Kamusta Readers,
I'm realizing my pattern, and with this recognition, I'm reminded that I've got to let go of it in at least a month ( nature of wandering, of a wanderer... ). So to shake things up a bit, I'll start with a topic that happened in the middle of the week.
I didn't like this week's literature class because the balance was not there ( too much literary theory reitiration and not enough discussion for understanding ). The theme for the Center's September's magazine issue will mostly likely be changed, focusing instead on the literature series in honor of Father G ( so UbD article writers have more time to revise their papers ). Because of my "stranger" and "Fil-Am" status, there are certain cultural decorum I can "ignore" in order to give revision suggestions more freely ( can be more "harsh" without "facing" too much consequences because my "status" can excuse me/give me a "pass" as ignorant outsider ).
According to linguists, different levels of formality are captured in one's register, or tone/appropriateness. Through observation, one uses context clues to determine which register to use in speech, or how to figure out a difficult vocabulary using word analysis, punctuation knowledge, graphic manipulation, and the words surrounding the specific vocabulary word ( important tactics for taking standardized testing using aggressive guestimating as well ).
This "informal" and maybe "friendly" status doesn't only have advantages, but it also includes disadvantages. Suggestions don't have threatening consequences, such as grades in standardized testing. I realize that Lesson 1 on Ethos may be too much for Tutee B, so lesson pacing will be adjusted. In spite of a formalized hard copy of Runner J's thesis with plenty of directions for revisions, I'll have to be more adamant about time and staying on task ( consequences aren't so extreme, but they do build up: credits expire, research is constantly updated, publication in academia is crucial, editors leave the country to resume work abroad et. al. ).
Resuming the Library Project in terms of shelving was made easier with the help of a scholar ( required to volunteer certain amount of hours per semester ). As this project is wrapping up, the other project ( Data Gathering ) had been delegated back to Secretary V, who is simultaneously helping put together a presentation for Conference Bidding in regards to finding a venue ( quote = hotel booking, making sure no renovations are planned during said event, time scheduling, policing University traffic, and record-keeping [receipt] ).
Friday, July 29, 2011
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Auditing: Literary Theory Overload
how do you construct yourselves, readers...
I just realized that framing a discussion around theories is limiting ( albeit all the fancy jargon, such appropriation feels like a regurgitation a la fill-in-the blank, not really a recursive dialogue ). The words/definitions carry assumptions, and sometimes a lot remain unsaid porque "alot" are captured in terms. Below is a summation of the class "discussion" ( more like a substitute-professor monologue that displaces the class as disappearing subjects ) of R. Zamora Linmark's novella [post-modern?] Rolling the R's:
Rolling the R's flaunts exhibitionism, where one desires the desire of the other. Such racial castration, according to Jean Jacque, triangulates the text wherein the signifier precedes the subject. In this private-public and imaginary-cinematic spheres, the subject disappears further positing the figure of the Virgin into the realm of the physical-psychic.
Freud adds that this discourse, which demystifies the metonymy of the signifier, echoes a network of gossip and the dynamics of interconnectedness. As a result, sexual satisfaction is culminated through religious fetish and the defacement of sacred images. Lacan supports Freud's idea of boundaries transgressed because such hybridity negotiates the metonymic section in relation to both a whole and a hole, thus reappropriating ambiguity as image reproduction.
However, Tan objects to such a formalist sensibility of projecting commodification and iconaclasm that promote re-formation. He argues that the cultural refractory of the ex-colonizer identifying with the non-linearity of a pastiche construction asserts the colonial miseducation as juxtaposition of body as shifting typography. The mise-en-scene exposes the devices to search for an emasculated identity.
The fractal presence of the implied representational discourse hypothesizes the subaltern's proclivity for others, who cannot speak because they do not know themselves, says Reinchere. The marginality of such heteroglosia transposes a fictive dimension that allows Post-Civil conditions to create identity as either instrumental or assimilationist. Through this performance, the significance of the scapegoat intersects with the colonial imaginative narrative that further raises a question: How do we reconcile all these disjunctions and incongruity?
I just realized that framing a discussion around theories is limiting ( albeit all the fancy jargon, such appropriation feels like a regurgitation a la fill-in-the blank, not really a recursive dialogue ). The words/definitions carry assumptions, and sometimes a lot remain unsaid porque "alot" are captured in terms. Below is a summation of the class "discussion" ( more like a substitute-professor monologue that displaces the class as disappearing subjects ) of R. Zamora Linmark's novella [post-modern?] Rolling the R's:
Rolling the R's flaunts exhibitionism, where one desires the desire of the other. Such racial castration, according to Jean Jacque, triangulates the text wherein the signifier precedes the subject. In this private-public and imaginary-cinematic spheres, the subject disappears further positing the figure of the Virgin into the realm of the physical-psychic.
Freud adds that this discourse, which demystifies the metonymy of the signifier, echoes a network of gossip and the dynamics of interconnectedness. As a result, sexual satisfaction is culminated through religious fetish and the defacement of sacred images. Lacan supports Freud's idea of boundaries transgressed because such hybridity negotiates the metonymic section in relation to both a whole and a hole, thus reappropriating ambiguity as image reproduction.
However, Tan objects to such a formalist sensibility of projecting commodification and iconaclasm that promote re-formation. He argues that the cultural refractory of the ex-colonizer identifying with the non-linearity of a pastiche construction asserts the colonial miseducation as juxtaposition of body as shifting typography. The mise-en-scene exposes the devices to search for an emasculated identity.
The fractal presence of the implied representational discourse hypothesizes the subaltern's proclivity for others, who cannot speak because they do not know themselves, says Reinchere. The marginality of such heteroglosia transposes a fictive dimension that allows Post-Civil conditions to create identity as either instrumental or assimilationist. Through this performance, the significance of the scapegoat intersects with the colonial imaginative narrative that further raises a question: How do we reconcile all these disjunctions and incongruity?
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Random? monsoon travels
Namaste Readers,
Using public transportation here in the Philippines may be economically sound but time consuming. What is lost and/or found when time is spent waiting for a bus or a tricycle in extreme weathers, OR riding in jam-packed Railways or an air-conditioned FX?
Going home from a fiesta in the province, I was about to settle down with my mp3 player when the bus stopped by the side of the road. I thought it was picking up more passengers, but instead it broke down. Summer, giving its' last heat hurrah, didn't want to give in to the rain. As the hours passed, its intensity grew. When the next bus finally came along, already full of passengers, it didn't matter that I was standing ( even if dehydration happened later ); we were going home.
The downpour slowed down the tricycles creating a long line extending half a block. Umbrellas in the air like tulips drenched still giving color in a dark world of water-beads rolling along electrical lines and pitter-pattering and slitting the tarpaulin. My feet ensconced in rubber sandals partly dried up in open air; other parts squished in ground water. I couldn't wait to soap and scrub them later.
The MRT was 2 pesos cheaper, and in less than 10 minutes I'd reach my destination. But unlike the LRT 2, this railway line packed people like sardines. The cool air fanned one's face, while exposed skin rubbed against the sticky, salty, or sweat-dried skin of another. Opportunities for pickpocketing abound. If I didn't hold onto dirty poles, I'd get carried away by the crowd. Action spoke louder than words, so I pushed through like a salmon swimming upstream just to get out in time before the jaws of the doors closed in on me.
Accepting the traffic reality seemed better than complaining about it and its accompanying air pollutants that could choke or illicit a cough. Music helped tremendously especially when diving in the throng of taxis, jeepneys, and other vehicles. Condensation on window panes distorted the outside, where smog blended with an overcast sky. Tires parted the water, while a drizzle misted and smeared headlights and windshields. It had been a long day but inside the FX, I sat back and looked up at the modest skyscrapers. And breathe.
Using public transportation here in the Philippines may be economically sound but time consuming. What is lost and/or found when time is spent waiting for a bus or a tricycle in extreme weathers, OR riding in jam-packed Railways or an air-conditioned FX?
Going home from a fiesta in the province, I was about to settle down with my mp3 player when the bus stopped by the side of the road. I thought it was picking up more passengers, but instead it broke down. Summer, giving its' last heat hurrah, didn't want to give in to the rain. As the hours passed, its intensity grew. When the next bus finally came along, already full of passengers, it didn't matter that I was standing ( even if dehydration happened later ); we were going home.
The downpour slowed down the tricycles creating a long line extending half a block. Umbrellas in the air like tulips drenched still giving color in a dark world of water-beads rolling along electrical lines and pitter-pattering and slitting the tarpaulin. My feet ensconced in rubber sandals partly dried up in open air; other parts squished in ground water. I couldn't wait to soap and scrub them later.
The MRT was 2 pesos cheaper, and in less than 10 minutes I'd reach my destination. But unlike the LRT 2, this railway line packed people like sardines. The cool air fanned one's face, while exposed skin rubbed against the sticky, salty, or sweat-dried skin of another. Opportunities for pickpocketing abound. If I didn't hold onto dirty poles, I'd get carried away by the crowd. Action spoke louder than words, so I pushed through like a salmon swimming upstream just to get out in time before the jaws of the doors closed in on me.
Accepting the traffic reality seemed better than complaining about it and its accompanying air pollutants that could choke or illicit a cough. Music helped tremendously especially when diving in the throng of taxis, jeepneys, and other vehicles. Condensation on window panes distorted the outside, where smog blended with an overcast sky. Tires parted the water, while a drizzle misted and smeared headlights and windshields. It had been a long day but inside the FX, I sat back and looked up at the modest skyscrapers. And breathe.
Monday, July 25, 2011
Eat, eat, eat: Is rice a vegetable?
Mange Readers,
Food in the Filipino culture, says Doreen G. Fernandez "delivers messages"-- such as Goodwill-- often expressed non-verbally. What messages about food and culture did the students in my ESL Practicum implied ( consciously or subconsciously ) during Quick Speak Monday?
Recently inducted into the hectic college life, Students A, A, and I venture into foreign territories with either spicy food from Sri Lanka, or 2 large Fries from McDonald's with 5 extra packets of salt, or Jelly Beans, Chocolates, and other sweets from the World of Willie Wonka. Others, who aren't as daring, watch Reality Cooking shows, such as Hell's Kitchen, Iron Chef, and Master Chef ( hoping to learn to cook one day, if not, there's nothing wrong with the mantra "You cook, I eat" diba? ).
Some reflect about their religion. Student F is Muslim, so sometimes she's curious to know the taste of Bacon. Student B isn't Muslim, but after seeing a pig wallowing in its own excrement he vows never to eat pork again. Student K is a Catholic, who is moved by the parable about the Wheat, Mustard, and Yeast ( moderation is key ).
No matter how far the University is, most students never forget where they grew up. Student C from Isabella likes Pancit and Bating Pato. Student A from Leyte starts to appreciate the taste of coconut milk in Kanilaw/Kilawin (boneless Bangus, Milkfish, Calamansi, Vinegar, Tomatoes, Onions ). Student A from Pangasinan enjoys his grandmother’s Pinakbet.
Students A, B, and P still enjoy traditional dishes from generations ago: Bicol Express, Bopis, Chicken Feet, Dinuguan, Laing, Liver, Sayote, Sisig, Tilapia (fried), Tuna, and Tuyo. Whether Junk food or food of the gods nothing compares to Mom’s Adobo, which according to Students B, P, R, and R has the right balance of sweetness and sourness, and crispiness and tenderness: Why not? after all, “Moms know best!”
Food in the Filipino culture, says Doreen G. Fernandez "delivers messages"-- such as Goodwill-- often expressed non-verbally. What messages about food and culture did the students in my ESL Practicum implied ( consciously or subconsciously ) during Quick Speak Monday?
Recently inducted into the hectic college life, Students A, A, and I venture into foreign territories with either spicy food from Sri Lanka, or 2 large Fries from McDonald's with 5 extra packets of salt, or Jelly Beans, Chocolates, and other sweets from the World of Willie Wonka. Others, who aren't as daring, watch Reality Cooking shows, such as Hell's Kitchen, Iron Chef, and Master Chef ( hoping to learn to cook one day, if not, there's nothing wrong with the mantra "You cook, I eat" diba? ).
Some reflect about their religion. Student F is Muslim, so sometimes she's curious to know the taste of Bacon. Student B isn't Muslim, but after seeing a pig wallowing in its own excrement he vows never to eat pork again. Student K is a Catholic, who is moved by the parable about the Wheat, Mustard, and Yeast ( moderation is key ).
No matter how far the University is, most students never forget where they grew up. Student C from Isabella likes Pancit and Bating Pato. Student A from Leyte starts to appreciate the taste of coconut milk in Kanilaw/Kilawin (boneless Bangus, Milkfish, Calamansi, Vinegar, Tomatoes, Onions ). Student A from Pangasinan enjoys his grandmother’s Pinakbet.
Students A, B, and P still enjoy traditional dishes from generations ago: Bicol Express, Bopis, Chicken Feet, Dinuguan, Laing, Liver, Sayote, Sisig, Tilapia (fried), Tuna, and Tuyo. Whether Junk food or food of the gods nothing compares to Mom’s Adobo, which according to Students B, P, R, and R has the right balance of sweetness and sourness, and crispiness and tenderness: Why not? after all, “Moms know best!”
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Manila Internship: catching up (w7)
Co'musta Readers,
This week was all about catching up. I've been busy trying to establish connections ( getting the ball to roll trying to gain momentum ) that I deviated/digressed from the "plan" ( being flexible kasi, diba? ). Nonetheless, I did marathon blogging ( 4 articles in a day ) and marathon reading ( a book of poems, several "sudden fictions," 6 journal articles, and 3 Bulosan essays ) during the 3-day weekend.
It's awesome to see the students' progress every Quick Speak Mondays. I also had a revelation: the Quick Speak activity doesn't just fulfill the macro skills of "speaking," it also keeps alive the oral tradition of storytelling here in the Philippines. Even if the stories are told in English, they are a form of personal narrative told in speech form. Listening to them was entertaining and informative.
We also reviewed reading strategies ( close-reading and study-reading ), while reviewing summary and outline formats. The pattern ( guiding this English class et. al. ), which makes sense, follows: Quick Speak Mondays that introduce lesson/module topic ( while employing "listening" and "speaking" skills ); topic is related to reading ( employing "reading" skill ) that informs Writing Wednesdays ( employing "writing" skill); since the pedagogy undercurrent in class uses a recursive process, it goes back to reading et. al. ( halo-halo style ) for Reading Fridays ending with DEAR ( employing pleasure reading skill that promotes "learning for life" ).
Comparing Director N's approach of teaching English to International students and First year students, I'm slowly understanding English for a Specific Purpose (ESP). In the case of the International students, foundation, grammar, "proper" usage, and strategy are emphasized. However, for the First year students, who have been learning and practicing English since elementary school, English is contextualized in culture ( exploring the implication of the politics of a [foreign] language in order to make aware of what's lost and/or gained )
Runner J informed me that he needed to turn in a more formal copy of his thesis for grading purposes, so we focused on surface-level editing. He already passed his defense, but he needed to turn in a hard copy for formality's sake. After he gets his grade, we'll resume content-level revision. I also started working with Tutee B, who's highly motivated to seek EXTRA help in English. I'm planning to give him a 6 weeks crash course on persuasive writing using Aristotle's Rhetorical Triangle.
In the office, I did shelving creating a journal section, a "special collection" section, and a "no call number" section ( the Library Project ). Secretary V and I discussed the interplay between protocol and flexibility in an administrative context. I attended a cooking demo, and by the end of the informal workshop ( about not mixing objectives of lessons: either focus on the Language aspect [Grammar and Usage/Functions] or the Skills aspect [macro skills] first ), I became a member of the British Council's Teacher Club ( patronized by Director N ). Lastly, I discussed with Writer A revision ideas for her UbD article ( content first before style ).
This week was all about catching up. I've been busy trying to establish connections ( getting the ball to roll trying to gain momentum ) that I deviated/digressed from the "plan" ( being flexible kasi, diba? ). Nonetheless, I did marathon blogging ( 4 articles in a day ) and marathon reading ( a book of poems, several "sudden fictions," 6 journal articles, and 3 Bulosan essays ) during the 3-day weekend.
It's awesome to see the students' progress every Quick Speak Mondays. I also had a revelation: the Quick Speak activity doesn't just fulfill the macro skills of "speaking," it also keeps alive the oral tradition of storytelling here in the Philippines. Even if the stories are told in English, they are a form of personal narrative told in speech form. Listening to them was entertaining and informative.
We also reviewed reading strategies ( close-reading and study-reading ), while reviewing summary and outline formats. The pattern ( guiding this English class et. al. ), which makes sense, follows: Quick Speak Mondays that introduce lesson/module topic ( while employing "listening" and "speaking" skills ); topic is related to reading ( employing "reading" skill ) that informs Writing Wednesdays ( employing "writing" skill); since the pedagogy undercurrent in class uses a recursive process, it goes back to reading et. al. ( halo-halo style ) for Reading Fridays ending with DEAR ( employing pleasure reading skill that promotes "learning for life" ).
Comparing Director N's approach of teaching English to International students and First year students, I'm slowly understanding English for a Specific Purpose (ESP). In the case of the International students, foundation, grammar, "proper" usage, and strategy are emphasized. However, for the First year students, who have been learning and practicing English since elementary school, English is contextualized in culture ( exploring the implication of the politics of a [foreign] language in order to make aware of what's lost and/or gained )
Runner J informed me that he needed to turn in a more formal copy of his thesis for grading purposes, so we focused on surface-level editing. He already passed his defense, but he needed to turn in a hard copy for formality's sake. After he gets his grade, we'll resume content-level revision. I also started working with Tutee B, who's highly motivated to seek EXTRA help in English. I'm planning to give him a 6 weeks crash course on persuasive writing using Aristotle's Rhetorical Triangle.
In the office, I did shelving creating a journal section, a "special collection" section, and a "no call number" section ( the Library Project ). Secretary V and I discussed the interplay between protocol and flexibility in an administrative context. I attended a cooking demo, and by the end of the informal workshop ( about not mixing objectives of lessons: either focus on the Language aspect [Grammar and Usage/Functions] or the Skills aspect [macro skills] first ), I became a member of the British Council's Teacher Club ( patronized by Director N ). Lastly, I discussed with Writer A revision ideas for her UbD article ( content first before style ).
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