Candid Camera part deux

Turns out, there are other candid photos from Keith's wedding in Boracay.

Here's a photo of when the newlyweds were dancing on the beach with the sunset as a backdrop. We were given sparklers to illuminate the event.

It was one of those moments that we didn't know that the photographer was taking photos of us. On hindsight, the photographer was good because I don't even remember seeing him around that area.

Candid is cool!

Working Student

In my decades in the advertising industry and the academe, I've experienced many cross overs. Simply put, I've had a lot of former students who have become work mates.

Some of my them have been colleagues in the same agency, suppliers for productions, even clients.

And here's a new addition to the list.

Last month, I had the cool experience to work with Jem as a commercial model for one of our recently launched materials.

Jem was my advertising students, and I remember her as one of the strategic and creative thinkers of her batch. Back then, I knew she'd end up in advertising. And she did, but instead of behind the scenes, she's right in front of the camera as one of the familiar faces in commercials.

Times like these make me so happy to be in the advertising profession.

Candid Camera

No, this isn’t about the iconic 70s show. But admittedly, i’m a huge fan of that.

This is about the fact that candid photos look way, way better and more authentic and heartfelt than staged ones. It’s something I’ve always believed in, and seeing this photo that was shared to me by Keith made me believe in it even more.

If a picture paints a thousand words, a candid photo paints hundreds of thousands. Or maybe more!

FMM: At last!

It was in 2019 when Keith told me about her wedding in the Philippines. They were planning to have a beach wedding in Bohol, and she invited me to attend. Immediately, I said yes.

The wedding was supposed to be in March 2020. Prichy and I were all set to go, even planning to be there a few days earlier. But of course, we know what happened on the 15th of March, 2020. Needless to say, the wedding didn't push through.

Fast forward 3 years later. It's March 2023, and Keith's wedding finally pushed through in Boracay! Still a beach, still has the same carefree and tropical vibe, still the same first letter of the island, still the same wonderful couple.

In celebration of this wonderful wedding, today's Friday Magic Madness is Etta James' 1960s classic, "At last."

At last! Keith and Kirby are married. Congratulations to the wonderful couple.

Abi there

For a teacher, one of the greatest joys is seeing your student thrive and succeed in the professional world.

That's exactly how I felt after having dinner with one of my former students, all the way in Seoul!

Abi was one of my Advertising students in SSC. After graduation, she pursued a career in Advertising Media, working for A-list media companies like Starcomm.

Eventually, she spread her wings further and took on an overseas posting in BKK. There, she continued to impress her bosses until they offered her another posting in Seoul.  Knowing she was there, meeting up with her was one of the items on my agenda for this trip. 

Listening to her story reminded me so much of myself during my younger days. (Albeit I was older than her when the expat life beckoned.) This made for great conversation while waiting for our Chicken Galbi to cook.

Knowing her as a student and hearing how she is now, I'm sure this is just the start of a very successful career in Advertising for her. Whether it's here or there or anywhere.

Zoomin' back

After almost a year, Becky convinced me (very easily) to go back to teaching. 

But of course, the "new normal" mode of teaching is on Zoom!

I missed teaching. And while I miss teaching face-to-face in a classroom more, this is one step to doing that.

Let's zoom into the semester!

Wonder Women

Today is International Women’s Day! And of course, Google is celebrating this big day.

I’m fortunate enough to be raised by and around strong, accomplished and compassionate women.

From our Grandmothers, Lola Dita who handled the hectic life of being a General’s wife with such grace, to Lola Pining who was both a Mayor and Vice-Mayor and handled her posts with a combination of authority and maternal instincts.

To my Mom who raised 5 children with her strength of character and abundance of love. She showered us with motherly care and imbibed in us strong core values. A combination that raised 5 level-headed and value-laden adults. To my 2 sisters who are both pillars of strength of their families. And of our family. Giving themselves whole-heartedly and unselfishly, and raising their boys with a great respect for women. To my sisters-in-law who are able to handle being executives and mothers with equal excellence.

To my college friends: women who are wonderful mothers, accomplished Lawyers, Corporate Executives, Educators, Business Women, among many others. To the women of St. Scholastica’s College where I am fortunate enough to teach - administrators, Sisters, fellow faculty members who have a strong sense of leadership, mentorship, and continue to blaze the trail for our students. The same students who are now women leaders in various fields.

To the women in advertising who I work and worked with, as colleagues, former bosses and creative collaborators. They helped me better understand women with their insights, stories and friendship, This enabled me to be a creative guy who’s able to handle women’s brands for more than 2 decades and counting.

To all these women, you have my utmost respect, my unfathomable admiration and my profound gratitude.

Happy International Women’s Day!

Sisters and Students

Since we're on the subject of students, there's always an amazing feeling when you get to meet and teach siblings from different years. And in my career as a teacher, I've had several instances when I had this honor and privilege.

Yesterday, I had the honor and privilege of running into 2 of my students - sisters - who I taught 13 years apart.

Nell was my student and thesis advisee in 2001. I remember traveling all the way to Vigan with them to supervise their thesis on "Tahanang Walang Hagdan." Since she graduated 17 years ago, I haven't seen her. Until today.

And I saw her with Marla, her sister, who was under the Advertising program which I coordinated.

Being with both of them in one photo is inexplicably cool!

From beside Orlando Suites to Orlando, Florida

Any teacher will attest, it's a genuinely gratifying feeling whenever we see students blazing a trail and making a difference in the world. It's a feeling that grows exponentially when you see a student doing it internationally.

Keith first became my student when she was in 2nd year. It was such a joy to handle their batch because they were filled with the best and brightest Mass Comm students.

I particularly remember Keith because she was a very insightful and creative student. And in advertising, these 2 qualities are important - knowing how to mine and understand insights, and translating it into creative work.

Aside from that, she was smart, kind-hearted, and from Bicol! Now that's a winning combination.

Before the 2018 ended, I had the wonderful opportunity to have lunch with Keith. In Orlando! Yup, after many years and thousands of miles, I had the opportunity to connect with her, and meet her husband.

Just like when she was a student, Keith remains that insightful, creative, smart and kind-hearted young lady from section 202A of SSC. And it's gratifying to know that she's using these qualities as she blazes a trail in digital marketing in Miami.

So, from the school beside Orlando Suites to Boi Brazil in Orlando, Florida, we've definitely come a long way.

And I'm sure this is just the beginning of an even longer, more fruitful career for Keith in the near future.

Goodbye, Joe.

It broke my heart when the news reached us last Wednesday.

And it breaks my heart even more seeing this posted in school today.

Chelsea was one of my students in AVP. As a student, she was very intelligent, creative and full of ideas. She was always a bubbly presence in my class, and her output reflected that.

Another facet of Chelsea that I remember was her voice. She had this beautiful and soothing vocal quality that we'd hear whenever she'd do the VO of her productions. In fact, I told her that she should audition as a professional voice talent because she's a shoo-in.

Last time I spoke to her was during her batch's Baccalaureate Mass. And as fate would have it, that would be the last time.

Vaya con Dios, Chelsea. May you find the happiness and peace that this world wasn't able to give you.

Leaving a hole

Imagine my shock when I found out that today was the last day of my senior classes!

I'm not ready yet!

But it's still going to happen, ready or not. So, embrace it and make the most of it.

So what did we do? We headed to Hole in the Wall in Century City for one last get together with my Journalism class.

Great food and even greater company - that's the perfect way to end the semester.

Sitting on the other side

After giving lectures on a weekly basis for the past decade, I must say it feels refreshing to be on the other side for a change.

Star student

It's always gratifying for teachers to see their students make a mark in the world.

That's why I was very, very, very happy to see one of my students on TV today. Krista was my student since she was in her 2nd year, and it was easy to see that she was going to accomplish great things. I still remember her first group report, as well as her mid-term exams, and I remembered them because I was impressed by her thought process and quality of work.

Now, she's on TV, talking about thanking teachers on National Teacher's Day. How awesome is that?

Student sightings

For a teacher, there's a great feeling of joy whenever you run into a former student. And the joy grows exponentially when you see the student succeeding in her chosen field.

That's why I was overjoyed when I bumped into Meg in GMA last week. She's doing well for herself as a copywriter in GMA's Creative Services Department. And I'm sure she has a bright future ahead of her in this field.

Taking the cake

Knowing that my students are learning and progressing is enough reward for teaching.

So a treat such as this gift from my Copywriting class just makes it a bit sweeter. Literally.

As we were wrapping up yesterday's lesson, they came up to me and gave me this cake in a bottle. It was Oreo Cheesecake, which is one of my favorites! And it came with this uber sweet note.

I really have the best - and sweetest - students.

To teach his own

I've said this countless of times, and I won't tire of saying it again, teaching is its own reward.

No matter how hectic and tiring it is, seeing my students learn and grow makes all the hardwork worth it. And when I read notes from former students - like the one above - it makes it worth 100x more.

Happy Teacher's Day to all the hardworking teachers out there.

Rewarding

Teaching is a rewarding experience in itself. But it gets even more rewarding with little things such as this:

My Journalism students gave this to me when we were in Singapore. They handed it to me at the end of  our Universal Studios trip, and I actually saw them checking out this Oscar trophy while we were going around.

I'm so glad I came back to teaching.

The lost voice

And just like that, the 2nd semester has wrapped up for my seniors.

Yesterday was the last lecture day for my CDA and FeaTech classes, and I was talking continuously - packing as much learnings and reminders as I could into the 3 hour lecture time. But I think I was talking too vigorously that by the time my second class ended, my voice was already breaking. And by my 3rd class, my voice was hoarse.

Despite that, the teacher in me prevailed and the lecture went on.

Speedy Singapore

Our first day in SG was just like a Grand Prix. We spent the day zipping and zooming all over the city and was able to cover a lot of ground for the first few hours. So far we were able to:

- Savor local food at KopiTiam
- Check out Bugis
- Look around Haji Street in Arab Lane
- Visit the Merlion park and Esplanade
- Eat dinner at Lau Pa Sat

Whew! That's 5 touristy things in a matter of hours.

This is going to be a very exhausting weekend.

How to terrain your students

When I asked my class what they wanted to do in Bicol, they all shouted:

ADVENTURE!!!

So, I took them to Daraga to ride the ATV around the Cagsawa trails.

With all the rocks, streams and sand we went through, we definitely had the adventure they were asking for.