And so I wonder...

Where did I get all the vocabulary in my brain?
How come I know such words?
When did I learn to speak English?

Then, I came across one very possible answer. Reading. I never gave "reading" a thought. This action called reading was not something very significant to me. Until now. I thought it is just one of the great ways to pass the time, travel to a fantasy world (with less cost!),

Kadayawan!

It's holiday season in Davao!

I sure hope to join in the festivities, or at least take a peek at what's new and what's hot. Well, the weather's pretty hot nowadays! That's for sure.

Era of Twisters

Has anyone tried the twister fries of Mc Donald's? I know it's full of calories, but I simply love it. Its unusual shape and texture gives me sheer pleasure of biting into it. I enjoy every last morsel of this calorie-laden treat.

But, let's talk more about another interesting kind of twister. It's the tongue twister. Tongue twisters are sentences that are composed of words that, when put together, makes it difficult to speak the sentence out loud and in a quick manner.

Toddlers and Words

On my way to the office, I happened to ride with a small family who brought along a toddler who was about two years old. She's very cute, chubby, and pretty in pink. I could see two little teeth jutting out from her gums, which made her all the more cute when she made a face; or when she smiled.

She was quite active. At first, she sat on her mom's lap and allowed her to hold her. Then, she got a bit antsy, and decided to get off her mom's lap and lay her head on the vacant stretch of seat beside her mom. She wouldn't allow her mom to hold her. Not even her dress. Her mom was constantly reminding her (in Visayan, our local dialect) that she might fall off the jeepney if no one is going to hold her. But, no. She won't let anyone touch her dress. No way Jose! But, looking at the toddler's face, it seemed she's in a good mood and was enjoying taunting her mom. She liked the attention being given to her.

As I was observing the little family on their way to the mall, the toddler spoke to her mother. I was just amazed at the English vocabulary she had. She had two very useful (and amusing) words. She kept on repeating these two words (probably to make sure mom understands her).

The words -- one's a verb, the other's a common noun.

(So, Jollibee and McDonald's are ruled out.)

Can you guess these two words?

☆ .......... ☆ .......... ☆ .......... ☆ .......... ☆ .......... ☆ .......... ☆ .......... ☆
I hope you could make time to visit our Japanese website or our English website .

Simply Mysterious

It isn't a mystery that life's one big mystery. There are moments when we feel that we've understood every little thing, every little detail, there is to understand. Only to find out moments later, that we've missed something. And so, we strive again to understand the things we've missed. Then, it's back to feeling euphoric (for understanding what we didn't understand). Only to find out again, that... oops! "Gaaah! I missed something again!"

But, I guess we truly can't say, "Back to square one!"

No... Because square one has already been understood, theoretically speaking. Maybe square 1.1, or 2, or 10, needs a little tweaking.

Well, this "vicious cycle" as many might call it, is one of the many things that makes life exciting.

Up-down, up-down, like a wheel going round and round and round.

Have a great day everyone!

Can't get enough of speaking tips....

How to Give a Great Impromptu Speech from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit
Oratorical Contests and certain classes will often ask for impromptu speeches to be made. With this guide, even those with the most absolute stage-fright will succeed.

Steps

1. Get used to talking in front of other people. The truth is that even the most calm of speakers still shake when they get up there. Sitcom-Stars still get nervous on live episodes.
2. Remember your audience. Always make eye-contact with them. Not only will this help the audience not fall asleep, but it will also make you more confident. If your eyes fall upon that one teenage boy who's goofing off and totally not listening, ignore him.
3. Try and get the audience involved. If you've ever had to listen to someone who mumbles through the whole thing, doesn't look up, and is just plain boring, you know how horrible that is. Try and get your audience pumped up.
4. Try and twist your topic. If you get a topic about something that you can't relate to, try and morph it into something that's only vaguely related, but still related enough to make sense.
5. Incorporate Humor. Everyone loves to laugh!
6. If you're facing a more serious impromptu speech, you have to be confident about yourself. Chest out, back straight, eyes ahead. It will give you an air of significance and make you a little intimidating, as well.

Tips

• Be passionate about whatever your topic is. You have to embrace what you're talking about with arms wide open.
• Take advantage of an eager audience. Remember, once you have the audience, you have the judges/teachers.
• Try to read lots of books on a wide variety of topics, that way you'll have loads of examples to incorporate into speeches
• Body language speaks volumes. Act as if you are oozing confidence!
• A great way to practice impromptu speech giving is by toasting at parties.

Warnings

• Make sure there's nothing about your appearance that could possibly embarrass you. Have a trusted friend (or better yet, a mirror) tell you if you have anything stuck in your braces/teeth. Make sure there's no toilet paper on your shoe, etc.
• Be careful to not say something offensive. Not only can it harm you standings in competition, it can also make you look like a bad person.
• If you dont know what to say, make sure you dont use a canned speech. If you are being judged the judge wont like it.

Related wikiHows

• How to Mentally Prepare for a Speech
• How to Be Brave In Front of a Group of People
• How to Prepare and Deliver a Speech Effectively
• How to Stop Shaking when Making a Speech

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on http://www.wikihow.com/Give-a-Great-Impromptu-Speech">How to Give a Great Impromptu Speech. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/">Creative Commons license.

Rain or Shine?

Wow! The heat was so intense today... It's about 30 degrees Celsius outside.

Summer is supposed to be over, but, because Philippines has always been (and will always be?) a summer-like country all year round, a temperature like this is normal. Even though we have our bouts of rain, storms, floods, all watery kinds of weather -- except snow (Well, snow is not water... But, it's some sort of frozen water... We just don't have that -- snow), the next day's bound to be ultra-sunny and warm.

Not unless there's a storm, well, that's a different story.

Davao has had its share of torrential rains and great winds, but I haven't heard nor read in the news that Davao was struck by a storm... Please correct me if I'm wrong.

I just hope it won't rain tonight. I'm wearing sandals, and I don't want to get my feet wet.

Photo from: http://uncivilsociety.org

Hmm... What's the weather like in your area?

3rd Principle of Morton Orman, M.D.

Oops.. Sorry to keep you hanging...

Alright, here goes the 3rd principle of conquering public speaking, by Morton C. Orman, M.D.:

Principle #3--All You Need is Two or Three Main Points

You don't have to deliver mountains of facts or details to give your audience what they truly want. Many studies have shown that people remember very few of the facts or information speakers convey. While you may choose to include lots of facts and information, you only need to make two or three main points to have your talk be successful. You can even have your whole talk be about only one key point, if you wish.

When I first began speaking in public during medical school (kicking, screaming, and quivering all the way), I wasn't aware of this simple principle. I wrongly believed that my audience wanted encyclopedic knowledge from me, which of course I didn't have. So I tried to research my topic thoroughly and deliver as much worldly wisdom as possible.

Boy was that exhausting! It was also boring for my audience to suffer through.

Later, when I began giving public seminars on how to cope with stress, I spent hours each week typing a twenty-page script to read from, so I wouldn't forget any important tidbit.

As time went on, I gradually learned that this degree of complexity wasn't needed. As a result, the length of my discussion notes gradually declined. My twenty-page typed manuscript gave way to a five-page detailed outline. Then, I replaced my outline with ten or fifteen index cards. Eventually, I could conduct a full two-hour seminar with only one 3X5 index card (containing my two or three key points) to support me!

As long as I focused on these two or three key points, I was able to speak at length about them by naturally drawing upon my past experiences and knowledge.

Remember, all your audience wants from you is to walk away with one or two key points that will make a difference to them. If you structure your talks to deliver this result, you can avoid lots of complexity that isn't really needed. This also should make your job as a speaker much easier, and more fun too!

Farewell to Great Icons

I would just like to say farewell to two icons of Generation X: Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett. They have made great contributions in this world, especially in the entertainment industry.

God speed to both of you!


☆ .......... ☆ .......... ☆ .......... ☆ .......... ☆ .......... ☆ .......... ☆ .......... ☆
Hey visitors! I invite you all to visit our Japanese website or our English website .

Speaking Jitters 2

In my previous post, I've mentioned about Dr. Orman's principles of overcoming public speaking fear. Now, let's continue on to the next principle.
Enjoy! ^-^

Principle #2 -- You Don't have to be Brilliant or Perfect to Succeed

Many of us have observed public speakers and thought to ourselves "Wow, I could never be that smart, calm, witty, entertaining, polished . . . or whatever." Well, I've got news for you-- you don't have to be brilliant, witty, or perfect to succeed. That is not what public speaking is all about. I know it may look that way, but it's not. You can be average. You can be below average. You can make mistakes, get tongue-tied, or forget whole segments of your talk. You can even tell no jokes at all and still be successful.

It all depends on how you, and your audience, define "success." Believe me, your audience doesn't expect perfection. I used to think most audiences did, but I was wrong! Before I discovered this, I used to put incredible pressure on myself to deliver a perfect performance. I worked for days to prepare a talk. I stayed up nights worrying about making mistakes. I spent hours and hours rehearsing what I was going to say. And you know what? All this did was make me even more anxious! The more perfect I tried to be, the worse I did! It was all very disheartening (not to mention unnecessary).

The essence of public speaking is this: give your audience something of value. That's all there is to it. If people in your audience walk away with something (anything) of value, they will consider you a success. If they walk away feeling better about themselves, feeling better about some job they have to do, they will consider you a success. If they walk away feeling happy or entertained, they will consider their time with you worthwhile.

Even if you pass out, get tongue-tied, or say something stupid during your talk . . . they won't care! As long as they get something of value, they will be thankful.

They don't even need to feel good to consider you a success. If you criticize people, or if you stir them up to ultimately benefit them, they might still appreciate you, even though you didn't make them feel good at the time.

Speaking Jitters

Speaking to a lot of people gives me the shivers every time. The moment I step up the stage, or in front of my peers, my knees start to shake, my hands feel cold, and my heart beats like mad. Ever had this feeling? Somehow, I survived each experience *whew!*. Thanks to the tips I got from an article on conquering public speaking fear written by Morton C. Orman, M.D. In his article he discussed 10 principles we have to remember about public speaking. I would like to share these principles right here. For today, I'll post the first of ten principles by Dr. Orman.

Principle #1 -- Speaking in Public is NOT Inherently Stressful

Most of us believe parts of life are inherently stressful. In fact, most of us have been taught to believe that life as a whole is very stressful!

To deal with any type of stress effectively, you first must understand that life itself, including public speaking, is NOT inherently stressful. Thousands of human beings have learned to speak in front of groups with little or no stress at all. Many of these people were initially terrified to speak in public. Their knees would shake, their voices would tremble, their thoughts would become jumbled... you know the rest. Yet they learned to eliminate their fear of public speaking completely.

You are no more or less human than they are. If they can conquer the fear of public speaking, so can you! It just takes the right guiding principles, the right understanding, and the right plan of action to make this goal a reality.

Believe me, it's not difficult. I'm a good example of someone who conquered the fear of public speaking. And while I didn't do it overnight, it wasn't difficult. All it took was approaching the problem in the right way.

English and Me

I remember way back in my high school and university days, I had to write one-page essays, about anything under the sun, everyday. Take note: EVERYDAY!

The topic did not really matter much - it could be something I've read, heard, or seen. Perhaps a dream I had, a theory, or something that's from my wildest imagination! As as student, I saw this as something that was trivial and not really worth my time and effort. (Aha!) But then, this was something I had to do - I did not have much choice because our English teacher checked our output everyday. @_@

One thing for sure, this particular exercise helped me a lot in making me more fluent in expressing myself in English. And I'm happy with the results... Yes, very happy indeed.

My undying gratitude to my English teachers who relentlessly encouraged me (with a few threatening remarks on the side) to do this exercise. Thank you teachers!!

=^^=

Online English Teacher

Hi. My name is Pau.

I'd love to help you improve your English skills in a fun way.