like she owns the road

There is something very annoying about people who cross the street and are doing so in slow motion like they have all the right to dilly dally or delay other people.This is just one of my rants but I really have to express this. Please, when you cross the street, can you do it with more purpose and courtesy? What I mean here is, those waiting for you to reach the other side could be in a life-an-death situation and here you are taking your sweet time. This is the city with many vehicles plying to and fro. You might be so used to your hometown or place where no vehicles tread the roads you could even sleep in the middle of them, but when you are in the city and even if you are using the pedestrian lane, please cross the street with more purpose and courtesy. Time is gold and you have no right to waste other people's time with your lazy walk.

Toastmasters' club for kids

ABC Learning Center in Dumaguete City is launching a toastmasters' workshop in their school. This is going to be a once-a-week training in public speaking for grade schoolers who have the potential or gift of gab. This is going to be a very welcome program that will surely develop the kids' self-confidence and their speaking talents. This will also boost the school's curriculum, turning the school into another cool place to hone talents.

why not?

After-school lessons in ballet, piano, guitar, karate, etc. are offered to parents who desire to develop their kids' full potential. An after-school training in communications should be a most welcome addition since some parents want to better the communication skills of their kids, so why not? Is this a redundance or repetition of what schools are teaching our kids?

Not really because this after-school training in communications is a specialized kind of school where there is emphasis on the honing of the kids' speaking skills. Schools can only do so much and reinforcement should be most welcome.

getting better & better

It is not because these kids are enrolled in my summer workshop in communications that I am saying this, but honestly, they are getting better & better in every episode. It's just a sad thing that summer could only give a month-long exposure to these workshop participants who I believe can become excellent speakers in the future if given more time. The second batch of workshop participants, only 6, will be done with the workshop next week but this is not going to be the end of the training for starting next month, June, training continues twice weekly, Mondays & Saturdays. Why not? Students enrol in after-school programs in dancing, guitar, singing, piano, etc. Why not an after-school training in debate, hosting, newswriting, etc?

Yes, it is going to be the first time that such a training is made available to everyone interested to hone their communication skills.

will training & workshop help?

There are people who, from early age, just seem to be not cut for any sort of performances. One just seems to see at a very young age if a person can amount to something or can become somebody great in the future. But this kind of biased thinking may not be helpful to this group of people who probably are late bloomers and who could actually turn out to be a genius to everybody's surprise. NOthing is more frustrating than to be stereotyped as this or that, as someone who isn't and could not be somebody else in the future.

Well, I believe that a lot of things in this world can be taught and learned. Training and practice could do miracles. How did Manny Pacquiao become a world boxing champion? He got trained to be one. It also holds true to all other skills which could easily be taken as talents.

shy

Is shyness a virtue or what? Of course for one thing we all hate arrogance, but shyness is another thing. A person who behaves or claims to be shy can be doing others some discomfort. Shy to do what? Shy because of what? Sometimes it is hard to understand why some people try to use shyness to avoid doing something.

Is the word synonymous with modesty? Is it an inherent Filipino trait? Any reaction or comment?

why whisper?

Again I make the same observation. Students have the tendency to only "whisper" their answers when speaking. Why? Is this habit perhaps an extension of the kind of training kids are getting in the home?

I think teachers should draw the line between private speaking and public speaking. Maybe whispering may be allowed in private speaking but it is not acceptable for one to whisper one's answers in public speaking.

Self-confidence can be shown through one's voice. When one speaks loud and clear, the person would instantly come across as confident and one with authority.

wouldn't it be a lot better?

Friends would proudly tell me about their kids' talents in singing and dancing but I'd always reply that it would also be a lot better if their kids can also speak very well in front of people. I have many times witnessed talent presentations but at the end of the singing or dancing, when the kids are asked simple questions, like their names or age, they'd answer only in whispers. Why? They could sing and dance very well but could not even say their names properly?

Let's admit it. A lot of people fear public speaking. They'd rather sing or dance, but speak? That is why for me, talent is nothing when you cannot even talk about it. The whole point here is that no real talent can make it big if the ability to market this talent is not there. See? Speech still rules. It should be the basis of all other endeavors.

Janina San Miguel's "victory"(?)

The whole world knows the recent joke that happened during the search for Bb. Pilipinas when one winner, Janina San Miguel, still made it to a major award inspite of her outrageous answer during the interview portion. Now she's going to represent the country in seven months to the prestigious Miss World competition and everybody's biting their nails as to what could possibly happen during the big pageant if she does not straighten up her act. I mean, seven months? Is that time enough to put some sense into her or to make her express herself in straight acceptable English? How long should one learn to sound good in the international language? If you ask me, my answer is this: about your age---if you're 17, then you should have learned it for 17 years to be able to really master the language. Seven months is like asking for a miracle to happen. But let us just hope.

good teachers like a needle in a haystack?

A school principal recently expressed her number one lament every school year---finding GOOD teachers. According to her it is hard to advertise for more students to increase enrolment because there are no real good teachers available to teach the students. She did not like the idea of just hiring ANY teacher. She wants good teachers to teach in her school---which is a real big problem by the way considering the fact that many graduates of education courses do not know how to speak English. Which is a big problem, really. Looking for good teachers is like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Remember last Summer?

Yeah, we had a summer's workshop in communication and those enrolled in the course got to hone their writing and speaking skills. This year will be an improvement of the previous years because this time we have a TV show in which the kids will have chance to share their talents to the whole Negros island.

Registration starts last week of this month while sessions start first week of April.

Come on. Ages are from 7 to 16 years old.

the best school

We get our best education in the streets, don't you think so? I mean, we spend many, many years and lots of money in school that oftentimes fail to give us the kind of education which ought to prepare us to battle life's challenges without giving up.

A lot of things had been prolonged and postponed which ultimately end up costing more. What I am saying is, if there is any opportunity for one, no matter how young or inexperienced, to start his or her career long before finishing a college, then I believe that anyone in his sane mind should grab that opportunity and start facing life early. I see no need to wait until you get your diploma. Now is the right time to etch your destiny. Your education or college diploma should only be an added bonus but not the main reason for one to succeed. One can still succeed even without it. What's your say?

half-baked what?

Some people label their capabilities as either developed or half-baked. Are you a full-grown singer? or dancer perhaps? A complete writer? or half--baked actor or teacher? |Whatever. I know I can not only do a little of everything, but I believe I can do a lot of everything. Funny, but that's how big my belief in myself is. I don't wanna say I am half-baked here and there because I know that I almost always gave and give my best in everything I do, so how can that be half-baked? Hmmmm.....

the Entrepreneur

I have developed this habit of reading the Entrepreneur, a monthly national magazine that features inspiring stories of real people who want to be boss by having their own business. Wow, the articles are so inspiring they can make you fly.lol Like other readers I seem to hang on to every word on every page like it's going to change the world.lol Well, better than nothing. I mean reading anything is far better than not reading at all. You better agree with me on this one.

blogging as a new literary genre

Everything has evolved and of course the world of literature is now facing a new sort of challenge since there is now a deluge of literary stuff online which can easily be accessed by online readers all over the world. So where do the heavy hard-covered books fit in this new genre? We know that producing anything online can be done in just a matter of minutes regardless of quality. Is this good or bad news? Will real books lose their place in the sun one of these days?

Blogging is the latest tool writers can easily use to express themselves quickly. It is so easy for anyone to get read and to read anyone's blog as well.

Although the quality of the works online is in question, but their easy access makes them the more preferred and library books are now starting to gather dust.

getting back into the groove

It only took one book for me to get back into reading. I've sort of lost touch and given all sorts of alibis to skip what I used to love and that is, reading. I am thankful to this friend of my son who sent him a book he had recently written and published and which made me start reading again. I know I have wasted a lot of time doing nothing that would contribute to my well-being. I am glad though that I am doing it again before I totally forget how to read or worst, totally lose interest in it.

I want 'em funny

Whether it's books or movies, I now have this special preference for one that makes me laugh. I used to enjoy books and movies with loaded plots, particularly those that capitalize on vengeance as the motivating factor that leads characters into the different twists and turns of events. Heavy. But those were the days. I do not have time anymore for anything that taxes my mind and emotions unnecessarily. I have more than enough of my day-to-day struggles I now want something that will tickle my funny bones. Any suggestions are most welcome.

to know the culture, know the language first

How true. In a recent interview we had with someone who spent 20 years of her life in another country and who eventually married someone from that culture, the first thing she did in order to understand the new environment and its people was to learn its language.

Yes, language comes first in knowing or studying another culture. This is why people who move to another place with an entirely new culture have to study and learn the language first before understanding everything else.

Human Securities Act: Does it violate human rights?

How can something which is supposed to uphold an ideal violate it at the same time?

Skeptics have questioned the morality of the Human Securities Act which is primarily aimed at curtailing terrorism of all sorts. The new law is supposed to give assurance and protection to the public and not otherwise. Does it violate human rights? This question can only be raised by those who probably have a stake on the issue. Why? What human rights does it violate if it only aims to protect the citizenry? That is why precisely it is called the Human Securities Act because it purports to crack down on big and small types of terrorism that are openly perpetrated by some groups in our country.

My stand is for us to wait and see. The law is still in its infancy and it is too early to give final judgments. That it violates human rights still needs to be proven. We have to see concrete examples of these violations before anyone hurls any accusation against the new law.

That's just my two cents.

debate

Schools today are training their students in the art & skill of argumentation. Debating clubs exist for this purpose and those that are really serious in molding their students into excellent debaters set a regular training schedule so students can practice their skill.

This is the secret of schools that breed champion debaters----regular practice and training that give the students the opportunity to polish their speaking skills on a regular basis.

If you only start training your students only when you get challenged or invited to a debate, forget about winning. You will only be putting the name of your school to shame.

Practice and train even when there is no invitation. Be prepared always for any battle.