My legendary notebook

I am now a proud owner of a moleskin, a not-so-ordinary notebook, very much like those used by European artists and thinkers for the past two centuries, from Van Gogh to Picasso, from Ernest Hemingway to Bruce Chatwin.

It is far more expensive than ordinary journals. But hey, its cover is made of pure leather and its papers are acid-free, which guarantees my entries will last a lifetime. Who knows if one day my journal would become history-worthy? It would be, I think, if not to the world, at least to my future grandsons and granddaughters, right? Maybe it would contain some stories about my job, places I will go to, my family, and Nixlove. I chose the classic pocket ruled because it is handy, and as its name suggests, can fit into a pocket. So the next time I feel like writing while standing in the metro rail transit, I’ll know what to do.

I also know Nixlove wants one so I predicted the moleskin would be a perfect gift And I was right For our fourth anniversary (cheers!) I gave Nixlove his own moleskin and he is equally happy. Now the notebook is more legendary hihi.

I’m afraid moleskins will soon be taking charge of our payslips. haha I’m also planning to get the moleskin reporter edition soon.

Anyway, I also recently compiled my notebooks containing notes in press conferences and coverages. So far I have lost track of how many they are now. I have a favorite though, and it is the one I used from October to December 2007, the months that carried the biggest and most memorable stories of the year like the Glorietta and Congress blast, and the Manila Peninsula siege. Unfortunately the notebook isn’t acid-free like the moleskin, and surely the notes there will fade.

Looks like blogging will take a backseat for a while, haha. No I was just kidding. But I think the moleskin will have more attention, for now.

Makati court junks media case on Manila Pen arrests

By Thea Alberto
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 19:01:00 06/27/2008

MANILA, Philippines — A Makati City trial court has dismissed the charges filed by journalists and media organizations against government officials over the arrests of media workers during the takeover by rebel soldiers of the Manila Peninsula Hotel on November 29 last year.

In a five-page decision, Judge Reynaldo Laigo of Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 56 dismissed the class suit against Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., Justice Secretary Raul Gonzales, Philippine National Police Director General Avelino Razon Jr., National Capital Region Police Office Director Geary Barias, among others, for alleged violation of press freedom for the Manila Peninsula arrests and Gonzales’ subsequent statement that journalists would be arrested should similar circumstances occur.

READ FULL STORY HERE: INQUIRER.net

Thank heavens for Padingtun

When I’m sad or confused (see previous entry) I hug my baby bear Padingtun, a no-occasion gift from Nixlove. Since we had the cuddly bear January two years ago, we became more cheerful. Padingtun tapped the child in us and it made even our petty quarrels, forgive the term, cute.

While browsing Flickr, I also saw several teddy photos, and awww, they were so cute and adorable. They actually made my day.

Restless

I’ve become so restless lately and I hate it. At this age, I know I must be having the time of my life but I think I’m in search for more.  HMM, there’s no need to worry actually, it’s just that my Mom has been insisting I look six years older (stress tabs, anyone?) !

Maybe I need to start my masters soon, maybe that’s what’s missing. I am happy with my job, happy with Nixlove (yihee), and pretty much everything else. But when I think about it, I realize I can’t pursue it now because I NEED to save more (for the future, you know, haha); add to that the fact a post-graduate degree will surely be eating too much of my time.

I’m lucky I’m not alone. haha Most of my friends have been blogging about their restlessness as well. I guess this is our golden age, a quarter life crisis arriving too early. Or maybe its that time of the year, when the skies are gloomy but the temperature humid, that makes one feel depressed, uneasy, and confused.

I want to do more, save more. I can’t wait to grow older but I can’t seem to get over the fact that I need to grow up, especially when growing up means paying most of the bills. haha

Hmm. TGIF. I hope to feel better next week.

MADNESS

The abduction of Ces Drilon and her crew was a turning point for us journalists.

In between small talks earlier this week, it was not hard to sense a lot of us actually wanted to go to Sulu to cover Drilon and to “join the action.” After all, it seemed safe if we had security and going to Mindanao was like the proper thing to do. (Un)fortunately I had an option and it was to stay in Manila. What’s the point of going there if one can still get the details while at the safest possible place?

Madness, as most of us would like to call it, is the reason why some journalists push themselves to the limit. Sometimes while pursuing our stories, we actually decide based on our instinct, experience, gut feel, even horoscope (no I’m just guessing at this one!).

But madness is not a bad thing, I’m telling you. It is borne out of passion, out of our need to deliver the news freshly served because it is the public’s right to know; and out of our desire to experience everything first hand.

While a normal citizen would scamper during a bombing or a shootout, the journalist (photographers, cameramen as well) initially takes cover but would keep peeking his/her head into the realms of danger–searching for a story, looking for an angle, eventually forgetting that she/he is above all a daughter/son, a Mother/Father and NOT just a journalist.

This was Drilon’s mistake. And we can’t fully blame her; we’re all just happy that she’s safe and sound, even happier that she learned her lesson well. The full commitment to the job is a mistake a lot of journalists have committed at various lengths, and it is also the kind of mistake we usually repeat–without regrets.

The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines was right when it said we must “soberly reflect” on Drilon’s case.

“We urge everyone in the industry, from correspondents to media owners, to soberly reflect on this problem and come together to address this issue. We owe it to ourselves, to our families and to our audience,” the NUJP officers said.”

They could not have been more right. I indeed owe it to my family, friends, and readers. Cliche as it may be, no story is truly worth dying for.

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Drilon on ordeal: A ‘sobering experience’

Negotiator in Drilon kidnapping, son questioned by police

Military, police launch offensives vs Drilon abductors

Drilon et al in Zamboanga City–PNP spokesman

Drilon kidnappers extend deadline ‘indefinitely’–negotiator

By Thea Alberto
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 10:32:00 06/17/2008

Most Read

MANILA, Philippines — (UPDATE 3) Kidnappers of a television news team extended “indefinitely” the deadline for the release of their hostages, according to the son of one of the negotiators.

In a press conference in Sulu aired live on radio Tuesday, minutes before the noon deadline for payment of a P15 million ransom expired, Jun Isnaji, son of Indanan Mayor Alvarez Isnaji, said the abductors assured his father that they would not harm ABS-CBN’s Ces Drilon, her cameraman Jimmy Encarnacion, and Octavio Dinampo, Mindanao State University professor.

The young Isnaji said ransom was not discussed during the negotiations but that the captors asked for livelihood projects in exchange for the release of Drilon and company.

The kidnappers had threatened to behead their hostages, admitted Isnaji but added that they would no longer carry this out. FULL STORY HERE

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OTHER stories:

Gov’t mulls ‘options’ for release of Drilon et al–officials

PNP releases artist’s sketch of Drilon kidnap suspects

Woman by John Lennon

Probably one of John Lennon’s best songs. But of course I didn’t notice it that much until Nixlove dedicated the song for me. (cheezy I know, but you’re equally thrilled, i know. haha)