The [ORGCOM] Practice

I'm not really the biggest fan of sitcoms. I barely watch TV recently. Sadly, even the news. The only times I do get to watch TV is when the kasambahays watch the Prime time shows, which I don't enjoy watching. Could have left, right? But the thing is, I'm stuck typing on the computer and the TV they use is but 6 feet away. Even with my earphones on, and the music on loudly into my ear, I hear the TV and their reactions to the slaps and gunshots.

No, this entry would not focus on these shows that I somehow learned to appreciate along with ridicule [sometimes]. But it is not the story line I focus on or who killed the bida. I am more focused on the reactions of the people who do watch them. How do these shows get talked about so much with fans arguing with another group of fans of a different actor or even a different network?

It's amazing how they share the stories behind these sitcoms as if they experienced it in their own lives. The drama, often melodramatic and overrated, never failed to grasp the attention of different generations. When they cry, the audience cry. When they feel anger, the audience is likewise angry.

It is amazing how these feelings are strongly related to them. It was often simple to predict what the actors would say. It was easy to point who the kontrabida was. But it never quite fails to surprise the viewers. Otherwise, you might hear them wholeheartedly saying, "Sabi na siya un, eh. Diba nung isang araw...?" And the story would be retold.

How is this related to ORGCOM? Well, as a student and part time practitioner of the said expertise, it is important to establish a certain relationship. That relationship would be the ultimate channel to get a message sent, misinterpretations aside, to the right receiver. It allows to make the message and the messenger most credible. It also paves the way for growth.

These shows relayed and tugged at the sentimental nature of every Filipino, even those who are hesitant toward local drama like myself. It made a sort of relationship that somehow assures the idea of entertainment truly entertaining.

Practicing ORGCOM aimed to teach us that. A relationship is a bond. We care.

But as an ORGCOM student, I also know their purpose. I see what they are trying to do, at least that is how interpretations and meanings lead me to believe. So the relationship these shows share with me are different with that of those who are die-hard fans. But there is a relationship, nonetheless, and I realized that they were quite successful in that manner.

As an ORGCOM student, I hope to be as influential--not as a person. No, I do not wish to become an icon in showbiz. But in what I can and will do. As we have been told in our classes as well, the point of being in ORGCOM is to be able to influence the different opinions of people and steer them towards more productive thinking. The end goal is ideally called efficiency.

Venturing into ORGCOM is perhaps the best choice for me. I might not excel in all areas of the program, but I know I shine somewhere. With that, I find it really important and practical to complete the degree and achieve my diploma finally. Not just because I want to graduate with a rather unique course or to flaunt a green banner. Instead, I want to continue what the course began in me: A drive to influence for the better. And to practice.

The ORGCOM practice cannot be fully described. Instead, it is to be experienced. Sounds like a Way of Life, right? But somehow, in my life, it is.

Endings Lead to Beginnings

As cliche as it may sound, it is true that endings will eventually lead to new beginnings. A mellow song, a good novel, a long blog post, and even the movie of the year. Endings are everywhere and not just in any form of entertainment. There is also an end to fear, to pain, and to silence.

More than four years ago, I was admitted into the University under the program Organizational Communication. When the results of the exams came out, congratulations can be heard from every turn for a good week. I did not know that accomplishing a simple entrance exam would have rendered such reaction from these people. But I bloomed as well. My ego shoot straight to the roof.

Unfortunately, when the real hard work became an evident daily practice I realized that my ego might have shot straight up, but it got stuck on the roof. I did not know what Orgcom was. When I applied to the University, my first choice was Communication Arts like every body else in my class shared.

Little did I know what kind of transformation I have put myself into. It redefined a lot of words for me, like sleep, social life, time management, logos, photos, videos...

The redefinition brought me around in so much circles that one time I just had to stop and ask myself: is this what I really want?

With one more major subject and thesis completion hindering me from finally holding the title Graduate, I would say that I do want this. The communication field might not have been my first choice, at least not this angle of communication. But as I practice it in the "real world" just before I finish my degree, I got a clearer picture.

Being stuck on the roof was not the best ordeal, but it marked a new beginning--without even knowing it was some kind of an end. But here I am now, with sleep-deprived eye bags and stress-induced hair fall. Despite all that along with the sweat and tears, I love the challenge and the award after.