Saturday, February 19, 2005

boobtube battle

The Philippines is not only divided by politics, religion & cultural diversity but by the TELEVISION. Haven't you been ask before if you are a kapuso or kapamilya? I dont know about the other countries but this network war is one of a kind. Personally i dont like the kapuso/kapamilya tags, i just find it absurd that despite the "positive" taglines they promote dispute. Competition is not bad but what we have now is not healthy anymore. the on air "parinigan" telling that they are "no.1", "the original" etc. makes me sick. Television is very influential so it really has great effects on its viewers. Case in point one of the forums I visit has an intense dispute between the "kapamilyas" & the "kapusos" to the point that they are starting to hit below the belt. Every day they fight over their favorite shows telling that they are the best, the original and no.1. They fight over ratings and some even post fraud stuff then the name calling starts. Whenever a new show from their hated channel is being launched they will already label it as a horrible show without even seeing it. The tabloids even worst things up. Some columnists are allies of a network and their main job is to criticize the show & stars of the other network. Constructive criticisms are rare but mostly destructive articles that has no direct connection to the show. The people are becaming fanatics of the networks NOT the shows. I really wonder why they have deep grudges over a network. What do they get out of it? I have read that somewhere two drunk guys had a heated argument over which channel is the best and it lead to stabbing each other. I was shocked by this news. Now is this what the networks want?

Monday, February 07, 2005

The Journey So Far

The Journey So Far.........

As the cliche goes how time flies, I can't believe that its been almost a year since I left highschool. I still rememeber the last few weeks of my senior year, I was feeling mix emotions of eagerness and uncertainty. I was excited to face a new world very different from what i was accustomed to but then again I questioned myself if am i really ready for it. But wheter I like it or not I have to move on.
Well, Im still here and i must say i have already adjusted to college life. Let me take you to a quick tour on how was my neophyte year.

Getting Started: The Orientation & Introduction Classes

My college life actually started as early as May with the orientation then a few weeks after followed by the three day intro classes. The orientation was for the entire college (in my case it is the College of Liberal Arts) so there were a lot of students. I was realy nervous in front of me was a sea of unfamiliar faces. I was hoping to see a batchmate who also took a course under the same college as I am but i didn't. Some students already made friends, well i really dont know if they are acquaintances or they already knew each other back in highschool. Then we were called to enter the auditorium. I had butterflies in my stomach. I really dont know why,its not that I'm going to be executed or somehthing to that effect I just felt nervous. When I was seated i felt a bit okay. My seatmate was friendly and good thing she is a future classmate so
we became instant friends. The program was basically told us some of the things we should know about DLSU-D. After that we were grouped and was taken into a tour. There I met another set of future classmates,good my list is getting bigger. The school tour was tiring, why? the campus is huge plus we were walking in a very sunny day. When we got back to the auditorium where we supposed to eat we were approached by upperclassmen giving us leaflets and sweettalking us to join their different organizations. They actually had booth which they use to promote themselves. My future classmates went to see it while I left to go home. At the jeepney I was trying to recall the names of my new friends but I could not.Well I said to myself I remember their faces anyway when we meet again come intro classes.

On the first day of the intro classes I was there early and so as some other students who were bored sitting on the kubos. The assigned room that the intro classes was supposed to be held was still closed. I waited for one hour in the kubo but I saw someone post something in the room. I went there and i learned that we were transfered to the library viewing rooms. When I went I was looking to the people i have met before but i couldnt find them. The intro classes started and as i've expected the first activity was the "Introducing Yourself".Since I have a unique name plus the fact that I talk fast Im not really sure if they could remember it. oh well as expected whennever someone approach me they wil ask me "ano nga ba ulit name mo?". I will say its Jecoup pronounced as je-kup but some will mistake it for jacob but mostly they pronounce it as jay-kuh. Well the etymology of my name came from coup d'etat (read as kuh-de-tah)so they assumed thats how my name is pronounced. I tried corrected them but they still keep pronouncing it the way they want. So I just let them be. The intro classes went well plus I love the fact that we were flooded with snacks. But the most importantly I have started to became comfortable with my new environment.

First Sem

The one thing that shocked me is the Absolute Grading System. It was a tough one since I was used to the grading system we use in highschool. Before if you get 7 out of 10 items you will have an equivalent of 85 or something close to that but here you will get 70 and for me It feels like i've got a failing mark. But a profesor said to me thats an okay grade already.Because of that I became more conscious with every mistake that I make coz it really has a strong bearing. I had reach my highs with Literature and the lows with Social Science.But i could say I performed well,i did not have 0.0 mark or even close to that.

Second sem
If enrolling for my maiden sem is like driving in a traffic-less road it was the exact opposite for the following sem. "Now this is college" I said to myself. It was a very stressful one. I have waited for what it seems like an eternity just for the pre-registrations to be in my hands and another eternity for it to be processed to be a bonafide registration form. To make matters worst I have brought the wrong documents for my educational plan so I can't enroll on that day. So I have no choice but to go home. The following day I have prepared for what it seems to me like a battle but fortunately i had stress-free enrollment,

Another I have to encounter this sem is to overcome one of my fears.My PE subject is basic swimming. For crying out loud I never learned how to swim. I was really scared to this subject and also it came to the point that I have consider dropping it.But I did not, I realized I did want to learn how to swim. I t was no easy task it took me weeks just to perform a simple drill. I have to thank my instructor for being patient with me. Slowly I did learn quite a bit but whats important is i do not dread Wednesday mornings anymore in fact I always look forward for it.
Now....
Another school year is nearing its conclusion. Seniors are already busy with their thesis & other stuff they need to take care off before they make the march. I have also seen soon to be highschool graduates applying here in DLSU-D. Soon they will end a journey and face a new one. Me i have started a journey and I'm already near the end of the first level but i still have to face a lot and I am ready for it.

Saturday, February 05, 2005

Opportunities

I have the habit of reading bulletin boards at school and one day In October I have seen this announcement telling that the student council official magazine is on the lookout for writers. I was excited "this is my chance" I said to myself. I had missed an opportunity before,I was supposed to apply for the official school paper of the university, I already got an application but I chickened out. I'm just not that confident that I will be accepted. I thought I have no chance on getting in since I have never been a campus journalist and for sure majority of the applicants had been writers or editors back in high school. I cant compete with them, so I dumped the application form and erased the idea of applying in my mind. But a friend told me that I should have tried coz I may never know. I thought of that and he was right I should have. But I cant turn back time. If only I wasn't so insecure about myself back then. I promised to myself that I will apply next year. Whatever the result will be I will do it.... From that episode of my life I learned a lesson;so that's why when I saw that announcement I did not hesitate to apply and luckily I passed!

Friday, February 04, 2005

Dreams,frustrations,inhibitions,decisions........

My dream to is to become a journalist that's why I took up Broadcast Journalism. But I'm afraid I lack the qualities to be one. First of all I never had any experience. Even highschool journalism, I never experienced. Well my high school did not have a school paper anyway. Why? I really don't know why our school administration did not want to have one. It really frustrates me whenever I think of all the things I missed out. I could have learn the basics IF I had the chance to be a campus scribe. For a while I thought of not taking this course because I'm so scared that I could not do it. But my long time aspiration prevailed so I decided to pursue it anyway. Then comes another dilemma, the school I want to enroll does not offer JOURNALISM ONLY instead a double major BROADCAST JOURNALISM. The "inhibition cell" of my brain worked again? I'm not good in speaking, I stutter and talk fast. Plus I'm a shy person. And lastly I'm not good looking; definitely not a TV type person. But I don't want to go to other schools that offer journalism only because they are far from home. So in the end I enrolled for the broadcast journalism program. I said to myself " Well there is still journalism and I could learn".
Well I'm still here already near the end of my first year and I must say I'm doing okay. But my subjects are still the minor ones, we will having major subjects by next sem. I'm looking forward for it, I know it will be hard but I do hope I could do it.