into the WOODS

Slow down and let go. Most of us want to think of ourselves as good, kind, intelligent and caring people. Sometimes that’s true. Sometimes it isn’t. Reality is complex. We can’t function at all without constant input and support from other people. Everything we have, everything we’ve learned, came to us through someone else’s hands. At our best, we pass on this borrowed existence to others, enhanced by our contribution. At our worst, we waste and squander it. So recognize that you’re a rich mixture of thoughts and feelings that come and go, some useful, some not. There’s no need to keep up a façade; no need to pretend; no need to fear of what you know to be true.

When you face your own truth, you’ll find it’s an enormous relief. If you’re maybe not as wonderful as you’d like to be, you aren’t nearly as bad as you fear either. The truth really does set you free; free to work on being better and to forgive yourself for being human; free to express your gratitude to others and recognize what you owe them; free to acknowledge your feelings without letting them dominate your life. Above all, you’ll be free to understand the truth of living: that much of what happens to you is no more than chance. It can’t be avoided and is not your fault. There’s no point in beating yourself up about it.

What is holding you in situations and actions that no longer work for you often isn’t inertia or procrastination. It’s the power of habitual ways of seeing the world and thinking about events. Until you can let go of those old, worn-out habits, they’ll continue to hold you prisoner. To stay in your comfort zone through mere habit, or—worse still—to stay there because of irrational fears of what may lie outside, will condemn you to a life of frustration and regret.

If you can accept the truth about the world and yourself, change whatever is holding you back, and get on with a fresh view on life, you’ll find that single action lets you open the door of your self-imposed prison and walk free. There’s a marvelous world out there. You’ll see, if you try it.

Everyone starts from a dream. Dreams drive our determination to succeed. Dreams increase our will power. With this, as my final chapter of college comes to a close in a few months from now, where do stand and when do I start to walk towards it?

In reaching your dreams, it’s not always a safe and smooth road. You need to encounter a lot of trials and hardships. A lot of times you will fail before you can even see a first glimpse of success. You should be able “to fight the unbeatable foe” and “to run where the brave dare not go”. Failures are always part of every success. It teaches us valuable lessons in life. It makes us stronger to withstand more challenges that comes along our way in achieving our dreams. Sometimes, you will feel lonely in achieving these dreams as you have “to bear with unbearable sorrow”.

Do something—almost anything—differently and see what happens. Even the most successful habits eventually lose their usefulness as events change the world and fresh responses are called for. Yet we cling on to them long after their benefit has gone. Past strategies are bound to fail sometime. Letting them become automatic habits that take the controls is a sure road to self-inflicted harm.
Be who you are. It’s easy to assume that you always have to fit in to get on in the world; that you must conform to be liked and respected by others or face exclusion. Because most people want to please, they try to become what they believe others expect, even if it means forcing themselves to be the kind of person they aren’t, deep down.

You need to start by putting yourself first. You’re unique. We’re all unique, so saying this doesn’t suggest that you’re better than others or deserve more than they do. You need to put yourself first because no one else has as much interest in your life as you do; and because if you don’t, no one else will. Putting others second means giving them their due respect, not ignoring them totally. Keeping up a self-image can be a burden. Hanging on to an inflated, unrealistic one is a curse. Give yourself a break.

Public service programs are usually of the panawagan genre. The poor and the sick (or their relatives) are given the chance to "air their plight" on air and ask for donations from civic groups, philantrophic individuals, etc. Publicity for missing and even deceased loved ones are announced for relatives to know. During times of crisis (e.g., typhoons), the public use the radio to inform relatives of their whereabouts and condition. Listeners or studio guests are given the chance to air complaints or grievances against government agencies or are given referrals to appropriate agencies.
In this age of global village, the threat of cultural homogenization or domination, especially by those who own and control technology, becomes even more real. The interactive and two-way capabilities of modern technologies should be harnessed to the fullest to ensure cultural harmony, integrity, and identity. But this concern applies not only in the global setting but in the national setting as well. For decades, broadcasting in the Philippines has been one-way — One produces and the rest of the country watches or listens. New technologies now allow for more exchange of images and messages within and across countries.

Radio is more than just a media channel to many Filipinos, it is a way of life. It is part of Filipino culture. Even today, people still finds radio "in" despite competition from the Internet and television. The fact that radio uses the local language or dialect makes it the most accessible channel to the Filipino masa.
Many people are dreaming of a career in broadcasting because they will have instant access to fame. The major reason is gaining popularity when reporting for news or specific story. Although being broadcasters has its perks, it also requires a lot of effort to be able to stay long in the business and of course, one major responsibility.
Radio is now acknowledged as the primary source of news and the most pervasive, persuasive, and credible medium.
A fleeting look into radio programming would explain why radio remains as the medium of choice especially by the Filipino masa. Programming content and format are so diversified that there is always a program suited to the taste of every sector — housewife, students, businessman or entrepreneur, music enthusiast (from pop music to rock and revivals), religious, farmer, sports enthusiast, among others.

For the past month, I have been writing news at least 1-2 times per week and during that entire time it was definitely enjoyable but one thing makes me wonder at times. DYHP has a lot of public service shows every morning and afternoon that caters to the avid listeners all over Cebu and some areas outside Cebu.
How does public relation works especially to the media and the people?
As per research, the free flow of public information is crucial to democracy. To be relevant to national development, however, public information must be accurate and timely. However, public information, by itself, cannot contribute as much to national development. To do so, it needs to be disseminated as widely as possible. What is of prime importance therefore is that public information reaches its intended audience.
However, the role of media to inform society is old. Today, both the traditional and electronic media must take on an added role―that of “inducing society to further development. The Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism defines the media’s roles as “a catalyst for social debate” and a medium for “strengthening and scrutinizing democratic institutions.”

So writing the news report is done but the job is still half-done because after the copy editor edits your report, you have to record it and with the tips discussed from my previous classes and personal tips from the people working in DYHP, the experience was scary and enlightening, but during the first time, much of it was pure tension.
One word from one of tenured news reporter was that “the most important thing is to make your script clear. What is the story? Tell it as clearly as you can. If you get stuck trying to think of the words, just imagine what you would say to your best mate to explain the story and that I should just be myself, use my own words and my own language. As I recall and check on my previous notes from my broadcasting classes, one should hold the microphone firmly in the middle and rest your arm on a chair or table if you are recording a lengthy interview. One should speak directly into the microphone while holding it 10 to 15 cm away from your mouth and point the microphone directly at the person you are interviewing to capture their answers and point the microphone at yourself while you are asking questions. You should swap the microphone between your hands if your arms start to get tired and wrap the microphone lead around the hand which is holding the microphone to keep it steady.
In recording news, it varies, but I believe we should sound credible and not boring at that and finally, think carefully about how are you going to finish your piece. Perhaps you could leave the listener with a question or something to think about. Don't forget, it's the last thing they will hear, so make it memorable.

Remembering my News Writing Professor’s exact words: “News writing is a key skill for journalists, but it helps with other types of writing as well. That’s because news writing is about telling a story quickly and concisely” made me realize a few things, one, I’m in big trouble. Kidding aside, I always think that every news reporter, be it from print of broadcast media has this sense of responsibility to deliver the truth.
“Learning how to write news for radio broadcasting can be a challenge because it is a format that has its own rules. First and foremost, radio news scripts are written for listeners, not readers or viewers” these were the words that came out from our News Director. As I think about it the news reports that I have to make should be clear and simple and is aimed toward the listener. With it, I had to outline and determine the key element of a story and it’s essential components, the simple 5W and 1H at that starting with a Lead Sentence to grab the listener’s attention. The details should be concise and accurate with the lead. Radio news stories are typically 100 to 300 words, based on the amount of time dedicated to the story. 100 words equates to approximately 30 seconds of air time. Fact-check the script and review your grammar. Present the script to a copy-editor that might find mistakes you overlooked.

888 NEWS Forum organized by the National Association of Independent Travel Agencies (Naitas), 888 News Forum takes place every Tuesday, 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. at the Marco Polo Plaza Hotel (its current home) and tackles relevant issues on various topics, including tourism, infrastructure, current events, politics, local government concerns, and a lot more. 888 News Forum has become a reliable gathering of legitimate media personalities in Cebu. Reporters who are regular participants of the news forum are those from the Manila Bulletin, Business Mirror, SunStar Daily, The Freeman, Cebu Daily News, GMA 7, ABS-CBN, CCTN-47, and several radio stations, including RMN DYHP Cebu.
Hosted by Prof. Ricky Rama Poca, 888 News Forum gets the answers to pressing questions straight from the sources and authorities. Personalities that have guested at the 888 News Forum include Tourism Secretary Ace Durano, Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmena, Bohol Governor Erico Aumentado, Police Regional Office 7 Directors Ronald Roderos and Lani-O Nerez, regional directors of government agencies, and a lot more.
Both excitement and nerves came gushing in, but the feeling of fitting in came into mind and so there I was, my first time. The guest speakers were the people from Police Regional Office of Region 7. I’ve written about the status report of the crime rate of Cebu for the year as compared to that of last year. From then on, I was looking forward to new forums that will be assigned to me.

It wasn’t quite a long time when I stepped into the office of Sinulog Foundation, Inc. beginning one of the memorable experiences about my college life and now I’m stepping into a whole new different world, that of the media. “Changing gears”, as I call it, it’s like being reborn into another world and it feels refreshing.

I’ve learned time and time again that life sometimes wrenches me out of my comfort zone. It’s the discomfort that’s often inherent in going out of your comfort zone that makes people think that they lack confidence, don’t have what it takes to tackle the task in hand or are better off right where they are. So wouldn’t it be great if going out of your comfort zone was easier? Not really, but it’s designed that way.
And this is the trick – to spend time being uncomfortable or experiencing discomfort without wrestling with it, squirming next to it or trying to do anything about it. Your capacity to be with discomfort increases to the point where it becomes larger than the discomfort. Your ability to experience ‘uncomfortableness’ increases to the point where it’s bigger than the uncomfortableness itself – and when you do that it longer has the same power or hold over you.

The feeling of not knowing what to do can sometimes be rewarding because you become so grounded and you want to belong and thus, you learn and become at least better at it. This website, www.francispacedout.blogspot.com launches it second version with a new “Into the Woods” Layout.

In the midst of everything that’s going in this world, we continue to dream big, I counted and dreamed of all the things I need to do and these are the reasons why I am striving to do good and do the best in every possible things I face. Being a part of the media is not really one on my list but the main reason why I chose to walk into the world of news writing and broadcasting makes me feel challenged and overcoming those difficulties enables me to become a better person. I don’t envision myself in the future being a news anchor or a new reporter but I respect the media world so much and value it that the experience of being a part of it (at least for a brief period of time) can definitely be rewarding.

To put it another way, when your capacity to experience discomfort becomes greater than the discomfort itself, you’re able to accept it and be at ease with it. You become comfortable with it.
That’s how – and believe me, I know how strange this sounds – going out of your comfort zone can be equally as comfortable as being in your comfort zone.

Picture that for a second. Picture yourself being just as comfortable going out of your comfort zone as you are in your comfort zone.

As I quote John Muir: “Going to the woods is going home” I think about a couple of things that’s about to unravel in the couple of days. The path I’ve chosen wouldn’t feel much of about going home but much of running away from it and experiencing life like you’re in the wild for the very first time.
Remember the feeling of walking out in the woods? The feeling of uneasiness; that of total discomfort the first time you step out into the green land and out in the open. Nerve-wracking as I put it lightly, venturing in an unknown territory gives you multiple feelings at the same time. It’s always a mixture of excitement, the undeniable nerves bringing out the scared little boy in you and of course the sense of trying to belong and the feeling of giving your best shot no matter what.
Deciding on “going radio” was in fact one of the few hard decisions I made. Stepping into the news room for the first time felt like pure excitement and edginess at the same time. I’d have to practice on writing news in full “Binisaya” and of course it would also take a lot more of practice uttering it in full words and recording it.
As my first news forum that I’ll be covering is looming, John Muir’s words stricken me out of nowhere, am I heading home? Is my future in these woods? I don’t know, but I’ll have to find out for sure, on my own.