Monday, July 27, 2009
I didn't have...
...much of a weekend, after working on the formatting of the SONA articles uploaded on Saturday and Sunday, and the additional tweaks for the interactive graphic. I did manage to write a couple of things for Fire Quinito, about the last couple of games of Powerade Team Pilipinas and the UP upset over Ateneo.Today was a fun day, with the SONA going on. I stayed behind at the office while most of my colleagues got to go out to cover on the field, but I had a fun time manning the PCIJ twitter desk. It was just me and our executive editor, Malou Mangahas in the office, and she actually got pretty into it with the Twitter thing. Awesome. I love how the updates weren't particularly different from the updates I do on the Fire Quinito twitter feed.
(Sample tweet from me: "Angelique Lazo to Sec. Peter Favila: 'Happy SONA!' Happy SONA?!")
Also loved how the media completely embraced the social networks for this event: SONA was second on the trending topics list this afternoon, while GMA News and Sun Star rolled out impressive streaming coverage of the event using different social media tools. Nice.
Oh, and I also spent the weekend researching and writing my first piece for the FHM website. I was hoping it would somehow involve boldstars, but alas! It was about political speeches, in time for today's events.
In the piece, I quoted an excerpt from a Ninoy Aquino speech (which is available on the Internet in nine parts, starting here). I would recommend watching the whole thing, if you have the time, but again let me post my favorite part here:
I am a human being, my friends. I have suffered eight years of imprisonment, I have suffered loneliness like no other man has suffered loneliness in my life, I have been away from my children and my family, and I am financially ruined after eight years. It is only instinctive for a man to look for his peace. I debated with my mind, and I debated with myself, and I debated with my wife and my children whether I should go back to the arena of combat. I felt that I have already earned my peace, I have done my best, I waited for seven years and seven months, and the Filipino people did not react, and they would even give me the impression that they love their chain and their slavery. What can one man do if the Filipino people love their slavery? If the Filipino people have lost their voice and would not say no to a tyrant, what can one man do? I have no army, I have no following, I have no money, I only have my indomitable spirit.
But the letters kept pouring in, and they said, We waited for you for eight years. Will you now abandon us?
Grading Gloria
The PCIJ has been publishing stories ahead of today's SONA all weekend long. The past two days, it looked at her SONA promises and looked deeper into the numbers behind her economic record.Today, Dr. Benjamin Diokno, former Estrada budget secretary and current UP economics professor, wrote a perspective piece looking at Gloria's record, and handed out grades. As most university professors are wont to do (heh), his piece is long and full of facts and figures. I stitched together this interactive graphic for Prof. Diokno's grades.
Labels: news and issues, work
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Stakeout
A few weeks ago, I went with a colleague at work to go to the office of the Total Information Management Corp., who were then embroiled in a controversy over their breakup with foreign partner Smartmatic, putting the election automation project of the Comelec in jeopardy. We staked outside their office building, and when we saw one of their senior officials alight a van, we chased him across the lobby all the way to the elevators.I'm mentioning this because I caught the John Lloyd Cruz-Sarah Geronimo starrer You Changed My Life over the weekend, and I noticed that Sarah Geronimo's office building was the same one where we waited to ambush-interview the TIM official.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Clandestine
As I mentioned last week, I missed the FHM 100 show to go out-of-town for work. The result is this report about the communities in Tanay, Rizal affected by the Laiban Dam project. It was a follow-up on a previous report by the PCIJ on the San Miguel Corporation's clandestine deal for the P52-billion dam project with the MWSS.Coincidentally, I spent the weekend bitching about another San Miguel clandestine deal, this time about the Beermen acquiring superstar forward Arwind Santos from Burger King in exchange for a plate of roasted highland legumes.
Labels: basketball, pcij, work
Thursday, July 09, 2009
I had...
...tickets for tonight's FHM 100 Sexiest Women in the World Party, but had to give away my tickets at the last minute because I had to go out-of-town to do some field research for work. The town we visited wasn't that far away from Manila, but we had to go visit a couple of really remote villages. We had made preparations to stay the night, but it started to rain, so we decided to head back to the city because getting stuck might mean staying there for the next few days.The places we visited had neither cellphone signal nor electricity. But they were not quite as remote as the place we had originally wanted to go to, which required a river crossing (ideally on a 4x4 vehicle). We did not end up going but we did make plans to go next time.
Overall, it was a fun day. Also, if it would make for a great excuse if I ever end up having an affair; I could always use the excuse that I couldn't reply to calls or text messages because, "Walang signal sa [name of remote village]."
Friday, July 03, 2009
I wrote...
...a short sidebar for the PCIJ's latest two-part report on the automation project for the 2010 elections, and it made it to the front page of the Manila Times this morning. It's odd because I've been writing online (a lot!) for a long time, and I think this is the first thing of mine ever printed. Like, ever, ever.The Times version was (poorly) cut, which is always a danger with print media. It's funny though, because the lopped off most of the meat of the story, but left in the Transformers joke.
The full version of the sidebar, which makes infinitely more sense, is online at the PCIJ site. Of course, you also owe it to yourself to read the first and second parts of the report.
UPDATE: Here's Ed Lingao's video on the story, drawing on the second part of the report.
Labels: news and issues, pcij, politics, work, writing
Friday, June 05, 2009
Game show
I was making a presentation this afternoon to the PCIJ board, including members David Celdran, Howie Severino, and Malou Mangahas, among others. When David, the board chairman, asked me a question, it gave me a moment's pause, thinking, "Hey wait, why am I on Battle of the Brains?"Friday, May 29, 2009
PCIJ report on press freedom in Timor-Leste
As Timor Leste turns 7, PCIJ's Ed Lingao takes a look at the state of the country's press and the challenges that journalists still face in the world's youngest democracy.Read the full story here.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Video: PCIJ report on access to information issues
The PCIJ’s Multimedia Producer, Ed Lingao, produced this short video on the issues surrounding the difficulty of accessing information from various government agencies:Friday, May 22, 2009
I was MIA...
...for the past couple of days as I was in Pampanga to hold a lecture/workshop on blogging. The participants were teachers and students from various public high schools across the country. While I'm not exactly sure how the experience went for them (boses-puke kasi yung instructor nila), it was a very enriching experience for me, and I was just grateful to be part of the whole thing.The teachers were more thrilled to be there than the students. It was a especially challenging trying to teach certain members of the class who were not at all comfortable with surfing the Web or even operating a personal computer, but everyone came through in the end. Everyone ended up taking to blogging, at siyempre, sila ma'am at sir, kinarir ang pag-upload ng pictures, kasama ang kanilang mga boypren, gelpren, asawa, at mga anak.
Most of the blogs ended up looking like your usual Multiply blogs, peppered with pictures, but they were happy with the result. It wasn't all just meaningless fun though. Some of them told me of plans to use the blogs to share their lessons for their students, others mentioned that they'll be passing on their knowledge to their students, while a couple even started blogs for their respective schools to be able to keep in contact with alumni who are already in Metro Manila or abroad.
Some of the other teachers, though, had to temper their excitement a bit. "Sir, we'll continue blogging," they told me, "once we finally get Internet connections in our town."
Labels: work
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
The best kind of nice
It's noche buena tonight, but it still doesn't feel exactly like Christmas. Despite all the parties (and the traffic, and the stupid cab drivers in Makati), it hasn't felt like Christmas for me all month long.I'd been working crazy hours this month (and I'm posting this from the office). I know I said I wouldn't do that anymore with this job, but at the back of my mind, I knew it wouldn't last. It happened at my first job, all those years ago. It happened at GMA. I suspect that it's no coincidence that this keeps happening, like it's written into my DNA or something, that I always end up doing this. After all, there are about ten other managers in the whole company, and none of them end up doing things that require them to work the hours that I work. So yeah, Christmas this year hasn't been Christmas-y at all for me.
I did catch a tiny whiff of Christmas cheer the past couple of days, after giving (and receiving) presents to (and from) my officemates. Since I had no time to go shopping for presents anymore (and my office list is at 60 people), I just figured I'd try ordering home-baked cookies from Macy (the cookies are called Macy's Fields, natch). It was a big order and I'm so glad she came through.
The cookies were a hit with officemates, most of whom ended up eating the cookies right in front of me, which led to the following exchange:
Officemate: "Boss, ang sarap ng cookies."
Me: (deadpans) "Oo naman. Ako nag-bake niyan."
Officemate: (looks at the package) "Ikaw si Macy?"
Me: (to myself) "Shet, dapat tinanggal ko na lang pala yung label."
Also, when I first brought the cookies to the office and they were sitting under my desk, my whole workstation ended up smelling like cookies all day (and it was good, since I ended up staying till 10 in the evening last night). Yum. That would be my whiff of Christmas for the month.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Really
At our team building activity last week, in the tell-everyone-about-yourself segment, I started talking about High Fidelity (which is, aptly enough, my desert-island top book of all time), and I ended up speaking to a dumbfounded audience. No one there knew anything about the book or even the movie. I guess John Cusack is not so big around these parts.Then at our company Christmas party, The Camerawalls (Clem Castro's new band) played a cover of The Cure's Just Like Heaven, so I started singing to it. The only problem was, of the 100 or so people watching, I was the only one who seemed to know the song. Not only that, but when some officemates noticed me singing along to it, they were all like, Hey, you know this song? We've never heard of it before. You're such a dork.
Which I am. Really. But still. High Fidelity, really? And Just Like Heaven? Really? What the fuck is this place and how did I get here? Hehehe.
Sunday, October 05, 2008
I haven't been blogging much lately...
...because I've been busy with my new job. I had been planning to write about it for the longest time, but I just never got around to it. I've been back at work for about a month now.I guess I didn't write because I didn't have much energy for it. Work hasn't really been that busy, but after a whole day in front of the computer, I just don't want to be in front of the screen when I got home. But most of it was because I didn't really know where to start.
For example, I still have a hard time articulating why I took the job. The whole thing came together pretty quickly. The company's recruiting manager called me up and scheduled an interview between me and a senior manager for the next Wednesday. A day after the intervew, the recruiting manager called me up the next morning, asking me how soon I could start if an offer were tendered to me. I ended up signing that very afternoon, and I started work at the company two Mondays later.
I didn't take the job because of the money (although it does pay well), or because I thought it was a particularly good, can't-miss opportunity (although, for any sane person, it could be).
I guess I was just running out of excuses. My "showbiz answers" for leaving my last job (I wanted to take a break, I wanted to finish my final project report for grad school, I wanted to look into other opportunities) weren't holding up anymore (I had been out of work for 4 months already, I finished a draft of my final project report back in July and it only took me about a day to revise for a final version, I wasn't really looking for other opportunities and if I did agree to come for an interview for a recruiter I showed up looking like this). Anyway, taking the job really was an impulse decision.
(Warning: Cryptic paragraphs, insider-y paragraph that's not really meant to be understood to follow)
I did it with the realization that, despite being away, things weren't really getting better with me. I was still in the exact same place I was six months ago, which was the exact same place I was in a year ago, which was the exact same place I was in 18 months ago. I had a vision of the next six months, the next year unfolding and me remaining in the exact same place. With the new job, it's doubtful that it'd be any different, but I could at least pretend that I'm "moving things along".
(End insider-y paragraph)
Anyway, the job. It's okay. I have a high regard for the people I work with, and in many respects, it is an incredible place. To look the part, I got myself a yuppie haircut and a clean shave, and I make sure to come to work in accordance with the company's dress code. I'm trying to get into a routine, battling traffic and commuting to the other side of the metro really early every morning, going home, cooking dinner, and packing lunch for the next day.
The schedule is killing me, because as early as I have to get up each morning, I still couldn't sleep easily at night, so usually end up going to work with three or four hours of sleep. The company I work for has a night shift, which I prefer, and I actually tried going in to work at night for about a week. Too bad the schedule didn't work for my bosses, who worked mornings so I had to go back to the regular shift so I could get to meetings with them.
The job is about as different from my last job as you could get while staying in the IT industry. To be perfectly candid, I don't see myself lasting this long here, but then again, I used to say that too about GMA, and I ended up staying almost four years. It's not necessarily a bad thing. It's a more professional approach; I come in, I do my job (and I've been doing a good job too), and I go home. But I don't pour my heart and soul into my job, not like I used to, anymore.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
It's the end of the world as we know it (and I feel fine)
I'm leaving my job soon.I honestly don't know where I'll be transferring next yet.
I'll figure it out. I'll probably end up picking a company that has the prettiest HR girl.
I've spent the past month or so talking to friends about my decision, and I don't think I've been called an idiot by so many people.
But it's alright.
Anyway, buy me a couple of beers and I'll tell you the whole story. Karl and Markku and I will be watching Sugarfree and Sandwich at 70s Bistro tonight ;)
Labels: work
Friday, February 29, 2008
The best way to end a work week
I was on my way up to the office about 15 minutes ago after buying some milk tea from 7-Eleven when the elevator stopped at the 2nd floor. In walked MariMar herself, Marian Rivera, looking hotter than hellfire (she was wearing a loose fitting workout shirt, tapos kita yung bra niya-- black), and she ended up standing a couple of inches in front of me. They were discussing what was gonna happen to the show, and they ended up spoiling part of the ending. But... damn.Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
Python
Love today's new XKCD comic. A couple of months ago, I needed to write a small script to parse logs for our ad servers, and I figured it was as good a time as any to dive into Python. The whole thing took me about a day, and the code just looked beautiful.Thursday, August 30, 2007
Explain before you complain
For the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TV
Labels: eatbulaga, television, work
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Thursday, April 26, 2007
