Of course you know what Wikipedia is. If you don't, stop being a loser and visit here.
According to Time, Wikipedia has more than a million articles, nearly 10 times as many as Encyclopedia Britannica. That makes it the largest encyclopedia. Ever. Not only that, it has like the best and most complete entries. Ever.
Wow, right?
That is because it's made not just by one man, but by EVERYONE. If there is one concrete, present-day evidence of global bayanihan, it is Wikipedia. The words "Edit this page" were a big risk. Bad guys could vandalize and put big curses on its pages. It happens sometimes, but because of its millions of contributors, vandals are immediately cleaned out.
Jimmy Wales is the genius behind it. At first, he thought he couldn't match Britannica 'cause he only had 12 commissioned articles in two years. At this rate, it would take several millenia to equal Britannica, said Time. But he didn't give up. And look at what happened, a proof that egalitarianism can do wonders.
Now, imagine life without Wikipedia. I can't. Without it, there can never be an ultimate web-surfing experience.
Thank you, Wikipedia. I love you!
Sunday, June 25, 2006
Sunday, June 18, 2006
The Right Thing about Writing
What keeps me from writing is insecurity. It's easy to write, but not easy to write well.
Some people think they can write just because they can fill up a page with ease and speed, but writing is not that. "You write with ease, to show your breeding,
But easy writing's vile hard reading," said Richard Brinsley Sheridan, an Irish playwright.
Many are also fond of writing with big words that only they can understand without consulting Mr. Webster, but writing is not that. Ernest Hemingway, a writer known for his simplicity, once said "There are older and simpler and better words, and those are the ones I use."
I don't know when I can consider myself a writer. Is it when I'm already making a living out of it? Or when I'm published? Or when I get a flat 1 grade for a school paper? I want to be called a writer not when I'm all of the above, but when I'm already making a good impact on someone's life through my works. It doesn't necessarily have to be literature, a creative prose, or a newspaper article. It can only be a piece of note I left someplace that changed a reader's way of thinking for the better.
Why I am so insecure, I don't know why. There's one book I've read that says writer's block is caused by the Censor, an inner being that tells you you're writing crap, your punctuations are a mess, or your verb's confusing. I know I have to fight the Censor in me and believe in my own pen but it's not as easy as you think. I know I can write better than some and that's the main reason why I took journalism, but things and persons and situations do not allow me to believe that I write well. Some people I've met the past year helped me cope but so far, it has not been enough.
These past days, I've been telling God that I'm offering up my studies, and he responded by giving me a sense of pride and contentment that I'm a journalism student. I think He just told me that I'm on the right track, even when 42 journalists have already gotten killed under Arroyo's administration.
Some people think they can write just because they can fill up a page with ease and speed, but writing is not that. "You write with ease, to show your breeding,
But easy writing's vile hard reading," said Richard Brinsley Sheridan, an Irish playwright.
Many are also fond of writing with big words that only they can understand without consulting Mr. Webster, but writing is not that. Ernest Hemingway, a writer known for his simplicity, once said "There are older and simpler and better words, and those are the ones I use."
I don't know when I can consider myself a writer. Is it when I'm already making a living out of it? Or when I'm published? Or when I get a flat 1 grade for a school paper? I want to be called a writer not when I'm all of the above, but when I'm already making a good impact on someone's life through my works. It doesn't necessarily have to be literature, a creative prose, or a newspaper article. It can only be a piece of note I left someplace that changed a reader's way of thinking for the better.
Why I am so insecure, I don't know why. There's one book I've read that says writer's block is caused by the Censor, an inner being that tells you you're writing crap, your punctuations are a mess, or your verb's confusing. I know I have to fight the Censor in me and believe in my own pen but it's not as easy as you think. I know I can write better than some and that's the main reason why I took journalism, but things and persons and situations do not allow me to believe that I write well. Some people I've met the past year helped me cope but so far, it has not been enough.
These past days, I've been telling God that I'm offering up my studies, and he responded by giving me a sense of pride and contentment that I'm a journalism student. I think He just told me that I'm on the right track, even when 42 journalists have already gotten killed under Arroyo's administration.
Saturday, June 10, 2006
Pressured
When you're in this country, there's always this pressure to go to another country and live a new life away from the crap politics, perpetual traffic jams, and overrated showbiz stars. Most people want to stay there for good, except those who are enjoying la dolce vita by capitalizing from big-profit businesses.
I'm not one of those who pretend (and think) they're New York City elite when the reality is that they're also Filipinos of flesh and blood. I'm a journalism student, and when I pursue my college track in this country, there's a large possibility that I'm not going to earn big enough to live a posh life. So what? I don't care.
Living and working overseas is the most sought-after redemption from this seemingly hopeless country. I understand the reason of most of my countrymen. There are more opportunities there; even abroad-based blue-collar jobs are paid as much as professional jobs here. It's colder there, without the scorching sun that really burns when it shines. The government takes relatively good care of its citizens. People who are under pension are given their support on time, without much hassle. There's also no huge discrepancies between social classes. Well, of course I'm generalizing, but I can't blame those who go abroad. Who doesn't want a better life anyway? I'm sure I do.
My parents' dreams for me include my being successful abroad, while earning more than enough to live a comfortable life and feeding my family beyond three times a day. But this is my thing: Permanently working for foreigners rather than my own race and nationality is a last resort. Of course I see myself working abroad. It's all bright and colorful and promising, but I know I'm needed here more than anywhere else. I'm a journalism student, trained to advocate and practice media freedom and responsibility as great service to my countrymen, and I wouldn't choose pursuing that career track abroad when it's more needed here. I can reach out to those who need a hand easily 'cause they're just outside my door. I want to be here when the new generation takes over and brings prosperity. I want to be a part of it more than to have all the wealth in the world.
Ah, idealism. It's not always good. You can't blame me though.
I'm not one of those who pretend (and think) they're New York City elite when the reality is that they're also Filipinos of flesh and blood. I'm a journalism student, and when I pursue my college track in this country, there's a large possibility that I'm not going to earn big enough to live a posh life. So what? I don't care.
Living and working overseas is the most sought-after redemption from this seemingly hopeless country. I understand the reason of most of my countrymen. There are more opportunities there; even abroad-based blue-collar jobs are paid as much as professional jobs here. It's colder there, without the scorching sun that really burns when it shines. The government takes relatively good care of its citizens. People who are under pension are given their support on time, without much hassle. There's also no huge discrepancies between social classes. Well, of course I'm generalizing, but I can't blame those who go abroad. Who doesn't want a better life anyway? I'm sure I do.
My parents' dreams for me include my being successful abroad, while earning more than enough to live a comfortable life and feeding my family beyond three times a day. But this is my thing: Permanently working for foreigners rather than my own race and nationality is a last resort. Of course I see myself working abroad. It's all bright and colorful and promising, but I know I'm needed here more than anywhere else. I'm a journalism student, trained to advocate and practice media freedom and responsibility as great service to my countrymen, and I wouldn't choose pursuing that career track abroad when it's more needed here. I can reach out to those who need a hand easily 'cause they're just outside my door. I want to be here when the new generation takes over and brings prosperity. I want to be a part of it more than to have all the wealth in the world.
Ah, idealism. It's not always good. You can't blame me though.
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