Celebrating World Poetry Day in the Philippines

Poets used to come to little quaint Kamuning Bakery. In a recent Pandesal Forum organized by owner Wilson Lee Flores, we celebrated World Poetry Day and he invited a few guests, Prof./Dr. Gemino Abad and Prof.Dr. Vin Nadera.

Dr. Abad is a National Artist for Literature and it was so nice to see him share his experience in English and Creative Literature and his time in University of the Philippines.

They also had guests from Mataas na Paaralan Ng Neptali Gonzalez in Mandaluyong City, with their Prof. Cruz.

Prof./Dr. Gemino Abad says "I am overwhelmed but I'm glad to be here to share whatever things we'll be talking about. The word poem or poetry is of Greek origin, meaning to make or create. It can be generic of any creative or literary work, fiction or not. It could be a play, drama or non fiction essays. It refers to all of that. It is work of language and imagination, it's a basic creative sense. You need a certain mastery of it, but it could be from imagination, or real human experience. Reading or not, it must be done with lively imagination. When you are moved by it, you understand human experience. Have you thought about asking yourself about your sense of country? When you read a poem, you live it, one has to be moved by it. A strong sense of language and imagination is needed. Not just entertainment. I like Nick Juaquin, Francisco Arcellana, those are two great choices. The secret of youth is having Mercy in my life, she is my wife. It is very important to have only one. That is the secret."

He adds "Put the word on paper, it establishes our reality. Before shifting sands and ice age melts, our words demarcate. It defines all possibilities."

Prof.Dr. Vim Nadera says "We are here for the TULA partylist. Not running for anything. The greatest heroes in the Philippines are all makata, and very young. We forget the earliest form of poetry, which is prayer. Friars talked down on pulpits, preaching, opposite of that is pleading or harana. What's better than that is when we kneel down and pray, it's an analogy. You could be down or up there but both can be descriptive, the new ones are like that, without judgement, it's like imagism. People just describe things and objects to represent concrete ideas. Love is even not clear to a person, but if you show the heart, it's clear and easily understandable. We name them, and interpret it, it's an early form of entertainment. I like Jose Rizal, he made it powerful and opened the eyes of readers. It was read by Bonifacio which made him put up the revolution, and even became a makata. Elandro Abadilla too who changed society. The young ones like Emilio Jacinto, the Kartilya of Katipunan is an example. He's a role model, unlike the opposition now that doesn't have a face. We are looking for that right now."

He adds "We Filipinos use kantyaw, or parodies to answer back jokingly. (He sings Saranggola ni Ate and hits political and recent news figures)."

They have a book printed called "SALIMBAGAN" which has prints and poems released by Canvas.ph. 

Seeing high school students take on Balagtasan exercises that morning made me realize that poetry isn't a dying art, as long as there would be generations that could teach the young ones, it would live, exist, and remain part of our existence.

Kamuning Bakery will also be having a promo tomorrow on World Poetry Day by giving out FREE coffee for those who would send original works of poetry at the story (according to Wilson Lee Flores)

How To Write Good Essays Fast

Despite our best efforts, we’ve all been in a situation where we need to write an essay in a truly ridiculous amount of time. It can either be because we genuinely forgot about it, or because we're in a class which gave huge amounts of homework. This means our schedules need to change and move quickly. While a lot of students prefer to simply buy an essay from writing services such as www.essayzoo.org, there are ways in which to tackle the need to write quickly which can be learned easily by anybody who wants to do so. Writing an essay quickly is difficult, but ultimately doable.

Brainstorm

When you need to write something fast, the most important thing is to get started. Getting started can mean simply beginning to write, of course, but it can also be as simple as simply jotting down ideas for research and structure, just so that you have something to work from.

Getting ideas onto paper is one of the easiest ways to start the process of writing, as it means that you have something to work from, and that the process of writing has started.

Structure

When writing essays, it is always a good thing to try and stand out in some way, to get your essay noticed. When you are on a deadline is not the time to try something like that; it is the time to keep things simple. A simple structure is more easily remembered, so when you are writing in a hurry it is much easier to remember what goes where, and how to structure a thesis statement, and so on.

Keeping to the basic structure also allows you to build an essay more quickly, as the basics are usually the same, no matter the essay.

Proofread!

When you are on a deadline, paying attention to the little details becomes all the more important, because that will detract attention from the half-baked ideas which you might end up with. Spelling and grammar is also an opportunity to make up for any points lost in other areas of the essay.

When it comes to how to write a good college essay, both good spelling and good ideas are needed, but if one has to be sacrificed to the deadline? Good communication skills as shown by an entirely grammatically correct and well-formatted paper cover bad ideas far more easily than good ideas will cover for a badly-written and formatted paper.

Check your spelling and grammar as much as possible. Time constraints might not allow it, but having a second pair of eyes to look over your work is helpful too. Make sure to check that the formatting you are using for your paper is correct, and pay special attention to quotes and references, as they are the most visible part of the formatting.

Don’t Panic

It can be easy to start feeling paralyzed by looming deadlines, but don’t let that get in your way! If you let yourself be stopped by fear, then the work you need to do will never be done, so push through the fear, and keep writing. The work will get done one way or another and the quicker you start, the quicker it will be done.

Minimize Distractions

Ask anyone who has had to contend with deadlines how to write an essay fast and they will most likely share some wisdom about minimizing potential distractions while working. Unfortunately, distractions only seem to be worsening as time goes on, with streaming TV and movies, social media, and video games all jockeying for space with the more usual ways we have of spending our leisure time.

Be strong, and ignore the distractions around you! There are now programs and apps which can be used to temporarily block social media sites (among other things) for a certain duration – you could consider getting one of them if necessary.

Eat and Drink

Remember to eat and stay hydrated! It is easy to forget these things when on a deadline, but it is important that you not. Eating and drinking properly helps you to stay alert and awake, and also makes it easier to concentrate, so keeping up with these things can help with the writing process.

Eating and drinking can also serve as a way of relaxing, or rewarding yourself for reaching certain milestones in your paper. When on a deadline, rewarding yourself for keeping to the timetable and not getting distracted can be a good way of keeping yourself on schedule.

In Conclusion

Writing an essay on a strict time limit is not fun, but there are ways in which it can be done, and done well. This article looked at some of the more popular tips which can come with short deadlines, such as keeping distractions down, and making sure you eat, among others. These tips could apply to any writing situation, not simply short deadlines, but they are particularly appropriate here.

Time Management Rules: How Much Time Do You Need To Spend Working?

Become More Productive With Proper Time Management Habits

The efficiency of 8-hour working day has been argued for a long time now, let alone those cases when the amount of time you spend working has no limits whatsoever. It may seem that you have no choice: that paper writing or those assignments won’t complete themselves. But the thing is, to be more productive you need to create a perfect balance of working hours and off-hours. Read on to learn more about time management rules.

Best Way To Organize Your Time

One recent research showed that workday length doesn’t really affect productivity in any significant way, but the way people organize their work hours does. People who regularly take small breaks from work show higher levels of productivity than those who work for hours in a row. 

The perfect balance is 52 minutes of work followed by 17 minutes of rest followed by another 52 minutes of work… you get the idea. Try this method while doing some important and complex research writing – odds are you’ll notice how much more productive you get.

The only thing you have to remember if you do want to increase your productivity is forget about social media and private messages. During your breaks, do something that would distract you from work – read, do workouts, have a cup of tea. This will give you more energy to complete all the tasks during the upcoming hour of work.

Your Brain Will Tell You How To Be More Productive
Those who discovered this perfect balance of work and breaks show better results and easily catch up on competition. The thing is they’ve realized how to satisfy our brain’s fundamental needs. It is capable of working at full capacity for an hour and then its activity drops down. This decrease of activity lasts for approximately 15-20 minutes.

The best way to avoid exhaustion and all kinds of distractions is to divide your workload in portions.

So instead of working on something until you just can’t focus on your task, listen to what your body tells you. Tiredness or desire to get distracted may be a sign that tells you that you need a break. Your list of essay topics can wait. Relax and forget about your work for a short period of time.

Main Rules of Productive Working Day Organization

Correct time management will help you improve your performance at work, no matter how many hours a day you spend working. If you work on your tasks and assignments during your natural activity peaks, it will be easier for you to deal with large amounts of work. Here are four main tips on how to do this right:

1. Work diligently during that hour and divide your tasks into several separate stages based on your working hour sessions. As a rule, we plan to complete our tasks or projects by the end of the day, week, or month. However, practice shows that your performance efficiency increases when we focus on something we can do right here, right now. Correct working schedule will not only help you work out your own productivity rhythm; it will also make massive tasks look more doable.


2.   Focus on your work completely. You need to pay all your attention and your every effort to what your work on during your activity hour. If you constantly get distracted by something, it will be of no use.


3. Make sure you relax properly during your breaks. Those who find a way to completely detach themselves from thoughts about work during their breaks work more productively afterwards. To increase your productivity, take a break and stay away from your computer, your smartphone and from thinking of your work. Take a walk, read a book, chat to a friend. When there’s just too much of work, the temptation to use your break to make calls or write emails is great but remember that this won’t let you relax properly. 


4. Don’t wait until the moment your body will make you take a break. It will be too late, you’ll miss a planned break and get off track. In that case you’ll need more time for restoring the proper working hours/off-hours balance.

Follow these simple rules and your productivity will increase. You’ll improve your performance and feel much better overall. It is a great way to deal with large workload faster without resorting to outside help. Give this a try – and you’ll forget about contacting custom essay services.

Celebrate National Artists Month at Freeway & Solo!

Ladies and gents, have you heard the news?!

It looks like Freeway and Solo is celebrating NATIONAL ARTS MONTH with a big blast! They are going to put the coveted Freeway's Sionil Jose & Manansala Collections and Solo's Kenkoy Collection on sale this coming February 23 to 26, 2012 (that's Thursday to Sunday Manila time) and oh boy you can get your hands on those collectibles and hard to find pieces for a fraction of the cost!

You've heard that right! It's Freeway and Solo's way of saying THANK YOU to you and the people who have patronized the series til now. Don't forget to check out the things she really loves! This can be a late Valentines gift too!

Tip: Pick up those bundle tees also from SOLO, its a must have for your closet!

Capisce?!

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Freeway + F. Sionil Jose (National Artist for Literature) = Bliss!

Francisco Sionil Jose + FREEWAY Event The Row, Glorietta 5 May 31, 2011

When the heavens above decided to bless me dearly it made sure that I get everything that I want and MORE. I just met an awesome lot of people from FREEWAY’s launch of National Artist Collectors’ Series Fall 2011 Collection honoring the National Artist for Literature F. Sionil José. I just finished reading his book "To the Young Writer and Other Essays" yesterday (signed by the great writer too!) and learned a lot why people adore him and his works. If you don't get the idea, think about this: he's got these books translated in 22 different languages; released internationally. Critically acclaimed by the most discerning book reviewers here and abroad. Take a look at what some of them said here:

"...the foremost Filipino novelist in English... his novels deserve a much wider readership than the Philippines can offer. His major work, the Rosales saga, can be read as an allegory for the Filipino in search of an identity..."

- Ian Buruma, The New York Review of Books

"Sionil José writes English prose with a passion that, at its best moments, transcends the immediate scene. (He) is a masterful short story writer..."

- Christine Chapman, International Herald Tribune, Paris

"...America has no counterpart to José - no one who is simultaneously a prolific novelist, a social and political organizer, and a small scale entrepreneur...José's identity has equipped him to be fully sensitive to the nation's miseries without succumbing, like many of his characters to corruption or despair...

- James Fallows, The Atlantic Monthly

"...The reader of his well crafted stories will learn more about the Philippines, its people and its concerns than from any journalistic account or from a holiday trip there. José's books takes us to the heart of the Filipino mind and soul, to the strengths and weaknesses of its men, women, and culture.

- Lynne Bundesen, Los Angeles Times

That's just the tip of the iceberg! I'm not surprised though that he has been given several international awards and also the National Artist for Literature in 2001. People have also been clamoring for his inclusion in Nobel's Prize for Literature (which I also asked about during the event) and he gamely agrees with them too. He said that the honor would not be for him alone; it was for the country; and the prize at stake wouldn't be a joke either! What initially made me surprised though was the fact that Freeway is going to inspire some of their pieces with his novels. How that is going to work? I'm as clueless as you are but when I saw them there, it was REALLY nice!

Fashion + Literature Icon = Freeway

The intricate details and words printed on the dresses all worked! This is the first time that I saw how they do this; now it makes sense. In fact, there were other pieces there with inspiration from Larry Alcala and other well known Philippine designers. This is how Freeway pay homage to Philippine Icons and sure enough, Francisco Sionil Jose was well worth it!

The famous F. Sionil Jose

The event was also hosted by Prima Ballerina (Ageless!) Ms. Lisa Macuja-Elizalde!

Ermita and another novel was read by the talented, classy and sophisticated Ms. Cherie Gil!

Lourd Ernest Hanopol de Veyra also an awarded poet in his right also read one of F. Sionil Jose's books from the Rosales Saga.


The Man himself answered questions from the audience! We even ran out of questions! LOL!



Thank you so much to Freeway who continue to recognize and pay homage to our National Artists, you should be proud of what you are doing for the Filipino consumer!

So go ahead and grab those F. Sionil Jose inspired dresses and shirts at Freeway stores nationwide!

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I Write Sins and Tragedies

I have joined several essay competitions in school and I have quite a number of achievements. I have championed most of them and I think I have this niche in the bag because of my background in English literature and creative writing. My story telling skills are at par with some of the best this metro has produced but there are some instances that I even doubt myself. I make sure I don't tremble in fear or end in the state of shock when it starts. The combination of stage fright and contest jitters is toxic for anyone. Let alone the pressure from peers who have given me some tips on choosing the subject wisely. I even have gained some friends from competitions but no matter how friendly I need to be, I have to remember how to put my game face on. If I needed essay help there are only a couple of avenues I can check for quality work. It's something like comparing notes, I know you all have done that in the past right?!

Thinking about what to discuss is essential. The need to learn how to first relate this to your own life experience is vital. If the writing style has been attached then you can have an ongoing piece to discuss. For example, you can describe the lesson you want to get on the whole essay as starter. The body would contain a story which is based on a movie, a storyline from another source, or your own imagination but the main character would be the writer. In each segment that would happen, the decision that would be made would be dependent on your reaction to a certain situation. If the writer decides to go left or right, forward or back, diagonally or in circles... and get that particular thing to cause a result on the subject too. In life people can turn out to be good or evil, fat or thin, funny or creepy, live or die but you will have the climax describe the thing that would be able to get the main plot of the story to where it is in the end. The turning point where all the details would change and where the excitement starts. How we all make that interesting is the key because since the body of the story is long and the structure can get boring at times. If you write something interesting that would capture the reader and get them into the edge of their seats early on; and have that consistently make them stay there, then you are a genius!

Ending an essay would be like a summary of your discussions and a little explanation on how it relates to the lesson you tried to inculcate to your reader. Upon reading various custom essays online there are some instances that we forget how to make the readers think and it would be wise to hold some information back. This is done to make the reader wonder why you said your piece in the body and how it would affect the whole story in the end. Successful masterpieces on sins and tragedies need not to be about the fancy things life has; a simple learned lesson like those which I read in a dissertation service uk would do. Have you ever done something like that and had a hard time?! Where? You should check out online institutions like URGENTESSAYS.CO.UK and get professional help! Would you do it again and want to be successful?! Let me know!