Last Entry

The days are very getting tough, a major preparation for our term paper. This is my last entry for the blogging activity, it will end this week this month of February. Actually I didn't able to get on my classes last week for the reason that I was sick. My classmates and friends just told me about the happenings in our English2 class. They told me that Ma'am Lynnie was not around that Tuesday too and in Thursday she extended the deadline for our note cards next Tuesday for her other classes will still be working their's this weekend. She announced too that we will have a 15 minute consultation of our note cards and outline starting next week. They were also taught by Ma'am about the formats of the draft to be passed to her through E-mail or printed. Most of their talks are out and not related of our topic that is all about other universities and they were very inspired of what Ma'am told them.

Time to work

In our English2 class last week was all about note taking for our research paper, we only met once that week. Tuesday February 16, discussed the ways on how to take notes on our sources we have collected. Collecting notes through quotes, summary and paraphrase, using quotation marks, ellipses and own words respectively by doing so. It is for us to know how to avoid plagiarism. Deadlines were also scheduled for our term paper and requirements. We are tasked to make 10page draft of our paper for just a week and the time is really running fast. Hope we could make it to the deadline where I have another requirements too in other subjects.

Last week

Last week was all about activities. Last Tuesday, we checked our group's assignment given last week that each group has topics where they should supply specific topic, specific claim and thesis statement. Every groups answer from group 1 to 4 didn't pass through Ma'am's critics so she gave us another time to revise it. Our group's topic is about Television Violence, after enough time of analysis we presented the revisions of our answers. At this time, Ma'am Lynnie just give us some little corrections, basically she maybe is satisfied of it. Then the meeting ended with another assignment, same group with same topics about making sentence outline of the topic we just presented. The assignment will be posted in a Manila paper and present it the next meeting.

Our math midterm was also held last week on that Thursday which is 10:30 AM-12:00PM, the same schedule with my English 2 class. So didn't able to get on my 2nd English2 meeting of the week.

Another Week

Last Tuesday's we had an activity. We were grouped into four, it is about to construct and arrange sources in APA format. The mechanics of this is that every group has to have 3 representative, 1 for each book, and each has to get information about that book then will be written in the Manila paper given in APA format. It was a very fun activity yet educational, very funny for some of my group mate were pressured for the time given is just 60 seconds each book that they cannot even read their own hand writing and some collected wrong informations. Group work is one lesson we learned in that activity.

In Thursday, we discussed on how to have a good thesis statement, and the kinds of thesis statements; analytical, expository and argumentative. Ma'am Lynnie individually checked our topic and thesis statement and all went into silence. The class was too serious for all were preparing for their thesis statement. It is very embarrassing in a quite fun way that Ma'am will be asking questions and the whole class is listening, especially when you will be asked with the "So what about that?" Actually, Ma'am didn't agreed on mine and let me revise my thesis statement.

Weekly Update

In our English 2 class, last Tuesday February 26, Ma'am Lynnie was not around. The following class that Thursday we discussed about how we write our sources for the term paper in APA format. After we were tasked to search for at least 10 sources for our research paper, it gives us an idea on looking and choosing the right sources for our paper. For our assignment next Tuesday, Ma'am told us to write down our sources in a 3 x 5 index card in APA format. Trying to look for more sources which we can refer more to our topic. Aside from the discussion on APA formats, we had a little activity to exercise and familiarize the formats. Also, Ma'am asked us to bring Manila paper, marker and masking tape for our activity next meeting.

Automation of Elections

Commissions on Elections Special Bids and Awards Committee (Comelec SBAC) declared the only bidder qualified for the P11.2billion automation contract bidding. Poll automation is good, but corrupt officials needs cash. This could be just another cash scam. Remember the other Multi-billion Scams? Nothing happened. Scams are everywhere. Majority of the Filipino people when they hear "COMELEC" the equivalent description is cheating or fraud. Comelec is still in that prison, still in the captivity of negativity.

For the very first time, the Philippines will be automating its national election process in May 2010. It is good to know this, although vote buying or shall we say using money to influence the decision of the voter still cannot be eliminated with this technology. Poll automation is better that manual counting, but it is still not the ultimate solution for cheating at least it will lessen the cheating activities in our elections. We still should not rely everything to this technology. I hope the participation of the NGOs (Non-Government Organization) will be enough in monitoring the election process, the machine calculation and the counter checking of results. As what we know, politicians who cheat will do anything to win.

Im not against the election automation, but it's sad to say, do we have an alternative or any other options?

Busy week...

The week was so rainy and made my days hard. With the everyday routines, spending most of the time finding sources and researching for the term paper, preparing for the tactical inspection that was so rough did made my week so busy, and with the heavy rains from home to school and vice-versa that makes it hard.

In class, English2 meeting, we tackle about the basic structure of an essay and how to construct one with the introduction, body and conclusion. We red in chorus some of the examples in the book and when in her discussion we were so quiet listening attentively and answering some of the questions. We also talked about the latest controversial issues around and gave us some tips in creating a good essay then Ma'am told us about our next blogging task which is we will choose a controversial issue that we will make a reaction essay to it.

Term Paper

Last week before the class started I remember that we have to pass our chosen topics for the term paper. At that time I really haven't chose my topic yet. Actually she already told us about it in the past meetings and always reminding us.

Ma'am De Ocampo asked us to show our topics to her. I thought it would be easy that we'll just have to submit our chosen topic, but i have been reminded that she will be asking about from it that if we really knew something about it and of course it is field related before she will approve it. I was afraid that if I will go for a rush topic I can't answer her questions and that will be a shame on me because that task was given to us a long time ago. So, I didn't pass any topic that day and was just thinking of what good topic i might pass next time.

Not all of the class was able to show the topics to Ma'am for the lack of time. Although it's about half of the class who were able, there are ones that was not approved and just let them change it. Before dismissing the class Ma'am gave us an assignment that we should find atleast 10 sources for our topics.

First Meeting of the Year

Happy New Year. The class are resume and students are back in business. In our English2 meetings our major discussions are all about for the Preliminary Examination: run-on sentences, fragments and etc. We even have to make-up class so we can tackle all the lessons. We also talked about sensory words, we have small activity that we should write down the words according to what sense they belong. In fact she had given us assignment about it, to collect 5 other sensory words to be putted in our bin. She gave us another assignment and let us photocopy, it is about correcting run-on sentences.

In our supposed to be make-up class, I haven't able to attend for some important reasons. My classmates just told me what they were doing in that time. They have an activity, correcting paragraphs which is done by partners that is the same as the photocopied assignment.

Remembrance of my first carnival ride...

My first experience with a carnival ride was a Ferris wheel at a local fair. Looking at that looming monstrosity spinning the life out of its sardine-caged occupants, I was dumbstruck. It was huge, noisy and not a little intimidating. Ever since that initial impression became fossilized in my imagination many years ago and even the droning sound of their engines brings to mind.

The first ride on one of these fantastic machines gave me an instant rush of adrenaline. As the death-defying ride started, a lump in my throat pulsed like a dislodged heart ready to walk the plank. As the ride gained speed, the resistance to gravity built up against my body until I was unable to move. An almost imperceptible pause as the wheel reached the top of its climb allowed my body to relax in a brief state of normalcy. Then there was an assault of stomach-turning weightlessness as the machine continued its rotation and I descended back toward the earth. A cymbal-like crash vibrated through the air as the wheel reached bottom, and much to my surprise I began to rise again.

Each new rotation gave me more confidence in the machine until the ride was over, I knew I was hooked. Physically and emotionally drained, I followed my fellow passengers down the clanging metal steps to reach the safety of my former footing.

My fascination with these fantastic flights is deeply engrained in my soul. A trip on the wonderful Ferris wheel never fails to thrill me. Although I am becoming older and have less time, or less inclination, to play, the child-like thrill I have on a Ferris wheel continues with each and every ride.