I woke up with a fright at 2:45 in the morning today feeling guilty over something I did in my dream. It’s so weird to think that I’d be guilty over something that must be such a big deal in the realm of dreams (As if any dream I have aren’t just as weird).

As much as I could remember is that in my dream, I was approached by someone who’s taking the form of my former high school PE teacher. I could read disappointment written all over his face and I felt like I’m the party to blame.

The guy asked me if I told someone over this certain matter. I told him that I did, then he asked further…questioning me if I somehow told this other person a rather vague version of what me and the guy interrogating me.

My dream self was shocked that somehow he found out what I was hiding from him. He showed me a copy of a letter I sent to the person in question. To be fair, I didn’t mean to hide anything from him but somehow I somehow got myself exposed and cornered. Given the circumstances I sort of told this other person about it, but in rather vague terms.

The  guy now is blaming me for blabbing stuff I shouldn’t be telling stuff about. I asked for his forgiveness but it was already too late to change everything. The guilt I feel transcended over to reality the moment I woke up surprised and with an odd feeling of a heavy heart.

Whatever it is that I told someone else about seems to be very confidential. It seems like I have to win back he trust I lost from my friend and I don’t know how I would manage to do that, given that it is…after-all…a dream.

Why do I have the feeling this is going to occur later in my reality?

Hmmm….How long has it been already? Five freakin’ years almost? Wow, time really does fly thinking back. But still, the pain of losing something you’ve known for since childhood is still there in my hearts and the hearts of many.

Campus Radio lives on...

I can’t believe I’m writing another piece about Campus Radio, the radio station that defined a generation of listeners far and wide. The one we can go to when we feel we have too much rock going on in NU and too much yakkin’ on Magic. Campus is something I just can’t get over it, more so than the way I mourned over Max FM. It’s simply too much to bear.

I admit that even for the years that I’ve been listening to the station, never once did I make an effort to learn the names of the songs they play, what genre they usually favor the most. I only knew names of a few Campus personalities, and I never quite understood the nature and purpose of some of their popular segments except for  Top 20 at 12 and Campus Aircheck. The jingles, the songs and the voices of Campus’ most recognizable jocks are only a few of that things that helped Campus make a mark on my life.

Not too poppish, not too rockish, and a not too much yappin’. The mix is just right for my taste. Such a shame that it’s hard to find a station as similar as WLS-FM. Niether Magic nor Monster Radio could ever fill the void left by the long-gone institution.

The experiment of recreating Campus on another frequency went bust after a few months on-air, while an attempt to move online was somehow successful but after less than a couple of years, it ended up closing shop as well. Most of the DJ’s have moved on, some still staying on as jocks in other stations while others have moved on to other ventures.

As a kid, I always wanted to meet a Campus Radio DJ. I wanted to meet those I’ve been hearing since I was 7 years old: Triggerman, John Hendrix, Jimmy Jam, Joe Spinner…All of those guys I so wanted to meet face-to-face, live in person. However, I never had the means of doing such a challenging feat at the time. I thought it would take forever to even meet at least one DJ.

Well….forever came.

Just a couple of years ago, the opportunity came right in front of my doorstep. I just had to take it because I may never get this kind of opportunity ever again. It was a workshop aimed on training people for the radio industry, organized by 99.5RT. It just so happens that THE JOE SPINNER was the one handling the program. He goes by Koji Moralez now on RT, which he has been a mainstay for the past three and a half years.

Meeting him for the first time was soooo…random. At the time, I was already an intern in RT, working only for one of the shows there. One time, I was sitting in a chair right next to one of my bosses, and Joe just suddenly came right in picking up some forms left in the booth. My eyes widened because my eyes widened in amazement. I just have that feeling of accomplishment, seeing an actual Campus DJ right in the flesh.

Joe Spinner has been a great mentor to me. Even though he doesn’t know that I’m saying this, I understood the nature of the industry when I made some awful mistakes under his watch but he guided me all the way. I realized how difficult it must be to be in his shoes when despite the glow and glitz of being a radio personality, the industry is not as fascinating as we thought it is. Politics, compromises, creative tensionsand business decisions…It’s all part of the game if you were to survive it.

I always wanted to be a DJ. I know that I have to practice my voice more and that I should have a confidence that translates well when on-air. Such an interesting personality would have to be that of JIMMY JAM. His presence forms a vital part of Campus Radio’s identity. As a kid, I remember his voice being the one behind all those station-produced image plugs I hear every so often.

Okay so meeting Triggerman and John Hendrix are two DJ’s that might take a while for me to achieve. However in the case of Jimmy Jam, even though I haven’t met him in person yet, I sort of made a connection to him through several people so it kind o made for not being about to see him face-to-face.

JOHN HENDRIX is one guy I so wanted to meet the most (besides Triggerman which is alreay next to impossible). He’s the type of guy you want to meet if you want to start your day bright and energetic. That’s what he does when he used to host a morning show in Campus Radio. Since his stint in radio ended, he let himself be finally seen by long-time listeners via News TV’s Dog TV.

If there’s one thing I never expect from him, that is to follow me on Twitter. Yes, I am certain that he is following me, someone he barely know. I’m in a loss of words to describe this feeling. He knows for certain that I am an avid listener and that I try to keep alive the memory of Campus Radio through my own little way. Thus it is such an honor that he know me. It’s not exactly what I wanted back as a kid but this is still the next best thing.

Meeting these awesome personalities through the most unconventional means has left me even more inspired. The death of a radio station is never the end -all of things. We move one to bigger and better opportunities but the memories we get from the past is what pushes us to strive in the pursuit of living life to the fullest.

Campus Radio shaped me in ways that I cannot explain but one thing’s for certain…It has made me look forward to a brand new morning always.

Wow,I’m only one week into 2012 and I finally got one of my New Year’s wishescome true On January 1st, I got a text from the Public Information Office of Valenzuela City Hall telling me that I start my first day under their wing the next day. It took a while to sink in but when I realized that gravity of the situation, I just raised my hands and say “HALLELUJAH TO THE EMPLOYMENT GODS!”.

Basically, I’m a writer for the PIO although public information office adds a nice ring to my resume. We’re basically the one that release any announcements coming from the city government through various mediums: newspapers, social media, newsletters, etc. According to the city website: “The Public Information Office (PIO) is responsible for disseminating information on city programs and projects, and accordingly prepares and implements a comprehensive, integrated and proactive information and public relations program.”

I’m still in the process of adjusting to my new surroundings but the good thing is that I don’t have to spend more than 20 pesos to commute between house and work hehehe. Speaking of pesos, I also though I could save money better by bringing my own lunch to work. It’s not that I’m being a cheapscake but for , I want to keep my food expenses down as I tend to buy higher price food items, especially back in college.

Everything is all new to me all of a sudden and I don’t have an idea of everything that I must know in my line of work. However, the real world is always without a handbook so I have to take one step at a time.

Going to and from work is such a breeze. That’s one advantage of being employed in the same city I live in. I only have to takeone short jeepney ride then climb up a hill via a tricycle then afterwards, I just walk my way along McArthur Highway until I reach City Hall.

The city hall complex has got to be one of the most beautifully designed pieces of architecture I’ve seen here in the Philippines. There’s a large enough parking area with several accesspoints from both ends of the complex (front and back). There’s also consideration for people with disabilties thus there are ramps situated in key areas. The legislative-executive building is the main city hall building itself but financial building takes front and center and is the first thing you see when you pass along McArthur Highway. The L-E building is designed in a way that it can support proper air ventilation which lets in a warn breeze throughout the structure. The halls are wide enough for air to flow freely and in every end there’s a restroom complete with aut0mated faucets, hand dryers, frequently replenished toiletries, among other high tech amenities found in the men’s restrooms alone.

Ako si Pio, in case you are wondering, is my first ever series of blog entries chronicling life in City Hall. This one is the first of many articles I will be writing under the “Ako si Pio” umbrella. But for work-related reasons, I won’t be able to post everything in my blog so if you’re my friend in Facebook, you get exclusive access to some entries that I’ll be marking as private in the blog.

What has this first job has in store for me? Let’s just wait and see…