My Media Autobiography
By Marian Denise Glipo Basallote, First Place, Journalism and Print Media My Media Autobiography Essay Writing Contest

I HAVE ALWAYS wanted stories to have happy endings. I have always dreamed of having my own story end the way I want it to, or better yet, the way fairy tales do.

My fairy tale started on February 4, 1993. Fortunately, I do not have a life like Cinderella’s for I belong to a happy and complete family, and I have never been maltreated in any way by my parents. Unlike her, I do not need a fairy godmother for the pursuit of my ambitious wishes. My strong faith in God is more than enough to help me make it through and succeed.
During my younger years, I was so captivated by the strange magic of fairy tales. I read fairy tales most of the time because of their exciting plots and attractive illustrations, along with the usual children’s books. I also loved watching cartoons in the Cartoon Network Channel. I enjoyed watching Tom and Jerry even if I never heard the main characters utter any word. I was amused by the ways Tom would hunt for Jerry and chase him all over the place, although he never succeeded in capturing the smart mouse. I also loved singing along with the melodious opening songs of Little Lulu, the Flintstones, and the Powerpuff Girls. The victorious moments of Bubbles, Blossom, and Buttercup over villains, such as Mojo Jojo, who had tried to destroy Townsviille, never failed to amaze me.
However, as I grew up, my fondness to cartoon eventually vanished. On the other hand, my love for reading deepened, became stronger, and gradually developed into a passion. During my elementary years, I usually visited the San Beda College Alabang library to borrow pocketbooks, such as Nancy Drew and Sweet Valley High or sometimes, informational books. In our reading class, we were well-provided with SRA (Supplementary Reading Activities) materials that, I believe, greatly contributed to the enhancement of my reading skills and abilities.

The television, aside from books, served as my companion during those times when boredom had filled the entire atmosphere at home. However, I followed stringent house rules that I had only limited time for watching.

After I had gotten over cartoons, I began watching educational shows on ABS-CBN, such as Sineskuwela, Math tinik, Hiraya Manawari. With some touch of magic and fantasy, I was also fascinated with Wansapanataym.

With a passing of time, my understanding deepened as my exposure to various television shows widened. I began watching Marimar, Rosalinda, Mara Clara, Mula sa Puso, and Sa Dulo ng Walang Hanggan; all of which revolved around complicated plots. Funny as it may seem, I also became an avid fan of wrestling. Together with my younger bother, I was amazed by how wrestlers did all those risky stunts and moves. However, little by little, my interest in wrestling drifted away.

Nowadays, I see the television as a real friend, especially when I want to release all the stress and the pressure from school works. During my free time, especially during weekends, I get the chance to watch my favorite shows such as MIT 20 on MYX, the Playlist on MTV, American Idol on Star World, and America’s Next Top Model on ETC. I am also engaged with reality shows like The Singing Bee and Pinoy Dream Academy. I have also been addicted to Korean telenovelas such as My Girl, Princess Hours, and It Started With a Kiss.

With the influence of my elder sister, the music scene walked into and took over my life. I learned to love and to appreciate the songs of M2M, Celine Dion, Shania Twain, Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys, and Christina Aguilera. As a grown up now, I still keep my passion for music burning. I still spend time listening to the music of Rihanna, Leona Lewis, Colbie Caillat, Mariah Carey, among others.

My weekends are never complete unless I see my father reading newspaper. He loves reading the Philippine Daily Inquirer, and I wonder what makes him do so. Apparently, I do not pay much attention to news, but sometimes I am compelled to. At around 7 o’clock in the evening, we are obliged to tune in to ABS-CBN’s TV Patrol World. Whenever my father brings me to and from the school, I cannot help but listen to the news for the radio in our car is constantly tuned in to dzMM. He really wants to keep himself updated with the happenings in the society every now and then.

I was never really fond of magazines, unlike other teens who go crazy on Meg, Chalk, Candy, and Seventeen. But when I was introduced to the Reader’s Digest, I suddenly had a change of heart and enjoyed reading it because it is really informative and entertaining. I just love its mind puzzling games and funny but inspirational stories.

Watching movies in cinemas is one of our family’s bonding moments, especially during special occasions. The last movie we saw in theater was Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. I found it thrilling and out of the ordinary. Meanwhile, although 13 Going on 30 seemed unrealistic, its love story totally inspired me. But, The Notebook had the greatest impact on me. Showing the power and greatness of love in doing miracles, I was left teary eyed after watching.

Almost everyday, I am able to surf the net. With tons of assignments given to us, access to the Internet is really an advantage. I can research the information I am looking for in an instant. I can converse and coordinate with my classmates in case of group works through Yahoo! Messenger. I also have my own account in Blogspot that serves as the outlet of my suppressed ideas and emotions. Whenever doubts and frustrations bother my mind and I feel like crying out, I resort to blog posting and write down anything I need to say.

I am proud to say that my parents have never deprived me of the privileges anyone could enjoy from mass media. They have always supported me in all my endeavors and even encouraged me to maximize my potential through the aid of mass media. They have always wanted me to gain life-changing experiences from it for their only desire is to give my life a happy ending, just like in fairy tales.