The Cogitation Egress

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

LEARNING FROM THE MEDIA INDUSTRY

In my short stay in the Media Industry, I've learned some of these media experiences:

DO IT YOURSELF. As a writer and a producer in the creative team, I am tasked to write and produce different kinds of plugs. In the production proper, where I'm supposed to gather the materials for my production, I sought help from staffs of other departments. Since the nature of the business is quite busy, the help that I've asked usually gets delayed that results to a delayed project. That's why on my recent projects, I only depended on one person alone: me. There was a time that I wrote, produced, and even starred on the same plug. It's was tiring, but at least, I got to beat my deadline.

ACCURACY, ACCURACY, AND ACCURACY. Some of the plugs I made entailed research work that needs verification and accurate analysis. Since my projects are aired for television, there must be no room for mistakes. My sources need to be updated so that it can be more significant to the viewers. It must also be consistent, wherein cross-referencing from other equally credible sources is needed. Lastly, it should be accurate. The facts presented must be precise and correct. Not only it would be beneficial to the viewers, accuracy can also help build a credible name for the station.

INNOVATION AND MIND IN MOTION. “You're only good as your last project”, this is what I always keep in mind after I finish a project. When a project is about to end, another one, or sometimes, even several are already on queue. It means that I must have a dynamic mind to finish my projects with originality and distinction from one another. I must be innovative and must be updated with the latest trends so that my projects keeps on improving and can suite what the viewers would probably like.

EAT DEADLINES FOR SNACK. When deadlines are being fed to you everyday, your time management skills must keep up with your daily tasks to produce quality projects. There are instances that the request for a plug is given in the morning and should be aired on the afternoon. In those cases, you must think very fast and still deliver a good output at the same time.

LEMONS, SALT, AND TEQUILA. Media is quite demanding. If they gave you lemons, it means that you have to produce tequila and salt. Since the company is just starting, it still lacks some equipment, man power, and budget for a certain production. As a producer, I need to outsource and make deals that are only limited to my budget. Instead of paying my talents or buying my materials, most of the time, I just set a deal where my talents or materials can be paid by the company's most abundant resource: air time.

Monday, November 26, 2012

MEDIA WORLD: A SHORT STORY

I in one of my info plug shooting

Does the length really matters for a story? Is a novel better than a short story because it is longer?

As I remember a year ago, I was still at the marketing field then, that when I get bored in my routinized marketing activities, I always think of venturing in my scholarly discipline, which is the Media world. When my students (I used to teach general education subjects too) ask me, if I was not hired by my previous company, where will I go? I immediately answer them, “Bisa kung mag media(I want to be a media practitioner)”.

Months passed and my previous company I am working for, closed. I and my previous workmates have to part ways. Then that familiar question rang again in my mind. “Where will I go now?”.

I always have this Manila dream. It is having a job in the country's capital and experiencing the lifestyle in the metro. That's why I decided on applying a job there. Unfortunately, I did not met the qualification in one of my applications.

One day I sent a message over the internet to one of my friends working in a regional TV station, luckily, the station is in need of a creative writer. I applied and got the post.

THE START

Beginnings has been always infamous for me. I hate it, and I don't even like a single bit of it.

My first week was 4 out of 10 I guess. I feel like a lion in the north pole, or a polar bear in the safari. I don't feel that I belong. Everything seems so familiar, yet so strange--new faces, new tasks, everything new. The excitement I felt before turned to another thing, fear.

My start was really rough. I never thought of transferring into another career would be this emotionally burdening. It's like throwing away my 2-year experience investment as marketing personnel and going back to square one.

There are times that I felt like quitting. If securing a job is just easy these days, I probably resigned on my first two weeks.

THE EARLY END

On my first month, still in the media world, a job opportunity re-opened its door for me. The post offered was for an Events and Presentation officer. At first, I ignored it because of the low salary offer. I tried to negotiate and fortunately, they agreed upon my request.

My stay in the media world lasted for 2 months and 5 days. Honestly, it was hard for me to leave the field that I've studied and dreamed for when I was in college, plus the fact that I have adjusted to the work schedule and travel. Also, in a short span of time, I and my colleagues had the chance to bond.

A short story as I describe it, my stop over in the media world is indeed swift, but it doesn't mean that it was less-filled with fun and learning.

Saturday, September 15, 2012

WE’RE ALL SUCKERS FOR IT

Are we dying live or living to die? How can we fight for something that isn’t completely there?

Life. Yes, it can stand alone. This broad concept is the reason why I’m blogging on this post.

So far, I never found a philosopher that is good enough to find the meaning of it. Maybe it is on the diversity of our individual minds and experiences that no one can really define it for general understanding.

So what is in it that we are dying for, or living at when we can’t simply define it?

It’s been exactly 2 weeks and two days since I was bailed-out by my company for its closure. I tried to look for another job, and so far, the “we’ll-call-you” cliché is what I get from my prospects.

Yeah right, I’m just being impatient. Well I say it’s easy to be patient when you still have money to spend and you’re not borrowing from your brother just to sustain your previous lifestyle. Yes, it is happening.

On my job hunting, I came out of my comfort zone: I traveled across provinces just to get a job. I rode crowded modes of public transportation, and queued on lines to get clearances to secure a living. That period in time, I started to think that “hey, I’m dying to live now”.

Where as months before, when I still got a job, I’m just working, then waiting for the pay day to pay my bills, then spend my remaining money for good time, and then repeat process. In short, back then, I’m just living to die.

Security. I don’t know if it can stand alone like its predecessor, but surely it gives a quite distinctive clue for its definition in my case.

This current event leads me into an assumption that when we are robbed with certainty, that’s the very moment that we’ll strive to wrestle for it. When we feel weary about something being taken away from us, the value of that thing increases and we’ll do anything to secure it in our possession. That’s dying to live defined in one paragraph.

On the other hand, if you’re safe and settled, you’ll find yourself doing stuffs in routine until you meet the dead end; just like living to die.

Clearly I’m dying to live now. Being with this notion, I’ve learn how to value so many things in life that I used to have that eventually lead me into valuing more the things that I still have. It taught me a lot but I don’t want to be in this moment for so long. This is an unfamiliar case for me since for a long time, I was really living to die.

Life--its real definition is about to be revealed while living in and working for it at the same time. It is something we fight for while we’re struggling to know what really it is about.

Living it or dying to achieve it, whatever our drives may be, face it, we’re all suckers for it.

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Genetic Meowtation

The Attack of the Two-Headed Kitty :)

A World of their Own

Models: ACSC Students
Venue: Clark Picnic Grounds
Photographed by: PARH

Call me self-centered but sometimes, I want to be like them. They live in the perfect world that they created. It is a world free of judgment, bias and prejudice. It's also a world full of innocence and fun, where every time is play time. It's where everything seems so real and ideal at the same time.

Friday, August 31, 2012

Experience Nest

CPDFI Marketing Department Office

This is the place where I thought of and did so many things in the past 2 years. This is where I produced my concepts for my lessons, planned my Marketing venture, day dreamed, goof around with my students and office mates, killed a lot of boring office times, have been stressed, have been happy, and have been wiser--In short, I've experienced lots of real-life things and events. I will surely miss this spot.

2YEARS, 2 MONTHS AND 12 DAYS : An Open Break-up Acceptance Letter to Poly

Dear Poly,

This is our last day to be together. Naturally, after our two-year relationship, it’s but heart breaking to feel that this is our last day.

To start of, I want to thank you for giving me the experience. I can still remember the day that I had my break-up with Suth, in a snap of a finger, you came out of no where and saved me.

Frankly, it was not love at first sight, not at all. Can you forgive me if I say that you’re just a rebound for Suth? That you’re just a sort of a for-the-meantime-partner, yes, it’s true. With all my heart, I ask for your forgiveness.

They say that “love what you’re doing, or leave”. Many times I thought of leaving you because of our relationship’s demanding commitment. But by the time that I was about to leave, there is this small whispering voice I always hear that says “stay”. So I stayed.

In my stay in our relationship, I've grown to love you more in my every waking day. My love for you grown and strengthen. I never thought that I’ll love you this way up to now. In simpler term, you made my stay worth it.

Our days were not all rainbows and butterflies. As a normal couple, we had issues that put our relationship to a test. We surpassed lots of issue that we lasted 2 years and 2 months and 12 days.

Unfortunately, this last problem of ours sparked our break-up. I know both of us did our part in restoring this beautiful partnership, but there are these elements that both of us can’t really control.

This letter is for you to know how I’ve grown to love you and how fortunate I am to be with you in the past couple of years. Though it’s saddening to know that we’ll be growing apart, I want you to know that I’m on the process of accepting our separation. Though I’m not sure if we’ll meet again someday, but I’m quite sure that the experience I’ve learned from you will be immortalize in my heart and in my mind.

Before we part, let me reminisce our memories together...