Monday, May 29, 2006

Summer Term Wrap Up

Today is the distribution of summer term grades and I'm very please with the results.
I have obtain 4.00 for both subjects (Newswriting & Editing and Newspaper Management & Production). I'm really ecstatic to get the highest grade since I rarely get that kind of grade and it I'm makes me more happy since these are the subjects that I really love and enjoy. It's a great feeling to end summer classes in a very high note.

Remembering Funny Komiks

The topic of reminiscing my favorite comics FUNNY KOMIKS [FK] came up when I read a friend's blog. I really love funny komiks,I have collected it for a decade. I started when I was 4, the age when I don't even know how to read yet, my brother just read that to me. Actually, my family is a huge fan of komiks, my siblings were the initial people who collected funny komiks, namana ko lang. Too bad their collection was burned when we had a fire in the place we use to live in (Sta. Ana Manila). When we moved here in Cavite the first thing I looked for is their is someone selling funny komiks, luckily I found not just one but two magazine stalls selling FK. My real motivation to learn how to read is FUNNY KOMIKS, I dont want to depend on my siblings anymore. I want to experience it. I continued my funny komiks for a long time. I even send my drawings (na binakat ko lang naman) and my works were published. That's my first experience in seeing my name on print. It happened twice, the first one though my name was misspelled [Jecusp Asombruelo] I guess that happened because of my awful penmanship that why I made it sure the next time that my handwriting is legible already. I witness how the price of the comics became higher as years goes by.It started at 3.50 then 5 then 7 then 9 until it reached 17.50! I stopped buying FK when I was in 3rd year highschool because I just find not entertaining anymore,it lost it charm,its becoming anime-ish. But my 7 years worth of collection is still with me (too bad I had lots of issues that got lost), and I will never throw it away nor sell it to the junkshop. It's a part of my life already. I dont know if FK is still in circulation but the stall I used to buy it does not sell anymore. Sad.

Monday, May 22, 2006

And now I present to you

Broadcast Journalism 2-1's [SY 05-06] Class Publication for Newspaper Management "The Cavite Voyager"

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting

This is the frontpage of our paper

Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting


This is the opinion page, I wrote the editorial ["Where are they going"] and a column [ "Message Sent"] which I both posted here earlier.

If you want to see the other 14 pages just
  • click here


  • Kudos to my classmate, Gerard Atienza, who designed the layout. I feel so proud to see the fruit of our hardwork. Well, I believe I did a good job in handling our class publication. Afterall, this is the first [and probably the only] time I became an Editor in Chief.

    Monday, May 15, 2006

    Goodbye

    Our dog, Kevin, died yesterday. I could not believe it. I did not saw it coming although he has not been his usual energetic self I did not think that he is really ill. We were shocked, it was early afternoon, my father tought Kevin was just sleeping and when he called him he did not respond. Then when my father came closer he notice that he is not breathing anymore. Our dog left us already. My father and brother buried him in our garden like what we always do when a pet dies. Our family was sad but we are all good in concealing it. I know my mother was the one who is most affected, she remarked "Okay lang yan, mahirap na rin naman alagaan yan" but I knew she meant the opposite. She treated our dog like her own child and although she is always tired due to household chores she never fails to attend to our dog's needs. Today, as I left for school, I glanced at our porch and it was empty. Kevin is no longer sitting there sleeping or eating or barking. It was so sad. It was like loosing a family member. I know when I go home I will even feel more sad since there will be no more Kevin barking as I open the gate

    Saturday, May 06, 2006

    Finding Your Niche

    Its already May and its almost a year when I took the HF exam. I so remember that day,it was the last day of the summer term and also the day of the enrolment for the 1st semester then I saw the poster screaming that HF is now open for applicants I immediately dragged one classmate to persuade to take the exam with me.When I found someone we immediately went to the HF office and took the exam, but my classmate did not finish the exam because of some emergency.So I was left alone and ,boy, the exam was hard it took me three hours to finish it.I only answered the features and literary exam since I've realized that the guy is just waiting for me to finish so he could go home, I did not answer the news exam anymore.

    When I left school,I thought I will not make it. The features exam was hard, some questions were hard to understand while the literature I just dont have "it".After one month,I did not hear anything from HF so I just concluded that I failed. But on July 5,I received the text I've been waiting for a long time.

    I was really happy when I made it even though I did not take the NEWS exam I was still accepted as a news staff. I've learned a lot of things about HF like really discovering what niche really is, NEWSWRITING, before I just wanted to write but I don't know exactly what to write but when I became an HF staff I found out that my writing style is really suited for news writing and I enjoy it. Being part of a school publication has been a dream for me for such a long time and when I became a part of it I could not complain less. Being with HF, I've learned a lot of stuff even more than what I could learn in school Mam Brenda, my newswriting and newspaper management prof and former HF editor, told me that she learned more about journalism with HF than the subjects she took up in the ABCOM course. It makes sense being with HF I am continously learning compared to an academic subject which is just limited to classworks and it is just only for a semester.

    I'm so glad being a part of Heraldo Filipino.

    (By the way until now I haven't erased the text message telling that I passed HF,I'm such a sentimental dude)

    Tuesday, May 02, 2006

    Boobtube Battle Boo Boos

    the Philippines is not only divided on whether you are rich or poor, pro life or pro death penalty, ChaCha lovers or haters, liberals and conservatives but whether you are kapuso or kapamilya. Yes, you heard it right! Our country is also divided on their television preferences. The question “Kapuso ka ba o kapamilya?” has already become a staple query with your friends or even acquaintances (this question has become an effective tool for starting up a conversation). But incase you have live in television solitude and is totally clueless with the aforementioned monikers let’s make it clear that kapuso means a GMA 7 viewer while a kapamilya is an ABS CBN 2 viewer. These tags are the networks ploy to promote loyalty among the audience. However, the competition between ABS CBN 2 and GMA 7 has become more intense than ever. The last five years a couch potato witnessed the clashing of these television giants as they battle for ratings supremacy. But is the competition still healthy? And does this rivalry equate quality programming? Lets’ enumerate the effects of this network war

    Pagkatapos ng…

    Today’s TV schedule there is no more definite time schedule especially the primetime slot. The networks schedule their programs as one package deal for ABS CBN Primetime Bida and Telebabad for GMA 7. And when you see plugs the ads will say “Gulong ng Palad pagkatapos ng PBB Teen Edition” and “Majika pagkatapos ng Extra Challenge (EC)” and what is the schedule of PBB and EC? “Pagkatapos ng (*insert news program here*)”. The reason for this absurd scheduling? The networks hope that a viewer will stay in tuned not just for one but a series of show Walang Lipatan. But this type of scheduling there lays the problem; the essence of time is diminished among the viewers. Hey how can we know the real time if the schedule is that, tantyahan?

    You are nothing but a second rate trying hard copycat!

    The two networks rip each other off, that’s a fact, but they deny it adamantly. They are both guilty of copying each other’s ideas. ABS CBN produced their own “Starstruck” in the form of “Star Circle Quest”, GMA tried to produce a children’s gag show ala Goin Bulilit in the form of Bubble Gang Jr. But whenever a network launches a show with similar concept of the other network, the latter will result to parinigan (more of about this later) and will boast as being the original. But they forgot one thing being the first or original does not mean being the best. But blatant copying of another show’s concept but poorly executed there’s the viewers off. Sometimes they just produce “a similar show” for the sake of giving a “pantapat” to the other, and not to entertain the audience.

    The network war even reached the highest mountain in the world. The Everest Expedition has also become an issue among the networks; “Sino ang nauna sa pag cover at nang gaya?” is what is implied with the networks’ plugs. The expedition instead of being a moment for triumph has become another venue for the bantering and showing off; the networks’ intention of covering the historical event is clearly seen and it’s not good. It is as if they cover the said event just to compete with each other and not to inform the Filipino people. Because of the networks’ coverage, the event is now inserted in the society’s consciousness, but the attention of the viewers is whether which channel will beat the other in the coverage and the actual expedition took the backseat.

    Migration

    “Si (*insert name here*) kapuso/kapamilya na!” this is usually the headline of showbiz talk shows (and showbiz segments of news programs as well) when a ward from the rival network transfers to their own respective station. This transferee will now be given plenty of exposure of his/her new network sometimes even more compared to the networks homegrown talents. An artist seems to be more viable if s/he “migrates” to the other network. When someone transfers, the showbiz writers always make it to the point to make a big deal out of it. The network grooms the transferee with a reason to slap the rival’s face, which may say “Hey, in your care this talent’s career is dead but when s/he transferred to us it bloomed, we are better in handling talents than you!” The setback, the network sometimes give an unworthy attention to the transferee whose only “appeal” is that s/he came from the other network and neglects their own talents. And what happened to these neglected talents? When they are fed up they will seek opportunities with the rival network and the cycle begins…

    “Kampihan”

    The “parinigan” between ABS CBN and GMA has become so normal with their plugs. The network’s rivalry has become similar to a fraternity feud. A viewer sometimes wonders if ever the people of these networks see each other will they engage in a catfight? The tabloid makes the competition even more. Writers who are taking the side of one network write more (destructive) articles criticizing the other network’s shows and stars. Showbiz talk shows are also guilty with that they sometimes devote a segment bashing the other network. The (unfunny) sitcoms also commit that especially when a “transferee” is a guest, the series regulars will often threw lines that tackles why s/he left the other station. The plugs especially ratings related are so filled with pun intended statements. The mudslinging between the TV stations has become a tool to gain sympathy among the viewers to take their side and loathe the rival.

    These “parinigan” has gravely affected the audience. Internet forums such as PinoyExchange house the “kapamilya vs. kapuso” bickering. Reading how the forum members defend their favorite channel and scrutinize the rival you will see how influential the network has been. The viewers has been so attached with the stations that they seem to get hurt too when bad statements are being thrown to their beloved network. Its quite queer to see that networks created a cult following and it manifested how influential the medium (television) has been.

    Maturity

    It is said that a competition brings out the best among the one involve it. They try to top what their opponent had done by giving the best efforts. In the case of the Kapuso vs. Kapamilya, their rivalry instead of improving the quality of programming has resulted to making their competition a form of entertainment. Yes, the network war spices up the otherwise bland local TV scene but is that what the stations could only offer? The television is a powerful medium and must be used in the proper way and not just a vehicle to boost egos.