stories from the middle earth press room

the war is taking a toll on me. i now have colds. another collegue is also blowing her nose silly. i bet the others already have the sniffles. we've been going home pretty late these days because of this war. i got a huge sigh of relief when apparently the war is taken elsewhere more appropriate.

that was weird. i don't see anything on my blog's front page.

the first photograph that i took which reached the front page.

nothing stellar about the shot. it was just i happened to bring my cam at the right place at the right time.

it's funny that we still use the word/verb videotape when recording a video through a handheld device. today, most people record everything on a piece of chip, not on a tape.

it has been a long time more than a year since i've recorded anything on tape and used my tape recorder. the only journos i encounter who still use tape recorders nowadays are bworld reporters.

the only time i get to listen to music on tape is when i drive my mother's crosswind, which still has a stereo with a casette tape deck on it sans cd player. i used to make a lot of mix tapes to listen to in our car stereo back in college. i also went through this phase of recording music from one tape deck to another. that itself is already an art form since you have to have "great skills" just to be able to eliminate that annoying clicking sound when you hit the record button.

a fresh grad journo i sometimes work with said she doesn't remember going through that phase. i was aghast since our age gap is not as wide as the pacific naman. to them (her batch) everything came in cds. never went through the whole walkman thing -- (even if your portable tape player was not a sony). never understood the significance of side A and side B of an album. as lourd de veyra wrote in T3 some time ago, the true test of a good album is when you were able to endure to listen to the artist until side B of the tape.

these days it's easy to delete the songs you don't like in your playlist and not bother listening to the other tracks of the album.

all throughout my school years, tapes had always been a bane to my wallet's existence. i often browsed through the selection in our town's only decent record store (can't remember if the name was samu't sari or something) and buy tapes using my savings from my weekly allowance.

and i think you would laugh at some of my choices.

i often swapped tapes with my classmates, most of them males and for some reason nagkakasundo kasi kami ng tastes. guns n roses...went through that metallica phase...OMG! nagka-L7 pa ata ako na nahiram...mga pinoy 90s bands...somewhere along the way nagka-white lion din ata ako, nakahiram ng nirvana, cranberries...di ko na kelangan bumili o manghiram ng tape ng pearl jam dahil kapit-bahay namin araw-araw pinapatugtog yun.

yung kapatid ko namang bunso sa kanya ko napapakinggan yung lisa loeb and the nine tails, tracy chapman, Live, and tuck and patti.

sobrang gasgas na yung jagged little pill sa akin nung college. nung tumanda na ako ng onti, ayan na collective soul, matchbox 20, googoo dolls, the verve, etc. basta yung mga yun. kaya nga ansaya nung tinugtog/kinanta ni david cook yung world i know sa finals. hehehe

ok i digress...

due to the prohibitive prices of technological innovations such analog SLR cameras (in those days we don't even call them analog) and videocams, our projects in college (i was a comm student) were very hard to produce.

and those tapes. aaaaaagggh! *splice splice splice* and the horrible editing machines. and that magic eraser: one wrong move, the magnet (was it magnet?) will obliterate all those footages. that's why i let my edcomm classmates handle that. i was just an ignorant journ student...

remember the cartridge inside the broadcast booth for infomercials, station IDs and public announcements (PAs)? they often get stuck, the ribbon becomes the fodder for the hungry player or just leave you hanging on air. i spent *hours* inside the booth just trying to get that thing to work. and yes, those days we still have to wait for the gigantic tapes to rewind just to be able to record our radio programs.

don't get me started on those vinyl records. you destroy the needle, you destroy the future of the student who will next use the booth.

in our BS (bullshit?) program, all students -- regardless of their major -- must go through the rituals of broadcasting, audio-visual and writing crap. that's why i spent agonizing hours with those contraptions. darn that cartridge. and i swore i will never ever enter the broadcasting field because it was too much work. i can't stand the production side of it. lalo na ngayon noh.

the students today know "cut and paste" through a right click of a mouse or "control x" and "control v". in college, we had to painfully and literally cut the printed words and paste them on tabloid-sized papers for our mock-newspapers or on 8x11 for newsletters when doing the lay-out. maybe there was already adobe pagemaker and corell then (first generation) but no one in my group knew how to use them. atsaka our pc hardware and software couldn't handle such programs since windows 3.11 pa lang ata computer namin nun later na lang naging win 95 so i don't remember using MS publisher then.

yes, we cut up photos and paragraphs literally then. and we didn't have google then. there was only one internet cafe in our university town then and it cost more than a hunderd bucks an hour just to be able to surf and send email. anyway, i didn't have anybody to email at that time since only a few brave souls used the internet then. only the FTP guys at commsci dept.

now i wonder how easy comm students' lives now. they have video cams on their phones, internet on their phones, research freely using google, a lot of video and photo editing and lay-outing software...

i'm in love with david cook.

i'm sorry, i like rockers.

---

May 24

yep, he's the newest idol. was happy for him but i have qualms about how this would hurt his career since -- so far -- idol winners were mostly bubble gum pop in my opinion. with careers fizzling out too soon. where is taylor hicks? ruben?

i hope he doesn't shed off his rock/indie roots (analog heart and his album[s] with his former band axiom) just to sell records. people love the way he is and a lot of people will buy his records without the push of a big bad record company, packaging artists after artists like...plastic? can't find the right term or terms for it.

the reason why i didn't like david archuleta (oh boy, that kid has talent! that voice...) is that he's josh groban-ish to me. i hate don't like josh groban. one josh groban is enough. sorry archuleta fans...

i just downloaded the studio versions of his amazing take on mariah carey's always be my baby and dolly parton's little sparrow and now playing heavily on my ipod. if he could make a country song about a sparrow (really, a sparrow) more palatable to me -- hell, he's a good one.

DAVID COOK, MARRY ME!!!

oops. i am already married. hehe.

I just feel bad for my colleagues who just transferred to AFX/Thomson Financial only to be retrenched due to the merger of Thomson and Reuters. I attended the presscon they had here in Manila and the bosses there couldn't answer me directly regarding who would be axed as a result of this merger. According to rumors, those who will be retained are the members of the Reuters editorial unit (they have more brand equity daw) while the Thomson Financial journalists should look for other jobs...

ang masama pa nito some of them left their secure old jobs here in Manila and join AFX/Thomson abroad. Ang problema, makakabalik pa ba sila sa dyaryo na kakarampot ang sweldo?

the world is getting smaller na. Dow Jones, Reuters Thomson and Bloomberg na lang. hmm...

Thomson Reuters to cut 140 journalist jobs

Reuters

NEW YORK - Global information company Thomson Reuters Corp plans to cut 140 editorial jobs by the end of the year as its Reuters news service absorbs Thomson Financial News.

More than half the cuts will be in Europe, while the rest will be scattered, Editor-in-Chief David Schlesinger wrote in a memo to employees on Monday.

Reuters also plans to add about 50 new jobs in growth areas, Schlesinger said, adding that the news organization should have about 2,500 employees by year's end.

"When two similar and once competing organizations come together, there is natural overlap and duplication in coverage," Schlesinger wrote.

"Wherever possible, we have worked to minimize job losses and to avoid redundancy by moving people into new roles and cancelling open posts that don't fit within the new organization," he added.

Britain's National Union of Journalists said it had not ruled out a strike but would negotiate with the company first.

"The NUJ has been pressing hard to have any job cuts carried out through voluntary redundancies and will continue to do so," said NUJ representative Myra MacDonald.

Thomson Reuters had said it would shed jobs after Thomson Corp bought Reuters Group Plc for more than $16 billion in cash and stock on April 17.

Thomson Reuters, which employs 50,000 worldwide, could lose about 1,500 jobs in total, according to a BBC report.

Thomson Reuters is cutting as many as 650 jobs in its content, technology and operations division, according to a memo sent to employees by the head of that group, Peter Moss.

"It is important to emphasize that the number of people leaving the company through redundancies will be significantly less than this, with our current projection being approximately 250 people," Moss wrote.

Thomson Reuters spokesman Frank DeMaria confirmed the statements in the memos.

i don't know if i should be happy that summer = heat is over and that the rainy season is already here...

i tried to catch the last rays of summer but wala -- it was so stormy at the beach last weekend that i really didn't get to enjoy the sun and the white beach. plus i was effing writing stories the whole weekend. hay naku.


and yesterday and today there's already a typhoon. in the middle of May.

we have a really crazy climate now.

7. utilize your caterer to the max. since beterano na yung caterer ko sa ganyan and ilang beses na nila nagamit yung social garden for receptions, alam na nila pano idecorate yun and makipagdeal with the admistrator ng venue. i convinced other half to have the reception there. walking distance from the church. plus my mother is a university employee we only had the place for P250 per hour x 5 hours = P1,250. san ka makakakuha ng garden na ganun ang presyo? good thing katatapos lang ng garden show that time so buhay na buhay pa ang mga halaman. i let my caterer handle the logistics of setting up the place and talk to the adminstrator of the garden.

8. maraming kilala ang caterer. she was the one who recommended the one who will make the cake. i had a tall cake for P5,000. all cake hanggang base, unlike sa hotels na styro ang baba, yung cake lang yung hahatiin ng groom and bride. masarap yung cake and dahil ang laki nya isang buwan kami kumakain ng cake ko. grabe.


my caterer also contacted the sound system provider. P3,500 for everything. i just provided them with CDs of the spanish guitars, brazillian music and some instrumental love songs. tapos.

she was the one who contacted the florist. since madali akong kausap, sinabi ko sa caterer ko na wala akong motif, basta white ok na ko. P5,000 ata lang binayaran ko sa bulaklak sa simbahan. yung bouquet ko simple lang. all in na yun kasama yung flowers sa altar, sa aisle, corsages, etc. simple demands = savings. maganda naman simbahan daw, sabi ng tita ng husband ko.


all in, mga P78,000 ata binayaran ko dun. lahat ng yun yung caterer ko ang naghandle nun.

9. i had QP for wedding invitations. they used to have a stall in gloriatta 2 under the escalator but alam nyo naman ang nangyari. sad nga ako sana walang nangyari masama sa shop assistant and supervisor dun. meron sila sa megamall. i chose the simplest but elegant design. no frills, no frou frou. i had 100 pieces made with envelopes, sticker and had our names embossed on the flap(?) or on the invitation card mismo (?) can't remember na. basta i had these made for under P35 each, all in. other people spend P100,000 on invitations alone. grabe yun. ako P3,500, professionally done pa. i was mulling over the idea of making my own (may ready made sa national bookstore and maganda naman and ipiprint mo na lang) but mas mahal siya according to my computations. plus hassle pa.

10. nagaway kami ni other half sa souvenirs. he wants the tacky figurine souvenirs like the ones his mom collects whereas i want the practical one. what i did was i talked to my mother-in-law and sold the idea to her that we should opt for the abaniko souvenir made of sandalwood. i was able to convince her so wala nang masabi asawa ko. i bought those in divisoria for P18 and just painstakingly sewed on our names and the wedding date on the tassle with my mom's help. i had about 100 pcs made so souvenirs for less then 2 grand.

you can also opt for the little papier mache boxes made in paete and stuff it with chocnut or m&ms and just slap your names and date on the box. the boxes just cost P10 in paete. kaso ayaw ng asawa ko nun, he was adamant about that.

11. i hired a photographer and video for P15,000++ with album (like the ones they exhibit during wedding fairs), signature frame, a gigantic wedding framed photo and DVD of the wedding (di pa tapos) and over 200 digital photos. nagbayad ako ng extra kasi andami ng isinama kong photos sa album. sa manila the cheapest i could get was P35,000. di nga lang kasing dramatic nung katulad ng mga may pangalan na photographers yung photos namin pero sabi ng ate ni other half, maganda naman yung album nung makita nya.

12. i bought my shoes from florsheim on sale. i am now using it at least once a week. i'm a practical person so pumili ako ng shoes na magagamit ko talaga.

13. other gastos: make up, hotel rooms, gifts for the ninong and ninang and other unforseen items.

i did away with the program like bouquet throwing, garter dance, singing etc. i was supposed to make an AVP to show the guests kaso i ran out of time. atsaka madami ding nagmamadaling bumalik ng manila kasi may pinsan asawa ko na kinasal din that day pero gabi naman. so lipat naman sila dun.

BOOBOOS

since walang program, nakalimutan agahan yung cake cutting so hindi nadistribute yung cake. thus we ended up with a lot of cake to consume.

napakainit ng Mayo. i forgot to secure industrial fans to keep our guests cool. kahit nga open air, mainit. sabi ng ate ko buti na lang daw pamaypay yung souvenir ko.

andami pang booboos pero eto yung glaring na nakakahiya na nangyari that i have overlooked sa sobra kong kapraningan. imagine, two days before my wedding i was still submitting stories to my boss!

dahil malaki ang natipid namin, we were able to have our honeymoon in Hong Kong na may kasama pang shopping. ahem ahem.

ALMOST A YEAR AGO...

...i was also near breaking point. i was all over metro manila last year covering this and that WHILE AT THE SAME TIME i was arranging stuff for our wedding. didn't have a wedding coordinator (i have a limited budget) so i have to do everything on my own.

and for those who are asking me how on earth i pulled off a pretty respectable wedding under P150,000 for more than a hundred people *wink wink* this is what i can tell you...

The KISS principle. Keep It Simple, Stupid!

i was able to save a lot by keeping things simple, much to my husband's chagrin (he is more flamboyant that i am). i had to put my foot down on everything lest i lose control and let somebody else's idea of a wedding would reign. Other Half said i was a monster bride. who wouldn't be in my position at that time?

1. first, have a definite budget. i initially targeted P100,000 for everything so i canvassed around metro manila for venues and cost of feeding the guests -- and realized that it can't be done. so i told Other Half that we should do it in elbi since it's cheaper, it's where we went to school and where we met. later on i added P50,000 for incidentals. the key here is you should set a limit on how much you're willing to pay for things like a) food b)dress c) cake d) photos and video etc. etc.

then i sourced everything in elbi. it's a lot cheaper i tell you. it's a trifle inconvenient for the guests to go here (i am now in our house in elbi) but in the long run it's worth it. other people get married in calaruega and other ends of the earth pa nga eh.

1. i saved a lot of money by buying everything in divisoria. i had my embroidered wedding dress made there with the "princess" train, ultra long veil, pillows for rings and coins whatchamacallit (aras?) -- the works! whole package na siya for the same price as my husband's pina-barong from lumban, laguna. really. my mother-in-law told me that "sinong magaakala na ganito lang ang presyo nito?". i think my sister-in-law liked my dress. i can give you the name and number of my dressmaker. she's good and she was recommended to me by two of highschool classmates so subok na talaga.

why spend 30,000 or more on a dress i'll wear once and just leave it for the moths to eat? kahit na pa sabihin nila na ipapamana ko daw sa anak ko, my goodness by that time na ikasal anak ko baka ang mga damit na nun space suit. atsaka di sya kakasya. right now my dress is under my bed gathering dust.

2. i did away with the long entourage. just the essentials like the groom (of course!) cord and veil, candles, ring bearer and coin bearer, ninong-ninang, parents then me. yun lang. wala na yung achuchuchu na bridesmaids and groomsmen na dadamitan mo pa...

3. i told the abay to buy their own dresses. same thing with our parents and ninangs. just wear what you have so you can recycle. tipid pa. that's why i didn't have any definite motif and inaway pa ako ng photographer ko bat daw wala akong motif. sabi ko puti na lang para may freedom mga taong mamili ng damit nila.

in the case of my sisters -- kasi sila lang ang kaya kong diktahan eh -- bahala silang mamili ng isusuot nila na magagamit nila uli. gastos nila. i saved them the hassle of going to the dressmaker to have their measurements taken. it was only two or three days before the wedding that my sisters were able to buy their dresses from cinderella. nagkataon may parehong kulay na magkaibang sizes. when they bought the dresses, my ate called me up and said "o ayan may motif ka na. lime green". two days before the wedding. (kaya dear sister-in-law, pasensya na kasi wala talagang kabalak-balak na ganun ang kulay kasi biglaan na lang ) una nga balak ko anything goes na lang and bahala na si batman kung anong mangyari.

it seems unconventional but i am an unconventional person in the first place. my gosh, you have to practical these days. why force people to go to a dressmaker to have their measurements taken for something they will only wear once eh busy busy ng schedules ng lahat ng tao? atsaka if they choose their own style, mas magagamit pa uli nila.

and i saved ourselves a few grand.

4. since sa probinsya ang simbahan namin, which is just a spitting distance (literally) from our house, mas mura siya compared sa lahat ng simbahan sa maynila. reservation pa lang sa mga manila cathedral-type churches P10,000 na ata eh. plus 1 year waiting. sa amin P5,000 lang ang lahat kasama na kuryente.

5. i splurged on the choir. paid P9,000 for the local choir since nakatipid naman ako sa church. a wedding will become more beautiful with choral music. sumintunado sila pero i didn't care na at that time. ihing-ihi na ako nun eh. i was past caring na. at least they sang the songs i wanted to hear on a wedding. plus sila yung kumanta ng songs during the mass.

i just had the choir play the cd i bought for the entourage music. can't remember what that was basta di siya katulad ng gasgas na gasgas na canon na pinapatugtog sa kasal. shucks, can't remember na talaga yung classical piece na yun. one choir member sang carol banawa's panunumpa for my wedding march with my mother.

6. i spent a lot of time looking for a caterer. what a wonderful caterer i found!

one february day, other half and i chanced upon the university social garden being decorated for the prom of my old highschool. the decoration was nice and it was kinda hip. i saw the possibility of having the reception there. i talked to the caterer and she happened to be just my age! we set schedule for the food tasting and menu inspection and voila! the food tasted good (sabi ng ate ko) we hired them. P430 per plate, with the flowers, decorations, tables, cutlery -- in short lahat. i initially estimated 100 people but i told my caterer that may increase so i told her i may have the final number two weeks before the big day. true enough dumagdag when we finalized the invitations. 150 people x 430 = P64,500.


not bad.

the cheapest i could get in metro manila is silahis hotel in QC parang P100,000 for 100 people.

(to be continued)

just had coffee with my bestfriend that i haven't seen for a while.

it's funny that we are now talking about work-related stuff that seemed complicated now and whining about it unlike before we were so stuck up and too self-involved to talk about such things. we used to focus much on love life and so and so is like this and like that. now we talk about the rice "crisis", inefficient subordinates, balancing work and family...

tumatanda na.

and coffee. grabe, we used to talk about things like these over bottles (several bottles actually) of beer. but now we just have coffee. can't take alcohol right now since i have to work tonight.

grabe, is this me talking writing? weekends for me used to mean getting drunk and waking up with a bad hangover. di na kaya ng katawan ko ata yun. my highschool friends and i used to come home in elbi on weekends to get drunk and dance inside rented videoke rooms. maaga pa sa amin ang 1 am na uwi. usually mga 3 or 4 am na uwi namin.

can't do that anymore.

this week to get my alcohol fix (i'm nearing the breaking point na nga), i went out with my older sister and had two bottles of san mig light somewhere in edsa shang and had two more in her condo. by 11 pm, i was on my way home with Other Half after his martial arts practice. 

yun na yun.

i wonder what's happening to our other friend right now who is now into triathlon...she took up triathlon to keep herself from being bored.