I can't believe I've been working in the office for a whole month now! I have been so busy, time passed by so quickly.
I can almost honestly say that I am part of two departments in direct competition with each other. I'm getting ahead of my story once again.
Our VP is in the US so her appointed OIC gathered us in a meeting. The OIC just wants to be updated on the status of our projects. She gathered the 2 departments in a room. Finally, the "competition/cold war" was addressed with all people involved in single room. The meeting was "revealing" to say the least.
One of the highlights
I borrowed my officemate's laptop to take home. He lent it to me without question. When I was about to take it out, it was inspected by the security guards. I thought it was standard procedure.
At the other side of the door was the manager of the Security Group. He is known in the office as GENERAL. He was a very big man with a booming voice. I was not really intimidated by him coz I thought it was standard procedure. He said that he was not informed of anybody taking home any laptops. He didn't allow me to take it home.
I told the owner of the laptop the following day. He laughed at my face before I told him the story. He said he was informed by another officemate about the incident because my story was verified by the security group.
I faced the general then. He told me that a laptop was reported missing that day. Oh well! All's well that ends well!
This entry really sucks! I just want to document these stories coz they bring fond memories.
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Saturday, February 10, 2007
My First Week Summarized
It was an eventful week to say the least! I attended two Web design meetings, laid-out 3 tarpaulins and edited the company newsletter. But this is getting ahead of my story.
On my second day, I was tasked to create a tarpaulin which has a deadline at the end of office hours. It was my first time to even think of being assigned to create a graphic work at that scale. I called up my artist friend and asked him about it. God was just so generous at that time.
Rendering overtime work is not really an issue with me but I just couldn't that day because I had to attend a class. For this reason, I asked when my deadline was. The person who is supervising my work at the moment made a remark that I was waiting to beat the deadline. I calmly told him my situation. He was kind enought to allow me to leave the office in time to attend my class.
I really can't complain about the team I am assigned to at the moment. They are good at what they do and they are dedicated to their job. We had late lunch because we were all engrossed with the task at hand. This happened both Tuesday and Wednesday.
Thursday was more relaxed. As a result, I was able to give time to processing my some of my internal papers and attend the noon mass. This was really one of my dilemmas in leaving DLSU. Then, I thought that I could be in a better paying job with better perks but I might lose the spiritual nourishment I get from daily masses. That's why I was so overjoyed when I knew of the daily masses held everyday.
I enjoyed another blessing this day. I was asked by my CEO to go over the upcoming office publication. Was I surprised by the amount of work that needs to be done on the paper! To think that the publication date was so near. I asked the writers who were responsible for it. he told me that the people on our team are the writers in the paper. I jokingly told them that I was seriously thinking if I want to keep them as friends. It was a good thing they were good sports about it. They even gave me free reign in checking all aspects of it.
Now, my team leader trusts me with editing the articles he writes. It flatters me, boosts my confidence, to say the least. Now I know clearly God's purpose in assigning me to this office. May I not tire to be His functional instrument.
On my second day, I was tasked to create a tarpaulin which has a deadline at the end of office hours. It was my first time to even think of being assigned to create a graphic work at that scale. I called up my artist friend and asked him about it. God was just so generous at that time.
Rendering overtime work is not really an issue with me but I just couldn't that day because I had to attend a class. For this reason, I asked when my deadline was. The person who is supervising my work at the moment made a remark that I was waiting to beat the deadline. I calmly told him my situation. He was kind enought to allow me to leave the office in time to attend my class.
I really can't complain about the team I am assigned to at the moment. They are good at what they do and they are dedicated to their job. We had late lunch because we were all engrossed with the task at hand. This happened both Tuesday and Wednesday.
Thursday was more relaxed. As a result, I was able to give time to processing my some of my internal papers and attend the noon mass. This was really one of my dilemmas in leaving DLSU. Then, I thought that I could be in a better paying job with better perks but I might lose the spiritual nourishment I get from daily masses. That's why I was so overjoyed when I knew of the daily masses held everyday.
I enjoyed another blessing this day. I was asked by my CEO to go over the upcoming office publication. Was I surprised by the amount of work that needs to be done on the paper! To think that the publication date was so near. I asked the writers who were responsible for it. he told me that the people on our team are the writers in the paper. I jokingly told them that I was seriously thinking if I want to keep them as friends. It was a good thing they were good sports about it. They even gave me free reign in checking all aspects of it.
Now, my team leader trusts me with editing the articles he writes. It flatters me, boosts my confidence, to say the least. Now I know clearly God's purpose in assigning me to this office. May I not tire to be His functional instrument.
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
My First Day in My New Office
My first day at work was both boring and eventful. I'm getting ahead of myself. Here is how it went...
My boss assigned an officemate to be my buddy. He is nice but he is not open to suggestions he is so rigid! I tried to talk to him about a new technology and he kept on insisting the old way is better! It was a good thing he did not take it personally.
On my first hour, I received a phone call informing me that I am being called to attend a meeting. The agenda was the redesign of the existing Web site. I just listened carefully to their exchange of ideas. After the meeting, the hours dragged on. I simply killed time to say the least.
Then I thought of having my class reference xeroxed. I asked where the nearest copy center is and they informed me it was ok for me to xerox the whole book in the office free of charge. After that, I was able to read issues of magazines just stacked everywhere.
Close to the end of office hours, a familiar face dropped by the office. I gave him suggestions on how to improve exisitng documents. He was not open to it yet he was game enough to ask me to work with him. Similar to the start of my day, I also argued with him.
On my way home, my mind was filled with ideas on how to improve existing office procedures. I actually made a list of them. Now I know my purpose for being here. God surely is generous with his blessings.
My boss assigned an officemate to be my buddy. He is nice but he is not open to suggestions he is so rigid! I tried to talk to him about a new technology and he kept on insisting the old way is better! It was a good thing he did not take it personally.
On my first hour, I received a phone call informing me that I am being called to attend a meeting. The agenda was the redesign of the existing Web site. I just listened carefully to their exchange of ideas. After the meeting, the hours dragged on. I simply killed time to say the least.
Then I thought of having my class reference xeroxed. I asked where the nearest copy center is and they informed me it was ok for me to xerox the whole book in the office free of charge. After that, I was able to read issues of magazines just stacked everywhere.
Close to the end of office hours, a familiar face dropped by the office. I gave him suggestions on how to improve exisitng documents. He was not open to it yet he was game enough to ask me to work with him. Similar to the start of my day, I also argued with him.
On my way home, my mind was filled with ideas on how to improve existing office procedures. I actually made a list of them. Now I know my purpose for being here. God surely is generous with his blessings.
Friday, February 02, 2007
My Day Without a Plan
Yesterday, I gave my sister-in-law a small amount of money. I just felt that I had to share my blessings. I asked her how much she needed and gave an additional amount. The sum total was still small, to say the least. She dropped by the house to get it.
Last night, my mother forwarded a text message from my sister-in-law saying that she and her two daughters were sick. My two nieces vomitted several times and she was down with fever. I asked her how I could help her. She told me that I could just give enough for the medicine of one of my nieces. As she was sick also, I offered to take the money to her home.
I sent her a text message at a decent time this morning and told her she could text me if she was already awake so I could drop by their house to give her the money. Her elder daughter missed going to school so she prepared her first. As she was also not feeling well, and her younger daughter was also sick, she sent me the text message late in the morning.
I reached her house a little after 11:00 am and left around 11:45. They offered that I ate lunch with them but was shy to accept. I had lunch at a mall. I was so tired going around that I felt so sleepy when I got home. I fought sleep as it would cause me to sleep late come night time.
Then my classmate sent a text message around 5:00 pm saying that our meeting in Makati at 7:00 pm will push through. I haven't taken a bath by that time so hurried through all the motions. I met another classmate in going to the place. The traffic was unbelievable! It took us 45 minutes to reach Quiapo. We decided then that we'll just stay at Robinson's Place to have dinner. We informed the meeting organizer.
It turned out, the organizer took 2.5 hours to get to Makati. She told us that our other friends told her they would arrive around 10:00 pm. She was urging us to meet her then. We could understand her disappointment but really couldn't join her anymore because we had early morning appointments tomorrow. It was a good thing she was understanding enough to cancel the meeting.
My friend and I just had dinner and malled. We haven't done it in a long time. We missed talking about the nonsense and the things which concerned us most at home, in work and in our everyday lives.
I have a class report tomorrow and still haven't read on the topic. Yet, here I am in front of the computer documenting My Day without a Plan.
Last night, my mother forwarded a text message from my sister-in-law saying that she and her two daughters were sick. My two nieces vomitted several times and she was down with fever. I asked her how I could help her. She told me that I could just give enough for the medicine of one of my nieces. As she was sick also, I offered to take the money to her home.
I sent her a text message at a decent time this morning and told her she could text me if she was already awake so I could drop by their house to give her the money. Her elder daughter missed going to school so she prepared her first. As she was also not feeling well, and her younger daughter was also sick, she sent me the text message late in the morning.
I reached her house a little after 11:00 am and left around 11:45. They offered that I ate lunch with them but was shy to accept. I had lunch at a mall. I was so tired going around that I felt so sleepy when I got home. I fought sleep as it would cause me to sleep late come night time.
Then my classmate sent a text message around 5:00 pm saying that our meeting in Makati at 7:00 pm will push through. I haven't taken a bath by that time so hurried through all the motions. I met another classmate in going to the place. The traffic was unbelievable! It took us 45 minutes to reach Quiapo. We decided then that we'll just stay at Robinson's Place to have dinner. We informed the meeting organizer.
It turned out, the organizer took 2.5 hours to get to Makati. She told us that our other friends told her they would arrive around 10:00 pm. She was urging us to meet her then. We could understand her disappointment but really couldn't join her anymore because we had early morning appointments tomorrow. It was a good thing she was understanding enough to cancel the meeting.
My friend and I just had dinner and malled. We haven't done it in a long time. We missed talking about the nonsense and the things which concerned us most at home, in work and in our everyday lives.
I have a class report tomorrow and still haven't read on the topic. Yet, here I am in front of the computer documenting My Day without a Plan.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
My Last Day of Processing Papers
Finally! All requirements and signatures have been accepted by the HRD!!! Fortunately for me, it wasn't as simple as that. It was an eventful day.
I chose to go there in time to attend the 12 noon mass. I commuted to go there with the senior citizens riding in the jeep. The people who rode with me were talking about the GSIS. My heart broke as I heard their stories. Was I glad that it was my last day to commute or else I wouldn't have started working there.
I arrived early so I decided to go up to the office. It was great timing for me. The whole team was about to go to lunch. Also, one of my officemates was celebrating her birthday. These two are separate stories. My boss invited me to join them and I did. It was a lunch date full of laughter. A great teambuilding event.
Then, I brought my papers to the Legal Department for notarization. The lawyer who attended to my papers asked me endlessly who my backer was in getting in. I told him that I was a walk-in applicant and was chosen from among the five selected applicants. He also told me that they were not hiring at the present time. In the process, he told me it was the rule and not the exception. At that point, a warm feeling enveloped me as I realized I bested four great applicants.
On my way to submit my papers to the HRD, I met one of my bosses. I told her what happened in the Legal Department. Her words made me feel humbled because I was just getting to realize the enormity of the blessings bestowed upon me then.
Before I slept, I called my cousin and her husband to thank them once again for letting me know of the job vacancy. To this day, I am still amazed by the manner the Lord gave this job to me. This is one story where I can truthfully say that I obeyed all instructions without resistance. This is one story where God's providence is truly filled to overflowing. This is one story where I only need to trust where God leads me. My prayer now is that I may be the empty vessel simply following God's directions so I may prove myself worthy of the blessings showered upon me.
I chose to go there in time to attend the 12 noon mass. I commuted to go there with the senior citizens riding in the jeep. The people who rode with me were talking about the GSIS. My heart broke as I heard their stories. Was I glad that it was my last day to commute or else I wouldn't have started working there.
I arrived early so I decided to go up to the office. It was great timing for me. The whole team was about to go to lunch. Also, one of my officemates was celebrating her birthday. These two are separate stories. My boss invited me to join them and I did. It was a lunch date full of laughter. A great teambuilding event.
Then, I brought my papers to the Legal Department for notarization. The lawyer who attended to my papers asked me endlessly who my backer was in getting in. I told him that I was a walk-in applicant and was chosen from among the five selected applicants. He also told me that they were not hiring at the present time. In the process, he told me it was the rule and not the exception. At that point, a warm feeling enveloped me as I realized I bested four great applicants.
On my way to submit my papers to the HRD, I met one of my bosses. I told her what happened in the Legal Department. Her words made me feel humbled because I was just getting to realize the enormity of the blessings bestowed upon me then.
Before I slept, I called my cousin and her husband to thank them once again for letting me know of the job vacancy. To this day, I am still amazed by the manner the Lord gave this job to me. This is one story where I can truthfully say that I obeyed all instructions without resistance. This is one story where God's providence is truly filled to overflowing. This is one story where I only need to trust where God leads me. My prayer now is that I may be the empty vessel simply following God's directions so I may prove myself worthy of the blessings showered upon me.
Saturday, January 27, 2007
ITC, GSIS, SFC and graduate studies
To say that September to December, 2006 were very busy months is an understatement. Of course, my regular activities are going to the office five days a week and attending graduate classes two days a week. I salute all postgraduate degree holders because I know they are all expert jugglers in managing time and energy.
Personally, in the time span mentioned, I was a student who went on vacation only for a week but never really got the drive back to study hard. I was a Singles for Christ (SFC) member who attended meetings in campus weekly and and in the chapter monthly. I always thought things will return to normal after each activity I finished. The respite spent in between then were essential for me to rejuvenate physically (read: justifications to be a big-time bum!!!)
Enter 2007 and my schedule went from busy to physically draining day after day after day. My regular activities went on as usual, i.e., office, class and SFC. One uneventful afternoon, I received a phone call from the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) informing me that I have been accepted as Staff Writer and they want me to report right away because of the urgency of the position. I felt blest upon receiving the news. I thought I would think it over for a night then decide in the morning.
However, God had another plan. He made my cousin send a text message to all our relatives and common friends which I quote, "Bait in God, signed na appointment ni princess sa gsis! Sa public affairs unit. no politics and backers. She got d highest rating sa exam and interview and was unanimously chosen by d panel. May mga humarang sa hgher level kasi may mga gustong ipasok na iba pero d nagprevail."
Soon after, my cell phone was flooded with congratulary messages. I felt that I had no choice but to hand in my resignation from the De La Salle University Information Technology Center (DLSU ITC). The day after that, I got my list of requirements from the GSIS, went on programmed sick leave from DLSU ITC for two days to process required papers, had a lunch meeting with my new boss and team mates, while attending SFC activities, preparing/attending classes. The days I spent at the ITC were spent teaching my officemate, who joined the team in September, to process documents, implement standards, learn how to use different software and their features, among others.
The documented Staff Writer job description given to me by the GSIS HR was standard. Little did I know that they hired me mostly because of my experience in using graphics software to create banners, streamers, flyers and information materials. It shouldn't come as a surprise in the corporate world's multitasking culture right? However, this was the exact reason I left the publishing house almost 8 years ago. I felt that I was veering away from writing, which I love dearly, and is being molded to become a graphic artist, which has never been my interest, mostly because I felt that I didn't have the talent and patience to improve on the skill.
Last night, my good friend invited me to a prayer meeting. I joined in spite of the fact that I haven't prepared for my classes the following day. As with the GSIS job announcement, God had a plan. Though it hasn't bothered me as much yet that I might not be good enough to be a graphic artist, God addressed the matter reassuring me in the process.
The speaker said over and over again that she felt God was setting her up for failure because of all the odds she faced recently. Through the Bible, her perspective changed to Why do people put a limit to what God can do for us in our lives? He gave us the opportunity, He will provide the means for us to go through life with enriching experiences and enlightening wisdom.
My recent Yahoo! Messenger status is I will truly miss my ITC family. In my heart of hearts, I sincerely felt this. This is the office where I spent 4 years and 2 months of my life. This is the office where I learned how to maintain Web sites, the office where I honed my technical writing skills, the office which pushed me to pursue graduate studies. This is the office where my people skills were tried and improved, I sincerely believe. This is also an office where I began and nurtured genuine friendships.
Taking all of these things into account, many ask why I resigned. In my heart, I feel that the good Lord is still shaping me up to reach my full potential. As long as He is in charge, I need only to obey Him.
Personally, in the time span mentioned, I was a student who went on vacation only for a week but never really got the drive back to study hard. I was a Singles for Christ (SFC) member who attended meetings in campus weekly and and in the chapter monthly. I always thought things will return to normal after each activity I finished. The respite spent in between then were essential for me to rejuvenate physically (read: justifications to be a big-time bum!!!)
Enter 2007 and my schedule went from busy to physically draining day after day after day. My regular activities went on as usual, i.e., office, class and SFC. One uneventful afternoon, I received a phone call from the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) informing me that I have been accepted as Staff Writer and they want me to report right away because of the urgency of the position. I felt blest upon receiving the news. I thought I would think it over for a night then decide in the morning.
However, God had another plan. He made my cousin send a text message to all our relatives and common friends which I quote, "Bait in God, signed na appointment ni princess sa gsis! Sa public affairs unit. no politics and backers. She got d highest rating sa exam and interview and was unanimously chosen by d panel. May mga humarang sa hgher level kasi may mga gustong ipasok na iba pero d nagprevail."
Soon after, my cell phone was flooded with congratulary messages. I felt that I had no choice but to hand in my resignation from the De La Salle University Information Technology Center (DLSU ITC). The day after that, I got my list of requirements from the GSIS, went on programmed sick leave from DLSU ITC for two days to process required papers, had a lunch meeting with my new boss and team mates, while attending SFC activities, preparing/attending classes. The days I spent at the ITC were spent teaching my officemate, who joined the team in September, to process documents, implement standards, learn how to use different software and their features, among others.
The documented Staff Writer job description given to me by the GSIS HR was standard. Little did I know that they hired me mostly because of my experience in using graphics software to create banners, streamers, flyers and information materials. It shouldn't come as a surprise in the corporate world's multitasking culture right? However, this was the exact reason I left the publishing house almost 8 years ago. I felt that I was veering away from writing, which I love dearly, and is being molded to become a graphic artist, which has never been my interest, mostly because I felt that I didn't have the talent and patience to improve on the skill.
Last night, my good friend invited me to a prayer meeting. I joined in spite of the fact that I haven't prepared for my classes the following day. As with the GSIS job announcement, God had a plan. Though it hasn't bothered me as much yet that I might not be good enough to be a graphic artist, God addressed the matter reassuring me in the process.
The speaker said over and over again that she felt God was setting her up for failure because of all the odds she faced recently. Through the Bible, her perspective changed to Why do people put a limit to what God can do for us in our lives? He gave us the opportunity, He will provide the means for us to go through life with enriching experiences and enlightening wisdom.
My recent Yahoo! Messenger status is I will truly miss my ITC family. In my heart of hearts, I sincerely felt this. This is the office where I spent 4 years and 2 months of my life. This is the office where I learned how to maintain Web sites, the office where I honed my technical writing skills, the office which pushed me to pursue graduate studies. This is the office where my people skills were tried and improved, I sincerely believe. This is also an office where I began and nurtured genuine friendships.
Taking all of these things into account, many ask why I resigned. In my heart, I feel that the good Lord is still shaping me up to reach my full potential. As long as He is in charge, I need only to obey Him.
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
Commercialism in CRAZY FOR YOU (A Review)
This was my Media Criticisms final paper as required by Dr. Isagani Cruz.
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Media messages in television are powerful because they are reproduced through imagery, thus, TV is the best medium for commercialism. Crazy for You is a good venue for media to exhibit the lifestyle one could aim or work for in life. It shows the poor that they could join games of luck to improve their financial standing, it shows the balikbayans how and where they could happily share their blessings, and it shows the middle-class the latest trends so they can keep up with the rest of society.
In a good number of Filipino families nowadays, the children leave to work offshore as soon as one is already capable of working abroad to take on the role of being the breadwinner, or to help the family stay afloat financially. Crazy for You shows the intricacies of the lives of modern Filipino families where the eldest child of former OFWs take on the role of being the breadwinner by working offshore. Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) statistics show that there were 48,089 more Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in 2005 than in 2004 (Source: http://www.poea.gov.ph/stats/2005deploment.xls). As for the media, the ABS-CBN news magazine program, The Correspondents, also tackled the lives of OFWs in the episodes Lebanon Diaries ng mg Pinoy, Teknolohiya at Buhay-DH sa Hong Kong, Mga Kwentong Pinoy sa Germany, Kapalaran ng mga Traini-yuki sa Japan. In Crazy for You,
ABS-CBN tries to show how OFWs live as domestic helpers and foreign students in Barcelona, Spain and the issues they face when they return to the Philippines.
In a manner of speaking, Crazy for You was patterned after the koreanovela Lovers in Paris and Only You (Source: http://beta.abs-cbn.com/tabid/71/xmmid/387/Article/1673/program/c4u/xmview/2/Default.aspx) as the lead characters were foreigners in the setting, that is, Filipinos in Barcelona, Spain; Koreans in Paris, France; and in Italy, respectively. Due to this fact, part of Crazy for You showed the main characters sightseeing and enjoying the outdoors, while they were in Barcelona and Ibiza, Spain. In addition to being primarily love stories, all series are not heavy drama anthologies but have light touches of comedy.
In his September 15, 2006 column at the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Nestor Torre reviewed the first three telecasts of Crazy for You. He wrote,
Most of its first telecasts’ scenes focused exclusively on its Filipino characters, so they ended up appearing to live in a cultural vacuum. Manzano does well in the show, but Gonzaga and Pokwang are too ditzy and flighty, acting up a storm for ostensible comic effect. On the brighter side, the new show’s visuals are agreeably perky and varied, so the eye is entertained. (Source: http://showbizandstyle.inq7.net/entertainment/entertainment/view_article.php?article_id=21254)
In real life, Toni Gonzaga, who portrays Janice, the female lead character, is currently
22 years old and Luis Manzano, the male lead character (Wacky) is 26 years old. In the series, Janice, at that age, is tasked with being the breadwinner of the family. This setting actually happens in the modern Filipino family. The most recent National Statistics Office report showed that the most number of OFWs who left in 2004 belong to the age bracket 25-29 (Source: http://www.census.gov.ph/data/sectordata/2005/of0402.htm). This clearly demonstrates that between the ages 25 to 29, Filipinos are already tasked with providing for the family. This is the new face of the Filipino family.
I remember that when I belonged to that age group I was starting to earn enough to afford small luxuries on top of my financial obligations. I have always enjoyed watching television and the advertisements shown keep me updated on the latest products out on the market. In fact, there are times when I keep the television on but watch commercials only.
Relevance of the Study
I haven’t read any recent Social Studies textbooks lately but when I was in grade school and high school, the school books I read then stated that the father is the provider of the family. It is the father who works hard so that the family can have all the necessities of everyday life and even the luxuries enjoyed by all. I also remember that back then, at least in the families I knew of, the working son or daughter is expected or even obliged to help financially, but not to the extent of being the breadwinner.
However, in Filipino families nowadays, the parents work hard so they can send their children to college, in most cases, nursing schools. They know that after passing the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) and the National Council Licensure Exam for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN), their children will work abroad and be able to finance the entire household’s needs. For the parents who cannot afford to send their children to nursing schools as money is a concern, they work abroad by being domestic helpers.
I could also say that on top of providing the basic necessities such as education and food, OFWs also want their kin to keep up with the latest trends, be it in fashion or gadgets, among other things. In the teleserye, Globe’s services were incorporated in the story, e.g., Melba’s cell phone was a load wallet, Roger was a Globe in-house agent, and a number of characters used cell phones with video conferencing. Other commercials promote vanity so an individual will be accepted in the society, ultimately. Media is powerful because it has wide reach. In television, media messages are reproduced through imagery. It is seen everywhere.
Delimitations of the Study
This paper will review the commercialism in the October 25 episode where Janice was hired as a hotel receptionist by day and as a call center agent by night, and the November 9 episode where Janice joined Wowowee’s Pera o Bayong. It is interesting to note that Crazy for You is aired in ABS-CBN yet most articles written about it are published in the broadsheet Inquirer, which is a partner company of the GMA Network, ABS-CBN’s rival.
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
In the study Modeling Consumption via Parasocial Interactions with Television Soap Characters (Source: http://www.business.rutgers.edu/default.aspx?id=924), Cristell Russell and Barbara Stern tested a model of the influence of television soap opera characters on viewers’ consumption attitudes and behaviors. They showed the soap opera character’s effect on consumption behaviors both directly and indirectly towards the characters’ consumption.
The paper Telenovelas and Soap in Latin America (Source: http://www.zonalatina.com/Zldata131.htm) by Zona Latina proved that the telenovela is an effective advertising vehicle for laundry detergents and other household cleaning products. It concentrated on the commercial aspects of telenovelas and pointed out that they have been instrumental in developing a “national” identity for Latin America countries in terms of self-definition, as well.
This paper will prove that advertisements in the program Crazy for You show us the good life many of us aim for. Crazy for You commercials exhibit that the ideal lifestyle is one where we, as consumers, can keep up with the trends and the rest of society.
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
In the book Writing the Nation/Pag-akda ng Bansa, Bienvenido Lumbera said, “The student of the arts has to look beyond plain artistic production. It is imperative that one investigates the society in which artistic production takes place, noting how social, political, and economic forces contend for hegemony within that society. The student ought to take into account the multifarious factors that influence the production of any art work, because he needs an all-around understanding of what the Filipino artist wants when he undertakes creative work and what the Filipino audiences expect from a given work of art.”
Lumbera’s perspective asserts that media content should have social relevance. It should reflect how the dominant classes protect their standing, ways and means. In essence, the role of media is to awaken the people’s awareness as to the condition people influence and interact with one another. As stated, this paper will attest to the fact that even so-called teleserye, which the unsuspecting masses view as pure entertainment is actually a reflection of the existing state of affairs between mass media and the people who view them.
SUMMARY OF THE STORY
Crazy for You was originally about the lives of OFWs in Barcelona, Spain. Janice, is a young woman who works as a day-hire maid to help out her family in the Philippines. Wacky is a student who is the son of former OFWs in Spain. Janice worked for Wacky but never saw him because he was always out whenever she was in. They finally meet at a party and was instantly attracted to each other. Somewhere along the way, Wacky got involved with Sabrina who, later on, couldn’t accept his rejection of her. Ultimately, Sabrina tells the Spanish government about Janice who is an overstaying domestic helper. This led to the deportation of Janice back to Manila.
When Janice went home, she discovered that her father needed an operation that required a big amount of money. Part of what she did to secure the money was to join Wowowee’s Pera o Bayong. Later on in the story, Melba, Janice’s mother, earned her part of her income through subscribing with Globe’s e-load while her father, Roger, was a full-time Globe in-house agent
As the story progressed, Wacky came back to the Philippines to be with Janice. After resolving their problems in the past, they reconciled. As Wacky and Janice got to know each other’s families, they were misled to believe that they have the same biological father.
Standard Presentation of the Series
Each time the series and the gaps start, the title shot is flashed to signal the beginning. Then a recap of the highlights of the past day is shown. There are 5 gaps every night. After the last scene, the Department of Labor standard note that minor actors/actresses secured the necessary working permit is shown. This is followed by teasers of the following episode.
GENERAL REVIEW OF THE TELESERYE’S CELL PHONE SERVICE PROVIDER COMMERCIALS
It is apparent that the major sponsor of Crazy for You is Globe Telecoms. Globe is part of the daily lives of Roger and Melba. Roger is a Globe in-house agent while Melba’s cell phone is a load wallet. Luna and Brix talk to each other using Globe’s video conference services. In one episode, a young man who is one of their neighbors, as evidenced through addressing Janice’s mother as Aling Melba, came and loaded P40.00. Melba was quietly sitting down in their house’s porch, writing on a notebook and wearing house clothes. As the young man was about to leave, he found a one-peso coin and asked Melba if it were possible to load just P1.00. Melba was happy to accommodate his request.
This is a direct promotion of the benefits of being a load wallet. Melba used to be a barangay council so people in the vicinity know her. In the past, people were used to coming to their homes to air their concerns. They were already comfortable talking to her. It was natural for people to go to her home albeit a different purpose.
The Globe commercial is also the first shown after each gap. It has four stories, a man telling his older brother that his wedding will not push through, a brother giving encouragement to his sister, the CPA board passer telling his father, and the new mother telling a grandmother about the newest member of the family. As it is incorporated within the story and is repeated 4 to 5 times in the duration of the teleserye, it is telling me that I need Globe services if I want instant access to communication technologies.
The commercials and the manner Globe services are incorporated in the story make it seem that one does not need to think twice about the amount that will be deducted in one’s cell phone load to avail of Globe services such as voice call and video conference. It is as if it were saying that we need these services to keep in touch with the people we care about.
The irony of Crazy for You advertisements is that they also include Sun Cellular, Smart Communications, and Touch Mobile which are in direct competition with Globe Telecomms. Call me old-fashioned by even big-name stars like Kris Aquino and Aga Muhlach have many endorsements but never of the same kind. For example, Kris Aquino endorses San-san cosmetic products exclusively, Pantene hair products and no other hair product brands, San Miguel Beer products and no other alcoholic drinks. The same is true for Aga Muhlach, Quaker Oatmeals and no other breakfast products, Jollibee and no other food chains, Selecta ice cream and no other ice creams. If they could impose exclusive contracts on celebrity endorsements, maybe TV network executives could figure out a way for one kind of product shown per TV show. All talents in the show do not endorse any cellular phone service provider so there is no point in arguing about it. However, I suppose that this wishful thinking is also shooting for the moon as TV commercials boil down to profit for the network. As presented, in cell phone service providers’ endorsement case, this could mean Crazy for You losing contracts from Sun Cellular, Smart Communications and Touch Mobile.
Review of the October 25 episode
I will focus on the commercialism of working in a call center in the Philippines. In this episode, Janice and Blessy searched for jobs. Janice was lucky to secure two jobs, as a hotel receptionist and as a call center agent. The ease of getting a job as a call center agent and the competitive pay an agent gets upon hiring are common knowledge. To say that their lifestyle is better than most in terms of the brands they use and the overseas travels they enjoy, among others, is a cliché. These are the reasons most college students aim for a job in a call center no matter what course they are taking up. In addition, even professionals who have long work experiences resign and apply as call center agents because the pay is better (Source: http://www.livinginthephilippines.com/call_centers.html).
In my former office, a colleague of mine had a disagreement with his immediate supervisor. When it ended, he filed a resignation letter and left in his anger. We, his concerned friends asked how he would earn his keep. The following week, he informed us that he was hired as a call center agent after a day of application.
In the Philippines, English is the medium of instruction in the classrooms. When I go to night spots with friends, English is the language used by most people everywhere. My freshman high school cousin and his classmates who study at DLS-Zobel are all English-speaking.
I remember back in 2003, a good number of call center companies participated in the DLSU Job Expo. I asked the people who manned the booths why this is so and they told me that Lasallians are at ease speaking in English.
The flourish of the call center industry in the Philippines intensifies the hegemony within the society. If a person speaks English well, s/he is admired. I am awed by a Filipino who speaks with an American and/or British accent. On the other hand, persons who have a hard time speaking English develop inferiority complex because s/he feels that his/her views are not good enough and will be eventually be looked down though they are brilliant because s/he doesn’t know how to express himself/herself well.
Review of the November 9 episode
In the November 9 episode, it was shown that Roger was struggling to decide between robbing the cash register of the company where he works for or not because the family needed a big amount of cash immediately. Eventually, he decides against it. Meanwhile, Janice and Blessy were watching TV and saw the Pera o Bayong portion of the program Wowowee. They decided to join the game as they were watching it. Before they went to the TV studio, they discussed how far they should go in the game. They were still discussing it while they were on their way to the studio to join the game. They agreed that no matter what happens, they would choose the bayong hoping that it would contain the P1,000,000.00 jackpot. They also talked about a backup plan where they would only choose pera when it reached P100,000.00.
In the actual game, Janice was lucky enough to successfully outsmart the other contestants in the elimination round. In the final round, Janice chose the bayong though the P100,000.00 amount was offered. She ended up with the P20,000.00 consolation price. All throughout the game, the only emotion showed on Janice’s face was hopeful desperation. As Wowowee’s Pera o Bayong still runs on TV, this is also part of the commercialism of the show.
The tie-up between Crazy for You and Wowowee’s Pera o Bayong is inevitable. Janice, Blessy, Paolo, Melba, Roger, Gigi and Eduardo were formerly OFW. In Wowowee there is a portion where balikbayans donate dollar bills that are collected in a basket passed around during the show. Who can forget the Wowowee tragedy where 73 people died, many of whom are women and elderly, some of whom lined up outside the studio for as long as 3 days? (Source: http://www.pcij.org/blog/?p=584).
In an interview, the show’s host, Willie Revillame, mentioned that Wowowee was envisioned to be a source of hope and money for the poor (Source: http://news.inq7.net/nation/index.php?index=1&story_id=65166). In the same article, ABS-CBN’s Vice-President for Entertainment Charo Santos-Concio was asked to react on the issue that the show encouraged mendicancy and dependency on dole outs. She replied by saying,
“The reality today is that there are plenty among our countrymen who are poor,” she said in Filipino. “We only want to give them hope. We're all human, and I think most of us have tried our luck in games of chance. But we are not encouraging mendicancy.”
I suppose, in the minds of the ABS-CBN management, this is the modern version of the bayanihan in the city. Wowowee’s Pera o Bayong provides the needier the venue to count on luck, on occasion, to improve their financial standing. They can always depend on the generosity of the people who enjoy watching Wowowee abroad when they come home to the Philippines. Also, as the sponsors are balikbayans, it is as if the game is saying that one could only afford giving to the needier if one worked abroad. It is as if the teleserye is saying that the status in life of the needier members of our society will not improve because they do not have the capacity to leave the country.
As previously mentioned, Janice’s hopeful desperation is reflective of the general sentiment of the Filipino masses. I suppose if I were as poor as the contestants who join the various Wowowee games, I would be awed by what I would see inside the studio, the well-lit air-conditioned room filled with people who speak well, people who dress well, people who are smart, people who can face anybody at any given time. From the poor’s perspective, their lack would only be emphasized by the things they would see inside the studio.
I suppose if I were as poor as the studio contestants, I would be nervously waiting for my turn to join a game. If I were already participating in the game, I would be as desperate, add this to being star-struck in the face of Willie Revillame, if I were as poor as the contestants. I suppose I would be happy only after the game I joined is over, if I took home even a small amount of money. On the other hand, I would be sad if I weren’t able to get back even the fare I spent in going to the studio. I suppose if I was already at home, dealing with the problems I deal with everyday, my hopeful desperation would only turn into desperation as I was able to experience a few hours inside Wowowee’s studio.
Others might think that Wowowee bridges the gap between the rich and the poor but what it really does it promote the status quo. The well-to-do members of the society are somehow being shown that if you have blessings to share, Wowowee is the venue where you could enjoy departing with your money. Of course, you can only “donate” to Wowowee if you have enough spare cash. So the mentality that is being perpetuated for balikbayans is to work hard abroad so they can help needier Filipinos.
CONCLUSION
As Lumbera said, “It is imperative that one investigates the society in which artistic production takes place, noting how social, political and economic forces contend for hegemony within that society. The student of the arts has to look beyond plain artistic production.”
The integration of Globe services within the story shows what one can do to preserve one's status in life. The teleserye Crazy for You reflected what is happening in the society. In a growing number of Filipino families, members search for the proverbial greener pasture abroad. Commercialism is not exclusively found in the advertisements between the show’s gaps but was incorporated within the story. In the October 25 episode, Janice joined Wowowee’s Pera o Bayong to show that the needier members of the society can depend on luck and the money donated by the balikbayans. However, though Globe Telecomms is a major endorser in the TV series, they cannot even ask the network management to block out all other cell phone service providers. Commercial product managers draw exclusive contracts with their celebrity endorses but this is not applicable with TV networks. This would mean direct losses from them if they imposed one kind of product per TV show.
The commercialism in Crazy for You exhibits the lifestyle one could aim or work for in life. It shows the poor that they could join games of luck to improve their financial standing, it shows the balikbayans how and where they could happily share their blessings, and it shows the middle-class the latest trends so they can keep up with the rest of society. Crazy for You is a good venue for media to exhibit the lifestyle one could aim or work for in life. Media messages in television are powerful because they are reproduced through imagery, thus, TV is the best medium for commercialism.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Book
Lumbera, Bienvenido. Writing the Nation/Pag-akda ng Bansa. Quezon City: University of the Philippines, 2000.
Theses
Russell, Cristel and Barbara Stern. “Modeling Consumption via Parasocial Interactions with Television Soap.” 10 August 2005.
Brava, Muñeca. “Telenovelas and Soap in Latin America.”.
Online Sources
ABS-CBN Interactive. ABS-CBN. December 7, 2006.
Inq7.net. Inquirer. December 7, 2006.
“Call Center in the Philippines.” Living in the Philippines. 07 December 2006.
“Deployed Landbased Overseas Filipino Workers by Destination (New hires and Rehires)” Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA). 06 November 2006..
“Wowowee: A Filipino Tragedy.” Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism. 04 February 2006 < p="584">.
“2004 Survey on Overseas Filipinos Table.” National Statistics Office (NSO). 15 April 2005..
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Media messages in television are powerful because they are reproduced through imagery, thus, TV is the best medium for commercialism. Crazy for You is a good venue for media to exhibit the lifestyle one could aim or work for in life. It shows the poor that they could join games of luck to improve their financial standing, it shows the balikbayans how and where they could happily share their blessings, and it shows the middle-class the latest trends so they can keep up with the rest of society.
In a good number of Filipino families nowadays, the children leave to work offshore as soon as one is already capable of working abroad to take on the role of being the breadwinner, or to help the family stay afloat financially. Crazy for You shows the intricacies of the lives of modern Filipino families where the eldest child of former OFWs take on the role of being the breadwinner by working offshore. Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) statistics show that there were 48,089 more Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in 2005 than in 2004 (Source: http://www.poea.gov.ph/stats/2005deploment.xls). As for the media, the ABS-CBN news magazine program, The Correspondents, also tackled the lives of OFWs in the episodes Lebanon Diaries ng mg Pinoy, Teknolohiya at Buhay-DH sa Hong Kong, Mga Kwentong Pinoy sa Germany, Kapalaran ng mga Traini-yuki sa Japan. In Crazy for You,
ABS-CBN tries to show how OFWs live as domestic helpers and foreign students in Barcelona, Spain and the issues they face when they return to the Philippines.
In a manner of speaking, Crazy for You was patterned after the koreanovela Lovers in Paris and Only You (Source: http://beta.abs-cbn.com/tabid/71/xmmid/387/Article/1673/program/c4u/xmview/2/Default.aspx) as the lead characters were foreigners in the setting, that is, Filipinos in Barcelona, Spain; Koreans in Paris, France; and in Italy, respectively. Due to this fact, part of Crazy for You showed the main characters sightseeing and enjoying the outdoors, while they were in Barcelona and Ibiza, Spain. In addition to being primarily love stories, all series are not heavy drama anthologies but have light touches of comedy.
In his September 15, 2006 column at the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Nestor Torre reviewed the first three telecasts of Crazy for You. He wrote,
Most of its first telecasts’ scenes focused exclusively on its Filipino characters, so they ended up appearing to live in a cultural vacuum. Manzano does well in the show, but Gonzaga and Pokwang are too ditzy and flighty, acting up a storm for ostensible comic effect. On the brighter side, the new show’s visuals are agreeably perky and varied, so the eye is entertained. (Source: http://showbizandstyle.inq7.net/entertainment/entertainment/view_article.php?article_id=21254)
In real life, Toni Gonzaga, who portrays Janice, the female lead character, is currently
22 years old and Luis Manzano, the male lead character (Wacky) is 26 years old. In the series, Janice, at that age, is tasked with being the breadwinner of the family. This setting actually happens in the modern Filipino family. The most recent National Statistics Office report showed that the most number of OFWs who left in 2004 belong to the age bracket 25-29 (Source: http://www.census.gov.ph/data/sectordata/2005/of0402.htm). This clearly demonstrates that between the ages 25 to 29, Filipinos are already tasked with providing for the family. This is the new face of the Filipino family.
I remember that when I belonged to that age group I was starting to earn enough to afford small luxuries on top of my financial obligations. I have always enjoyed watching television and the advertisements shown keep me updated on the latest products out on the market. In fact, there are times when I keep the television on but watch commercials only.
Relevance of the Study
I haven’t read any recent Social Studies textbooks lately but when I was in grade school and high school, the school books I read then stated that the father is the provider of the family. It is the father who works hard so that the family can have all the necessities of everyday life and even the luxuries enjoyed by all. I also remember that back then, at least in the families I knew of, the working son or daughter is expected or even obliged to help financially, but not to the extent of being the breadwinner.
However, in Filipino families nowadays, the parents work hard so they can send their children to college, in most cases, nursing schools. They know that after passing the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS) and the National Council Licensure Exam for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN), their children will work abroad and be able to finance the entire household’s needs. For the parents who cannot afford to send their children to nursing schools as money is a concern, they work abroad by being domestic helpers.
I could also say that on top of providing the basic necessities such as education and food, OFWs also want their kin to keep up with the latest trends, be it in fashion or gadgets, among other things. In the teleserye, Globe’s services were incorporated in the story, e.g., Melba’s cell phone was a load wallet, Roger was a Globe in-house agent, and a number of characters used cell phones with video conferencing. Other commercials promote vanity so an individual will be accepted in the society, ultimately. Media is powerful because it has wide reach. In television, media messages are reproduced through imagery. It is seen everywhere.
Delimitations of the Study
This paper will review the commercialism in the October 25 episode where Janice was hired as a hotel receptionist by day and as a call center agent by night, and the November 9 episode where Janice joined Wowowee’s Pera o Bayong. It is interesting to note that Crazy for You is aired in ABS-CBN yet most articles written about it are published in the broadsheet Inquirer, which is a partner company of the GMA Network, ABS-CBN’s rival.
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
In the study Modeling Consumption via Parasocial Interactions with Television Soap Characters (Source: http://www.business.rutgers.edu/default.aspx?id=924), Cristell Russell and Barbara Stern tested a model of the influence of television soap opera characters on viewers’ consumption attitudes and behaviors. They showed the soap opera character’s effect on consumption behaviors both directly and indirectly towards the characters’ consumption.
The paper Telenovelas and Soap in Latin America (Source: http://www.zonalatina.com/Zldata131.htm) by Zona Latina proved that the telenovela is an effective advertising vehicle for laundry detergents and other household cleaning products. It concentrated on the commercial aspects of telenovelas and pointed out that they have been instrumental in developing a “national” identity for Latin America countries in terms of self-definition, as well.
This paper will prove that advertisements in the program Crazy for You show us the good life many of us aim for. Crazy for You commercials exhibit that the ideal lifestyle is one where we, as consumers, can keep up with the trends and the rest of society.
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
In the book Writing the Nation/Pag-akda ng Bansa, Bienvenido Lumbera said, “The student of the arts has to look beyond plain artistic production. It is imperative that one investigates the society in which artistic production takes place, noting how social, political, and economic forces contend for hegemony within that society. The student ought to take into account the multifarious factors that influence the production of any art work, because he needs an all-around understanding of what the Filipino artist wants when he undertakes creative work and what the Filipino audiences expect from a given work of art.”
Lumbera’s perspective asserts that media content should have social relevance. It should reflect how the dominant classes protect their standing, ways and means. In essence, the role of media is to awaken the people’s awareness as to the condition people influence and interact with one another. As stated, this paper will attest to the fact that even so-called teleserye, which the unsuspecting masses view as pure entertainment is actually a reflection of the existing state of affairs between mass media and the people who view them.
SUMMARY OF THE STORY
Crazy for You was originally about the lives of OFWs in Barcelona, Spain. Janice, is a young woman who works as a day-hire maid to help out her family in the Philippines. Wacky is a student who is the son of former OFWs in Spain. Janice worked for Wacky but never saw him because he was always out whenever she was in. They finally meet at a party and was instantly attracted to each other. Somewhere along the way, Wacky got involved with Sabrina who, later on, couldn’t accept his rejection of her. Ultimately, Sabrina tells the Spanish government about Janice who is an overstaying domestic helper. This led to the deportation of Janice back to Manila.
When Janice went home, she discovered that her father needed an operation that required a big amount of money. Part of what she did to secure the money was to join Wowowee’s Pera o Bayong. Later on in the story, Melba, Janice’s mother, earned her part of her income through subscribing with Globe’s e-load while her father, Roger, was a full-time Globe in-house agent
As the story progressed, Wacky came back to the Philippines to be with Janice. After resolving their problems in the past, they reconciled. As Wacky and Janice got to know each other’s families, they were misled to believe that they have the same biological father.
Standard Presentation of the Series
Each time the series and the gaps start, the title shot is flashed to signal the beginning. Then a recap of the highlights of the past day is shown. There are 5 gaps every night. After the last scene, the Department of Labor standard note that minor actors/actresses secured the necessary working permit is shown. This is followed by teasers of the following episode.
GENERAL REVIEW OF THE TELESERYE’S CELL PHONE SERVICE PROVIDER COMMERCIALS
It is apparent that the major sponsor of Crazy for You is Globe Telecoms. Globe is part of the daily lives of Roger and Melba. Roger is a Globe in-house agent while Melba’s cell phone is a load wallet. Luna and Brix talk to each other using Globe’s video conference services. In one episode, a young man who is one of their neighbors, as evidenced through addressing Janice’s mother as Aling Melba, came and loaded P40.00. Melba was quietly sitting down in their house’s porch, writing on a notebook and wearing house clothes. As the young man was about to leave, he found a one-peso coin and asked Melba if it were possible to load just P1.00. Melba was happy to accommodate his request.
This is a direct promotion of the benefits of being a load wallet. Melba used to be a barangay council so people in the vicinity know her. In the past, people were used to coming to their homes to air their concerns. They were already comfortable talking to her. It was natural for people to go to her home albeit a different purpose.
The Globe commercial is also the first shown after each gap. It has four stories, a man telling his older brother that his wedding will not push through, a brother giving encouragement to his sister, the CPA board passer telling his father, and the new mother telling a grandmother about the newest member of the family. As it is incorporated within the story and is repeated 4 to 5 times in the duration of the teleserye, it is telling me that I need Globe services if I want instant access to communication technologies.
The commercials and the manner Globe services are incorporated in the story make it seem that one does not need to think twice about the amount that will be deducted in one’s cell phone load to avail of Globe services such as voice call and video conference. It is as if it were saying that we need these services to keep in touch with the people we care about.
The irony of Crazy for You advertisements is that they also include Sun Cellular, Smart Communications, and Touch Mobile which are in direct competition with Globe Telecomms. Call me old-fashioned by even big-name stars like Kris Aquino and Aga Muhlach have many endorsements but never of the same kind. For example, Kris Aquino endorses San-san cosmetic products exclusively, Pantene hair products and no other hair product brands, San Miguel Beer products and no other alcoholic drinks. The same is true for Aga Muhlach, Quaker Oatmeals and no other breakfast products, Jollibee and no other food chains, Selecta ice cream and no other ice creams. If they could impose exclusive contracts on celebrity endorsements, maybe TV network executives could figure out a way for one kind of product shown per TV show. All talents in the show do not endorse any cellular phone service provider so there is no point in arguing about it. However, I suppose that this wishful thinking is also shooting for the moon as TV commercials boil down to profit for the network. As presented, in cell phone service providers’ endorsement case, this could mean Crazy for You losing contracts from Sun Cellular, Smart Communications and Touch Mobile.
Review of the October 25 episode
I will focus on the commercialism of working in a call center in the Philippines. In this episode, Janice and Blessy searched for jobs. Janice was lucky to secure two jobs, as a hotel receptionist and as a call center agent. The ease of getting a job as a call center agent and the competitive pay an agent gets upon hiring are common knowledge. To say that their lifestyle is better than most in terms of the brands they use and the overseas travels they enjoy, among others, is a cliché. These are the reasons most college students aim for a job in a call center no matter what course they are taking up. In addition, even professionals who have long work experiences resign and apply as call center agents because the pay is better (Source: http://www.livinginthephilippines.com/call_centers.html).
In my former office, a colleague of mine had a disagreement with his immediate supervisor. When it ended, he filed a resignation letter and left in his anger. We, his concerned friends asked how he would earn his keep. The following week, he informed us that he was hired as a call center agent after a day of application.
In the Philippines, English is the medium of instruction in the classrooms. When I go to night spots with friends, English is the language used by most people everywhere. My freshman high school cousin and his classmates who study at DLS-Zobel are all English-speaking.
I remember back in 2003, a good number of call center companies participated in the DLSU Job Expo. I asked the people who manned the booths why this is so and they told me that Lasallians are at ease speaking in English.
The flourish of the call center industry in the Philippines intensifies the hegemony within the society. If a person speaks English well, s/he is admired. I am awed by a Filipino who speaks with an American and/or British accent. On the other hand, persons who have a hard time speaking English develop inferiority complex because s/he feels that his/her views are not good enough and will be eventually be looked down though they are brilliant because s/he doesn’t know how to express himself/herself well.
Review of the November 9 episode
In the November 9 episode, it was shown that Roger was struggling to decide between robbing the cash register of the company where he works for or not because the family needed a big amount of cash immediately. Eventually, he decides against it. Meanwhile, Janice and Blessy were watching TV and saw the Pera o Bayong portion of the program Wowowee. They decided to join the game as they were watching it. Before they went to the TV studio, they discussed how far they should go in the game. They were still discussing it while they were on their way to the studio to join the game. They agreed that no matter what happens, they would choose the bayong hoping that it would contain the P1,000,000.00 jackpot. They also talked about a backup plan where they would only choose pera when it reached P100,000.00.
In the actual game, Janice was lucky enough to successfully outsmart the other contestants in the elimination round. In the final round, Janice chose the bayong though the P100,000.00 amount was offered. She ended up with the P20,000.00 consolation price. All throughout the game, the only emotion showed on Janice’s face was hopeful desperation. As Wowowee’s Pera o Bayong still runs on TV, this is also part of the commercialism of the show.
The tie-up between Crazy for You and Wowowee’s Pera o Bayong is inevitable. Janice, Blessy, Paolo, Melba, Roger, Gigi and Eduardo were formerly OFW. In Wowowee there is a portion where balikbayans donate dollar bills that are collected in a basket passed around during the show. Who can forget the Wowowee tragedy where 73 people died, many of whom are women and elderly, some of whom lined up outside the studio for as long as 3 days? (Source: http://www.pcij.org/blog/?p=584).
In an interview, the show’s host, Willie Revillame, mentioned that Wowowee was envisioned to be a source of hope and money for the poor (Source: http://news.inq7.net/nation/index.php?index=1&story_id=65166). In the same article, ABS-CBN’s Vice-President for Entertainment Charo Santos-Concio was asked to react on the issue that the show encouraged mendicancy and dependency on dole outs. She replied by saying,
“The reality today is that there are plenty among our countrymen who are poor,” she said in Filipino. “We only want to give them hope. We're all human, and I think most of us have tried our luck in games of chance. But we are not encouraging mendicancy.”
I suppose, in the minds of the ABS-CBN management, this is the modern version of the bayanihan in the city. Wowowee’s Pera o Bayong provides the needier the venue to count on luck, on occasion, to improve their financial standing. They can always depend on the generosity of the people who enjoy watching Wowowee abroad when they come home to the Philippines. Also, as the sponsors are balikbayans, it is as if the game is saying that one could only afford giving to the needier if one worked abroad. It is as if the teleserye is saying that the status in life of the needier members of our society will not improve because they do not have the capacity to leave the country.
As previously mentioned, Janice’s hopeful desperation is reflective of the general sentiment of the Filipino masses. I suppose if I were as poor as the contestants who join the various Wowowee games, I would be awed by what I would see inside the studio, the well-lit air-conditioned room filled with people who speak well, people who dress well, people who are smart, people who can face anybody at any given time. From the poor’s perspective, their lack would only be emphasized by the things they would see inside the studio.
I suppose if I were as poor as the studio contestants, I would be nervously waiting for my turn to join a game. If I were already participating in the game, I would be as desperate, add this to being star-struck in the face of Willie Revillame, if I were as poor as the contestants. I suppose I would be happy only after the game I joined is over, if I took home even a small amount of money. On the other hand, I would be sad if I weren’t able to get back even the fare I spent in going to the studio. I suppose if I was already at home, dealing with the problems I deal with everyday, my hopeful desperation would only turn into desperation as I was able to experience a few hours inside Wowowee’s studio.
Others might think that Wowowee bridges the gap between the rich and the poor but what it really does it promote the status quo. The well-to-do members of the society are somehow being shown that if you have blessings to share, Wowowee is the venue where you could enjoy departing with your money. Of course, you can only “donate” to Wowowee if you have enough spare cash. So the mentality that is being perpetuated for balikbayans is to work hard abroad so they can help needier Filipinos.
CONCLUSION
As Lumbera said, “It is imperative that one investigates the society in which artistic production takes place, noting how social, political and economic forces contend for hegemony within that society. The student of the arts has to look beyond plain artistic production.”
The integration of Globe services within the story shows what one can do to preserve one's status in life. The teleserye Crazy for You reflected what is happening in the society. In a growing number of Filipino families, members search for the proverbial greener pasture abroad. Commercialism is not exclusively found in the advertisements between the show’s gaps but was incorporated within the story. In the October 25 episode, Janice joined Wowowee’s Pera o Bayong to show that the needier members of the society can depend on luck and the money donated by the balikbayans. However, though Globe Telecomms is a major endorser in the TV series, they cannot even ask the network management to block out all other cell phone service providers. Commercial product managers draw exclusive contracts with their celebrity endorses but this is not applicable with TV networks. This would mean direct losses from them if they imposed one kind of product per TV show.
The commercialism in Crazy for You exhibits the lifestyle one could aim or work for in life. It shows the poor that they could join games of luck to improve their financial standing, it shows the balikbayans how and where they could happily share their blessings, and it shows the middle-class the latest trends so they can keep up with the rest of society. Crazy for You is a good venue for media to exhibit the lifestyle one could aim or work for in life. Media messages in television are powerful because they are reproduced through imagery, thus, TV is the best medium for commercialism.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Book
Lumbera, Bienvenido. Writing the Nation/Pag-akda ng Bansa. Quezon City: University of the Philippines, 2000.
Theses
Russell, Cristel and Barbara Stern. “Modeling Consumption via Parasocial Interactions with Television Soap.” 10 August 2005
Brava, Muñeca. “Telenovelas and Soap in Latin America.”
Online Sources
ABS-CBN Interactive. ABS-CBN. December 7, 2006
Inq7.net. Inquirer. December 7, 2006
“Call Center in the Philippines.” Living in the Philippines. 07 December 2006
“Deployed Landbased Overseas Filipino Workers by Destination (New hires and Rehires)” Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA). 06 November 2006.
“Wowowee: A Filipino Tragedy.” Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism. 04 February 2006 < p="584">.
“2004 Survey on Overseas Filipinos Table.” National Statistics Office (NSO). 15 April 2005.
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
My First Trip to Mindanao
In October 3-7, I was on vacation from Tuesday to Saturday. I went to Iligan, Cagayan de Oro and Camiguin with officemates. I am blest to have friends who are fond of going on low-budget out-of-town trips.
I called Brian’s cell phone at around 3:15 am so as not to disturb the entire household with the doorbell. He was still taking a bath. His brothers prepared breakfast for me, donut and milk. We left their house at around 3:45 am to catch our 5:15 am flight to Cagayan de Oro. We arrived at the airport with plenty of time to spare. As expected, there was a long queue of people trying to check in. Apparently, the lady in the counter with a very soft voice was through calling out passengers bound to Cagayan and we didn’t hear it so when it was our turn to check in, she turned us down. She argued for a while but later on attended to our tickets.
We did all the touristy things expected of first-timers in a place. We saw the
The highlight of the trip was the canopy walk-zipline-white water rafting activities. I still can’t believe I was able to do all three because they involved the two things I feared most, heights and deep water. The guide in the canopy walk and zipline wasn’t much help. He just kept on telling jokes that I’m sure were so old and NOT true but made me fear for my life, nevertheless. It is ironic that they named it canopy walk because there were really three suspension bridges that were so high above the ground, at least by my standards.
I was able to laugh a little about myself when it came to the zipline. I was placed on a secure harness while the guide tested by letting go of his hold on it. Instead of going down like my friends, I actually floated in the air because I was so light. They all teased me that I might stop in the middle of the line because my weight would not be enough to sustain the speed I needed to reach the other end. As the activity was video-taped, I told them that they might as well expect to see me with my eyes tightly shut. Was I proven wrong! As the wind blew on my face, I cherished the 15 second or so trip with my eyes wide open. It is something I’d love to do again.
As with the canopy walk and zipline, the white water rafting wasn’t that scary at all. I have long ago learned that the key to all rides, e.g., roller coaster, loops, etc., is to let my body go with the flow and the rhythm of the ride, not to fight it with all my might. I was even bold enough to take the front seat where there was no place to lock my foot to prevent me from being overthrown from the raft. The waves of the river pushed the water up and took care of my security, so to speak.
Another part which is very memorable to me was the food. I told my friends that this is the first time I recall buying food to bring home from vacation. I loved the pastel (Camiguin’s signature bread), Iligan’s roasted peanuts and Cagayan de Oro’s fruit pie. They were all so yummy!!!
As with any other trip, what made the experience special was the new friend I gained. She was so sweet.
Friday, September 08, 2006
The Center’s Continuing Legacy: The Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism throughout the Years
The Center’s Continuing Legacy:
The Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism throughout the Years
The Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism throughout the Years
I distinctly recall a class in our Development Journalism subject in college where our professor asked what kind of journalism we wanted to practice. My reply was investigative journalism. This arose from reading detective stories from grade school until high school like Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, Perry Mason, and seeing legal drama series, such as LA Law, and even re-runs of Matlock. I remember that I was always amazed by the logic and meticulous manner they solved the different cases. I never really thought of being a detective or lady cop but I have always been fascinated by the manner the issues are solved by inquisitive minds that unravel evidences in search of the truth.
Little did I know that this simple thought which entered my mind as a teenager has actually been institutionalized through a research paper written by Honorable Rigoberto D. Tiglao (“Office of the Presidential Chief of Staff” Office of the Republic of the Philippines President Web Site. 26 August 2006
<>) gave birth to the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) in 1989 together with his colleagues who are all well-respected Filipino journalists. They are Sheila Coronel, Beting Laygo-Dolor, Malou Mangahas, Lorna Kalaw-Tirol, Howie Severino and David Celdran.
To date, PCIJ has published over 180 articles in major Philippine newspapers and magazines, produced five (5) full-length documentaries and launched more than 20 books about politics & government, journalism & media, the environment, women and special interests. PCIJ’s catchy slogan tells it all: “We tell it like it is… No matter who… No matter what… Journalism with an Impact”
We tell it like it is…
“The PCIJ is unique because of its special focus on investigative journalism. Our organization is funded by a combination of grants, revenues and contributions from individual supporters. Our funding structure allows us to be independent because we are beholden neither to media owners nor to advertisers nor even to grant-giving organizations (the diversity of our funding base allows us to choose the projects we want to do with donors and to set our own terms with them). We are, however, accountable to our board and ultimately, to our readers,” says Sheila Coronel, PCIJ Director (Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism Online. 26 August 2006 < p="4">).
Last year, the Center published the article Health Politics Demoralizes Doctors (Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism Online. 24 May 2005
As far back as 1997, PCIJ published a guide book, Uncovering the Beat: The Real-world Guide to Reporting on Government (Corotan, Gemma Luz, et. al. Manila: Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, 1997). In journalism terms, a beat applies to a special area assigned to reporters (Ramirez, Jaime B. Philippine Journalism Handbook. Caloocan City: National Book Store. 1989. 581). It could be an area, e.g., CAMANAVA (CAloocan, MAlabon, NAvotas, VAlenzuela), or a government office, e.g., the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG). In the book’s Foreword, it mentions the specific objective which is “to aid harassed journalists being sent out to the beat and made to report on key issues and crucial events, often with scarce preparation” (Corotan, Gemma Luz, et. al. Foreword. Manila: Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, 1997. vii.). The book is divided into eight (8) chapters: Law Enforcement, The Courts, Congress, The Presidency, The Economy, The Environment, Education and Health. These are the beats where most of the biggest news regularly originate.
The most striking subtitle within the book is Looking for Pork in the Congress. The book says that “looking for congressional ‘pork’ is done much the same way that one searches for food: by following its aroma and uncovering the pots that may contain it.” The book posts pertinent questions such as “Does any of this amount go directly to the legislators?,” “Is the ‘pork barrel’ always a bad thing?” and even the meanings of the pork’s fancy names. All questions were answered with clear explanations.
No Matter Who...
With the number of newspapers, magazines and tabloids out in the market, publishers strive to make titles of articles as catchy as possible. A publication may have exclusive coverage about a topic that may appeal to the general reading public yet it may not sell much because when it is placed beside other reading materials, it may not “look and sound” as interesting.
In keeping with the Center’s vision to be a catalyst for consensus that would redound to the promotion of public welfare, PCIJ published the book The Child with a Fish for a Twin (Or How not to Write about Children) (Balgos, Cecile. Manila: Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, 2001.). The title is deliberately unorthodox to arouse interest on an otherwise uncontroversial yet important issue, the plight of Filipino children. “Ang kabataan ang pag-asa sa kinabukasan,” goes the cliché. It is ironic how little attention is given to children by the media and the government alike.
The United Nations’ most recent statistics (“United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals Indicators.” United Nations in the Philippines. 26 August 2006
The limited time allotted in gathering data and writing the story means less quality interviews and field research which results to inaccurate news reports. In addition, the primary source of information, the children, are shy and afraid of strangers. To urge the readers who will access the book to spring into action and to be actively involved in improving the living conditions of the children, the book has a directory of government agencies, local and international non-government organizations (NGOs) which they can approach to report injustice committed against children. It also has selected definitions and statistics to further explain terminologies used in the book.
No Matter What...
PCIJ will always be associated with serious, hard-hitting reports which “promote investigative reporting on current issues in the Philippine society.” In addition, it also contributes to promote investigative reporting on “matters of large public interest.” Taking the Filipino culture into account, how Filipinos enjoy a good laugh even through trying times, PCIJ also published Joke ni Erap: A Jokebook to Support Serious Journalism (Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism. Manila: PCIJ, 1999.).
This book was in addition to deposed President Erap Estrada’s Eraption series which he published during the 1998 presidential election campaign period. Joke ni Erap is a product of global exchange. The accessibility of cyberspace is a good medium for all Pinoys dispersed around the world to unite in noisy humor. On its cover, Joke ni Erap irreverently pointed at both Erap and the decorative head of the carabao in front of the passenger jeep and labeled both as Father of Carabao English. Another line printed on the cover is “A Lady without a Lover is like a Joke without Erapsyon.” This is a direct jest to the common knowledge about Erap’s numerous “wives.” The Foreword of the book is aptly entitled “Why a Jokebook?” Its simple reply is “Why not? When all else fails – even this attempt at an introduction – we can always laugh.”
Journalism with an Impact
One political issue that stands out in my mind is the PEA-Amari scam which marred then President Fidel V. Ramos’ credibility. PCIJ’s report PEA-Amari: The Grandmother of all Scams (Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism Online. 26 August 2006
The key person in the transaction, Justiniano “Bobby” Montano IV is described as an aging playboy named after his grandfather, the strongman who held Cavite in thrall from the 1940s to the 1960. A certain Benito Cuevo is depicted as a cagey, nondescript man in his late 60s… a seedy character. Cuevo owns the International Merchandising and Development Corp., a trading company through which some of the Amari commissions were coursed.
While the report mentioned that it was unfortunate the Senate investigation did not pursue President Ramos’ possible role, it also said that it was clear from the Senate hearings that Malacañang’s blessings went a long way in ensuring the deal’s approval. To substantiate its report, the Center was able to quote Senator Franklin Drilon, Chair of the Senate blue ribbon which investigated the deal. He said, “It’s possible DOJ Secretary Teofisto Guingona, Jr. saw the President’s approval in writing and felt he had to sustain the President’s approval.”
President Ramos was not the only Philippine president who was exposed by the PCIJ. In 2000, the Center published a series of astounding reports about then President Erap Estrada’s close to P1 billion worth of land and houses in some of Metro Manila’s poshest and most exclusive districts. They are entitled, The State of the President’s Finances: Can Erap Explain his Wealth? (July 24-25), The Estrada’s Three Dozen Houses: First Family’s Firm Flouts the Law (August 21-22) and Estrada’s Fronts: Cronies and Attorneys (October 23).
In the article The State of the President’s Finances (Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism Online. 26 August 2006
The Estrada’s Three Dozen Houses (Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism Online. 26 August 2006
The article Estrada’s Fronts: Cronies and Attorneys (Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism Online. 26 August 2006
This series of articles is consistently cited in broadsheet and online publications as the start of the downfall of Estrada’s administration. The top major daily, Philippine Daily Inquirer, was urged to create the Web site Bad Times: Estrada under Siege (http://www.inq7.net/jueteng/) on October, 2000 to gather all published materials about the topic in one site.
The Consequences
As the Center believes that the media should be a catalyst for social debate and consensus by providing the bases for arriving at informed opinions and decisions, it went a step further, shared research techniques and tips on accessing information to its Web viewers. PCIJ equips the citizenry with a channel where they can exchange information and insights through a blog it aptly calls Inside PCIJ. A blog is a Web site that provides a venue for commentaries or news and information about a particular subject (Wikipedia. 26 August 2006
The most commented topic is Palawan Radio Journalist Killed (Inside PCIJ. 22 May 2006
No matter how well-researched and documented articles are, people mentioned within them find ways to stop the Center. On November 5, 2005, the Philippine Daily Inquirer posted on its front page Court Orders 'Libelous' Item Deleted from PCIJ Website. The article is about the stand-off between the controversial “Hello, Garci” digital audio engineer Jonathan Tiongco and the PCIJ. The Center received the first legal action and first temporary restraining order (TRO) issued against a blog in the Philippines. In April, 2006, The Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (Center for Media Freedom Online 26 August 2006
We tell it like it is… No matter who… No matter what… Journalism with an Impact
The Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism is able to publish hard-hitting articles because its funding is beholden neither to media owners nor advertisers. The Center is able to maintain its credibility and to hold the interest of the reading and viewing public about an issue because reports cite specific cases together with the complete names of people involved. It also urges the citizenry to be actively involved as it collates and presents pertinent information about offices and organizations that are handling specific cases. Mass media has the power to arouse the interest of the public regarding a topic which may be of national importance yet considered to have little appeal depending on the presentation of the subject matter.
Journalism with an impact means opening the minds of the people to questioning the state of affairs of the nation. The Center even went as far as sharing coverage techniques so the public can be involved in searching for the truth and not passively accepting reports seen on the television, heard on the radio or read in the papers. As a result, the boundaries of the role of the media were pushed to provide the venue where opinions may be exchanged. This should still be responsibly regulated by the owners of the forum, however, so as not to lose sight of the original focus. As new ways of expressing opinions are introduced, some legal boundaries may be tested. These are all consequences of searching for the truth by the inquisitive minds that are presented with fascinating evidences.
Analyzing the Analysis
Analyzing the Analysis
(Book Review on News for Sale:
The Corruption & Commercialization of the Philippine Media 2004 Edition)
The Corruption & Commercialization of the Philippine Media 2004 Edition)
News for Sale: The Corruption & Commercialization of the Philippines Media (2004 edition) was written by Chay Florentino-Hofileña to document the psychology of Philippine elections and make the reader understand the interplay between politics and media in these times. In addition, the author aimed to present solutions to the existing situations which happened during the previous election period in the Philippines by involving the government, the media and the voting public.
The public expects media to deliver without bias the news regarding events of national interest especially the coverage of elections. The book documents how things were done in the past to establish that corruption in Philippine media started during the reign of President Ramon Magsaysay. One chapter is dedicated to each of the biggest media forms - television, radio and print. These chapters show that power and fear are the strongest motivations why politicians and media people perform their corruptive acts. The acts of the few good men are also mentioned to show that, provided the media person and the publisher/station manager stood by their convictions, buying media can still be reduced, if not totally eliminated.
Considering the title of the book, it shows what should be expected in the content. The cover which shows a cartoon illustration of how media people are usually depicted, i.e., wearing vests on top of shirts, one of them with a laptop, one with a sling bag holding a microphone, and the other one holding a video camera. They neatly fall in line. It is disturbing to note that a hand is putting money into the tops of their heads, which are opened by them willingly. The first and last persons in the line are partially hidden, giving the illusion that it is the practice, it has gone on for some time and will continue on for who knows when. It is also disheartening to note that no one is making them fall in line, no one resists falling in line and no one is doing anything to stop it.
The Editor’s Note establishes the credibility of the book by telling the measures on how the information presented were collated. It also mentions the goal of the book, to document how corruption is institutionalized during election period. Since this is a revised edition, it gives a brief history of what can be found in the previous edition through a summary, and gradually paced into the revised edition. It is a good teaser on what to expect in the book. It presents the reasons behind the events. It shows how political machineries fed on the need of TV and radio executives, and newspaper editors to gain profit. It also showed how corruption is legitimized in all media forms during elections. Another goal of the book is to educate the public of the laws which should be referred to in the given situations. It shows the public’s responsibilities in strategic places.
Throughout the book, it is apparent that the motivation of the people who do these malpractices is fear, i.e., fear of what politicians can do to media people and fear of what media people can do to candidates’ images. The book gives detailed accounts of events which actually happened, mentions big names in Philippine media and politics. When the source declined to be identified, the book establishes his/her credibility by mentioning the position held or roles played in certain circumstances.
Hofileña employs a consistent form of writing. She gives an overview of what to expect in all subtopics and since I have been reading it critically, it leads me to pose questions. I have consistently found the answers to them. However, Hofileña is fond of using “mental quotes.” At first, it appears witty but since she uses it abundantly, it makes me feel that she has left too many matters for the readers’ inference. The book also quotes political analysts’ insights, though they remain unnamed.
As the topic is corruption, Hofileña mentions the exceptions to the rule, those who did the right things and what happened to them as well. She mentions the faults of press people, how rampant corruption is, with detailed accounts of events in Metro Manila, but that is understandable considering the Philippines’ political set-up. Some accounts were brief glimpses of what have happened which makes me almost want to read the source articles. (If I had the time, maybe I would look for the books mentioned in the End Notes.) Since many statistics come from surveys, the author uses different sources of statistics.
Hofileña also shows the importance of the print and TV station’s management’s support when reporters are pushed against the wall regarding some issues, how Chino Roces, then Manila Times publisher and then young business reporter Satur Ocampo, dealt with a threatening situation and how the daily BusinessWorld deals with it on a consistent basis. Even if reporters stand by their convictions, they are powerless when big people approach the bosses.
Chapter Two is entitled Television Is King. It establishes the reach of television in terms of audience in comparison to other media forms, hence the title. It shows how politicians use TV so they will be remembered best. I agree with the writer that since the reporters, the incumbent and those seeking positions are in constant contact, it sometimes makes it hard when to draw the line between friendships and official matters. This is still not a valid justification in seeing wrong things as acceptable, at the very least. The book humanizes media people in an objective manner.
In the same chapter, I almost wanted to skip the passages where Lolit Solis is cited as the source of information because I doubt her credibility considering the many scandals she gets in to. However, since it covers four pages, I was forced to pore over it. In the end, I was enlightened that she was a good source considering she managed big celebrities such as Lorna Tolentino, Christopher de Leon and Judy Ann Santos, among others, who were endorsers of politicians in election times. It also shows the effects when showbiz and politics mingle, how a taboo practice in political beat reporting such as distribution of envelopes with money is widely accepted in the entertainment world.
Another personality which held my interest was Loren Legarda. Her ways of swaying reporters to her side stood out to me because she used to be part of the media that she tries to buy off. Instead of taking the lead on correcting the wrongdoings, she was a victim as well of the system of bribery in order to secure her place in politics.
The chapter Airwaves for Sale is another striking matter for me. Here, the radio players are the ones who approach politicians so they would buy air time in “bargain and discounted” prices. As all candidates have media strategists, it shows how the appropriate medium grooms the right image for a politician.
The last media form discussed is Paying for Print. It shows that processes and standards in place in a system are the best recourses to fight off corruption as it boils down to consulting the right document when one is in doubt. A Glossary of Media Corruption is documented at the end of the chapter.
On the whole, the book is depressing to read because it presents the harsh realities during elections. The last chapter presents welcome topics as it shows the measures put in place by the media to set as standards and guidelines to curb the wrong processes. The solutions presented are realistic as it calls for the accountability of the government, media and the voting public. Enforcing these measures is the hard part as it goes against the “rules laid out by traditions.”
Learning in Theory and in Practice
I really want to update this blog on a regular basis. However, sometimes, life is boring. As I was racking my brain thinking of things to write about, it hit me that I may post the articles I wrote in class which earned me respectable grades. Here's one...
Learning in Theory and in Practice
Digital technologies provide the fastest means to access and disseminate data that eventually become information and knowledge, depending on an individual’s level of interest and expertise. The geographical location where data resides is no longer an issue because members of social groups and occupational worlds can conveniently share resources anytime anywhere. This does not guarantee, however, that individual members of a group working collectively are easily dispensable as they know how to effectively turn information to knowledge in a particular organizational setup.
Brown & Duguid describe information as independent, thus, more or less self-sufficient. However, unless information, in the form of data, is transformed into knowledge, through the “appropriate application of the appropriate technology for the appropriate situation,” it is completely useless. Thus, knowledge management is possible through the use of “flexible electricity-based technologies that converge all previous media forms into a common form” (McLuhan).
In spite of this, it is still the culture within organizations which mold people into ideal knowers of knowledge. Brown & Duguid mentioned that “in areas where knowledge really counts, people count more than ever” as they know how to work within the culture. In an organizational setup, new workers can be trained on how to work within a system but it takes time to orient and train individuals on how to access the information they need. It takes time to develop good camaraderie among individuals with different personalities that need to collaborate to efficiently exchange knowledge and information. Information technology provides the means for members to communicate indirectly but “changes propagate easily and allows for highly productive and creative work to develop collaboratively, where reciprocity is strong.” This is because knowledge “entails a knower’s understanding and a certain degree of commitment.” In any given situation, a concerned knower who has spent years within an organization can easily recall related events which happened in the past that has bearing on the present situation. This knowledge; can serve as guidelines on formulating effective measures to reach future directions.
For this reason, “blind downsizing by business process reengineering cause organizations to lose ‘collective memory’.” While it is also true that “people learn on their own through picking up information from numerous sources about numerous topics without even becoming a member” as people share little or no common practices in these communities, only a handful of relevant information are accessed. This results in little knowledge, hence, people take little action. In these situations, they can hardly make “a difference that makes a difference” (Bateson).
Positive differences can be easily achieved because geographical location of data is no longer an issue. Digital technologies provide the means to conveniently share resources anytime anywhere. The crucial element that will determine an organization’s failure or success are seasoned individual knowers in a group who work collectively to transform information to knowledge.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
More New Friendships
Friendships always excite me. I’m the type of person who takes ages to warm up to people. However, I find myself easily opening up to people in a meaningful way lately.
My friendship with the biology professor I met in the Singles for Christ-Christian Life Program (SFC-CLP) recently is going stronger. She was truly one of God’s blessings from the start. We had dinner in campus once, actually went out on 2 different weekends to do girly things such as malling and shopping and I even kept her company for breakfast this morning. To think I only knew her on July 21.
I recall how excited we always are when they grouped us for sharing in CLP. By the 4th week, we knew that we would be permanent CLP group mates. I like talking to her because she makes sense and she actually indulges in girl talk. My other friends have already outgrown girl talk. Being with her is always fun.
I have another new friend in campus. Our offices sometimes coordinate on projects once in a while so we know each other by face but never really talked. I only talked to her because my officemates saw her being interviewed on TV. I asked her about it, one question led to another and now I’m actually very open to her about most things I would have kept personal till who knows when?
Friday, September 01, 2006
Proud of my 3.5s
You may say that I am so full of myself today but I am very proud of the grades I got in my 2 Master’s classes!!! Two 3.5s no less!!!
I can say that I pushed myself to the limit because I felt the genuine need to learn. I sincerely wanted to impress both of my professors because they are considered brilliant minds in their professions. I came to classes prepared with answers and most of the times, questions too. I even appreciated the hard work and effort I exerted in both subjects because I actually learned new things. They were the topics which I would have given up reading after the first page, if I didn’t need to pass with decent grades. They used simple English yet the matters discussed were really complicated. I and my classmates actually felt that the school term ended too soon. Just when we mastered the subjects, just when we could discuss most technologies in the lessons discussed, just when all things came into place.
Next term, I imagine all 14 of us students will meet on the first day of class excited to see each other and apprehensive too because both of our professors are well-respected in their fields nationally. Next term, I imagine the camaraderie will pull us through the classes once again as we ask questions we consider hard to answer on our own yet no-brainers to the professor and our other classmates. Next term, I am looking forward to pushing myself to the best of my abilities and who knows, maybe even earn a 4.0 for it?
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
A Day for Small Notes
A message from a good friend:
hi pres! i hope you always keep that smile in your beautiful face and kind heart. keep it up my dear.
In continuation of my last post, here aretext messages regarding my application:
- Cousin, dumaan bos ni digs dto. Malaki chances mo. Sabi ok daw yung babae na taga dlsu. Pero may gusto iba yung vp. D magaling. Ayaw ng panel. Galingan mo next wk.ü
In my growing up years, I only ever saw my dad’s relatives during the summer mostly because we live so far apart. With some of my cousins who are in the same age group as I am, I can be my natural self. I mean, I don’t have to walk on eggs and be extra nice because we all ran after each other in the gardens together, bathe in the “kubota” (rice field irrigation source), slept on swings or the house “silong.”
Friday, August 25, 2006
Thinking Out Loud
Some of my friends say that I always see the silver lining in most situations. In my point of view, as the cliché goes, it’s all a matter of perspective. The glass is either half-empty or half-full. Personally, it’s a matter of choice. I choose to magnify the good things in life while resolving the small issues. For example, I know my brain is not working at optimum level, yet I cannot complain because I comprehend lessons in Master’s classes well and I still have a sunny disposition. It actually takes little to make me happy.
For some reason, the person chosen for the said position declined the job offer. As a result, the office once again posted the job opening. Again, I applied for it by submitting the same set of credentials but this time, I did it half-heartedly only. Mainly because I heard that it was a position co-terminus with the head of the agency. If course I want a permanent position with plantilla. However, this time, I was invited to take the written examination and job interview.
The written exam was divided into five parts, spelling, plural form of nouns, formulating the slogan from a short paragraph, formulating an advertising copy from a technical article, and business report writing. I suddenly remembered why I resigned from business report writing. It takes too much comprehension and analytical skills that at the end of the day, I am physically exhausted that my head literally aches.
During the exam, the office big boss acted like a hostess who felt that we needed to be entertained WHILE taking the exam. She told us some office concerns and surprisingly, she even informed us that her senior staff members conducted the interviews and she just approved of their recommendations.
The following day, the same office insider who informed me of the job opening again told me that I was being considered seriously for the position by the senior staff members who would conduct the interviews. However, their big boss has another preference.
Considering the perks of the position, I am actually thinking seriously about getting in that office. I originally applied for the job because I didn’t want my cousin to think I was ungrateful she informed me of the opening. Now that I know the perks offered by the position, I really want to get that job. I need the financial security it will offer because I have to earn well while I can considering my health.
Thursday, August 17, 2006
Going Through the Classic Student Stages
To say that I had a hectic week is surely an understatement! We had to present our group project as a class requirement. All of us 3 group mates are working so we went through all the classic stages, i.e., the never ending conflicts in schedule, the group mate who needs the adrenaline rush brought on by last SECOND revisions, the personality clashes, you name it, we went through it.
Good camaraderie really works wonders for me. As I an very comfortable with all of my classmates, I was worried not because I had to present in class but because I felt that our product needs to be thought out and developed further. As they say, “All’s well that ends well.”
I’m going through another classic stage. After that one demanding subject, I am relaxing though I still have an equally demanding subject with a deadline next week. I just miss clicking the TV remote control for 30 minutes nonstop looking for a program I’ll be interested, in sleeping in my bed for at least 7 hours, basically just being carefree.
Still, after all that’s said and done, the masochist in me screams that I have accomplished something, the hard work was worth it and I wouldn’t mind going through it all over again.
Good camaraderie really works wonders for me. As I an very comfortable with all of my classmates, I was worried not because I had to present in class but because I felt that our product needs to be thought out and developed further. As they say, “All’s well that ends well.”
I’m going through another classic stage. After that one demanding subject, I am relaxing though I still have an equally demanding subject with a deadline next week. I just miss clicking the TV remote control for 30 minutes nonstop looking for a program I’ll be interested, in sleeping in my bed for at least 7 hours, basically just being carefree.
Still, after all that’s said and done, the masochist in me screams that I have accomplished something, the hard work was worth it and I wouldn’t mind going through it all over again.
Monday, August 14, 2006
Things I Never Knew I Never Knew
My officemate who is taking up MS Info Tech asked the activities we do in MA classes. I told him that in fulfillment of my class requirements, I got to interview a great writer (Pablo S. Gomez), I attended the Urian Awards night, I watched 3 movies and read a great book, among others. As I was recounting these things to him, I was smiling from ear to ear.
He asked me if we didn’t have writing requirements at all. I told him that on the average, we read 150-200 pages a week in order to write a 2-page double-spaced reaction paper in 12 points Times New Roman. I told him that we were also asked to read a whole book in a week’s time and write a review about it. I told him I seldom go out with my friends because I simply don’t have the time.
With his eyebrows joining in a frown, he said he couldn’t understand why he senses genuine joy when I recounted the class activities. That it because, in all honesty, I really enjoy what I’m doing. All my habits are “legitimized” by school requirements, e.g., watching movies and reading books. Getting decent grades for it is just the icing on the cake.
I really like the knowledge I gain in the classes. I love learning about the interplay of communication, culture and technology, looking at technology through sociologists’ eyes, the events in history that shape mass media particularly movie themes, among others. I also like critiquing published books. It makes me feel that I am learning to question printed materials, that had I read at the start of the year, would have accepted as unquestionable facts. My opinions are suddenly validated by my professor, my classmates who are from related but different fields too.
This is my first trimester in Master’s class. I’m 2 weeks away from finishing 2 subjects. With the little knowledge I have gained so far, I honestly feel that I have learned a lot and there are a lot more interesting topics that I will get to know. I’m truly excited to know more things I never knew I never knew.
He asked me if we didn’t have writing requirements at all. I told him that on the average, we read 150-200 pages a week in order to write a 2-page double-spaced reaction paper in 12 points Times New Roman. I told him that we were also asked to read a whole book in a week’s time and write a review about it. I told him I seldom go out with my friends because I simply don’t have the time.
With his eyebrows joining in a frown, he said he couldn’t understand why he senses genuine joy when I recounted the class activities. That it because, in all honesty, I really enjoy what I’m doing. All my habits are “legitimized” by school requirements, e.g., watching movies and reading books. Getting decent grades for it is just the icing on the cake.
I really like the knowledge I gain in the classes. I love learning about the interplay of communication, culture and technology, looking at technology through sociologists’ eyes, the events in history that shape mass media particularly movie themes, among others. I also like critiquing published books. It makes me feel that I am learning to question printed materials, that had I read at the start of the year, would have accepted as unquestionable facts. My opinions are suddenly validated by my professor, my classmates who are from related but different fields too.
This is my first trimester in Master’s class. I’m 2 weeks away from finishing 2 subjects. With the little knowledge I have gained so far, I honestly feel that I have learned a lot and there are a lot more interesting topics that I will get to know. I’m truly excited to know more things I never knew I never knew.
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Reality Bites & Coming Clean
I attended the 2006 Urian Awards last Thursday. My prof gave us admission tickets. I sat behind Eddie Garcia (Urian Lifetime Achievement Awardee) and in front of Robin Padilla (Best Actor) who was with Regine Velasquez that night.
Moving on to Friday... This was one day which had its fair share of ups and downs. I was on leave from the office because of my scheduled neuroscan exam in the afternoon. As instructed, I didn’t take my medicine. I was there in the hospital on time but my neurologist was an hour late which actually turned out to be a blessing.
The test itself took around 20 minutes. My limp returned but not as worse as before the healing mass. After that, he confirmed his initial diagnosis. I have a rare disease that they don’t know much about yet. Needless to say, this brought me down. I was disappointed. The sickness is so rare he got my blood sample, took a video of my movements and made me sign a waiver that said I have no claim whatsoever to the results of the exam. He’ll use it for further research on the disease. He also asked if I could get my cousin to give her blood sample too because she has a related disease.
I mentioned that his lateness was a blessing mainly because I had to rush to the campus to attend the 5:30 pm mass. This gave me no time to think and dwell on his prognosis. I was still late for the mass. After that was the scheduled SFC-CLP. While waiting for it to start, I read my notes for class the next day. I was lined up by my officemate to share the miracle of the healing mass I attended. Due to my disappointment, I begged off. She understood my situation.
I have a new good friend, thanks to the CLP. She’s a professor. We actually hit it off from the first session till now. Since I was surrounded by people and I was listening to the sharing in the CLP, I postponed thinking about my health. I even told all the people present there to watch the Urian that will be aired that night.
When I got home, I watched the Urian on TV. Thoughts about the diagnosis entered my mind but I was successful in putting it off till after the program. Then I had no reason to postpone thinking about it any longer. I honestly can’t remember the thoughts which entered my mind then but I can recall the acute sadness I felt that night.
Before I went to sleep, the miraculous things which happened to me the past few days dawned on me:
1. I was able to attend the healing mass and walked as normal as I can for 3 days.
2. I was able to consult with the country's top movement disorder specialist.
3. All my medical-related expenses were cut dramatically.
4. I heard all the right encouragements to get me through this series of events with a positive outlook.
I slept feeling a bit better. I thought, maybe, I have this sickness so I may contribute to further study about it. Call it philosophizing but I felt I was serving a higher purpose. I got to sleep feeling a bit better.
COMING CLEAN
Today is Monday. I told 4 more people about my sickness. This is a real record-breaker for me. I usually keep these kinds of matters to myself. I don’t even answer direct questions about my limp. Talking about it over and over again throughout the day served as my catharsis. After the last person I told, I was so fed up with my medical history I just wanted to just get on with my life as usual.
Moving on to Friday... This was one day which had its fair share of ups and downs. I was on leave from the office because of my scheduled neuroscan exam in the afternoon. As instructed, I didn’t take my medicine. I was there in the hospital on time but my neurologist was an hour late which actually turned out to be a blessing.
The test itself took around 20 minutes. My limp returned but not as worse as before the healing mass. After that, he confirmed his initial diagnosis. I have a rare disease that they don’t know much about yet. Needless to say, this brought me down. I was disappointed. The sickness is so rare he got my blood sample, took a video of my movements and made me sign a waiver that said I have no claim whatsoever to the results of the exam. He’ll use it for further research on the disease. He also asked if I could get my cousin to give her blood sample too because she has a related disease.
I mentioned that his lateness was a blessing mainly because I had to rush to the campus to attend the 5:30 pm mass. This gave me no time to think and dwell on his prognosis. I was still late for the mass. After that was the scheduled SFC-CLP. While waiting for it to start, I read my notes for class the next day. I was lined up by my officemate to share the miracle of the healing mass I attended. Due to my disappointment, I begged off. She understood my situation.
I have a new good friend, thanks to the CLP. She’s a professor. We actually hit it off from the first session till now. Since I was surrounded by people and I was listening to the sharing in the CLP, I postponed thinking about my health. I even told all the people present there to watch the Urian that will be aired that night.
When I got home, I watched the Urian on TV. Thoughts about the diagnosis entered my mind but I was successful in putting it off till after the program. Then I had no reason to postpone thinking about it any longer. I honestly can’t remember the thoughts which entered my mind then but I can recall the acute sadness I felt that night.
Before I went to sleep, the miraculous things which happened to me the past few days dawned on me:
1. I was able to attend the healing mass and walked as normal as I can for 3 days.
2. I was able to consult with the country's top movement disorder specialist.
3. All my medical-related expenses were cut dramatically.
4. I heard all the right encouragements to get me through this series of events with a positive outlook.
I slept feeling a bit better. I thought, maybe, I have this sickness so I may contribute to further study about it. Call it philosophizing but I felt I was serving a higher purpose. I got to sleep feeling a bit better.
COMING CLEAN
Today is Monday. I told 4 more people about my sickness. This is a real record-breaker for me. I usually keep these kinds of matters to myself. I don’t even answer direct questions about my limp. Talking about it over and over again throughout the day served as my catharsis. After the last person I told, I was so fed up with my medical history I just wanted to just get on with my life as usual.
Thursday, August 03, 2006
An Angel Wrapped in a Different Package
It seems that angels just keep on making their presence felt most especially in this trying time of my life.
My present neurologist told me that the test he would like to make me go through costs a considerable amount. It popped into my mind that I could course it through the health care provider. The thing is, I had to go back to the first neurologist I consulted. He wasn’t really bad. He just didn’t like explaining things which were happening to me. In short, he was a snob.
As expected, the first thing he asked me was why I never returned to him when he specifically told me to consult with him monthly. I decided to come clean at once. I told him I sought 2nd and 3rd opinions and that they had similar diagnosis. He didn’t miss the chance to point it out to me. Good thing I was in a light mood and just grinned and bore.
He told me that the health care provider might not be able to finance the exam I should go through because it was too expensive. He gave me a recommendation anyway. Guess what? My payable was reduced to a mere 13% of the total amount. In short, my snob neurologist turned out to be ANGEL NUMBER 1 of the day.
I went to my neurologist during office hours. I told my supervisor all my health concerns. He was very supportive. He allowed me to go. I planned to be out for 4 hours at most. However, because of the long lines, I was able to go back to the office after 5 hours. Because I felt that I reported for less than the 4 hours required for my attendance to be considered half-day at least, I just filed for an unscheduled vacation leave for the day. My supervisor told me that we should consult it with our office director. They were both very understanding, ANGELS NUMBER 2 and 3. Don’t get me wrong, these 2 people are angels in all aspects.
Life is always good. God is always good. Blessings are everywhere. We just need to be receptive to the blessings that come our way. Just because we don’t like the packaging, doesn’t mean it will not work itself out for the best.
My present neurologist told me that the test he would like to make me go through costs a considerable amount. It popped into my mind that I could course it through the health care provider. The thing is, I had to go back to the first neurologist I consulted. He wasn’t really bad. He just didn’t like explaining things which were happening to me. In short, he was a snob.
As expected, the first thing he asked me was why I never returned to him when he specifically told me to consult with him monthly. I decided to come clean at once. I told him I sought 2nd and 3rd opinions and that they had similar diagnosis. He didn’t miss the chance to point it out to me. Good thing I was in a light mood and just grinned and bore.
He told me that the health care provider might not be able to finance the exam I should go through because it was too expensive. He gave me a recommendation anyway. Guess what? My payable was reduced to a mere 13% of the total amount. In short, my snob neurologist turned out to be ANGEL NUMBER 1 of the day.
I went to my neurologist during office hours. I told my supervisor all my health concerns. He was very supportive. He allowed me to go. I planned to be out for 4 hours at most. However, because of the long lines, I was able to go back to the office after 5 hours. Because I felt that I reported for less than the 4 hours required for my attendance to be considered half-day at least, I just filed for an unscheduled vacation leave for the day. My supervisor told me that we should consult it with our office director. They were both very understanding, ANGELS NUMBER 2 and 3. Don’t get me wrong, these 2 people are angels in all aspects.
Life is always good. God is always good. Blessings are everywhere. We just need to be receptive to the blessings that come our way. Just because we don’t like the packaging, doesn’t mean it will not work itself out for the best.
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
Me and My Angels
When it rains it pours. Sure, I have my own share of problems nowadays but God made it up to me yesterday by giving me blessings even before I asked for them. Since all the friends I have now have passed my criteria for friendship, they were elevated a notch higher yesterday. Hence, they were transformed as my personal angels.
ANGEL NUMBER 1is literally an angel. She is barely three months old. Her parents were worried about her because she had seizures a few days ago. This baby angel’s grandma heard in a mass that a priest would officiate a healing mass the following day. This baby’s aunt, my officemate, remembered me and called me up at once.
Hence, ANGEL NUMBER 2 is my officemate. My officemate reminded me that since it would be a healing mass, the only thing I can hold on to, should I attend it, is my strong faith.. I attended it, partially because I thought that my sickness has no cure and faith is all I can hold on to.
ANGEL NUMBER 3 is a Filipino priest. He is known the world over as an instrument of Christ through his healing masses. He emphasized over and over again that it is the faith of the people that heals them and he is just a vessel.
Many miracles were performed through him on that day. Believe me when I say that more than 10 people who got around with assistance and in wheelchairs were able to walk unaided after the priest touched them. Just witnessing those were enough to make anybody feel God’s warm and loving presence.
Though the crowd gathered around him, I was able to tell him about my limp and he simply told me, it would go away. Lo and behold! My walk improved significantly immediately after. My limp was almost gone as I was on my way home. I was even bold enough to skip my scheduled medicine intake.
I was scheduled to consult a different neurologist that day. As I assessed I was completely healed, I cancelled my appointment with him. I told ANGEL NUMBER 4, another friend, about everything. She wisely told me to go to my doctor’s appointment. Thank God, I followed her advice. However, I should back out a little, before I continue with this story.
At the beginning, when no doctors who could identify my sickness, I searched for a Filipino neurologist and I saw one US-based who has cured disorders like mine. I e-mailed him and told him about my limp. He replied after more than a month and told me that he would come to the Philippines. He also informed me that I might like to attend a support group session with members composing of people like me. (I later found out that he was the founder of the support group meeting I attended.)
So I attended the session and set up a consultation schedule with ANGEL NUMBER 5, my neurologist. The appointment was set on the afternoon of the healing mass. This neurologist advocated the Robin Hood mentality though with a modern twist. He determines his consultation fee according to the financial capacity of the patient. He was very thorough in his tests. All in all, the way he performed his tests and the way he talked about the support group, I felt that he was genuinely happy in helping the people who come to him and he is deeply concerned with all the people he was attending to.
When I went home, I called up my closest friends, my FLOCK OF ANGELS, to tell them the best news about me in a long time. I was surprised to find out that they were all praying hard for my well-being. They prayed for me silently because they didn’t want me to worry much about my condition. Needless to say, my heart was revitalized. I cannot recall the number of times I cried on July 31, 2006. It was a truly magically blessed day.
ANGEL NUMBER 1is literally an angel. She is barely three months old. Her parents were worried about her because she had seizures a few days ago. This baby angel’s grandma heard in a mass that a priest would officiate a healing mass the following day. This baby’s aunt, my officemate, remembered me and called me up at once.
Hence, ANGEL NUMBER 2 is my officemate. My officemate reminded me that since it would be a healing mass, the only thing I can hold on to, should I attend it, is my strong faith.. I attended it, partially because I thought that my sickness has no cure and faith is all I can hold on to.
ANGEL NUMBER 3 is a Filipino priest. He is known the world over as an instrument of Christ through his healing masses. He emphasized over and over again that it is the faith of the people that heals them and he is just a vessel.
Many miracles were performed through him on that day. Believe me when I say that more than 10 people who got around with assistance and in wheelchairs were able to walk unaided after the priest touched them. Just witnessing those were enough to make anybody feel God’s warm and loving presence.
Though the crowd gathered around him, I was able to tell him about my limp and he simply told me, it would go away. Lo and behold! My walk improved significantly immediately after. My limp was almost gone as I was on my way home. I was even bold enough to skip my scheduled medicine intake.
I was scheduled to consult a different neurologist that day. As I assessed I was completely healed, I cancelled my appointment with him. I told ANGEL NUMBER 4, another friend, about everything. She wisely told me to go to my doctor’s appointment. Thank God, I followed her advice. However, I should back out a little, before I continue with this story.
At the beginning, when no doctors who could identify my sickness, I searched for a Filipino neurologist and I saw one US-based who has cured disorders like mine. I e-mailed him and told him about my limp. He replied after more than a month and told me that he would come to the Philippines. He also informed me that I might like to attend a support group session with members composing of people like me. (I later found out that he was the founder of the support group meeting I attended.)
So I attended the session and set up a consultation schedule with ANGEL NUMBER 5, my neurologist. The appointment was set on the afternoon of the healing mass. This neurologist advocated the Robin Hood mentality though with a modern twist. He determines his consultation fee according to the financial capacity of the patient. He was very thorough in his tests. All in all, the way he performed his tests and the way he talked about the support group, I felt that he was genuinely happy in helping the people who come to him and he is deeply concerned with all the people he was attending to.
When I went home, I called up my closest friends, my FLOCK OF ANGELS, to tell them the best news about me in a long time. I was surprised to find out that they were all praying hard for my well-being. They prayed for me silently because they didn’t want me to worry much about my condition. Needless to say, my heart was revitalized. I cannot recall the number of times I cried on July 31, 2006. It was a truly magically blessed day.
Friday, July 28, 2006
SMS Friendship
Personally, I think the second greatest invention of all time is the cell phone. (This is next to the computer, of course). Nowadays, being updated on what’s happening to a friend in distant shores is as simple as sending an instant text message that will be received in real time. Text messages brought me closer to friends. Across the miles, SMS are creative ways of saying hi, instrumental in bringing the essence of good news that would have taken a long time were it discussed via a landline phone, and patching things up with friends after a heated discussion. (These are what I can recall from the top of my head).
There are times when a friend and I, who resides abroad, have heated arguments through SMS. Usually, we just let each other cool down and communicate when we have better dispositions. This can take as short as one day or as long as three months, depending on the issues we disagreed on. However, lately, the pattern has grown old, at least for me. We’ve fallen into this situation countless times. There are instances when we argue about the same issue over and over again. The new aspect of the arguments is the different characters involved.
Some say we don’t see eye-to-eye on most topics because that person has low EQ (emotional quotient). It actually makes sense. I sometimes find it hard to explain the most basic concepts of friendship to that person. The effort to keep the friendship is there, at least on his part. He tries his best for us to reconcile but I have given up on the thought that we will have a mature friendship with the passing of time. Come to think of it, we never really got along well even when we were in the same country. I sincerely feel that mere SMS can’t repair our damaged friendship.
There are times when a friend and I, who resides abroad, have heated arguments through SMS. Usually, we just let each other cool down and communicate when we have better dispositions. This can take as short as one day or as long as three months, depending on the issues we disagreed on. However, lately, the pattern has grown old, at least for me. We’ve fallen into this situation countless times. There are instances when we argue about the same issue over and over again. The new aspect of the arguments is the different characters involved.
Some say we don’t see eye-to-eye on most topics because that person has low EQ (emotional quotient). It actually makes sense. I sometimes find it hard to explain the most basic concepts of friendship to that person. The effort to keep the friendship is there, at least on his part. He tries his best for us to reconcile but I have given up on the thought that we will have a mature friendship with the passing of time. Come to think of it, we never really got along well even when we were in the same country. I sincerely feel that mere SMS can’t repair our damaged friendship.
Thursday, July 27, 2006
My Latest "Advocacy"
I attended the Singles for Christ Christian Life Program (SFC CLP) last Friday. Usually, attendees stay after the session to interact with each other. Since I was in Cinemalaya the day before, I couldn’t help but share my latest “advocacy” to support Philippine digital cinema.
I told them to try seeing Philippine digital cinema films because I personally saw their quality. I suppose there will always be films of poorer quality but because they have already been selected from a pool of choices, they are few and far between. On the whole, the event was very organized. Even Laurice Guillen commented that this is even better than the first Cinemalaya held last year.
This is not my first time to “support an advocacy.” In the past, I was obsessed with the environment because of all the flooding in Metro Manila every time heavy rains occur. Then I attended a forum about the sorry state of Philippine tourism. I personally became a “local tourist” with my friends who enjoyed the outdoors as well.
After a while, my friend and I enjoyed watching stage plays especially when Lea Salonga acted in the lead role. To say that I watched stage plays weekly was not an exaggeration then. Now, it’s Philippine independent digital cinema. I honestly don’t know how long I will have this advocacy. All I know is, more independent filmmakers continue to produce good movies and since me and my friends are movie buffs, this is a chance to enjoy seeing movies while supporting a worthwhile cause.
I told them to try seeing Philippine digital cinema films because I personally saw their quality. I suppose there will always be films of poorer quality but because they have already been selected from a pool of choices, they are few and far between. On the whole, the event was very organized. Even Laurice Guillen commented that this is even better than the first Cinemalaya held last year.
This is not my first time to “support an advocacy.” In the past, I was obsessed with the environment because of all the flooding in Metro Manila every time heavy rains occur. Then I attended a forum about the sorry state of Philippine tourism. I personally became a “local tourist” with my friends who enjoyed the outdoors as well.
After a while, my friend and I enjoyed watching stage plays especially when Lea Salonga acted in the lead role. To say that I watched stage plays weekly was not an exaggeration then. Now, it’s Philippine independent digital cinema. I honestly don’t know how long I will have this advocacy. All I know is, more independent filmmakers continue to produce good movies and since me and my friends are movie buffs, this is a chance to enjoy seeing movies while supporting a worthwhile cause.
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