no vampires

We get up as the sun sets… And slumber at the break of dawn… and no, we're no vampires. We're call center agents.

Being half way around the globe from our customers, we would need to be available at the time they would need us the most. So, while our half of the world is sleeping, we're up and about tending to the people on the other half. Having forty winks they would not know what the night brings for us.

We would wake up to beautiful sunsets as the sky goes dark. Our alarm clocks would not be birds tweeting but bats squeaking or those reptiles that go "tuuu-kooo". Instead of hearing "taaa—hooo", we would hear, "balooot!"

It's a little pointless to watch the news, like the weather update since the weatherman would be showing what has already transpired. There's no announcement as to what would happen for the rest of the night, instead they would show what is likely to happen the next day, when we would already be in the safety of our homes sleeping.

Coffee would no longer be solely part of the "breakfast" menu, since this would be the one flowing through our veins on the latter parts of the evening, it would be our substitute to water as to make sure we're on our toes. Smokers would also have a pack of cigarettes secured in their bags or pockets before leaving the house, to be able to light a stick every chance they'd be able to get. Thus, the spread of the Nicotine-Caffeine Syndrome. Caution, don't try to surprise this type of people, you might end up doing CPR's than eating cake.

No matter how hot it was during the day, they'll each be bringing along a jacket with them. Having computers on the floor, which require a low temperature, we'd need to find our feet to its working condition. Every night is like a fashion show of the coat line of Ukay-Ukay. You'd see a wide range of collection, from the regular jackets, to trench coats, from shawls to ponchos and even from capes to blankets.

Previously mistaken for high-class hookers, we would strut the sidewalks of business centers during the dark hours of the day, late at night and on the wee hours of the morning. Who would've thought we have decent jobs? Well, wardrobe does contribute a lot, but even how decent you might dress up, the time you're on the streets would make grandmother's eyebrow rise.

Our lunch would be a heavy midnight snack for other nocturnes. But we are limited to the food our canteens would offer or the 24-hour convenience stores around. Lucky for those who are capable of preparing lunch, they're sure they're not eating the leftovers of the day.

After 9 hours of fighting the strong urge to curl up and sleep, it would be time to go home. In the morning, heavy traffic might be on hand, but we're going the other way and won't be late for anything. However, our friends and families would be the ones alive and kicking that we can't help but bond with them. After being tired of speaking, hearing and reading foreign language, it would be like a warm embrace to be able to speak your native tongue at last. A small price to pay though, we'd have the tendency to stay up late. Huh?! Stay up late? At daytime? How confusing!

With the sun blaring, we have our own tactics on how to fall asleep. Sometimes, being tired would not be enough; our body clocks have a faulty "snooze" button. Wearing dark glasses is the first aid, but usually these glasses would work too well, and when you wake up, you'd have a can of coins beside you.

So, most of us resort to alcohol drinking. Don't mistake us for those you see in the street corners. We'd still have our shirts on. It's much easier to fall asleep if you're already drowsy. You would no longer mind the radiant sunshine. In the case you'd want to drink in the middle of the day or early in the morning, look for the call center agents going out from their shift, they'd be glad to share the toast.

Working during the nighttime required us to adjust to almost a whole new world. We don't have sleepless nights, we have sleepless days, because we don't sleep at night, we sleep during the day, but again, no, we're no vampires.

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