The Prologue and The Entities Before That

Whow. My first term in DLSU is finally over (actually, it's been over since the start of May and it's actually the start of my second term already) which means ENGLCOM is finally over too. Good news and bad news; Good news is that I don't have to drown myself making essays every week. nyahaha. >:D Yeah -- sure, I'll miss tediously making papers that consumes a lot of my time and which I am kind of FORCED to do by the way.. NOT! hahaha. No offense to ENGLCOM or my professor in it who gave me a PHG (pretty high grade), Thanks Ma'am! :)) Bad news is I don't have a reason and an excuse to blog anymore. :O.... F**k, who gives a crap. hahaha. I'll just blog when I feel like to... No, I'm not saying that blogging is kinda fun for me and relieves some stress. That I find it relaxing and helps me release some air. That it lets me say what I feel. That it's an outlet for my undermined opinions and other things like the ones said above. It's totally not something like that. I just blog because I want to. ;)

I'm still not sure whether I'll continue on blogging, still in hamlet mode for that one. One of the reasons of which is because I'm still a noob in this thing. Yeah, I've been using Blogspot for at least 5 months now. hehe. I just remembered another good news. I can go bilingual now, maybe even more because this account is no longer only for the exclusive use of my ENGLCOM subject. FREEDOM! KALAYAAN! woho! XD.. Back to the subject, I'll probably be just making blogs randomly; like what I said, when I feel like to. So don't expect a new blog weekly or think that there's a specific time interval for the release of my blogs. Not that I'm saying that my blogs are golden and are a must read (Totally not being sarcastic in this one). Just saying it for those who are interested and wondering.

As for those who have no idea about the origins of this site, why it has entities that look like essays or papers for an english class, here's the explanation. First things first, all the entities before this blog ARE essays for my english class. This site was originally intended for the exclusive use of my ENGLCOM class. ENGLCOM is an english class in DLSU focused on communication skills for reading and writing. Our professor required us to make an account in Blogspot and post our essays there to make sharing our essays to each other, the whole class, easier. When ENGLCOM ended, I decided use this account for my own blogging purposes because I'm to lazy to make a new account. Ang hassle kaya gumawa ng bagong acount. haha. Lifting the exclusive use of this account for ENGLCOM, I have made a site for my blogging needs. :D... And rest will be written or blogged. haha. I'll try to change the name of this site if I could and personalize it more when I log-in next time. Gudmornyt people!

Advincula, Jerome Englcom Exit essay: Englcame

ENGLCOM may have been boring in some cases but it was definitely not a waste of time. The new competencies I have learned and the competencies I have improved on after I took up ENGLCOM will help me in my future stay in DLSU-M in passing and acing other courses I will take, especially those with thesis requirements.

The competencies I have learned or acquired in ENGLCOM are proper documentation, writing parenthetical citations, making notecards, and avoiding plagiarism. Through ENGLCOM I have learned how to do proper documentation and why it is important. If you are writing, documentation can give your papers credibility and verification through your sources; it also shows respect to your sources and is a sign of intellectual honesty of you, the writer. The next lesson I have learned from ENGLCOM is parenthetical citations. Before, I did not know what the numbers in a parenthetical citation meant, now I know that it is the date of publication of the paper. There are different parenthetical citations for different types of sources. Following the correct type of parenthetical citation for each source can help make things less confusing especially if you are using sources from the internet. The 3^rd new lesson for me was notecards. It was the first time I learned about notecards even though some of my friends say they already learned it in highschool. I probably missed that lesson back then. Notecards gives support and strength to your papers, as well as documentation for it. It contains the article, sentence, etc.., you would like to use in your paper and also the information where you got your sources. The last lesson I learned is the proper way to avoid plagiarism. I thought that to avoid plagiarism, you only have to change one word in the sentence or make a little difference in its sequence. Now that I took up ENGLCOM, I know that I was wrong and more importantly, I was corrected. To avoid plagiarism, you could either paraphrase or summarize the sentences from your source and cite your source properly.

The competencies I have improved after I have taken up ENGLCOM are inferring, writing, skimming, scanning, researching, summarizing, paraphrasing, note-taking, listening, and making a thesis statement. I have also developed further my parallelism, subject-verb agreement, grammar and spelling, diction, coherence, tense-shift, and transition.

I am now better at summarizing and paraphrasing because I have learned to how to do it properly without plagiarizing. It is important because it protects me from un-deliberately stealing from my sources, thus it also protects me from the law because stealing is a crime. The bar on my researching skill has been raised. I learned that it is more effective to use internet sources that have its author and to avoid using sites such as Wikipedia that consistently change and does not have an author.

In my opinion, the most important competency I have improved after I took up ENGLCOM is confidence in writing. I have improved my writing in terms of connecting my ideas to the readers and giving a clear picture of what I am writing about. Creative writing is not easy. It is hard to make people enjoy what you are writing; this was one of my challenges when I was taking up ENGLCOM. The introduction should make the readers want to read your paper and give them a preview of it. The thesis statement should give a clear meaning of what you are writing about and what your main idea is. The body should have the content of what you are writing. The conclusion should be conclusive and gives an impact to your readers. It is not enough to just have sources and correct grammar, spelling, structure, and documentation for your paper, but you also have to put your own ideas and make your paper interesting, worth-reading, and unique. These are the things I have learned from ENGLCOM.

Because of ENGLCOM, I have seen flaws in my works, as well as heard the evaluation of other on it. I know now what do to on how to make my writing better. There is still much to learn but the way I write before I took up ENGLCOM and the way I write after I took up ENGLCOM have big differences and improvements. My expectations were satisfactorily met.

Advincula, Jerome Englcom Entry essay: Englcome

I am confident that I have sufficiently developed my skills in reading and in writing to take up ENGLCOM because of the previous English lessons I had and because of my own experience in reading and in writing.

The competencies I have for reading and writing in English are skimming, scanning, reading steadily, writing with my own thoughts and emotions, applying proper and correct grammar in writing, following that rules of parallelism, subject-verb agreement and, and proper tenses, avoiding common errors in writing, double-checking my papers before submitting them, submitting papers in time (hopefully), using English fluently, expressing my own opinions from what I have read, getting the gist of what I am reading, gaining more knowledge from what I have read, typing faster and letting my imagination and creativity flow when reading and writing.

I believe that there is still much for me to learn; I am still young; even old people learn new things. I want to improve in avoiding to commit errors, learning how to write with deeper with thoughts, expressing my writings accurately to its readers, understanding correctly what an author is trying to convey in his or her writing, and learning new things.

My expectations for the ENGLCOM course are tackling harder topics and lessons, improving my competencies in writing and in reading at the end of the course, making new friends while taking up the course, learning new things, and re-learning things that I had forgotten.

Advincula, Jerome Englcom Argumentative essay: Single-sex education

School is the place where most people learn the basic things in life. It is where students develop what they want to be in the future. Students hone their skills and talents in school. It is the foundation of knowledge of every person. Therefore, it is important to optimize the students learning. In Co-ed schools, boys and girls are distracted by each other; boys and girls also learn differently. The students learning is not optimized, but in Single-sex education, it could be. They need to be free from distraction and focus in developing their selves as much as possible. Single-sex education satisfies this needs. Boys and girls should attend separate schools in highschool.

Single-sex, exclusive-sex or single-gender education is practiced in and propelled by tradition and religion in many different countries. In Single- sex education, boys and girls attend classes, buildings, or schools separately (Single-sex education”, n.d.). They are not taught together unlike in Co-ed or Co-education schools which is the opposite of Single-sex education.

Distraction is one of the causes why students fail. Boys and girls distract each other. Their mere presence to each other is a pestilence in their attention. Teenagers, having high hormonal levels, are the most vulnerable to distraction among sexes. Instead of studying, boys and girls try to impress, make sexual advances, and sexually harass each other (“Single-sex education”, n.d.). In Co-ed schools, boys and girls are more afraid on being humiliated in front of their opposite sex than not understanding correctly the lesson. And also, boys are worried to be called soft and for girls tomboys if they go in fields that are not common for their gender. Another factor to consider is love. Love is a common them in highschool. If a boy and a girl who happen to “love” each other were to study in the same classroom, their emotions might get the best of them. Instead of pursuing their main objective in attending classes which is to learn and to study, they would be tempted to concern each other’s needs or their relationships needs instead of their own needs. Is better to prevent this from happening rather fix it when it has already started.

Another issue to consider why boys and girls should attend separate schools in highschool is their learning capacity. “Girls and boys learn differently.” (Sugden, 2009, p. 1) By separating boys and girls in classes, the teachers could teach each gender in their own pace. Girls mature faster and can concentrate easier; boys are a bit more analog in a way that they need to be taught directly. (Sugden, 2009) Each gender will learn more efficiently if they are taught separately. Mixing them in a single classroom would mean that in some lessons. The boys would get left behind by the girls and vice versa. With single-sex education, the teachers would have to worry about those who are really slow in learning.

However, some people say that because of studying in single-sex education, interaction with the opposite-sex is left behind. Student from single-sex schools are said to be unable to handle their opposite-sex properly. They do not know how to interact with their opposite-sex and so there will be difficulties in cooperation if there are opposite-sex members in a group. (“Single-sex education”) Their solution to that problem is Co-education. That claim has no basis. There is no proof that Co-ed college students who studied from single-sex highschools are not inclined in interacting with the opposite-sex. Also, it is not only in the school that teenagers are exposed to their opposite-sex. There is the community, the media, the neighborhood, the church and many other factors that could develop a student’s interaction with the opposite-sex. Interaction with the opposite sex is not limited in the school. The purpose of highschools is to teach teenagers and prepare them for college. And as stated before, boys and girls tend to distract each other in school rather than develop their interaction skill.s

Therefore, it is better for boys and girls to attend separate schools in highschools. As if their hormones plus school work are not problems enough for them. Boys and girls would also learn more effectively and they are not distracted by their emotions and feelings for the opposite sex in a classroom.

Reference:

Wikipedia.org (n.d.) Single-sex education. Retrieved April 6, 2010, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single-sex_education#Criticism

(Single-sex education”, n.d.)

Sugden, J. (December 4, 2009) A debate on co-ed education. Retrieved April 6, 2010, http://www.whyboysfail.com/2009/12/04/a-debate-on-co-ed-education/

(Sugden, 2009, p. 1)

Sugden, J. (December 4, 2009) A debate on co-ed education. Retrieved April 6, 2010, http://www.whyboysfail.com/2009/12/04/a-debate-on-co-ed-education/

(Sugden, 2009)

Advincula, Jerome Englcom Definition essay: The Good life

People today are more mindful about how they are going to spend their fortunes. This is due to the global recession the world is suffering right now. International companies in the Philippines are starting to shut down its facilities based in the Philippines in response to the global recession. One of the most common reasons for doing so is to cut expenses by moving to other cheaper locations (“Financial recession and Philippines”, n.d.). People are getting paranoid due to the recession. Everybody is affected. OFW’s are not spared from the global recession; those who are not lucky enough lose their jobs abroad and have no choice but to go back here in the Philippines, and try to seek for jobs here. This adds to the unemployment rate of the Philippines (“Financial recession and Philippines”). Does this mean that nobody can have the Good life right now? Of course not!

The Good life is more than just financial security; it is something more profound than that. Most of the people would not probably know that they had the Good life not until their deaths, when they will be judged. One way of knowing is to count your blessings, not your misfortunes. The Good life is the life one chooses to live, in which the person has no regrets and in which the person carries no darkness in his or her heart and soul when he or she dies. It is a life of contentment, happiness, simplicity; living a materialistic and over-indulgent life does not guarantee the Good life.

The good life is the one chooses to live. It is a happy life with moral and ethical bounds and is commonly linked to Aristotle’s Eudaimonia. Eudaimonia is a Greek word commonly associated with happiness (“The Good life”, n.d.). If you would scrutinize the Good life, you would obviously get the words good and life. Good meaning virtuous, genuine, worthy, and satisfactory in quality and Life meaning period of animate existence of an individual. If put together, the Good life would mean the period of animate existence of an individual in a virtuous, genuine, worthy, and satisfactory in quality way.

It is hard for someone to say that he or she lived the Good life of they do not live it the way they truly choose to. If being forced to do something you do not approve of is difficult, what more if you live your life the way you do not approve of. The Good life is a genuine life that one chose to live.

Living life extravagantly and leisurely does not mean that you will automatically be living the Good life. Mike La Perruque (video interview by www.accesshollywood.com, July 1, 2009) who was Michael Jacksons’s former bodyguard says Michael Jackson did not want his children to be exposed in the media, he was protective of them. It is well known that Michael Jackson lived life extravagantly. He did his time in the limelight, and it and wasn’t just the 15 minutes of fame type; he was already famous even as a child. He was very rich yet somehow Michael Jackson did not want to have his children experience the same treatment he had.

The Good life has to be a life without regrets and without darkness in one’s heart when one dies. Although, it is possible to still have the Good life even if one has regrets at the time of their deaths; it is not possible to have the Good life if one still carries darkness or deep regret in their heart at the time of their deaths. The gravity of regret is a factor. To avoid that, it is important for everybody to know that nothing in this world is permanent. When a person lives in this world, he or she borrows everything from it. When a person leaves this world, he or she leaves everything behind and takes nothing with him or her.

Efren Peñaflorida could have had an easier life. He could have chosen not to live a life of altruism and could have just worked as a teacher to at least secure his finances, but he did not. He chose to make an organization dedicated to helping the youth and to make a change through the push-cart classroom. He chose to struggle instead and through this he won the 2009 CNN Hero of the Year (“Efren Peñaflorida”, n.d.).

Efren Peñaflorida did not desire to live lavishly; he wants to help other people. Efren Peñaflorida is contented with his life. For him, there was no greater award than being able to help children and inspire them. Nobody will be able to do what he did if they are not contented with their living because they would only desire more.

“Contentment is the experience of satisfaction and being at ease in one’s situation.” (“Contentment”, n.d., paragraph 1). The Good life is a contented life. It is the most important factor of the Good life; without contentment, one cannot have the Good life. This is because not being contented leads to desires and these desire lead to greed. If you are contented with your life, then that means you have no regrets, desires, and hatred; if you are contented with your life, you appreciate it and see its beauty and importance.

The Good life is a life of happiness. You cannot say that you had the Good life if you are not happy with it; happy in a good way, in a virtuous way. True happiness does not lead to destruction. This is the happiness people must pursue.

So far, the Good life has been defined for what it is; this time, it will be defined by what it is not. In order to understand it better, it will be made clear that not everything that seems to be fun is good and that everything too much is bad.

Take Charles Dickens' novella as an example. The story of “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens tells that wealth cannot bring happiness alone. Even though Ebenezer Scrooge of the A Christmas Carol was a wealthy man who could buy anything he wanted, he was miserable. He was not happy with his life nor did he find his life goof in spite of all his riches. Something was missing in his life and the three ghost of Christmas made him realize what it was. In the end, he was a completely different man; he had become a man of overflowing generosity and kindness and through this he finally saw what happiness really meant. (“A Christmas Carol”, n.d.) In his death, Mr. Scrooge probably said that he was still able to live a good life.

Being wealthy does not ensure happiness. The joy of materials only last until it starts to lose its value. The Good life is not a materialistic life. It cannot be bought; it has to be done. It is not a materialistic life because the more one posses, the greedier one becomes, the harder it is for one to let go of things. People should not be happy of their possessions, they should be happy of what they could to with it. The real joy of wealth is through sharing it with others and using it for good, not keeping it all for one’s self.

Another story, this time taken from the bible, tells that a life of over-indulgence is not the Good life. In the story of the prodigal son, the younger son thought he could enjoy life by over-indulging all his desires. He wasted the fortune that his father gave him, thinking that pleasuring himself would give him happiness. The younger son spent all his money and soon was left with nothing. Lucky for him his father still accepted him back. (“The Prodigal son”, n.d.)

The good life is not an over-indulgent life. Over-indulgence only leads a person into self-destruction and eventually this destruction will emanate from him or her to others. If a person does not know when to stop, if he or she does not know when enough is enough, then he or she will never find true happiness.

Viewing holistically what have been stated in this essay, the Good life is an unregreted life. It is a life worth living. It is not limited to the wealthy but being rich would not hurt as well. Ultimately, it is the unregreted, happy, and contented existence of a person with a good ending; it does not matter how the person starts it, mess it up in the middle or almost completely annihilate it after that, what matters most is how the person ends it.

Reference:

Hubpages.com (n.d.) Financial Recession and its effects in the Philippines. Retrieved March 31, 2010, http://hubpages.com/hub/Financial-Recession-and-Its-Effects-in-the-Philippines

Hubpages.com (n.d.) Financial Recession and its effects in the Philippines. Retrieved March 31, 2010, http://hubpages.com/hub/Financial-Recession-and-Its-Effects-in-the-Philippines

Wikipedia.org (n.d.) The Good life. Retrieved March 31, 2010, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_good_life

en.wikipilipinas.org (n.d.) Efren Peñaflorida. Retrieved March 31, 2010,

http://en.wikipilipinas.org/index.php?title=Efren_Peñaflorida%2C_Jr.

Wikipedia.org (n.d.) Contentment. Retrieved March 31, 2010, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contentment

Wikipedia.org (n.d.) A Christmas Carol. Retrieved March 31, 2010, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Christmas_Carol

christianity.about.com (n.d.) The Prodigal son (from the bible: Luke 15:11-32). Retrieved March 31, 2010, http://christianity.about.com/od/biblestorysummaries/p/prodigalson.htm

Advincula, Jerome Englcom Cause and effect essay: Cramming

A student learns that he has to take an exam scheduled for tomorrow. He has not yet reviewed anything for it because he was not aware of it until now that he had learned about it. What will he do? There is only one solution to that predicament and that is cramming. Cramming as a study technique is a technique commonly used by students especially in the secondary and tertiary levels of education. Cramming is studying only at the time before the exam, a one-night intensive study session for an exam the next day. The logic is that the students will be able to remember the materials for the test better if it is still fresh in their heads. It has spared a lot of students from the horrific F mark. What these poor souls do not know is that cramming is like making a deal with the devil. Its intrinsic style is almost undetectable and its insidious effects are undeniable. Cramming has different effects; some are desirable and even favorable like having more time for different activities; others are undesirable and possibly harmful like brain damage, anxiety, and stress, and some could be a mixture of both desirable and undesirable like rushed work.

Cramming is memorizing massive amount of information in a short amount of time; the ones who often need to make use of it are those who do no manage their time wisely. For them, cramming is the only choice they have left because they were too busy doing other stuff; in the end, they need to study the lesson in a short span of time because their test is on the day after (“Cramming”, n.d.). By cramming, people will have extra time for other activities which is a good thing, especially for those who are active in non-academic activities. The extra time they get comes from the time they cut from cramming.

Rushing is the most obvious thing people do when they cram, because they need to compensate for the time they used in other activities. Rushing will not only get the job done on time, it also spikes up people’s adrenaline so they would work, act, and think faster. When people cram because the test is very near, the brain sends signals to different parts of the Autonomic Nervous System in order to secrete the hormones Adrenaline and Cortisol. These hormones enable the body to perform magnificently when under stress (Jang, 2009). This is how people could still perform well in a test even if they cram; however, the information memorized under cramming is only transient. The bad side of rushing is that it may be necessary to sacrifice the quality of the output. The student may be able to memorize but their understanding of the matter is superficial. Most of the students that use cramming are those in highschool and college, especially the students who have extra-curricular activities and non-school related duties. Those students who use cramming in studying only result in below average scores (“Cramming”, n.d.). When people rush, they may feel anxious afterwards. A student who crams knows that he did not study the proper way and that he could have done so better. Therefore, he will get nervous on how his work will be judged.

Students who cram can suffer anxiety, nervousness, and, worse of all, mental block. The stress hormones like Adrenaline and Cortisol help protect the human body from stress but too much or too less of those hormones have negative effects in the body. High secretion of adrenaline changes the personality, making the person aggressive, vulnerable to diseases and has abnormal conditions. High secretion of Cortisol makes the person nervous; a sleeping disorder follows as well which makes the student have difficulty in falling asleep. The person also suffers lower level of concentration, a more sensitive mind, and severe sadness due to prolonged exposure to stress (Jang, 2009). There is another hormone that hinders the restoration of new memories and it called Melatonin; it is secreted at night. This contributes into forgetting what the student had just memorized last night (Jang).

“Cramming exerts a kind of stress on the brain” (Jang, 2009, paragraph 17). It has been evident throughout the essay. Whether it is pre-cramming, post-cramming, and inter-cramming, stress is present in cramming. Without stress, the Adrenaline and Cortisol hormones would not be secreted to the body; its mere presence and secretion in the body when cramming is proof that stress is present when cramming; they [Adrenaline and Cortisol] are not called stress hormones for nothing. Stress can help the brain and body cope and develop in dire situations. Although, often and recurrent exposure to stress can cause complications to the brain and human body. (Jang)

The last effect of cramming is brain damage. In order for information to be stored in the long term memory, the information needs to go through complex mental processes by repetitive memorization and exposure of the information that is accompanied by rest between each session. In cramming, there is no rest and the repetitive memorization and exposure is not effectively done; without those, the complex mental process is not done correctly and completely. It has also been proved that Cortisol, the stress hormones excreted when in stress, makes it more difficult for information to be formed in the long-term memory. Even though some stress helps the short-term memory, it could make things worse for the long-term memory. (Jang, 2009)

It is clear that the negative or undesirable effects if cramming far outweigh its positive if desirable effects. It is extra time for other stuff, adrenaline pump, and uncertain chance to pass the test over stress, nervousness, anxiety, aggressiveness, mental block, lower level of attention, bad memory, damaged long-term memory, and more. Cramming has different effects. It is best to avoid it as much as possible and “use” it only when the need arises; for example, when there is a lot of work to be done and there is a hectic and compressed schedule.

References:

Jang, H. J. (2009). Invasion of Cramming- Source of Superhuman Abilities . Retrieved March 25, 2010, http://theargus.org/detail.asp?p_ho=423&p_key=ar423THEORY.CRITIQUE2&p_section=THEORY.CRITIQUE&p_idx=1522

(Jang, 2009)

Jang, H. J. (2009). Invasion of Cramming - Abnormal Secretion of hormone . Retrieved March 25, 2010, http://theargus.org/detail.asp?p_ho=423&p_key=ar423THEORY.CRITIQUE2&p_section=THEORY.CRITIQUE&p_idx=1522

(Jang, 2009)

Jang, H. J. (2009). Invasion of Cramming- Impairment of Long-term Memory . Retrieved March 25, 2010, http://theargus.org/detail.asp?p_ho=423&p_key=ar423THEORY.CRITIQUE2&p_section=THEORY.CRITIQUE&p_idx=1522

(Jang)

Jang, H. J. (2009). Invasion of Cramming- Source of Ssuperhuman Abilities . Retrieved March 25, 2010, http://theargus.org/detail.asp?p_ho=423&p_key=ar423THEORY.CRITIQUE2&p_section=THEORY.CRITIQUE&p_idx=1522

(Jang, 2009, paragraph 17)

Jang, H. J. (2009). Invasion of Cramming- Source of Superhuman Abilities . Retrieved March 25, 2010, http://theargus.org/detail.asp?p_ho=423&p_key=ar423THEORY.CRITIQUE2&p_section=THEORY.CRITIQUE&p_idx=1522

(Jang)

Jang, H. J. (2009). Invasion of Cramming- Impairment of Long-term Memory . Retrieved March 25, 2010, http://theargus.org/detail.asp?p_ho=423&p_key=ar423THEORY.CRITIQUE2&p_section=THEORY.CRITIQUE&p_idx=1522

(Jang, 2009)

Wikipedia.org (n.d.) Cramming (Education) –Cramming as a study technique. Retrieved March 15, 2010, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cramming_(memorization)

(“Cramming”, n.d.)

Wikipedia.org (n.d.) Cramming (Education) –Cramming as a study technique. Retrieved March 15, 2010, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cramming_(memorization)

(“Cramming”, n.d.)

Advincula, Jerome Englcom Comparison and contrast essay: Driving cars and driving bikes

^{Tired of the mundane activity that involves moving your feet forward one at a time? Want to have something faster, more exciting, thrilling, and risky. With today’s growing economic demands, traveling great distances, relaxing from stress, and enjoying life are needed by almost everybody; all of these can be found in one activity which is driving. Driving is done by maneuvering a vehicle. The very essence of driving is to transport people or objects from one place to another at a fast rate at the same time gain enjoyment and satisfaction from it, and then danger follows as well. With driving being much faster, it is a great alternative to walking. Driving, which is a means of traveling distances, relieving stress, and having fun, can be done in two ways, either by driving a car or driving a motorcycle or bike, for there are three things that separate one from the other which are the experience, safety, and energy efficiency.}

^{Although quite similar, the experience you get from driving a car and driving a bike is definitely different. Driving a car may be less thrilling for some because if its security and protection compared to a bike. When you are inside a car, you are confined and secured. You and the outside world or the environment are separated, though this might not actually be a down factor for some. Driving a car means being behind a window and being inside of something, except for convertibles where the upper part of the car may be removed to give a more open experience. On a bike, you can feel the wind, the road, the motor, and the sun. You are very exposed to the elements. You will also have to shift your weight around when driving a motorcycle to make a turn. Bikes do not have any doors to separate you from the asphalt, windows to shield you from the wind, and roof to protect you from the sun or the rain. By not having those, the motorcycles can go faster than cars by getting lighter. It carries less weight because it includes them only the necessary stuff for traveling. Also with driving motorcycles, people can avoid congested traffic in urban areas by lane splitting or using the space between cars as passage. (“Motorcycles”) This method is very apparent in the Philippines.}

^{Safety is another huge factor for both and this factor is obviously one-sided. Statistically, cars are safer than motorcycles according to data gathered b the UK transportation. (“Cars”) Driving a car is safer because it has more safety features; aside from that, the car also protects the driver from the external environment. Safety features of modern cars commonly include airbags, safety glass, seatbelts, crumple zones, collapsible steering columns, padded dashboards, puncture proof gas tanks, blowout resistant tires, onstar, GPS navigation, anti-lock brakes, and headrest. (“Cars”) These safety features are easier to apply in cars; they are also more effective and efficient in it. Sacrificing a lot of stuff, including safety, for the authenticity of the experience and the essence of traveling, driving bikes are exciting yet dangerous. Driving motorcycles are more dangerous and risky than driving cars. The chances of a fatal crash in motorcycles are four times greater than cars. The rate of accidents for cars have declined while the rate of accidents for motorcycles have increased. (“Motorcycles”) A person driving a bike is very exposed to the external environment. Aside from that, it carries less safety features than cars. Many of the technologies that have been long present in cars are just starting to be used in motorcycles, such as catalytic converters, fuel injection, anti-lock brake system, and airbags. (“Motorcycles”) If you crash while driving a bike, there will not be anything that will hold you back from the impact which means you will be thrown in mid-air.}

^{Due to the awakened concern of the public to the environment, energy efficiency plays a bigger role in choosing what to drive now than ever before. Most cars today still use gasoline. It is well known that using gasoline is not very energy efficient. Gasoline burns faster than water and cars burns gasoline faster than bikes. Cars are bigger, heavier, and stronger than bikes, because of this, they will need more torque which means they will need to burn more fuel to move. Burning more gasoline also means more air pollution. One of the major causes of air pollution is transportation, specifically the smoke released by oil-burning vehicles. An average car can release 5 tons of carbon dioxide. Although humans are also affected by these unhealthy gases, the one that is more affected is the environment. The habitats of plants and animals are destroyed and polluted by air pollution caused by cars. (“Cars”) Most bikes today also use gasoline but bikes use a lot less of it than cars. What attracts people into driving motorcycles rather than driving cars, especially these past years, are its fuel efficiency and fuel economy. Motorcycles are also greener than cars because of its lower per-mile carbon emissions which is 65% lower than cars. (“Motorcycles”) Developing countries, like India, prefer to use motorcycles because of its good fuel economy. (“Motorcycles”) A lot of people in the Philippines have shifted their method of traveling from driving cars to driving bikes. With the sudden rise of the price of gasoline and the insidious decline of the supply of oils, people use bikes as an alternative for cars for the sake of conserving energy and saving money.}

^{In the end, driving a car will give you more safety than driving a bike but driving a bike will save you more money. It is up to the driver to choose what he or she thinks is more practical and important. Making the wrong choice could have serious outcomes but it is important to remember that accidents could be avoided if people act carefully and responsibly. Both have their own unique experience in driving.}

^Sources:

^{From the internet: Motorcycles – Environmental Impact by www.wikipedia.org}

^{From the internet: Motorcycles – Mobility by www.wikipedia.org}

^{From the internet: Motorcycles – Safety by www.wikipedia.org}

^{From the internet: Motorcycles – Fuel Economy by www.wikipedia.org}

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorbikes

^{From the internet: What safety feature has a modern car got that an early car didn’t have? By www.answers.com}

^{From the internet: Cars – Environmental Impact by www.wikipedia.org}

^{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cars}

Advincula, Jerome Englcom Process essay: Guardin' Gnome achievement!!!

The Guardin’ Gnome achievement is an achievement in Left 4 Dead 2. Achievements are something you could brag about to other gamers, telling them you were able to do this; it is only available in the Xbox 360. Once you accomplish the Guardin’ Gnome achievement, it will be permanently registered in your GamerID. The Guardin’ Gnome achievement involves carrying the favorite gnome in Left 4 Dead 2, Gnome Chompski, throughout the rest of the campaign [Dark Carnival] once you acquire him.

When you accomplish the Guardin’ Gnome achievement, you will get 30 Gamerscore in your GamerID. You will also get a hot Depeche Mode avatar shirt prize for your avatar. It is 1 of the 5 achievements in Left 4 Dead 2 that offer a prize when you finish it.

The Guardin’ Gnome achievement is fun to do; you will be able to appreciate the game better because you will have to focus on a new goal, not just to survive and finish the campaign. It is like playing a game within a game. It is better to play it in groups although finishing it on single player is possible. It is better to play it in groups because you would not have to single-handedly carry all the burden and because the nature of the games is multiplayer. When you play it with friends, teamwork is vital. Everybody has the role of watching each other’s back and prioritize saving Gnome Chompski. The enjoyment and satisfactory of the game is multiplied when you play it with friends. It is not all fun and games if you want to do this achievement, surprisingly it is pretty challenging. The idea of carrying the gnome up to the finish might be simple but applying it in the actual game is hard. It could also become a frustrating achievement especially when you set the difficulty in advanced or expert, if you do, you should be prepared to spend hours in the playing the game as well as have the patience to repeat levels in countless times.

The Guardin’ Gnome achievement is a fun and interactive achievement but it is also difficult and challenging. The purpose of this essay is to make things easier by guiding players on how to accomplish the achievement. To start things of, play the campaign Dark Carnival and choose Chapter 2: Fairground as the starting point. It does not matter what difficulty you choose but the recommendations are easy and normal difficulties for novice players, advanced difficulty for casual or experienced players, and expert for die-hard veteran players.

After the game finishes loading and you are in the initial safe-house or the Fairground safe-house, exit and turn right. You should see the Whispering Oaks sign; go in the carnival thru the ticket booth below the sign. Going straight from the ticket booth, you will pass by two empty booths then you will arrive at the Peanut Gallery (it is the shooting gallery).

The Peanut Gallery is actually a mini-game; play it by pushing the red button in the middle. The objective of this mini-game is to earn at least 750 points in 45 seconds by shooting the characters of the gallery. Shooting the skeleton with the red or blue bag will give you 10 points and shooting Moustachio the self-proclaimed strongest and fastest bearded potato will give you 100 points. Avoid shooting Mr. Peanut because it will give you a deduction of 100 points. If you have gathered enough points after the time runs out, a buzz will sound to notify you that you have won. Claim the prize, Gnome Chompski, at the left side of the shooting area in the red box; it should be opened by now.

The next step is the most challenging of all. That is carrying Gnome Chompski to the rest of the campaign. There are 4 chapters left to finish, most of these are the most difficult and most memorable ones in Left 4 Dead 2. Carry Gnome Chompski to the next safe-house so that you could proceed with him to the next chapter. You do not have to carry him all the time for when the need arises, drop him in an area you and your friends can reclaim him easily. Gnome Chompski is practically invulnerable, he will not get destroyed even if thrown in the fire; the only problem is either he could be lost or he could be left behind. There are places in Left 4 Dead 2 that are unreturnable once you pass them so make sure do not leave the gnome behind those places; if you do, you have to repeat the chapter again and take him with you this time unless you want to fail to accomplish the achievement. If you die or all of you dies (if you are playing multiplayer), you will have to restart in the safe-house, as always, but Gnome Chompski will also be with you in the safe-house unless you failed to bring him with you in the safe-house during the end of the previous chapter.

When you reach the last chapter which is the concert, make sure you bring him with you in the helicopter; if you do not, you will end the campaign not getting the Guardin’ Gnome achievement and you will have to repeat the entire process. You also need to carry him when inside the helicopter, do not just drop him anywhere in the helicopter because you will also end up not accomplishing the achievement and you have to repeat the entire process from the start which could really be frustrating. It is important to tell you this because there were a few people who have fallen as victims of this. They ended up having to attempt to accomplish the achievement twice because in the first attempt, they just dropped Gnome Chompski in the helicopter; they were not aware that he had to be carried (talk about high maintenance) while in the helicopter until the end. If you successfully accomplish the Guardin’ Gnome achievement, you will be notified by the console that you have achieved an achievement.

The Guardin’ Gnome achievement is possible to do even without a guide but given the difficulty of Left 4 Dead 2 especially at expert and the obscure information on how to acquire Gnome Chompski, having a guide is a lot of help. Things will run smoother and you will avoid blaming yourself or your friends for failing the achievement just because of some insignificant-but-disastrous-effect mistake.

Advincula, Jerome Englcom Descriptive essay: The Ipod

Have you ever had a walkman or a portable CD player? Do you even know what those things are? Do you like to listen to music or to watch movies in a screen not bigger than the palm of your hand? Have no fear, the Ipod is here (It has been here for quite some time now).

Fortunately, for us born in this century, we have a gadget that can perform different tasks for different reasons; one of my favorite reason is that it kills time like a group of Jewish-American soldiers called “The Basterds” killing Nazis in a Nazi-occupied France. The Ipod, it all started with three things. One, our love for music that we wish we could listen to it anywhere we go at anytime we want. Two, our fondness to kill time when we get bored or at least something that could keep us pre-occupied when we’re not doing anything. Three, let’s face it, none of us would like the Ipod if it can’t even fit in our pocket, figuratively and literally.

The Ipod is a symbol of innovation and development; as technology progresses so does it. The very first Ipod I saw was pixilated, gray-colored, and thick. It was bigger that the Ipod Nano but smaller than the Ipod Classic, although it was fatter. Even though it was big and thick, its storage capacity was little. I don’t even know what Ipod they called it (Ipod Jurassic?) but still people bought it. Today, the latest Ipod is called the Ipod Touch. It boasts a touch screen, WiFi, video playback ability, and more. Generations away from its predecessors in terms of capabilities in just a short span of time compared to the first Ipod.

There are four kinds of Ipod available in the market today. 1.) The Ipod Shuffle is the smallest of all. It doesn’t have a screen so that means that you can’t pick your song; that’s why it’s called the Ipod Shuffle. It’s all randomized and shuffled. Its maximum memory available is 4 GB and minimum is 2 GB, that’s quite a lot compared to its size. It can only play music files. Its height is 45.2mm, width is 17. 5mm, and depth is 7.8mm. It’s very light and small. 2.) The Ipod Nano is a thin but long Ipod. Its height is 90. 7mm, width is 38.7mm, and depth is 6.2mm. It’s the only Ipod, as of now, that has a camera that is capable of shooting videos but its memory isn’t really accommodating for it. It also has an FM tuner for people who like to listen at the radio. It can play movies and music. It’s available in 8GB and 16GB memory. 3.) The Ipod Classic is a little bulky yet it’s still pretty stylish. It has a rectangular body. Its height is 103.55mm, width is 61.8mm, and depth is 10.55mm. It can play music and videos. It has a bigger screen than the previous Ipod mentioned. It has a massive memory of 160GB, perfect for those movie maniacs. 4.) The Ipod Touch is the most technologically advanced Ipod; it’s also the biggest. Its height is 110mm, width is 61.8mm, and depth is 8.5mm. It almost got everything you need to survive in the 21^st century. If you like the idea of touch screen and think the round white thing in Ipods is primitive, then this is the Ipod for you; yes, it features a touch screen. It has music and video playback, games, applications, web browser, and (most importantly) WiFi. It has the largest screen among all Ipods because it covers almost all of its body. It’s available in 8GB, 32GB, and 64GB.

The development of the Ipod has been fast. It keeps up with the demands of the people yet careful in making its older versions absolutely obsolete. The Ipod isn’t like the walkman that in the end, gave up and stopped walking; it continually adapts with technology as technology progresses.

The Ipod can also be an expression of your personality or an extension of yourself. You have the liberty of choosing the movies and song you like to put in it; that is what puts the “I” in Ipod. That is also what makes every Ipod unique. The Ipod you choose could also tell something about yourself. The Ipod Shuffle could tell that you are a spontaneous, happy-go-luck person. It’s also good for people who don’t want to carry things in their pocket. The Ipod Nano is for more of the all-around type of person. The Ipod Classic is for the pragmatic type. It’s perfect for DJ’s, movie maniacs, and everyone else who needs a lot of memory space. The Ipod Touch is for the tech savvy and flashy people. You’re showing that you’re updated and the internet is important to you.

You could use the Ipod to watch movies, to listen to music, to use as a storage device, to surf the web, to listen to the radio, to use it as a mirror (except for the Ipod Shuffle and and The Ipod Nano), and many more.

The Ipod has many uses. It’s constantly being updated that’s why people never get tired of it. If it were to become stagnant just like the walkman, it wouldn’t have been able to come this far.