My Road in Writing

Whenever I write I don't know how to begin but then I just start. At first, it seems like I am now decided on what I will write about but then I will most likely end up somewhere else, something different from what I originally planned. It feels like my mind is a drop of water traveling in a road, I passed in a bridge and fell in a raging river. It feels like I know where I'm going but the river will lead me to somewhere else. However, I can say that I still enjoy the ride and always thankful that I end up on something better than what I expected when I started my trip. Most of the time, the ending just felt right more than the beginning.

My country and me

            During my first semester in graduate school at UP Los Banos, I applied for a part time job as an Administrative Assistant/Tutor in a tutorial center. It’s a small tutorial center that teaches English as second language to their Filipino, Chinese and Korean students. There is no age limit and similar to other centers they give an evaluation test before anything else. After the exam, they will tell the parents, guardian or the student himself the result of the exam, explaining where should they start the lesson and why.  Basically, there are three levels: beginner, intermediate, and advance. I realized that even though you are an adult, your communication skills may still be in the beginner level and it’s not something to be ashamed of as long as you are determined to learn and improve yourself. I encounter different kinds of students. In terms of age, they range from 5-60 years old.  

One of the students I encountered was a Korean man with a doctorate degree in Animal Science and is currently doing a research paper in Los Banos. He is a professor in a university in Busan, South Korea. He said that he would like to maximize his stay here in the Philippines and widen his English vocabulary. He is a good and disciplined man but short-tempered. The Head Tutor was the one assigned to teach him. I was told to record their conversation and create test and activities suited for him. He is also very meticulous and patriotic. Every time he got a chance, he will tell stories about how proud he is of his country. At first, I am very glad listening to his stories but I can’t help to be sad every time he compares his country to ours. I can’t help but to agree in his observations because they are all true. He said that South Korea is a very small country with few resources but each citizen gave their best to be the country they are right now.

            It was one of those few moments that I reflect on my patriotism. Why am I proud to be a Filipino but I’m not proud of my country? Why am I still thinking to work overseas? Why don’t I have the same level of love that he have to his country? Why is it that I have a higher perception in terms of product, tourism, and even the people in other country than in my own?

            I justified the reasons I found within me. I told myself all the faults I observed in our country.  I read our history again.  I checked the things that will make me proud. I researched all the good qualities we have and the wonderful places we were blessed.  I came with a conclusion that my country is just like myself. I only have one me that I should cherish. I should love my country as I love myself. As I work in achieving my full potential so does my country.

            

KEY LEARNINGS/ INSIGHTS

              I chose Constructivism as the most important learning theory we discussed. If I will be a teacher in the near future, I would like to teach college students. For me, constructivism is the best theory applicable for learners especially to tertiary students. In this theory, the focus is the learners while the teacher only facilitates.

            As the facilitator, using this theory I can check how prior experiences of my students affect their learning process. I love sharing of ideas; in this situation learning becomes an active process. Since learning never stops, we construct new ideas from our past knowledge. I agree that as a learner, we select and transform information, construct hypothesis and make decision relying on cognitive structure.

            If I will be a teacher or a tutor, I will apply the key principles of constructivism. These are readiness, spiral organization and going beyond information given. Thinking outside the box should be practiced. I will make our discussion related to their experiences to trigger my student’s interest in class participation.  I will carefully organize my lessons so that it can be easily grasped by my students. I will allow my students to discuss certain learning principles through the class. I think it will be good if at day one, I will already ask for their expectations in the subject, teacher and some suggestions on how they want to learn like fun activities.

            For now as a graduate student, I like constructivism since I see myself as a learner who relates my past knowledge to new information that I just learned.  With these connecting habits of mine, I learn faster and better.

My Own Toast and Roast Speech Combination

            Good Morning. I was tasked to give a speech for the honorable COO (Chief Operation Officer) of LF Corporation. Our very own Atty. Federico Umali. We are all here to give him a memorable farewell party. Hi Sir Rick! Still kicking there? Don’t leave us yet because we’re not going to let you go, yet. This man is the person behind my success in this company. I started as his executive assistant and I lasted in that position for more than 5 years, thanks to his kindness. He was the reason I am in my new position as the head of the Corporate Communication Division and I didn’t request it or threatened him ok? He believes in my capabilities and so do I, I mean I trust his judgment. He appointed me and I just wish that after this speech he will not take it back.

            As a starter, let’s begin by giving a trivia on his academic background. He finished his Business Administration and Accountancy degree from UP Diliman and graduated on top of the class. He immediately started as a management trainee after graduation and just like other inspiring stories, the rest is history. He rose from the ranks until he was appointed COO of the company when he reached 50 years old. Since then, he has been occupying the position until his retirement on his birthday this coming March 31, 2013. Now you know the real reason guys, its age and not the other one. Don’t listen to gossips if it’s not from credible sources like..ehem..not me.. But hey, are you contented with the “rest is history” thing or you want more? Whether you like it or love it, I’ll tell you some of the things I know. I already mention that he started as a management trainee. He held that position for only three months, the shortest among all the position he held. Because of his excellent performance and initiative, he was promoted as a junior accountant. After two years, he became the youngest senior accountant of the company at the age of twenty-three. His leadership career started when after five years, he became the head of the Accounting Department. While heading the said department, he continued his post graduate study taking Bachelor of Law in UP Diliman. After five years he passed the board exam and was promoted to head the Corporate Legal Department the same year. From then on, his success continued to soar until he was appointed by the board to hold the highest position in the company.

Now, here’s the real secret. Sir Rick is not only lucky on his career but is also flying with colors on the other aspects of his life. He is not only a good boss but a good friend. He loves film-watching, so if you like a free ticket just tell him why the movie is worth watching, provide him the trailer details and he may even treat your whole family. Here’s another one, what girl doesn’t fall for a man who’s good in cooking? Just taste his kare-kare, Tita Cora from HR Department and I were one of those who taste it. After overtime, we have our free dinner in their home where Mrs. Erlinda Umali, his very kind wife always packed our “take out snack”. Now, you know where the gossip of him being a ladies’ man came from and yes it’s true. Seeing him around his wife and two witty girls, Sir Rick is indeed a ladies’ man to his three Marias at home. His secrets don’t stop there. He loves helping people and still gives scholarships to deserving students. His goodwill even crossed the border of our rival company, the so called “youngest son” issue. Sir Rick has an unlimited family, he treats everyone as part of his family, we are his second family and I’m sure he has more families in the face of his chosen charities. He didn’t require his scholars to work for him. He gave them the free will to do what they want to do or where they want to work. In addition, here’s a tip for our Community Extension Program Division head, before Sir Rick retires pass a project proposal related to gardening or for environmental cause and he will surely approve it with a broad smile, he may even come to support you on the day of the project even if he’s not already connected to the company. I’ll stop here, I may spill more secrets and God won’t be so happy in giving the three fold return to our boss already.

            Sir Rick, thank you for being my mentor and for guiding every one of us here. Your great contributions to the success of this company will never be forgotten. Your retirement make us all sad yet were happy that you can now spend more time with your family. You can now schedule your honeymoon trip for your coming golden anniversary. Please expect us especially me in your church wedding, I heard that your special kare-kare will be served in the reception. Again, thank you for everything Sir and God bless.

ORIGINAL TEXT:

Abstract

The rich countries in the West have a hegemonic grip over the economy, politics, and cultures of the world, including theorizing in general and feminist theorizing in particular. In this paper, I examine the contributions of GABRIELA, a Third-World women’s movement in the Philippines, to both feminist theory and practice which hitherto are unrecognized. This paper combines post-coloniality, critical theory, and feminism to develop a new insight on feminism as women in a Third-World country live it and envision it. This paper deals with how a women’s movement in the Third World work for the construction of a just society by struggling against the constraining social, economic, political and cultural structures. In the countries of the South, male domination and poverty in general cause the oppression and marginalization of women. The study revealed that GABRIELA members in particular struggle against patriarchy, imperialism, corruption, and feudalism as well as struggle for social and national liberation. This paper examines the role of social movements as a learning site which empowers women.

CONVERSION: Trivia

Do you know that…

1.      Gabriela is a Third-World women’s movement in the Philippines

2.      By examining their contribution to the practice of feminist theory, we can learn how they work for the construction of a just society where women are empowered.

3.      A study revealed that members of this movement in particular struggle against patriarchy, imperialism, corruption, and feudalism as well as for social and national liberation.

***********************************

                                                                                           

The original text is very formal compared to the latter. The first is a paper examining the role and significance of GABRIELA in Philippine society while the latter is a trivia about Gabriela. The first text is long and full of details while the latter is more straightforward. Even though their form and function differs, the same message was successfully convey on both texts.

 ORIGINAL TEXT: The 1987 Philippine Constitution

Article III: Bill of Rights

Section 1. No person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law, nor shall any person be denied the equal protection of the laws.

CONVERSION: Poem                               Equality

Life is precious,

That no one should lose,

Freedom is a treasure,

Especially to the poor.

All that we own,

Let it be known,

No one can get it,

Unless the law allows it.

Equality should prevail,

And should not fail,

To give protection,

Not oppression.

Explanation:

            The original text is only one sentence, a compound sentence. It is composed of two main clauses. On the other hand, the poem is composed of sentences that are cut informally to achieve rhyme. Nouns are dominant and simple words are use in both texts. Since the original text is a section under the bill of rights, it is clear and straightforward to be easily understood by the reader. In contrary, the poem use the adjective “precious” and figurative phrase (freedom is a treasure) to wake the emotions of the readers. Even though the form and function differs, both texts convey the same meaning.

ORIGINAL TEXT: Song

You Can't Hurry Love

by Phil Collins

Songwriters: HOLLAND, BRIAN / HOLLAND, EDWARD JR. / DOZIER, LAMONT

I need love, love 
Ooh, ease my mind 
And I need to find time 
Someone to call mine; 

My mama said 
You can't hurry love 
No, you'll just have to wait 
She said love don't come easy 
But it's a game of give and take 
You can't hurry love 
No, you'll just have to wait 
Just trust in a good time 
No matter how long it takes 

How many heartaches must I stand 
Before I find the love to let me live again 
Right now the only thing that keeps me hanging on 
When I feel my strength, ooh, it's almost gone 

I remember mama said 
You can't hurry love 
No you'll just have to wait 
She said love don't come easy 
It's a game of give and take 
How long must I wait 
How much more must I take 
Before loneliness 
Will cause my heart, heart to break? 
No, I can't bear to live my life alone 
I grow impatient for a love to call my own 
But when I feel that I, I can't go on 
Well these precious words keep me hanging on 

I remember mama said 
You can't hurry love 
No, you'll just have to wait 
She said love don't come easy 
Well, it's a game of give and take 
You can't hurry love 
No, you'll just have to wait 
Just trust in a good time 
No matter how long it takes, now break! 

Now love, love don't come easy 
But I keep on waiting 
Anticipating for that soft voice 
To talk to me at night 
For some tender arms 
Hold me tight 
I keep waiting 
Ooh, till that day 
But it ain't easy (Love don't come easy) 
No, you know it ain't easy 

My mama said 
You can't hurry love 
No, you'll just have to wait 
She said love don't come easy 
It's a game of give and take...

CONVERSION: Essay

           

All of us need love. Some people already found the love of their lives while others are still waiting. It is really sad to be one of the latter. We all want someone that we can call our own.

Back to our teenager days, our mothers kept telling us that we can’t hurry love and that we need to wait patiently for it. They told us that our own time will come no matter how long it takes. Despite these words, we keep asking ourselves the same questions every day: How long must we wait? How much heartache do we need to experience before finding our own true love?

It’s hard to live alone and most of us can’t bear it. We grow more impatient each day but when we feel like giving up, let us remember those precious words our mothers said. Remember? Mother knows best. J

Explanation:

            In the song, nouns and pronouns are in singular form (I, me, my, mine, you, she, mother) and these help to focus the message of the song in the personal experience of the singer/composer. On the other hand, when I convert the song into an essay, I changed the nouns and pronouns in plural form (we, us, our, mothers, they). I did this to change the perspective of speaking from one experience only (which in the case of an essay is the writer) into a general perspective that is possibly shared by everybody. By changing the form of the nouns and pronouns, I was able to generalize the experience and message of the text. Besides changing the form, almost all the words in the song are also use in the essay. Thus, lexical and grammatical cohesion were maintained.

In terms of tenses, just like how the song shifts from present to past then present progressive, the same goes in the essay. It helps to convey the message that just like the singer, others are also experiencing the same process: from being impatient, remembering the advice of their mothers and in the end still waiting for love. Therefore, both texts share the same meaning.

Even though both texts achieve the purpose of conveying the same message to the listeners/readers, the song can be more entertaining to a larger number of people. However, the objective of the first sentence in the first paragraph of the essay is to attract potential readers. Since essays are more straightforward than songs, there is no need to repeat lines/stanzas as long as the necessary information is provided.

Source: http://www.lyricsfreak.com/p/phil+collins/you+cant+hurry+love_20108022.html

Project Proposal

I.                   Proposed Title

Mobictionary: The Complete English Dictionary for Regular Mobile Phones

II.                Development Problem

Not all of us own a Smartphone that can download applications like the electronic version of Webster’s dictionary. Most Filipinos in the lower class level are still using regular mobile phones with no internet feature. With this dilemma, it is essential to offer a new VAS (Value Added Service) in a form of a text message based dictionary for regular mobile phone users. This is also for those who have Smartphones but have a slow internet connection or totally no internet access (e.g. for those who live or travel in far rural places).

III.             Objectives

1.      To offer an affordable yet reliable and educational value added service for regular mobile phone users.

2.      To provide a text message based dictionary for ESL (English as Second Language) students who are always on the go.

IV.             Description of Beneficiaries or Stakeholders

This is for ESL students who use regular mobile phones with no internet feature. This is also beneficial for Smartphone users who need a mobile dictionary but has no application of it and has no internet connection or Wi-Fi. This is useful for those who always travel in far places and experiencing slow internet connection due to network failure and other reasons.

V.                Brief Description

In this value added service, the user just need to text the word in the assigned 4 digit # (e.g. 1111) and after a while he will receive a message with the meaning of the word just like how it can be seen in a regular paper bound dictionary. The sender will be charged 1 peso for every transaction. This service can also offer an unlimited promo, just send the keyword UNLI MOBD in the assigned 4 digit # (e.g. 1111), and for 10 pesos the user can enjoy unlimited service of the Mobictionary for 1day.

This VAS can only cater English words and when the customer sent a wrong spelling word he/she will be charged one peso. However, the system will send a message informing the customer of the possible words he/she is asking and it is free of charge. The customer only needs to choose the correct word and send it again on the assigned 4 digit number. However, he/she will again be charged of one peso but if he/she is enrolled in the unlimited service, as long as he/she send the correct spelling of the word it will be covered and he/she will not be charged of any amount beside the registration fee. The customer can ask/send for the same word infinitely.

VI.             Project Methodology

The conduct of the research will be done in three phases.

1. Preparatory Stage of the product, this is where the project proposal will be finalized by the designated team.

2. The actual design and production of the value added service. The technical aspect of the project will be handled by the representatives from the Technical Department.

3. The third phase will deal with a comprehensive process and summative evaluation of the study.

The maximum time for this activity is one month.

VII.          Project Evaluation

Evaluate the effectiveness of the product by trial and error survey to the target users. We will visit at least 5 public state colleges in nearby provinces outside Metro Manila. We have one month to finish this task. Comments and suggestions from the target users will be documented for the final stage of the study.

Prepared by:

Bautista, Lablynn Yvette F.

*Smartphone- is a mobile phone built on a mobile operating system, with more advanced computing capability and connectivity than a feature phone

*Wi-Fi- popular term for a high-frequency wireless local area network (WLAN) technology

NON VERBAL GAME

I.                   Objectives

1.      To promote camaraderie among participants and to establish rapport between new acquaintances

2.      To serve as a form of entertainment or as a form of an activity before starting a lesson or presentation about non verbal communication and other related topics.

3.      To exercise keen observation and non verbal communication skills of the participants

II.                Materials

Mobile phone or a small whiteboard or chalk board where the number will be shown

III.             Participants

1  Facilitator

2  or more teams, equal number of players (e.g. 10 each)

IV.             Estimated Duration

Estimate the designated time for the game. If it is only for 5-10 minutes, 3-5 non verbal actions are enough and give a 3-4 digits number only to be guess by the participants. The age and educational level of the participants should also be taken to consideration.

V.                Instructions

1.      Divide the class in two or more groups. Each group should have the same number of members. They need to line up inside the classroom/venue of the activity. The facilitator will now explain the rule of the game. The following are non verbal actions and each action is equivalent to a certain number. No one is allowed to speak during the game. If someone is caught by anyone, their group will be subject to automatic disqualification.

·         Roll your eyes = 1

·         Thumbs up= 10

·         Thumbs down= 100

·         Smile= 1,000

·         Move your hips from left to right = 10,000

·         Jump= 100,000

·         Otso- otso move= 1,000,000 (1M)

2.      After the explanation, all participants will be given a particular time (e.g. 5 minutes) to practice the non verbal actions. Then, the facilitator will request all the participants to face the back of the classroom/venue except the first member in the lines. The facilitator will show a number to those who are in the front (e.g. 1, 978, 352 or 1,634). The facilitator will tell everyone that they need to pass the non verbal actions until it reach the last member of the line. The first one to provide the correct answer to the facilitator is the winner. The facilitator can also change the non verbal actions and its meaning, but he/she need to plan it before the game/second round. Of course, he/she needs to inform these to the participants.

.

3.      The facilitator will give a signal to start the game.

SYNOPSIS: Styles in Text

We already know that a text has texture, tie and cohesion. After knowing this, we should now discuss the nature of a text and its relation to a context of situation. Whenever we are analyzing a text, consciously or unconsciously, we don’t only give importance to linguistic clues but to situational clues as well.

Linguistic clues can be divided into two: (1) relations within the language (2) relations between the language and the relevant features of the participants. Under the linguistic system, there are three main components which show where cohesion comes in relation to the rest. The ideational component is concerned with the language’s content. The interpersonal component is about the language and speaker’s social, expressive and conative functions. The last is textual component which forms the text in the linguistic system.

Situational clues are the extra-linguistic factors which can affect the text. These external factors affect the speaker or writer’s choice of words. To further elaborate the relation of situational context in the nature of the text, there are eight components of speech situation categorized by Hymes. These are: form and content of text, setting, participants, ends, key, medium, genre and interactional norms. In contrast, Halliday et. al proposed three headings which is a basis for deriving the text’s features from the features of the situation. Firstly, field is the total event in which the text is functioning together with the speaker or writer’s purposive activity. Secondly, mode is the function of the text in the event including both the channel taken by the language and its genre or rhetorical mode. Lastly, tenor refers to the type of role interaction, the set of relevant social relations among the participants involved.

These linguistic and situational features constitute a register. Register is the set of meanings that is associated with situational context while cohesion is concern on how the text is constructed as a set of meaning, these two together effectively define a text. Thus, in analyzing a text it is important to give equal importance to its linguistic and situational context.

Reference: Halliday, MAK (1976). Cohesion in English. photocopied material.pp. 1-30

Synopsis: The Grammar of Language

         Some people learn best through personal experience or application while others stick to the book and standard rules. Learning English as a second language can be a tough job for anyone, there are people who have a natural aptitude for acquiring languages but there are also who find it really difficult.

            
           English grammar has three dimensions which are morphosyntactic, semantics and pragmatics. In simple terms they can be labelled as form, meaning, and use. Form is about accuracy and how a particular grammar structure is constructed. With semantics, we want to know what does a particular grammar structure means and what contribution it makes whenever it is used. On pragmatics, we are interested on when and why a particular grammar structure has been used instead of another structure with the same meaning. There are students who are good in identifying the form or structure of the language while others are better in meaning and there are also those who are best in usage. However, these three are of equal importance to achieve proficiency both in grammar and communication.

       
       Each student has a different learning process. For this reason, there are two approaches to teaching language. The first one focuses primarily on language use and the second focuses on language form or analysis. Under these approaches, grammar operates at three levels: the subsentential or morphological level, the sentential or syntactic level, and the suprasentential or discourse level. Subsentential level is the level below that of the sentence; it has three criteria which are semantic (standard definition), structural (position in a sentence) and functional (grammatical function in a sentence). Sentential level describe the word order of the English sentence, it has three terminologies which are simple, compound and complex sentences. Suprasentential level is where an analysis of how morphology and syntax are deployed to effect certain discourse purposes. Terminologies used under this level are cohesion (structure), register (level of formality of language), genre (linguistic variation due to the communicative purposes to which the language is put), given information (assumed by the writer to be known by the reader), and new information (newsworthy).

         After understanding these things, we should be able to use grammatical structures accurately, meaningfully and appropriately.

References: Celce- Murcia, M. & Larsen- Freeman, N. (2008). The grammar book. Singapore: Heinle- Thomson Learning Asia. pp. 2-5, 13-15, 161-175

SYNOPSIS: Discourse and Style Part A

            Text refer to any passage, spoken or written, of whatever length, that does form a unified whole. In order to say that a text has a unified whole, cohesion is necessary. Cohesion is defined as a semantic one, which means the interpretation of some elements in the text is dependent on that of another. To further understand the importance of cohesion in a text, let us have a simple example:

            [1.1]Wash and core six cooking apples. Put them into a fireproof dish.

            The word “them” in the second sentence refers to the six cooking apples in the first sentence. We were able to understand the second sentence because of the information provided earlier in the text. In simple terms, cohesion involves context clues or the relation of each word to one another. This is also the reason why the text above has a texture since it has a unity with respect to its environment. Another point in the example above is the relation between them and six cooking apples, which shows how the text constitutes a tie or the single instance of cohesion.

            There are two major categories in which we can achieve cohesion. The first one is lexical cohesion. Under this category, cohesion can be achieved in the following manners: repetition of words, use of synonym or similar words, hyponymy or the sense of inclusion between and among the terms used, opposites and collocation or words that are associated with each other in a particular context.

            The second major category is grammatical cohesion which involves grammatical structures and signals within the sentence. The first way to achieve grammatical cohesion is through reference, it is the use of substitute words which refer to something else in the text for their significance. These include personal pronouns, demonstrative pronouns, determiners, adjectives and adverbs of comparison. Reference can be anaphora or cataphora. It is anaphora if it points to the preceding text and cataphora if it refers to the text that follows. The word them in example 1.1 is anaphora. The second way is through substitution, it is the replacement of one grammatical item by another. Words like one, ones, same, do and all its forms, so and not are used to fill in for noun phrase, verbal clause and clauses that report, express condition, or express modality. The third way is through ellipses or when something is left unsaid but understood. The fourth way is through conjunction. It involves connecting sentences through a particular semantic relationship between them by means of connectives that signal that relationships. Conjunction can be enumerative, explicative, illustrative, additive, contrastive, in logical consequence, transitional and summative.

            Thus, it is important to remember that within a text, the meaning of each sentence depends on its environment, including its cohesive relations with other sentences.

References: Dadufalza, C.D. (1992). Reading into Writing 1. Makati: Bookmark Inc. pp-205-233

                    Halliday, MAK (1976). Cohesion in English. photocopied material.pp. 1-30