What's With Glee 2

I am not really a Glee fan (or Gleek, as Glee people puts it) until my closest of friends, who are 99.9% Gleeks, have persuaded me to become one. Although, I have not gone as crazy as they were, I have set aside some time for the most famous craze in the world today (not really). And although I have not been able to follow every episode in Glee 1, I have not been left behind by time. Well, who would be when your friends talk about it more often than their obsessions and enemies and when the Internet has more than what you needed to know about it? So now that my friends have successfully cajoled me, I have kept track of Glee 2. But more than the peer influence, the reason for doing so is that a fellow Filipino will be in cast--Charice. And more than that petty reason (as I am not a fan of Charice, I just wanted to see how she acts besides hearing her sing), Kurt--who I admire for his acting skill--will be getting a boyfriend. And now that it's pretty clear where the story line is heading to, it's pretty clear where this leads me--to becoming a Gleek.

Lecture-Workshop on Campus Journalism

I had fun last week when I gave a lecture-workshop on campus journalism to more than 50 student journalists of Leaton School (Toledo City, Philippines). I was invited to talk about news writing, feature writing, editorial writing, copyreading and headline writing in particular. The whole-day activity was concluded with a workshop, presentation of outputs, and a critique session.

While it was fun talking to aspiring writers, I couldn't help it not to become a little bit dramatic about how I pursued my dreams of becoming a journalist. So I left everyone with a piece I wrote during the workshop. I call it...

Diarrhea and Fame

An introduction speech I gave during my lecture on campus journalism at Leaton School, Nov. 13, 2010.

When you are into the business of campus journalism--a writer or a school paper adviser--you would have to bear one of the greatest ordeals in life--diarrhea. I am pretty sure that all of you have experienced this fluttering and nauseated sensation going on in your stomach as you waited for the winners of that year's press conference. I can relate to that. I also had a fair share of diarrhea moments during my press conference days. And waiting for that somebody to tap your back to cool you down reassuring victory wouldn't happen as everyone's at the helm of their own nerves. So manage your own-self, after all, it will pass. Give it a thought that the agony of bearing it is all worth it especially when in the end, that one hope becomes a stroke of luck. As they say, winning in a press conference is fairly much about luck. Good for those who are fortunate because that would only mean, the diarrhea is all worth it, and well, more fans have been waiting. After all, the student journalists are celebrities in their own means.

Another (Young) Gardening Icon

I have been infatuated with gardening lately. If you look at my web browser and check its history, what you'll find are a list of gardening blogs and nurseries online. 

This quest has been very exciting and inspiring. If you don't love plants I am sure you can hardly relate to me. But if you do, definitely, you'll understand what I am talking about. The feeling brought about by discovering new species of plants and learning that your current plants have more to show when they grow older is totally exciting and inspiring. More than that, I am really inspired by one blogger whose name is Aaron.