17th Floor Strata

Doing some job-hunting over at Monster Radio :):)

An Inland Sea

Taken a few weeks ago, the situation in our place have stayed generally the same. Hoping the city government would do something about this perennial flood problem.

Unit 1508

Never expected to win, never expected that I'd actually win something but merely wishful thinking. But I did!

I tried my luck when I joined an on-air contest in 103.5 Max FM's Early Returns a week ago hoping I could win prize they have in tow, a Max FM jacket. I'm not telling what I did but to cut it short, I got it right and won the jacket. Quich Lorraine, one of the show's hosts said I could claim my prize at the station during their office hours so I went there the following Friday.

Max FM is located in Unit 1508 Jollibee Plaza along F Ortigas Rd., Pasig. I've been in the area before so it I'm not at all bothered by the long trek between there and the MRT station along EDSA. Good thing some good soul made a pathway run across the large pay-parking area besides St Francis Square so people don't need to walk around J Vargas to get to succeeding blocks in Ortigas Center.

I got inside Jollibee Plaza, climbed up to the 15th floor and wahm! I saw it:


Nerve-wracking but I guess there's nothing to lose but to get it over with so I just went inside and the guard was asking me if there's anything he could do to help. I told Manong Guard that I'm claiming a prize I won a few days ago. We did the usual round-up: give my ID for confirmation, Manong Guard looks for my name in a logbook containing names of contest winners and me waiting in a comfy yet still amazed but the glitzy things I'm seeing inside 1508.

While there, The Sarge was inside the booth hosting Tunog Kalye. I caught a good glimpse on him doing his boardwork. Manong Guard says I could take pictures but I can't meet the DJ personally, ma-isturbo ko daw hehehe or something like it.

Sayang nga eh kasi gusto ko magpapicture sa kahit sinong DJ ng Max kaya siguro wrong timing lang ako. Sa uulitin na lang...

Buti na nga lang ang bait ni Manong Guard kasi siya ang kumuha ng litrato sa'kin sa loob ng station gamit ng phone ko.

Well, there's always a next time for everything right? Nice that I get to visit the biggest town in radio! :D

The CSB Epxerience: The Third Second First Week

I was planning on writing a piece about my "third-second-first day" as I normally would do from my past entries but considering I only had 2 class on my first day alone with 2 days of no school per week to boot, I decided to just write about the first week alone.

The First Day
For the first time in a long while, I now have evening classes AGAIN! I made a last minute adjustment to my schedule last term before encoding was closed for good and moved my Author1 class from early morning Saturdays to Monday evenings (6-9pm). Before Author1 is Cadvis2 from 2:45 to 5:45.

The good thing with Cadvis2 right now is that I still have Sir Jaime Latumbo (yes, ka-namesake!) as my professor and other than the day, the class is still on the same time and room as it was last term. At least I don't have to make an adjustment to his teachings although one thing remains especially on a class like this is placed on the afternoon for 3 hours: Unintentionally dozing off during discussion but hey, it's still cool!

From Architecture Desktop (Autocad), we moved to a new program called Autodesk 3DS Max. Another new program for me to get over, awww.

As evening kicks in, I had my first..er-night in Author1. Basically, the class is all about the basics of creating programs for CD-ROM's and stuff like that. My prof, Sir Rex Cariaga, is fortunately a cool teacher, and a young CSB grad. So I guess he totally can relate to the hardships of the average ABMMA student (The course is no easy walk in the park FYI).

No new program for us to learn at the meantime but made us design a "root menu" of a DVD using Photoshop. It'll carry on next meeting (in two weeks).

I spent the next two days at home being a bum since I'm still high from termbreak fever, however short they may be. Catching up on my shows online and much needed sleep.

The Second Day
So the timeframe stayed the same as last Monday. But the schedule is somewhat similar to what I used to have the term before: a 2d/Web combo. My Webdev2 class, headed by same as last term prof Ms Kat Santiano, is all about incorporating Flash onto web design.

Good thing, she gave us the opportunity to design our own domains (which we already have from last term) and the end result?: JamesHabitan Online

Three hours later came another 3-hour class, 2danim2. Sir Dayao is the name of the professor and the biggest shock of the day was that there were only 6 of us in his class, at least for the first session alone. Chuck, Jason A. and Sheena are my classmates for 2d2 and we had two others, Russel (classmate from Hartdes2) and someone Sheena knew (I'm really bad at name recognition). Besides the usual orientation, we had the chance to see (in my case: again) documented works of past students. I like the shorts made by Kenny Tai and nelson Caliguia Jr. It was purely awesomeness!

The Third Day
For Friday, I only have one class: Vidprd2. My prof? The ever wacky and funny Sir Dodos FTW!

If the prerequisite was about writing scripts, this class is all about the basics of camera work and executing storytelling through "moving pictures". In other words, film. Met lotsa new and familiar faces. Among my classmates are Edward, Dan, Clarizze and a couple more familiar faces.

The Fourth Day
Saturday. I was a bit late for my first day in 3danim2. Prerequisite subject, 3d1 was a total nightmare and I swore that I have to be picky next time when choosing professors. I need teachers whom we could learn from, not guess on the things he'd be hesitant to repeat in slow motion.

At least, for this term, Sir Hanz is an exception. He's looks more clam and is more than competent to teach his students the basics of Maya. Plus, he taught us our first lesson: "Modeling a Human Anatomy Made Easy". I remember my prof from the prerequisite teaching our class a similar lesson like this but not as simple as what Sir Hanz just taught to me and the rest of the 3danim2 people this afternoon.

I'm gonna be looking forward for this class for sure. Hopefully, I'd be able to reverse the 1.5 grade I got for 3d1. :D

This term ought to be interesting, indeed!

Radio Stations in Metro Manila

J Pics Mobile Pics: Unit 15-Oh-Eight

Went to 103.5 Max FM to claim a prize I won a couple of days ago :)

The fact I got to visit Max made the long rainy walk from the MRT station worthwhile.

The Fascinating Addiction

Some say I’m into it too much while others would say that I’m just trying hard to be into it. Yet there those who say I’m sucking the fun out of their addiction that makes the conversation less interesting while there others who say it’s funny to see me getting into a new hobby.

 Well, it’s true that once I get into a new hobby I feel a sense of security that kinda gives me that feeling of confidence and high self-esteem. It goes to the point when the curious boy in me would try to be in the know.

A few years ago, I was soooo into anything Korean. The pop culture of that country really fascinated me that right from the start I got hooked right away. I would download KPOP songs, watch Korean drama serials, and tune in to Arirang TV 24/7 (when we still have that channel from our cable). Eventually, my interest to anything Korean was no longer on a coffee high and I ended up “just” watching dubbed Korean soap operas.

Then there goes that sudden feeling of fascination again with the whole “dubbing” thing. It started when our cable started carrying HeroTV, which airs Japanese animes dubbed in Filipino. That channel would often air short segments that show the behind-the-scenes works of dubbing programs by voice actors.  It didn’t take too long before that interest fizzled out like dried fruit.

One thing funny with all of these is that I really feel that kind of ease just thinking about them. There would be occurrences that I would have daydreams fantasizing myself either being a dubber of a soap opera or some VJ hosting a Korean pop music program in Arirang (Think “Pops in Seoul”). You know the feeling, right?

The latest hobby I’m into Is watching US daytime soaps, those television dramas that shows people talking and yapping and walking around in a darkly-lit room an hour a day. It started with “Guiding Light”, a show that have been on the air for almost three-fourths of a century, followed by “As the World Turns” which has 50 years to boast about, and One Life to Live, about 35+ years and still going strong. I’m not really there for the outrageous stories of sex, fantasy and b!tching that most soaps have been focusing on, especially the suspension of disbelief with regards to the sudden aging of certain characters. I watch US soaps for the melodrama and realism that some would actually feature, in addition to the action and sense of excitement whenever a storyline is given faster-paced and a heart-breaking resolution.

A hobby never really died out of fashion, it just keeps a low-profile knowing I won’t be high on such for much longer. I still love Korean dramas but not as much as before, I am still curious with the industry of voice acting because I could actually make a career out of it someday, and as long as I am still satisfied with how stories are well-executed with US soaps, I’ll continue to watch them for sure.

As I conclude this entry I’m still thinking of another one to write about very soon. :)