Chiz the camera!

We appeared on mainstream TV today. (No big deal, we were just re-enacting a scene out).

This might sound stupid, but that’s one of my gazillion life goals crossed out. Hehehe!

PRRRR!

 

GIANT KITTEEEEHHHH!!!!

One of my super rare visits to the mall, a shop I forgot to note about, in SM Megamall 

Do you watch Philippine Travel Shows?

Me and two of my closest friends in UP Diliman would love to know what you think of them!

Kindly give us some ten minutes of your golden hours to answer this survey for an ongoing undergraduate thesis on Local Tourism in Philippine TV.

Why answer this survey?

Because YOU who watches this TV show is HARD TO FIND. And we’d love to see if YOU believe these shows/networks yourself, being someone who actually lives in the areas they feature. Kumbaga, walang tatalo sa first-hand experience at knowledge mo tungkol sa lugar na un! Your opinion and recommendations can make a difference in maintaining the standards of quality Philippine travel TV shows! (Besides, you’ll be giving out priceless help to us students :D)

Thanks in advance! O game, click the link na!

Cheating Hotel 626

Oh it’s so easy, it’s like this:

• Grab a friend (or in my case, grab my cousins).
• Keep all lights open.
• Forget to bring speakers or headphones.
• Make sure the wi-fi connection you’re stealing from the neighbor is crappy
• Open Youtube in another window. View cute cats and rats loving each other while the other side of the “door” loads.
• Remember at the last minute that you, the bravest of ‘em all, hated seeing gory stuff because you remember them so well they’ll give you graphic nightmares. Leave the table, and take sissy pictures like this, or pay a visit to the dessert table.

For What It’s Worth

I woke up today feeling like it’s “Sunday Morning”, a description I reserve for days when I feel strangely good and relaxed and refreshed.. like Sunday mornings.

Good morning Kuya and Gyunyu! My brother and pet cat sleep together like this all the time.

**

I had the most unlikely IM chatmates and conversations, and talked to people I never thought I would yesterday. It’s been a while since I had a Friday night at home :D I watched with Kuya and my dad that Seth-Rogen-raunchy-and-surprisingly-feel-good movie, Zack and Miri Make a Porno. 

Despite its expletive-heavy comedy script and “R-18″ graphics (they DO make a porno after all), there’s something sincere and very human in this movie, that’s why I like it. It’s a “MAC” movie, too–Justin Long, the “I’m a Mac” dude from the Get a Mac video series makes one of the funniest cameos I’ve ever EVER seen :D Bentang-benta! Oh, and forgive me for the stereotypes, but I think it’s a geek movie, too– the Superman Returns hotness named Brandon Routh is there (PANALO RIN ‘TO!), along with slips about comic books, sci-fi, high school memories, barista dreams, online shopping, etc.

If you liked Jun, Superbad, or Definitely Maybe (remember Emily, the first girl? She’s Miri!), you’ve got to see this movie. 

**

Going back to the feel of Sunday Mornings: Besides accidentally stumbling on this rare optimistic blog entry from a friend who has been facing tough times lately, I also saw a previously unseen comedy photo albums of me and my elementary school friends. Heck, the weather participates, too!

With some decent sleep, these simple life-things must’ve kicked those rusty happy screws in my head back to life! Yeah, it’s a peaceful weekend :D

 

Finally, to end this entry is this soundtrack of the day, a song from the mellow-alternative days of The Cardigans, For What It’s Worth. It reminds me of  the simplicity of admitting the truth as they happen, minus the self-consciousness of “what others would think about” :)

 

For what it’s worth, I like you.

And what is worse? I really do.

 

Hail U.P. Oblation pictures!

The Hail UP Oblation photoshoot was legendary! It made me want to take off my clothes and pose for my alma mater as well! :D (Kung pwede lang sana e!)

Hail! U.P. Oblation centennial photo shoot

An incredible, breath-taking experience! Click this link for photos from my camera.

Very “alive” human oblations

Of course these Oblations were very alive themselves! View their funnier photos here.

 

Thanks to all the models who participated in this centennial shoot! Our National artist Guillermo Tolentino would’ve been very proud! You did the Oblation monument, and UP, more justice than it can ever receive in its lifetime! To inspire the gathering of a all these people, and “sacrifice” themselves, er, visually by doing something potentially embarrassing (and you did it anyway!). We’re all super proud of you guys!

Let’s do what we can to keep the spirit of Filipinos in the minds of many :) I excited to see what the AP and Reuters photographers came up with! 

Hail! UP Oblation photoshoot

UP Oblation Run fans and enthusiasts! Finally, a once-in-a-lifetime chance to get that perfect angle of a human UP Oblation: A photoshoot of 100 U.P. Oblations–minus the masks, and all that running!

Attend “Hail! U.P. Oblation“, a grand UP Centennial photoshoot in UP Diliman’s Amphitheater, on December 13, Saturday, at sunrise (6 A.M.).

Yeah there’s that six A.M. calltime.. but then again it’s once-in-a-lifetime! You’re gonna be telling your grandchildren about this event (especially if you’re one of the models, or know one of them)! So go! ^_^

More details in the press release below:

A hundred male University of the Philippines alumni, students, faculty, and staff will pay tribute to the UP icon, the Oblation, via a unique photo shoot on December 13, 2008 at the crack of dawn. The “100 Oblations” event will be one of the closing activities of the UP Centennial celebrations.

Called “Hail! U.P. Oblation”, the historical and visual gathering is estimated to take place at 6 a.m. at the UP Diliman Amphitheater behind Quezon Hall where the original Oblation monument stands. The event will be covered by foreign and local media organizations and professional photographers. The best photographs from Hail UP Oblation are being planned to be featured in a future UP Centennial coffee table book.

All are invited to witness this once-in-a-lifetime human ensemble and photo expedition as one of the final events of UP’s one hundred years of service to the country. Unlike the men of the Oblation Run, the 100 Oblation models will be wearing specially designed trunks with stylized fig leaves.

After the photo shoot event, “UP Para sa Bayan”, a public service fair offering free medical, dental, legal, veterinary, health promotions. education workshops, as well as traditional and non-traditional amenities, will take place at 7 a.m. The entire University Avenue and the UP Academic Oval will be filled with 100 tents offering various services to the public for a day.

Both Hail UP Oblation and UP Para sa Bayan are organized by the UP Alumni Association special committees. 

For more information, please visit the Hail UP Oblation official Multiply portal, or contact the committee through Misha (0920-901-51-07), Debbie (0917-791-39-24), and Bev (0915-847-91-19), or through email (hailupoblation@gmail.com).

For UP Para sa Bayan, please contact the UPAA office at 929-8327, 920-68-68, and 920-68-71.

The weight of money

American recession, huh?

We’ll see.

Second Communication Research Student Conference (CRSC)

2nd CRSC Poster by Chary Silva

“Ka-CommRes Ako!” went Sir Fernando Paragas’s urge and the audience’s “battlecry” in the Second Communication Research Student Conference (CRSC) held recently on this Saturday at the College of Mass Communication, UP Diliman.

CRSC 08 Paper-- For sale at P75 only at the CommRes Department is a CD-compilation of these papers. Please call Ms. Viring at 920-68-66 for reservations.

Because we’re coming from a field who believes that the utilization of numbers can reduce much of the Philippines’ problems to dust, I’m going to present it just like that in this entry about the 2nd CRSC, from a student secretariat’s POV:

There were three venues on the second Communication Research Student Conference, mainly organized by a secretariat of twenty-four students of Communication Research 175 (Fundamentals of Communication and Management by Dr. Aleli Agoncillo-Quirante), with the moral and active support of twelve professors/administration heads, among with an uncounted number of  secretary heads.

Twenty-three parallel session papers, and three main plenary session studies were presented– these involved very close to 100 students from two schools (UP Diliman and FEU), and ten advisers who made sure the student papers were given justice in the presentations they gave to the soft headcount of 888 attendees from eleven universities of the Philippines (UPD, UPM, UPLB, ADMU, AUF, CSB, DLSU, FEU, UA&P, UE, UST).

Some accumulated hundreds of hours in preparation became the cumulation of an eight-hour whole-day event as one of College of Mass Communication’s continued contribution to the local student academe, and communication studies inspiration as well as to the overall UP community recognition in its year-wide 100th anniversary celebration.

CRSC 08: A draped white blanket becomes the make-shift "LCD screen" in the cool and very blue TV station of UP CMC's Media Center

B1 / 201 in UP CMC's Film Department sufficed for an intimate paper presentations for the CRSC 08

The CMC Auditorium witnessed a fullhouse in its presentations on marketing and ICT, the more popular topics among today's youth scholars

I wanted to post more numbers on our use of resources like paper and ink spools, desktops and laptops hours use, ID cases, printed certificates, etc, but I don’t have them ^^; Here’s some fun trivia instead:

• Student presented papers they’ve previously produced as sophomores/juniors/undergrads. 
• Most presenters are undergraduate students, though there were a few who were already graduates (fresh grads!) and still presented their theses in this conference.
• It’s the first time we had presenters from another school—FEU! The CRSC aimed to encourage other schools to send in their student studies/papers. Research dissemination/presentation gives you a different sort of “high”, too! They’re not just geek work nor do they end up as scratch paper for professors–students could get priceless recognition from the hardwork behind it, too, if coupled with the extra effort in packaging, editing, and presenting the study.
• It works pala if the event required by professors (HAHA!) and is scheduled on a Saturday :D We had more attendees! More attendees mean we have more people/ larger captive audience which we can inspire (and who can inspire each other!)

P.S. A CD-compilation of the papers presented in this conference is for sale at P75 at the UP CommRes Department. Please call Ms. Viring (920-68-66) for details and reservations.

Typography in Printed Signs

Ever since my brother introduced me to typography in design, I’ve become overly-sensitive and obsessive in using it.

I revere people who use serifs and sans-serifs with sensibility. Just as what any brilliant design can do to, merely the use of good typography can project such personality and description to the actual content they represent. Imagine just what the right selection of fonts can do to make output more effective. Maybe if more communicators and audiences are well-versed in it, then our country shouldn’t be suffering from much media/information misunderstanding ^^;

Blessed with the freedom to volunteer for tasks in our preparation for my college department’s Second Communication Research Student Conference, I immediately took up one that involved creating some of the printed signs. And theFranklin Gothic type series, already my sans-serif favorite, became my muse for the day!

Plaridel Journal Vol. 10 launch

Advised by Prof. Violeda Umali in our Introduction to Quantitative Analysis class (CommRes 115) when we were in our second year into BA Communication Research, my groupmates and I produced a paper on the views of Filipino youth first-time voters prior to the senatorial elections in 2006.

I had a “powerhouse” group of batchmates namely Raine Capadocia, Aleth Gayosa, Aissa Rivera, Mai Uichanco and me– we worked great together! Half of us were goofballs/hardworkers, and we had great FUN while accomplishing brilliant work in Aissa’s sleep-over to finish this paper :D I feel like we became closer coursemates, and friends after the experience.

Entitled Di Bobo’to, this paper went to being presented in the First Communication Research Student Conference, and this September, to being published in the the College of Mass Communication’s Plaridel academician-refereed journal on communication (the 10th volume)!

This journal issue had all these gravely politically-inclined papers in it, and the entire issue was edited by one of my professors whom I highly revere.. To be among these people and work was almost surreal! We were just “hamak na undergrads” who did this paper as a requirement for a sophomore class… and there our paper goes: printed as evidence and illustration of what the 2006 Filipino youth was like! What did we do to deserve this?? :P

In these occasions, I feel so proud to be part of UP Diliman’s College of Mass Communication (CMC community! Our current Department of Communication Research puts so much effort into getting recognition for student works–even if they’re just papers for classes. 

As a graduating undergraduate from this department, I feel so humbled nowadays. I ask myself often: Do I even deserve the efforts of the Department of Communication Research to get recognition for our works? ^^;; The older batches didn’t get as much recognition for theirs–why ours now? Our professors don’t even get additional pay for the overtime they do when reviewing these papers! So is getting the “warm and fuzzy” feeling of helping students get recognition enough for my professors to go through the additional stress and work?

Aleth, a groupmate, checking out our special invitation for the book launch-- OMG to now being published writers in an academic journal!!

A professor retelling his experience as journal editor in his usual plethora of beautiful communication+law vocabulary

I don’t think I’ll even end up being the researcher most of them want us to become ^^;; (But I know I will end up somewhere being the direct end-users of such research).

Either way, I feel so lucky to be part of this community right now. While being a student there, I’m doing my best to I can help out in their projects, etc. I have much much uncalled-for “payback” to do for UP and for CMC for shaping me who I am now :D

What’s “sexy”?

A 2-page spread Quicksilver women’s line ad in Sept 2008 Nylon magazine highlighted this one line that could’ve very well turned me to an advocate of their brand if I were in the US maybe :D:

“You are never so sexy as when you make me think.”

 

 

:)

 

 

**

I think it’s a smart line and it promotes Quicksilver in a fresh perspective for me– among all these ads selling “bodies” and “faces”, this one sticks on my mind because they picked on the “brains” and provided a teaser to the website portal their consumers could follow :P

UPiktyuran Na! Isa pa?

UP PRAds members goofing off as UPiktyuran ushers =D

 

Co-organizer's organization president signing some...n numbers of certificate of appreciation for ALL participants in the event.

Coursemate/entrepreneur Ervin Temporal is as HOT as always! (nyehe!)

The UPiktyuran workshop seemed like a success– to have our college’s auditorium filled with students. A lucky girl won a camera-phone, but what’s better was that all participants get their pictures flashed among this sea of people!

From the back of the auditorium--some 100+ registered students listening to Mr. Erik Liongoren, commercial photographer

 

Admittedly, I wasn’t able to join the workshop ^^;; I was on the registration booth right outside it, my determination willing-unwillingly fixed on to something more academic.

RE-Scheduled UPiktyuran Na! Camera-phone photography workshop on Aug 28 (Thurs), 1-4 pm, UP CMC

The UPiktyuran Na! banner (inverted) which I took this morning while standing on a bench from the Skywalk lobby in UP CMC

*UPDATED* On August 28 (Thursday), 1-4 PM at the UP College of Mass Communication (CMC) Auditorium, there will be a FREE camera-phone photography workshop by SMART Communications. They’re promoting their contest UPiktyuran Na!, which I posted last month.

 

UPiktyuran Na! is a photo-contest by run SMART where a UP student, alumni, faculty, or employee would show their love of UP through a photo shot by their camera phones. Click here for more details in the official microsite.

I heard that cellphones and other prizes from SMART will be awarded for the best outputs at the end of the workshop =D

Also, according to UP PR+Advertising Society (UP PRADS), one of the guests speakers will be photographer Erik Liongoren.

Interested? Go confirm your attendance to Chrissie Macaraig at 0928-204-20-31 / 0927-252-47-13 or through email at chrissie.macaraig@gmail.com. (Or just go there on the actual day).

Click image for a larger view of the press release.

See you there guys!