Working on a Sunday...

It’s a Sunday, and I’m at work. This is a price to pay for working in a call center. Not really a typical call center job where you work the third shift or for some the graveyard shift, my shift starts at 6:30 am and ends at 3:30. That is without the DST (Daylight Saving Time) in effect in Australia. Yeah, we support the Australia, New Zealand and the East Asia Region.

It could have been better if the weather is cooperative, but not this time. A typhoon is currently hovering in the metropolis. Its name is Frank, a friendly name for a vicious storm… As I write, a passenger ship carrying at least 700 people capsized off the waters of Romblon. The upshot, 4 dead and 700 more missing. According to the news, this typhoon already killed at least 17 people in the Southern Philippines, at least 59 people in Iloilo and the death toll could rise further after flash flooding. Bless their souls…

This morning, I wake up at 5:00 am and board a taxi to work. I was drenched with rainwater from my short walk from my house to the highway which is just a couple of blocks away, I was even armed with an umbrella and a jacket. On my way to work, I saw flooded streets and tree branches scattered on the highway. I knew that it will not be long and most of Metro Manila will be submerged in floodwater and that there will be power outages, just judging from the intensity of this typhoon. And I was right…

The good thing is, it’s Sunday… a not so busy day. I’m suddenly reminded that as a Catholic or a Christian, I should be resting on this day and attending mass… Sadly, I need to go to work as this job has no respect for religion or culture. Not that I’m complaining, but who would rather work on a Sunday, with a killer storm on the loose than to just rest and pray at home? I for one, would gladly stay at home and pray… But obviously, some of us don’t have much choice… With the growing numbers of unemployed in this country, most of us would just be glad not to be part of the statistics. Even if it means turning your back on your tradition… Some will even break the law just to earn a living… that at least never crossed my mind.

I can only hope that with God’s omnipotence, He will understand our condition and extend his forgiveness to us who work on Sundays…