AN ARTSY AFTERNOON

What I thought to be an ordinary Saturday came out pleasurable with an exhilarating combo of trick and treat.

Saturday morning, I was asked if I am free in the afternoon. I don’t have a toastmasters meeting in the evening so she got a yes. My lab mate, our microbiologist, is thrilled to attend the graduation of her brother in the Negros Summer Workshop by the award-winning director Peque Gallaga. Her brother, a registered nurse, took basic acting. Now, I am excited too! What added more delight to her invitation is the treat she promised.

At around 10:00am, she came out from her room with a frown. She informed me, we will not anymore attend the graduation. Her brother decided not to. I inquired why. She explained that her brother is quite confused what to do with his life. He is torn.

So we had a change of plan. After office, instead of going to Bobs La Salle, we went to Bascon Café Lacson for the promised treat. I was starving when we arrived so I ordered a breakfast meal. I gobbled Hungarian sausage, sunny side-up egg, rice, bottomless orange juice at 5:00 in the afternoon.

Supposedly, her brother will follow. And we will act as advisers. Since when? Well, it would have launched our guidance counseling career.

Until a text message beeped. And guess what? Her brother can’t come. Because right now, he is already inside the Gallaga Theater at the University of Saint La Salle.

We were tricked! All the drama was a well-thought of plan to deceive us. So we cannot go. And so I wonder why. Suddenly I thought maybe there’s a recital where he will act on stage. And probably our presence will just add to his jitters that will render him incorrigible.

So we hurried our way to La Salle. Our steps doubled. When we entered the theater, it was full. People at the back were already standing. And so are we. But it was too late. We did not see her brother’s part. A sister who is just so thrilled to see her brother perform just missed it. The trick was victorious. I could even hear her brother’s well modulated, reverberating cackle.

That was the first time that I saw in person the iconic, long gray-haired Peque Galllaga.

There were short speeches delivered. Some are comical. Some are seriously dramatic. The speech of Peque capped the graduation night. It was both riveting and heart-warming. I quote from his speech, “Work is what you do for others, and Art is what you do for yourself.”

NEW DIRECTION

Two days ago, I was literally jumping for joy. Here I am again with my being “shallow” on being happy. I sold two books at eBay. Yippee!

I never thought of selling or should I say becoming an online entrepreneur. Until I get hold and voraciously read Chinkee Tan’s book, “For Richer or For Poorer. I thank the good-hearted TM Emmylou for actually introducing the book to me. I remember a toastmaster friend named TM Gay (I felt the need to name!) who exclaimed that after she read the book she does not want to ride a cabbie anymore. After enjoying our appetite for Hungarian sausage and mashed potato at Imbiss, we almost walked our way home. Huh! But she was still able to coax me to walk a little father to save some coins in our pocket.

I became a member of eBay on March 25, 2009. This piece of information is of course not im my memory bank. I researched it. That time, it was more of an act of feeding my curiosity.

Most books I acquired were classics. To mention a few were A Tale of Two Cities, The Good Earth, Moby Dick.

My first bank deposit to my seller felt like I was standing on loose ground. But not scared enough though. After all, it was just a petty sum of money. So I did try. Huh! Until I developed the addiction of bidding. I remember in less than five minutes, I bid in four items and luckily won. That’s how fast it can be! And exciting too!

Until one day, I saw my room shrinking in space. I have a miniature three-storey shelf already filled with books. That is how selling them came to be the answer. And that’s how I am reunited with EBay. Now I’m into online selling/marketing. And I am very excited of the idea. That is even an understatement.

People who are strictly on a timetable do not have the affluence of time to pick their books in bookstores. There are also those who have the time yet find searching-and-waiting-in-line-to-the-counter very taxing. Any of these two categories would prefer buying on-line. I, for one, am excited to receive a package even though I already expect one.

Nowadays, whenever I am in front of the computer, after I check my mail at yahoo and read rants and melodramatic expose at FB, I open my online store at eBay with heart pounding brimming with a smile!

The Wedding Singer

A month ago, I was invited to sing in a wedding and I was having second thoughts. Uh oh! I know that by now one of your eyebrows streaked upwards. But yes. I became reluctant even though singing is the first word in my vocabulary.

May 1, 2010. Nine days before I turn 26, I became a wedding singer. For the first time!

If you know so well how I have close affinity with music, then you are truly a friend. Most of my testimonials in social networking sites have one thing in common. That is, I sing most if not all the time. My life would be a blur without it. Ever since.

I even have a friend who complained and remarked, “Jay this is already exploitation.” This is when I cajole if not coerce them to sing like a choir with me in blissful illusion of being a choir master. I would excitedly arrange their voices and sing the way it should be sung. If they can’t sing according to my plans, the practice goes on. That’s how I exploit them as what a friend had said.

A month ago, I received this text message. “Jay, ma wedding singer ka!” (Jay you will be a wedding singer!). I replied, “Who’s going to march the aisle?” She replied, “I am getting married”. And that’s how I was invited.

Thoughts filled me in a second. They are lurking in all directions. I, as a wedding singer. Is that even conceivable? So I typed in the keypad, “Hahaha!” This cannot be. Maybe in the reception venue but in the church.” But she was too persistent where “No” is not an option, and so I said yes not knowing what comes next.

I tried to recall my music database if I have a song for a bridal march. Then the song “Ikaw” popped in by Martin Nievera. I sang along but failed. The vocal is just too demanding. If I force the issue, I will just sound like a hungry pig. So I felt giving up. But somehow along the way when I saw the painstaking preparation of a rush wedding, I said to myself, I don’t want to add to the burden of the soon to be couple. So I carried the burden to myself and sought help to some musically-inclined friends. Many suggestions came up.

One night I was browsing my dusty Compact disk organizer and get hold of a CD for wedding. It was already late night so I decided to play it while I lay myself in bed, lights off, and wait ‘til I fall asleep. Track number ten started to play and that’s how hope flickered in me and now excited for tomorrow.

Days rolled by with each line become part of my memory and the melody make a soft, soothing sound in the silence of the night.

And by the time that the music and lyrics meet in perfect harmony, that was the time that I became the official wedding singer!

MY VOTE

I went out from work earlier than usual yesterday. I am scheduled to meet CTM Sheila in her office at SSS for a toastmaster transaction. It’s been a while. The last time we met, six months ago, it was the same business. The way to SSS was quite a flash. Not until, when I headed to SM, that I am helplessly stuck in traffic jam. The reason? Politics. A motorcade busied the long stretch of Lacson for Liza Maza and Satur Ocampo, both seeking a Senatorial seat. Having learned to be proactive, I grabbed my phone, and sent roles for our members for Monday. No amount of lambasting can make us penetrate the obstruction. It’s delusional!

Twenty ten election is by far the most creative election to date, I believe. Along with the traditional media hype and the demanding presence of pop singers onstage to gather thousands of voters, what startled me most is the daily dose of text messages I received. And the messages don’t speak of platform and track record. They are black propaganda’s. Things like 10 reasons why you shouldn’t vote for Noynoy Aquino and five reasons why Manny Villar should be out of your Presidential choice. There was one time, I lost my composure, that I replied to an unknown number, “get lost!” And before I forget, notice how the streets have transformed into a battlefield of the colors, yellow, orange, and green! Isn’t that creative enough?

Up to today, I cannot still understand why politicians can easily forget their timetable and shake all hands they can possibly reach. But in an ordinary day, they don’t reach out to you. We reach out to them. And the process is not at all “breezy”. It’s actually like crossing rivers and mountains before you can take as little as five minutes of their time. If I may mention a historical account, batch 2005 of Silliman made history. When we graduated, we didn’t have a Commencement speaker. The reason? The Senator did not arrive. That is why I am not voting for him in this election.

Now that election is just around the bend, I have been asked who are in my list. And here it goes.

President – Richard Gordon
Vice President – Jejomar Binay

Senators (in no particular order)
1. Franklin Drilon
2. Alexander Lacson
3. Miriam Defensor-Santiago
4. Adel Tamano
5. Liza Maza
6. Pia Cayetano
7. Gilbert Remulla
8. Risa Hontiveros
9. Sonia Roco
10. Ralph Recto
11. Satur Ocampo
12. Sergio Osmeña III

I am saddened when colleagues question me why should I vote for them when survey says, they will not win. My reply is simple, “I am voting not based on survey but based on what they have done and what they can do.

WANTED REAL STORIES

To report the truth or not! That is the question!

I have a colleague who brings customer satisfaction ratings every month to other departments in the company. When I asked him how the managers responded to our ratings he just shrugged his shoulder and said, “I don’t have the slightest idea. The moment I hand them the report, I scamper away”. Funny it may seem on how we deal with truth or reality but I bet we are all guilty of this.

One of our HR personnel in her anxiety one day, said, “I hate to be the bearer of bad news”. This is in the context of breaking the, you-did-not-make-it news to the applicants. Either way that they did not pass the exam or the interview. When I had the opportunity to talk to her I told her very lightly that the bad news does not make the bearer bad. You are only the medium of the message. Yes, truth hurts! We have our own share of the cake when it comes to truth being hurtful. But the other side of truth makes us see the reality. At the end of the day, the truth is not our enemy. Matter-of-factly, it is always our ally.

Philippine journalism is actually standing on the same ground. To report the truth or not. Because at some point telling the truth is a crime. To talk back to the government is taboo. To inform the people of the status quo means bloodshed. Up to today, I still refuse to believe the tragic fact that the Philippines is the second most dangerous place for journalists.

Who can forget the reporters being treated as rascal in the streets in broad daylight with their vehicles burned while covering the historic EDSA III? Who can forget the kidnapping of Ces Drilon and other correspondents in Mindanao in the name of investigative journalism? And who can forget the gruesome and beastly mass killing of journalists in Maguindanao in their resolute coverage to make the playing field of politics square and fair?

When I was a little younger around 11 to 12 years old, I developed my fondness of becoming a broadcast journalist. The reason is the simple truth that I wanted to face the camera. In other words, I wanted to become famous. People will see me daily. And the people who dislike me? They have to endure the time watching me live while I deliver the news. Envy all over them. I have my own share of juvenile naughtiness too.

Until today that I have matured with age, I realized that journalism is not about fame. It’s not about the attention you get from the multitude of people. It’s not about the big fortune. Journalism is about integrity in news reporting. It is about letting the public know of the status quo. It is about telling the facts straight. Whatever it costs. Whatever it takes. Whoever is involved. Unadulterated. Undistorted. Whole.

DARE TO DREAM

(This is the speech that I delivered in a Recognition Ceremony at Dumaguete City last March 29, 2010)

Never underestimate the power of a dream!

When I graduated in 2001, I can still recall our graduation song. In fact, I will volunteer myself to sing a few lines of it. Bear with me, I am a member of MBSS! “Masyadong Bilib sa Sarili. And here it goes, “Yes, it all begins with a dream. Something inside that we really believe. There’s so much we can do. We can make it come true. Yes it all begins with a dream”.

As early as now, think of what you would love to do. What is your passion? What do you enjoy doing? If you can answer these questions, then that is your dream. That will be you 4-8 years from now. That will serve as your compass to guide you. So never lose your dream. Never lose sight and most of all never give up your dream! It’s very hard to get lost especially when you are already advanced in age.

In 2007, I ran my first marathon here in Dumaguete. Remember the 34th milo marathon? Yes, I was one of the runners in…, guess what category? Well for someone like me who is a member of MBSS, I enlisted in the 21-kilometers category. You know what happened? Well, I was able to run halfway, and then I hitched to the traffic enforcer whom is following me because I was the last runner of the race. But wait, I gave up not because I am ashamed of being the last runner, but because I have realized I have chosen the wrong category. Sometimes, it’s negative to be a in the elite circle of MBSS! Kidding aside! It happens! We have to carefully choose our own battle. We have to know when to stop and try again. I may have failed in 2007, but I did not allow myself to get stuck and wallow in self-pity, that I can never make it. Last year, 2009, I ran again, and this time in the 10-kilometers category and I am proud that I finished on time and got for myself a finisher certificate.

Failure is simply defined as the state or condition of not meeting a desirable or intended objective. According to Dr. Robert Schuller, “Failure doesn’t mean you are a failure. It just means you haven’t succeeded yet. Failure does not mean you have accomplished nothing. It does mean you have learned something. Failure doesn’t mean you’ve been a fool to try. It means you were brave, you had nerve, you had courage; be proud of your self. Failure does not mean you’ll never make it. It does mean it will take longer. Failure does not mean you’re finished. It does mean you have a chance to start all over again, try something new. Failure doesn’t mean God has abandoned you. It does mean He has a better idea. So it is true, failure is never final.

Consider the following real stories. Woody Allen – Academy Award-winning writer, producer and director flunked motion picture production at New York University and the City College of New York. He also failed English at New York University. When Thomas Edison invented the light bulb, he tried over 2,000 experiments before he got it to work. A young reporter asked him how it felt to fail so many times. He said, “I never failed once. I invented the light bulb. It just happened to be a 2,000-step process. General Douglas MacArthur might never have gained power and fame without persistence. When he applied for admission to West Point, he was turned down, not once but twice. But he tried a third time, was accepted and marched into the history books.

Now, I have a warning to make. Be careful of dream stealers! Who are they? They are people who will discourage you to pursue your dream. They are people who will tell you straight in your face, you can never make it. They are people who will tell you, Oh my God, look at you, “Is that even possible?

A teacher asked her students to draw their dream. After an hour, Jimmy went to the teacher’s table and proudly presented his drawing of a big ranch with all kind of animals he could possibly imagine. The teacher praised Jimmy for a beautiful drawing but continued saying, your grandfather is poor, your father is poor, you cannot have that ranch. Jimmy, draw something achievable or else I will give you an F. So Jimmy went home very sad and told his dad about it. His father told him, It is up to you son, you can either keep your dreams or allow people to steal it away from you. The next day, Jimmy valiantly went to his teacher and presented his same drawing. The teacher angrily told him, “Jimmy, are you testing my patience? But Jimmy just smiled and replied, “It’s okay ma’am, you can give me an F but I choose to keep my dreams.”

This time, I’d like to address the parents and relatives of our outstanding students, “Congratulations for the achievements of your son or daughter, but please, don’t steal their dreams. Your role is just to support and guide them.

To you outstanding students, you who have chosen that excellence matters, you don’t have to know how your dream will come true. Just dream it. The path will reveal itself, little by little, in due time. Your role is simply to follow your dream.

Once again, Congratuations!

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