Warning: Shameless plug ahead!

My interview with GMA 7 at the UP CMC ended a few minutes ago. In case you’re wondering if I said anything incriminating, please watch the segment on blogging on Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho (GMA 7) this Saturday (April 26) at around 9 p.m.

Even if I won’t have access to television this Saturday (more on that in a future post, or perhaps a column article for Pinoy Weekly), I’m sure that there will be some UP CMC students who are looking forward to watching it. There might be footage of them consulting with me…under the tree! Yes, the producer decided to be creative by interviewing me at our college’s parking lot.

Hope this encourages you to watch the show this Saturday. Thank you for reading and sorry for this shameless plug.

Thanks to my mother whose idea of parenting includes requiring her children to take summer courses, I learned how to type when I was still in Grade 5, or the summer of 1981 to be exact. (Yes, I am that old, and what we used then were not computers but typewriters, both manual and electric.)

My mother took me to a vocational school in Caloocan City where we used to live, and the teacher then wondered why I was enrolled in a class full of college students and professionals.

I was not taken seriously by my “summer classmates” at that time and I consequently felt like a “sit-in.” One of them would even tease me whenever my mother arrives after our class to take me home.

It was not until I topped (ahem!) an examination (I think it had to do with the parts of a typewriter) that they began to treat me like a classmate, asking me questions if they did not understand the lessons and advising me where to buy cheap coupon bonds, stencil papers, correction fluid and other supplies.

I finished the typing course in 1981 with the highest grade but I did not have the highest words-per-minute (WPM) during our final practical exam. From what I recall, the honor went to a female secretary who was more than 20 years my senior. I remember that my WPM then ranged from 100 to 120 WPM using an electric typewriter.

So what is my WPM at present? I took an online speed typing test and, much as I hate to admit it, I have slowed down a lot.

83 words

The website also states that I got “358 points” and that my rank is “6,242 (out) of 157,201 on the ranking list.” The test results also show the following:

You type 444 characters per minute
You have 83 correct words and
you have 0 wrong words

My current rank puts me in the upper 4% of those who took the test.

How about you? If you’re curious about your own WPM, it wouldn’t hurt to take this test which only takes 60 seconds to complete. Thank you for reading!

If you watch 24 Oras or Saksi on GMA 7 tonight (April 16), you might see me explain my views on the wage hike debate.

I was just interviewed a few minutes ago by a GMA 7 reporter who, in the course of her research on the topic, came across an article I wrote in January 2007.

The article is titled “The Logic Behind a Legislated Wage Hike” published in Bulatlat Online Magazine. The reporter asked questions regarding the points I raised in this article.

I also provided updates on my computations with regard to how a wage increase could affect cost of production, at least in the manufacturing sector. If you would read my article, you would notice that I only used 2006 data, hence the need for updates. True enough, the effect on the overall cost of production is lower now than my estimates two years ago.

Just out of curiosity, I searched “legislated wage hike” in Google and, to my surprise, my January 2007 article currently ranks fifth.

I don’t think that this is a reflection of lack of more current research on a very important issue. Then again, I consider this a wake-up call to write once more about wages, especially in the wake of the current rice crisis.

Update (April 17, 1:25 pm): That’s me being interviewed by 24 Oras (GMA 7) last night (April 16, around 6:40 pm). I don’t know if I deserve to be called “political analyst,” but I agreed to it when it was suggested by the reporter. If you want to view the entire news cast, kindly click the image above. Thank you for reading.

ABC News had an interesting report about a “human spell checker” who is touring the United States. This reminds me of my funny signs project where I take pictures of mostly ungrammatical, often hilarious signs around the Philippines.

Incidentally, I will be posting some funny signs from recent out-of-town trips tomorrow. For now, please enjoy this video courtesy of Yahoo!

Before anything else, allow me to make a couple of announcements:

1. My Journalism (J) 117 (Online Journalism) students may now get their class cards from the department.
2. For the 1st Semester of Academic Year 2008-2008, I will be teaching the following courses (aside from the usual thesis advising at the baccalaureate and master’s levels):
   • J 122 (Publication Design and Layout) TUV
     Tuesdays, 10:00 am to 1:00 pm, BNR
   • Media 230 (Media Ethics) TZZ
     Tuesdays, 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm, M 211
   • J 122 WUV
     Wednesdays, 10:00 am to 1:00 pm, BNR
   • J 202 (Advanced Reporting) WZZ
     Wednesdays, 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm, M 211

And now for the visceral: I am very happy that, just like before, most of my students in J 117 and J 122 have produced websites that I can be proud of.

Below is the list of the websites submitted in partial fulfillment for the two courses. Hope you’ll visit my students’ websites if you have time.

J 117 (Online Journalism):

• Bautista, Roehl Niño - Virtual ink and viewfinders
• Castillo, Hannah Joy - No loose ends
• Crisostomo, Danielle Alessandra - Media graffiti
• Dormido, Hannah Faith - Kontradiksyon
• Eligio, Absolom Jerome - The communique
• Lopez, Katherine Mae - The explorer
• Macatangay, Sheryl Mae - Jot it down online
• Matsuzawa, Mikas Aleya - Liyab diwata
• Nachura, Celia Grace - The rabbit hole
• Paglinawan, Adriel - Adrielink
• Paner, Marione Paul - Kalinaw
• Peñamante, Laurice Claire - Inkwell
• Sabillo, Kristine Angeli - Talimhaga
• Wong, Ma. Monica - News in perspective

J 122 (Publication Design and Layout):

• Aguilar, Charles Tito - Animation, comic & movie enthusiast
• Avila, Tatiana - The rule of thirds
• Decierdo, Rogelio - Flamerounin’s lair
• Duran, Roanne - Living in oblivion
• Espejo, April Joy - Beyond wonderland
• Liban, Stephanie Lauren - Art around UP
• Prado, Kharl - Shutter
• Pua, Micah Jeremy - Micah’s closet
• Reyes, Marco Darrel Ruben - The travel plate
• Sabillo, Kristine Angeli - Canto IX in limbo
• Sarmiento, Patricia Aireen - Stream of consciousness
• Soriano, Paolo Martin - El Pippo’s paradise
• Sulit, Micah Vanessa - Morsels of Micah
• Tuazon, John Mark - In:Focus
• Valencia, Mary Grace - Snug in your corner
• Valenzuela, Abegail Rose - Food trip

If you’re against corruption (and want to have fun at the same time), you should play the game called Who Wants To Be A Billionaire Presents: NBN-ZTE (Reloaded).

My wife forwarded the PPS file to me and I can’t help but share it with all of you.

While I’m sure that whoever designed it won’t mind my decision to disseminate his or her work, I hope that the person responsible for this game would contact me so that he or she will be properly credited.

While this was done in the spirit of (political) fun, this game can test your knowledge of current events in the Philippines, particularly the controversy surrounding the national broadband network (NBN) project.

Suffice it to say that I had a blast answering the questions. Modesty aside, I aced the test and I am now a “virtual billionaire.”

How did you fare? Do let me know. Thank you for reading.

For this installment of funny signs, allow me to be socially relevant.

If you’ve been reading my most recent articles published in Pinoy Weekly, you may have noticed that I’ve been writing lately about the controversial national broadband network (NBN) project. So don’t be surprised if our cast of characters today are familiar faces (provided of course that you’re a Filipino who’s been reading up on current events).

Wait, let me correct that. Some are familiar faces, the others are your usual feces.

Let us start with the story of Zaido trio and Darth Vader ganging up on the hapless, tearful but determined Wolverine.

For being a probinsyanong Intsik, Wolverine stands a China man’s chance of defeating the Dark Side. The Pulis Pangkalawakan could also cause his pagkawala, even for just a few hours. As the story’s end is still being collectively written through “communal action,” Wolverine continues to fight, armed with nothing but the truth which proves to be more potent than his adamantium claws.

Sick and tired of what’s happening? Watch a movie! Catch any of the following that are currently “showing.”

At this point, you can’t afford to “relax and watch a movie.” Escapism has no room in a state of political turmoil. Humor should be used to awaken our senses and reinforce our conviction.

And so, catch the unfolding story not inside airconditioned theaters but in areas with political streamers.

Disclaimer: The digitally altered movie posters and still shots were emailed to me and I took the liberty of uploading them on my Flickr account. If you’re the source of these images, kindly contact me if you want to be acknowledged. Thank you.

January 24 (Thursday)

• J 117 (Online Journalism): Members of Group 2 will present their report. Please include your email address in our mailing list group so that I can finally send my evaluation of your website. As of today, there are still three students who haven’t joined. You should also know that two students have not yet given the URL to their website.
• J 122 (Publication Design and Layout): It is possible that classes will be suspended from 1 to 4 pm on January 24 due to the ACLE. If this happens, we will be forced to re-schedule the group reports. In the event of suspension of classes, I will be at the ACLE-sponsored forum of the UP Samahan sa Agham Pampulitika (SAPUL) titled “Link: Political Socialization and Digital Art” at Palma Hall Room 116-118. You are not required to be there, but your presence will be appreciated. I will be focusing on the aesthetics of computer-aided designs and websites, after all.

January 25 (Friday)

• J 109 (Writing for Popular Audiences): We will continue our discussion of the characteristics of the popularized article.

I’m just helping spread the word about The Philippine Blog Awards 2 which will be held soon.

But if, for some reason, you want to nominate Rising Sun, who am I to resist? Just kidding, of course!

Ever heard of Engrish? This is defined as “the humorous English mistakes that appear in Japanese advertising and product design.”

While waiting for the UP Centennial activities to begin, I stumbled upon Engrish.com which has a collection of funny signs found in Japan. Below are some signs that I found to be very, very, very, funny.

That’s all for now. Thanks for reading!