweaty girls running around half tackling each other and falling all over the place?! Awesome!! I love them girls that are athletic. It's something I envy since I was always the bookish/cheerleader type. You know, the cheerleader without the cheer, because being peppy and enthusiastic took way too much damn energy and I was just to cool to be jumping up and down for retarded boys. But I look good in a damn short skirt. Not that I ever wore a cheerleader outfit... but I was some sort of cheerleader in elementary school and middle school and now that's too far for me to remember and talk about how that happened.

I blame it on my mom that I'm not as outdoorsy or athletic as I should be. She was nervous that I'd hurt myself. So all I did during elementary school that was sportsy was Chinese jump rope. Are you done laughing yet? During middle school I was too awkward to join any clubs. I got rejected from chorus.... let me know when you finish laughing again... and I was too utterly busy being amused by Mikki beating up girls that were bigger than her. Now I know most mothers are freakishly over protective of their daughters sometimes but you do know that my mom started a cult right? That's how influential she is. Also, me being hit by a football right smack on the nose in elementary school made me realize that holy crap my mom is right and I will never get near something so hard and stupidly fun in my life. In any case, every time someone tries to throw a football (or any type of ball), plush or not at me I just move out of the way and let it bounce right by me. So when I got asked to play as well, I had to stop myself from saying HELLLLLLLLLLL NO to the girls' faces. I just smiled and shook my head.

My view from the sideline was better anyway.
By the way, the sight of a bunch of 5 foot 100lb something Asian girls taking down a team bigger than them? Priceless.

Happy World Vegan Day!! ...Now join my parents' cult!

My parents in the wake of having more time to do things on their own and less time taking care and cooking for their kids have formed a cult. They've reached out to the city's community of friendless? people and meet with them every Thursday night. In the mean time, they've also reached out to the old and gullible Buddhist community at not one but two Buddhist pagodas (every Sunday and Tuesday). What is the purpose of their cult? Tai Chi. That's right. Tai Chi. Oh but no it's not just an exercise for your body and mind... no no not to my parents. Tai Chi apparently is the cure to EVERYTHING.

Of course being the child of cult leaders, I'd be one of the first people they would try to get to join. I think they are trying to get me to join their Tai Chi work outs so that younger people will see me and want to join too. I would be the hip icon that young ones would look up to and peers would want to be. Little did my parents know I am definitely not that icon. I'm the icon the young ones want to pick on (and hit for some apparent reason) and that my peers definitely do not want to be. So I politely declined.

Of course being cult leaders, they can't just ask. They have to give the reason on why I SHOULD join.

Eternal peace with my mind body and soul? Something like that... my mom always shares stories on how my dad had really really really bad allergies during the fall. Since he's done Tai Chi... no more! (Wow) My dad has always had a bigger belly (who doesn't at his age?), ever since he's done Tai Chi... no more! (Wow) (Okay, I really have to wow! at this one, because he really did lose his belly. That man is FIT... but how else would he be able to influence people to follow his cult??) This old lady "that they know" had arthritis problems, but ever since she's done Tai Chi... no more! (Wow) Wait, one more. This fat man that my mom knows told her that he use to be miserable when he went into work and when people tried to talk to him he was mean and sucked... well ever since he started doing Tai Chi... no more! (double wow)

Happiness for fat people?

Health for old people?

No allergies?!

No thanks. Tai Chi doesn't cure my laziness.

However, I am thinking of making a t-shirt for my parent's cult. Anyone have cool cult names that won't get my old Asian parents arrested??