I’ve lived in Manila for six years now, and I have had my share of experiences as a college student: busted LRT rides, near misses with snatchers, horrible traffic jams, weird old men sitting beside me on buses… name it, I’ve already probably experienced it.

But nothing could have compared me to the phenomenon that was Ondoy.

By now, if I would narrate my experience, it would be insignificant to what the others have experienced during that storm, and my only solace is that I was able to arrive home safe and sound the next day. I couldn’t say the same for a lot of people who had no house to go home to because either it was flooded or muddied or gone.

* * *

If there was a spectrum or type of internet users, I would fall under the category of lurkers (um, not stalkers, mind). Just like in real life where I prefer to observe first before I do anything, I’m content in reading and browsing but not commenting anything—unless I really have something to say.

But that night, as Twitter and facebook and all of my SNS accounts were slowly filling up with pleas for help and relief and donations… I really couldn’t just stand by and watch. I also felt very emotionally invested with this because for one, I was stranded and flooded because of Ondoy, and secondly, I had no excuse not to do it. I literally had the power in my fingertips to be able to speed up information dissemination, retweet/plurk/post messages, and comfort other people who had needed it that night. It was a very empowering feeling. The only sad thing about this was I wasn’t allowed by my parents to go to Manila and help volunteer (I suppose I can’t blame them because they had been too horrified that both of their daughters were stranded in Manila for that weekend) but I did what I could with what I have on me. And who said that FB was only good for Café World and Mafia Wars?

This was the night of September 27, where Typhoon Ondoy began trending in Twitter. Some of the other words were Ondoy, Philippines, Red Cross and (er) Dick Gordon.

I really admire Definitely Filipino in Facebook for tirelessly being active and online throughout the ordeal, and weeks after that. Their group in Facebook has 360,000 members and still growing.

I think it’s safe to say that OrCom students are one of the more prolific users of SNS (*cough*OC 152 *cough*) and we really used it as far as we can. I know a lot of my classmates were up until the wee hours of the evening, RT-ing and spreading information on relief operations and even editing the Missing Persons list on GoogleDocs if we knew for a fact that someone has already been found (case in point: our Dean Imperial who was rumored to be missing with his wife in Cainta that sent us to almost a heart attack. Turned out to be false.)

OrCom people in action! I wasn't able to screencap my Tweetdeck because I was too intent on RT-ing and the flow of information was going on too fast... but there were a lot of classmates who really stayed up to update and help with the info dissemination.

For me, the nightmare ended when I was already in my bed and snuggled inside my lovely pillows. But for most of the typhoon victims, they are still living the nightmare as I write this.

So we should not be tired of helping each other even as the storm had passed. We have survived the ordeal and helped each other. Now only one more thing to do: REBUILD.

photocredits:

Wezzo Pancho

Reuters/ Erik de Castro

>><<

Personal:

(well I know you already know this) Super thanks to Leah for letting me stay in her apartment even if it was flooded as well and letting me read her new book while we waited for the storm to pass (hahaha) My parents are ever so grateful ^_^

Ah yes, after two postponements, budget constraints, mucho drama, academic hindrances (whut) and more…. It finally pushed through. Here’s a photoblog of sorts to document the evening:

(and what better way to view the beautiful people but by experiencing it with the eyes, yes?)

The venue, which really turned out quite nice and elegant for the event, forcing us kids to act all respectable and mature for the evening. Or something like that.

The event was for a cause, specifically for the benefit of Typhoon Ondoy and Pepeng victims. The Homecoming ball was able to raise 20kPhp as a result! /like

Rish Mangubat, Ren dela Cruz, Grace Gaddi and I waiting for dinner to arrive. Hee. The food was delish.

More Orcom seniors looking very fab and vintage-y. I honestly loved everyone’s get up that night.

Alex Purugganan and Earl Guico hosted the program, bringing more than a few chuckles from the crowd. There were activities such as the raffle, 25 questions (asked to unsuspecting alumni) and a lot more.

Some alumni attendees from batch 2008 getting dinner. Some of them were my classmates on some of my earlier electives and cognates!

The covetable pyramid of cream puff and chocolate éclairs. Heaven.

OrCom students “establishing” poses on the catwalk, modeling for Yako Reyes’ unique but trendy designer bags.

Amidst all odds (read: thesis, papers, reports, campaigns) we were able to pull it off. Who said there was no God?

Thanks to my Marketing and Publicity team, and to everyone who came and helped us to make the event happen. The night was a blockbuster indeed.

Photocredits:

Madame Inton (check out her Facebook page for 400++ more pictures of Silver Screen!)

looks familiar...

I didn’t like the movie The Day After Tomorrow. Even if it had Emmy Rossum (she hadn’t done Dragon Ball yet so we were good) and Jake Gyllenhaal (he hadn’t done Prince of Persia yet so we were good as well) in the movie, I thought it was too much of an exaggeration. Torrential rains, abnormal weathers, massive flooding, earthquakes abound… it was a wonder why they didn’t feature the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse in a cameo appearance.

But wait.

Torrential rains? Abnormal weather? Massive flooding? Why is it so familiar?

Oh yeah, because it all happened in Luzon in less than one week. The scenes were certainly movie-like, the cars like toys being swept away, familiar landmarks covered in water, and even moviestars trapped on the top of their roofs! Only the consequences were real, and people who died don’t get up even after you say “Cut!”.

You've got to be kidding me.

Pepeng came a mere three days after Ondoy, much to our horror. Even if it spared NCR as an act of mercy, we couldn’t say the same for our countrymen in the north who were the worst hit. And these were people not used to being flooded or hit by such strong typhoons! Rivers, dams and lakes overflowed, swallowing bridges, towns, roads, houses and more lives in its wake.  The combined destruction of both Ondoy and Pepeng was certainly one of the worst phenomenon to ever hit our country, because no one was safe. Magellanes village and Corinthian Gardens were flooded as bad as the squatter areas. Pedicabs and sportscars alike were submerged in the water, as well as the pretty Ayala underpasses and the Lagusnilad in the Manila area.

The experience was an equalizer. We don’t escape Mother Nature’s wrath just because we earn more than others.

Whew. That was depressing.

On a more positive light, it also brought out the best in the Filipinos: bayanihan. We’ve seen it the past few weeks—the youth giving up their unexpected “vacation” to volunteer, the outpouring of donations in cash and kind from private citizens to corporations, and the Filipino presence in the net like both Ondoy and Pepeng as a Twitter trending topic.

It was not only through relief goods and cash did Filipinos show their support for their fellowmen. It also came in the form of concerts, fund drives, music, and even art. One particular that I really like is a design made by Mark Gosingtian, a freelance graphic designer and vector artist . Here’s his statement:

On any other day, this might seem like too-grand-a statement. But as we saw from the outpouring of support, help, sacrifice and bravery of our fellow Filipinos, I couldn’t have described it any better. The medium may be more modern now, but the bayanihan spirit lives on all of us–in the form of the New Social Media. What a wonderful way to use our knowledge for a greater good.

* * *

You know you want this.

It is also now available as a shirt! Please visit Mark’s awesome Tumblr and DeviantArt for information and more of his works.

—

Photocredits to:

Filipino News Network

Thanks to Mark Gosingtian

Paolo Pangan (Digital Strategy Manager of YEHEY Philippines) came over to class to talk about viral marketing online. Although I came a teeny weeny late, I still got to hear his talk about different campaigns that succeeded in the Internet. I particularly liked what Tide did on its website, because the content did not focus solely on the brand, but on the clothes itself: how to take care of different kinds of fabric, how to maintain it in different kinds of weather, and so on. It’s the kind of website that people will really go to for real information, and not just solely because of prizes or contests that fade away quickly. I thought that was a nice touch of the brand to really focus on the client’s wants.

Various tips and tricks of the trade were also discussed during the talk. One of the more interesting things discussed by the class were representatives from a brand would start a conversation in forums to promote it. Of course, not to control the conversations but rather more like a subtle coaxing to get people interacting about the brand.

And as naïve as I sound, that had never occurred to me—that someone in forums that I visit is really not a consumer like me at all. It’s neither good nor bad, mind—just something to think about.

On Self-promotion

I won’t lie; I have a problem promoting my blog. No, it’s not anybody else’s issue but mine. Maybe I have to get used to the idea that I want people to read what I write, rather than it’s a mandatory thing so people have to read what I’ve written (like papers or copywriting). Yes dear friends, I do have stage fright despite what it seems. My train of thought goes something like… yes people, read my blog!! Then what? Then they might see substandard content that is not worthy of their time to click it. (/dies) So I end up not promoting it as much—I post it on FB (I semi-cringe everytime I do it) or Plurk and it’s a standard link on my YM (on the rare, rare times that my status is not invisible)—but that’s about it.

Which is strange, because I immensely enjoy reading my classmates’ blogs and I think it’s cute when I see their links and I have always an urge to click on them and it’s fine. I’m sure for my dear classmates who are reading this, they would scratch their heads and mutter, “this girl has waaaaay too many issues…” but as I said… it’s just me.

Maybe I’m just thinking of those extra credits in my grade, if I only had the confidence to promote my writing.  But of course, I’m not giving up trying to build my confidence more as a writer, either. At least I have that.

—

The best way out, is always through.

—Robert Frost

Sawang-sawa ka na ba mag-aral?

Sa mga exam, quizzes, reports na parang wala naming napapala?

Pumapasok araw-araw gastos lang sa bulsa?

Aksaya lang sa panahon, kung saan dapat pumetiks ka na lang?

Isa lang solusyon diyan.

WAG KA NA MAG-ARAL.

Panoorin to para malaman kung bakit.

CLICK THIS!! ->> http://www.veoh.com/browse/videos/category/people_and_blogs/watch/v19041589kwywRfst

>><<

No Social Animals were harmed in the making of this video…. much.

SPECIAL THANKS to the following people who appeared in this damning viral video

Joanna

Arven

Alps

Irish

Jona

Jeanne

Lou

Ayessa

Angge

Nancy

Jess

Leah

Judy

Nash

Kath

(If I left out anyone please leave a comment and I’ll re-edit! Thanks!)

- Humbert Humphrey

Sometimes, this is how I feel about New Social Media.

In these times where everyone can express whatever they want: blogs, podcasts, videoblogs, forums, chatrooms… it is also up to us to pick and dissect information that we deem credible and worthy of our attention.

We, as creators of content as well, must be responsible to look after whatever we put out there—properly citing and linking sources and constant verification and research of information—so that we can also be taken seriously by people who peruse our content.

Just because we are given a gun, doesn’t mean we can successfully shoot someone with it.

>><<

ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION of UP MANILA has a Grand Alumni Homecoming!

Please visit www.orcomsilver.tk for more details.

My free pass blog entry for July 25, 2009

An interesting insight came up from Sir Barry last discussion, and it was in the middle of me in a crisis of not having enough things to write about in the blog. He said to channel frustrations to something creative and constructive. And since August was such a horrible time to mismanage time and slack off doing Friends For Sale in Facebook, I shall blog about being burnout.

I define burnout as that feeling that you are at the end. As in The End. The end of your wits, your patience, your energy, your neurons, your willpower… that you have nothing more to give, provide, vomit… you’ve given it all, but it’s still not enough, the work still keeps on piling up.

(Thus came my FB status last week about comparing school work with rainbows… with both of them you never know where it really ends.)

I was feeling that way for the last three weeks. But like all else, everything passes if you just give it enough time.

These are some ways on how I cope with stress… some might seem weird, but hey, to each her (or his) own. You might pick up on some tips too.

To start off, in college I learned that it doesn’t do good to deny I am already in burnout phase. I always think I can still do more, when I am already physically, mentally and emotionally spent. So now, I make the admission, and I try to do something about it.

• There is an interesting trick I’ve learned on a book many years ago to prolong time when you are out of it: visualize that time is a balloon, or a stretchy fabric to wrap around you, that it stretches and stretches and stretches and stretches until it doesn’t end. As if the world is suddenly dawdling, the hands of the clock slowing down, and so does time. Then proceed working. For example, there are only 20 minutes to deadline,. So I imagine every minute stretching to 100 seconds instead of 30. I tend to work faster because I am not caught in despair that “F-ck 20 minutes na lang!!”

Anyway, that’s how I visualize it. The point is, it’s really mind over matter. I might be more of a pessimist, but I always think first that it can be done.

• I give myself time to breathe, whine, cry, dawdle, sulk, moan, laugh, chat or whatever I need to do for a good 15 minutes. After that I shut all the unnecessary emotions and just work. I try not to be too emotional while working. Of course, before and after is a different story.

• I try not to be too hard on myself. Easier said than done, because for the longest time I have been my biggest critic, shamer, nagger. Then I realized that if I continue with this kind of attitude, I’m not handling the pressure in a healthy way. So what I do is if I screw something up, I take responsibility as gracefully as I can, do what is appropriate, then just move on. Rarely do I allow myself to wallow anymore because a) nothing good ever came out of wallowing, and b) if you have time to wallow, then you have time to use for getting over it.

Of course, all things come to an end. After the grueling gruesome things… (And because I cannot bring myself to keep it in a rule of three.)

• …. I reward myself accordingly. My absolute indulgence and perfect day consists of sprawling on our comfy couch with my laptop and steaming cup of café latte and write the day away or stay in bed with a fat, emotionally submerging book. For you it might be partying hard all-night or shopping like there’s no tomorrow. It doesn’t really matter. When I have a really bad, hectic week, I always try to cheer myself up and make time for myself—no excuses or apologies on how I use that time. As John Lennon have said, “Time you enjoy wasting—was time not wasted.”

Of course, the ideal thing is not to be caught in burnout (like time management, less procrastination and all of those damning self-efficacy values no one really likes but have to follow anyway) BUT if ever you are already in that situation, hopefully some of what I’ve shared had helped.

I think the bottomline is, to stick whatever works best for you, and follow it no matter what anyone thinks, lest you also be stressed about it. That would be too sad.

>><<

Tension is who you think you should be.  Relaxation is who you are.  ~Chinese Proverb

>><<

Photocredits to: Prlog.org

>><<

ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION of UP MANILA has a Grand Alumni Homecoming!

Please visit www.orcomsilver.tk for more details.

• Truly, New Social Media makes it seem that communication, interaction and engagement are boundless. So, if the people’s imagination is the limit, then perhaps they still have not grasped what the new social media is about. Because most of the orgs still think of many NSM platforms as solely for broadcasting purposes, when it can be so much more.

• Were we able to sneak out the DAC speakers on time? (Yes we were able)

• Establishing connection with the readers, at least in our case, was highlighted and SNS such as Twitter is perfect for that since it is like a leveling ground for the spectacle (orgs, celebrities, brands) and the spectators (consumers, fans, ordinary people). Rogue already has a Twitter account (but I do hope they gain more followers) and I hope the Manila Collegian takes notice of this as well because contrary to their belief, I think a lot of UP Manila people are already in Twitter ^_^

• Will our group still be able to present today or next week? *tick tock*

• With the growing awareness for the benefits of using New social media, I think having one is not the edge, it’s now a staple. Perhaps the edge is on how far NSM can take your organization and beyond the traditional thinking of broadcast or interactive. A long way to go, but hopefully it is a start.

• Damn, we didn’t make it. Oh well, more time to polish the video and make a few adjustments. ^_^ Another weekend.

>><<

“Maniwala ka sa puto mo!”

- Dasi Guevarra, 2009

>><<

Organizational Communication of UP Manila has a Grand Alumni Homecoming!

Please visit www.orcomsilver.tk for more details.

I have a confession to make. I am still not registered for the elections this coming 2010 and I am 21 years old. Oh the horror.

I am not registered because…

1. Honestly, I feel I get sick when I see and hear who is going to run, as stated on one of my posts. When I want to buy eggs and see that all of them are rotten, I don’t settle for it, or even the less-rotten ones. I choose not to buy at all. I think somehow that is how I feel with the current candidates. Case in point, Estrada running again. For the love of all that’s holy, haven’t he had enough with what happened with EDSA Dos? How thick can he (or whoever is advising him) get to even think about returning to office when everyone has been witness on how he was kicked out of Malacanang?

And I hate it when people say that Estrada is the lesser evil than GMA. When will we get it that there is no less or more evil when we talk about the highes position in the country? There is only evil. And both of them are proven to be applicable for the adjective.

And then the religious leaders wanting to run. I am sure we’ve all heard of the separation of the state from the religion… surely that wasn’t stipulated for nothing. I just couldn’t fathom one person holding two very separate but powerful forces in our society in both of his hands—if ever a religious leader wins.

And the circus goes on and go on.

2. In a more simple explanation of things (and at the risk of sounding disorganized/lazy/just-looking-for-an-excuse), I have no time to go to COMELEC. Most of my days are spent in school. In the rare occasions that I have time for things that are not school-related, I’d rather sleep. Why? See reason number one. Then understand I’d rather catch up on the zzzzs.

3. Yes, I was guilty of thinking I can’t change anything. Can my vote change the deep-rooted corruption, the never-ending poverty, the failing social services system, the lack of budget for the education and so on? Perhaps knowing the issues is a double-edged sword. The more you know about it, the more you feel helpless. As a UP student, it abhors to think I am leaning towards apathy, but there it is. I can’t pinpoint on when, where, how it started—all I know is that I became wrapped up in my own little world of goals, ideals, problems and worries that I have stopped thinking of anything not directly affecting—well, me.

It was one of those aforementioned acads work that made me think about my stand in this issue.

I will spare the gruesome details, but the thing was, the issue we needed to research on for our PRSP campaign was about youth participation in the coming elections.

In the midst of research for the campaign, I learned about a lot of things.

Statistics on how large (and influential the youth vote can be)

That it is better to be angry and use that energy to do something, than feel apathy and do nothing.

How there were many young people feeling exactly the way I feel about the elections, but unlike me, they have done something about it.

I read something like this, magparehistro ka muna at bumoto bago ka magreklamo, (register to vote first for you to earn your right to protest or criticize.) I thought that hit a nerve. Here I am, bitching and whining about how my vote is just going to get wasted with the pathetic-excuses-for-presidential-candidates we have right now when I am not even registered in the first place.

My Dad also had a say on this matter (those days when he was nagging me to get registered already and I’m like… I’d rather weed the lawn). He said that election day was the only day where people are equal in power, that anyone and everyone of us have this right to choose who we want to have as leaders—and that I was wasting that right every year I let pass as unregistered.

And then PRSP made me read all of those facts and blogs and thoughts of the people who really cared about what kind of future we will have from the outcome of the 2010 elections—and are actually doing something about it.

In the end, we weren’t able to pursue the competition, but something good also came out of it: I have definitely made up my mind to register as soon as possible. The vote is sinking, and I am going to do something about it.

Then perhaps after that, I can bitch about it all I want.  :)

>><<

Some links I’ve found useful:

Register2vote

First time Voter’s Project

PCIJ

^_^

>><<

Personal:

A big thank you to my PRSP teammates Kath, Kla, Arven, Jeanne, Jena and Ping for an adventure I will not forget. You guys taught me a lot… including Crumpy and crackers with Red Horse… heh.

Goodluck to Team Praxis on their quest for becoming PRSP champs! I wish you all the best

AAAAND…

Congrats to UP Adhere for winning QTV’s Event Inc. competition. You guys rock!

At some point in our lives, we become Alice thrust into an unfamiliar world. We aren’t always in an inner circle or inside the Fight/Breakfast Club. We have felt that knowledge that we are the outsiders, and the world we move in is not our territory.

I have felt this many times in my life—maybe this is why I’ve always identified with little Alice stuck in a Wonderland. Nevermind the association with illegal drugs and Lewis Carroll’s fascination with little girls. Errr.

On some level, perhaps it is much healthier to identify with Dorothy from Wizard of Oz than Alice, because the former truly knows what she wants (which was to go home), while Alice doesn’t care where she ends up (thus her famous banter with the Cheshire Cat).

But then again, I’ve always had the fascination for darker plots since there is a lot more room for the imagination than when everything is illuminated.

And so perhaps, why I decided to shift to BA Organizational Communication at the last minute, when I was already nearing my junior year in BS Speech Pathology.

The familiar, bright world of science and clinical hours beckoned me, but I chose to go down the rabbit hole, and I have not emerged since.

Alice’s Evidence

Unlike Alice however, I certainly did not follow a rabbit to Department of Communications and took the qualifying exam. It was a lot of deliberation on my part, the hardest not being able to explain to my parents what it was. I remembered when I searched it on the UP Manila website, all I found was a lonely, one-paragraph description, as lovingly reminded by Ms. Ingrid Cudia of siegwebsolutions

Not exactly helpful.

But then again, for some strange reason, I went with it and more miraculously, I got in. He-llo, Organizational Communication life.

Drink Me. Eat Me.

And so I got in.

Looking back from my senior year, I can say that the things I learned in Organizational Communication was varied: easy, hard, instinctual, logical, funny, life-changing… but one thing was for sure—it was never boring.

The subjects in the Organizational Communication program of UP Manila ranges from Technical Writing, Debate and Argumentation, Small Group Discussion to Public Relations, Statistics (YES Statistics 101, the stuff that horrors are made of), cognates from Behavioral Sciences and Developmental Studies, and electives of my choice.

And like the cake, the little bottle or the mushrooms, I was invited to take a nibble of everything. Some of the things I took made me feel bigger—in the sense I felt my strengths were fortified and I felt more knowledgeable. Of course, there were also subjects that made me feel smaller than a dormouse and oftentimes I feel I wanted to drown myself in my own pool of tears.

But make no mistake about it; I appreciate all of what I took now.

(Except Statistics.)

The Mad Hatter’s Tea party

Pretty soon, I met the colorful characters of the OrCom Wonderland. The party certainly never runs out of invitations.

(The funny thing is, OrCom people have a notorious reputation of partying—as if that was bad. Let me correct that assumption: we can handle the inhuman workload of a UP Manila student… it’s just we still have the energy to party after, yes?)

And the types of people I’ve met (students and professors alike), the social dynamics I’ve experienced—I thought they only existed in fiction. It was exhilarating, mind boggling, but eventually I learned to cope. During the course of the story, Alice met a lot of characters that she thought was going to help her, but they only made her life more complicated (Cheshire Cat anyone?)

But I suppose real life really is stranger than fiction.

I don’t think I have even began to scratch the surface of what Organizational Communication is all about, but hopefully that was another perspective to think about. If not, you see the Blogroll on your right? Those names can also give you their own taste of what Organizational Communication is all about.

So far, it had been an awesome and definitely unforgettable roller coaster ride.

The end of Alice’s adventures was when she woke up from her dream, and found out it was already tea time.

But as for me, I don’t wake up from OrCom, I have to graduate from it. Lucky, lucky Alice.

—

photocredits: to the talented ~pure-andrea for the Alice image

and credits as always to Lewis Carroll for making children’s storybooks… twisted.

—

ORGANIZATIONAL COMMUNICATION of UP MANILA has a Grand Alumni Homecoming!

Please visit www.orcomsilver.tk for more details.