14- Speech Choir Competition

The Part two of the program was the Ignite Speech Competition and Speech Choir Competition. For our Ignite Speech our representative was Laine Antonio she presented a speech on how to understand women and how you can relate with them. One of y favourite ignite speaker is the guy since he talked about the different kind of people in the class such as the Bully who always bully, the donkey who is hardworking and really helpful , the phocopy machine which always copy, the hyperactive who is active, the musicians who always brings guitar and a lot more. And as for the Speech Choir competition all of us recited the poem “At Christmas” By Edgard Albert Guest

Here is a copy of the speech

At Christmas

Edgar Albert Guest

A man is at his finest towards the finish of the year;
He is almost what he should be when the Christmas season's here;
Then he's thinking more of others than be's thought the months before,
And the laughter of his children is a joy worth toiling for.
He is less a selfish creature than at any other time;
When the Christmas spirit rules him he comes close to the sublime.

When it's Christmas man is bigger and is better in his part;                                           
He is keener for the service that is prompted by the heart.
All the petty thoughts and narrow seem to vanish for awhile
And the true reward he's seeking is the glory of a smile.
Then for others he is toiling and somehow it seems to me
That at Christmas he is almost what God wanted him to be.

If I had to paint a picture of a man I think I'd wait
Till he'd fought his selfish battles and had put aside his hate.
I'd not catch him at his labors when his thoughts are all of pelf,
On the long days and the dreary when he's striving for himself.
I'd not take him when he's sneering, when he's scornful or depressed,
But I'd look for him at Christmas when he's shining at his best.

Man is ever in a struggle and he's oft misunderstood;
There are days the worst that's in him is the master of the good,
But at Christmas kindness rules him and he puts himself aside
And his petty hates are vanquished and his heart is opened wide.
Oh, I don't know how to say it, but somehow it seems to me
That at Christmas man is almost what God sent him here to be.

Overall, the program was a success although my block mates and I were sad since we did not win any single competition but we are glad since it is already finished and we can enjoy our Christmas vacation.

13- Speak Sense Season 2: Inter High School public speaking competition

Last November 27, 2015, The Asia Pacific College invited 10 high school students to join the Inter High School Public Speaking Competition with the APC Speaks as the main organizer for the said event. The mechanics of this competition is to make a speech that has a relation with the theme “The Best of Times or Worst of Times. It’s the only time we’ve got”. Each speaker presented a speech that has something to do with their own life experiences or perhaps a life-and-death-situation. After delivering their speech, they are given some question from the judges that they should answer.

One of my teacher told me that he favoured the speaker who had a life-and-death-situation with a hotdog and a cola. I know it seems funny hotdog and cola with life-and-death-situation. Anyway, my teacher favoured this one since his speech was good although the content still needs to improve.

Another speaker delivered a some sort of poetry that has connection with the theme although I find myself confused at some point since he delivered too fast and he even forgot some of the lines which earned a chuckle for some audience.

 As for my favourite, It was the last speaker which I have chosen. Her speech was really intense since she talked about her dysfunctional family, her fears for her parents and sibling, and her life. She even talked about committing suicide since she couldn’t bear the pain but she stop and think of the consequences after that. Her speech was really inspiring even though I do not have a dysfunctional family I could empathize with her problems.

 After all the speeches the APC Speaks presented a game which is called Speed Speech. A game where you should give a speech about the topic assign to you. For example, your first topic is juice you have to tell us about juice and 15 seconds later the emcee would give another topic which is not really related to the first topic which i why this game was a fun to all of us since we chuckled and laughed at some players.

Overall, the program was a success and it was a fun and a good learning experience.

12- Public Speaking Competition

Public Speaking Competition and Speech Choir Competition

Last December 21, 2015, The APC Speaks organized the event Public Speaking Competition wherein six representatives from each block were chosen to give a speech that has a relation with the theme “The Cult of Celebrities and Fantasies... A Filipino Obssession?”. 

After a few minutes of waiting, the program started and each representative where assign to different rooms for the elimination round. While waiting, the APC Speaks presented a game which is called Speed Speech wherein they would give you several topic and your tasked is to make a speech to connect all of them. This game was really hilarious since the topics are not connected to each other. One topic is all about cactus then Manila Zoo then Drugs with Hamburgers and many more.  Another game was also presented which is called “Ignite” this game is basically the same with Speed Speech but this time they are two players for each representative of the block. The topic where Lady Gaga, Darth Vader, Laptop, Watermelon, Dustpan, Taylor Swift, and a lot of words which I couldn’t remember due to laughing so hard. And, the last game which is for the whole block has something to do with Christmas song in short we are battling by singing Christmas song and if we repeat a Christmas song that was sang by the other block then we are out.

After all, this game the program proper started. It was really fun since three of m y classmates were included for the final round. Their names are Allysa Biona, Carmena Tabalan and Dea Rose Mahinay. Allysa Biona presented with a speech that has something to do with love and being heartbroken. Carmena Tabalan presented a speech that has somthing to do with her boyfriend who had cancer and Jamitch. And Dea Mahinay presented a speech that has something to do with her life experiences.

My favourite was Dea’s speech since she talked about her life of being a disabled person since her left leg is three inches shorter than the other. The reason why I love her speech is because it was really inspiring especially when she said that you can achieve happiness with self-acceptance. I could really relate well with her quote.

Overall, the program was a success and we are still nervous since after this competition the nest day would be Ignite Speech and Speech Choir.

11-Media Literacy: Mobilizing the Millennials as Socially Responsible Prosumers

 Social Media has been the greatest source of entertainment for every millennial youth nowadays but due to us being into social media we tend to forgot what really matters the most to all of us and we tend to get easily influenced on what we see.

Before the seminar started they let us watch a video which went viral years ago and has the topic of Ferdinand Marcos, Ninoy Aquino, Cory Aquino, and Power People Revolution. The video itself was actually breathtaking since the presentation was good and the information was a bit helpful. 

The seminar started with Asia Pacific College invited three female guest speakers, who works as journalists, and was given the chance to speak to students about Social Media nowadays and how it blinds us to our society.  What shocked me is that the three of them worked for Jessica Soho, a known TV program, which I really watched since it is interesting.

The First Speaker shared to us some tips on how to write an effective story or news article and what to avoid. She even discusses on how the journalist works in everyday life.

For the Second Speaker, she shared to us about Social Media and how it blinds us to what matters the most. If anyone still could still remember the Aldub concert titled “Sa Tamang Panahon” that concert has reached 40 million tweets while the Lumad Killings has only got 100+ tweets. The speaker told us that we are so focused on the things that does not matter the most or than the thing that should really matter. She even shared another story wherein a guy was falsely accused in the social media for bombing a place. That guy was bashed and always received death threats even though he was innocent but what shocked me is that when he was killed the same people who falsely accused him had the guts to apologize and offer their condolences.

Lastly, the third speaker shared some trivia on journalism and its perks but somehow it seems a bit boring to me or maybe because it was already nearing lunch time.

My favourite part of the event s when they give us tips or the strengths and weaknesses of the running presidential candidates for 2016. 

Overall,  the seminar is great and I have learned a lot because of them.

10- Plagiarism

What is Plagiarism?

Plagiarism came from the root word “plagiarize” which means “to copy”. Nowadays plagiarism is one of the major problems in terms of schooling since we tend to copy the work of someone without crediting the author of the work or we tend to forget to site the sources. Another problem that arises is the accidental plagiarism, a type of plagiarism, in which you accidentally copied someone’s paragraph or work without you knowing about it. I remember asking one of my teachers in the English term about this plagiarism cases.  I told him that what if a student accidentally wrote the same paragraph from another work. He answered that the professor always assume that a student would research on his/her topic very carefully which means that the student has the responsibility not to copy a paragraph from another work and they also have the responsibility to site the sources.

And to avoid plagiarism I listed four tips that you must remember in order to avoid plagiarism.

1. Paraphrase

                Paraphrase helps a lot since all you have to do is read and understand the work of someone and make your own by your own words.

2. Site your sources

                If you are not good in paraphrasing then you can site your sources since it makes your work would credible enough to impress your reader and at the same time giving credit to the person who made that idea.

3. Research the topic very well

                Some would agree that research is a boring thing to do but it will help you a lot in order not to plagiarize because if you know your topic well enough you can easily make ideas and transitions for your work.

4.  Socialize

                Socialize is another thing that you can do to avoid plagiarism. How does socializing helps in avoiding plagiarism? It helps us in a way that you would be able to know more about your topic and you would be able to get more feedback or ideas from others.

These are the four tips to remember. Some of them may look common or may sound legit to you but I can definitely say that these four tip would be able to help you avoid plagiarism and at the same time learn more about your topic.

09- Isagani R. Cruz

I still remember the day that our teacher assigned us work to do during the APEC week and one thing for sure is that I sighed I did it not because I hate making blogs but because my work is piling up including the household chores. But I was shocked when I saw what we were going to research about and that is about Filipino writers. I shook my head and sit myself straight and that time our teacher passed around a sheet of paper wherein we would sign our name to indicate that this is our chosen Filipino writer. I as stare at the paper I could not help but find the name “Isagani R. Cruz” interesting since  I had this sense of déjà vu when I saw it without any hesitation I signed my name and passed the paper around.

Who is Isagani R. Cruz?

Isagani R. Cruz is a Filipino short story writer, critic, educator, publisher, advocate and a multi-awarded and prolific poet. He was also the former Philippine Undersecretary of Education and currently the Academic Publications Executive Publisher of De La Salle University, Director of the Teachers Academy of Far Eastern University, and a visiting lecturer at the Ateneo de Manila University and University of Santo Tomas.

He won the Don Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature several times and was included at the Palanca Hall of Fame due to his works written in both Filipino and English language. He also won SEAWRITE Award, Centennial Literary Contest Award, and the Balagtas Award as a writer. Mr. Cruz is also known for his drama and film reviews.

He is also worked with the famous universities in the Philippines. He is the publisher and the Alfredo E. Litiatco Professor of Literature in De La Salle University.  In De La Salle, he taught Science Fiction, Advanced Writing, The Teaching of Literature, Rizal, and Bridge. And now, he is teaching Philippine Literature in English at Ateneo De Manila University.

As an advocator, he is a member of many institutions and groups that promotes Literature and Art. He is a member of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers, the Concerned Artists of the Philippine. He is the founding chair of Manila Critics Chair. He is also the former president of the Philippine Studies Association, the University of the Philippines Writers Club, and the Cultural Research Association of the Philippines. He was also the Philippine bibliographer of the Modern Language Association of America.

His works:

Stage Plays:

·         
·         Talong Api (Three Vicitms)
·         Wedding Night
·         Ms. Philippines
·         Moro-Moro
·         Delilah
·         Bienvenido, My brother
·         And Etc.

Stage play/Translations:

·         Leron Leron Sinta

·         Ang Tatay Mong Kalbo (the reason why I got a Deja vu)

·         Mga Bisita sa Kenny Hill (Visitors at Kenny Hill)

·         And Etc.

Since he has a lot of work, it would be tiring to list every single one of them so I would just give one example of his translated work named “Pansinin Mo ang Sarili Mong Krus”

Pasanin Mo ang Sarili Mong Krus

By Benigno Aquino Jr.
Translated by Isagani R. Cruz

Pasanin mo ang sarili mong krus.
Lakarin mo ang buong bayan.
Ikalat mo ang balitang may pag-asa.
Gisingin mo ang iyong mga kababayan
mula sa kanilang di-mapakaling pagtulog.
Hamunin mo sila, tulungan mo silang
itakwil ang pagkaalipin.
Alalahanin mo ang ating kasaysayan
ng kalayaan at katarungan,
ng pag-alay ng dugo ng ating mga bayani,
ng luhang nagdilig
at nag-alaga sa puno ng kalayaan.
Ipaalaala mo sa kanila na ang puno ng kalayaan
ay magbubunga lamang kung pinatataba
ng bangkay ng mga nang-aalipin sa kanila —
mga bangkay na pataba sa lupa!
Kung walang makikinig sa iyo,
kung walang sasama sa iyo
sa iyong dakilang pagkilos
dahil sanay na sila sa pagiging
tahimik at duwag na alipin —
maglakad ka pa rin,
pasanin mo pa rin ang krus ng bayan
kahit na mag-isa kang naglalakad!

Source:(Wikipedia)

08-Giselle: A Romantic Ballet

(Giselle)

Last summer, I happened to stumble upon a manga named “Coda” because I was really bored and I had nothing to do. I decided to read it since I was really curious and while reading I couldn’t help but laugh at the main character, Kunisada Haruichi, because he was forced to dress and act like a girl since Yuri Arbatov, the ballet prince, wouldn’t perform in the show without him dancing the part of Giselle. (Yes, I know it sound surreal but a boy would be dancing the part of Giselle) And the reason why Yuri was hesitant in taking another dance partner was because his last partner got an accident while dancing the pas de deux. And he believed that only Haruichi can dance the part.

And this was the reason why I came to know Giselle. 

At first, I was really curious on what Giselle was and after researching I found out that it was a romantic ballet with two acts:  First Act and Second Act.

The First Act starts with Giselle, a shy and beautiful peasant, who met Albrecht, the Duke of Silesia, who is currently disguised as a peasant named Loys. Albrecht fell in love with Giselle and wishes to marry her but sadly there are a lot of hindrances to his way to romance. First, he was betrothed to Bathilde, the princess of Courland, which he would marry on a sooner date. And second, he is of a high position and marrying a peasant girl would cause a ruckus. And so, he decided to disguise and ask for the help of his trusted man. He moved to the village and removed his possession and dressed like a peasant. Then he introduced himself to Giselle and his mother, Berthe, as Loys.  Hilarion, a gamekeeper, and also one of Giselle’s admirers became jealous of Loys and Giselle’s relationship. He was also suspicious of Loy’s identity and he vows to himself to find out about Loy’s identity and to expose him. Even Berthe, Giselle’s mother, was also suspicious of Loys’ identity and told her daugther to be very careful since she was protective of Giselle due to her weak heart that causes her to have a poor body condition.

 One morning, Loys’ trusted man returned and told him to stop the treacherous act of pretending and return to the castle but Loys refused and told him that he returned to the castle. Until one day, the sound of hunting horns was heard and in came the Prince of Courland together with his daughter, Bathilde, the betrothed wife of Albrecht. The prince and princess were welcome with joyous festive, refreshments and several dances. Princess Bathilde got interested with Giselle’s shy and sweet nature and offered her necklace to Giselle. Though, the joyous festive was interrupted with Hilarion’s abrupt entrance while carrying Albrecht’s sword and declare that Loys was actually not a peasant but is actually of high standing. Loys entered the festive and Bathilde was shocked because she recognized him as Albrecht, the Duke of Silesia, and her betrothed husband. Giselle was overcome with grief and sadness and so she took the sword from Hilarion’s hands and stabbed herself in the heart. Giselle died in her mother’s arms.

(Wilis)

The second act starts with Hilarion mourning over Giselle’s grave but was suddenly got scared over the Wilis, the spirits of women who were abandoned on their wedding day. The Wilis were led by their queen, Martha, who haunt the night and forces man who came upon their sight to dance all night until they die of exhaustion. Queen Martha uses her magic on Giselle’s grave and turns her into a wilis. Albrecht who also turns up on Giselle’s grave and mourns on it was surprised to see Giselle above her grave in her wilis form. Albrecht begs for his forgiveness and Giselle forgives him as she went into the forest to join her other mates. Albrecht followed her in desperation while Hilarion was forced by the other wilis to dance and he died from exhaustion. His body was thrown into the river and Albrecht was also forced to dance but Giselle pleads for Martha, queen of the wilis, to spare Albrecht. But Martha coldly refused and Albrecht was forced to dance but Giselle’s love broke through the wilis magic and saves Albrecht life. The other wilis return to their grave due to sunrise and Giselle bade Albrecht farewell leaving Albrecht alone and Giselle rests in peace.

For those who still want to know more about Giselle, Giselle is a romantic ballet piece made by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges and Théophile Gautier. Gautier got the idea of Giselle from Heinrich Heine’s description of Wilis in De l’ Allemagne as inspiration for Act II and from Victor Hugo’s “Fantômes” since the verse is about a fifteen-year old Spanish girl who loves to dance and she became too warm in a ball and died of a chill in the cold morning. Gautier thought that it would make a good ballet story and proceeded to make one but he was not satisfied of the outcome and asked for the help of  Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges, who had written a lot of ballet librettos. And then after writing the story it was brought to Léon Pillet, the director of Paris Opera and asked Carlotta Grisi if she approved and Grisi approved.

Source:(Wikipedia)

(Giselle and Albrecht)

Overall, Giselle is a really beautiful masterpiece and one that I would really recommend watching. Even though I am not fond of ballet and I couldn’t help but fall in love with Giselle.