COMMUNICATION THEORIES
Professor: Paz H. Diaz, PhD
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Assignment 5: MASS COMMUNICATION
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Seven years and counting It has already been seven years since I first designed my own website (blog) using only notepad and Adobe Photoshop. My professor in college only taught website design coding through notepad. CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) was not yet in my webolary. Imagine how I spent hours of perfecting the alignment of data in my blog. Using notepad was like designing a website with your eyes closed. Imagining how it would look like after saving the file really exercised my imagination because unlike Macromedia Dreamweaver, one can already see the design even without saving the file. Macromedia Dreamwever is also very user friendly. The rise of pre-designed blogs and websites werent as familiar as it is nowadays. Blogspot was not as famous as it is now. Wordpress and Multiply were not yet around the corner. Though Blogspot was already becoming widely used by many, I still find the joy of designing a website on my own. I remember visiting well-designed websites to analyze its html codes. It was mind-boggling and fun at same time. I believe it greatly increased my knowledge to read and interpret the codes. For me, a discovered good code and style is always an aha experience to treasure and creatively use.
Why do we attend to the things to which we attend? James Ten Broeke
He will come to a halt He will come to think of it if we were to ask someone why he has to attend to things he attends because not all things to which we attend are interesting to us. We do many things in the daily grind that are due to responsibilities, obligations and of no choice. Because it should be and should be done That if we were given a choice, we would choose to do something else.
On the other hand, we attend to the things to which we attend because we believe in the hidden importance of it. We believe in its transcendental value. We believe in passion and love.
Web designing is not as easy and enjoyable as drinking Starbucks coffee especially when you only have notepad and Adobe Photoshop as your tools. I do not even gain something monetary out of it and I yearly pay for my personal domain. Yet web designing hits a flock of birds with one stone because I am simply challenged to look for the right codes. I am greatly interested to learn more. And most importantly I would like to share my views on things that somehow may be able to inspire others to find meaning in their lives. For me, my website is learning, creativity, inspiration, and evangelization all in one tiny spot of the World Wide Web.
rooks driving through at 09:08 - 081609.SUN
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Assignment 4: CULTURAL COMMUNICATION
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My arm got sprained when I was in kindergarten. Our teacher divided the class into two teams boys and girls. The activity was that each team would take turns on being the angels and then the devils. Our team got to be the angels first and as the angels always win no matter what, all boys fell down while we sang a song I could not remember anymore now. When it was the turn of the boys team to play angels trying to scare and defeat us, I suddenly lost my balance and tried to regain it using my arm and then eventually sprained it. And yes, I still cant forget until now the face of my one-big front toothed boy classmate who scared me.
Due to the bad fall, I felt excruciating pain while raising my arm as we tried to do some action song. I approached my teacher and told her that my arm was very painful. I remember I was brought to the teachers office for some first aid. A ruler was placed under my injured arm and was wrapped around by a handkerchief.
I spoke in English as a kid. I know some Cebuano and Tagalog words but mainly conversed in English. And so as my teacher was doing the first aid on my arm, she initiated a conversation maybe to divert my attention from the pain I was feeling and to reassure me that everything would be okay. To her surprise, my answers to her questions were a combination of English, Tagalog and Cebuano words. I might not have recognized the difference of my sentence construction but one thing is sure and that is I was able to communicate.
I was born and raised in a Waray speaking region of the country but my parents are not Waray. They just settled there because of the jobs that they have. Both are Cebuano speaking and since my mothers family spent some time in Manila because of my late grandfathers job, she also fluently speaks Tagalog. On the other hand, I grew up with nursery rhymes and English conversations with my elders grandparents and parents. As I interacted with my classmates, I slowly became a natural with the Waray dialect. And so there goes the history of my unique native tongue.
As I grew up, my exposure to the different dialects was varied. I have learned how to speak each of the dialects flawlessly. And so moving to Manila for college was not really a big speaking dilemma. It just took me two weeks to get the hang and twang of it. A friend once told me that she could not believe I grew up in Leyte because I do not have slightest accent most Visayans have. I felt proud of it. On the other hand, I would always feel sad and uncomfortable when people laugh and make fun of others who speak in Tagalog or English in a Visayan accent. Other dialects in Luzon and Mindanao also have distinct accents but it is always associated with being Bisaya. I always somehow feel discriminated even if I am not the one being laughed at. When I was in college, my aunt once asked me when I went home for the holidays if I am being treated well or equally by my peers. I told her that am doing just fine. She then told me that the reason why she asked me the question was because there is a known trait by others of putting people down especially when they come to know that someone comes from the South. As I reflected later on after that conversation with my aunt, it brought me to the realization that the reason I was not discriminated was mainly because I did not exhibit an unusual accent while conversing in Tagalog. I spoke seamlessly as my friend had commented. I have made of myself as a good medium for communicating. Lucky me
The way we communicate (accent, fluency) creates a lot of confidence. It gives a lot of edge when we are able to communicate with the regions dialect because we protect ourselves from being duped. Dili mo ako mabaligya (You cannot put me up for sale.) is a common phrase said to make aware of the other that he very well knows the dialect so as to sort of notify him not to deceive him. Moreover, knowing the dialect of a certain region is an advantage because the residents of the place greatly appreciate the familiarity and the effort of trying to converse with the regions dialect.
The Philippines is just a dot on the world map and yet we have various dialects in each region. And these dialects contribute a lot to the shaping of a regions distinct culture. Crossing from one island to other brings a different language and culture to experience. Indeed, dialects are the CULTURE. I personally feel at home when I hear the beautiful accent of the dialect I grew up with Cebuano and Waray. Though we live in a very rich country of diverse dialects to be proud of, we still have a common identity being a Filipino. The simple complexity of being a Filipino
rooks driving through at 22:13 - 080809.SAT
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Assignment 3: INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION
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Quotes come from the movie The Bucket List.
"The first time we met, we were not hitting the sweetest notes." Carter Chambers
Two beds to one. Two men on a hospital share the same room. Both guys are rich and at the same time poor. Edward was rich in wealth. Carter was rich in family love. Both were poor in health. They were dying. Their first meeting was not ideal and pleasant.
Unlike most kids today, I could sit on a corner and be quiet without feeling uneasy. Observing how the universe revolves around me. I believe this was the beginning of my being reflective. Making friends was not as easy as ABC, 123, or Do Re Mi. It was awkward. Stressful in a way I was the timid girl. People might have thought that I was weird but I love and enjoyed the personal space.
"Kick the Bucket." Edward Cole
One day, Carter created a list of things he wanted to do before he dies. He called it the bucket list. He meant it to be metaphorical but Edward upon reading it told him to kick the bucket and should start doing it together. Adding of course, a few things on the list for himself. Crazy suggestions at first but turned out to be salvific to him in the end. The list became a gateway to their relational journey. Of finding their own self...
When the feeling of secure warmth gradually kicks the bucket for me and a potential friend, I usually and oftentimes surprise the close friend to be. They usually say that they never thought I could be absurdly funny and loquacious. Well, everyone has their own other side self that can be discovered by another if the person allows them to be a part of that other self. And when that happens, we begin to talk, have fun, and take risks
"This trip was supposed to MEAN something to me? Like it was gonna change ME? This was supposed to be fun. That's all it ever was." Edward Cole
Edward and Carter both had personal issues to deal with and it made them almost ruin their blossoming friendship.
At any given situation whether a friendship started with a bang or a boom, somewhere in the early stage of it arise doubts and uncertainties. No matter how sweet it was in the beginning, we still question if the friendship is for real. We take the risk. We gradually open ourselves to the idea of transforming the present acquaintance to a lasting friendship in the future.
And yet in between the exchange of life, some seemingly perfect relationships come to an end. There might be some respect left but the friendship would never be the same again. I too had my own experiences of being betrayed. Building a billion dollar friendship for nothing...
"Have you found joy in your life? Have your life brought joy to others?" - Carter Chambers
Edward and Carter's friendship might have been shortlived but definitely has outlived their lifetimes. It has brought them back to the realization of what really matters in life. They became an instrument to each other's life.
As days come to pass and I think of that billion dollar friendship I invested in, it gradually brought me to realize that after all, it was not totally nothing because I somehow felt joy in my life during the A-days of the friendship and I believe that I too have brought joy to the other too. The experience itself is a blessing no matter how it turned out to be in the end because it created a better person in me. It improved my relationship with others. It widened my horizon on friendships. It made me realize on the importance of communicating better. And the best of it all is that it brought me closer to my God and to the people who truly loves me.
"Find the joy in your life." Carter Chambers
On top of the bucket list was to witness something majestic. Edward and Carter attempted to experience it when they were alive. Both have hoped to see it on top of a mountain. And yet, it did not come true because of a blizzard. In the end though, both were laid to rest on that same mountain on a tin can. Indeed, witnessing something majestic...
In spite of the inescapable trials of life, we journey together everyday to make the load lighter. We survive life through friendships. We find joy in our life through it. We live with it. It doesnt matter how long the friendship is already existing. What matters is how it is being nurtured to exist. In the end, may we indeed say that our eyes are closed but our hearts are open...
rooks driving through at 21:12 - 080109.SAT
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Assignment 2: INTRAPERSONAL COMMUNICATION
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A downpour of questions enveloped me after I made the decision two years ago. It never ended that I thought I was about to go crazy. It became an internal struggle. It was a struggle that cannot just be answered after a day, a week, a month, or even a year. I needed an answer. An urgent and concrete reply. I was losing hope, passion, love It was pitch black
One day Alice came to a fork in the road and saw a Cheshire cat in a tree. Which road do I take? she asked. Where do you want to go? was his response. I dont know, Alice answered. Then, said the cat, it doesnt matter. Lewis Carroll (1832-1898)
When I heard this inspiring quote from a disc jockey of Lewis Caroll's Alice in Wonderland, it hit me hard so much so that I immediately wrote it down in spite of a very hectic schedule at the office. Not contented with my rusty memory, I googled to find the exact words from the internet.
I was so busy but I immediately came to a halt. In the middle of endless deadlines came a message. And there was silence
I never have been real silent again after I made the decision. I almost never believed in silence again. I was on an internal rebellion. And yet in the seemingly hopeless situation, I gradually made a decision of bringing back the reflective me on the road again. To hope for greater things above. To strive for boundless optimism. And to love that knows no end.
I deeply believe that the answer is everywhere. It might be from a walking stranger, a moving vehicle, a basketball game, a dull moment Who knows? After all, the Lord never fails to deliver His message in a unique way on an unguarded moment.
I am a pilgrim on a journey that does not know where to go like Alice but one thing is certain, that even with infinite doubts that haunt me everyday, I choose to be a believer. Someday the long road ahead will reveal its destination
rooks driving through at 22:42 - 072509.SAT
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Assignment 1: A PERSONAL COMMUNICATION MODEL
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I first heard the word telebabad* when I was in elementary. And though as kids we were not so engaged with long conversations on the telephone, we had slumbooks to fill up. It always became a privilege when somebody asks you to sign her slumbook. One feels deeply important. Penpals from other countries also became popular. It widened our consciousness of the world we live in through the exchange of experiences that came with a flavor of a variety of cultures. During my first year in high school, I remember my classmates bringing walkie talkies to school. They would talk about frequencies and calling on foxtrot. Techie terms I would not understand since I did not own one. Though it was so much of a craze at that time, it did not rouse my interest because I was more inclined to sports plus the fact that they use these walkie talkies for flirting with guys. I felt secure even without the walkie talkie. My table tennis racket was my ultimate gadget. Pagers next became an attraction after the walkie talkie. And in the latter part of my fourth year in high school, cellphones slowly emerged as the new must be gadget to have. Complex forms of communication came into full blast during my college years with the invention of the internet.
Reminiscing those good old days bring a lot of memories of how we communicated. And as I take Communication Theories as a subject in my masteral, the term communication has widely evolved from the mere simple definition of to send a message, to complex theories introduced by famous philosophers like Aristotle, Plato, Socrates, and others.
Today, in my reflection of the external realities, communication indeed creates a trend.
We send and receive messages everyday through an array of channels. From a simple reality of just being there to engaging in a more complex way of communicating through the cellphone or the internet, we communicate. The sender and the receiver with the exchange of messages through any channel of communication together creates a trend in communication . While others become famous because of their great contributions to the development and growth of communication, the recipients also largely contribute to the success of these trends because without them it does not become a trend. Inventors and unknown recipients alike then become part of a very rich history in the world of communications.
When we ask today what the trend is, we surely would get answers all linking on how we communicate. In the Philippines, young people are so engaged with diverse trends cellphones, laptops, ipods, facebook, friendster, myspace, twitter, blogspot, wordpress... And the list goes on. Name it, they know it. Even those living in the slums are not ignorant to these kinds of trends.
We engage to be in. Communication then creates a trend.
*telebabad - a Filipino term which means engaging in long conversations through the use of the telephone.
rooks driving through at 15:06 - 071809.SAT