The week that was...

First off, the Colts are The Champs in the recently-concluded Superbowl 41. Frankly, it wasn't as exciting as I thought it would be, but my second-favorite team in the NFL finally got a much-deserved Vince Lombardi trophy, and so, yey!


I'm back, babeeee....

The biggest deal that happened to me this past week was that I survived my first week at my new job. As I mentioned in my previous post, a radio station recently hired me. It was humbling and flattering to know that I'm still of some value in the radio community, as it was said radio station that came to me for the job and not the other way around.
The radio station is 106.7 Dream-FM.
The first couple of days were a bit nerve-wracking, simply because it has been awhile (almost two years now that I think about it) since I last went on-air, and I was re-learning to work the console, deal with commercials, doing the news and ad libbing, and familiarizing myself with a play list that I wasn't that knowledgeable with. Fortunately, I was quick enough to adapt, more or less (still trying to get used to doing the news though).
Besides the play list, probably my bigger concern was the traffic going to Novaliches. I was worried that the "fastest" travel time that it would take me to work from my place would be an hour and half. But, surprisingly, the longest time it took me to get to the station was about an hour and ten minutes. Usually though, it only takes me about forty-five minutes. So I no longer consider the traffic to be a big problem. Not yet anyway, as I heard from one of the jocks that it does get pretty bad during special occasions (I'm guessing that's something like, say, Christmas). The distance isn't something I'm complaining about (yet?) either, as I'm fortunate to drive a car that is quite fuel-efficient.
The road leading to ABC 5 or Dream, which is Quirino Highway, is awful though. Poor (car) shocks is what I have to say...!
The salary would probably be an issue, but I('ve) never got(ten) into radio for the money (it sounds corny and maybe unbelievable, but it's true) -- it was for the love of it. But, of course, I know that everyone also needs to be practical. Even if I'm single and not supporting anyone, I still need to make a living that would keep me alive (after all, I live on my own). Fortunately, I'm (and have been) blessed to have a lot of gigs to earn extra mula. And even more fortunate that the higher-ups and Program Director of Dream were nice nice enough to give in to my request for a weekend sked that would be beneficial to me (it was one of my concerns before I accepted the job -- I was originally to have an afternoon shift, and that would have ruined my chances of accepting hosting or voice over gigs that I may have or get on a Saturday and/or Sunday, the weekends being the days when most events steadily happen).
The problem I had with ad libbing, or lack thereof, isn't actually as bad as I thought it would be. Even though I sometimes feel that there should be more, and that it's in a style that I'm not accustomed to (it's in a very low-key, meaning I'm almost whispering, and in short bursts), I still get to ad lib the way I('d) want to, and it's not confined to a monotonous or always-the-same-line spiel. So it's not exactly dumbifying (is there even a word like this?) as I had feared it would be.
And besides challenging (as I'm not familiar with a lot of of the songs the station's playing), I do love the play list/format. It's high-end (although, don't get me wrong, I love a cheesy song like the next person).
I volunteered for the graveyard shift, but since Dream isn't on 24-hour broadcast (they say they'll eventually go 24 hours, but I'm kind of doubtful), I was either going to get the 9pm sked, or become pinch-hitter. I chose the latter. So I have what i call an irregular-regular shift -- everyday it's different, but it's the same every week.
So I'm the pinch-hitter -- I fill in on days when a dj takes a day-off, and this is how my weekly sked looks like :

Monday - 12 to 3pm; Tuesday - 9am to 12pm; Wednesday - 9pm to 1am; Thursday - 9am to 12pm; Saturday - 9am to 12pm; Sunday - 6 to 9am. Friday - day off

Over the course of the week, I also discovered a terrific song. After watching the week's episode of Grey's Anatomy, there was this tune that appeared during a scene where Meredith (Grey) breaks down after a DNR (do-not-resuscitate) patient is put to rest. I checked the 'net, but I wasn't sure of the title, so I downloaded all the songs that appeared in said episode. It turned out to be Scratch by Kendall Payne. But, as great as that song was, it wasn't the one I was pertaining to above. It was actually The Simple Things by Jim Brickman, featuring Rebecca Lynn Howard on vocals. It kind of reminds me of Vanessa Carlton's A Thousand Miles, melody-wise. Take a listen to this if you're feeling down-and-out.


The Simple Things

Hey, Time won’t wait,
Life goes by,
Every day’s a brand new sky,
Every tear, comes to dry.

All that really matters,
In this crazy world,
Is you and I together,
Baby just remember.

Chorus 1:
The first leaves off the tree,
The way you look at me,
A thousand chiming church bells ring,
The simple things are free
The sun, the moon, the stars,
The beating of two hearts,
How I love the simple things,
The simple things just are.

So here we go,
Let’s just dance,
Teach my soul to take this chance,
Put my heart, in your hands.

Out of all the moments that,
We leave behind,
Turn around and tell me,
Baby we’ll remember.

Chorus 2:
The thunder and the rain,
The way you say my name,
After all the clouds go by,
The simple things remain,
The sun, the moon, the stars,
The beating of two hearts,
How I love the way the simple things,
The simple things just are

Chorus 3:
The ocean and the sky,
The way we feel tonight,
I know that it's the love,
That brings the simple things to life,
The sun, the moon, the stars,
The beating of two hearts,
I love the way the simple things,
The simple things just are.

I love the way the simple things,
The simple things just are.
Simple things just are.
Simple things just are.


I also found out that we play the song on Dream.

'Nuff said.

Let Me Entertain You

It all started with me simply wanting to do something one summer back when I was 14. Makati Cinema Square had a dj's booth where someone played music that was piped-in throughout the mall, and it also served as a place for paging people. I had a classmate who knew someone who worked at said dj's booth in MCS. So I asked him if I could get a job there. It didn't pay much, but at least it served to keep me amused. Who would have thought that "playing dj" would become more than a hobby? As corny as it may sound, I discovered that it was such a joy getting to entertain people (playing their requests, greeting them -- people from the shops inside the mall would often call me to ask for a song, greet them...). I found myself buying records with my own money for the purpose of keeping my playlist up-to-date or fresh, to keep my listeners happy (to play them a song or two that I may not have had when they called, etc).
Fast forward a few years later... I got my first job being an actual (radio) dj, for Magic 89.9. I believe I spent six years working for that radio station. After that, it was at 103.5 K-Lite that I spent another ten years in radioland. Along with the good, came the bad (and very bad). And things got so bad, particularly/especially during my last few years with the latter station that it finally came to the point where I woke up to the truth. I was an idealist -- I was naive to think that I'd be growing old with just the one radio station (which I thought was going to be Magic), that loyalty would count for something (and I was loyal like you wouldn't believe). Unfortunately, the network that owned both stations didn't share that way of thinking. So, even though I loved radio and loved what I did for a living, there was only so much I can do and so far I can go -- I was very unhappy, and so the inevitable happened : in April of 2005, I resigned.
After a little time off, I decided to try again. I applied at a few other radio stations. Unfortunately, it was slim pickings. There aren't many decent radio stations in this country, particularly those that value talent and a dj who actually loves (all or most forms of) music. Now I'm not saying that I'm very talented and/or the best dj there is, but radio has drastically changed. These days, radio stations overlook the important qualities of what makes a dj and hire on-air "talents" because they're either a model, a (wannabe-)celebrity, and because they're some Fil-Am, etc, people who have no place in radio. Unless they're radio savvy, which most of them aren't.
I honestly was beginning to think that there would no longer be a place for me in radio. That was until a dubber (voice actor) I knew (who apparently worked for a radio station) told me that she spoke to her boss about me, and that they were interested to hire me. I couldn't believe it and jumped at the chance to go to the station when I was told that the station manager wanted to talk to me. The interview went well, but after not hearing from them for several months, I thought that it was just my imagination. Then came the call several days ago. I was informed that they were hiring me!
Truth be told, the radio station that I'm now going to be working for is not exactly my first choice, and if there was some place I could go, I probably would. First of all, it's not a radio station that fosters adlibbing (their jocks usually only talk, and in short bursts, once an hour and when there's a tag or aob to announce and when there's a news report to be done). I'm afraid that I'm going to get, uh, stupefied since I won't get to hone my ad libbing skills, and inadvertently become a glorified spinner. It's also not really a "happening" radio station - meaning, they don't have many events - so there's the fear of monotony (not that I crave for wild parties every night -- I just want to be able to get the chance to host events... then again, I do have many other hosting gigs outside of the station that will be enough to keep me busy and occupied, so I really shouldn't complain). The travel time will also prove to be a bit of a challenge as the station is located in Novaliches, which will take me about an hour and a half or two from where I live.
But there a few good things about this radio station. The most important one being that the boss(es) and people there seem to be good and nice people, and that's always a good thing in my book. The format isn't exactly one that I'm familiar with, as they play a lot of jazz (nothing so deep, but jazz, though I appreciate it, is something I'm not very knowledgeable with) - as well as other light stuff (they play a little bit of everything -- r n' b, pop, bossa nova, Motown, etc, nothing heavy) - and I see this as a challenge, something to widen my taste, love and knowledge for music even more.
I actually thought that I wouldn't be working for them because of the schedule that they were offering me. I volunteered for the graveyard shift -- I wanted a shift that would leave me free and clear to accept work (hostings, voice overs and dubbings) outside of the station. They were supposed to go on 24-hour broadcast, but it hasn't happened (yet). So I was left with the choice of either the 9pm to 1am shift, or to be the Pinch-Hitter. The latter was more favorable for me. But I still had a problem with the weekend sked. Fortunately, they were nice enough to give me the weekend schedule that I wanted. So now, I'm ready and raring to go on-board. Sort of. I was originally slated to go on on Monday, but they asked me to come in a day early instead. So I've been nervously typing away the past couple of hours, watching tv, to distract me, as I'll be getting ready to go to work in a few minutes (after I'm done posting this, I'm off to Novaliches). Don't get me wrong, I'm excited, but I'm also nervous as hell, and kept looking at my clock, wishing that the time would slow down. Hehe. But the inevitable is here. Which means it's time for me to end this missive. Gulp.

'Nuff said.