Oh snap, I miss the [parking] slot.

You leave the house. You drive your everyday sedan, and proceed to work. The travel time is quite slow due to the morning rush traffic. Then you arrive at your office, just right in time.

Until your realized that you could not park your sedan because your officemate driving a BMW occupied the 2 parking slots in the parking area. Makes your day fucked up, right?

Well, for the past number of years of bringing a car to school, one of the biggest things you would worry is on parking your car. And it has been an issue for me (and other drivers as well), and to add, it is a time-consuming thing especially in cases of a "parking is full" state.

However, there's an interesting aspect within the seemingly ordinary parking slot. Inside the compound, just like a classroom, you can more or less determine who are good drivers and who are the horrible drivers. By the manner of how they park their car, whether it is front first or back first, horizontal or vertical, near or far from the post (or the car beside it) or within or out of the line, it says quite a number for the owner of the car. Believe me, I have my good share of bad and good drivers in the parking lot, no matter if they are driving a Corolla or a Benz.

For one, I remember my friend saying that "it's better to have a so-so car and be a good driver rather than have a nice car and be a crappy driver". Indeed, that saying also applies to the parking lot. Not being mean, but it really makes me laugh when someone riding in his shiny new car ends up hitting it with something . . . . within the parking lot, of all places! I know it's bad to laugh at other people's misery, but I couldn't fathom the stupidity of some people at times. I could not get it on why some people like bringing an new car and yet has difficulty parking it, being more challenged with parking than your grandmother (no offense intended).

And also there are the douchebags that are greedy with the parking slot. Those are the kind of people who (for some selfish reason) would park "out of the line" (you know, those yellow / white lines you see in your typical parking slots), and use up what should be good for 2 cars. Yes, we have our encounters of greedy drivers in our lives, and they kind of piss you, don't they? Well sometimes we have to deal with them, as they are well good drivers, but with a douchebag attitude.

And there are the overly resourceful ones, who would take any space available, no matter how small or narrow it may be, just to park their car. These people are dangerous, especially when you decide to go out of your parking slot. It would take you minutes (or worse, hours) just to figure out 1) how to get inside your car, and 2) how go get your car out without hitting any of the cars beside you. Yes, these guys can be a big pain the ass, so as you know, but hey, at least they know how to park properly. It just happens that they are so extreme, that they make the most up until the last available inch.

Overall, one should not underestimate the wonders of the parking lot. Dull as it may seem to be, the cars parked within tells something about their owners.

Speaking of being awkward.

Yes, there are times that you would face an awkward situation. Last Thursday, while hanging out at the Psyche room with my Psych friends, the awkwardness happened.

So I was with my friends there, who mostly comprise of guys coming from Ateneo High (they are a batch lower than my HS batch, but I know some of them), and a couple of girls. One of the girls has that certain conyo twang, something which these days I'm used to. so we were conversing over various pop culture related stuff, and while chatting around, I came across the Facebook page of turtle, my current crush, and suddenly exclaimed "wow, turtle is so cute in her profile pic!"

And the conyo girl overheard what I've said, and apparently, she knows turtle. Bad call in my part. And not that she know turtle, she's actually her batch mate in Assumption San Lorenzo. Double bad call. And now she then asks me if I like her, and I said an honest yes to it (well yeah, turtle kinda knows I like her, but I still remain as professional as possible, due to org matters). Then she kept on telling me things (of both positive and negative) about turtle, and I was quite ok with it (since I had an impression that turtle has a potential to be a real bitch) since she's nice to me. But of all the things she asked me, I felt the most awkward when she asked me, "so, how long have you liked turtle?"

And my mind went blank. I couldn't say anything more. And I didn't know how to approach the question, ending up with a long "errrrr . . . " in reply. Most awkward question asked to me. Ever. That was the first time that someone (worse, a girl) asked me such question, and I still can't get over it. I can't believe such state of awkwardness happened to me.

But that did not cause any negative thing. In the end, I gained a new friend, out of an awkward situation.

This is reality.

BobbyGuev's story today revolves around the drama behind a tribe (forgot the exact name of the tribe), comprising of 25-30 families, residing along Gabaldon, Nueva Ecija.

When a typhoon struck in Gabaldon, Nueva Ecija in 2004, this tribe practically lost everything, since they resided along a river. In effort for rehabilitation, the tribe decided to relocate along the Sierra Madre mountains and start life a new. And their life was good; they learned how to make rattan baskets, they had education, they learned to plant crops, they learned to earn some profit. In short, they were starting to live a good life, starting fresh and progressing very well. However, this seemingly happy situation for this tribe changed into a disaster in 2006, as their place was invaded by the NPA, causing them to leave the place, bringing along with them their things, going back to the river.

Since there were NPAs in the area, of course the Military would take over and attempt to eliminate the Communist rebels, but their intent was tainted. One day, someone from the tribe went back to the mountains to inspect his land. However, the Military mistaken him for being a member of the NPA, and next thing you know is that his body was found inside a sack. Ever since, the tribe never came back to the mountains. And all their hopes gone and vanished in an instant. After that, they ended up going back to the riverside, where their lives are at risk, and start over again, going back to square one.

Stories like this are those stories that will wake you up to the harsh reality outside the four walls of the classroom. Poverty is bigger than what you would expect. Power is far more abusive than how media would portray it. Violence is unimaginable without the blood and the bullets. Society is more discriminating than how television shows would show it. This is the real world, and not what us Ateneans would actually think of, revolving around cars, shoes, partying, gadgets, and what nots. Reality is far from the ideal world that is within the walls of this school. We may get failing grades, or get sanctioned, but we are at least protected within the four corners of this university.

For almost four years at the University, it came to my senses slowly about the harsh reality that awaits us as we leave college.

The one class a week specials (TH-SAT).

*thanks to boredom, I decided to play around with the Quick Office app found in my phone to type out my blog entry for today. I thought of doing this experiment as it would be helpful for me to type out my thoughts / reflections / articles first on my phone, then edit it via my computer. Also, I'm thinking of making a mobile blog as well, so that I would not be restricted with the 140 character limit with twitter.

__________________________________________________

Now at last I was able to meet up with all of my teachers for this semester, after finally meeting Sir Andal for Public Policy class yesterday. Now I can make my comments with my remaining professors:

Com142: Ruey De Vera: I'm quite happy that I got a Journ class as my free elective (although I really wanted to get Ma'am Chay's Investigative Journ, if it wasn't blocked for Comm majors). And yes, being a former Guidoneer myself, it is my first time to meet sir Ruey (yes boys and girls, he's the moderator for The Guidon). Credentials-wise, he has a lot, being affiliated with Inquirer, and being able to interview various personalities, both local and foreign. My first impression of him is that he's a funny and cool professor, given his witty remarks to celebrities and various advertisements.

In fact, at the first session alone, we were given a fun assignment. What is the assignment all about? We will note down 25 of the most beautiful and most powerful Ateneans in our own opinion (the assignment's a group work, which makes it even more fun), with write-ups for our top 2-10, and a long write-up with an interview for our number 1. Frankly speaking, I like the assignment as it puts a test to my creative juices.

PoS117: Serge Andal: After enjoying learning in PoS116 (that's Fundamentals of Public Management for you) under Ma'am Berse, I decided to take this class as a follow-through, even if it is a Saturday class. For one thing, Sir Andal is a smart professor, graduating Eco-H in his college heydays and presently, he holds a government position. Also, he's quite radical minded for someone who is in the field of public service, as he wants us to think ideas that are out-of-the-box, in efforts of making our country run as efficient as possible.

Being a once a week class like Sir Ruey's class, we also started to have a little bit of class discussion, mostly focusing on the upcoming inauguration of President-elect Noynoy Aquino. In our first class, we discussed about the top 3 policy statements we believe needs to be mentioned in Aquino's inaugural address, come June 30. In our group, we thought of improving budget allocation for Education, protection of local markets from foreign markets, and the improvement of CARP as the policy statements Noynoy should discuss in his inaugural speech.

Overall, these once-a-week classes have given me a good first impression so far (and I hope I will have a very enjoyable semester as well)

___________________________________________________

In other news:

-Recently, I am amazed on how I fit in doing school work while doing Storyline at the same time. Speaking of multi-tasking (and no I'm not a working student since I'm not paid for my work in Storyline;it's an internship program). I just hope that I could keep up the pace, especially when those hell weeks come along.

-For a good reason, I am quite excited to be a kapamilya and work there as well. With both my internships being related to ABS-CBN (Storyline is a show for ANC by the way)

-Oh those feelings. Everytime I am greeted or seen by the turtle (aka the cute, petite, hot, and perky girl who has a love for dancing and is an aspiring doctor), my day becomes brighter and my heart feels happier. Maybe cute dancers have a really good ability to attract people after all.

Because sin is a reality.

One of the most significant things that has happened to me for my last first semester is the very fact that I have the legendary Roberto Conrado "BobbyGuev" Guevarra as my professor for Theology 141. Since my freshman year, I have heard stories on how life-changing is BobbyGuev to his students. I even remember even making an article for our school publication, mentioning him about the school's Praxis program and the immersion program as well. Now on my senior year, it is indeed a dream (at least for me) to have him as my professor.

And boy, his first lecture really hit me hard.

Today, we had our first lecture for the class, and it basically involves understanding that the grace of God is received by practically everyone, even the poor as well. In one of our readings, liberal theologian Jon Sobrino discussed about his journey towards understanding the poor in El Salvador as a means of understanding the poor not in a negative context, but in a positive, hopeful, and meaningful context. Through this reading, I have understood that the poor does not necessarily mean something negative, but it could mean hope as well. A kind of hope that would awaken our senses to the reality of this world and act upon it. However, as we go further with the discussion, the existence of "Original Sin" is actually seen especially with how people prioritize their money on things.

The shocker? From a data obtained from the UN, the top 5 things people spend for are the following (in order): Military expenditures, drugs, alcohol, smoking, and entertainers from Japan. And the bigger irony? These top 5 most-spent items are almost double than that of what is basically needed by man, such as health and sanitation, education, and food. Seeing that set of data really has blown my mind off and made me ask BobbyGuev "where is the justice with that?"

Even the legend himself had quite a hard time answering my question, but he did tell me one thing: That based on the data from the UN, the idea of "Original Sin" is deemed to be true: that the world has all the temptations man can fall for, that it is because of man's desires for worldly ones that causes the existence of poverty, which is rooted down from the exploitations made by First world countries to Third world countries.

And what he said reminded me of the harsh reality that our country by itself is currently facing.

And more is to come as I get myself immersed by his teachings.

Indeed, he is a legend.

The first of lasts, how's my life, and the pop culture scene.

Yes, mister. Today marks the last first day of school I will ever have (but that's assuming I will not pursue further studies, that is). Senioritis is starting to sink into me.

Anyways, my T-TH edition of my professor critiques:

Ph103: Mike Mariano

-Jeff and KD were right about their experience under sir Mike Mariano; he seems to be very strict and that he's going to be a challenge for me. Not that he's a terror professor (he's a cool one, for the very least), but dealing with his requirements will be a challenge especially with those unannounced surprise quizzes and oral exams. Indeed, it's Philosophy taken to a higher level. And should I add that I fear of my difficulty in adjusting? My previous two Philosophy classes under the Philosophy Department Chairperson Doc Guss Rodriguez was in pure, unadulterated Tagalog while sir Mike's class will be in practical, sensible English. I hope I could adjust well to the sudden shift in the language used for teaching. The thing that makes this class interesting? The fact that it deals with the Philosophy of Religion (that's the name of the course). There are times that I tend to really doubt about myself, being a Catholic, especially when it comes to issues that involves the Catholic Church. Learning the Philosophy behind religion will help me understand religions much better (especially with Muslims, of which I believe is the religion that I both hate and misunderstand the most).

PoS160: Joy Aceron

-One thing about this class is that it has given my OJT in ABS-CBN (as an intern for News.com, writing stories and doing several research works) with a lot of relevance. Being focused on the Philippines and its problems, my knowledge of current events from covering the first automated election in the Philippines will definitely help me with this subject. In addition, my thoughts and opinions on the recent turn of events happening with the Philippines will now make sense, as this class will focus on discussing these matters on why they are of a problem, and on how they could be possibly resolved. What makes this class very interesting for me is that it merges the relevance of current events (reported through the media), with regards to the political situation of the Philippines. An exciting class, I say.

Th141: Bobby Guevarra

-BobbyGuev. He's a certified legend in the Ateneo, being a professor that is known to "make an impact in student's lives". I first heard about his name with the Praxis Immersion Program, where I made an article about the said program and became one of my most memorable articles I have made as a News Staffer for The Guidon, our school publication. Theology 141 for me will be an interesting subject not just because the professor is a legend and is a good one, but because the subject itself is of something that puzzles me these days. The subject, entitled "A Theology of the Catholic Social Vision", focuses mostly about social justice in a Theological perspective. The relevance of this subject? The topic of "preferential option for the poor" will be explained in full detail in this course. Another point of interest? The talked about Immersion, where we live in a particular area for 3 days, understanding the people residing in that area. Also, an interesting subject, for both the subject itself AND the teacher.

And so that's my T-Th gameplan. I'll talk about the Wednesday and Saturday Specials in another blog.

________________________________________

How's my life?

-Internship round 2: Being the unusual individual I am, I decided to join Storyline, a documentary show produced by THE Patricia Evangelista and directed by the well-renowned Paolo Villaluna. Yes, it sounds weird that for a PolSci major like me, I went on to intern for something that is very focused on production (but Storyline has a bit of research, which is the role of finding stories). So far, I'm having a bit of a hard time because aside from being placed under probation (for the many stupid things I did in my first shoot together with the Storyline crew), the internship of Storyline by itself shows the REAL world: The world were not everyone has finished schooling, where people started poor, where long hours have to be dealt with, where the cellphone is an important tool, where going to the field is among the basic things that is being done, and where being a tsimoy is also part of the resume. I do hope I can do really well here.

-A case of technolust (and the evils of consumerism): After getting a new phone for my birthday, and a nice 50mm 1.4 lens for my camera, a lot of new tech stuff has come at bay. First in line is the new Mac Mini, with its sleek design and adequate specs. Then a camera upgrade, possibly either a 40D or a 5D mark 1 (both of them slightly used, but they look like new). Then came the new set of headphones Sennheiser has launched recently (and yes, I HATE SKULLCANDY 'COZ THEY ARE A WASTE OF MONEY). With all these new gadgets coming out of the door, all I could do is just window shop and stare at these items. Being of expensive items, I seriously doubt if I am crazy enough to buy all of these gadgets. Yes, reality tells me that I should only get what I need and NOT what I want. In short, I must discipline myself about these stuff (instead use the money for the bank perhaps).

-That "feeling" again. The more I try to avoid the "feeling", the more it follows me. In my two months stay in ABS-CBN as an intern, I suddenly have developed "feelings" for this certain girl, who is my co-intern. At first, I kind of expected it, as she was one of the co-interns I am very close to, but after the internship, the "feeling" went a bit further, to something that I would least expect: that I happened to like her. Apparently, the closer you are to that person, the higher the tendency that you develop "feelings" for that person. And simple gestures like hugs make the "feeling" much better. Hay nako. Here I am again, feeling kiligated for the nth time.

___________________________________________

In the pop culture scene . . .

-Justin Bieber? GAH. Hate him.

-Lady GaGa? Admit it, you got to love that atrocious lady.

-Jaden Smith (in Karate Kid)? GEEZ. Even someone as young as him does kissing scenes (as in REAL kissing scenes).

-Karate Kid? Your jacket is VERY important. Trust me.

-Toy Story 3? I think it's a good movie.

-Katy Perry? "Daisy Dukes and Bikinis on top."

-Kris Aquino? "Wag ka ngang pakilamera, teh."

-Jojo Binay? "first black vice president of the Philippines."

-Noynoy Aquino? "kelan ka nga ba mag-aasawa?"

-NBA? the Celtics are getting the trophy this year.

-World Cup? I'll never forget that Vuvuzuela.

-How about the iPhone 4? Sorry, but I'm not that impressed with it.

-The iPad? It has potential, but fails to meet (certain) expectations.

Decisions, decisions.

Although I have finally finished my internship for ABS-CBN (Halalan 2010 Cadetship Program), I am back for another one, this time (hopefully) with Patricia Evangelista's "Storyline", an ANC program. I hope all for the best with my interview for the internship this Wednesday (and same goes to my co-cadet / friend Kate Panganiban, who is also applying there and is having her interview on the same day).

Speaking of the future, college is coming to an end real soon. Just a few days left and it will be the last first day of school for me. Being a Political Science major, it is somewhat expected of me to go to Law School (and starting off by taking entrance exams).

However, the thoughts of law school got somewhat distorted again. The entrance exam fees alone are expensive (UP is at 1.3k, San Beda at 1.2k, and Ateneo at 1.5k, as what my friend told me). And as an added pain, applying for Ateneo would mean I need additional English Subjects (not unless I could have some of my Political Science Subjects + some of my Free Elective subjects credited), and that in general, Law School exams are of great difficulty. If college entrance exams are challenging, make that three to fives times more challenging for Law School entrance exams.

Although I do like going to Law school, I am presently unsure of it since I am also aiming for another career in mind, which is being in the media and working as a journalist. After my internship with ABS-CBN, and my work with Guidon, along with a few photography work, I am already considering working with media as well (even if the pay is errr not exactly that high). After all, I had a grand time working for ABS-CBN.

BUT that does not mean I did not enjoy PolSci. I absolutely enjoyed politics, and it's crazy nature especially in the Philippine context. I enjoyed learning how countries deal with each other through international relations. I also enjoyed understanding the ins and outs of how bills are made, and on understanding the different sectors of the government. I also was amused at how philosophy has played a role toward the development of Political Theories, which is very applicable to the politics of various countries. In short, I am really fond of politics.

The clincher to this situation is on what should I take first. It is either (plan a) I take up law school now, (plan b) go into the media, or (the crazy plan c) do both. I'm still not sure about my future but more or less this will be the scenario I will be pondering at for the few weeks.

Separation?

*Note: I am neither for or against the Church being involved with our politics here in the Philippines. All the things that is written here are my thoughts about the importance of the “separation of Church and State”, as evident within the pages of our Constitution.

______________________________________________________________

For many years, there have been debates on whether Church and State should be separated. For one, it is evident that the Church by itself is a powerful body. During the early and middle ages, the Church held on by its power, being of a great influence to people. So powerful that books then were controlled by the Church (in fact, it is only the Church then who has access to these books, and copying them would take months in a pre-Gutenberg press era). The Church in fact is so powerful, it has influenced people with the use of indulgences, a method that grants people to reduce their time in purgatory, to prevent them from going to hell, and in hopes of going into heaven.

Even up to this day, the Church’s very traditional and conservative approach still has an influence, even to the state, which in the Philippine context, has been evident with both People Power 1 in 1987 and People Power 2 in 2001. Indeed, the Church, to an extent, is of great influence to our politics.

However, is there a limit to the Church’s influence over the state?

A characteristic of the Philippine government is that the Church and State work as two separate bodies, one being independent from another. In short, the Church should not have any intervention with the State, especially when it comes to law-making.

However, when it comes to such issue, I would say that the Church MAY intervene with the State, BUT only to a certain extent. Although a lot may not agree with me on this, but I think that the Church’s traditional and conservative nature still plays a crucial role towards forming the people of the state. With the Church being against premarital sex, extramarital affairs, influence of vices, and suicides, their conservative nature in fact protects the nature of the human person from committing such inhumane, animal-like acts.

If you ask me if I am in favor of what the Church teaches, I would NOT necessarily say that all the things they are for are right. Yes, the Church has made right decisions, and wrong decisions as well.

Case in point? The perpetually controversial Reproductive Health Bill.

This bill proposes the need for a means of population control through the use of condoms, and through teaching sex education to elementary students. For one, the Church is very against about such actions, given its conservative nature against sexual acts.

Remembering Theology 131 class, it has been explained that since time in memorial, the Church considers anything related to sex as an act that lacks sacredness. Going through the teachings made by St. Augustine himself,marriage is considered to be an act that is done when man and woman can’t contain their lusty desires. In short, marriage was there to make the act of sex between man and woman more legal and justifiable, with the purpose of procreation and unification.

But that was the view then. The times are changing, so are the perspectives behind these laws.

Frankly speaking, the issue about the Reproductive Health Bill has divided my stand between the Church and State, hence, the “separation”.

So I look at it at two views:

On the view of the State:

Promoting the use of condoms may be a good way of alleviating the problem of the booming population issue of the Philippines, BUT I seriously doubt if these people (especially the masa) would actually bother to use such a device that hinders the full-blown “pleasure” of doing the act unprotected by any apparatus.

Sure there are these contraceptives that may help prevent “accidental” conception, but with how I see things, people do not really make use of these contraceptives anyway. These people, crazy as they may be, would always (and forever always) would like danger, and therefore do things the unsafe way (Ie. banging each other like they don’t care what happens and cry over spilled milk when they realize they made a great mistake).

In short, the proposal of the bill on population control is not necessarily to be effective. You may give away condoms for free to people, but how are you assured that the people who received these free condoms would actually use them in efforts of protecting themselves from accidental conception or worse, HIV and AIDS? Frankly speaking, the bill has a lot of potential, but it needs some more revision in my own opinion.

On the view of the Church:

Sure you would stand still with your conservative views, but with the changing times, we need to adapt to the needs of the present times and not depend too much on the needs of the past. I don’t think teaching sex education to elementary school students would be as scandalous as you may think because it’s a sad world out there. Girls as early as 10 years old get pregnant, sex is already a norm for most teenagers out there, with the average 14 years old as the age when they first engage in sexual intercourse, and girls who get pregnant that young pose big health risks.

I understand on the nature of the Church, given its history, but there’s a need to adapt to new needs: The Philippines is already overpopulated, more and more people are getting poor, and more people die from starvation or lack of medical attention. This problem has been booming in the recent years, and I would agree with the government that we need to address this issue immediately. The notion of “magtiis na lang kayo”, as what my grandfather would say, referring to the Church’s stand about the overpopulation issue, such is inappropriate in the current situation of the Philippines.

The problem with the people is that despite being Catholics, rarely do they follow the notion of “magtiis na lang kayo” (andI can vie for this, as I know quite a number who have engaged in premarital sex, with some having incidents of accidental conception due to the practice of unprotected sex). With what I have learned from my Science subjects and Socio-Anthro subjects, it is a sad reality that it is the masa who usually have more children than the upper elite classes. The sadder part? Majority of these masses are Catholics. What happened to the Catholic teachings? Did the masses just disregarded them as they hear mass every Sunday? If you would ask me, I think the Catholic Church should go back to its teachings and see what is wrong with it (and why majority of Catholics do not follow the teachings)

For both sides:

Both sides do have a point regarding where do they stand about the Reproductive Health Bill, yet both sides share a common goal of controlling the population problem in the Philippines. Both sides bash at each other for the respective flaws they have in their proposals. What is needed here is the search for a common goal and agree with a common proposal to help with the population problem of the Philippines.

So, is there still a need for a separation of Church and State? Many people say there is still a need for it, but personally speaking, there are times that the Church and the State should work together, but only to an extent.

How 2.6m would matter

What’s 2.6 million for you?

For that price, you get yourself a mid-size SUV.

For that amount, that is approximately the number of college and high school students combined.

For that amount, that can make a good amount for having a low-cost house.

For that price, that can get you a couple of those Hermes bags you are probably lusting for.

For that amount, that is approximately the total population in Quezon City.

For that amount, that can fund for your child who is having college at the best universities in the Philippines (Ateneo, La Salle, etc.).

BUT, for the country, 2.6m is important, especially with determining on who our next leaders will be.

Canvassing is coming to a conclusion, and more or less we know who our next leaders would be (especially with the position for President, where Aquino has a large lead over Estrada). However, spotting 2.6m worth of “null” votes is crucial for the position of Vice President, where the difference between front runner Binay and Roxas is just over half a million votes.

But, the joint congressional committee do not like to investigate on the matter. So does that mean that the next vice president would be illegitimate? Maybe yes, maybe no.

Maybe yes because of the rumors circulating that the vice president position was rigged. Binay is closely associated with the Cojuangcos, Aquino’s relatives. And the possibility of cheating would still remain, given the power the Cojuangcos have.

Maybe no because as explained by Smartmatic and Comelec for many times, a lot of voters have difficulties with the process of automated elections. With that in mind, it is possible that there were improperly shaded portions in the ballot, hence the “null” votes.

In both cases, what puzzles me is why there are just 1m “null” votes for the president, while there are 2.6m “null” votes for the vice president? Sounds intriguing, isn’t it?

The point of contention regarding this? the 5m “null” votes back in the 2004 elections.

So who do we believe now?

Exposure.

For the past few years, I have been fascinated with the world of news writing, investigative writing, covering for events, or in short, journalism in general. With my exposure being a news writer and (sometimes) a photographer for our school publication, The Guidon, for two years, the world of journalism has amazed and amused me. Yet, the idea of a school publication, in relation to journalism, is limited as it confines to ideal situations.

Enter the ABS-CBN Halalan 2010 Cadetship program. A program that I joined just a year after going on a writing hiatus (since I was not able to join our school publication for both personal and professional reasons), it was a dream for me to join the program, as it would finally expose me to what would be journalism in the real world.

ABS-CBN is a big company well-known for its reputation in the field of broadcast media and news and current affairs, and I'm glad to spend my summer with them, along with 23 awesome news friends, and friendly bosses and supervisors, on the way. My two month-long stay in ABS-CBN as a Cadet was definitely worth it, and I have learned quite a lot (and I even was able to apply things I have learned from my Political Science subjects). While I am often mistaken by a lot of people as being a Communication Major, I am actually a Political Science Major, with the love for journalism. Quoting Jeff Canoy (of Katipunan Magazine and Guidon Fame, TV Patrol Reporter, and my long-lost brother since I look like him), I am a "Communication major pretending to be a Political Science Major". But hey, I do love both Communication and Political Science, mind you.

Anyways, going back to my Cadetship experience, what did I do during my two month-long stay in ABS-CBN? Here's a shortlist:

1) Social Media desk. You thought that Facebook and Twitter can't be used professionally? Well think again, as some news bits are acquired from these sites. Throughout the course of my work in ABS-CBN, I have been closely monitoring for possible news bits that then can be transformed into news stories later on. In fact, sotires such as Erap not voting for a Vice President actually came from the use of Twitter.

The use of these sites, in addition, kept me updated on what is happening, even if I am not in front of a TV. I can just access the internet and get my updates there. It's more like news-on-the-go. In fact, with the power of these social networking sites, it is impossible for me to be behind with the latest news. And as an added benefit, I get to interact with some people AND News personalities as well (among them are former Guidoneers-turned-Patrol-Reporters Jeff Canoy and Ryan Chua, Bianca Gonzalez, TJ Manotoc, Karen Davila, and Ricky Carandang). Thanks to these sites, the interaction has been greatly enhanced

2) Monitoring HeadStart. Yes, even if it means I have to wake up early to catch the live taping of the show (it airs weekdays 8am BTW), watching Karen Davila as she interviews different personalities has been very useful for me. In fact, I think of HeadStart as my mini laboratory for analyzing some candidates as they answer and respond to the interview questions. With my knowledge on Politics, I was able to apply logical resoning on why these Politicians answered in such manner (and it give me reasons on why I would be or would not be convinced to vote for them).

In addition to this, watching HeadStart live also enhanced my photography skills, especially in the "low light, no flash" department. Here, I made the most out of wide apertures ( F2.8 for my 16-35mm wide angle, and F 1.4 for my 50mm prime). Also, I share my photos to the host, Karen Davila, after each show, gaining praises from her for taking good photos.

3) Writing articles. Obviously I miss doing this, considering it has been a while since I last made an article. But this time, article writing now comes with a twist; instead of the 3-5 day deadline for submitting articles (averaging 1-2 pages single space), we are tasked to make articles with a 2 day deadline (for those that are 2-3 pages long single space) AND on-the-spot articles (meaning after the news occurs, we make a story out of it immediately, usually around a page long)

Sounds hectic, isn't it? Well not really. In fact, it made me think quicker than ever, especially in determining what need to be talked about in the article. After all, brevity is always the key on making effective articles (and for myself, I was able to get 3 of my articles published! Not bad for someone who has not been writing articles for quite some time). Time management also played a critical role in making articles on time, as time is more than just gold in the news room.

4) Working in the War Room. This has to be a major highlight for me. Who would not be amazed working in a room that is reminiscent of CNN's news rooms, complete with two big screens, and a 103-inch touch screen? And add the fact that you are "rubbing elbows" together with well-known News personalities? I will never get as awesome as this, especially since we are also taking part in covering the Philippines first automated elections.

What made working in the War Room even more impressive is that it gave me a sneak peek of what is it to work in a news room, full of people's voices, computers running various programs, people running left and right delivering updates . . . in short, it was very lively in the War Room. This is what I really expect in a typical news room, and frankly speaking, even with the noise and the commotion, working is still fun nonetheless.

5) A little research here, a little research there. Of course I would not forget doing one of the more essential parts of the cadetship, and that is doing research work. Among the things I have did research upon are a number of party list groups, promises of winning senators, and politically mapping certain provinces.

Research, for the normal person, may seem boring, but research work as a Cadet is different. Aside from the use of the ever-useful internet, I also get to call some people to help around with my research. It is one of those moments that I get exposed to different kinds of people, from the nice ones who are willing to help, to those who are arrogant and just drop the phone, refusing to help me with my research work. I know it may be a pain in the butt sometimes, but in the end, I should find ways to get my research work done (in short, being resourceful is a must as a news researcher).

At first, it may seem to be a tedious job (dealing with different sources, pages of research materials, and multiple spreadsheets worth of data), but with the right tools, the task is an easy thing to do.

6) Stress and Fun. Just as I remembered back in Guidon days, that being in stress and having fun is possible, the same principle still applies with being a Cadet for ABS-CBN. This time, what I have learned from Guidon has magnified a couple times more here in ABS-CBN. Work here is more intense than that when I was working for school, but it is much worth it, especially when you get praises and criticisms from other people.

7) Star-struck. Of course who would not get star-strucked when you work along with well-known News Personalities and Celebrities. Having Maria Ressa and Charie Villa as your bosses, getting to work with Karen Davila, TJ Manotoc, and Gigi Grande, exchanging thoughts and reflections with Jeff Canoy and Ryan Chua (who are both used to be Guidoneers), and spotting celebrity crushes such as Marie Lozano, Phoemela Baranda, and Bianca Gonzales are the many reasons why working in a Broadcast media company such as ABS-CBN is simply F-U-N.

And that pretty sums up the reasons why even if the Cadetship program is over, I am more than willing to come back to ABS-CBN for more (and probably work there for good)