objective achieved

It's not often that I get to write about overwhelming success in this blog, so this is a very special occasion. Hahahaha.

I got the story at the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) this morning. Talk about good timing; the story was quite literally handed to me as I arrived at the DENR building.

There were protesters right in front of the building. According to one of my Journ 102 classmates, they had just started their program a few minutes before I arrived. The protesters were farmers from Bukidnon who were rallying against an allegedly illegal memorandum of agreement (MOA) between the DENR and a development company.

It was a very exciting experience. All my fears were allayed. There was the story right in front of me. There were multiple sources right in front of me. I was not alone.

We got over five pages worth of interviews from three different sources over the next hour or so, plus a copy of the MOA in question. About the only thing we didn't get was a statement from a DENR representative. However, with three days before the deadline we have more than enough time to get the other side of the story.

Whew. I love this job!

Haaay... It's been a very exciting day. Tiring, yes, but exciting. Exhilirating, even. And all that happened within the space of just two hours. Hahahaha.

Of course I still have to put the story in writing. I still have to verify much of the information I got this morning. I have to read that very long MOA. I have to go back for the DENR's side of the story. Hahaha.

One little baby step at a time.

I've accomplished my first objective for the week. Hmmm... Maybe I should try to think of everything I do as part of one of my computer games. Hahahaha. Now that would be one hell of a good motivational strategy - for me, at least.

Yes, I am grade-conscious. Maybe a bit too much. Ever since I got that tiny hope of graduating cum laude I have become more obsessed with seeing a "1" on everything that I do at school. Hahahaha.

So far, I've been doing quite well this semester. I just have to continue getting high grades. Grabe ang G.C. ko na talaga!

Anyway, I still have a long way to go before you see "mission accomplished" as the title of one of my blog posts. I have to work on the story itself. I still have a feature story to write. I still have that exam to pass on Thursday. I still have the International Year of Astronomy to worry about.

But at least I'm moving forward.

***
A special thank you goes out to my classmate, Ryan, for getting most of the interviews, and to Erika for the pictures.