F THE FUTURE

It’s the last day of the first month of my last year in UP. I am now officially a senior student. Expected to start my thesis, expected to graduate the next semester, expected to be a bachelor of journalism. A lot of expectations. It is funny how I expected these things myself just three years ago. But now, at the last leg of the race, I’m not expecting anything anymore.

As long as I can remember I have always been quite cynical. Expecting the worst scenario, anxious about so many things I believe might go wrong, dreading a train wreck that might never even happen. I guess it’s because I keep fooling myself that it is better to expect the worse so the blow won’t be too hard when it comes (even though the blow might never come).

No. I am not emo. Just jaded and running out of happy thoughts to think about.

Is there really something waiting for me after college? Am I really prepared to leave university life? Will I be able to be part of a field I have envisioned myself to be in since I started college life? I have no frigging idea.

When I was in grade school, I always said there will be high school. When I was in high school, I said college will be the charm. I’m nearing the end of the line, there might not be another chance. Law school is a prospect, but a really far one.

My life is just ebbing away while the lives of others are prospering (bitter much?).

Enough with the goddamn race. Just drag me and be done with it. Whatever comes will be fine I guess.

I’m no stranger to failures.

This is what happens when I listen to Howie Day’s Collide. Bummer.

HAUTE CINQ 22

1. Warrior’s Dance – The Prodigy (I haven’t heard an electronica track as good as this one in a really long time…)

2. The Fame – Lady Gaga

3. Waking Up In Vegas – Katy Perry

As Strong As the Sun – Astronuts

4. So Fine – Sean Paul

5. I Poke Her Face – Kid Cudi (this version rules!!)

HITTING PAUSE

No more early morning commutes. No more braving the god-forsaken savagery of the MRT. No more slavery to the chronological accuracy of the bundy clock. No more transcriptions and shotlists of never-ending tapes of footage. No more. At least for now.

 

            I may have stopped from doing shotlists, the running time of my brief internship may have come to a screeching halt, but the things I learned from pursuing and having an internship started way beyond the moment I typed my first time code and punched my timecard.

 

            Being an intern for the Living Asia Channel, a travel and lifestyle oriented cable channel, is not how I perceived my summer internship would turn out. I have always dreamt of being part of an advertising agency, a public relations firm, or even the corporate communications department of some channel. But not in a travel and lifestyle cable channel. But competition and unreasonable choosiness from my part got the best of me. Getting over the frustration was my first lesson. Looking beyond veneers and the office location was my second.

            Just like any simpleminded student, unscathed by the harsh realities of the real world, I was led to believe that the more popular the media outfit, the better the internship. Being an intern for LAC taught me one important lesson: big things do come in small packages. Size of office and popularity among people don’t matter. It’s the people you work with.

 

            Tons of shotlists. That is the bulk of my work in LAC. It may sound mundane, but it’s not. Stop. Look. Listen. That is the mantra of shotlisting. You stop the player (actually just pause, but you get the idea), look at the time code and correctly identify the shot, then listen intently and correctly transcribe interviews if there are any. With every time code you see and frame of footage you view, you actually discern quality over quantity. Plus there are the much-awaited transcriptions of interviews which will test every fiber of patience in your body. Research is also an important part of the process. You can’t correctly identify a good shot if your facts are wrong.

 

            During my brief stay, we were also taught minor video editing. I had the chance to do the roster of events for the whole month of May. The roster is but a short sequence of animated frames. One of the editors showed me how to tweak the frames based on the already created templates. Very minor for video editing but at least I was able to get a shot at it. Because of my work, the project manager also assigned me to do research for the content of the sequence for the month of June. Everything for TV is indeed made way in advance.

 

            Dabbling in scriptwriting was perhaps the work which seemed closer to home. But writing for TV is a far cry from writing for print. Time and time again this difference has always been said by professors. I have also proven this inside the classroom, having taken up TV Journalism just two sems ago. But actually doing it for a set of editors was a different thing. You have to go over miles of shotlists and mountains of footage to get that elusive perfect shot locked and loaded. Lock the appropriate shot to the correct voiceover, and make sure the shot is loaded enough with drama and sense to be appreciated. Every shot has to be a silver bullet. Thankfully the script we made for one of LAC’s segments is at par with the head writer’s expectations and is even under consideration for airing.

 

            Perhaps the most exciting part of working for a travel and lifestyle channel is the traveling part. Unfortunately due to security reasons we were not allowed to go on location shoots outside Metro Manila. We were fortunate enough though to be tagged along during the month long coverage of the Zamboanga Peninsula Fair organized by the Department of Tourism and held at Clamshell Intramuros. I was able to come along for two days.

 

            It was great having to experience actual coverage during the internship period. I was able to practice my photography skills as well as observe how actual video coverage is done as well. Of course, keeping in touch with the reality of the industry, we were also able to enjoy the perks of being members of the press: free food.

 

            Working for LAC, I was able to prove firsthand the many theoretical aspects taught within the confines of the classroom. Broadcasting may be different from print in many respects, but both follow the basic tenets of journalism. Journalism through travel may not be as hard-hitting as straight news journalism, but both deal with people, social realities, and the environment.

 

            As I skimmed through footage after footage of shots from various places all over the Philippines, I was able to see how beautiful our country is and how diverse the people are. Our country is teeming with culture and yet we don’t seem to appreciate it. That perhaps is our biggest difference with our Asian neighbors. I saw how other Asian countries would harmoniously preserve their culture and traditions as they pursue the future. Back in the Philippines we forget about culture and traditions, thinking it would hinder us from pursuing development. How wrong we are.

 

            It may sound cliché to say that I have learned valuable life lessons during my internship. But I did. I was able to get out of my comfort zone by working with students from other universities. In the workplace you are all doing the same thing regardless of your university. It is not true that students from UP have an advantage. In the real world, packing a diploma from UP is not enough. Dealing with people is. At the end of the day having a good transcript can only get you so far. The real world is fierce with competition, and you can’t just use grades as your only weapon. Skill is not synonymous with good grades, and the more skills you have the better equipped you are.

 

            At least for now I don’t have to face the real world again. I can prepare again as I go back to the university. But this time I know, good grades are not enough. They never are. A thick skin is what I need to counter all the frustrations I may have to face as I deal with employment in the future. Popularity is but a synonym to common. Prestige can be found in small ways.

 

            This is not a stop to the live shotlist of my internship life.

 

            This is just me hitting pause.

HAUTE CINQ 21

1. Sugar - Flo Rida ft. Wynter

2. Talk You Down – The Script (really cool song and video)

3. Welcome to the World – Kevin Rudolff ft. Kid Cudi

4. Feel This – Bethany Joy Galleoti

5. Revelry – Kings of Leon

INTERN[AL] COMBUSTION

Looking for an internship in the media industry is like looking for a good pair of jeans. It sounds easy to do, there are after all lots of stores to choose from. There are different kinds of jeans: slim, straight, boot, flared, etc. There are different media institutions to choose from: broadcasting, straight news, magazines, public relations, and advertising. Unfortunately, just like the perfect pair of jeans, the perfect internship is hard to find. And I want perfection.

“Learn to compromise! *slap” – Alba, 2009

I don’t do compromises. That is one of my major (Victoria Beckham accent please) weaknesses. It is hard for me to settle for less. Why have something you don’t really want, that is what I always say. I have always wanted to have an internship in either an ad agency or a PR firm. Sadly, I never got any of those two. Ad agencies are very picky and PR firms are not very accommodating. Of the two ad agencies and four PR firms I contacted, only the corporate communications department of ABS-CBN called me. Sadly they didn’t call me back for the final interview. Imagine my frustration. I didn’t apply for any straight news agency. It’s not my cup of tea. So with just a week before Holy Week, I frantically sent out resumes to various companies, from Ayala Land to Summit Media. I never got a call.

Holy Week came and passed. Summer classes are about to start. I have to have an internship. Part of me doesn’t really care if I don’t get one. I can always get it next summer or next semester, maybe I’ll get into a company I want. But reality bites, and it bites hard.

I used my last ace: Living Asia Channel. Living Asia Channel has always been the last resort of UP Journ majors who can’t go into the companies they want. It’s not that it’s no good, it just lacks popularity and prestige…as of now (well, at least according to my fellow Journ majors)…compared to other locally produced cable channels kasi, its not yet as widely known.

April 13, 2009 Monday – went to LAC’s office in Makati. Journ majors from UP were being oriented when I came in. I knew most of them. There they were, looking around the office, whilst I was just about to pass my resume. I passed my resume and was told to call the next day.

April 14, 2009 Tuesday – first day of summer classes. I still have nothing. Nada. Zilch. Went to internship class lecture. Was told of what to do. There I was enrolled, paid and legit. With just one problem: no internship. Cherrie came to me with an idea: apply for Thomson Reuters (they have just posted an ad for interns that day). I sent my resume thru email and hoped for the best. I also sent a resume to Bounce Magazine, courtesy of KJ. Come afternoon I called LAC. They told me to go to the office the next day at 9.

April 15, 2009 Wednesday – coerced my dad to drive me to Makati. EDSA in the morning is hell on earth. I was 15 minutes late. Waited for 20 mins. before the Production Manager, Maam Annie, called me and told me to go with the other interns first while she finishes something. Met fellow UP interns, knew most of them (Tina, Eric, Kat, Chui, Donna, Aileen, Karz, Shiela) except for one (Danna…now I know her). Helped Tina, Eric and Kat with the shotlist they were doing. After an hour another new intern came: Andrei, also from UP Journ. Then Maam Annie went in, asked us what schedule we would like then told us to watch an episode and look for postproduction problems, then made a shotlist. Just like that I now have an internship. No initial interview, no briefing, just a cordial smile, a timecard and an assignment. In just one day I went from being a summer bum to a student intern. Left at around 5. MRT was hell. Sardines. We were like effing sardines.

April 16, 2009 Thursday – woke up earlier than usual. I decided to brave the MRT to Makati. Office schedule is from 9-5. My mom gave me a 100 pesos MRT pass, the one you can use over and over until the amount expires. Arrived at MRT Q.Ave station at around 8 am. Boarded the actual MRT at around 8:45!!! Driving in EDSA in the morning was purgatory compared to the hell known as MRT!! The trauma was just incredible. I was harassed in every bit of my being. The smell, the line, the crowd. It was all unbearable. Got off the Ayala station. Followed Kat’s directions and rode a jeepney bound to Washington. Got off at the right stop: Rufino Street. But made the mistake of going to the underpass. Got lost around the other side of Ayala. Rode a cab to Leviste Street where the office is. Suffered a bout of Makati traffic congestion. Arrived for work an hour and a half late.

“Ang manly nung horse” – Kat Cortes

Work is laidback. The editors are all nice. Continued the shotlist I was doing the other day. Then Maam Annie called me and brought me to one of the video editors. I edited the upcoming list of events around Asia for May. Just my second day, and I was already doing video editing (however minor it was…I used a template). Spelling was tricky, and they jokingly said that every mistake I make would be deducted from my internship grade. Finished the job in an hour. I left early with Andrei and Kat. Arrived at the station around 4:30. The MRT was thankfully less packed. I was still harassed, but not too much. Saw orgmates Melai and Harry come in from the Ortigas station. Had merienda with them at Trinoma. Apparently they just came from an application for a call center job for the summer. Hurrah for them.

April 17, 2009 Friday – I had the sense to leave home earlier. Arrived at Q. Ave station around 7:15. Got in the train after just 10 minutes of waiting. Record time so far. I actually GOT IN the train by using my own two feet. Normally I would just be pushed by the people behind me, not knowing if my appendages are still intact once I get in. Train was already packed but at least I got in early. Won’t be late for work.

MRT Advertisement:

Girl: (high pitched girly voice) Ugh, ugh, ang taas naman ng hawakan sa MRT. (The handlebars are too high in the MRT)

Guy: Sa akin ka nalang humawak. (Grab me instead)

Girl: Watta!!! Ang laki mo!! (What the?! You’re big!) Para kang tempura ng Tokyo Tokyo (You’re like a tempura from Tokyo Tokyo)

I had to suppress my laugh from what I just heard. Imagine hearing that while riding in a jam packed train. The guy beside me was staring at me while I had to suppress giggling. The ad played again and again and again and again… (Ang laki mo!)

Arrived at office only to find it still closed. It was only 8. Talk about early. Only two editors were there, and they were also waiting to get in. After 10 minutes of awkward silence and small talk, the office was finally opened. Continued doing shotlist, finished six tapes worth of footages by lunch time. Left at midday for UP to attend the graduation committee rehearsal. I volunteered as an usher again for the second year in a row. Saw Ana Tan at CMC, talked about Japan (Thanks!), fashion, internship, DZUP (will reach Batangas once transmitter is up and running), FOPC (thankfully abolished!), and her brother (hahahaha!). Met with Ivy Cay at Trinoma around 4. Chatted a bit while looking for a suitable water bottle for me. Bought one. Separated ways. Went home tired but happy.

So that was how my first week of internship went. Relatively well, if I say so myself. Something happened though on Friday, but I won’t talk about it yet as it is still too premature. For those itching to know, it has something to do with the possibility of having another internship. That’s all. As of now I am drinking lotsa apple juice and practicing the right stance for me not to fall while not holding on to anything. MRT I will conquer you someday.

BOOZE BONANZA (OR HOW MY LAST SEM HAD ME STONED)

My semester is finally over. Five months of hellish academic work, nagging professors, and backbreaking requirements are now gone (at least for now). Not to mention five months worth of heartaches and crushed crushes. Everything from those five months is now moot and academic. But before we usher in the new semester, let’s look back at how I fared in my 21 units worth of subjects last sem.

But before we get too excited, let me first announce the theme for this sem’s semender review (last sem I did a review with a sexual theme). It’s no secret that I am an alcoholic (Hi, I’m Jean, and I am an alcoholic…AA meeting over), and so this sem’s theme would be entitled: JEAN’S BAR LIST OF BOOZY SUBJECTS, where we group last sem’s hellish courses according to their academic toxicity, alcoholic proof, and booziness (or just plain boo!).

 

Journalism 122 (Publication Design and Layout) – the last major subject in the journalism majors series, the vodka of the bunch. Vodka has got to be my favorite liquor. It can be mixed with almost anything citrusy or be taken on the rock. It has the punch you need without the ugly after taste. J 122 is just like that. I love it. It is my favorite subject this sem. With this subject I was able to do what I love doing best: designing and print layout. From calling cards, to brochures, to newspaper frontpages, and magazine spreads, I have enjoyed each and every shot of this vodka bliss with different mixes. Of course doing your very own website using only HTML handcoding is an experience I will never forget. That experience was like vodka on the rocks, you regret not mixing it with anything because it’s too bitter, but then you realize mixing is not always an option, and all you really need is ice (in this case it was Notepad). I loved the subject, and I would gladly take it again if I would have the chance. Just like vodka, it will never go out of style.

 

Journalism 152 (Public Relations) – I have always been a fan of advertising and not PR, but after taking this course, I think I will also like PR as much as I like advertising. It is like red wine. When you first taste wine, you don’t drink it at once, you smell it first, appreciate its color, then you sip it, then you ask for more. That is exactly how PR went for me. I dabbled in a bit of it, tried to appreciate its intricate paperwork and research, then tried to apply it (“tried” is the operative word, because we didn’t have the time to actually do our own PR events, reporting to a make-believe clientele and doing a PR proposal were all we were able to do). But good wine takes time to mature, and just like my appreciation for PR, I think I would have to wait a little longer or experience a bit more, to truly love it.

 

Journalism 123 (Photojournalism) – my lightest subject this sem. No worries, no hard labor, but when you DO have to do labor…it really IS hard labor. It is like good old beer. When you like to have it, you can easily buy it. You can drink it on the go, and have as many as you want. But there is always the fear of having too many, and growing a beer belly. Photojournalism was just like that, easy, fast, and on the go. But creating a midterm plate and doing a media presentation for your final plate are just two beer bellies hard to ignore. Mind you, those were the only requirements for the course, so I shouldn’t be really complaining…but still. But just like a cheap bucket of six, J123 provided two cheap thrills for me: a DSLR, and being classmates with 2. Oh yeah!

 

Communication Research 101 (Intro to Comm Res) – this is definitely my brandy. It is bitter, it is boring, it is old (and it’s not just the professor either)! I absolutely hate CommRes! It is the cause of my sleepless nights, the root of my aching fingers and blurry vision, and excessive coke intake in the morning. CommRes is supposed to help us out in our thesis writing next year, just like brandy, it is supposed to serve a greater good (in brandy’s case, better blood circulation). But brandy can’t be mixed with anything, it is not a party drink, and I really don’t like the searing aftertaste. I don’t care if a shot of brandy a day is good for your circulation…whatever man! Having to do a thesis proposal is already hard work, but having to do two in a sem for one measly subject, is just insane! Comm Res professors, please hear my call, ComRes is not the only subject we CMC students have to deal with! Bear with us! Argh!

 

Communication 120 (Mass Media Law) – the prof is bitchy, the subject is an ass, but the experience was hellavafun! Though this was one of the subjects which gave me the semblance of being an actual student, because I had to read and really prepare for every meeting lest I suffer the bitchy wrath of the professor, it is fun to watch classmates being bullied and bitched at by the prof. It is just like tequila. Tequila is a great base for mixing cocktails, it is sweet and tender, but just like a true bitch, it can punch you and knock you out if you pour one too many shot glasses. Finishing the exams for this subject was like waiting for the sunrise, tequila sunrise that is. Though you have to pore over dozens of court cases to review, the actual exams are not that hard. Just like true tequila goodness, even if you get bitched at the class (or hangover) is well worth it because you know—deep inside—you are the bigger bitch.

 

Speech 111 (Voice and Diction) – pretending to be a call center agent was never this fun. Learning the correct IPA symbols for transcribing words was confusing at times, but the sessions of speaking in funny English accents are more than enough to cover for the bad times. It is just like lambanog. At first you wouldn’t consider the lowly drink from the coconut because it’s too provincial or cheap, or for the farmers, or whatever association you have with it. But once you realize that there are such things as flavored lambanog (comes in bubblegum, apple, grape, and four seasons), you begin to change your stereotypical views. Speech 111 is not just for Speech majors, it is actually very helpful in speaking internationally (pronounced as innernationally) accepted standard of English. Which means I can now apply for a call center (cenner), and have a higher chance of getting accepted (agzepted). Hahaha!

 

Communication 140 (Mass Media and Society) – the prof is the best (Sir Roland…need I say more?), and so is the rest. I love my classmates (except for two irritating know-it-alls), and I love the reports!! This is the only subject where I was able to connect blood circulation and conglomerates, Christmas and plastics, jologs and ilusyonadang frogs, and desaperacidos and burning ants with a magnifying glass!! I had a super great time reporting with you groupmates! But the final exam for this subject, which accounts for 60% of the final grade, is just plain hell. The subject is like absinthe: illegal in some countries, beloved by all. You want it, you enjoy it, but you’ll hate the hangover the next day. But still, the experience was well worth it.

 

So that was how my last semester went. A little woozy, but not really. A little crazy, but not enough. Sadly I can’t say that I’ll be sober this summer…internship…effing internship. *hic

 

 

HAUTE CINQ 20

1. Supastar – Kaskade
2. Hatin’ On The Club – Rihanna ft. The Dream
Feel It – DJ Felli ft. T-Pain, Sean Paul, Flo Rida, Pitbull
3. Fag Hag – Lily Allen
4. Jai Ho – The Pussycat Dolls
Life in Technicolor II – Coldplay
5. Disloyal Order of Water Buffaloes – Fall Out Boy

WATCH OUT FOR THE WATCHMEN

“I’m not locked in here with you. You’re locked in here with me.” – Rorschach

Watchmen has got to be my most awaited movie of all time. Ever since I read the graphic novel last December (Ana Tan you have my utmost gratitude for introducing me to this wonderful piece of graphic literature…hayup! Tigas mo ‘tol!) and found out that the movie will be coming out soon, the vision of finally seeing the members of the defunct crime-busting group in live action—living and breathing—never left my mind.

The Watchmen are not your average superheroes. Spiderman, Batman, the Fantastic Four and all the X-men mutants would pale in comparison compared to these guys. They may not have superhuman powers brought about by a radioactive spider, genes, or vat of nuclear waste, but they have the most kick-ass moves and the most awe-inspiring twisted-ness only Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons can provide.

Unlike many print-to-film adaptations, the movie stayed true to the graphic novel for the most part…that is until the end. The alien monster made by the kidnapped artisans was an important element excluded from the ending part. The film made it look like Dr. Manhattan was framed by Ozymandias for the New York catastrophe. Perhaps that creative decision was made to prevent those who haven’t read the novel from being lost in translation. The whole back story of the kidnapped artists was omitted, so it would only make sense that the monster octopus thingy would also be omitted. Besides, the film was already three hours long, no one needs another LOTR wannabe.

For what it is worth, the movie was beautifully made. The opening montage showing juxtaposed scenes of the Minutemen’s demise and the birth of the Watchmen was so beautiful yet still comprehensive. The more controversial issues of gender preference were made more graphic than the novel’s presentation like Ozymandias’ gayness or the Baroness’ lesbianism.

Speaking of graphic, the film was filled to the brim with blatant sexual assertions. Dangling, glowing blue dick anyone? How about a nipple exposure? How about two scenes with nipple exposures (make that three if we will include the nipples in Ozymandias’ costume…disturbingly similar to that Batman and Robin costume…*shivers)? Oh, and was it just me or was that a wooden phallus displayed beside the Comedian’s TV? Even the nose of Richard Nixon looked phallic after seeing all that dangling blue dicks. Then of course there is Silk Spectre and Nite Owl making love like they have never made love inside a floating airship before. Nite Owl’s butt exposure is a scene best shown in ink and paper.

“You continuously refuse to see things from my perspective” – Dr. Manhattan

Some things kind of disappointed me though. The portrayal of Dr. Manhattan lacked power. He was like an atomic bomb missing a few atoms. I mean, what’s up with the high pitched voice man?! Don’t get me started on that Mars scene too. Then there is Ozymandias. Fake German accent, fake nipples, fake hairstyle, need I say more? Thank god Bubastis was fierce. I am happy though that they did Rorschach justice. The swinging CR door was a nice touch to the Big Figure’s excruciating death scene. They even made his face more bearable compared to the novel. His death scene was also magnifique! The bloody snow angel was so iconic.

So that was how Watchmen fared in the silver screen. It was great but not that magnificent. It was cool. Some parts were creepy, but that only adds to the allure Watchmen brings.