The YES! team, circa... I dunno. I forgot to get a digital copy of the last staff picture. Gab, do you still have it? :) (L-R) Mommy Analyn, flamboyant Gab, lovable Candice, handsome Anna, the venerable Pete, short-haired me, the hot Nat, stylish Melissa, and the cute as a button Glaiza.
I only got the opportunity to send my application to the magazine when I was suspended from work, a few days after Christmas in 2003. I got a three-day suspension for being late 11 times in a single month. While my then editor seethed at my display of irresponsibility, I was happy to be stuck at home, surfing the Net. Those were Facebook-less days, so if you’re bored, like I was, you’ll end up logging on to Jobstreet. I didn’t know what hit me, but I suddenly thought of sending a resume to YES! One month later, I was in. Thus began the four years that defined me, as much as my years in UP did.
I quickly learned that YES! is not a place for the mediocre or the onion-skinned, both of which I am. All egos are left at the door. You can pick it up before you leave—if you ever get to leave at all. There was a time when we worked a total of 24 hours in Galleria. When we left at 7 AM, we were too tired and too bleary-eyed to remember to pick up what was left of our egos.
But I owe a lot to YES! It taught me to think on my feet. And if UP taught me how to stand up for myself, I learned from YES! that you also have to choose your battles wisely. Pete Lacaba taught me that the phrase “brief fling” is redundant, that there’s no such word as “furnitures,” and that word “bumubulusok” means a fast, downward movement. Anna Pingol taught me, through example, that a good relationship with your subjects will help you get that interview. Nat Clave taught me how to discern what makes a good and bad photo. Joan Ariete introduced me to Haruki Murakami and taught me to never lose faith in myself. Divine Mesina taught me that opportunities are fleeting, and that you have to grab it as soon as you see it. Judy Dimayuga-Magdame told me not to get married—an advice I have no problem following. Candice Lim taught me that I should be comfortable in my own skin—which I took too much to heart. Glaiza Seguia, my office panda, taught me what the word “momol” means and that it’s cool to be kind. Analyn Alcala never failed to encourage me to go for the guy I like, even if it’s wrong in so many levels. Roan Pena was my walking, talking boutique shop. Gabby Villegas taught me to... um, never mind. Melissa de Quiros gave me fashion advice. Jo-Ann Maglipon taught me that there’s no greater job in the world than to write and get paid for it.
Batanes team-building, year... I forgot. What is obvious was this was taken during my rebonded hair days. I have now accepted the fact that I will always be curly, no matter what I do. (L-R) Fatima Parel, Diwa Gacosta, the now New York-based Joan Ariete, me, and Anna. That's Nat comfortably lying on Batanes ground.
When I left YES! after 4 years, I took on a well-paying government job. It wasn’t what I expected. After years of being creative, of being encouraged to think, act, and write well, it left me feeling unfulfilled and unchallenged. It made me realize I wasn't made for the corporate world. I realized how I much I missed writing, and how much I miss being a reporter.And that's what I plan to do after I'm done with school.
Let me get this straight: I no longer plan to return to YES! I leave that to the next generation of reporters. But in spite of how hard it was, I’m glad I worked there. I met and worked with some of the most brilliant people. And I know I will not be going to NTU if not for my experience in YES! For that, I am eternally grateful.
Judy Magdame, pixie-haired me, Nat, Jo-Ann, Pete Lacaba, Fatima, and Divine Mesina. Seated: Anna.
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