Catching up

There are so many things to write about and to blog about here, albeit I find the time as a blocking body that inhibits me to blog, or maybe it’s just me who does not find time to blog and to share various experiences.  I’ve been inactive in the blogging sphere for almost two months already. Well, I have reasons which range from academics to personal. I was very busy finishing my thesis and doing so many projects, and taking exams in the previous months. What makes me busy now is job hunting. I should’ve written all my experiences from various interviews and exams from different companies and from bunch of industries. I have a lot of interesting stories to share, but I guess those narratives are reserved for upcoming pages here.

Academics. I was very busy perusing piles of reading materials for my classes last semester, particularly for my thesis. It must admit that doing thesis is problematic when you have different perspective in your initial proposal to the time you finish your final draft. Exams were suicidal when productions and written exams collide in a week- this means that you have to write script, shoot you video materials, and edit your footages, and then you have to read and review for another exam. Imagine this cycle in just one night. Yes, in just one sleepless night. To those who are belittling my course, the hell with you. This seems easy for you, but heck my school is UP Mass Comm and we experience doing these things over and over again.

Personal. This category should have been sorted from extracurricular activities to more personal activities, or not. I am currently the Master Councilor of DeMolay Pangasinan and I have to manage our organization to meet our objectives for this term. We have to do projects, meet, and drink- the last one is optional. Aside from this, I have this more personal sphere of my life, which covers my love life and my family life. I wanted to spend more time here, but due to some constraints such as the academics, what I want is usually not met. So I have to make time for those missed times with Lyle and family.

Job hunting. I have a DeMolay brother who called me one night and asked if I am already employed. This is because his sister who happen to graduate cum Laude, too with a degree in Tourism is not yet hired. I told him that I am just waiting for calls. He was worried that even Laudes in the premiere university in the country is not automatically hired. I told him that maybe it was before, but now with more competitive graduates but less job openings, the only edge that UP graduates have is their ideologies and independence, and these things are not absorbed in school rather these are learned in the process of learning while in school.

My series of fortunate events in job hunting will be shared later here. I have to prepare to go in UP, and this time to get my graduation photos. Ask me who’s excited to get these documents- of course, my parents. The story of my graduation will also be told here, but I guess not now. Chao!

Construction On-going: Thesis Proposal

This is the most awesome academic paper that I should produce as a media scholar. I should. I must. I am a few hours away before the deadline and presentation of our baby thesis in class. But here I am still doing cram works again. I hope everything will be into proper place. I cannot afford to have another low grade for this. I can't afford to loose hope. I can't afford to mess up with my post-graduation plans.

I wish myself and my classmates great luck! We can do this!

Paraan

Isang mensahe ng pagka-abala. Nag-abalang mag-blog sa gitna ng nag-gigitgitang mga iskedyul ng exam at mahahabang readings na dapat ay kasalukyan ko nang binabasa.

Dropping no more

Maybe it is not yet my time really to drop an academic subject. I hope I won't drop any. Aside from it's a waste of money because of the tuition fee you paid for that subject, it's also not good to look at a transcript with a "DRP" as a grade, and also, as what my mom told me, my efforts will just be wasted.

This morning, I decided to wake up early and attend my supposed last day in my Broadcast Criticism class, so I arrived earlier than what I used to do in class. My partner Wang called my name as I move towards the Media Center, so I waited for her. She told me that she was already decided and that she was going to drop the subject. I told her that I am not yet sure about it. I told her that we need to wait for our professor first.

Our professor came late. When he arrived, we presented her our the blue form which is the dropping slip. He told us that he cannot convince us anymore because he already talked to us yesterday. He said he will give us another chance because even if he signs the form, the standing will still be a passing mark. He told the class about our plans and that I feel so embarrassed, but on a second thought why would I be if I have a solid reason and I believe that my point is a big argument.

So Wang and I waited until the class ended, which ended at Aldaba Hall for a talk. As we were walking towards the venue, Wang told me that she was unsure but doesn't want to drop. I told her that I also don't want to drop, seeing Sir Eli and also my professor Sir Choy as the lights that can guide me to surpass this academic tunnel.

We told our professor that we won't drop. He accepted it and that he told us that he expects so much from us being the ones who want to quit the journey.

Before today, we already consulted with him. He said that if the only reason for us to drop his subject is because we think we can't do it, then we are already judging our capabilities and that we already belittles our intelligence because as early as now, according to Sir Choy, we are already giving up. He said that if we will quit now, what more when we already have our thesis, and when we have jobs already, will we be able to tell our bosses that we cannot do it and then quit?

Sir Choy does not really know the reason why we wanted to drop. I think it is good for him to know the other reason. And I believe that it is also for our benefit to just keep it between Wang and I. At least, our religious faith is not totally damaged because of our professor.

As Tatay Louie said during our conversation with him earlier today,

 "Iba ang edukasyon dito sa UP. Matitindig ka talaga at masusubukan ang mga paniniwala at prinsipyo mo. Hindi tulad sa ibang paaralan na negosyo lang ang habol sa mga estudyante at papadaanin ka lang nila tapos graduation na. Dito hindi. Kahit na ako, maraming natutunan sa mga propesor dito."

Anyway, I do appreciate my classmates, especially Stan, Camille, Red, Yvan, Jossa, and other friends who encouraged me and Wang to not drop the course. Thanks guys!

Reasons left

There are only two reasons why I am so much interested in this class.

First, the fact that I am interested to study the web and the internet.

Second, the much-caring and a great professor.

The rest, I do not care at all.

Junior year- second semester

Lately I have been thinking why am I being so unproductive this semester.
I realized that the nightly cramming of papers and reviewing of exams has never been this traumatic than ever before. I don not know if it is me who is having problems or is it just really because of me.
I am bothered by this. I hope by next year I will not reach this kind of academic tension and stress.
Oh, please. Junior year- second semester, are you really this hard?

Early Productivity

I know the tile seems bizarre but I am happy though I am so sleepy now. I already did in advance a paper which is a major requirement in my BC 181 or broadcast criticism class. I thought it was due today but thankfully my professor postponed it and said we need to have a break with all the theories we just discussed. Goodness, I only finished three and a half of the required four to five pages. Now I can research more on my topic. I woke up three minutes earlier than what I set up on my alarm. I finished my paper at eight in the morning. Thought it was a slow process due to the fact that I needed to keep myself awake.

Now I am at the library of the College of Mass Communication for me to do another requirement, this time for my Communication 150 or internet studies class. I hope I can finish this one as early as possible for em to have plenty of time to take a sleep.

AUGUST 1991: The WEBvolution begins

Photo available here. Used here non-commercially, for academic purposes only.

                   I found it interesting that eight days before I came out from my mother’s womb on the 14^th day of August in 1991, Sir Tim Berners-Lee publicly introduced the World Wide Web or the WWW[1]. The World Wide Web is made out of billions of data such as documents, photos, music, videos, that were interconnected by to computers all around the world, enabling the users to share files whenever and wherever they may be. [2]  It is quite intimidating to know that the web’s years of existence is the same as my existence in the world.

                I say intimidating because during the first class meeting on the 9^th of November in our Communication 150 class, I realized that we encountered the web and the internet late for our age, and in our generation. For my case, I first encountered the web when I was a 6^th grader when we were tasked to search for something for our subject back then. Yes, it was 2004 and the web was 13 years old already and again, yes, I was also 13 then.  

                Looking at how the web started, you may not even believe that the proposal was at first doubted by the boss of Sir Tim burners-Lee, yet the success is truly significant in the lives of the people in the current century. This is an excerpt from an interview to Sir Berners-Lee by Dr. Aleks Krotoski wherein the web inventor showed how happy he was upon the first flight of the web on the 6^th of August, 1991 as shown in the TV series produced by the BBC entitled The Virtual Revolution[3];

“I get it all wired up then that was the big switch… through the switch the lights went on… and that was the web taking off across the world. People started to log on and typing hypertext and I could feel the power of all these links spreading across the planet and we just have to hold on tight… and a call came from BBC… to cover the incredible uptake.”

               

                Although looking at how big the impact of the web in our life today, it is still seen as not encompassing some of the traditional media such as the television and the radio.[4] But I think it is because as compared to the traditional media, the new media is younger when it comes to the domination aspect. Because looking at it, as young as it may be, the influence and the impact it has made to the people is much bigger than that of other media.  

                As a “Digital Native” or as a person who is born and raised in a world of digitalization, as what John Palfrey and Urs Gasser called it in their book Born Digital[5], I am happy how our life has become more comfortable especially in doing academic works wherein a single click may lead to thousands of ideas ready to be acquired online.  It has also broadened our horizons because what was difficult to achieve before is now a single search away, even in our capabilities on doing some things such as buying expensive books and music. My mother would always tell me that I am blessed having such gadgets and internet because I can chat with and see our relatives who are miles away from us, virtually.

                If the web has its good sides, it is undeniable that it has also bad sides. The most important is the privacy of the individual who publishes almost everything on the internet. According to my professor in my English 30 or my English for the Profession class, Prof. Dr. Helen L.  Lopez when I asked her if I can publish my written output made in class online, she was against the thought of publishing it online. She said that my privacy can be intruded and that the paper I wrote might get criticisms and if other finds it unworthy to be published, then my reputation and also the University’s reputation might be ruined. I was unable to express my point to her. I believe that the web gives an opportunity for us to express ourselves and to let others know what we think or what our opinions are on certain issues.

                According to Stan Yee, our culture now is a “share everything” culture wherein the private data about us is easily disclosed to public which in turn might be subjected to exploitation and abuse[6].  I believe that it also relies on the information that you are sharing online and the settings you establish on the media or channel that you are publishing it on.

                Even there are negative sides on using the web as a medium on expressing yourself, I am still happy that the internet and the web help everything from doing a simple to the most complex actions, easy. And even though I was born with the month and the year when the web was also born, I can say that as I grow old with it, I get to study how it evolves and how it can deeply penetrate the lives of the people particularly its users- the very fact that we are of the same age helps. In short, I am part of making and even witnessing how it evolves!

               

               

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[1] “Internet History” available at Computer Hope website at http://www.computerhope.com/history/internet.htm; Internet, accessed 9 November 2010.

[2] “WWW” available at the Computer Hope website at http://www.computerhope.com/jargon/w/www.htm; Internet , accessed 9 November 2010.

[3] The Virtual revolution is documentary series which has four episodes. It was presented by Dr. Aleks Krotoski. For more information, check the website of the series at http://www.bbc.co.uk/virtualrevolution/.

[4] “ Is the Web the ultimate propaganda machine?” available at Dr. Aleks Krotoski’s website at http://alekskrotoski.com/post/event-digifest-is-the-web-the-ultimate-propaganda-machine; Internet, accessed 11 November 2010.

[5] “About the Book” available at the Born Digital website at http://borndigitalbook.com/about.php; Internet, accessed 15 November 2010.

[6] “Are You Checking In- or Out?” in Reader’s Digest Asia’s Guide Tech section, November 2010, 145. 

XXXXX

A REPOST from the UP Cybernomads website at http://upcybernomads.blogspot.com/2010/11/august-1991-webvolution-begins.html. The author decided to post the same content in his own blog site for the future references. 

The lady behind Cornetto’s tugs-tugs and the future lawyer

          The brand manager of Unilever’s Cornetto Miss Gina Madrid talked about business planning in a multinational environment, wherein I learned a lot especially the techniques in proper planning. I was amazed on what she shared that there should be only one kind of brand in a regional or global level. She cited Dove as an example wherein the Dove in the Philippines should be the same Dove in India it is because, according to Miss Madrid, it is a good impact to the brand since most of the consumer are from the same region and people are not that so different from each other.

                Miss Madrid also said that your business strategy should never change in three years and that it should not keep changing. I just thought now what if the environment changed, wouldn’t the company adapt its business strategy on the change in the environment or will it just stick on its original strategy?

I also liked the message that Miss Madrid shared to class, “On planning, you have to cascade and inspire, excite your people. A person who is inspired will go beyond the implementation.” I totally agree to her because inspiring your teammates and encouraging them to think big is really effective. I have experienced this before and is still doing it now especially in my organizations in school. Sometimes, I buy food during the planning session so that everyone can really think effectively without being hungry as we make important plans.

On 2013, I will be a freshman law student in the most prestigious law school in the country. Wherein great lawyers are trained and taught. I believe that knowing the ins and outs of the legal world can really be of an advantage- advantage in a way that you can help people achieve justice. And to be a future lawyer, I have to use the SWOT Analysis to help me know myself more.

I am good at writing and public speaking which are said to be one of the vital foundations of being a lawyer- knowing how to write resolutions and cases, at the same time knows how to speak well enough to be able to defend his client in court rooms.

Though, I am not that so good in memorizing and solving Mathematical problems. These two waterloos of mine are undeniably two of the basics in the legal world- knowing how to memorize acts and laws, and knowing how to think logically. I still believe I can develop these skills of mine.

I consider my courses that I am currently taking and the ones that I already took during the first two years of my college life as my opportunities, since I am trained on the basic skills I need to prepare myself and hopefully to become a great lawyer defending the people and giving them the justice they deserve.

The threats that I believe I have as of the moment are the people who are trained and majored in Political Science, Economics, and History; since these courses are the ones that really prepare students in becoming a law practitioner. 

First published as a class requirement 

in BA 101 under Prof. Nicko Falcis

1st Semester, 2010-2011, UP Diliman

15 units, plus?

As of now, I have not posted my schedule yet for I still need additional three units for me to have 18 units which Prof. Jo Santos advised me to have. I planned to get MST-GEs but I surrendered after hours of hopeless back-and-forth routine I have experienced just to get MST-GE. Damn it!


Now I am planning to take English 30 which is scheduled on Mondays since I need 15 units of English in the future :)


Anyway, as of now, I am still hoping to have 18 units of academic load for this semester.