[Blog #12] Thank You Miss Duffield!

There are a lot more things more that I want to share butsadly this will be my last entry. The first time Ms. Duffield assigns us tomake a blog entry, I know to myself that’s going to be easy since I am ablogger myself. But as each Sunday come, I keep on cramming on what topic Ishould write; I then thought it’s not that easy. But I must say I had funwriting it all especially when my group mates comment on it which I lookforward the most. Since this will be my last entry, I want to share myexperiences that I had the whole semester.

When I first enrolled to LAMC, I’m not really sure what toexpect. I’m really scared since it’s my first time studying in a foreigncountry. I don’t know if I’ll be having friends or I’ll be an outcast. So I thoughtI just need to endure it; I only have 2 subjects anyway. On each subject myfavorite is English 21. I’m not saying this because this blog is for English21but because I really learned and enjoyed it a lot! That’s why I do not want toskip the class.

At first I thoughtMs. Duffield will be an old scary, terror teacher with glasses on, and her hairon a tight bun, wears a matching skirt and blouse and noisy stilettos. Since itsEnglish I thought my teacher will be a tough one. All my imaginations about herwere all gone when I saw her walking on the center of the class. I said tomyself, “Wow! My professor is young! (And cool)”. So my first day with Ms.Duffield went smoothly and nice.

I enjoyed every story we discussed in class. She enthusiasticallyencourages us to participate and share our comments. Though I want to saysomething like how Ian and Nancy answers, I always hold back because I’m scaredmy opinion might be out of topic or doesn’t makes sense. So I just shareminimal answers and keep my opinions to myself or share it with Oksana.

Essays. I’m not really good in writing but I love to write (weird?).I admit, I had difficult times writing my essays and almost cried because wordsjust won’t come out of my mouth and sentence just won’t form completely in myhead. Though I had a hard time, I just think of it as a challenge. I will needit. But thank you to Ms. Duffield, she always assist and help us with it.

To sum this all up, I’m really thankful I was able to bepart of Ms. Duffield’s class. I’m also thankful to her, she helped me a lot.Professor, thank you for everything. Throughout the whole semester, I thought Iwill be having a hard time adjusting to your class. I really enjoyed your classprofessor. I hope you can be my professor again for English 101. Thank you!

PS: Thank you to Oksana, I’m really thankful to her. She’s my only friend and she did help me a lot. I had a fun time with her and hopefully next semester we can be classmates again. Also to Rosa and Yesenia, thank you guys for commenting on my blog. I really appreciate it a lot!

HAVE A WONDER AND JOYFUL CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

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[Blog #11] Filipino Dessert

Since its Thanksgiving on Thursday and it means there will be food on the table. I decided to share some popular Filipino snacks or desserts. Filipinos are known to have a hearty appetite and just love to eat. In fact, a typical Filipino eats three meals a day and two snacks in between. One funny fact in our snacks is that bananas are the most common ingredients in most of our snack.

One of the most common snacks we eat is the Banana Q. It is a popular snack so easy to make. The banana is coated with caramelized brown sugar then just deep fry. It is skewered on a bamboo stick, like a barbeque, so you can eat it easily. You can buy this on the streets or just make one at home.

Another snack is the suman. Suman is a rice cake made of glutinous rice cooked in coconut milk. They wrap it on banana or coconut leaves then arrange it on a big saucepan and steam it. The usual cooking time for suman is 2 hours until it is cook. Quite long but it is really good especially when you put margarine or butter then coats it with sugar. It’s really good!

There is also the turon. This is a healthy dessert and an all time favorite snack. The making of turon is so affordable and also easy-to-prepare. It is just made of thinly sliced bananas and a slice of jackfruit, dusted with brown sugar, rolled in spring roll wrapper and fry. You will know it’s already cook when the wrapper turns to golden brown. This snack is really sweet but truly good. You usually see on the streets being peddled along with banana q.

If Korea have patbingsu and Singapore have ice kachang; We Filipinos have halo-halo. Halo-halo (mix-mix) is the most popular and favorite snack food in the Philippines. Literally from its name, you really need to mix the halo-halo a lot of times so you can eat it properly. Summer is the perfect season for this snack; it is a mixture of red beans, coconut meat, jackfruit strips, pounded dried rice, sweet yam, leche flan, slice of banana, filled with crushed ice and milk. You can also put ice cream on top but it’s your choice. It is a sweet and creamy dessert and for sure you guys will love it too.

This entry really made me hungry. I wish my dad can serve this on Thanksgiving.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

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[Blog #10] Manny Pacquiao

Every time Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao have a match, my family always have this small gathering (feast) and we watch it all together. In the Philippines, there is this inside joke that if Pacquiao have a fight, it’s a national holiday and a crime free day because the criminals are also watching his match. Everyone is in their houses waiting for his fight. Last Saturday night, Manny Pacquiao just finish his fight to Juan Manuel Marquez at MGM Grand in Las Vegas. It was an intense fight and people (even I) didn’t expect that Marquez will be that agitated and strong on the ring. Many critics say it will be a knock out for Marquez but seems like those are just predictions. The fight was until round 12 and the unexpected decision was announce; it was Pacquiao who won! We were really shock that it was him because during the whole fight it looked like Marquez was winning; we were already expecting that it will be him. But for the issue and controversy, I’ll just leave it to the people involve. Shocked and surprise I’m still happy he won.

Emmanuel "Manny" Dapidran Pacquiao was born in Bukidnon, Philippines in the Mindanao Region. He is the fourth child among six siblings; have a wife named Maria Geraldine "Jinkee" Jamora and they were blessed with four children namely, Emmanuel Jr. "Jimuel", Michael, Princess, and Queen Elizabeth "Queenie". Manny finished his elementary education in General Santos City (where he is currently residing) but when he was in high school he was force to drop out because of extreme poverty. He was forced to work at a very young age after his father left the family for another woman. Manny Pacquiao worked in the hardcore streets of General Santos City selling breads and other bakery goods. Manny began fighting for little money in the streets. These fights were brutal but soon Manny gained a reputation (he was then called as Pacman) for being a very tough fighter showed determination when fighting opponents that were much larger than him. His mom, who was a very religious person, was not a fan of what he can do because she was expecting him to be a priest instead of a becoming a boxer. Without permission, Manny left his home at age 14 to pursue his career as a boxer in Manila. For a time he worked in construction and also in the gym where he trained doing odd jobs which included janitor. He started boxing at the age of 16 and made it to the Philippine National Amateur Boxing Team. Since then on, Manny achieve a lot success and blessings in life; he became rich and famous and now known as the Pound-for-Pound boxer. Pacquiao have 54 Wins (38 Knockouts), 3 Defeats (2 Knockouts) and 2 Draws in total with 8 world titles in boxing. During his career, he became an actor, TV host and well, a singer. His life was also shown in the theaters and was release on June 21, 2006 but the film flopped in the box office.

To pursue his education, Pacman took and passed a high school equivalency exam making him eligible for college education. He was awarded with a high school diploma by the Department of Education. Pacquiao enrolled for a college degree in business management at Notre Dame of Dadiangas University (NDDU) in his hometown in General Santos City. It was confirmed in 2009 that Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao will run as the Congressman in Saraggani, the home province of his wife, and fortunately he won.

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[Blog #9] My Bucket List

Thanks to Rosas’ entry last week I had an idea on what I am going to write for my next blog. Have you guys seen the movie “The Bucket List” by Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson? If not yet, it’s a story about two terminally ill men who escape from a cancer ward and head off on a road trip with a wish list of to-dos (bucket list) before they die. The movie inspired me so much that I came up to make my own bucket list too. I want to do a lot of things before I die, so I listed them so that I won’t forget when I get old. Here are the top 5 on my list.

First, I want to try bungee jumping. I saw a lot of people doing it on TV and it looks cool! I’m not picky on where to jump as long as it is high. It can be on a bridge, a high crane or for starters a ramp. It seems really exciting and just the feeling of jumping downward then the elastic rope holding you will pull you upward; isn’t it fun? Do you guys know a place?

Second thing that I want to try is sky diving. Jumping off on a plane 3,000 to 13,000 feet above the ground is really scary but that makes it more exciting for me. I admit I’m scared doing it, knowing there can be some mishaps that might happen. But I’m up for the challenge. I really like the feeling of flying.

Third, I want to watch the sunrise on top of a mountain. I’ve seen some movies doing this kind of scene and it looks so beautiful. It’s really serene and breathtaking. Isn’t it cool to start your day with a beautiful view? I really want to see it; watch Mr. Sun conquer and lighten up the whole place. Peaceful and calming.

Fourth, I want to visit Ireland. It’s the 3^rd largest island in Europe and the 12^th in the whole world. I want to visit their tourist spots like the Bunratty Castle, Blarney Castle, Rock of Cashel and Holy Cross Abbey. Mainly, the reason I want to visit Ireland is because of Westlife but when I search things about the country I found out that they have a lot of historical castles. It’s really amazing how these castles are still standing and preserve as the country’s tourist spots.

Fifth, I want to tour Asia. Asia is a big continent and touring the whole continent is going to be pricey and expensive that’s why I only choose countries I can visit. I picked Japan, South Korea, China/Taiwan, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia. I’m really proud of my race that's why before I die, I want to explore these countries. Asian's in general have different kind of tradition; each country has their own unique culture. Like Japan, I want to eat the original makers of sushi, onigiri, sashimi, shabu-shabu and other food that already have their different kinds of version. Malaysia and Indonesia have a close culture to Philippines because the first descendants of the Filipinos were Malays and Indos. My curiosity level is high that I really wanted to visit this countries.

This are one of my goals and a challenge to myself if I can really all of this. But even if I can't accomplish what are listed on my bucket list in the future, at least some of them I have already tried.

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[Blog #8] Pick your ride!

Last time I introduced some of Philippine’s best vacation spot. The places that I listed weren’t even half of what you can see in the Philippines. Since I already started introducing about my country, I decided to write more about it. This time, I will share about the common (but unique) transportations you will see only in the Philippines.

Jeepneys are the common and popular transportation in the Philippines. Honestly, these jeepneys were originally given or sold by the American troops to the Filipinos after World War II. To accommodate more passengers, they made it 2 meters longer and putting two long seats, one on each side from the front to the back. It is manned by two people, a driver and a conductor; the conductor manages the passengers and takes the fare collection. Originally, jeepneys don't have air-conditioning; instead it has 2 long windows on the side and run by a gasoline. Bu, these past few years, Filipinos started using LPG and electrical jeepneys; both are cheaper and environment friendly.

Tricycle is a motorcycle with a sidecar which will be the passenger’s cabin. This is the most popular means of transport in small towns and cities, especially in the rural areas. They are also known as auto-rickshaw. Commonly, tricycles contain 5 passengers, 3 on the side car and 2 passengers at the back of the passenger. Some tricycles utilizes even the back of the sidecar that can already accommodate up to 7 passengers. Same with jeepneys, some tricycles were already converted to electrical tricycles; cheap and environment friendly.

regular tricycle

7 passenger tricycle

Pedicab,unlike tricycle, uses vinyl-covered sidecar mounted to a bike. Pedicabs are useful for carrying cargo that is too heavy to hand-carry, or the journey is too congested for motor transport. Like a bicycle rickshaw, this form of transportation is powered by human pedal power. Pedicabs are particularly welcomed on a hot day when the jeepney drops you blocks from your destination. Along with the jeepney and the tricycle, the open air of the pedicab provides pleasant relief from the heat.

Kalesa (calesa) is a horse drawn calash (carriage) introduced by the Spaniards. A kalesa looks like an inclined cart. It has two round wheels on each side and two rows of seats that can accommodate four persons. The driver sits on a block of wood located at the front of the cart near the horse. Among all this kind of rides, this is my favorite of them all. It’s really fun to ride especially when you are the driver. Unfortunately, kalesa’s can now rarely be seen in the cities but some provinces still preserve this and made it part in the history of that province.

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[Blog #7] They end after 14 years

These past few weeks I've been listening to Westlife non-stop. They’ve been my favorite boy band since I was in Grade 6 and that was way back in 1998. So for my 7th blog, I decided to make an entry about them.

Westlife is an Irish pop band that was formed on July 3, 1998. The group’s original lineup comprised Nicky Bryne, Kian Egan, Mark Feehily, Shane Filan, and Brian McFadden. Shane and Mark are the band’s lead vocalists. Westlife had 14 UK number ones and was the first act in British history to have four number one singles in a year. The band was also the only act to have number ones with their first seven singles and to date they have gone on to sell over 40 million albums worldwide. They were signed on by Simon Cowell and are currently managed by Louis Walsh. In the year 2004, Brian McFadden left the group and after less than a month of his departure from the group, the group kicked off their "Turnaround Tour".

In 2008, they are declared as Ireland’s 9th richest celebrities less than 30 years old and 13th in general. They garnered 14 number one singles in the United Kingdom, the third-highest in UK history, tying with Cliff Richard and tailing behind Elvis Presley and The Beatles. The band has also won numerous awards such as the “Best Irish Pop Act” at the annual Ireland Meteor Awards and ITV “Record of the Year” award in the UK. The band has also broken a few top records, including music artist with most consecutive number 1′s in the UK and the biggest selling arena act in the UK.

Despite their success in some parts of the world, Westlife have been unable to break into the US market. Their debut single and music video "Swear It Again", released in the US in 2000, was a hit on mainstream radio and the band even made an appearance on MTV's Total Request Live. The song was No. 75 on the Billboard Hot 100 year end chart of 2000. A US edition of their debut album, Westlife was also released. In 2002, they attempted to release and promote their World of Our Own US version but didn’t continue instead, they decided to concentrate their promotions to other foreign countries where they had larger fan base.

So in conclusion, Westlife had great achievements and successful concerts for 14 years in the music business. Last Wednesday, Westlife dropped a bomb that shocked me and every fan in the world. After having their successful Gravity Asian Tour 2011, the band announced that they were going to split and will search for new ventures by themselves. I was really shocked that I cried too much when I heard the news. It’s really heart breaking since I've been supporting since 6th Grade.

Here is their song "Flying Without Wings" that became an instant hit in UK and in other countries in the world.

And this is their new and last music video before officially splitting up next year.

So what do you guys think about them?

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[Blog #6] Welcome To The Philippines

For my 6th blog entry, I want to introduce some places I would recommend if you plan to visit Philippines. The best season I suggest is during summer and it starts from March to May. It’s the perfect time for tourist to visit the country. Philippines is compose of 3 islands called Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

Baguio City (bag-yo)

Baguio is the summer capital of the Philippines. It’s a city located at the top of a mountain and the only way to go up in the city is going through the ZigZag Road. Baguio is a favorite vacation destination of Filipinos & foreign tourist especially during summer because of its year-round cool climate. It was established by the Americans in 1909 that’s why most of their parks and streets are Americanize. The centerpiece of Baguio City is the Burnham Park which features a rectangular lagoon and open fields. There is also the Mines View Park, that boasts a spectacular view of Benguet's gold and copper mines. Baguio is also a city full of strawberries. They have a big farm of strawberries and you can pick the fruit on your own.

Banaue (ba-na-we)

Philippine’s asset is this Banaue Rice Terraces as quoted as the “8^th Wonder of the World”. Years ago, the Ifugaos (tribes) transformed the hills into rice farms and made it look like stairs. Many tourists and locals were amaze because of its unique appearance.

Bohol

Bohol is an island paradise in the Philippines famous for its white sand beaches, the Chocolate Hills and the Tarsier, the smallest primate in the world. Surrounded by beautiful beaches and coral reefs, Bohol is a travel destination for tourist & travelers who love nature. It is also renowned for its wonderful dive spot. Foreign and local divers come to Bohol to see the breathtaking underwater coral reefs around the islands. The Chocolate Hills is the main attraction of the province. It is not literally hills made of chocolates but because of their almost perfect shape and grasses that are brownish. Another attraction is the Tarsier, the smallest primate in the world. it has big eyes and long tail and you can just hold it using your palm.

Boracay

To visitors who love beaches, Boracay is the perfect and recommended spot because of its white sand and beautiful beaches. Tourist can go scuba diving, snorkeling & sunbathing but aside from this, a common sight around Boracay Island is sailing on slender hulled boats. The nightlife of Boracay is very lively with the numerous clubs and bars spanning the whole stretch of the beach. The popular scene during the night are the “fire dancers”.

Palawan

Palawan is the most well preserved major island group in the Philippines. The rain forest, caves, coral reefs, mangroves, beaches and clear blue waters are its best assets. It is a popular destination for people who love adventure. of years of preservation, the caves where able to form different shapes of stalagmites and stalactites.

Though this are just few of the tourist spots I can share, Philippines has a lot of variety that you can visit and you will be surely amaze.

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