The Stranger

YES, Oh YES! Im going to Malaysia!

2009-10-31T15:43:00.004+07:00

I just got a confirmation that I was one of the lucky winners of YES (Youth Engagement Summit) SEAChange (SouthEast Asian Youth for Change) in Kuala Lumpur on November 16-17, 2009.

SEACHANGE is an ongoing movement connecting Southeast Asian Youths to projects, organizations, businesses, and leaders who can help them with the change they want to see!

The result?

A connected ecosystem for change involving 1 Million youths and the campaigns and organizations which matter.

If you wanna come with me, you still have time! http://youthsays.com/seachange

YouthSays, Vietnam's Youth Opinion Community

2009-10-25T16:23:00.001+07:00

YouthSays | YouthSays, Vietnam's Youth Opinion Community

Yes! I joined this site.

: http://youthsays.com/seachange
Mission:: SEACHANGE is an ongoing movement connecting projects, orgnizations, buisnesses, and leaders to 1 million youths across Southeast Asia who want to see change in their lives!
Products:: Our first programme --- 1 million youths will fill up a survey to produce a Youth Report for them..

This report will be public, released to the world - AND be presented at the Youth Engagement Summit 2009, where regional leaders and global change icons will have it to kickstart the change process!

Who will be there?
* Biz Stone, cofounder of Twitter
* Randi Zuckerburg, Marketing Director of Facebook
* Amitabh Bachchan, Bollywood icon,
* Garry Kasparov, World Chess Legend
and more!

See http://yes2009.asia

Youths who do the survey to generate the report also have a chance to win free trips to the summit! Do the survey here

http://youthsays.com/seachange

After the report is published, we have ongoing programmes are designed by the organizations which partner with the youths of SEACHANGE... more to come!

Back to work

2009-08-29T08:51:00.002+07:00

It was quite a long and boring summer break. I'm not sure if I am ready to go back to work.

Restarting...

2009-05-17T15:33:00.002+07:00

After months of hibernation, here I am again. Without anybody reading my posts, I am determined to continue what I have started.

i need light

2008-12-13T22:07:00.008+07:00

I don't know where to start this post. I have written a couple of introductions but they weren't cool enough to be used. Writing requires motivation. I always think that I need to be inspired that I may be able to write again. I have been bothered by so many things around me. Struggling and almost drowning. But life has to go on. There is hope. I realized that life is full of strange occurrences we're unable to grasp easily. We are often puzzled by these things. Even within us, there is a huge battle. It's bloody. We need to be decisive. If not wisely, we'll get trapped. As the sun rises, some of these mysteries disappear. The stranger is starting to write again...

Animal Encounter

2008-12-13T15:18:00.003+07:00

A few weeks ago, I and my friends went to the Saigon Zoo to visit some of our friends. There I met more new friends.

Vietnam: In My Eyes

2008-12-08T13:38:00.007+07:00

What a year!

2008-12-04T10:55:00.005+07:00

Less than a month to go and we are saying goodbye to 2008. It's been a year full of hard work and laziness, joy and tears, trials and reward but most of all, I learned a lot this year. I also met a lot of people from different parts of the globe. I want to tell you guys more but I'm preparing for my final reports. I read an article from a blog of a friend's friend and I decided to post it here. It's very interesting and I absolutely agree about it.

Vietnam Oh my Vietnam!

2008-11-25T19:48:00.007+07:00

Things to see and experience in Vietnam (according to my friend, Lisa).

conical wearing hat ladies
public nose picking
flying cockroaches
daily thundershowers that usually started right when we were about to leave the house
durian and avocado smoothies
horribly springy beds
salons and massage parlor
motorbikes (millions)
babies on bikes
teenage drivers, riding three or four to a bike, without helmets, weaving wildly through traffic
karaoke lounges
excellent international cuisine
smog
tiny ants
tiny clothes
tiny people
maddening traffic
parents and their children who they allow to run wild, screaming in all manner of public places
public urination
pho (Vietnamese noodles)
poorly made products
street side coconut selling lady
Vietnamese bureaucratic hoops that make me want to pull my hair out
vibrant neighborhoods, all so full of community, character, and life
pig ear, hoof, snout, intestine, stomach and all other unidentified parts sandwich lady
rats
bun thit nuong (cold noodle salad)
pushy xe om (motorcycle taxi) drivers
tropical fevers that leave you sweating at 103.5 and don’t go away for a week
massive trash pile on the sidewalk by our apartment massive trash pile on the sidewalk by our apartment.
stinky, grey water canals
copious numbers of sidewalk fruit stands and vendors.
delicious, plentiful, always fresh fruit.
street food vendors and all your delectable, ridiculously cheap wares.
cyclos and good luck to the drivers.
ou dai (traditional Vietnamese dress).
mystery meats.
fresh baguettes
bargaining at the markets (or almost anywhere else).
sappy Vietnamese teen pop.
babies, babies, babies.
pregnant women (half the city is pregnant).
hilarious choreographed song and dance performances on TV and at every big event.
hot, sticky weather.
ugly clothes – you know who you are Rhinestone Bedazzled Jeans and half see through women’s shirts.
ladies at the market who laugh at me (in a good hearted way) when I try to speak Vietnamese.
incredibly difficult language that we utterly failed to learn
to the flailing ladies in the park (strange Vietnamese aerobics classes)
Vietnamese gyms, with your hula hoops, stretching sticks, and very comfortable lounges.
sweetened condensed milk.
Vietnamese coffee – the strongest coffee in the world.
sugar, the Vietnamese use you far too often and in quantities no teeth should be subjected to.
to feeling like a freakishly tall giant.
small children crossing or riding bicycles on busy streets by themselves.
seafood hotpots.
district-wide, day long electricity blackouts.
paydays where you get an envelope filled with a thick wad of cash.
kids slowly riding several bikes abreast too involved in your conversations to notice that you are blocking all traffic.
getting candy for change from the grocery store – who wants a 200 Dong coin anyways?
inquisitive stares from children and old people alike
friends from all over the world

What do you think?

Danger: A Monster Teacher

2007-10-18T20:51:00.001+07:00

Well here am I again, I was so busy working at Korean School. Can you believe I'd just lost 2 kilograms in 2 months! I just can't keep myself silent when I saw the news at CNN and heard rumors at my school. It's about the Canadian pedophile Christopher Neil who happened to work at our school in 2005. I didn't see him in person but this issue shocked the English teaching not only here in Vietnam but also in Southeast Asia and South Korea. The Korean consulate in Ho Chi Minh City required all the teachers here at Korean school to have police clearance. I believe that this issue will make the ELT community more strict. This is not a simple case, we never know who these people are. They might be our neighbor or colleagues. They look gentle but behind them is roaring monster hungry for evil.

-------------------------------------------------------

Suspected pedophile was 'creative, dynamic'

'The kids loved him for his work,' colleague says of Canadian teacher targeted by manhunt
Oct 18, 2007 04:30 AM Bill Schiller Asia Bureau

BEIJING–Canadian teacher and accused pedophile Christopher Neil had a passion for drama and a flair for acting, his former colleagues say.
"He said he enjoyed being on stage," former teaching colleague Kia Pearson recalls.

Today Neil finds himself as the lead character in an international manhunt that has captured the world's attention.
Acting skills might also have helped him lead a dangerous double life, until he slipped away from South Korea last week and disappeared into Southeast Asia.

Fellow Canadian teacher Ray Fowler said Neil appeared utterly calm right up until the day he disappeared.
Fowler, like others on the staff, was shocked to learn of the charges against Neil, he said.

Staff learned of the allegations only last Friday when four members of Interpol's Korean contingent showed up to question them.
Fowler lived directly across the hall from Neil, in an apartment building in the town of Gwangju where the two taught together, a four-hour drive south of Seoul.

Fowler last saw him eight days ago – the day before Neil boarded a plane for Bangkok, Thailand.
The two walked home from Gwangju Foreign School at the end of a day of classes.

Neil gave no hint that flight was imminent.
"We chit-chatted along the way. I couldn't even tell you what we talked about," says Fowler. "But we came to our building and went into our respective apartments and closed the doors."
The next day Neil was gone.

"I've thought a lot about it," the Newfoundland native says in a telephone interview. "This man was right here in my apartment on several occasions and I never picked up a clue."
Fowler had taught at the school for five years, and his apartment acted as a kind of social centre for teachers, where they could let their hair down on Friday and Saturday nights.
"We'd have a few beers and listen to music and talk – but no shop talk," he said.

With a student population of 120 and a staff of just 18, the teachers tend to be a tightly knit bunch.

"We're a small group in a strange country and we work together, live together and socialize together," he says.

Fowler admired Neil's talents as a teacher of English Language Arts for grades 7 and 8.

"I can tell you that Chris Neil was a very good teacher," he says. "He was dynamic. He was creative. And the kids loved him for his work."
Fowler described him as a "positive person" who would leave his apartment every morning at 7:20 dressed professionally in a shirt and tie keen to get to school early.

When police showed up Friday after classes, he said, "everyone was surprised; everyone was shocked."

Fowler remembered Neil saying at a staff meeting in mid-August that he had previously taught in Vietnam and Thailand.

Yesterday, those claims were borne out when the Korean news agency reported the Vietnamese school at which Neil taught was Ho Chi Minh Korean School, District 7, and reports from Thailand said government officials confirmed Neil had worked at an international school there.
Both Fowler and Pearson said that Neil – a one-time Catholic seminarian – made no secret of his skepticism of organized religion.

"Conversation seemed to gravitate towards religion a lot," said Pearson. "He was dissatisfied with organized religion and how organized religion had lost God.

"He was disillusioned with religion in general."
Meanwhile, many Web surfers discovered Chris Neil's MySpace Web page yesterday, before it was removed.

The site, which Neil posted Aug. 15, 2005, begins with the sentence, "Been kicking around Asia for the past five years, teaching, and finding other forms of mischief."

A poem by Neil posted on the site begins: "I've got to get out of myself/ Free this slave, endure this trial no more/ I'm running as fast as I can."

http://www.thestar.com/News/World/article/268126

I'm going home...

2007-08-01T01:04:00.002+07:00

Whenever I hear the song "I'm going home" popularized by one of the American Idol finalists, I feel the same way. After 2 years and 7 months living outside my native land, finally the time has come to set my feet back home. Although it's only an 8-day vacation, it'll be meaningful enough for me to enjoy every single moment with my family. When I left the country, the dollar-peso rate was P56 to $1. Now it's P45. I don't have that much money to buy souveneirs for my family and the other reason was my mom and brother have just visited me. Philippines I'm coming... 12 more days to go...

Well, here are some places that I'm going to miss for 8 days... he he he...

Papa said no Limbo

2007-07-15T09:57:00.000+07:00

When I was younger, I learned two religions because
my father was a Protestant and my mother was a Catholic. I was baptized in the Catholic church because my mom's faith was more dominant that my dad's. When I got older, I attended my both parents' churches and learned both doctrine. The teaching about Limbo or Purgatory was one of the things I doubted in the Catholic church. It is not written in the Bible and even most of their doctrine. According to the priest, it is a place where unbaptized deceased children and Christians who commit light sins are purified.

When I was in high school, I decided to commit my self in the Protestant church and then move to different born-again movements. I was really lucky to be a part of the only true church in out times, The Church of God. February 09, 2001, I became a member of this church, the only church that teaches the divine and pure word of God.

Recently, I read a news from the internet about the Pope's declaration that Limbo was never existed. Well, what do we expect? After collecting lots of money from the family of the dead person who committed the venial sin and expecting that their deceased family would be lifted to heaven, I was just wondering if they would refund them. (ha ha ha)

I posted this news from Reuters and see it for yourself. The unexpected proclamation of Pope Benedict.

Catholic Church buries limbo after centuries
Fri Apr 20, 2007 2:21PM EDT

By Philip Pullella

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - The Roman Catholic Church has effectively buried the concept of limbo, the place where centuries of tradition and teaching held that babies who die without baptism went.

In a long-awaited document, the Church's International Theological Commission said limbo reflected an "unduly restrictive view of salvation".

The 41-page document was published on Friday by Origins, the documentary service of the U.S.-based Catholic News Service, which is part of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Pope Benedict, himself a top theologian who before his election in 2005 expressed doubts about limbo, authorized the publication of the document, called "The Hope of Salvation for Infants Who Die Without Being Baptised".

The verdict that limbo could now rest in peace had been expected for years. The document was seen as most likely the final word since limbo was never part of Church doctrine, even though it was taught to Catholics well into the 20th century.

"The conclusion of this study is that there are theological and liturgical reasons to hope that infants who die without baptism may be saved and brought into eternal happiness even if there is not an explicit teaching on this question found in revelation," it said.
"There are reasons to hope that God will save these infants precisely because it was not possible (to baptize them)."

The Church teaches that baptism removes original sin which stains all souls since the fall from grace in the Garden of Eden.

The document stressed that its conclusions should not be interpreted as questioning original sin or "used to negate the necessity of baptism or delay the conferral of the sacrament".
Limbo, which comes from the Latin word meaning "border" or "edge", was considered by medieval theologians to be a state or place reserved for the unbaptized dead, including good people who lived before the coming of Christ.

"People find it increasingly difficult to accept that God is just and merciful if he excludes infants, who have no personal sins, from eternal happiness, whether they are Christian or non-Christian," the document said.

It said the study was made all the more pressing because "the number of nonbaptised infants has grown considerably, and therefore the reflection on the possibility of salvation for these infants has become urgent".

The commission's conclusions had been widely expected.

In writings before his election as Pope in 2005, the then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger made it clear he believed the concept of limbo should be abandoned because it was "only a theological hypothesis" and "never a defined truth of faith".

In the Divine Comedy, Dante placed virtuous pagans and great classical philosophers, including Plato and Socrates, in limbo. The Catholic Church's official catechism, issued in 1992 after decades of work, dropped the mention of limbo.

Bye bye Pluto, Sorry I didn't know...

2007-07-01T11:49:00.000+07:00

I was surprised when I read article from my students book stating that 'Pluto was a part of the Solar System'. I had learned that Pluto was a part our Solar System since I was a child. I don't know why I got this information so late. I guess I was just so busy last year. I think not, I even asked some of my friends and they didn't also know about this info. Well, for the benefit of my dear readers, I copied this article from the net and posted here. Farewell to Pluto...

Pluto Is Demoted to ‘Dwarf Planet’
(The New York Times)
By DENNIS OVERBYE
Published: August 24, 2006

Pluto got its walking papers today.

Throw away the placemats. Grab a magic marker for the classroom charts. Take a pair of scissors to the solar system mobile.

After years of wrangling and a week of bitter debate, astronomers voted on a sweeping reclassification of the solar system. In what many of them described as a triumph of science over sentiment, Pluto was demoted to the status of a “dwarf planet.”
In the new solar system, there are eight planets, at least three dwarf planets and tens of thousands of so-called “smaller solar system bodies,” like comets and asteroids.
For now, the dwarf planets include, besides Pluto, Ceres, the largest asteroid, and an object known as UB 313, nicknamed Xena, that is larger than Pluto and, like it, orbits out beyond Neptune in a zone of icy debris known as the Kuiper Belt. But there are dozens more potential dwarf-planets known in that zone, planetary scientists say, and the number in that category could quickly swell.

In a nod to Pluto’s fans, the astronomers declared that Pluto to be the prototype for a new category of such “trans-Neptunian” objects but failed in a close vote to approve the name Plutonians for them.

“The new definition makes perfect sense in terms of the science we know,” said Alan Boss, a planetary theorist at the Carnegie Institution of Washington, adding that it doesn’t go too far in cultural terms. “We have a duty to satisfy the whole world.”

The vote completed a stunning turnaround from only a week ago when the assembled astronomers had been presented with a proposal that would included 12 planets, including Pluto, Ceres, Xena and even Pluto’s moon Charon. Dr. Boss said today’s decision spoke to the integrity of the planet-defining process. “The officers were willing to change their resolution and find something that would stand up under the highest scientific scrutiny and be approved,” he said.

Jay Pasachoff, a Williams College astronomer who favored somehow keeping Pluto a planet, said, “The spirit of the meeting was of future discovery and activity in science rather than any respect for the past.”

Mike Brown of the California Institute of Technology, who as the discoverer of Xena, had the most to lose personally from Pluto’s and Xena’s downgrading, said he was relieved. “Through this whole crazy circus-like procedure, somehow the right answer was stumbled on,” he said. “It’s been a long time coming. Science is self-correcting eventually, even when strong emotions are involved.”

It has long been clear that Pluto, discovered in 1930, stood apart from the previously discovered planets. Not only was it much smaller than them, only about 1,600 miles in diameter, smaller than the Moon, but its elongated orbit is tilted with respect to the other planets and it goes inside the orbit of Neptune part of its 248-year journey around the Sun.
Pluto makes a better match with the other ice balls that have since been discovered in the dark realms beyond Neptune, they have argued. In 2000, when the new Rose Center for Earth and Space opened at the American Museum of Natural History, Pluto was denoted in a display as a Kuiper Belt Object and not a planet.

Two years ago, the International Astronomical Union appointed a working group of astronomers to come up with a definition that would resolve this tension. The group, led by Iwan Williams of Queen Mary University in London, deadlocked. This year a new group with broader roots, led by Owen Gingerich of Harvard, took up the problem.
According to the new rules a planet meet three criteria: it must orbit the Sun, it must be big enough for gravity to squash it into a round ball, and it must have cleared other things out of the way in its orbital neighborhood. The latter measure knocks out Pluto and Xena, which orbit among the icy wrecks of the Kuiper Belt, and Ceres, which is in the asteroid belt.
Dwarf planets only have to be round.

“I think this is something we can all get used to as we find more Pluto-like objects in outer solar system,” Dr. Pasachoff said.

The final voting came from about 400 to 500 of the 2,400 astronomers who were registered at the meeting of the International Astronomical in Prague. Many of the astronomers, Dr. Pasachoff explained, had already left, thinking there would be nothing but dry resolutions to decide in the union’s final assembly.

It was hardly the first time that astronomers have rethought a planet. The asteroid Ceres was hailed as the eight planet when it was first discovered in 1801 by Giovanni Piazzi floating in the space between Mars and Jupiter. It remained a “planet” for about half a century until the discovery of more and more things like it in the same part of space led astronomers to dub them asteroids.

In the aftermath, some astronomers pointed out that the new definition only applies to our own solar system and that there was so far no such thing as an extra-solar planet.
The decision was bound to have both a cultural and economic impact on the industry of astronomical artifacts and toys, publishing and education. The World Book Encyclopedia, for example, had been holding the presses for its new 2007 edition until Pluto’s status could be clarified.

Neil deGrasse Tyson, director of the Hayden Planetarium in New York, said children are flexible, when asked about the cultural impact of today’s redefinition. He said that he had not bothered to watch the International Astronomical Union’s vote in the Internet, as many astronomers did. “Counting planets is not an interesting exercise to me,” he said. “I’m happy however they choose to define it. It doesn’t really make any difference to me.”
Dr. Tyson said the continuing preoccupation with what the public and schoolchildren would think about this was a concern and a troubling precedent. “I don’t know any other science that says about its frontier, ‘I wonder what the public thinks,’ ” he said. “The frontier should move in whatever way it needs to move.”

reading mode

2007-06-15T18:44:00.000+07:00

I haven't finished reading the inspirational book of Sen. Hilary Clinton. I recommend you to read that book because it shows how a leader is born. I should say that Mrs. Clinton is born-politician who will bring changes to America. It is where she shared her thoughts from her childhood. She's a trully dedicated politician. The title of the book is The Living History, and I was lucky enough that the father of my student lent me that book for quite a long time.

Another book that I am reading is about the Vietnam History. I have a student who is studying the history of Vietnam. I'm really interested in history and I do believe that it will be our instrument to be a better citizen in the future. The book's title is Leaving Vietnam. It was written by Nguyen Minh Than, who experience the birth of American-Vietnamese war. In the first chapters of the book, he narrated his life as a child under the war environment. I was deeply sorry for the victims of war. I have been to Vietnam's war museum many times and everytime I go there I feel the same way. The hatred to war which brings chaos and death to many people especially women and children. In my next posting I will try to upload the pictures of the victims of war.

drawing personality test

2007-06-11T11:51:00.000+07:00

This morning while I was reading some blogs that captivated my interest, I was inspired. I am a desperate writer trying to excel in the path that I don't think even like me. Well, I have to take the advice of my wizard writer friends. I don't know but I can't even create a continuous paragraph with a more mature writing style. Obviously, I can write but I'm not as good as my friends. I don't even appreciate my own writings. Here is the personality test I took based on my drawing. I'm not an artist so please do understand. I think the result is somehow correct:).

The results of your analysis say:

Your friends and associates should generally find you a dependable and trustworthy person.You are a thoughtful and cautious person. You like to think about your method, seeking to pursue your goal in the most effective way.You like following the rules and being objective. You are precise and meticulous, and like to evaluate decisions before making them.You have a sunny, cheerful disposition.

my thoughts

2007-05-31T21:57:00.000+07:00

It's the last day of the May and there were many things happened.

Philippine election
the good
I think the Filipinos are getting wiser. The canvassing of votes is not yet finished but the top twelve senators as I may say are qualified for the position. Unlike before, celebrities usually won but now, Cesar Montano and Richard Gomez who are known actors didn't even enter the top 15. The qualifications are very important for the people who formulate laws in a country, not only popularity. It's a good news!

the bad
Vote counting is not yet done and cheating is very obvios. When will the election system in our country improve? I read a news about 4 teachers in Mindanao who can prove the poll cheating in their area. But they are afraid to speak in public because of the death threats. They are teachers who counted and watched our vote. Noble teachers who are working despite of low income just to help educating our future leaders. But here they are now, worried about their families their securities.

Welcome Bro. Eli to the world of blogging!

2007-05-14T22:51:00.000+07:00

Last Sunday, Bro. Eli officially announced his blogsite. It is where he answers and discusses the latest issue around the world. Thanks God for having Bro. Eli on our side. In just a few weeks, he was nominated as the most popular religious blog. Let's vote for his site!

This is a sample article from Bro. Eli's blog:

Is there Another Earth?

All my life I have been interested in Science. Fate has it, I believe, that this interest led me to the study of the Holy Scriptures. The Bible even enhanced my interest in everything scientific. The first time I heard Johnny Mathis singing “Fly Me to the Moon,” the lyrics and the melody were already printed in my mind. Do you want me to prove this? Pardon my voice, but I can sing it with gusto!
I am interested about everything around me. I observe keenly how ants move, how birds fly, and how people live their lives. In my elementary grades, when I first heard the Darwinian Theory on evolution, the first doubt that came into my mind was that, if humans came from apes, why are there people with faces that look like horses and dogs?

I am not a scientist and have never finished any degree in any branch of Science, but.... continue reading from his site www.esoriano.wordpress.com

A new job!

2007-05-04T23:40:00.002+07:00

Thanks be to God for a new job that He gave me. I was accepted as an English teacher on Korean School here in Ho Chi Minh City. I'm the first Filipino teacher who was given the chance to teach here. To God be the Glory!

Monalisa's Smile

2007-04-26T13:49:00.001+07:00

Smile

In physiology, a smile is a facial expression formed by flexing muscles most notably near both ends of the mouth, but also around the eyes. Among humans, it is customarily an expression of pleasure or amusement, but can also be an involuntary expression of anxiety. There is much evidence that smiling is a normal reaction to certain stimuli and occurs regardless of culture. Many studies indicate that smiling is an innate reaction, as children blind from birth smile; however feral children generally do not smile, perhaps lending evidence to the contrary. Among animals, the exposure of teeth, which may bear a resemblance to a smile, are often used as a threat - known as a snarl - or a sign of submission.
Smiling not only changes a facial expression, but can also make the brain produce endorphins which reduces physical and emotional pain, and give a greater sense of well-being.

Types of Smile

Researchers have identified a number of different types of smiles.

The "Duchenne smile", after the researcher Guillaume Duchenne, is the most studied, and involves the movement of both the zygomaticus major muscle near the mouth and the orbicularis oculi muscle near the eyes. It is believed that the Duchenne smile is only produced as an involuntary response to genuine emotion, and is therefore what one could call the "genuine" smile. However, some sources say that "pretending" to smile can eventually put you in a good mood, and therefore "fake" can be a good thing.

The "Pan American smile", on the other hand, is the voluntary smile involving only the zygomatcus major muscle to show

politeness; for example, by a flight attendant on the former airline of the same name. Considered "insincere", this type of smile has also been called the "Professional Smile".

source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smile

Now, let us observe the following smile and identify which one is genuine:

Notice the following facts about smiling:

72% of people think of those who smile frequently as being more confident and successful.
86% of people say that they are more likely to strike up conversations with strangers if they are smiling.
Bosses are 12% more likely to promote people who smile a lot.
Research shows that 65% of communication is non-verbal (many claim an even higher percentage).
Non-verbal communication comprises facial expressions, eye movement, gestures, posture, and all other bodily signs-primarily facial expressions.
The effects of a smile are so powerful that even a smile on the telephone produces positive results.
When someone comes into a room, people are automatically drawn to their face, and a smile provides a warm greeting.
Studies show that happiness is a by-product of smiling, not the other way around as most people assume.
Research shows that when two people in conversation use the same kind of body movements and gestures (such as smiling), they will experience greater empathy for each other, which they may not even consciously notice.

The Value of Your Smile

Has anyone ever unexpectedly smiled at you when you were having a bad day or weren't in the best of moods? How did it make you feel? Didn't it make you feel better?

The following are a few points on why you should do the same, and share your smile with others:
A picture is worth a thousand words. So also does a smile convey more emotion than words can.
Smiling makes others feel welcome, special and appreciated.
You can brighten up someone's day.
A smile has the power of melting away insecurities and troubles people may have.

Try it out and see for yourself! You will find that almost every person you smile at will return the gesture. The hardest part is usually being the first person to smile.

SO WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

SMILE AND THE WHOLE WORLD WILL SMILE WITH YOU!

Does you speak English my freind?

2007-04-26T13:33:00.000+07:00

There are many Koreans who are learning English in our country. We always believe that people in our country speak English. Do we really? These are some photos courtesy from www.witerary.com. Thanks Ms. Jojie Alcantara for allowing me to use your pictures. Prisinting the didly signs...

okey lang kayo???

Read and learn...

2007-04-25T15:13:00.000+07:00

As you know, we have plenty of Koreans currently studying in the Philippines to take advantage of ourcheaper tuition fees and learn English at the same time.This is an essay written by a Korean student I want to share with you. (never mind the grammar, it's the CONTENT that counts)

MY SHORT ESSAY ABOUT THE PHILIPPINES
Jaeyoun Kim

Filipinos always complain about the corruption in the Philippines. Do you really think the corruption is theproblem of the Philippines? I do not think so. I strongly believe that the problem is the lack of love for the Philippines. Let me first talk about my country, Korea. It might help you understand my point.

After the Korean War, South Korea was one of the poorest countries in the world. Koreans had to start from scratch because entire country was destroyed after the Korean War, and we had no natural resources.Kore! ans used to talk about the Philippines, for Filipinos were very rich in Asia. We envy Filipinos. Koreans really wanted to be well off like Filipinos. Many Koreans died of famine. My father & brother also died because of famine. Korean government was very corrupt and is still very corrupt beyond your imagination, but Korea was able to develop dramatically because Koreans really did their best for the common good with their heart burning with patriotism. Koreans did not work just for themselves but also for their neighborhood and country. Education inspired young men with the spirit of patriotism.

40 years ago, President Park took over the government to reform Korea. He tried to borrow money from other countries, but it was not possible to get a loan and attract a foreign investment because the economic situation of South Korea was so bad. Korea had only three factories. So, President Park sent many mine workers and nurses to Germany so that they could send money to Korea to build a factory. They had to go through a horrible experience.

In 1964, President Park visited Germany to borrow money. Hundred of Koreans in Germany came to the airport to welcome him and cried there as they saw the President Park. They asked to him, "President, when can we be well off?" That was the only question everyone asked to him. President Park cried with them and promised them that Korea would be well off if everyone works hard for Korea, and the President of Germany got the strong impression on them and lent money to Korea. So, President Park was able to build many factories in Korea. He always asked Koreans to love their country from their heart. Many Korean scientists and engineers in the USA came back to Korea to help developing country because they wanted their country to be well off. Though they received very small salar y, they did their best for Korea. They always hoped that their children would live in well off country. My parents always brought me to the places where poor and physically handicapped people live. They wanted meto understand their life and help them. I also worked for Catholic Church when I was in the army. The only thing I learned from Catholic Church was that we have to love our neighborhood. And, I have loved my neighborhood.

Have you cried for the Philippines? I have cried for my country several times. I also cried for the Philippines because of so many poor people. I have been to the New Bilibid prison. What made me sad in the prison were the prisoners who do not have any love for their country. They go to mass and work for Church. They pray everyday. However, they do not love the Philippines. I talked to two prisoners at the maximum-security compound, and both of them said that they would leave the Philippines right after they are released from the prison. They said that they would start a new life in other countries and never come back to the Philippines. Many Koreans have a great love for Korea so that we were able to share our wealth with our neighborhood. The owners of factory and company were distributed their profit to their employees fairly so that employees could buy what they needed and saved money for the future and their children.

When I was in Korea, I had a very strong faith and wanted to be a priest. However, when I came to the Philippines, I completely lost my faith. I was very confused when I saw many unbelievable situations in the Philippines. Street kids always make me sad, and I see them everyday. The Philippines is the only Catholic country in Asia, but there are too many poor people here. People go to church every Sunday to pray, but nothing has been changed. My parents came to the Philippines last week and saw this situation. They told me that Korea was much poorer than the present Philippines when they were young. They are so sorry that there are so many beggars and street kids. When we went to Pasangjan, I forced my parents to take a boat because it would fun. However, they were not happy after taking a boat. They said that they would not take the boat again because they were sympathized the boatmen, for the boatmen were very poor and had a small frame. Most of people just took a boat and enjoyed it. But, my parents did not enjoy it because of love for them.My mother who has been working for Catholic Church since I was very young told me that if we just go to mass without changing ourselves, we are not Catholic indeed. Faith should come with action. She added that I have to love Filipinos and do good things for them because all of us are same and have received a great love fromGod. I want Filipinos to love their neighborhood and country as much as they love God so that the Philippines will be well off. I am sure that love is the keyword, which Filipinos should remember. We cannot change the sinful structure at once. It should start from person. Love must start in everybody, in a small scale and have to grow. A lotof things happen if we open up to love. Let's put away our prejudices and look at our worries with our neweyes.I discover that every person is worthy to be loved. Trust in love, because it makes changes possible. Love changes you and me. It changes people, contexts and relationships. It changes the world.

Please love your neighborhood and country. Jesus Christ said that whatever we do to others we do to Him. In the Philippines, there is God for people who are abused and abandoned. There is God who is crying for love. If you have a child, teach them how o love the Philippines. Teach them why they have to love their neighborhood and country. You already know that od also will be very happy if you love others. hat's all I really want to ask you Filipinos.
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My favorite students

2007-04-21T20:48:00.000+07:00

Still happy without you...

2007-04-12T20:50:00.000+07:00

You were with me for a short time

You brought happiness and sadness

Then one day you just left me

I couldn't help it but to let you go

I wish i had some gold
So I can exchange it for you
But when that day happened
I didn't have a penny

Eventhough it was so
I'm happy when you went away
Cause when the little man gets silly
I'm very unhappy

Cambodia! Cambodia! Cambodia!

2007-04-09T23:02:00.000+07:00

Last Sunday, I, my mom, my uncle and my younger brother together with my friends went to Cambodia for some adventure. Actually, some of them were for visa extension purposes. These are some pictures that I have taken. Enjoy...

Pilipinas, Kumusta ka na?

2007-03-29T00:11:00.000+07:00

I have been in Vietnam for two years and I have never had any plans to go back to my native land so far.

It was early this afternoon when my cousin told me about the hostage event in Manila. I turned on the television and saw the horrendous scene. In my country, oh my! The hostages were 26 kindergarten students and 4 teachers in a bus going on a fieldtrip. After 10 hours of negotiations, they were released by the captors.

At ano namang gimik ito??? I couldn't help my self to think like this after I saw the appearance of "paper" politicians (na walang ginawa kundi pumapel at magpapogi). Lalong tumaas ang kilay ko when I saw Chavit Singson who is running for senatorial seat this May. Hello Mr. Singson whadayah doin der huh?

Ducat, who is the mastermind of that hostage drama and the owner of the daycare center where the kids are enrolled, had demanded support for the education of at least 145 school children of his daycare center. Senatong Bong Revilla, who was one of the negotiators promised that he would pay the education of the children (sana).

So what are the reactions of the people here in my place? Hmmm, of course we are popular again, not because of 7107 islands and islets that we are proud of, but because of crimes, politics and dying economy. What is happening to our country?