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[summertime-butterfliez]

the semester has finally ended

and

all that happened vividly was you

and i miss you

and i want to get to know you so bad

[summertime-butterfliez]

five semesters down

end of third year, first semester

[summertime-butterfliez]

On Air: Conversations on Broadcast Journalism

       On Air: Conversations on Broadcast Journalism is a dialogue held by reporter, news anchor for ANC headlines and News Now, ANC Mr. Miguel Bustos. He covered and tackled topics about news gathering, news writing, live reporting, and ethics. In a span of one hour, he raised a few points that enlightened us, students, how to deal achieve success in the field of broadcast journalism. 

      First, Mr. Bustos said that we should get out of our comfort zone. From that point, I realized that our comfort zones do bring us steadiness and relief, and it will always remain that way. For someone who is ambitious, and for someone who wants to achieve her goals and dreams like me, I need to take action by moving out of my comfort zone, and to start exploring from there. Just like what the popular motto has been saying, “Like a bicycle, in order to keep our balance, we must keep moving,” in order to achieve our dreams, we must always be on the move. We must stay alert and keep our eyes open for opportunities. 

      Second, Mr. Bustos also stated that success is composed of 30% performance and 70% socialization. At to some point, I agree. Social connections are like bridges to opportunities. Courtesy and fellowship would lead you places, and this speaks a lot about your social intelligence. The higher you are able to easily adapt to a proper social decorum, the higher the degree of your social intelligence. When people like how you are dealing with them, it could also result to them liking you back. While it’s important to maintain your individuality to become widely acknowledged by many people, conforming to your peers is still an important factor worth considering of when it comes to the path towards success.

      Overall, the talk imparted tips and advices on how life outside the four walls of the classroom actually works. It made me realize that I should not be intimidated by a change of pace in my life, and I should keep on building and growing social connections. After that, and probably a few more factors including patience, determination and a little bit of faith, success will follow.

[summertime-butterfliez]

Padyak to Ebikes

       Change has come.

      The days of fatigue are over for the pedicab drivers in Tuntungin-Putho. Padyaks, the man-powered bicycles, has now been upgraded to ebikes, or electric bicycles.

      The transformation began in December 2015, when Bernardito Regis, the president of Tuntungin-Putho Pedicab Operators and Drivers Association (TPPODA), decided to start using an ebike for his padyak.

      “Siguro nakita niya kasi yung sitwasyon, mas madali yung transportasyon na naka-ebike ka na, kaysa sa padyak,” Ronaldo Parado, a fellow driver of ebikes, noted.  

Impact on drivers and passengers

      In the past, drivers of foot-powered padyak grew easily tired from the effort of pedaling their vehicles. Using the padyaks consumed too much of their energy, leaving them exhausted throughout the day. Plus, the tips they earned were not sufficient for their basic needs.  

      The slowness of the padyak was also inconvenient for passengers who had to wait for a long time. Given that the drivers still have to pedal to arrive at their destination, passengers have to tolerate the speed capability of the padyak. They have no other choice, it was the only way to reach their destination as fast as they can.

      Now that ebikes are now leading the Tuntungin roadways, drivers and passengers alike are seemed to be pleased.

      Drivers no longer have to face their passengers all fatigued and worn-out.  Norman Lanao, a 40 year old driver who has been using padyak for 15 years now, and has recently switched to an ebike said “..hindi nakakapagod (ang ebike). Tapos, bukod sa hindi na ‘ko pagod, sa pasahero, mabilis nakakabalik, di tulad ng padyak, talagang matagal. Mahirap ang biyahe.”

      Passengers do not need anymore to queue in line just to wait for a padyak to arrive. Through ebikes, they would be able to arrive at their destination faster than they have expected.

      Plus, the drivers could also earn more income than they used to. In just a day of their work, they could earn up to 400 to 500 pesos with the help of these rechargeable vehicles.

      However, according to 50-year-old driver Ronilo Bacani, one of the few drawbacks of using rechargeable ebikes was its short battery lifespan.  A battery lasts only three and a half hours, and needs six hours of recharging.

Motivation of drivers

      What motivates the drivers to continue working with their ebikes are their families. The use of ebikes allowed them to earn more income than they used to with the manual padyak and other job opportunities.

      “Para sa trabaho na din. Kaysa mag-construction, dito na lang. Maalwan alwan pa, ” Lanao stated.

      Also, Bacani commented that he also derives motivation from his passengers too.

      “Syempre, masaya rin kami kasi nasisiyahan ang mga pasahero na mabilis silang nakakauwi,” he stated.

      In the future, driver Parado believed that there would be a big chance that many senior citizens would try ebikes too, so that they would be also entertained outside instead of always being at home.

      “Malaking tulong ang ebike kasi hindi ka na papadyak, lessened na yung energy, pati yung mga senior citizen na naiinip sa bahay, nagawang gumamit na rin ng ebike.”

      This transformation from padyak to ebikes is the start for more promising changes for the Tuntungin-Putho residents. Who knows what’s in stored for them as they steer and helm their paths slowly towards development.

[summertime-butterfliez]

Mark my words

      I am in denial. 

      That PE 2 grade? I feel like I don’t deserve it. 

      I spent every morning, waking up at 7 am, struggling to get to the earliest class of my whole semester. I spent battling with my conscience, whether I should attend this noncredited PE class, or I should study for my next exer in ECON 11. I got a scar on my knee because of my clumsiness, yet I rose and brushed it off. I got bruises, and muscle pains. I got multiple bashings in the head, because of accidental thrown overs by the ball. 

      I have improved. I learned how to stop the ball. I learned how to balance the ball -- first, second, third. I learned how to keep my eyes on the ball at all times. I have to think with my feet, rather than with my head. I learned how to trust and rely to my teammates that they would be able to save the ball after I tossed it in the air. 

      I knew that I have improved. 

      I don’t fucking deserve this. I sacrificed so much. Probably, I deserve better. 

      I remembered how I felt like shit every time I got seated out of the bench. It made me feel like shit. I thought I was doing good enough. I thought I have been doing well enough.

      I almost forgot what it felt like to actually fall behind. 

      This PE2 grade has bruised my ego. 

      I don’t deserve a 2.75. 

      I know that I fucking don’t. 

      I have now come to my senses. Grades do not really define me. It is just a standard of excellence -- a standard of how much you can achieve. It is not a standard of improvement. It does not define how much you’ve learned. The present only matters, it has never considered the past. 

      I thought I’ve been doing enough. I guess I still have a long way, I still have a lot to prove. 

      Mark my words, PE 2. That 2.75 grade I got? I won’t forget until I graduate. 

[summertime-butterfliez]

Love, at a distance

      Shakespeare in Love (1998) is a beautiful film that relives one of the old playwright William Shakespeare’s works, Romeo and Juliet. 

      Viola de Lesseps, a British lady, dreams of being an actor. To somehow fulfill her dream, she dresses up as a man and puts her hopes up to be accepted on an audition of a play. This is where she meets William Shakespeare, a writer trapped of his own words, who is in a search for his muse. Their fates intertwine, and so goes the greatest play in history.

      If there is one thing that this film has taught me, it is how I was reminded of how love constructs and deconstructs life. 

      The truth rings out: love inspires. It is what pushed Viola de Lesseps to act. It is what drove William Shakespeare to write. 

      Love is what they both chose. 

      A choice worth of all odds. 

“My love is deep. The more I give to thee, the more I have, for outh are infinite.”

      In the film, they expressed love as a raw feeling -- radiating brightly up to its purest form. It is where love becomes the most beautiful. 

      However, I am still filled with doubts. I question the manner of love in this film.

      I don’t believe in love at first sight. Attractions, yes. But love? No. 

      I will never be able to understand how love can be found as easily as the first time you start a conversation. Or how exhaustion made you fall asleep as soon as you lie on your bed. Or how plants need water. Or how other people thinks that love comes first before building up a friendship. Or how love is based on sexual desires. 

      It confuses me how love comes easily falling on people’s laps, but I guess that confirms that I don’t possess the thoughts of an old romantic.

      I believe that first, before all matters, love is knowing the universe of your other half. 

      Love is molded by time. Sculpted through compromises and efforts. Focusing on each other’s intricate details, and seeing each of those little pieces as significant in the process. 

      It is funny, actually. Does this kind of perspective I think of love make me any different from the old romantics? 

      Maybe what was shown in the film is the kind of love that people aspire of.

      Maybe I am the Romeo, and this kind of love would be my Juliet.

      Fleeting, far away, love that is meant to be admired from at a distance.  

[summertime-butterfliez]

hi

the truth is, i am tired

i am tired of being taken advantage of :(

taken for granted :( 

[summertime-butterfliez]

Hellooooooooooooooo. We’re nearing the end of first semester. :)