WICKEDLY WOOZY

Over the sem break I was able to nourish my mind and read a book. Wicked by Gregory Maguire is one book I have always wanted to read but haven’t really had the time to do so.

The spinoff of L. Frank Baum’s Wizard of Oz story is a riveting tale of forgiveness and the search for the true source of evil by the Wicked Witch of the West, Elphaba (named after L.Frank Baum’s initials).

I was actually expecting a deep story of hate and retribution, but was disappointed to read about the mundane search of a lost girl for forgiveness for an act that isn’t really that big a deal. Elphaba’s search for forgiveness is nothing more than a futile attempt to stitch together her failures as an individual and her longing for her father’s love and society’s acceptance.

Quite different from the Broadway musical, Wicked the book is a longer account of how the Wicked Witch of the West came to be. Unfortunately the book’s rendition of her encounter with Dorothy was a failure of diabolical proportions. Don’t even get me started on how she died. It was so anticlimactic.

For the person looking for a deep introspective read that will guide you towards the attainment of temporary Zen, do not read Wicked. But if you want to have a good laugh every now and then, make up theories of infusing religion to the world of Oz ala C.S. Lewis in Narnia, then go ahead and read Wicked. You might even catch temporary childhood memories and contemplate on why being an adult is so shitty.

MY SEM GLEE STYLE

Finally I now have time again to face the computer and type away for this blog. First in the agenda would be my semestral assessment of the first semester of my senior year.

Now I know a lot of you guys enjoyed my themed assessment last year, so now I’ll be doing everyone a favor by combining supposedly two blog topics into one: my semestral assessment and my latest couch potato addiction—Glee.

Anthro 170 (Anthropology of Language) – boring and dragging, this subject is just like Take A Bow by Lea Michele. It sound nice in the beginning, but after some time of listening to it, you get bored and just wish the subject finally takes a bow. But when you do get the grade, you realize: it wasn’t so bad after all. Makes you even want to listen to it again.

Anthro 187 (Sex and Culture) – this subject has got to be the craziest subject I have ever taken! Rehab by Vocal Adrenaline suits this subject well. Why? I dare you to name any other subject which ended as early as September, where all you talk about is sex in all its glory, and where being horny is justified and promoted. Not to mention a fabulous party for the last meeting where everyone let loose big time.

Socio 132 (Sociology of Deviance) – now it may sound boring, but this class is actually my favorite. The only class where I consciously made an effort to meet all the requirements due to the combination of having interesting topics like death, murder, and autism and having a pretty professor. This has got to be the mash up of It’s My Life and Confessions by the Glee boys. Take them separately and they are passé, combine the two and you get pure bliss. Plus the grade I got wasn’t bad either! Take that grade-conscious Socio majors!!

PI 100 (Philippine Icon: Rizal) – whenever I remember how my PI class went, I just want to sing Bust Your Windows by Amber Riley. The class has got to be the suckiest required subject I have ever taken in my miserable college life. I tried to be a good student by meeting all the requirements, attending classes regularly and I still got a fuckfest of a grade. No thanks to the prof’s promise of an easy grade as long as I attended classes. Imma bust her for that!

Comm Research 125 (Computer Learning) – easiest uno I got in my entire life. Short, sweet, and satisfyingly easy. Just like Diana Agron’s Say A Little Prayer. You just sit in class once a week to do mundane activities in Word, Excel, and Powerpoint. Easy as pie. Need I say more?

Journalism 195 (Lifestyle Reporting) – you would think that this subject is all about interviewing fashion designers, tasting great food, meeting artists and writing about their works and watching the Devil Wears Prada on your first meeting. Well, you’re right. But just like Chris Colfer’s gay rendition of Defying Gravity, it ain’t all that. I was barely able to keep things afloat in this class especially for the final requirement: a mini thesis on a societal subject concerned with either religion or media. But just like Elphie and Kurt, I was able to defy gravity and get a good enough grade. Reached that high F after all.

Journalism 199 (Thesis Writing) – set me free, why don’t you baby? Yes, this is Dianna Agron’s You Keep Me Hangin’ On. Definitely my most stressful subject this semester, and the worst part is, I have to continue working on my thesis until I graduate. Well, I do hope for my sake that I will be able to hang on long enough for me to finish it.

So that was how my first semester went. And that is how Sue, C’s it.

AUTO-MATON

I am now with a car. Bow.

Yes people, after three and a half years of waiting, my folks finally gave in to my request (more like plead) of having my own car. It is a second hand white 1998 Honda Civic. Nothing special but it means the world to me right now. Actually with the many warnings my dad gave me—if I as much as place a scratch on it—it is now more valuable than even my own life.

For the car geeks out there what it does boast is a spoiler, 15 inch mags, and a 6-track CD changer at the trunk. Pretty nifty for a beat meister wannabe.

In the meantime though I am only restricted to driving it around the village, during driving lessons, and the occasional “try mo i-drive hanggang sa main road, tapos exchange tayo pagkatapos sa malapit na gas station” moments. Parents’ Rule: NO LICENSE, NO TAKING THE CAR OUT ALONE…YET.

So here I am listening to Amber Riley’s “Bust Your Windows” from Glee, finally glad that I have my own windows to bust.

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.

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

 

 

CALCULATING KIRI

“You indecent bitch!” – Sesang

The last night of the UP Sarswela Festival 2009 was the only performance I was able to watch among the lineup of various “modernized” sarswelas. The sarswela or zarzuela originated from Spain. It is a satire of sorts which involves dialogue, music, and dance often with comic relief. The sarswelas presented in the festival were tweaked a little to represent the changing paradigm of modern times.

 

            “Ang Kiri” (I am not sure with the translation, but from what I understood from the play it can be translated to a scarlet woman or a ‘malandi’ in the Filipino language…please correct me if I’m wrong) is a story of finding love only to lose it forever. It is about our never ending search for the right person who will complete us…only to lose that person to another.

 

            Sesang is a beautiful and charming woman admired by many and gossiped about by all. Amidst her opulent lifestyle and many suitors who shower her with gifts and admiration, she remains “loyal” only to Don Ramon for one reason—financial security.

 

            That is until she met the provincial boy Jacinto. His innocence and pure intentions to love someone as “impure” as Sesang, caused the scarlet woman to fall for him despite all odds. Unfortunately for Sesang, Jacinto is also in love with Pilar, his first love from the province and her seamstress.

 

            And so the vicious cycle of torn love, misery and loneliness begins.

 

            But there is of course comic relief in the persona of Sesang’s fat, obnoxious, gay butler Amboy. He who extorts money from her many suitors to get both master and servant the comfortable life they want. He who is supposedly the only other person who is able to enter her room. He who is her most trusted keeper of her secrets. He who left her once her money is all gone.

 

            Then there is Pepe. Her poet friend. Her friend who loves her more than a friend. Her friend who is willing to love her despite her fixation with Jacinto. Her friend whom she would rather not have than become a lover.

 

            Last of course is Jacinto. The puritan lover. He who does not seek riches but is given many by Sesang. He who cannot fight for Sesang because his mother disapproves of her. He who leaves her when she needed him most. He who easily forgot her when part of her died when she lost him.

 

            I pity Sesang. All she wanted was to be loved. While it might be true that she also wanted the richness the world has to offer, she was only seeking compensation for the “love” she has given to the many men who rumpled her sheets. The men who wanted her but not needed her.

 

            There is a Sesang in all of us. We give. They take. We need. They take it away. Then we are left alone again. There will always be an Amboy, a Pepe, or a Jacinto in our lives. It is up to us who we want to stay.

 

But sooner or later they will still leave us.

SLUM DAWG

Are Bollywood dance numbers groovier than our local movie dance numbers?

            A. Bollywood numbers are Austin Power groovy

            B. Pinoy dance numbers are Vilma Santos groovy

            C. Only Jean Agor dance moves are groovy

            D. It is written…in this blog

 

Watching the 81st Academy Awards or Oscars is not a priority for me. Despite the event being televised all over the different TV stations, the red carpet fashion being prophesized, and the after-Oscar parties being planned, I had no desire to watch it whatsoever.

But the desire to see the organ-less male figure holding a sword overwhelmed me. Am I glad I did.

 

Hugh Jackman’s one-man opening number was just hilarious in an Australian-playing-an-Australian-in-a-movie-called-Australia kind of way. His song number about the big films nominated for best picture was just crazy, and the ending “Wolverine” stretch was just hilarious.

 

But I’m not about to rave about the rest of what transpired in the Oscars (which was uneventful after the opening number save for the time the audience gasped when the camera panned to Angelina Jolie while Jennifer Aniston was presenting), I am here to rave about the best picture for the 81st Oscars: Slumdog Millionaire.

 

Danny Boyle’s masterpiece about an Indian “slumdog” who tried his luck in the Indian version of “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” to find fortune, love, and ultimately his destiny, is a compelling and inspiring feel-good movie. Despite the film being produced by the Brits (insert funny British accent), one cannot deny the fact that SM is a Bollywood-inspired film, and as such, MUST include a dance number.

 

The dance number at the end was so groovy I just had to download the song used for it. Every time I play it, I cannot help but imagine Dev Patel and Freida Pinto shaking what their mommas gave them. Just when I thought it can’t get any better…it did. While searching for that dance song, I stumbled upon the Pussycat Dolls version of the song which is as danceable as the original but sexier and spicier (remember that Indian movie, Queen of Spices?), and because I am a good person who loves to share good music, I am uploading the PCD version of the song Jai Ho! Hohohoho!

 

Anyway, back to the movie.

 

The social commentaries on poverty, superficial “economic development” and the brutal nature of the underworld are in front and center in this film. It is funny how the state of poverty-stricken Mumbai is very much the same with that of Manila. The slums, the religious tension, the rising call centers, the orphaned beggars, the singing blind beggars, the various syndicates, prostitution, we have all those in Manila…and even more. If that film was filmed in Manila and not in Mumbai, it would have been more colorful! Heck, even our local films have dance numbers in them! Instead of doing it in a train station, they can do it at the MRT or LRT.

 

The portrayal of India as a Third World underclass nation was of course met with negative reactions from many patriotic Indians as well as “India’s biggest superstar” Amitabh Bachchan himself, who was also portrayed in the film.

 

Well whatever you may think about the film, I believe it’s a good film which portrays realities which may be too harsh to handle, but are very much true. These realities however are not limited to just developing countries like India or the Philippines. Even the best nations of the Western World have thriving underworlds, which are—more often than not—even more dangerous than the underworlds of developing nations.

 

At least developing nations have an excuse for a thriving underworld industry: they are poor and in need of money to survive.

 

The underworld industry of more developed countries are just plain greedy.

 

DEAR B…

Love has a quota. Out of five people only one will be happy in love. Four will never be truly happy. At least according to Lucas’ theory of love.
I was never a fan of love.
Love hurts. Love is tanga. Love is for the weak.
But it is such a magical concept: one of the better neuro-chemical sensations which our hypothalamus brings about.
And so in this month of broken hearts, single-awareness and capitalistic gain through chocolates, hearts, and cupids, I bring you my first ever Valentine blog!
Reading Ricky Lee’s fictional novel, Para Kay B (O Kung Paano Dinevastate ng Pag-ibig ang 4 out of 5 sa Atin), is a far cry from the usual love story read by your maid under her sheets every night. It explores the aches, the pains, the excitement and anticlimactic endings love brings. It explores the love of a memory, forbidden love, the hardship of not knowing how to love, love with the same sex, and of course the ever tragic fatuous love. There is no happy ending, no prince charming, no happily ever after. Just ilusyonadang frogs.

I won’t ruin your day by providing a synopsis of the novel. Read it yourself. It will be worth it. Besides I’m not in the mood of summarizing a book’s worth of concepts. It is a compelling read. Well, at least for me. I don’t usually read books.

Lee’s characters are so real, so surreal, you see them. It is a paradox of reality and literary genius. It is like watching an unfolding telenovela filled with so many twists, turns, and tragic stories, it makes “A Walk to Remember” look like a feel-good movie.

I especially loved Erica’s story, the girl from Maldiaga who doesn’t know how to love. Sandra’s was just plain sad. A certified capital “S”. The other stories were okay, but those two really stuck to the core of my being. Favorite characters are a different side though. I love AJ from Ester’s story. His witty lines and positive outlook provides much needed comic relief. Lucas is a great guy to have in someone’s life…sans the emo-ness regarding Bessie.

To give you a taste of Para Kay B’s artistic genius, I will share some of the more striking quotes the book has to offer:

“For my love transcends boundaries and reaches out to the unloved, the unsure, and the unloving.” – Bessie

“Hindi kita papatulan, dahil ‘yang pekpek mo pakawala! Isa siyang pekpek na me pakpak! Isa kang 100% certified pokpok! Sa tatlong salitang iyan lang masa-summarize ang buong existence mo—pekpek, pakpak, pokpok!” – Ester kay Bessie

“Di man ako kasingganda ng mga Nanay n’yo, di man ako kasingkinis ng mga Ate n’yo, h’wag kayong pakaksiguro dahil isa lang naman ako sa mga pinatuwad ng Tatay at Kuya n’yo!” – AJ