March Reads

A few days to go until we say goodbye to March. Some plans were cancelled, DELIBERATELY cancelled and forgottten most especially those related to cleaning up our room. This month I went back to buying books because... I simply can't resist the wonderful finds in Booksale. I'm afraid I am guilty of 積ん読, that weird habit of amassing books without reading them. Well I do read a few pages while in the bookstore to see if the book is worth my hard-earned money and most of the time they are so the next thing I know I am walking out of the store with a lot of books on my hands. 

This month I'm happy to have finished reading one wonderful book related to FOOD. It's the first time that I read such a book. John Mariani's How Italian Food Conquered the World is a deliciously written history of Italian food en bref. It narrates how the food was in Roman times, how before there was no such thing as Italian cuisine, only regional cookings which were diverse and very different from each other. Mariani traced the evolution of the so-called Italian cuisine from its humble beginnings in trattorias to how it eventually replaced French cuisine as an epitome of fine dining as the social elite began patronizing it and dining at fancy restaurants became the IT thing. It is interesting to see how the lives of various Italians change as Italian cooking slowly gained its place in America, and as the title of the book says, how Italian food conquered not just America but the world.

Right now I'm alternating between E.D. Hirsch's The Schools We Need and Why We Don't Have Them and Ben Kiernan's The Pol Pot Regime. The first is written in a very academic way and the ideas presented are a bit shocking since the author attacks the views of the Romanticists (whom I admire) with regards to education. The second is a heartbreaking account of what happened during that terrible era in Cambodian history when many innocents were killed in the name of a twisted ideology. That and from time to time browsing some French books lest I forget my French. (I came across two old French men in Bohol and they were surprised when I replied to them in their language LOL. I just love seeing the look on Westerners' faces when they see an East Asian-looking girl speak European languages. PRICELESS!)

And I have yet to start Game of Thrones season 3. My friends are all telling me to watch it already since season 4 will be aired next month. I only wish there were 30 hours a day instead of 24. Tsk. 引き籠もり on the horizon and I am more than tempted to file a one-week leave just to do the things I want need to do.

Okay... I will try to at least arrange my books this month...

Excel!

Yesterday while solving for a problem involving linear approximation and having so many decimal numbers with only an ordinary calculator (the one that is packaged in a laptop machine), I was already feeling so slow and so helpless since I am used to thinking and acting fast. I thought, if only I were a programmer, or if only I knew a programming language, things could be easier. And then I thought that maybe Excel can do the job.

Now don't get me wrong. I'm not good at Excel. I owe it to the fact that I was traumatized by it when I was in grade school. At that time, it was my second to the last year in elementary when we were taught basic Excel lessons. I had a hard time catching up because I couldn't see then how I could use it in a practical way. I almost flunked my Computer subject. Almost but not quite because thank Heavens on the day of our final exams, I had an epiphany JUST IN TIME. I suddenly became aware of how Excel works. Probably one of the mysteries of the mind when under a panic attack. It saved me from being kicked out of the honor roll.

In highschool, I was praised for being one of the few who can do basic programming. That was my first time to have a taste of what it's like to work with programs. We started with HTML, then C++, and then 2 years of Visual Basic. On my senior year, I was made president of our school's Computer Club. (I actually joined the arts club but was pulled out by my Computer teacher.) It was a good thing he did so because while in the club, I was made aware of how computer hardware works and came to know many cool programs. My Computer teacher, who was also our club advisor, advised me to take up Computer Science. He's one of the few teachers who must have seen something in me though at that time, I really did not know that much about computers. In fact, I was embarrassed to be the head of a club when in fact other members, most of them younger than me, were more skilled. My only claim to fame is that I am a logical thinker so constructing formulae and using the language was fairly easy. But because computer language is not appealing to me in that one can never be poetic or express beautiful prose with it, I was not much interested.

So when I was about to take the UP Entrance Exam and choose a course, my two choices were based in the College of Arts and Letters. I really had a hard time choosing because many courses appealed to me, like Anthropology, Computer Science, Geology, Geodetic Engineering, Computer Engineering, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Mathematics, etc. etc. At that time though I was studying Japanese all on my own and I was thinking how cool it would be if I were to be a polyglot so I could read in many many languages. Before I submitted my application forms, I was able to state European Languages as my first choice and Creative Writing as my second choice. (Up until today, I still don't know whatever possessed me to select CW as my second choice...)

So pursuing my chosen course, I was limited to a maximum of two Math classes. I took Math 1, said to be the more difficult of the two. I was lucky to have a very very cool instructor who introduced me to Umberto Eco (now one of my favorite authors). His class was my most favorite class during my freshman year. We discussed the history of math, logic, systems, a bit of basic cryptography, sets, and other more abstract math concepts. Taking this was one of my best decisions since Math 2, though easy to get an A, is just about problem-solving and I don't think I need a repeat of it since I excelled in it in highschool. Math 1 was also the right course because it opened new doors for me and it was then that I realized how COOL Math really is.

So right after I finish European Languages, I took Math17, said to be the deciding factor for many engineering students if they should continue with their course or not. I knew many people who took that and who failed. I just had to see for myself how difficult it really is. I aced exams but flunked the final one because I never memorized the formulas and drawing circles and deriving formulas left me with very little time to solve the problems. It broke my heart, simply because I understood the lessons well, it's just that I couldn't memorize the formulae.

So anyway, studying Calculus now really shoved me down memory lane...

So going back to yesterday...

Yesterday while doing a problem in Calculus, I saw how foolish I was at my stubbornness in refusing to enlist the help of Excel, just the tool that can help me speed up calculations so I can devote more time in learning other things (or finishing that book I've been reading since last month).

I opened Excel, had a leap of faith that DAMN I COULD DO THIS!!! And just typed in the formulae for Newton's method of finding roots. Imagine my delight at my newfound powers! I overcame the trauma (I think)!!!!

one input, one look, and one conclusion

I'm just so happy with what I was able to do yesterday. Felt so productive. And I felt new powers flowing in my veins. The power of Math, the power to Excel! (Yes, pun intended.)

Autodidactic Mode On

Lately I'm finding it difficult to come up with a topic other than food and/or restaurants for my blog and I fear that this blog may seem support consumerism when in fact I go against this and as much as possible try to live simply without fancy things. I do admit that I frequent food establishments simply because I love food and I seldom get to have my way in the kitchen at home. Plus, eating out gives me ideas on what to cook next. The only thing I hate about food-tripping is that it hurts the pocket.

Lately I'm engrossed with a lot of things related to higher learning. I recently resumed my study of calculus, determined to understand it and to somehow use it to solve some of life's perplexing problems. Maybe I'm just a bored kid who misses school so much as a teacher and as a student that now I assume both roles for myself as I venture into this self-study activity. It's pretty much like what I did last year when I attempted to learn Japanese and came up with a blog entry that gives tips on how to learn a new language on one's own. I guess I must be overwhelmed by the difficulties encountered especially on Japanese conjugations. Four lessons to go and I quit. Okay, I didn't really quit, I just gave myself space and it's close to one year now since then. Perhaps next month will give me more motivation to continue (another plan that is sure not to materialize).

Keeping myself extra busy with these things sometimes make me question why I do them in the first place. There always comes a point in time when I get so fed up (especially when topic's getting extra complicated) and I think of how learning seems to be a waste of time and brain cells, but I would pause and reflect that there is wisdom in learning. Who knows when I will be able to use the knowledge gained in practice? How many times have I felt disappointed and frustrated with myself over regrets when I encounter a situation where I could have used a certain knowledge of something only to find that it's not part of my arsenal and all I have to do is just stand and be frustrated because of ignorance? Those defining moments remind me to strive hard to learn something new each day. It doesn't matter which topic or discipline it covers as long as I build my knowledge base. And somehow that isn't enough. The how-process attracts me more and oftentimes I become restless when I can't figure out why something is the way it is.

Since time and money are finite resources, and since I cannot give up my job yet in favor of the academe, I'm investing part of my time to self-study with the hope that once I become ready to continue my formal studies, I can be better and more disciplined. So here I am in full autodidactic mode, learning things, discovering things, having fun despite the many difficulties. People may think I miss out a lot in life because I would rather curl up in bed with a book than spend evenings out in malls or waste time gossiping about people, but what actually makes me happy is the fact that I struggle with my studies. With this struggle I feel more alive.

August 2013

So last month Metro Manila experienced nature's fury once again when typhoon Maring entered, causing four consecutive days of work-from-home mode and annex that to the weekend and one gets 6 days outside the office. Those days I still thought like a student, I didn't want to wake up early because I knew there would be no classes. I often forget I'm no longer a student jejeje. ^.^'

August this year saw me trying out new restaurants and I just realized that my blog is slowly looking like a food blog. While I don't mind sharing my food adventures on the internet, I'm not really interested in creating my own food blog.

But I do consider having my own travel blog and hopefully get contacted by airlines for free tickets in exchange for writing about my travels. One book which greatly inspired me to go to where average men fear to tread is Gerard Helferich's Humboldt's Cosmos which I read a few years back. (Pardon my slight digression but I cannot help but write something about this wonderful biographical book which narates key events in Alexander Humboldt's life and I was particularly interested in his navigation of the Amazon basin for science.) At present, I am reading a wonderful book by American journalist Peter Hessler. Oracle Bones: A Journey Through Time in China is combination of travelogue, observation of present day culture, and historical connections to the present. It's quite interesting to see how Americans perceive Chinese culture while being immersed. Also, I'm curious as to how he navigates through chaotic China which is known for its anti-western stance. (I might write about this book after I finish reading it.)

The biggest moment of August 2013 was the Linkin Park concert. It was my first rock concert. I admit that I was ambivalent about it because I dislike rowdy crowds but during the concert I'm surprised to find myself going crazy together with the audience. And I was with a very dear friend and I consider it as our special date. :)

Yeah and another achievement is finally getting to finish writing about my Shanghai trip. Going through my travel journal while selecting photos for upload had been fun. It feels like the trip was made just yesterday.

I'm taking a break from ASOIF since I have yet to watch the third season. I'm still mourning for the death of Red Viper. I think he could have been one great character. I was already speculating on what would happen if Red Viper joins with Dany... It's such a pity he died shortly after being introduced in the series. (DAMN YOU, GRRM for creating such wonderful characters and killing them too soon! HMPH!) Though truth be told I can't wait to see what happens to Tyrion in book 4. (Come to think of it, I have yet to write about A Storm of Swords!)

Ang lately I've been watching as many movies as I can just so I can free up some space in my external hard disk. But I only delete those which I find crappy (rom-coms, lewd comedy, etc.). And I'm still watching Elfen Lied and B't X. I can't wait to write reviews of those two, but many other things are vying for my attention at the moment.

For instance, I started to review my math lessons. And in between I wonder whatever possessed me to take up European Languages in the first place but then I realize that with my knowledge of many languages I can open up new worlds and expand the scope of my research and the like only I am a bit lazy or maybe I'm just lost as to where to start but I know I'll get there somehow since I believe enlightenment will come soon but it will be perfectly fine also if that never comes coz I'm so used to being such a wandering wonderer or maybe it is wondering wanderer? (I guess I owe it to my Spanish to be able to write a sentence which looks like a paragraph...)

Hoping to get busier in September. One of my trips got cancelled but it's okay. I can always travel some other time.

07232012: Día del Español

This is another late post about the Día del Español, an annual event celebrating the Spanish language as one of the widely used languages of the world with approximately 500 million speakers. In addition, the event hopes to promote Spanish culture through live music, food, and games.

This year, said event was held in Shangrila Mall in Mandaluyong City last June 23. Yours truly participated in the event and got four awesome books as prizes. How cool is that???

From Multiply 014: Why EL?

To all the people who ask me why I took EL instead of courses requiring Math and Science skills, here is my late response to you.

It doesn’t only take root from my love of languages. It’s more like an addiction to knowledge and my twisted idea of being as unique as I can in this boring world.

Bacon once said that the conquest of learning can be achieved through languages. I find this very true, being someone who’s not satisfied with the limited amount of books translated into English. At least if I get to master a lot of languages, I can delve deeper into different subjects especially those which are controversial like for example, the Bible. I’ve long been wanting with all my heart to read the original Bible, the scrolls themselves in Aramaic, Hebrew and Greek. As a human being who believes in the existence of a Supreme Being, I have the right to know and to scrutinize my faith, starting from the tangible resources which are available in the world, i.e. the authentic texts.

Right now, as I have learned a little Latin (a dead language which drags a lot of people to death…just kidding) I feel like continuing it on my own if my school won’t offer higher Latin courses. (Thanks to Umberto Eco for motivating me to learn that dead language, thanks also to my childhood fascination with mythology, in this case, Roman mythology, I didn’t feel forced at all to attend classes coz I have a goal after Latin 10--- to read Pliny’s accounts and Vergil’s Aenid in Latin. That is, if I find the means and the time.) Latin, I believe, shall be a great help once I find books on the Christian doctrine written in Latin. (I’d also like to read St. Jerome’s Vulgate Bible.)

There, I’ve answered the question with my primary reason, that is, because of my insatiable thirst for knowledge.

Second, I wanted to take up something different in college. I wanted my college life to be livelier. (But it’s still hellish not having enough time to read novels, watch anime and going on gimmicks because of my duty in the office, darn it! I’m living such a dull life!) So instead of pursuing Mathematics or Physics or Microbiology, (I hate Bio but I know microbiologists make oodles of money hahaha!!!) I ended up choosing EL before the UPCAT. I got the result of the entrance exam after finishing one year’s study of EL (and GE subjects) and I felt like I did the right choice because my grades are as follows:

Language Proficiency- 99

Reading Comprehension- 98

Math- 98

Science- 95

And I didn’t have one bit of regret because I can proudly say that I’m multilingual now. (I speak Filipino, English, Chinese (Fookien and Mandarin), Japanese (no formal training so don’t expect much, please), Spanish and French.) I mean, if I go to any country, I have the means to survive. (I’d like to learn Swahili next haha. Just to mingle with Africans but I’m still looking for a way to do it…)

I don’t know if people really are impressed when they learn I’m an EL student but here are the usual reactions:

1.    “Wow, e di magaling ka magSpanish?”
2.    “Sige nga magSpanish ka nga.”
(When I ask them what they want me to say, they’d reply “anything” which is kinda difficult so they’d ask me to translate “I am beautiful”, Beieve it or not, 99% asked me to translate that sentence!!! And I’d say “Yo soy fea” hahaha!!! BAHALA SILA!!!)
3.    “That’s interesting!!!”
4.    “Wow, e di pupunta ka sa Europe na?”
(You bet I am, that is, if I have a scholarship. I want to continue my studies there. And when I’m there, ligaré con los chorvos HAHAHA!!!)

Third, a minor reason actually, is so I can go around the world without the need of interpreters. And people will marvel at me for being able to speak Chinese, too, which BTW, is considered as one of the most difficult languages in the world. I guess, I’d feel a sense of pride, too.

But the biggest reason why I chose EL and never shifted to other courses is because I’m enjoying the discovery of grammar rules, how I can connect words from one language to the other, etc.

And I want to make something crystal clear. I’m an EL student but it doesn’t mean that I don’t like the Filipino language. People may think that EL students are kinda elitists because they prefer Euro languages over Filipino. The Chinese are known to be ethnocentric thus they look down on the Filipino language. But it’s the language I grew up with (er, together with Chinese and English books) and the language I can use in my daily life especially here in my own country.

Kinda ironic coz I write in English. But if you know me, I rarely speak English, Filipino still is my preferred language in conversations.


Sep 27, '08 11:50 PM
for Miracle's network

Before 2012 Ends

Before 2012 ends, there are lots of things I have yet to do. Out of graduate school and I find myself leaning more towards movies and J-dramas, and spending less time with books. In just a few months I think I have become a screensucker and I find myself thanking the internet for classics I can read online.

When I finished my course in archaeology, I told myself that I would start leafing through the pages of my books as I have accumulated more than 300 books and am now having problems concerning space since I share a bedroom with my sisters and it disgusts them to see books everywhere from my so-called Garbage Island to my bed.

After years of focusing on too much non-fiction, I developed a short-lived thirst for fiction and so I planned to read all of Margaret Atwood and Robertson Davies' books in my collection, especially after reading the first's Lady Oracle and the second's The Papers of Samuel Marchbanks. Both authors are Canadians and I guess theirs would have to be my introduction to Canadian literature.

Other books I plan to read before 2012 ends are:

R. Davies' The Cunning Man, What's Bred in the Bone, The Lyre of Orpheus, The Deptford Trilogy, Leaven of Malice, A Mixture of Frailties

M. Atwood's Handmaid's Tale, Life before Men, The Robber Bride, The Edible Woman

Because this year 2012 is a special year in that the Phantom of the Opera will be staged in Manila, I also plan to read Gaston Leroux's novel of the same title from which the musical is based.

In addition, because  The Hobbit will be shown in theaters this December, I also told myself to read the Lord of the Rings Trilogy and if I were lucky enough to find a cheap copy of The Hobbit I would also gladly read it. All these before watching the movie.

The Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO) will have its opening concert on September 21 (Friday) at the Philamlife Auditorium. (Click here and here for more information) To show my support for our own wonderful musicians, I have made it a point to attend at least the opening concert. (And also because I just miss Philamlife Auditorium that much.)

If I still have money and time, then I would no doubt go see The Seagull (Ang Tagak) (Sept. 19-Oct. 7), a play by Anton Chekov, staged by Dulaang UP and directed by the great Tony Mabesa, with Filipino translation by Rolando Tinio.

On my birthday this December, I would love to cook for my family. This is to showcase my cooking skills (if indeed I gained any... LOL). Menu would be a mix of Italian and Mexican. There will be nachos and home-made salsa. I will also prepare a new pasta dish never been tasted by the world (yes, it will be a new invention by yours truly). If chance permits, I would buy salmon and grill it. For dessert I would just ask my sisters to buy a cake from Conti's. (Thinking about all these make me drool...)

And of course, I'd like to go out more with my close friends since it's been a long time since we did something meaningful together. Eating out would be the best option. Or perhaps we can go hang out at some karaoke bar and goof around as in the old days, this time by trying hard to be wonderful music artists, or in my case, being a rockstar wannabe.

Concerning travels, I would love to go to the Visayan region and visit the lovely beaches which I hear seem like paradise on earth.

Last but not the least, I would be very happy if I were to be able to take the JLPT this year. I shall only allow myself IF AND ONLY IF I can finish studying my materials. As of the present, I am stuck with Japanese for Today with six more lessons to go. At this rate, I doubt if I will be able to study my other materials. Maybe I'll just take the exam next year at the latest.

Less than 130 days to go...

日本語の勉強: Japanese Verbs

While I find studying Japanese fun, I do admit that I'm somewhat stressed when it comes to conjugating Japanese verbs. The book I use as main textbook, Japanese for Today, may offer sufficient reading material of various topics, but it sadly lacks explanations on verb conjugations, leaving me a bit frustrated because sometimes I have to do research on the internet before I can proceed to my lessons.

I currently am on lesson 17 and I must say that I am already having a hard time with all the verb endings one has to know by heart. It is still a good thing that I am already familiar with most verb endings, having encountered them in songs. I have just survived lesson 16 which is all about the passive and causative verbs. Really I suck at verb conjugations. Now, I am absorbing the six verbs associated with giving and receiving.

I have yet to review my kanji but hopefully by the end of this month, I will have reviewed at least half of the list I made. My strategy is noting down in index cards all kanji that I encounter and write the pronunciation in hiragana to also increase my reading speed. I rarely put in the English equivalent since most Kanji have the same meaning as the Chinese words they originate from. Then on my spare time, I review my index cards to refresh my memory.

I have also resumed watching J-Drama. At present,  うぬぼれ刑事  and 未来講師めぐる make me laugh out loud. うぬぼれ刑事 tells the story of a detective who falls for a woman criminal. 未来講師めぐる on the other haand, is about a female English teacher who can see the future of other people when she is full. Watching J-Drama not only is a stress-reliever, but also allows my ears to get accustomed to others speak in Japanese since I really do not have anyone to converse with in the language.

Target for this month includes studying up to at least lesson 24. Also, I have begun to study the lyrics of some Japanese songs to increase my vocabulary. X-Japan was initially part of this project since I love their X Ballad Collection but then again I will have to change to other bands/ singers because the lyrics of most X-Japan songs contain stanzas in English. For the time being, B'z, Chage and Aska, Kamiki Aya, Shibasaki Koh, HITOMI, Kalafina, Do As Infinity, and Onitsuka Chihiro shall accomapny me in my study. Or better yet, now is probably the best time to get to know other singers. For instance I have discovered Tanimura Shinji who sang Fuushi Hanaden, the ending theme for the anime version of Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

All this to prepare for the JLPT this December!!! 

Science, Math, and Chaos

Taking up an STS (Science, Technology, and Society) course in college has a profound effect on my life. Not only was I able to learn many new things about science, I learned to appreciate the role of science in our  everyday life. STS let me see that science indeed plays a vital role in addressing the problems the world faces today. In highschool, I used to think of science as the reason why everything got extra complicated in this world. The advent of new technologies contributed to increasing social fragmentation, not to mention destruction of the environment. But the very reason why I shunned science was because I really didn't believe anything I learned in high school- I always thought something was amiss, like all those theories do not really mirror phenomena in reality. So in college, while I considered to take up Mathematics, I decided to pursue foreign languages instead, with my love for literature and etymologies prevailed over mathematical abstractions. (Or perhaps blame it to the fact that I wasn't much informed about possible careers after studying Mathematics in college... It came too late.)

In STS class, which I took three years ago, the students are lucky to listen to lectures by different professionals, from engineers and scientists to historians, forensic experts, and archaeologists. The topics are diverse but the main point is that one cannot escape science as it pervades every aspect of our reality. In particular, I was very much inspired by the lecture given by Amador Muriel. He talked about turbulence and quantum theory, though mostly he just talked about himself which made me view him as an egocentric, self-centered old man who keeps on enumerating his achievements and how he survived in the West although he came from a poor family in a Third World Country. Despite my aversion to all those self-praise talk, I must say that I honestly admire this man for his struggles, how he made it big despite his poor origins. Another is that in enumerating his numerous mentors, one can say that he takes pride in his academic pedigree and as such gives credit to and rightly acknowledges the people who have contributed to who he is now.

Back in college, my friends know me as a spendthrift who only buys books from Booksale and who seldom gets the required readings. But when he announced that his book is now available, I didn't think twice. I just had to have the book. The book isn't that expensive, which is a good thing, and students could get autographs right then and there. I bought his book "Folding Water: The Search for a Quantum Theory of Turbulence" which was co-authored by Ninotchka Rosca. I almost never had the book autographed because of students suddenly flocked to him like moths to a flame. I braved the crowd. He asked me what I am studying and I answered, "European Languages." He wrote a short note on the first page of the book:

"Melo:

              Look up to the

       allusions to

       Europe.

                   A. Muriel"

It was the first time I got a book signed by the author. It instantly became one of my prized books. And when I read it from cover to cover, I was more than sure that never shall this book go out of my collection. It's more detailed compared to the lecture and I wasn't at all surprised that this book is also a memoir in addition to its being a book on quantum mechanics meant for the layperson.

Not long after, I got interested in chaos theory. Reading short articles online increased my appetite for chaos. At that time, I described my life as chaotic. I was a lost kid in a jungle of civilization. Suddenly everything I know crumbles, it feels like being a witness to widescale destruction a la Inception (yes, that movie by Christopher Nolan where scenes of crumbling edifices are many) and I didn't know where to start from.

One day as if by chance, I found a book at Booksale which costs just P75. The title of the book is "Chaos: Making a New Science", authored by James Gleick. I knew I had to buy it. As soon as I got home, I read the book and was enlightened as to why I became averse to science in high school. In high school, we were taught that this happens assuming this is the case. In short, it was highly idealistic. But chaos, as Gleick writes, "poses problems that defy accepted ways of working in science." Moreover, high school science lacked the interdependence of disciplines and thus provided an unrealistic view of phenomena. Physics for example was isolated from biology and chemistry. Each subject was compartmentalized. Chaos on the other hand, brings together different disciplines in an attempt to investigate global nature of systems. When a child, who yearns to make sense of the world around her and who sees the intricate web of relations of things, is made to study a subject without reference to other disciplines, she quickly loses interest. I do not know if this holds true to others but it does to me.

Gleick's book is meant for the layperson. It traces the beginnings of the study of chaotic systems and chaos itself. It narrates the development of such subject as other disciplines like mathematics, physics, chemistry, and biology advanced, or the other way around. Gleick also briefly sketched the important contributors to chaotology (study of chaos), from Lorenz to Mandelbrot, to Feigenbaum and Libchaber, to the scholars of Santa Cruz. I also appreciated how the book attempts to enumerate the many applications and relations of chaotology in other dsiciplines including economics, philosophy, art, and literature.

Reading the book made me wonder what if I took up Mathematics instead of foreign languages. Then maybe I would be very good at working with computers. Then maybe I would be dabbling in chaos. Then maybe I would be able to offer an explanation as to why my life is chaotic.

Why Learn a Foreign Language

Languages play an important role in our daily life as it serves as a communicative tool that facilitates interaction with other people. We acquire language skills since infancy and as we grow older these language skills are developed in such a way that it allows us to express complex ideas and to convey abstract ideas.

Knowing a language allows us to engage with people who speak the same language. Knowing a language allows us to access information written in that same language. Knowing a language allows us to appreciate more the culture to which that language is part of.

Imagine knowing more than one language. Imagine then overcoming language barriers to read poetry in its original language, to have access to information in other languages! Indeed, at present when information is almost everywhere and linguistic differences are the only things that keep you from getting that much needed information, there is a need for multilinguals. Nowadays, knowing one's mother tongue is not enough, and even fluency in English is not enough. Learning another foreign language is always a plus as it widens your horizons and opens more career opportunities.

I have been fortunate to have been exposed to Fookien, Tagalog, English, and Mandarin since childhood. Since I love reading, I discovered one of the advantages of knowing Chinese as this allowed me to read manga translated into Chinese, like Ranma 1/2, Dragonball, Mojacko, and Doraemon. As a young adolescent infatuated with anything Japanese due to the anime boom in the '90s, I started picking up simple Japanese phrases and words until I decided to study the language by myself. In college I took up European Languages with the main goal of being able to read untranslated Spanish and French literature. I would have loved to learn Russian, Italian, Portuguese, and German, but there's always the problem of time constraint. Instead now I'm back to studying Japanese seeing how useful it will be in the near future.


Autodidactic's Tips on Learning a Foreign Language: Learning a Foreign Language by Self-Study

Autodidactic's Tips on Learning a Foreign Language: Learning a Foreign Language by Self-Study

Studying a foreign language does not mean you have to enroll in a language school in order to learn. While interacting with other fellow learners would be an advantage of language-learning in the classroom, there are also disadvantages. One disadvantage of enrolling in a language course is that one has to adjust to the class schedule which means that you have to sacrifice other activities (i.e. work) just to learn. Another is the costly fees usually associated with language schools.

I have just recently resumed my self-study of Nihonggo. I started to study Japanese in 2003, after buying two books: "Japanese for Today" and "Everyday Japanese". My goals then were just to be able to read Japanese and to make myself familiar with Japanese words, thus my studies were done in a highly undisciplined manner, opening the books only when I felt like it. I went on hiatus in 2006 when I entered college and by that time, I knew how to read and write hiragana, had little knowledge of katakana, was already familiar with a lot of Kanji, and could already understand simple sentences. 

Now, I have resolved to continue my self-study of the Japanese language. I still use the same books, but the difference is that now I include online materials.

Here are some tips to help you learn a foreign language all by yourself:

Image:  http://learnworldlanguages.com/

1. Before anything else, ask yourself why you want to study a particular language.

This will be your motivation for studying a foreign language. Are you planning to work, live, or stay in a country where that language is spoken? Or do you want to gain a thorough understanding of a culture through its language? In my case, I want to study Japanese to achieve fluency in order to be able to translate texts. Keep in mind that there is no right nor wrong answer to this question but that knowing your motivations will keep you more focused and will help you design your own curriculum.

2. Set goals.

Have a realistic goal in mind. What do you want to achieve? In my case, I want to be able to translate simple stories and to watch movies without subtitles after two months of self-study.

3. Use a main reference material but prepare supplements.

Buy a book which suits your level. To be on the safe side, choose one that is appropriate for beginners and which contains conversations, grammar explanations, and exercise drills. Make this your main reference material, but do not limit yourself to this one particular book. Supplement this songs, videos, dictionaries, and other grammar books. In my case, I watch anime and listen to Japanese songs.

4. Read children's books.

Reading children's books in the language you are studying helps, too, since sentence structures are fairly simple and you will not be overwhelmed and discouraged. Besides, it is a good way to build your vocabulary. Oh, and when you read, READ ALOUD!

5. Make studying a habit.

I know this is hard especially when it gets frustrating, but a lack of discipline would get you nowhere. Sometimes it's just in how you manage your time. Twenty minutes of study everyday is sure to bring much improvement.

In my case, I study almost everyday but without a definite schedule. Sometimes I study for three hours and sometimes just half an hour. 

6. When stumped or uncertain, RESEARCH!

Suddenly having difficulty with a topic? Research online! Or research on ways to cope with that difficulty. Chances are other learners also experience what you're going through.

To share some of my experiences, I found verb conjugations in Japanese difficult since the book I use does not explain in depth how to conjugate verbs. So I did a research on the internet and found useful information.

7. Take notes.

Notes are not just taken in class, they are also helpful when doing a self-study. Taking down notes not only increases chances of remembering words or grammar formulas, it also lets you practice writing non-romanized languages. Also, you may bring your notes with you everywhere so you may review what you have learned while in the bus or waiting for someone.

In my case, I create lists of kanji and foreign words (in katakana) as I encounter them. 

8. Immersion!

There is no quicker way than travelling to the country where your target language is spoken. Once there, interact with locals. Speak no English. Speak the language no matter how awkward or stupid you may sound. 

No budget? Search for online language communities or online forums and befriend a native speaker with whom you can practice your target language.

9. Face the mirror and talk to yourself.

This may make you look like a crazy idiot but it does work as it helps in making your tongue accustomed to producing sounds in the target language which may not be found in your own language. It also helps you come up with what to say faster.

With these tips, I'm sure you would be learning any foreign language in no time! 

Japanese Online Vocabulary Test

I took this test to see how familiar I am with Japanese words. Then again, this test fails in that a user who knows Chinese will rely on his/ her knowledge of Chinese rather than of Japanese and thus defeats the purpose. On a positive side, it helps in acquiring new vocabulary as one sees the range of Chinese-inspired words. I for one, increase my vocabulary by means of association with known words from different languages.

One suggestion though is that futagana be used so that those who need to brush up on their kanji may learn how to pronounce the words while taking the test.

Oh, and I stopped because it's already late and I don't know what time I will finish with an almost 5,000 item test. I guess I'll just have to look for other quizzes available online.

Pag-aaral sa Labas ng Akademia

Kakatapos ko lang ng kursong Arkiyolohiya sa graduadong nibel noong Abril. Pagkatapos noon, nangako ako sa sarili ko na huwag munang mag-enroll nang basta basta, bagkus ay magsimula nang maghanap ng trabaho. Alam kong hindi madali ang pasyang ito sapagkat labis na akong napamahal sa UP at tila doon lang ako makakatagpo ng purong kaligayahan kapiling ang mga libro sa iba't ibang silid aklatang nagkalat sa unibersidad. Pero minsan ay kailangang maging praktikal. Ni hindi ko alam kung bakit ako sinasabihan ng mga tao dati na napakapraktikal ko, e sa aking palagay ay napakaromantiko't idealista ako.

Ngayong semestre ay hindi ako nag-enrol sa kahit na anong kurso. Sabi ko sa sarili ko, tama lang din iyon upang mabalikan ko rin ang mga bagay na inaaral ko nang mag-isa lang. Halimbawa na lamang ang Nihonggo na sinimulan kong aralin nang malaman kong mas madali iyon para sa akin gayong magaling ako sa wikang Tsino. At nakita ko sa sarili ko na mabilis ako matuto ng mga wika. Siguro isang faktor na rin doon ang pagiging mahilig ko sa anime at dahil na rin doon, sa mga kantang hapon. Sinimulan kong mag-aral ng Nihonggo sa bahay noong hayskul pa lang ako. Nang umapak na ako sa kolehiyo ay unti-unting nawalan ako ng oras para dito.

At ngayon na mas may libreng oras ako habang wala pang trabaho ay binuksan ko muli ang mga librong binili ko dati at nag-aaral muli ng Nihonggo. Medyo mahirap pero kakayanin. Ako naman yung tipo ng tao na hindi mabilis sumuko. At kahit na minsan ay parang sasabog na ang ulo ko, tuloy pa rin. Alam ko namang makukuha iyan sa tiyaga at determinasyon.

Bukod pa rito ay kinuha ko ang ilang libro ng mga kapatid ko upang magbasa-basa tungkol sa iba't ibang bagay. Medyo maswerte ako dahil nagkalat sa bahay ang mga libro sa fisika, matematika, at negosyo. Sayang lang wala ni isa sa amin ang kumuha ng IT o computer science. Sa ngayon ay inaaral ko ang mga may kinalaman sa negosyo, lalo na sa accounting. Sa aking palagay, magagamit ko iyon panigurado sa aking pagpasok sa corporate world.

Bakit nga ba ako nag-aaral nang kung anu-ano? Iyan ang madalas na tanong sa akin ng mga tao. Isa lang ang masasabi ko, hindi natin alam kung kailan natin kakailanganin ang mga bagay na tila walang halaga. Mabuti nang maging handa kaysa magsisi sa huli. Kung kaya't para sa akin, bawat segundo ay mahalaga, at ito'y inilalaan ko sa pag-aaral ng kung anu-ano. Maaaring galing sa libro ang impormasyon, maaaring aktwal na pagppraktis nito. Ang mahalaga ay alam ko kung paano ko gamitin ang mga bagay na natutunan ko.

日本語の勉強

言語とアニメが好きだから、　私わ日本語を勉強する。今日"Japanese for Today" の第八課の短い対話を読む。日本語わ難しいだ。　漢字わ難しくない、中国語を知ってるから。　漢字の意味わのほとんどを知っている。　でも　文法が　とても難しく　複雑だ。　動詞の形成わ　非常に紛らわしい。

今　頭が痛い、心も痛い。　試験に失敗の事を考えるから。でも　まだあきらめない。　いつか　きっと日本語を習得する。

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This is my first attempt to write a short essay in Japanese. Since I have been studying the language all by myself and since I have had no formal schooling on this, I am not sure if my grammar is correct. And I know I have a long long way to go before I can master the language.

But for now I am happy to find  that I read and write faster now. Yay!!!

頑張って, ミル!!!

Mengapah saya mau terus hadir dalam kelas Bahasa Indonesia?

Saya senang belajar bahasa-bahasa sejak saya masih muda. Saya mau belajar asal-usul bahasa manusia. Bagi saya, itu adalah yang paling menarik. Sebagai seorang Filipin, saya mau belajar bagaimana bahasa kita, yaitu Bahasa Filipin, terbentuk. Saya sudah tahu Bahasa Tionghoa, Bahasa Filipin, Bahasa Spanyol, dan Bahasa Jepang. Sekarang, itu adalah waktunya belajar bahasa baru. Saya memilih belajar Bahasa Indonesia.

Berdasarkan arkeoloji, ada banyak pengaruh Indonesia di Filipin. Dalam sistim menulis kita yang kuno, ada banyak kata yang berasal dari Indonesia, misalnya yang ditulis dalam Laguna Copperplate.

Bagi saya, belajar Bahasa Indonesia sangat penting. Itu akan membantu saya dalam penelitian. Itu akan membantu saya belajar budaya asing, yaitu budaya Indonesia. Itu akan membantu saya lebih memahami hubungan-hubungan Asia Tenggara. Jadi, saya mau terus hadir dalam kelas Bahasa Indonesia.


This is an essay I submitted to our prof in Bahasa Indonesia so that I may continue to attend her class. In a nutshell, the reason why I want to study the language is because of the many similarities between it and our language, Filipino, which shows that even before, there had been close affinity with Indonesia and the Philippines.

Excavating the National Archives and Thinking of Librarians

I'm back to doing archival research following the end of the archaeological impact assessment at Intramuros in which I volunteered, seeing it as an opportunity to practice my excavation skills. (I do admit that I suck at troweling and I have yet to master the art of walling.) Also, it's my way of training myself in recording which is of course the most important thing we do as archaeologists.

That experience in urban archaeology deserves an article on its own. Right now, the focus is archival research.

I used to dream of being a researcher, locked up in a library browsing old brittle documents with a magnifier, going to different libraries, checking out their collections, consolidating the data gathered and writing a report. I guess being a bibliophile and an avid reader inspired me a lot. Besides, I do think that people who read are hot. (I can just imagine Nico Robin of One Piece, and the girls of Read or Die, and also, the yokai in Bungaku Shoujo right now and I miss watching anime... SIGH!) But along the way, I developed into an adventure-seeker and now I am training to be an archaeologist, though I am happy to have been assigned to go to the National Archives where I feel most at home surrounded by books and yellowed papers. (Never mind the dust, my lungs seem to have adapted well since I have been visiting The Stacks at the Main Library since I was an undergraduate student.)

People may have negative opinions of libraries. Librarians tend to be strict, grumpy, and unfriendly. I do have my share of moments when librarians would reprimand me for misbehaving and for attempting to enter restricted areas. But these people, the librarians, they are the guardians of books and books I regard as friends, and this view of mine has never changed since I was young, thus my utmost respect toward librarians. Besides, viewing them in a negative way is unfair because most librarians I have met are warm and friendly. There are of course friendly ones who smile at me, probably because I frequent libraries and I already look familiar to them. But the one thing I love most about librarians is their willingness to help whenever I am in need of references when doing research, making access to information easier.

I remember a particular librarian in the Main Library who often smiles at me when she sees me. She's also the first ever librarian to have attempted to befriend me. When I'm busy and haven't visited the library for a long time, chances are, she'll ask me where I've been. There's one ugly day in my undergraduate years when a series of unfortunate events befell me but she asking me about my day made me feel better. That simple gesture certainly made my day.

(Come to think of it, I miss the Main Library...)

So anyway, today I went to the National Archives and saw the wonderful people there again. We researchers provide each other with information regarding our respective research. For instance, one does research on local history, I do research on both economic history and local history, one has an interest in cemeteries, etc. Interacting with fellow researchers is fun; you get to learn new things. Besides, joking around and having someone to talk to while doing research makes the work more bearable and enjoyable since archival research is no easy task and needs lots of patience.

But excavating the archives has been a good training ground for me.Not only do I get to use my knowledge of Spanish, I also get introduced to the usage of Spanish. Not only do I transcribe and translate documents, I also keep track of differences in orthography, semantics, and syntax. This makes me appreciate the dynamism of the Spanish language better.

I guess I'll be having another INC this semester. But what the hell, I am enjoying the learning process. There's just so much to learn in places other than the university. To hell with academic rules! It's time that students draft their own learning curriculum. I happen to prefer DOING AND THINKING rather than just thinking inside the classroom.

(Yes, dear readers, I do know that I write horribly, always typing as I think without bothering to check if my thoughts are coherent or not. Reflects my chaotic mind... But I have a pretty good excuse: I am also currently TRYING to finish a major paper as I write this....)