I never posted a single entry for the past two weeks (except for the
Magnificat music video which is obviously posted for sharing purposes). The blogging hiatus has been mainly caused by a couple of abrupt adjustments. From being a college student to an employee then to a working graduate student. From living in pure privacy together with my family in our house in the greenish city of San Jose del Monte, Bulacan to living in a dormitory inside the
University of the Philippines-Diliman campus together with two hundred other graduate students. From not worrying on what my breakfast, lunch and dinner would be like without spending a penny from my own wallet to literally putting all the expenses in my shoulder. Basically, I'm officially independent.
I remember my mental journey after (or before) college graduation if I am really intact on my decision to go to graduate school. Even before I turned as a senior during my undergraduate years I am very definite that I will eventually pursue film as my master's degree right after my dreadful four years in
BSIT in
Don Bosco. (Just to be fair, the dreadful thing about finishing BSIT is my ambivalence with my major, not because I hate my educational experience, in fact I love the people that culminated my college education: the exclusivity of the campus, my professors and friends. If I have already mentioned earlier in my posts, I picked BSIT by means of cancellation among a list of courses and I don't know if this is what I really want prior to college then I realized midway that I can't live to be technical and I have a very weird curiosity on filmmaking).
Then came June 2006 when I became more interested with the
MBA program of Letran College. I remember myself inquiring on the program (unlike UP, Ateneo and La Salle, they don't need their students to have a two or three-year working experience), taking the entrance exam (which I passed) and
almost enrolling for July 2006. But I had just working then and I don't have enough money to fund myself to a school which almost has the same matriculation fee as that of Don Bosco, and I am not in the mood to ask for my parents to spend
again for my graduate studies. I veered away and promised to earn enough money for me to be able to enrol for the next term on September. But as the waiting felt like a century, my earlier plan, which is to enter film school, has again hollered in my conscience. Finally I have convinced myself that this what I really want and started forgetting everything about MBA.
I am currently residing at the Ipil Residence Hall. This is my first time to stay in a dormitory; when I was in college, I, my parents rather, rented a single-room apartment for me to stay. My parents have their objections about my decision to live in a dorm inside UP because they believe that the environment is a notorious one, and they reiterated that commuting from office to UP every night is a risk, as I am a magnet to hold-uppers and I am hold-upped thrice already. I raise the issue of financial practicality (a
semestral stay in Ipil will only cost me P2,100, that amount eqautes to
monthly rate of a bedspace outside UP) and I would like to try the experience of living with other graduate students, as I have lived alone in my college years, except for a single instance.
Honestly, my first few days in Ipil was a vast amount of adjustment in my part. For the first time, I will be sharing a room with a complete stranger (which I can now consider a friend), I will be taking a bath in a bathroom resembling the washroom of gyms (but please let's not continue with comparisons) and I will be living in a community where everyone is well, studying. I am not really homesick, but I miss the 'lutong bahay' very badly because my daily nourishment is mainly sourced from fastfoods, canteens, restaurants and small-time food houses. The worst part here is that I'm going to pay them from my own wallet unlike before that everything's free. Oh, the simple joys of life. One thing that I really like though: I'm free again to go to parties and gimmicks just like when I was in college. But I really can't believe that I am already spending my own hard-earned money.
I have three subjects this semester: FILM100 or Intro to Film (Ed Lejano), FILM112 or Language and Grammar of Film (Lyle Sacris) and MEDIA210 or Media Theory (Dr. Elizabeth L. Enriquez).
FILM112 is the most demanding subject with respect to requirements, but I'm really excited with the music video and short film project. And I can't believe that a well-known group of musicians have accepted my offer to do their music video, and they are willing to do it without any talent fee (this is every independent filmmaker's dilemma). Booze will do, they say. I can't reveal the band's name by now because I'm afraid that unexpected circumstances might happen which will cause the forfeiture of my plans. Cross fingers. Of course, I promise them that I will squeeze my creative juices to provide them a very good concept. And yeah, I need to start doing my storyboard... and budgeting plans Damn.
My professor in Media Theory, Dr. Elizabeth L. Enriquez, or Ms. Betsy (which is also the
Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs in UP) was surprised to see a 20 year old like me in her class (I'm the youngest MA student in
CMC, I believe). She even said, "What are you doing here? You should be relaxing by now!" Ms. Betsy, despite her stature in the campus, is surprisingly a very good-natured person. Yesterday, I present a disastrous report about Normative Theory of Mass Media and The Scientific Turn and Paradigm Shift. I only have a week time to read the 100+ pages of readings which are completely alien to me at the moment. Provided I have more time to prepare, I could have learned the readings by heart. I was so nervous, I forgot all the things that I need to say, my supporting ideas, about the topic. I was too embarassed because it all ended out as a Reading Class. I'm expecting Ms. Betsy to ditch me after my report but instead she said, "
Maganda naman ang report mo e, masyado ka lang kinakabahan." Of course, I'm not expecting a decent grade after making such vile presentation but at least I'm at ease to receive such heartwarming remark. Possibly its
pampalubag-loob, but I really don't care.
