English teachers: what do you put in your English Corner?

School is back and everybody seems to be too eager to get started in the right way--- teachers especially. Grade school and high school teachers from both private and public schools are putting their thinking caps on in order to make their classrooms most inviting and conducive for learning. All over the land mentors are spending precious time and money cutting out, posting, pasting, encoding, etc. visual materials that will turn the classroom into a one-stop information station.

In fact, the whole school campus comes to life as school personnel prepare it for the coming back of students. Bulletin boards are made alive by helpful information and even the canteen is once more turned into a place of business.

To make everything happen, teachers are given their individual tasks to take charge of one corner in the bulletin board and they are left free to beautify it.

My concern in this corner has something to do with a teacher from China who started a discussion about what should we put in the English corner? I have a few suggestions here. Bear in mind your target audience. Who are they? Whose attention are you trying to capture? Grade schoolers? High schoolers? Whoever they are, always make sure that your corner is attractive because it makes use of color, graphics, and good lay-out. Bear in mind that today's generation no longer stop to read bulletin boards. You put up some announcements there which don't get to be read because they don't stop to read them anymore. Why? Because of the way they had always been presented---boring---colorless, artless, dull. In other words, you have first to work on the visual aspect of your corner by using lots of color and graphics. Always think in terms of the lay-out and design you see on TV and the internet. The visual aspect of your corner is supposed to make your audience stop and hopefully, read what you got in there. So it is not enough to just make them stop and take a look. It is as important to also make them READ your content because this is the main objective of the English corner---to help improve the students' command of the English language.

Let us see what you can put in there which would greatly benefit your students. A bulletin board that gets regular updates also gets to be noticed more. Just like websites or weblogs. Why? Because if you only update once a week or once a month, in the long run, students will no longer be interested to see what's new there because anyway they will assume to see and read the same things. I suggest that you do your updating of some areas daily, some parts every other day, some weekly, and maybe some monthly. I have here a few suggestions on what you are going to put in there. You decide which ones should get a daily update, weekly, monthly, etc.

1. Word bank-- this is where you introduce a new word with its pronunciation , use, and meaning. The new word should also be used in correct sentence.
2. Grammar check---feature a gross grammatical error and correct it (be sure to use nice funny graphics to attract their attention)
3. How's your spelling? Feature a constantly misspelled word, mark it with a red X and put its correct spelling alongside it and mark with a checkmark.
4. bookworm of the month or week---coordinate with your librarian and feature one student who has borrowed or read the most number of books---post her name and photo
5. watch your preposition--- feature just one everyday
6. English speaker of the week--feature a student's name and photo who uses English as her means of communicating with others on campus
7. My best work---feature the best compositions of students in this area.

8. Hey, watch your stop! An area meant to give lessons in punctuating by giving emphasis on the punctuation mark.

There are many other interesting stuff that you could use. For those of you who have suggestions, please leave your comments here.

summer class grand debate slated June 9,2007

The kids who enrolled in the summer for hosting, debating, and journalism will hold their grand debate on June 9, 6:30 p.m. at the Felipa Garden, El Oriente Garden. The proposition that they will debate on is an example of proposition of fact which goes "Resolved, that poverty is a hindrance to success." The affirmative speakers are Rassel Mercado, Dianne Uymatiao, Michaela Malabed, and Bien Llanes. The opposing side are as follows: Rio Llanes, Angel Ordonez, Jea Perez, and Charla Co.

Those who are interested to witness this Oregon-Oxford debate may come.

the use of "intimidation" in debate

When debaters feel competitive they usually employ the power of "intimidation" on their opponents. This is done on the belief that a debate is started not on stage but backstage or when you come face-to-face with your opponents for the first time.

How?

In one inter-school debate we had participated, the debaters were asked to stay in one room about an hour before the debate started for briefing and clarification of debate rules. The debaters were introduced to each other and they got to "see" and even speak with their opponents. One of my debaters was really nervous to meet her opponent who looked like he had read all the books in the world because of his thick scholarly glasses. She later on learned that those glasses were gradeless and only served as "prop" to give him that "look". Indeed the debater on the opposing side succeeded in intimidating one of my debaters.

In order to avoid these tricky traps debaters use to make the other side feel "inferior", let us try to walk through the different things that intimidate debaters:

1. the look

Do not be deceived by looks. Thick glasses? Earnest facial expressions? Big books? nice suit?Most likely, he or she is just trying to cover up what she does not have in there. Good looks, fair skin, height, beauty----they have nothing to do with debating skills, relax. We are notlooking for a Miss Universe here but good debaters.

2. big voice

This one really intimidates. If your voice sounds like the squeak of a baby rat and youropponent's voice registers like a lion's roar, you can be in trouble. Work on your volume.Take advantage of the microphone, project your voice, speak with a punch.

3. many sources---books, magazines

This can be tricky. The piles of books could either represent the bulk of their research or they are there only for display. A good debater does not take chances. He or she preparesthrough extensive reading and research.

Again, if you are prepared, nothing can shake you ---- not even looks, books, or voice.

Preparation is the key

Like a soldier going to battle, a speaker should come prepared. He should have done thorough research on the topic to add to his years of experience. With this, he will be able to impart valuable information effectively and more confidently.

The best cure for nervousness is PREPARATION. No matter how nervous one gets, but if he or she is prepared, she will still emerge victorious. Nothing can put down a speaker who knows what he is talking about---not even the most-feared monster called NERVOUSNESS.

I have already discussed a few tips on how to handle nervousness in public speaking but the best one is this

PREPARATION

Nervousness

Nervousness or stage fright could grip both professionals and beginners. It is a very normal feeling when faced with the challenge of having to face and speak before a group of people, be it in the classroom or in an auditorium. The thing is, some people just know how to manage or deal with their feelings of nervousness while a good number end up making a lot of blunders and showing them; thus, making their presentation a dismal failure.

How do you eliminate nervousness? First, you don't eliminate it because it will just be there while you wait for your turn and during the early part of your delivery. In other words, after some time, nervousness will just go away by itself in the course of your presentation or speech. Do not make the mistake of taking anything like a glass of wine or some pills rumored to banish nervousness.

Managing or controlling the feeling in such a way that it does not show during the entire speech is possible. I have personally done this many times in the past. Whenever I was going to be the emcee or host of any particular show or program, like any normal being, I'd have feelings of anxiety which I try to minimize by preparing for the program. Always ask for a copy for the program days before the show and try to make a sort of working script which will serve as your guide in making the affair come to a smooth finish.

Preparation is the best weapon against nervousness. Go prepared for the worst like an uncooperative or unruly audience, poor sound system, bad venue, etc. Of course, you cannot do miracles here. You can only deliver what you have.

Many times when hosting I'd even feel my hands shaking especially when the audience look strange to me. But what I'd always do is to command my body to keep still, tell my hands not to shake, etc. and almost always, amazingly, they obey.

Always remember that the mind controls the body. It can will the body to stay put and do what it wants it to do. The good news is, no matter how nervous you may be, the audience never notices this unless you show it to them. So do not make a fool of yourself while up there. Never show that you are nervous by doing any of these things:
1. looking up or looking down (not looking at the audience)
2. bouncing, rocking, dancing
3. speaking fast
4. putting out your tongue when you make a slight mistake
5. making unnecessary gestures (scratching, clapping, etc.)
6. using ah,ah,ah a lot
7. repeating certain words needlessly
8. apologizing for anything

Remember, there are only two people who do not get nervous---those in mental institutions and in the cemetery. You are young and alive, it is normal for you to get nervous BUT learn how to control it and not the other way around.

unskilled graduates are more expensive, say companies

Why?

According to a study, companies have second thoughts about hiring graduates of certain schools that did not equip their students with important skills that are necessary in the workplace.

Top firms say that unskilled graduates are more expensive in the long run because they still need to be retrained and the budget for training these graduates with no or very little know-how could drain companies' pockets.


This is the reason why companies always look for graduates of schools that are known for their highly skilled graduates.

What particular skills do these companies look for?

1. Communication skills: Speaking, listening, reading, writing

2. Computer skills

3. PR skills (could very well follow if you have no. 1)

4. Others (driving, carpentry, nursing, cooking, etc.)

Focus on item no. 1---Companies generally look for people who are highly skilled in the various aspects of Communication.

Question: Where do people get their training in this area?

Answer: In school.

Question: Are the schools giving us this training?

Answer: Some, but not all.

Question: What does this mean?

Answer: It means low demand for your sevices. Solution? To go to a school that addresses this need.

Will your teacher think it weird that you always make it a point to say something before your class ends?

In this part of the world where the opening of classes start in June, students are now gearing up for the coming schoolyear. Starting it with a bang may be the best advice that students can get from here. Or, putting your best foot forward will most likely lead to a very good ending---awards, medals, and citations.

The school is one great place for individuals to find opportunities to develop their potentialities. It is where great speakers, writers and leaders are hatched. It is important that students know how to find and when to use these opportunities for personal growth.

The classroom is the best place for training students the necessary skills such as speaking and writing. Students should be given equal opportunities to develop and show these skills or talents in guided class activities. However, it is generally observed that classrooms seldom offer or allow students to hone their gifts because teachers still use the traditional method of instruction wherein teacher talk still dominates the scene. In such a set-up, students are rarely heard or given the chance to say something. During the entire class time, students sit and listen to the teacher deliver his talk. The bell rings, teacher goes out, students wait for the next teacher and the same thing happens. The whole day at school ends without the students being able to practice any skill.

Let us break this monotony. A student who desires to excel not only in the classroom should find ways to interact with his teacher or classmates during the entire period. She should call the attention of the teacher at one point, and give her point of information in the form of a question or a statement. There are some teachers who do not even bother to ask the students for any questions but just goes on and on reading the book or copying information from the book to the board.

As a student you should make it a point to say something in every class. Let us say you have 9 subjects everyday. If you make it a habit to raise your hand and say something before the bell rings in all your 9 subjects, that makes a total of 9 sentences a day! Multiply that by 5 x the number of weeks then the months the whole year. See what I mean? You would have said so many at the end of the year!

Will teachers wonder why you are that active in class? Well, they should know better. If they are not giving you the opportunity, create it yourself. It will not hurt you nor your teacher if you make a daily goal of speaking up in every subject. It will only make you a better speaker everyday.

eye contact with the audience

The first thing that a speaker should do upon reaching the podium is to LOOK at the audience. This is one way of acknowledging their presence and an initial step towards building rapport with them.

What we mean by looking at the audience is this---LOOKING at them eye-to-eye and not just merely glancing or seeing them. Then as you deliver your speech, deliver it to them in the warmest fashion possible. You have a message to tell, then deliver it spontaneously, talk to them in such a way that they will be able to understand your message.

Another thing to remember is the fact that if you have a big audience it is expected that you maintain eye-to-eye contact with everyone---left side of the audience, center, right side. When you focus your attention to only one area, the other parts of the audience will feel neglected. That is why you have to make sure that you do eye contact with the audience who are seated everywhere in the hall.

century-old expressions or cliches as prop words?

A worn-out expression or cliche started with one person who said if for the first time and it sounded good to others who picked it up and used it themselves then got picked up by others who heard him and also used it and so on and so forth until it now becomes hackneyed or over-used and should therefore be avoided.

Many speakers think that using these hackneyed or century-old expressions will make them sound authoritative or professional. An example of some of these much-abused expressions are "in this connection", "as a matter of fact", sad to say", "in the meantime", "may I have the honor to present to you", "without much ado", "the last but not the least" and a lot more.

I know many of us fall in the pit of using cliches because their commonness make them easy to access and therefore could save the speaker from losing grip of the entire speech. When this happens, lapses and ah,ah,ah will take over and could be the end of your public speaking career.

In preparing your speech it is important to pay attention to your choice of words, in trying to say what you mean in fresh language and original style. Expressions that became a hit centuries ago may no longer work with today's tech-savvy listeners. We need to upgrade our vocabulary or get updated on the latest techno lingo in order to have some relevance to our modern-day audience.

Cliches, whether in writing or in speech, have to be avoided at all cost.

Giving a speech or firing a machine gun?

Why do some speakers rattle off words like they were firing a machine gun?

It could be one or two of the following reasons below:

1. force of habit

2. nervousness

3. poor self-confidence

4. lack of know-how on the subject

Speaking too fast is definitely a no-no in effective public speaking. Speak at a normal rate, not rattling nor mumbling like an idiot. Never, never eat your words. This is what happens when you speak like you are being chased by rabid dogs. Why? What's the hurry? Are you trying to imply that you have a lot to say and that 7 minutes is not enough to say them? Oh, come on, don't give me that. The best oratorical speeches are delivered in 7 minutes in good diction, loaded content, and with appropriate gestures---and that's where you see public speaking at its best because the orators exhibit proper public speaking skills.

So don't tell me you just need so much time to say everything so you give the audience the "machine gun".

The primary goal of a public speaker is to convince the audience, to make the audience nod in agreement to what he is saying and in doing so, the speaker employs the necessary skills to achieve this goal.

Speak with conviction, with power, with enthusiasm. Speaking fast will not achieve this effect. Have the right stance and poise so necessary in convincing people. How do you expect people to believe in what you say if you slouch, bounce, rock and fire the machine gun?

Rate is important. Space your words and phrases properly---don't go too slow either, but definitely not too fast.

If you have a big audience, give time for your words and voice to travel to their ears. Convince them, look them in the eyes, take your time, give your message straight from your heart, mean what you say.

If you've got a nut that is hard to crack, you will remain where you are.

more prop words

Jim Petersen, web owner of http://www.speech-topics-help.com has added more prop words that can be used in place of the usual "ah,ah, ah" and they are as follows:

Well

It's to say

Let me explain

For example

See? There are words that you could use to take the place of "ah".

We would like to hear more from others. Thank you, Jim for your contribution. I find your site very informative and helpful. In fact, I have your link as one of my resources.

we have grown

How fast time flies. A few blogs away I was sharing with everybody about our dog Lara who was in heat at that time and how it created a lot of noisy commotion in our otherwise sleepy neighborhood. Well, as you can guess, that stage was long over.

Fast forward, Lara has brought forth 6 liters; unfortunately, one did not make it, so that left us with 5 new members of the family--- 2 browns, 2 blacks, 1 white (the dead one was white). As of this date, the puppies are only a few days old so their eyes are still closed and they only crawl around in their new made-of cartoon house. Soon, we are going to move them to a bigger cage but that will be for later.

With two big dogs around the house, what do we do with 5 more? We have already figured that out. We will probably keep one or two, and the rest will be up for adoption. We are looking for good foster homes for these puppies when the time comes. And yes, one male is already owned by a friend whose kids had been pestering him to get one.

Photos above show only 3 of the 5. Aren't they lovely?

Varieties of "Ahs" in public speaking

Toastmasters have ah-counters or members assigned to count the number of "ahs" a speaker makes in a single speech. Members who sprinkle a 5-7 minute speech with numerous "ahs" will most likely be penalized for doing this. The superfluous use of "ahs" could spring from it being a habit acquired over the years which had remained uncorrected until now.

"Ah" breaks the line of thought and actually means nothing. It probably gives the speaker a sort of a crutch, some sort of filler to fill some "dead air". But too much of this could sound very annoying.

How does one avoid this? Simple. Just do not use it. Whenever you feel the need to go "ah, ah, ah" just bite your tongue and keep quiet for that split second temptation. Instead of saying "ah" to fill the gap, just stop and allow silence instead of saying that killer word.

But beware. Ah,ah, ah...has several cousins. Some speakers can easily find other prop words which in effect actually means ah,ah,ah. What are the varieties of Ah? Here they are:

Ladies and gentlemen..

At the end of the day....

Madam Chair...

My friends....

You have anything more to add to the list? Feel free to add them here under comment.

overkilling "Madam Chair"

Every meeting as I listen and watch with amazement at my summer kids speak and debate with improved public speaking skills, I notice that while some had junked "ladies and gentlemen" and "at the end of the day" in place of "uh--uhmm.." some had sneaked in a new crutch in place of those redundancies and are now dotting their speeches with "Madam Chair" after every short phrase.

This being the case, Madam Chair, I strongly suggest Madam Chair, that using too much of this expression Madam Chair will blur the meaning or the message that you are trying to express Madam Chair.

When the overuse of this expression Madam Chair becomes too much Madam Chair we are actually "overkilling" the phrase Madam Chair and that if we do not do something about this Madam Chair to eradicate this nasty phrase Madam Chair then I am afraid Madam Chair that we might end up not saying anything Madam Chair.

Redundancies and unnecessary body movements seldom happen in the Oregon-Oxford type of debate where students get to do research, write, edit and practice delivering his or her specch a month or so before the debate.

got myself a new header

One of the latest blogs I had set up is called http://offbeatmom.blogspot.com which is going to be a depository of all the junk and dirt that come with living and thankfully from now on this blog will be spared from all those.

Thanks again to my son who helped me do the header and also to my daughter who took charge of setting up the ads, my latest blog is now online.

The illustration above shows the header of my new blog.

this girl knows her stuff

Curiousity and interest led me to this girl's blog and site which I got from Mylot community and from then on, I got hooked. I am impressed and lucky to get her links here as part of my list of resources. Her blog, http://www.beasavvywriter.blogspot.com contains very spontaneous and useful guides to becoming savvy writers. I got tickled brown reading her article on how to handle rejection letters---yeah, you can do service to the environment because there is such a thing as fruitful recycling and the blog handled this with a large dose of humor that one can't escape a good laugh. I am surely going to go back in order to read everything she got in there because this lady knows how to handle the language with such ease and smoothness, especially when read aloud, her articles just feel like ice cream to the mouth---nice and smooth.

I may be easy to impress, but there is no doubt about it--Ashley is doing an impressive job in that blog---lay-out, good; language, very good; variety of content, worth a daily visit.

Wait---Ashley has come up with a new site you don't wanna miss. I was there and I saw the great promise of http://www.bellevere.net. The first page gives an appropriate welcome with this phrase "beautiful soul, key to a gorgeous life". With this catch phrase, who wouldn't be enticed to stay and discover its hidden treasures? This site showcases the secrets to real Beauty, Love, Dieting, Fitness, REcipes and everything you need to have a beautiful life. It is a great site owned by one so intelligent and gifted.

Ashley knows what she is talking about as evidenced by her works. Links to both her sites are found in all my four blogs so anytime I want to give myself a break from the monotony of everything, I just make a visit to Ashley's blog and site.

Two thumbs up for this young lady!

The photo above features the front page of Ashley's latest website.

how do we make students speak up in class?

This is one problem many educators face today---making college students speak during class discussions. If a teacher is lucky he or she might be able to elicit the participation of one or two students in a class of say, 40 or 45. Whyyyyyy???



That is the big question.



Having dealt with different kinds of students for the past 25 years of teaching, I have heard students give almost the same reasons for this reluctance:



1) They are not used to it. They were never trained since elementary to high school to speak in front. The only time they spoke in front of their classmates was when they were asked by the teacher to recite the Panatang Makabayan from memory.



2) They are afraid to be ridiculed or laughed at when they make mistakes. This indicates low self-confidence resulting from poor or inadequate exposure.



3) Feeling of incompetence in speaking English which again is closely related to number 1 & 2.



When students are given more drills or practice in correct conversational English, this will give them the opportunity to use the language as often as possible and improve their fluency, thereby reducing their fear of making mistakes and developing them into better speakers of English.



However, this type of activity would need a lot of feedbacking from the teacher who should be actively listening and noting down errors in the students' use of the language. The teacher should not only sit there and listen to the students commit blunders and not do anything about it. The school did not pay her to just sit down, do nothing but wait for the bell. Her role is to improve students' performance. Feedback should be given at the end of every period, giving emphasis to the most common mistakes students make.



With such a class, the teacher starts with a motivation, reminding students what good speaking means, how important are audience contact and appropriate gestures, the significance of delivering the speech with a punch, the use of humor, poise, etc.



After a very good motivational opening, students begin their activity while the teacher should be actively noting down errors in language and delivery. Ten minutes before the time, the teacher goes up front to give the necessary feedback for the improvement of the students.

adjusting the curriculum towards conversational English

The reason why India is the top UK market call center provider is because schools there have adjusted their curriculum towards conversational English. The Philippines is 2nd only to India when it comes to catering to the North American market's call center needs. Why? Because our English curricula in the Philippines are not adjusted to the demands of the market. Take the following facts.

In 2004, there were 40,000 seats available in call centers for graduates who could speak good English. Eighty thousand seats were available in 2005 and the Department of Trade and Industry projects a doubling of the figures every year for the next five years.

No other industry in the Philippines is generating and providing as many job openings as the call center industry with salaries that are highly competitive.

But are schools delivering products that fit the demands of the market which is the call center industry?

It is sad to hear that out of 2,000 applicants, they will be lucky to get 5 or 7 real qualified graduates to work as call center agents who will be dealing with English-speaking clients 24 hours a day.

The solution that was proposed by a representative of Bigfoot Global Solutions Inc. is skills practice or conditioning students into practising the kind of work expected by the market.

One of the ways proposed is by giving assessment through conversational English, using oral examination as the testing format for prelims, midterms, or finals. Other activities such as panel quizzes, debate, oration, panel discussion may also be used by the teacher. The point is, to make the students speak and use the target language as often as every meeting.

This may raise the eyebrows of many traditionalists, but hey, we've got to get real. Our students will not be asked to write down their answers in a job interview. No, they will be using spoken English when they will be looking for work and they better start polishing this skill now.

It is only by doing this that schools can truly claim to be relevant to the times.

Happy Mothers' Day to all the Mothers in the World

Different countries have different dates honoring Mothers, but most countries, including the US and the Philippines observe Mothers' Day every second Sunday of May. It is going to be a big day for families to be together in greeting the greatest person in the whole Universe---our Mother.

We called our mother Nanay. When Nanay was alive she was the binding force that brought us her children together during special occasions like Christmas and birthdays.

My memory of her would always include that part of her which made people around her laugh. She was funny and continued to be so even when she was already a frail old woman. Nanay joined the Lord at the age of 82 but I have great and pleasant memories of Nanay.

Funny, strong, generous, hardworking, kind-hearted, understanding, sympathetic, loving, caring---almost too good to be true. Nay, we are proud to be your children and we are proud to have a mother like you! We miss you, we love you!

Flowers for you, Nay!

kicking, beating dogs

We do not kick nor beat our dogs. So when someone else in the house, like a helper, does this for no reason, we would be very angry. My son Mark who is a pet lover taught a lesson to one such person in the house whom he saw kicking our dog because she wanted to pass. Mark gave her a kick too for kicking our dog which was only sleeping in one corner but got kicked because the helper wanted to pass. This incident was repeated a couple of days ago by the daughter of our helper who just kicked our pregnant dog Lara for no reason. I mean, what's the problem with these people? Did they get kicked a lot by people in their own homes from wherever they came from to do this to creatures that are helpless? I instantly gave her a scolding, telling her that we do not kick dogs in our house, and therefore, because this is not her house, she has no business kicking our dogs whom we treat and consider as members of the family.

I think that people who exhibit cruelty to animals or helpless creatures should be punished. Cruelty to any form of life should never be tolerated in this society we call humane and peace-loving.

smiling at strangers

This is not one habit I have-- I mean, smiling isn't. That is why this afternoon I was surprised to find myself smiling at someone I did not know. Actually, my granddaughter and I were at Jollibee because she wanted some rice and steak and while we were waiting for the food to be served, Dewey, my granddaughter said something which made me smile. Along came a woman who saw me smiling and who smiled in return like we knew each other. She was actually a stranger to me and I found it weird that it seemed that I initiated that when I was only smiling at what Dewey said to me. Anyway, I thought, why not? It does not cost you anything to just smile at everyone you meet. It will make them wonder what is it you have in mind and what got into you. So lesson for the day: SMILE AT EVERYONE YOU MEET TODAY. It will cost you nothing but it will make this world (cliche) " a much better place to live in."

the mother of all diaries

This blog of mine is more than just a diary or journal for it records almost anything and everything. This is where I will be promoting my new blogs. Earlier I had given the links to my two new blogs at http://coolkidsparty.blogspot.com and http://speak4money.blogspot.com

which had to be born in order to put order in this personal blog of mine which has become the depository of everything. With my two new blogs, I will have more specific goals to pursue, but of course, this blog remains a hodgepodge of life's experiences. But there seems to be an aspect in each of us that awaits to be given recognition. It is this part of us which had remained a secret all these years---our embarrassments and failures, our scares and losses. We all have them but do we dare let the world know about them, our darkest thoughts and secrets? This blog, http://offbeatmom.blogspot.com is a woman's journey through a life of thorns and rocks.

This blog being what it is becomes the mother of all diaries.

will the many prohibitions lead to clean elections?

May 14 is one date Filipinos will have to watch. After six long years of silence Filipinos will be speaking up their minds in their ballots, trooping once again to their assigned precincts to cast their votes for the people who will again lead this country for the next 6 years. Do we dare make the same mistakes again?

While listening to TV Patrol tonight, I heard one newscaster enumerate the things that are not allowed this coming elections. Failure to follow any one of these could lead to 1 to 16 years imprisonment (if I heard it right), and disqualification for the candidates involved. It pays to know the things that are prohibited on election day:

1. Wearing of campaign t-shirts, caps, and other stuff bearing the name of a candidate.
2. Giving or receiving money from candidates.
3. Candidates giving free rides to voters.
4. No peddlers and other street hawkers are allowed to sell anywhere near the precincts.
5. Gambling of any sort during elections.
6. Drinking during elections.
7. No free food or feeding of voters by candidates.

Those are the only major guidelines I can recall. Look at all of them. If we can only strictly follow these guidelines, do you think this will pave the way towards a clean and honest election?

Yes. There is always hope for those who do not lose hope.

did an ad for radio with my son

Late this afternoon my son and I did a voice recording for a campaign radio ad. It came out just fine and I realized when I was doing the whole thing that it's been quite a while since I last worked for radio. It seemed like a million years ago when I was an active radio practitioner. I did newscasting, campus bulletin, Guest at Lunch and I had several radio names like Lady Love, Iya Tasing, Inday Tess, and Gramiraf. I was connected with two radio stations but my first stint was with DYWC, then later on I moved to Love RAdio. All these are part of a past that is hard to forget.

That is why when Atty. Saleto Erames, my candidate for Board Member, requested my son to do it, I readily volunteered to do bits of the script which the great man did himself. All in all, the production came out well. The ad will be aired early morning before the news, then at lunch time, and in the evening.

By the way, the photo above shows my son with a celebrity--that's not me.

snake for sale?

This morning while waiting for my turn to pay our electricity bill, I noticed a lady edging her way towards the cashier. She was obviously trying to sell something. When she turned after the guy at the counter said he was not buying, she was now facing me directly and it came as a shock to see her carrying a big two-gallon bottle with a huge snake inside. Was she selling snakes? My curiousity got the better of me so I asked her if she was selling snakes. She wasn't. In that large bottle was a big snake coiled and submerged in what seemed like water. The lady asked me if I wanted to buy. Buy what? Then she told me that she was selling medicinal massage oil in which the snake was soaked. She showed me the different containers and prices if I was interested to buy. Snake oil, according to her, is very medicinal. It can alleviate body pains when it is used as massage oil.

cool kids' party

A new site, http://coolkidsparty.blogspot.com , is one blog to visit when you want some party ideas or questions related to a party that you intend to throw. Queries or comments may be left under comments and quick response is guaranteed. This is also a great site for greetings of all sorts--you name it, this blog will publish it. You may also want your birthday or somebody's birthday to be noted. Just leave your username or real name, month and date of your birthday. We will take care of the party. In fact, a friend from Mylot, will be celebrating her birthday tomorrow and we are going to throw a party there. You are cordially invited. Please come as yourself.

coping with blackout

This one is tough. Coping with a scheduled power blackout from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. is hard to do. Anytime now this computer is going to go off, the fans will stop moving, the refrigerator will stop whining and the television will be mute. What do you do when everything seems to die around you? I have listed ways based on observation on how people cope with power loss:

1. The whole family hits the beach to enjoy the natural breeze from the sea.

2.One entire big family rushes to Bethel Guest House, one of the best hotels in the city, to have lunch and stay there until 5:00 to enjoy the coolness of the generator-run aircon.

3. Some would go malling, eat there and wait the whole time until everything is back to normal. Malls or big stores usually have their own generators so there should be no problem about dealing with the summer heat.

4. Stay home and make the most of it. Open all windows and doors to let the natural air in, find a good book to read.

5. General cleaning. Turn this blackout into an opportunity for you to clean your house. Make your house spot-free when power comes around.

6. If you are a student, do your school work outside. Bring a small table and a chair outside and do your work under a shady tree if there is any around.

7. Do your other house chores like marketing, cooking, setting the table.

8. Others would like to just simply lie in bed and sleep the day away.

If there are other more profitable ways of dealing with power loss, kindly leave them under comments.

a thousand "Ladies and gentlemen"

It is amazing to hear how young debaters, learning the skill of debating for the first time, had absorbed the bad habits of their predecessors. I do not only mean the dancing and the bouncing while driving their arguments but the profuse use of certain terms and expressions that can easily irritate the ears of the audience after listening to all of them.

In a short speech of 5 to 7 minutes, you would hear a deluge of "ladies and gentlemen" rattled by all 8 debaters. Multiply that by 7 and that's almost an hour of hearing "ladies and gentlemen" used freely all throughout. "At the end of the day" I thought I heard the expression a thousand times.

Another favorite expression which will most likely take the place of "ladies and gentlemen" is "at the end of the day" which I heard 20 times running second to everybody's favorite "ladies and gentlemen".

When their attention was called regarding the obvious and profuse use of "ladies and gentlemen", the new debaters have found another clutch on a new phrase, "at the end of the day".

Needless repetition and redundancy are discouraged anywhere whether in writing or public speaking. An expression should, as much as possible be only used once during the entire speech. Repeating it may not be a very good idea. Saying it more than twice will make you sound like a bore to say the least.

Excited

I am quite excited about my new blog on this same site. I will tell you its name later. As you might remember, I used to have still another blog but I have recently given it up because it failed to deliver its promise of paying. I have finally decided to have another one on this same site and true enough, in a matter of minutes, I was able to set it up, you may even want to view it now at http://speak4money.blogspot.com.

How is it different from this blog? I tell you. It is going to be very different because that one will be entirely devoted to ways and means of utilizing personal skills and talents to make money. There will be no personal crap there. It will be pure money talk.

We all want to achieve economic freedom, right? Will that day ever come? The answer is a cliche,"It is in your hands". Please make a visit to my new blog just because.

what is it about BP debating that makes students sway and rock while speaking?

I still don't get it. Is it the method of debating or the wrong training students are getting which makes them eat the words, speak too fast, sway and rock while speaking which I see rampant among those using the parliamentary style of debating? The skills or the manner is not there---poor audience contact, weak voice/delivery, rocking and swaying---what is that? There is too much haste in the delivery and the message, if there is any, is either lost in the effort or not understood at all. Students spend so much time and effort learning the wrong skills. In the end, it turns out to be a futile exercise teaching students the incorrect way by focusing only on the technicalities or format of the debate and neglecting to lay the important foundation of good public speaking or effective delivery which should be the end goal of all types of debate.

the manner AND the matter in debate

One cannot possibly separate one from the other without screwing the overall skill of a debater. He either has both or he doesn't. Judging from the way modern-day debaters are trained in the "latest" method of debate, I can easily see that much has been taken for granted. While it is true that the open display of stock knowledge in almost flawless rhetorics can put any traditional debaters to shame, but the manner by which these beautiful or erudite lines are delivered leaves many unsatisfied and confused.

What, exactly, is good debating? Is it just a mere show of knowledge, facts and stored information delivered in lightning speed because you have so much to say within only 7 minutes? In debates watched by a big audience, this kind of speaking is a no-no. Public speaking, as in debating for a big audience, requires proper pacing of phrases, appropriate gestures, and a lot of audience contact. No matter how well-researched or well-informed a debater is, but if he or she delivers her speech faster than the speed of light, looks everywhere except the audience, rocks and sways, uses only one hand to gesture, and whose voice lacks enthusiasm or power, then he better consider retiring from this activity.

ready to be mailed

Two winners had been picked for the "Guessing Game contest" earlier sponsored here and this is the prize of one of the winners who had already sent her forwarding address. This bag goes out to Greengal, a lady from Texas. I am awaiting for the other winner, Elk Hawk to send me his forwarding address so I can also send his prize.