Recapping 2009 January 2, 2010
Posted by bobbetrevilla in Distant Past, Here and Now, Travels.add a comment
For some the year 2009 was a look back to harsh realities. Let me put it this way, that year had a balanced patches of good-bad, triumphs-tragedies, highs-lows. I can go on and on lest I want to editorialize and write detached from what is concrete and real.
Zooming in on my personal world, 2009 was a year of small things but bigger impacts. I looked out of my lens and see a year ruled by nearby travels and great works.
Baguio remains my favorite place. Been there that year twice. Institutional retreat last January and qualitative-research seminar on May. Both were moments that emerged as opportunities to discover self, friends, and the social world. Baguio is like a refuge that lets you get lost then find “it” again.
Research work brought me to Roxas City mid of this year. It was an entirely new place for us. People were warm, foods were exotic. It was like visiting an episode of our history too. The biggest church bell in Asia could be found in Sta. Monica church which we visited as local tourists. It was nothing but astounding.
My Diliman course this academic year also expanded what could have been a limited view of communication research. I braved weekly night-time travels to finish the course but surfaced from it enriched. I involved my own workplace as a case in research management. This gave me an idea for a bigger research project.
This year marked too my second term as R&DD head of my host agency. I am always overwhelmed by works and responsibilities, getting sick and stressed in the process, but this post makes me feel better beyond the turf. It’s the laboratory for my teaching role.
2010 sees me wrapping up my course work for my second graduate degree. I look forward to reaping personal triumphs, staying happy despite sad realities, and growing better with friends, family, and colleagues (read: coworkers, students, superiors, graduate classmates and mentors).
During our New Year’s eve party, our young folks in the family presented a video clip of what we were and hope to become. I love the term: “survivors.” We all should be.
Cool Monday February 23, 2009
Posted by bobbetrevilla in Travels, Visuals.Tags: Local Sites
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Again, pardon me for the too personal, journal-type, tone of this entry. I could hear again my niece Cielo telling me “Tito Bobbet, you’re turning your blog site into an online diary!” That’s quite understandable since she only writes for her blog when an earth-shaking, angst-full event strikes in her life. Like her very recent “downfalls” entry that sounds too post-modern for me, hehe.
Anyway, let me start from the beginning. Expect an intersperse of photos in this textual narrative. It would make the story more vivid, graphic.
I started my day early. Call time for our Lipa trip was 8.30 a.m. but I was there at the meeting place, Jollibee Olivarez, before 8 a.m. I told Yuri, our group leader, I was there waiting for them. Yes, I was too early; more so when it turned out that the vehicle picked me up a few minutes before 9 a.m. What did I do while waiting? Read the interview guide. Went through our class plans. Read, maybe re-read, my notebook filled with things to do and post-it reminders. And my most favorite part: observing the setting. The few early risers taking their breakfast at this fastfood stop, including nearby bank employees and travelers who dropped by for take-out food. The day started too early for us this partially-declared holiday. From the glass panes, I captured this early scene of the road going to UPLB. Scarce vehicles plying, but this sight eventually got crowded, doubling the number of jeepneys and cars, telling me, it’s getting late, I’m there waiting for almost an hour.
We went straight to Lipa City picking up at certain points two more classmates. Our destination: Papel Lipa, a private enterprise engaged in hand-made paper production. The purpose was to interview its owner and workers as part of our Cleaner Production Technology (CPT) promotion for our Environmental Communication class. We were joined by the FPRDI Project Leader to explain CPT concepts to one of our intended audiences or stakeholders to whom our ECP or environmental communication plan is meant to be delivered. We had a tour of the manufacturing plant, which although in a cottage-industry scale, was impressive and could be accommodating to our proposed project. The scenes we’ve captured could speak about colors that may be featured in Reader’s Digest Unseen Asia.
They produce orange- and green-dyed paper as these are dubbed to be the colors of the year. A multiplicity of colors can also be seen in the display stall where finished hand-made paper crafts are being sold to local tourists like us.
The entire place is like a tourist destination. No wonder, throngs of students on a field trip include the site as part of their iteneraries in coordination with the local tourism office. Colorful flowers and green plants surround the place, too. My cell camera couldn’t help but document these bonus sights.
It was a nice trip. It was a quick visit to our data site, made quicker by light, fun talks on the road there and back home. But I brought home a bonus: a new native craft for our collection. That wrapped up this Monday’s research cum cool travel. But the work has just started.
