Saturday, March 28, 2009
My now-defunct dream of becoming a reporter
I once dreamt of becoming a newspaper reporter. The failure led me to a different path.
I've a correction: I'm not a peryodista. I dreamt of becoming one but failed. Here's the story of my now-defunct dream.I was still in college when I tried my luck with the now-defunct The Manila Chronicle. Wrote my first article about the plight of pedicab drivers in Mandaluyong (if I find the article, I'll share it with you here). The bylined article bore my name and the title "Correspondent" (which I later realized was a typo error because the rule was I had to undergo a probationary period before I am called that).
To cut the story short, I stayed at the newspaper for a little less than six months and wrote around five articles. Two are below. I was initially given a beat in Mandaluyong (the term 'beat' pertained to a location assignment) under Julie Javellana's guidance (see her blog The World According to Julie).
(I would visit the Mandaluyong Police Station everyday and browse at their police logbook. It's actually like reading a gossip magazine because the logbook contained juicy cases of other people's lives: unpaid debts, womanizing husbands, petty thefts and burglaries, etc. Anything interesting, I pursued).
Two article pursuits
Article 1 in gist: There are these vacant, deteriorating BLISS housing units and around the housing units lived poor Filipinos whose houses were made of cartons and cheap plywood. I asked around why they didn't let the poor occupy the vacant houses. The answer: they cannot afford it.
Update: Haven't visited the place for a long time. I'm sure it's now occupied by the can-afford few; with shanties around it.
Article 2 in gist: Near our place is a pre-historic cave of Angono, unprotected and open to vandalism. I asked around and visited the National Museum where I learned of their plans to improve it, but couldn't because of budgetary constraints.
Update: The cave is now a protected tourist attraction in Angono.
Realization
Reporters are normally paid per column inch. I forgot how much was the rate then. The Angono Cave, for example, has, I think, a total of 12 inches. If say it was fifty pesos per column inch, then the article would have earned me around six hundred.
But you see, it's not everyday that I managed to write lengthy articles. Most of the days, I wrote none. It was a struggle. There were days when I would not want to show up at the Manila Chronicle because I had nothing to report about.
Until finally, I accepted defeat and admitted that newspaper reporting was not for me. And so I looked for and landed a nine-to-five job.
And I lived unhappily ever after. Just kidding.
Lessons learned
The reporting experience taught me three things:
One: That all things have angles. So do people and events. A good reporter finds that angle that makes an ordinary story extraordinary.
Two: That it takes time for a dream to be realized -- time, efforts and a lot of love. (Julie and Malou Mangahas and Ed Lingao are some of those writers that I secretly oogled at the Chronicle hoping to imbibe their journalistic prowess).
Three: Although some dreams cannot be achieved, there are other paths that I can take and be somehow fulfilled (being an OFW blogger, perhaps?).
Honestly, there's nothing exciting as seeing your byline in a newspaper. There's that unexplainable sense of inner joy that's actually akin to seeing comments in my blog posts. No kidding.
Epilogue
Later on, I became an on-and-off contributor to now-defunct Diyaryo Filipino of the now-defunct Philippine Daily Globe. I wrote Tagalog feature articles mostly about theater arts.
That, my friends, is the story of my new-defunct dream.
Nebz, you have a good writing style. I'm glad to know that you were once part of one of our country's broadsheets. Maybe you can still submit some articles as a freelancer.
Hindi maikukubli sa iyong mga panulat na isa kang 'tunay' na manunulat at may sariling estilo sa napili mong sining.
Bagama't hindi ka nabigyan ng hustong panahon upang makilala sa larangan ng pagsusulat sa peryodiko;
subalit sa iyong kasalukuyang panahon at daigdig na ginagalawan, mas nakararami ang sumusubaybay at nakakaunawa sa sining ng hatid mong mga panulat;
sa daigdig ng malayang pagsusulat, without limits and without bounderies, nabibigyan ng puwang ang iyong mga panulat, kung saan patuloy na nagbibigay inspirasyon sa aming sumusubaysay at naniniwala sa iyo.
Purihin ka kaibigan, sa iyong mapagkumbabang kalooban, at sa ipinagkaloob ng talento sa sining ng pagsusulat ng Maykapal.
Ipinasa ko pala sa iyo kaibigang Nebz ang Uber Amazing Blog Award, sana ay pagdamutan mo ang munting handog ko sa iyo.
Nebz,noon pa man alam ko na may angkin kang ganda at talino, ganda sa pagsusulat, at talino sa pagiisip na mga post. Again, it's our great pleasure and honor to see you in person while we can't get out of following your post. Youre very good!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
sinasabi ko na nga ba..he he he...sa hagod at timpla palang ng sulat mo ng mabasa ko.talentado ka talaga..he he he.
p.s.
pards,medyo busy tayo ngayon.ginagawa ko yung java cafe drive thru na itatayo dyan sa saudi.ang problema ko lang ayaw kong sumama kasi mahaba ang buhok ko.ayaw ko pa ipaputol.mawawala ang powers ko..ha ha ha
I suspect there is something in you. Now I know. Keep it up, Nebz, now that you found the right venue for your talent.
There's never an end to a dream!
Keep on writing! :)
Sundrenched of the Pink Tarha
You got talent! Idol!! hehehe
Wow ang galing mo naman! Hula ko nga ay writer ka eh (nava vibes ko na....hahaha) kasi di ko matarok ang iba mong mga posts malalim hahaha (sorry mababaw lang kasi ako), pero mas sikat ka pala sa writer ngayon dahil blogger ka na hahaha
Maraming salamat po sa dalaw1
Dennis: Salamat po. I'm still learning. Pangarap ko rin yon kaya lang minsan walang mapiga.
The Pope: Hindi ba talaga maikubli? May mas marami pa ring blogger na talagang nakakabilib magsulat at meron din namang kakaiba ang style. Marami ngang blogs na kinapupulutan ko ng aral at ideas. Yours for example. Salamat po sa award.
Kenji: Nakakapanliit naman...natututo pa rin ako. Marami pa rin akong dapat matutunan.
Ever: Wala kang sinabi a. Saan un? Ewan ko ba sa Saudi pero sa expats lang naman sila mahigpit pagdating sa buhok. Ung ibang Saudis nga hanggang balikat ang buhok pero okay lang sa pulis.
Ed: Mapurol na nga ang pakiramdam ko. Buti n lang may blogging kaya kahit paano, nakakapagpractice sa pagsusulat. Honestly, bilib ako sa Buhay Buhangin Series mo.
Sundrenched: I honestly admire your writing. Tsaka gusto ko ung direction ng blog mo. I'm actually your number wahid fan. True.
Sardonyx: Hula mo talaga un? Na sisikat ako? Naks. May nagsabi sa akin dati na kapag hindi mo maarok ang isinulat e dahil hindi maganda ang pagkakasulat. Dahil ang tunay daw na magaling magsulat ay ung kahit gaano kalalim ang topic ay naipapaliwanag nya ng klaro. Buti na lang may blogging. Sigurado ako, dito ako matututo ng husto.
Wow! o",) Galing talaga! Kahit hindi kayo naging kilalang reporter ngayon, kilalang blogger naman. U
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[Nakakahiya na tuloy mag-post sa blog ko.]
[Tinabunan pa ang real name. (,"o ]
RJ: Huwag ka naman ganyan. Eto ang totoo: I admire your writing. Isa ka sa mga bloggers na nakita ko na heartwarming ang mga posts at talagang pinag-isipan. The truth is: you're a better blogger than I am. Maniwala ka.
E nakalabas naman ung Nebz db? Okay na un.
Depende sa reader mo yun Nebz, nagkataon ako ang palpak hahaha. Magaling kang manunulat no, kaya keep it up!
This is the first time I'm visiting your blog and after reading two posts I knew you have the kick to write. I can relate to this 'dream'. I once aimed to become a writer. Napangiti ako dun sa line mo na, "and now I lived unhappily ever after." =)
wow...everytime nadadalaw ako sa ibang blogger napapawow talaga ako.. everyone is especial in their own way...and isa ka dun kuya nebz.. ur write-ups indeed are proofs of how brilliant you are.
hehehe can I guess ur real name kuya nebz?..is it Nelson Balquez? Nelson Barquez?..hehehe bulong mo sakin if tumama ako :D