love takes time by nozomi.hayashi

There's a right time for everything.. Time for fun, Time to study and Time for falling in love.. We, youths are too young to think about it. We should focus first on our studies.. According to my own experience, falling inlove at this moment was like a having what you want but you can't.. I, myself experience that feeling.. I felt like I'm in heaven, He's always there for me, saying sweet nothings, supporting each other.. We are almost a perfect couple, but it was not..

I realized that it was too early for me to think about it or too young to fall in love.. maybe God let me felt being hurt for me to realized that there's someone better than him and someone whom really meant for me.. if love is true, it will lasts.. if it's not true it will not..Love comes unexpectedly, and I'm sure that when that right time comes, I'm ready to give it all

Now, I'm very happy with my family and friends.. They make me feel so special and precious.. They make fall in life as well.. Know it's importance.. thank you for everything, supporting, guiding and comforting me when I'm on my emptiness.. I'm satisfied on the things happen in my life..

You, I would to thank you as well!! I know that you treat me as your princess, maybe it happen because where not yet ready for it or We are not really meant for each.. I hope that you'll be happy like me.. I know that you'll find that special Girl when your ready to face the consequences behind it and conquers it all..

love is a feeling that cannot be defeated if it is really meant for you.. and true love really waits.. It really waits.. Love takes time..

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nozomi.hayashi is a spongebob addict, a loving and caring dauhter and friend.

Three Japanese Movies

For so long now, I've been trying to write so many things about my current adventures. Sadly, the sun always sets down even before I could begin painting my thoughts in words. No one could really stop the earth from its rotation and the sun will always have to sleep to regain its strength; fortunately, this ball of fire will certainly rise up again the next day to mark a new beginning for sentence and paragraph weaving.

I want to learn writing with great passion. So, every time I write article, essay, or poem, I would like to feel that I am writing a masterpiece worth cherishing for a lifetime. It is as if they are gems that will require constant polishing, a treasure of great semantic arrangements. But more than my written works’ linguistic characteristics, I prefer to read them over and over again because of the lessons deeply imbued in each of their letters, which serve as strands of a literary fabric intricately woven into a clothing that will give me warmth and strength in case I encounter rain – or hurricane – in the future.

For now, I particularly want to write about the movies I have watched from the recently concluded 2009 Japanese Film Festival. It was held last July at the Shangri-La Hotel – free admission.

I have seen almost all the eight featured films except Always-Sunset on Third Street and Tony Takitani. Three of these eight films emerged to be my most favorite -- Memories of Tomorrow (Yukihiko, 2006), Kamome Dinner (Naoko, 2006), and Mind Game (Yuasa, 2004). The other films, such as the Memories of Matsuko, The Milkwoman, and Turn Over-An Angel Is Coming on a Bicycle, are almost as good as the three, but not equally memorable for me.

Memories of tomorrow is a story on how short life is – a passing mist that will appear in a moment and will disappear even faster. Life is as weak as the spider’s web that in a gentle touch will suddenly collapse. However, knowing this universal truth is different from feeling it. And feeling it unnecessarily mean it is strongly being reinforced in my heart. But because of Memories’ medium and message, I have not only understood the fragility of life – I have also felt it with a strong reinforcement. I realized that no matter how successful a man is in this mundane world, he will perish like nothing – a pitiful creature.

Although life is delicate, there is no reason to be pessimistic. It might be short, but there is a way to make it happy and contented, which is the main message of Kamome Dinner. The story, plot, development, cinematography, and screenplay all boil down to a simple yet strong message – a message that can be summed up through the line of one the characters: “Why are the Finish happy and relaxed?” The other character replied: “Maybe because of their forests?” Perhaps, some may wonder why such mediocre line deeply caught my attention. Well, it is because, like the character, I am looking for something that could make me happy. And while watching the film, I have come to a realization that all I have to do to be relaxed. Finding happiness is settling with what is right – remove from my heart anger, envy, jealousy, and sadness. I have to eliminate the feeling that I have been a victim of grave injustice – because I have not been and will never be. Always having the feeling that I have been gravely punished makes me feel so heavy that I can no longer breathe at times. It is as if I want to cry all day. So, I shall pray. Settle with the basic of life. Drink coffee in my seat. Do my job well. Study hard. Teach with love and concern. And at the end of the day, pray again for prayer is the first and last step.

Kamome simply says the becoming happy is easy. Our dreams need not to be grand. Our dreams could be as simple as wanting to feed people with good food and seeing them smile in every bite. But with a simple dream, we could find great happiness and immense contentment.

Last, but certainly not the least – Mind Game. Mind Game is an animation about a group of people trapped in a big fish. I could tell you the whole story and bore you or tell you the lesson which you could use as you travel in this world. Life is full of great challenges. We might be trapped in a situation where escape may be seemingly impossible. But that is not true. No matter how impossible it may be, there will always be opportunities to win over it. All we need is determination and will. No matter how we perceived our situation to be hopelessly miserable, there will always be chances for us to escape from it and enjoy freedom and happiness.

So, I guess that would be enough. Three stories I would want to get back in the future. I hope to always remember their lessons.

WELCOME TO THE WORLD WHERE YOU DON'T BELONG by Little Miss Pesky Chicken

It's so nice to be back in the place where you were born, and to the place where you have spent your childhood. It's so nice to be in the world where you will find many new things and adventures that are SO unexplainable. If you thought that you'll handle or survive in this place because you have been here, think again. The past is way different than the present.

I thought everything will be okay at the beginning. They treat me well, like the same person as them. But as time goes by, I can see the real colors of these people. They're so different, strange, and weird. But I guess that's normal to this place. Everyone is such a plastic. They make friends with the smartest person and try to make some rules. They make friends with you when they need something from you and they will completely ignore you when they don't need anything from you. What are they, royalty? Excuse me, just because they are popular or pretty or they have almost everything in this planet, they don't have the rights to treat us like their slaves. Just because I'm weak, they can't do this to me, and to my friends.

I know, in this place, I'm a loser again. And I know that I'm a very weird person. Who cares? This is me, the real me. An alien to this place, so peculiar, that's me. And I know that everything that I do is not normal here. Like leaning on the back of someone especially if that someone is a guy friend of yours. Making friends with the opposite sex is such a big deal for them. Everyone's so malicious. They make simple things or simple stories exaggerated. They make rumors about you, lies, and worst, they backstab you. What the hell happened to "don't judge a book by its cover?"

I know that I'm a stupid girl from the province, and I don't know anything about the city and the people here. I know that our worlds are different. Now, I start to ask myself, "Why are they doing this to me?" And I figured out the answer, "because you're different. You don't belong here." I know that I'm different and I don't belong in this place. But is there a way for me to fit in? Try to act like them, be like them. Wow! That's totally "plastic". Not only to myself but to the people around me, too.

Well, it’s a very tough thing for me to fit in. In this world where everyone acts so mature and so perfect. If you are experiencing these things, well, there’s one thing that I would like to tell you. Welcome to the world you don’t belong!


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Little Miss Pesky Chicken is a girl who loves to laugh and always smile.

Achieving Great Success by Mizty

All of us want to be successful someday. To reach our goals, to pursue our dreams. But what does success really mean? Why is it that when talking about being successful, all of us don't want to be left behind. It’s like a daily issue in the news that we always watch and hear. It’s like a very serious issue that never dies and needs to be pay attention. Why is very important and the point is how to achieve it.

Success is not new to us anymore. We always hear about it, talk about it, and sometimes it is also the main topic of the most television shows. And on most television shows that talks about success, some TV personality we know who shares their experience on how they become successful. Most of them have interesting from rags to richest. Like those great personality, we too would like to be as successful as they are today. The question is how do we do it?

We are not innocent anymore, that's why when talking about success, we should know or maybe have a little knowledge about it. Success is not that easy to achieve nowadays. Especially to those person who are greatly affected by poverty. But poverty is not a hindrance to reaching out our goals in life. if your real objective is to be a successful person someday, you just have to set your mind straight to those objectives. We should not mind the problems that come along the way. Whenever we encounter problems, we should face them and never give up. They are just challenges that help us to become a stronger person. They serve as our guide. In reaching out success, we should also be patient. On our way to success, not every time there will be smooth road; there is always part of it where we have to face obstacles. If we fall once, we have to stand up and be strong. Never say die. Success always comes along with hard work. If you try your best and strive for excellence, success will never be too far from you. We should also be optimistic. Always look on the brighter side of everything. Think positive. And of course we should never forget to look back when success is already on our hands.

Success is not as easy as we see it. But no matter how hard it is to achieve, we should take every risk and don't give up. If our mind is focused on to reaching our goals, success will never be hard as it seems. And the last thing is never forget that God is always there guiding us.

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Mizty is a simple and a friendly person. She loves reading and hanging out with friends.

My Writing Escapade by Mademoizelle

I’m running out of words… to scrawl in this empty sheet of paper. I’m running out of neurons… on my head just to think, imagine and think again to write like a genuine writer. I’m running out of time… since there seems no room for concentration. Still, silence is around. A few seconds, minutes and hours passed by and I had written words, phrases, titles, sentences without certain direction. Then suddenly on my head, it’s like I am digging a very deep soil, perhaps on a quicksand I felt I was about to sink on it. Good Lord! What an oblivion mind I have tonight! Do I really have the guts for this kind of endeavor?

Asking myself what writing is all about I guess is as fussy and imperious as what life is all about. Figurative, idiomatic, poetic, melodic, scientific and biblical- we live for many reasons, missions, choices and pathways. It’s like being a writer of your own story. And for me, writing is like a Death March! I have to walk a thousand miles, a lonely road, cross a river, climb hills and mountains just to enter the kingdom where pen and mind are mightier than the sword.

Perhaps, I have to flashback now when I first fell in love and befriended a pen. Playful and innocent is the kind of child I used to be. The time has come to change and I was about to enter a new playground where pen and paper is my only toys. It was during my fifth and sixth grade in school. On my English and Filipino subject, a formal theme was a prerequisite every grading period. Still fresh on my memory, the topic and title of it (My Autobiography, My Most Unforgettable Experience and My Dreams for the Future). I won’t deny that I owe my elder sister greatly for sharing her skills of writing with me. For that, I thank my gratitude to my one and only sister, my first writing guru. I also thank my two advisers in grade school that appreciated my works and encourage me for writing though I only did this because of grades and requirements. It never occurred to me as a habit especially during vacation. Other than that, on my first experience to write a journal was during high schools as English requirement. It was good and my teacher also appreciated my works. AS of now, I wonder if I really have the gift to write effectively-as in a future career to be a writer. Many times, I felt that I’m frustrated and trying hard writer especially if I know someone my age or classmates who have this skill.

For this reason, if I could write a thousand words with different colors such as red for love, orange for fun, yellow for hopes, green for nature, blue for peace, indigo for courage and strength, and violet for passion and grace, truly my life will be as majestic and chaste as the rainbow of God’s embrace.


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Mademoizelle is simply unpredictable, introvert, music and nature lover. She is a Christ’s child, born with imperfection and discontentment. Indeed, she is a sinner who seeks for God’s forgiveness and wisdom, who aspire for more spiritual happiness and pray for my salvation with my loved ones.

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Fragments

Interesting Find 1: English in high cchool

I found this interesting article about the recent update on English teaching in high school.

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English in high school

by Isagani Cruz

Starting June 2010, the approach to the teaching of English in high school will be very different from what it is now. This is an attempt by the Department of Education to make the teaching of the English language more effective.

Right now, literature is usually taught only once a week in English classes. The rest of the week, English is taught as a language, with hardly any reference to literature. What English teachers use now are texts written by non-literary writers. Non-literary writers, needless to say, do not win Nobels, Bookers, Pulitzers, nor National Book Awards for the correctness and elegance of their writing. Students right now are not exposed to the best writing done in the English language, since the best writing is done by literary writers. They do not really have an accurate idea of what good English looks like.

(Full Article Here)

Eiga Sai 2009

We have learned that films are great mediums for learning. Just be sure of the "right choice and treatment." Last month, we had French Film Festival. This month, its Japanese's turn to entertain and teach us through their great films. And like the previous festival sponsored by the French Embassy, Eiga Sai 2009 will be providing screenings to us for free. And what could be greater than free passes in a nice film theater? None, right? So, what are we waiting for.

Click this site for the screening schedules or this site for more details about the event. Find some time to watch!

Movie: An Effective Medium to Teach Language

One prevalent reason why most students are discouraged to study English is their wrong perception that it is boring and tedious. They would rather go to cinemas and watch their favorite blockbuster films rather than study the rules of subject and verb agreement. Most of the time, like these students, I find myself in the same difficult situations. I know that my professors are doing their best to come up with the best possible methods to effectively teach English. However, I cannot solely leave everything to their hands. College life is no longer like the elementary and high school years when almost everything was spoon fed. I should ask not only a fish to live a day but to explore the possibility of learning how to fish to live a lifetime.

I was thinking that my love for watching good films and my need to be proficient in English can be fulfilled both at the same time. I do not need to set aside one to accomplish the other or vice versa. I could watch my favorite movie while simultaneously learning English. In fact, in a study conducted by David Wood (1997), it has been proven that movies are effective mediums to teach language and culture among students. It says that language teaching through the aid of movies has great benefits, including the improvement of the students’ tolerance to ambiguity while supporting ability to independently study the language; the enhancement of the students’ analytical skills; and the motivation of vocabulary expansion.

There is an important reminder though. With the great number of movies that are easily accessible to students these days, a “careful selection and treatment” is necessary to ensure that the aimed learning result will be successfully achieved.

In the age of electronic media, there is no better way to lengthen the students' attention span and focus but through the things that interest them the most. In my case, since I love watching good films, I will take this opportunity to reinforce language learning to myself, and I will treat each movie as a chance to be exposed to communication skills development.

Speaking of language learning through films, the 14^th French Film Festival was recently launched at Shang-rila Cineplex, featuring award-winning movies produced and directed by critically acclaimed French film makers. The festival has provided and will still be providing free movie screenings until June 14, 2009. I have watched Van Gogh, Jean dela Fontaine, Ca Brule, and Flandres so far.

To guide you with the event, this entry on Business World, entitled Viva la France, may help you know more about the films. Also, you may click this link for the screening schedule.

By the way, form the movies you have watched, which one do you think should we not miss? Can you please post a brief synopsis about it?

Reference:

Wood, D. (1997). Culture and Language Teaching -- A Case Study. Journal of Chikushi Jogakuen University, 105 - 125.

Related Reading on the Importance of Studying English

I found this recently posted entry by benign0 on Filipino Voices. It’s entitled English opens doors. May this essay help us motivate ourselves to learn more about the English language.

On the Importance of Studying English

I can still vividly recall the first question my English Communication Skill (ECS) teacher asked our class nearly a decade ago: Is it really necessary to study the English language? The question would have been simple if not followed by a bigger inquiry in the form of “why?”

During that time, I was contemplating on choosing no as a kind of making a difference from those who have previously answered yes. And yes, I did. With seemingly no remorse and reservation, I answered no in an emphatic voice.

“No?” my teacher inquired, “Why?” sounding as if everything was scripted.

“Because English is just a status symbol? People are studying it just so they may be called sosyal, elite – and be part of the alta sociedad?” (Yes, there was hyphenation in speaking.)

My professor gave out a tiny little smile with her eyebrows almost getting out of shape and turning into a straight vertical line. Upon seeing her reaction, or more aptly her transformation, I almost immediately wanted to repeat the last words of my sentences -- symbol? Alta sociedad? – and say to may professor: “Mam, have you noticed my intonation – my statements were questions.” But I was not able to say the words anymore. The universe had conspired to my advantage and sent a bell to save me. And thus, I was saved by the bell indeed – literally. Our school bell rang signifying the end of the class session. “Whoa, that was pretty close,” I told myself.

The next day, we were unable to get back to the topic, either because we needed to discuss another more sensible topic (more significant than our reasons why we were studying it), or because our teacher had forgotten it, or our teacher had forgotten it because we needed to discuss another more sensible topic that is more significant than our reasons why we were studying it. Yeah, right. Whatever the reason was, I never knew what it was. But the question remained in my mind: Why do we really need to study the language?

David Crystal (1994), in his book The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language, gave out six relevant reasons to study the language: It is fascinating, important, fun, beautiful, and useful – and because it is there. I actually feel that these reasons are weak though and, thus, may still be insufficient to motivate Filipino students to study English.

English has been part of our identity as Filipinos since it reached our shores over a hundred years ago. It is our second language, a medium of teaching instruction, and the language of communication media. Not to mention that textbooks, standardized board exams, interviews, and computer instructions are most often expressed in English.

No wonder why students’ performance in other academic subjects are directly proportional and highly related to their English communication skills. Students taking up any collegiate courses (e.g. Education, Nursing, Accountancy, and Engineering) would have difficulty excelling in their field in the absence of competitive English skills. And worst, their future duties as the country’s professionals might be compromised due to inadequate English proficiency.

However, having the awareness that studying English is not enough. Getting motivated by it is more important. The knowledge may have been well impressed long before into the students’ minds, but not the enthusiasm, the conviction, and the determination to study the language independently.

That, I think, is the bigger challenge for all us: Find in ourselves the will to excel in English in preparation for a more challenging academic life in the future.

Why do you think is the mastery of English skills necessary in your current course, studies, or job?

Reference:

Crystal, D. (1994). The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.