Torn Between

Now I have two blogs — the other being a Multiply account — and I don’t know what to put where.

Nah, “simulblogging” is stupidity. Since this one looks more formal, would it be apt, then, that I put more so-called formal stuff here, stuff you actually think about and write? And since Multiply is more “pa-fun”, would it be apt, then, that I post “pa-fun” stuff there?

I will decide.

Innard Joy

Many of my friends are going to Sydney for the World Youth Day.

I’m happy for them. The thought of going to another country alone is enough to make one’s guts tumble and shake in excitement. What more if you’re there to meet the Pope. Welcome, nostalgic thoughts! Last year, when I went to Rome for the UNIV Congress, nothing else mattered than attending the Easter Vigil Mass celebrated by no less than the Holy Father himself at St. Peter’s Basilica! Dreams do fall short!

Now it’s my friends’ turn to have that inexplicable “innard joy”. The Pope! They’re meeting the Pope! And with him, they’re gonna meet God, too.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

This morning we had our first home-service Spanish class with a guy from Berlitz. Awesomeness. We had to be interviewed by this fellow one by one — en Español! So you can imagine how yerztruly grappled for words and translations when Javier, the instructor, asked him stuff. Yerztruly excelled in answering him, “No comprendo. No comprendo.”

As James would call it, “fun, no?”

Normalcy

Fuel prices are competing with the Burj Dubai. The MRT stations are becoming more and more like beehives in summer minus the alleged aircon. And some freak predicted a strong quake on the 18th.

All is normal.

Kung

Watched Kung Fu Panda last night. It is Jack Blacky. Too bad, we got the lesser-quality pirates. No chance to appreciate graphic aspect, but the humor was extreme awesomeness. Story lacks a distinguishing mark, though (like a mole or a long white hair growing on the cheek). It strongly reminded me of the hyped-up trashy Forbidden Kingdom starring Li and Chan.

Now waiting for the Dark Knight. Ledger looks just the kind of Joker I want to, um, be.

The Term Begins

Harry arrived at Hogwarts amazed like the first time. Still the castle loomed enveloped with mystery and silent magic.

One of the older Gryffindor wizards and some house elves helped him takes his luggage to his room.

“Heheh,” the tanned wizard breathed. “Welcome!”

The password to Gryffindor Tower: “Taichung.”

Week of Weeks

It’s one big Easter Sunday this week — Sunday to Sunday! — thus the week has been called the Octave of Easter (with the season of Easter spanning 50 days!).

That’s how great the feast is: a weeklong Sunday!

Meanwhile, there are soil-eating creatures called students spending a weeklong pseudotorture. “The seniors”, they’re called. It’s their “week of weeks”. This morning I finally had the dreaded sociology exam. Tomorrow the Khan’s website requirement would be due before night. Wednesday, anthropology exam. Thursday — waaah! — thesis’ deadliest deadline. Friday, geography exam. Saturday, a conference. Sunday: the great Move In. And after that, I can finally breathe.

It’s the week of weeks.

3 a.m. and the rain is fallin’

Be up at 3:30 a.m. It’ll be the second time this week. Turns out you are more awake that way.

Aw, gawrsh. Jansports under my eyes again.

Traga me tierra! Por favor!

Nega

The only negative thing about it is the schedule. Sure, it has the conventional 8-5 work shift. But, as one of the speakers said, it’s hardly followed. Online journalists have to “work” 24/7 because, well, news has an incurable insomnia. You live your job, he seemed to say.

I don’t like that. I have family and friends to attend to.

The speaker even bragged about his eyebags. “These are permanent,” he said.

I don’t want eyebags!

Hook, [on]line, and sinker

Last Monday I attended the not-so-well-attended symposium organized by my mother org (to which I am sosososo sorry for not being always there). It was about online journalism, and it sure did stimulate the young job-seeker in me.

For some reason, it turns out that online journalists — multimedia reporters, as the speakers called them — earn more than their print counterparts. And that’s besides having the hottest ICT gadgets. I remember, a long time ago, JM was raving about Inquirer.net. His language was sizzling, and I could only half-understand why. But now everything’s clear to me: it is it.

Time’s up. Will write more on this some other time.

Hey, you(th)!

Yup, Universitas is coming up with another youth conference, and I don’t like writing press releases. Why? Because you have to strive to make it flow into the reader’s subconscious smoothly…smooooooooooothly. That’s difficult.

Like, you  don’t tell them immediately that the 2008 Universitas Youth Conference (UYC) happens on February 9 (Saturday) at the UP-School of Economics Auditorium at 8 a.m. No. You should never dare, otherwise it’s good as rotten banana. But readers still read it.

Without much sensationalism (like putting horrid punctuation marks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!), you should say that the reader is invited. Universitas’ UYC, for example, is calling everyone to attend the conference, especially that admission is free for scholars (e.g. CS, US), leaders (i.e. org officers), and volunteers (e.g. Project Forge, GK, Red Cross). Regular fee is Php300.

I don’t like doing press releases because oftentimes, you’re just writing favorably for disagreeable corporate entities. Universitas’ co-presentors, fortunately, are no such “disagreeable corporate entities”: Philam Life, National Book Store, Roa Systems, Metropolis Construction Inc., and the Rotary Club District 3830. They’re good. Unlike that clothing factory Drench — or something that sounds like it, am not sure.

Besides, writing press releases makes you, in a sense, an ego-booster. You are often forced to describe people and organizations as “top-caliber” or “the number one so-and-so” or “the whatever” even if they’re not. You know what I mean? Incidentally, Universitas will gather into the UYC 2008 the country’s top professionals in one day, and they’re not fake:

• Mr. Jose Luis Cuisia Jr. (MAP’s Management Man of the Year 2007; President and CEO, Philam Life; past governor, Central Bank of the Philippines)
• Dr. Emerita Barrenechea (past president, Philippine Society for Nuclear Medicine)
• Mr. Vicente Dinglasan (President, IDS Logistics-Philippines)
• Mrs. Alexandra Prieto-Romualdez (President and CEO, Philippine Daily Inquirer)
• Prof. Rachel Khan (Chair, Department of Journalism, UP-Diliman)
• Dr. Vaughn Montes (Country economist, Citibank)
• Atty. Oscar Orbos (veteran journalist and politician)

Another tedious thing about press releases is that you’ll always start or end up with, of course, themes. In the UYC’s case, the theme/title is: “TRANSCEND: The Science and Art of Success.” How did we come up with it? After such terms as “fly high”, “sky high”, “up high(?)”, and “fly! fly!”. We knew it’s a flash drive brand. But, well, that sort of encapsulates The Message: excellence in the workplace (be it in universities, factories, or fields, depending on your state in life) has to transcend the mundanity of graduating summa cum laude or being “employee of the year” or whatever human distinction imaginable. It’s about becoming a better person inside out, towards oneself, but especially towards others.

This post has gotten too long explaining why I don’t like writing press releases, or its mutants. It has gotten too long pretending not to sell. Visit Universitas’ website here!

The period marks the end.