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We encounter different kinds of people everyday. There are people who naturally emit positive attitudes and encourage others to be the best in whatever they do.  Their positivity attracts others to be drawn to them.  The following are some of the traits we must work hard to acquire and emulate.

1.       Selflessness – It is the quality that generous people exude. Selfless people have the power to make others feel loved, appreciated, and special.

2.       Tolerance – All of us have idiosyncrasies. The ability to accept people for who they are and not mold them to be who we want them to be is a sign of maturity. It is important in the happiness and health of our relationships.  Tolerant people make us feel comfortable with who we are as individuals.

3.       Genuineness – It is the ability to be real and brave through whatever negative feedback we may hear about our opinions. It means loving and accepting people for their strengths as well as their weaknesses.

4.       Sensitivity – These are thoughtful, appreciative and loving people who make us feel understood, valued and respected.  They are people who no matter how trite our topics of conversation may be set aside their own problems to listen to us. They are also aware of how their words and actions affect others.

5.       Integrity – It is being focused on making sure you are doing the right thing all the time in accordance with the acceptable norms of good behavior and the values inculcated in you as a person.

6.       Humility – It is an admirable character in people who possess it.  These people come across as people who are unaware of their talents and abilities and do not flaunt them.  They are also unaffected by the recognition they get and continue to live as normal and simple people.

On the other hand, here are the type of personalities you should avoid. These are people who are like the dementors from the Harry Potter movies. They come as dark shadows who suck out all the happiness inside of us.  They are toxic to our self-esteem and our lives.

1.       Manipulative – These people are experts on making others do things that in the long run will ruin their sense of identity, self-esteem, personal priorities and the ability to see the reality of the situation.

2.       Narcissistic – These people have an extreme sense of self-importance and believe that the world revolves around them.

3.       Downers – These people cannot appreciate the positive in life. They are constantly focused on negativity and you must avoid them before this trait consumes you.

4.       Judgmental – These people find nothing fresh and appealing much like the downers personality. In a world where conformity can sometimes be boring, these people make Lady gaga’s eclectic taste overbearing, wrong, and distasteful.

5.      Dream killers – These people are stuck in what is instead of what could be. They are people who eat away at your self-esteem and are uncomfortable and unhappy with the success and happiness of others.

6. Insincere – These people breed shallow and meaningless relationships based on superficiality. You cannot count on them for anything.

7.     Disrespectful – These people will say or do things at the most inappropriate times and in the most inappropriate ways. They have no sense of boundaries and do not have any respect for your feelings or your privacy. They cause people to feel abused and frustrated.

8.    Never Enough – These people make you feel unimportant and your interests, trite. They take you for granted and have unrealistic expectations of you. They will require all of your time and energy, leaving you worn out and your own needs sacrificed. They also find ways to continually fault you and never take responsibility for anything themselves. Associating with people like these will make you lose yourself in the process.

Life is too short to spend time dealing with toxicity. Surround yourself with positive auras so that your life will be constantly pleasant and blessed. In like manner, you will also be a source of blessing and an epitome of graciousness to others.

The English language has developed a “good- sounding” way of saying things, and euphemism is the best example of this.  Some terms, like deaf, has been is considered offensive and too blunt. It is now changed to the more acceptable hearing impaired. Euphemism is a substitution of an offensive expression to a more pleasant one. Morally speaking, it is a writer’s responsibility to ensure that the words he uses in his work are not offensive to anyone.   It is therefore important that we be updated on current euphemism.

Shoplifter	Nontraditional shopper
Girlfriend/Boyfriend	Companion
Boring	Charm-free or Differently interesting
Old	Chronologically gifted; Experientially enhanced; Mature; Senior; Seasoned
Poor	Differently advantaged or Economically marginalized
Housewife	Domestic incarceration survivor
Bald	Follicularly challenged
AIDS victim	PWA abbreviation for”person with AIDS” or PLA and PLWA for “persons living with AIDS”
Husband/ Wife/Lover/Spouse	Significant other
White people	Mutant, albino, genetic-recessive global minority
Squatters Area	Area of substandard living
Fat or Obese	Horizontally-challenged; Differently sized, or with an alternative body image
Janitor	Environmental hygienist
Girdle	Form persuader
False Teeth	Compensated edentia
Amphetamines	Activity boosters
Diet	Nutritional avoidance therapy
Discrimination	Disparate negative import
Death	Negative patient care outcome
Taxes	Revenue enhancement
Air crash	Prematurely terminated flight
Frightened	Philosophically disillusioned
Nuclear war	Ultimate high-intensity warfare
Briefcase	Data transport system

These euphemisms aim to conceal offensive and taboo words in English but still get their meaning across.

Let me save you from the usual blog information overload. This is going to be a short but informative game. Run through the questions slowly. Afterwards, if you are still interested, you may look for the correct answers on the Internet but not until you try to answer them by yourself first based on personal stored information. It’s best to be informed. These may also serve as ice breakers or introductions to topics for the day’s lessons and discussions. Or they may be additional information worth knowing, you never know when you will need them. Good luck! Enjoy!

1. Who fought the 100 years war?

2. What was the period that Maximilien de Robespierre ruled France called?

3. What is the scientific name for the Northern Lights?

4. The word Dinosaur is taken from two Greek words, what do they mean?

5. What does REM stand for?

6. What was the name of the artistic community Mark Twain Lived in?

7. What will appear next in our skies in 2061?

8. What is rock star Sting’s real name?

9. A nulliparous woman hasn’t done what?

10. What does the word “decimate” actually mean?

11. What newspaper do the Flintstones read?

12. What is the capital of Cambodia?

13. What does the Latin term tempus fugit mean?

14. What was developed during the Manhattan Project?

15. What do the letters MGM stand for in Hollywood?

16. What is non-rhyming poetry called?

17. What was the most famous checkpoint between East and West Berlin?

18. What is the literal English translation for China’s Tienanmen Square?

19. Who is the founder of The Reader’s Digest?

20. What film did the Beatles make for television?

21. What is the common name for aerophones?

22. The word ‘brandy’ comes from the Dutch word brandwijn, what does it mean?

23. In a Spanish bar, what are tapas?

24. What was Disney’s first full length animated feature?

25. What is the chalice used by Jesus Christ at the Last Supper called?

26. What are Blenheim, Lord Derby and Peas good?

27. What French term describes the forcible takeover of a government from within?

28. How does James Bond take his martinis?

Congratulations! Watch out for more blog information overload saviors on, of course, my blog.

Teachers have to take into consideration that the capacity to learn is not the same for every learner. The key is to recognize which learning style is dominant to help the child learn most effectively.  Jennifer Wagaman, a certified Elementary Education and Special Education teacher with experience both in the public school system and in a private setting,  classifies child learners into three – visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. According to her, the visual learner enjoys reading books, looking at picture, and enjoys working on puzzles quietly. Teachers may help visual learners by taking away visual distractions. They may write directions down or give them one at a time to avoid confusing them. They may also use color to help learners keep things in order and remember information better.

The auditory learner enjoys telling jokes and stories, and remember things that are spoken to him. He can memeorize things easily. Ms. Wagaman advises teachers to find a quiet place for auditory learners read and study out loud. Teachers should encourage spoken answers to questions as well as the use of tape recorders to help learners take more accurate notes and allow more thorough studying.

The kinesthetic learner enjoys moving and touching everything. He enjoys activities that allow him to touch and manipulate things. This style is also referred to as the tactile learning style. Teachers should utilize as many activities as possible that allow for movement while learning. Use a timer to cue learners on how long a given task should take to help them focus. Follow an active time with a calm down period before introducing another task. Use objects as examples that learners can touch and move, and manipulate.

Learning styles are classified to help teachers and learners find the best way to teach and learn. These allow students retain more information and give teachers more positive environments to impart knowledge more effectively.

Nowadays, with the accessibility and the influx of E-learning many individuals opt to choose this method of education. E-learning offers more individualized instruction that is self paced thereby reducing frustration among slow learners and redundant courses for advanced students.

It also means reduction of overall production costs by eliminating surplus manpower and materials. Proof of completion and certification may also be available automatically thereby freeing students with the hassles of lining up and back and forth travel for their credentials.

Although we face these superb advantages, E-learning also has its limitations and disadvantages. On the part of the provider, their E-learning investments need to be clearly negotiated and finalized at the onset to make sure that they can see the projects through its final stages – making sure of the compatibility of all software and hardware. There are locations where there is unavailability of the required technology and the learners as well as their teachers experience technophobia. Portability is one strong factor or E-learning but it still does not rival workbooks and other reference materials.

Reduced social interaction may also be considered a drawback from the impersonal and communication suppression experienced by learners. They may have a hard time  working with a group and developing their interpersonal skills. It is a fact that the world’s educational system is geared towards cultivating technologically adept individuals and this guarantees E-learning a strategic position in our overall learning strategies.

Educators must always be up to date with the latest trends not only in teaching but more importantly in motivating learners. There is a new trend called Game-based Learning (GBL) wherein students are encouraged to play while developing their personalities unconsciously. Game-based learning is an expansive category, ranging from simple paper-and-pencil games like word searches all the way up to complex, massively multiplayer online (MMO) and role-playing games. GBL appeals to the learners’ “intrinsic motivation” – challenge, curiosity, control and fantasy.

GBL is gaining a steady following in the development of the Philippine curriculum where early learners  experience burnout at a young age. There is an urgency to educate these children effectively without them wishing it was over before it starts.

Presently, C &E offers materials that aim to provide effective and enjoyable learning experiences to students. It saw the need to educate, motivate, and assess students as well as their teachers sparing them of tantrums, headaches, and burnout. Their learning materials are geared towards providing up to date systems of learning that prove to be more realistically effective in the future.

Whether we be serious historians or not, there is a part in our psyche that is curious about our origin and our cultural evolution.  Wikipedia defines asianism as “an ideology or movement that Asian nations unite, solidify, and create a continental identity to defeat the designs of Western nations…”

In Resil B. Mojares’ paper, he successfully bridges asianism to cross beyond a not so distant past to the present time without creating prejudice between East versus West using Mariano and Jose Alejandrino’s views.  His views on asianism enlighten readers by positively presenting those concepts that affect us culturally to the present time and does not focus on the negative aspects of our heritage.

To read more about Mojares’ article, just follow this link  http://www.ejournals.ph/index.php?journal=ideya&page=article&op=view&path%5B%5D=12

Baguio has evolved from being just the nation’s summer capital into an artist’s haven. Baguio is blessed not only with a highly diverse culture brought by the assimilation with the other countries that have tried to conquer the Philippines and eventually settled there. It has become a favorite venue for movie locations as well.

At present, local entrepreneurs have opened cafes and bars that cater to Baguio’s growing artist and literary luminaries. They have opted to live there to be infused with the invigorating atmosphere that Baguio offers. The numerous subjects that abound for arts, poetry, and the other literary forms throughout the city have enriched their culture and have made their literature exciting and worth reading.

To read more about Baguio just go to http://www.ejournals.ph/index.php?journal=ideya&page=article&op=view&path%5B%5D=41

Nowadays, technology has steadily invaded our homes and our children’s playtime and past time. Gone are the days when children went outside to play under the sun and bond with other children their age or stayed indoors and use their imagination to create their own fantasy world.

These games have been replaced with virtual playmates that they can interact with anytime and anywhere and are prone to be victimized by online dangers.

It is therefore imperative to educate our children with these dangers and be aware of how these may harm them.

1. Online information is not private. Others can access any information shared online.
2. People they meet online may not be who they say they are.
3. What they learn online may or may not be true. It is important to ask parents or older siblings whether a website is reliable or to be trusted.
4. Computer sex offenders deliberately pose as children or teens. They act interested to hear personal problems to gain children’s trust.
5. Many Internet sites host pornographic materials. Children may gain access to these sites accidentally since they are easy to find.

While it is important that our children be updated technologically, it is also important that the information they seek and receive is also beneficial to them morally. It only takes one click and our children future is forever taken away from them.

As guardians of the future generation, we must be vigilant and tolerant with our children. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. In this case, we cannot gamble with our children’s safety and future.

Studies show that excessive exposure to technology may be responsible to changes to personalities. Experts say that this can cause us to be more impatient, impulsive, forgetful, and more self conscious.

Dr. Elias Aboujaoude, director of the Impulse Control Disorder Clinic at Stanford University in California says that our thinking patterns are affected by virtual lifestyles. Tests administered by researchers from the University of Melbourne, Australia resulted to 173 students showing signs of gambling problems and internet addiction.

Here in the Philippines, local officials together with the police and the community have been vigilant in reporting rampant student absences and activities in Internet shops located in nearby schools.

To add to these, expert also surmise that vast storage of information in our emails and the Internet causes us to retain old unnecessary memories at the expense of making new ones.

The accessibility the Internet offers and provides are beneficial but these online sites cause us to neglect our social and family responsibilities, then it may be time to realign our priorities.