14 - Phantom of the Opera

According to Wikipedia, the Phantom of the Opera (French: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra) is a novel by French writer Gaston Leroux. It was first published as a serialization in Le Gaulois from September 23, 1909, to January 8, 1910. It was published in volume form in April 1910 by Pierre Lafitte. The novel is partly inspired by historical events at the Paris Opera during the nineteenth century and an apocryphal tale concerning the use of a former ballet pupil's skeleton in Carl Maria von Weber's 1841 production of Der Freischütz.

I was, well, late again so I haven't started the movie. It actually captured my attention from the moment I've entered the room. I was amazed by the voices of the characters. Thought, I thought the movie would just bore me to death because it was like a classical something, yet I enjoyed watching it. There were times I felt sleepy but when the movie is in it's climax, I couldn’t take off my eyes in the screen. I love the songs in the movie too! I was a bit scared because of some music that was used in the movie. I couldn’t actually help but to clap when the movie ended. I'd probably want to watch it over and over again. It will also always be one of the best movies I've ever watched!

The Phantom of the Opera is a classic tale that will forever last with us. Years and years from now people will continue to re-tell the story. Something tells me they’ll continue to screen the original Universal release as well. I hope you'll watch it too! It's probably worth of your watching for!

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13 - Speak Sense

Last November 27 2015, a high school Public Speaking competition was held in the APC auditorium. I haven't started the said event because I did my ignite speech outline for Public Speaking 2. Well, I only remembered 4 speakers. First, the guy who had an issue with the a hotdog. Actually, I didn’t completely understand his story. The only thing I understand was him got in an accident because of a hotdog, perhaps? Second, the was the Korean guy (I aint actually sure if he's a Korean) who told her love story that happened in his high school days. That guy nailed it! I am very sure that lots of audience can somehow relate to his story  and I think I was too. It's a painful story yet I hope he can find the right girl for him soon! The next was the miracle baby. When the speech began and he was talking about a baby whom actually died then had been alive again. Then, I said to myself that maybe the baby he was saying was him. Then after few minutes, I was right! He said... It was him. It's kind of a cliche flow of speech, like you're telling a story of someone bla bla then at the end you'll going to say to the audience that it was you. But, never mind, it was really an inspiring story though. 

Lastly, the girl who won. How can I even forget her and her speech? The girl who overpowers everyone. The girl who told us her story. Her speech was so powerful. Honestly, I was amazed. I mean, it wasn’t that easy to tell a lot of people whom you don’t actually know personally your 

personal life.

I'd like to watch more Public Speaking competitions. <3  

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12 - Plagiarism

Plagiarism is an act of fraud. It involves both stealing someone else's work and lying about it afterward.

Below are the Common Types of Plagiarism:

Direct Plagiarism

Direct plagiarism is the word-for-word transcription of a section of someone else’s work, without attribution and without quotation marks. The deliberate plagiarism of someone else's work is unethical, academically dishonest, and grounds for disciplinary actions, including expulsion.

Self-Plagiarism

Self-plagiarism occurs when a student submits his or her own previous work, or mixes parts of previous works, without permission from all professors involved. For example, it would be unacceptable to incorporate part of a term paper you wrote in high school into a paper assigned in a college course. Self-plagiarism also applies to submitting the same piece of work for assignments in different classes without previous permission from both professors.

Mosaic Plagiarism

Mosaic Plagiarism occurs when a student borrows phrases from a source without using quotation marks, or finds synonyms for the author’s language while keeping to the same general structure and meaning of the original. Sometimes called “patch writing,” this kind of paraphrasing, whether intentional or not, is academically dishonest and punishable – even if you footnote your source!

Accidental Plagiarism

Accidental plagiarism occurs when a person neglects to cite their sources, or misquotes their sources, or unintentionally paraphrases a source by using similar words, groups of words, and/or sentence structure without attribution. (See example for mosaic plagiarism.) Students must learn how to cite their sources and to take careful and accurate notes when doing research. (See the Note-Taking section on the Avoiding Plagiarism page.) Lack of intent does not absolve the student of responsibility for plagiarism. Cases of accidental plagiarism are taken as seriously as any other plagiarism and are subject to the same range of consequences as other types of plagiarism.

I have searched some tips on how to prevent Plagiarism.

·        Paraphrase - So you have found information that is perfect for your research paper. Read it and put it into your own words. Make sure that you do not copy verbatim more than two words in a row from the text you have found. If you do use more than two words together, you will have to use quotation marks. We will get into quoting properly soon.

·        Cite - Citing is one of the effective ways to avoid plagiarism. Follow the document formatting guidelines (i.e. APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.) used by your educational institution or the institution that issued the research request. This usually entails the addition of the author(s) and the date of the publication or similar information. Citing is really that simple. Not citing properly can constitute plagiarism.

·        Quoting - When quoting a source, use the quote exactly the way it appears. No one wants to be misquoted. Most institutions of higher learning frown on “block quotes” or quotes of 40 words or more. A scholar should be able to effectively paraphrase most material. This process takes time, but the effort pays off! Quoting must be done correctly to avoid plagiarism allegations.

·        Citing Quotes - Citing a quote can be different than citing paraphrased material. This practice usually involves the addition of a page number, or a paragraph number in the case of web content.

·        Citing Your Own Material - If some of the material you are using for your research paper was used by you in your current class, a previous one, or anywhere else you must cite yourself. Treat the text the same as you would if someone else wrote it. It may sound odd, but using material you have used before is called self-plagiarism, and it is not acceptable.

It’s better if we use our own knowledge in making something rather than stealing other’s work. Let’s say NO to Plagiarism!

Sources: http://en.writecheck.com/ways-to-avoid-plagiarism/

https://www.bowdoin.edu/studentaffairs/academic-honesty/common-types.shtml 

11 - Media Literacy

According to the internet Media literacy is a repertoire of competencies that enable people to analyze, evaluate, and create messages in a wide variety of media modes, genres, and format. There are actually 3 beautiful speakers from the GMA Network who imparted as their knowledge about media literacy. Also, they opened our eyes                   problems in media. It is nice to know about media literacy. I’ve learned a lot of things from this seminar.      

Nowadays, people would focus more about celebrities, which is a hot potato, than any other important social issues. Like the news about the Lumads, no one knew about what happened to them. It’s kind of disappointing that people wouldn’t focus or give attention about the Lumads. We couldn’t blame the media for not letting the cat out of the bag because they just picked what the people want to see in the TV. I didn’t change my profile picture like the others who at the drop of a hat did when the bombing in Paris happened. Simply because why would I change my picture with the flag of Paris if I could change with the flags of all countries in the world. As a matter of fact, Paris wasn’t the only country who has been bombed by the others. The sad reality says it all, how people can be so insensitive because they didn’t care about any other countries. This seminar is calling for an action, I guess. We should be responsible in what we posts on social networking sites. Also, not all things should be posted in the Internet for example; some have the nerve of taking a picture of you crying. It don't make sense because you’re just letting other people bash you with your false move because of it and also you’re just humiliating yourself in public. It’s like their digging their own graves. They fall in their own nest by their actions.                       

We should pay more attention to the social issues in the world. We should not always focus about celebrities, Aldub, Ms. Pastillas, and etc. There are more things that we should care about rather than those things. I hope that the students are all ears when the speaker presented in the seminar.  

10 - How to cure insomnia?

Insomnia, also known as trouble sleeping, is a sleep disorderin which there is trouble to fall asleep or to stay asleep as long as desired.[While the term is sometimes used to describe a disorder as diagnosed by polysomnographic or actigraphic evidence, this is often practically defined as a positive response to  either of two questions: "do you experience difficulty sleeping?" or "do you have difficulty falling or staying asleep?"

 Here are some tips that I've searched  to cure insomnia:

Make sleep a priority.

If you want a better night’s sleep, you have to get serious about it. Need convincing? A study found that when you’re short on zzzs, you’re also more likely to overreact to minor incidents, feel stressed out, and blow your top. Even worse, your physical health takes a hit, too. “Lack of sleep increases the risk for high blood pressure, depression and weight gain, the latter as a result of adverse effects on hormones that regulate appetite,” says Andrew Weil, MD.

Say no to coffee after noon.

Your morning mug gets a pass, but guzzling it all day is a big no-no. Here’s why: It’s often said that caffeine has a half-life of about five hours—which means if you eat an early enough dinner, that after-supper cappuccino should be out of your system by bedtime, right? Unfortunately, that’s not quite right. After seven hours, much of the stimulant will be gone from your system, depending on your sensitivity to it—but 25% of it could still be there. “It can also increase nighttime urination and otherwise adversely impact your sleep,” says Dr. Weil.

Get your sweat on.

Sleep experts often say you should avoid working out in the evenings because it can take hours for adrenaline—that exciting hormone that surges during exercise—to return to normal levels. Unfortunately, the proof that nighttime workouts inhibit sleep just isn’t there. There is plenty of research, however, that supports the idea that exercise improves sleep. One study found that insomniacs who picked up a regular exercise routine slept better, felt less depressed, and had more energy all day. The bottom line? If working out at night interrupts your sleep, squeeze in a morning run instead. If not, get exercise in whenever you can. (Need a new exercise routine? Try Our High-Metabolism Workout.)

Unwind when you get home.

If walking in the door means confronting a pile of bills—or a gaggle of hungry children—it’s understandable that relaxation can seem all but impossible. But it’s smart to start unwinding early in the evening, so you’re marking a transition from your stressful day life, to your evening. Pencil in a 5-minute window of you-time where you brew a cup of calming chamomile tea, take a bath if you have time, or just sit quietly alone (bathrooms are great since no one will bother you in there). (Make your house a relaxing home with these Decorating Tips For A Stress-Free Home.)

Step away from your phone.

That thing that’s been glued to your hand all day? It’s got to go if you want a sound sleep—and the same goes for your laptop and iPad, too. Why? The blue wavelengths produced by your smartphone and other gadgets (and energy-efficient LED light bulbs) significantly suppress the production of melatonin, the hormone that makes you sleepy, according to University of Basel research. Another problem: Light-emitting devices engage and stimulate the mind, resulting in poorer sleep, according to an Osaka University study.

Like other people, I also have insomnia. Sometimes I can sleep properly but mostly I can’t. I've tried drinking sleeping pills. One time, I drank two sleeping pills but it has no effect. But, now I've searched about the cure I think I can now sleep peacefully.

9 - The Great Carlos Bulosan

Carlos Sampayan Bulosan, born on November 24 1913, was an English-Filipino language novelist and poet who spent most of his life in the United States. His best-known work today is the semi-autobiographical America is in the Heart, but he first gained fame for his 1943 essay on The Freedom from Want.  Bulosan was born to Ilocano parents in the Philippines in Binalonan, Pangasinan. There is considerable debate around his actual birth date, as he himself used several dates, but 1911 is generally considered the most reliable answer, based on his baptismal records, but according to the late Lorenzo Duyanen Sampayan, his childhood playmate and nephew, Carlos was born on November 2, 1913. Most of his youth was spent in the countryside as a farmer. It is during his youth that he and his family were economically impoverished by the rich and political elite, which would become one of the main themes of his writing.   

Although little is known about his childhood, Bulosan recalled:

I lived in Mangusmana with my father until I was seven years old. We lived in a small grass hut; but it was sufficient because we were peasants. My father could not read or write, but he knew how to work his one hectare of land, which was the sole support of our big family.

Here’s an excerpt from one of his poems which is entitled “If you want to know what we are”

If you want to know what we are who inhabit

forest mountain river shore, who harness

beast, living steel, martial music (that classless

language of the heart), who celebrate labor,

wisdom of the mind, peace of the blood;

If you want to know what we are who become

animate at the rain's metallic ring, the stone's

accumulated strength, who tremble in the wind's

blossoming (that enervates earth's potentialities),

who stir just as flowers unfold to the sun;

If you want to know what we are who grow

powerful and deathless in countless counterparts,

each part pregnant with hope, each hope supreme,

each supremacy classless, each classlessness

nourished by unlimited splendor of comradeship;

We are multitudes the world over, millions everywhere;

in violent factories, sordid tenements, crowded cities;

in skies and seas and rivers, in lands everywhere;

our number increase as the wide world revolves

and increases arrogance, hunger disease and death.

This is such a nice yet epic poem. It’s obvious that Carlos Bulosan is revolting. Revolting against injustices. What is natural is now gone. Our society is now corrupted.  Those people who revolts are the people who is trying to redeem the lost history.  They are the living dream of the dead heroes who tried to save the corrupted society. They revolt because they want to renew what was already broken. They never lose hope. I am glad to search and know more about Carlos Bulosan. I don’t actually have knowledge of who he really is. But knowing all of these things makes me proud to all Filipinos that are just like him.

(Information credits to Wikipedia)

8 - SoMazinggggg!

School of management week. I was actually excited when I knew about the upcoming SoM week. I was like, “Okay! It's SoM weeeek next week! Will gonna have some fun!” But... Unfortunately, It was only a little but fun for me. I was there at the opening of the SoM week but I wasn’t able to join the parade because me and my classmate wasn’t informed that it already started. The opening was quite fun, like the APC dance company had an intermission and people are like cheering and screaming their lungs out. Then, the contestants for the SoM pageant were introduced. We were cheering the representatives of the Accountancy, especially of course Steven and Latrell which are our block mates. Then... Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday had passed by. I didn’t actually join the activities like TMysteries and the horror movie marathon, also the SoM night. I really wanted to join but there are a lot of projects to do and of course priorities first. But, I wouldn’t really miss the SoM pageant. I and my block mates were there to support Steven and Latrell. I really enjoyed the program. Even though only one of our mates got in the top 3 we are still proud for our other mate. It wasn't about winning. It was about enjoying the moment. SoM Pageant ended my SoM week experience fun. I hope AC's would orgnize the next SoM week. I surely am looking forward for the next SoM weeeeeeek!