This is for students of English 1 TFU who would like to share something about their Christmas break to others.
Right now Marga Reyes is in California, so I'll try share one of her pictures with you (once I've downloaded "Hello," the operation of which I still don't know). She (as well as you) can post her journal here by clicking "comments" below this particular entry.
8 comments:
Salut! Joyeux Noël et Bon année!
It’s me Estephanie Celi I’m here in our home in Pangasinan and still spending my Christmas vacation. I just pass by to share something about my Christmas vacation. Nothing very special happened to me this Yuletide; it is just like the rest of my Christmas vacations except for the feeling that after a long exhausting year, I’m home. I was a little bit bored and tired for the long year that had passed. So, instead of doing my home works readily, I spent my first week in complete relaxation. All I did was to eat, watch TV, sleep, chat in the internet, play computer games and attend the “misa de gallo” (but I wasn’t able to complete it). I nearly forgot to tell that besides from those “chores” I enjoyed looking after my niece. Why? It just happens that when ever we’re in the same place, the place becomes a war arena. How? I love teasing her and she’ll go after me then there starts the funny battle. By the way, my niece name is Jhana Eloisa, Eloi for short. She hates my guts and I feel the same towards her. She’s so hard headed that I want to kick her ass. Of course I can’t do that, even though she’s stubborn I still love her. She got the ability to make everyone laugh and be impressed in the things that a normal three – year- old kid don’t usually do. She celebrated her 3rd birthday last December 17, wherein a children’s party was held in the house of her grandma. She enjoyed the party very much that even we’re home she kept on singing Happy birthday! I told her that “ Hoy! May aftershock ka pa ‘ata sa birthday mo!”, Would you believe that she sang Happy Birthday for almost a week since her birthday party?! Furthermore, she’s still my best enemy here and makes my head ache.
I think that’s all I can share. I’ll just drop by again and write when something interesting happens to me and to my willful niece.
First of all I would like to greet all of you a belated merry christmas and an advanced happy new year! Well my christmas vacation wasn't really as fun as what I expected it to be. I only got five hundred bucks and my ninongs and ninangs all went out of town to escape from me. But despite being broke and missing my ninongs I could still say that my christmas this year was really special because of what we did during Christmas eve.
I woke up hearing jingle bells on December 24 and for the first time felt that Christmas was near. The radio was playing so loud it could be heard outside our house and the neighbors would have reported us to the police if it wasn't for the spirit of Christmas. We listened to Christmas songs until we got so tired of Santa, Rudolf and Frosty that we decided to go to the supermarket and buy the food we were going to prepare for noche buena. As we were paying for the goods I noticed some canned goods on the side of our cart. I tried to ask my mother what they were for but she didn't hear me because of the noise of all the people around us. The canned goods were put on separate bags and I thought that my mother already bought the food we will need until the end of the year. We rode a jeep and I was surprised when we didn't go down where we were supposed to and went straight to Katipunan. We stopped in front of Mcdonalds and I said to myself "Yes! My mom is going to treat me!" But as we walked towards Mcdonalds I saw the streetchildren begging outside and finally understood what my mom wanted to do. We went to them and handed them the bags of canned goods. At that time I felt ashamed that we only had little to give. There were a lot of them and the food we brought wouldn't be enough to feed them and their families. But they were all so happy they didn't seem to notice. We were about to walk away when a small boy pulled my sleeve and smiled. He didn't say thank you but I know that that smile was the best present I could ever receive for Christmas.
Hey, I love the comments on this post! "Em" has great potential as a writer, and Francis is analytical!
But who are "Em," "Drigz" (Rodrigo?) and--good heavens, who is that other one with the name I can't even spell? Place your full or at least first names somewhere, guys! I have enough of a problem remembering your real names; now I'm left tackling aliases! :)
In any case, don't tire of posting; we'll get a good conversation going yet.
I'd like you to listen in on one conversation I just had with Marga:
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Hi, Marga!
I wanted to post your gondola picture on the blog, but I was overtaken by events and want my poems to stay on top for now. I had second thoughts too, because I don’t really want to advertise America. I’ve been there only twice, but I’ve seen enough. When I went to Vegas in 1999, the Eiffel Tower was still being built.
You’re young and deserve to be driven crazy by Vegas’ gargantuan sites, but you know me, I’m old, wizened and rather cynical—so I regard them as garish and gaudy. I don’t know if that was the Bellagio I went to, where a replica of David is, and where, in mall tunnel after tunnel, they exhibit the twenty-four hours in a day on their own minute-by-minute scale, as if they could clone God’s creation.
That to me was a representation of how America tries too hard to put all things, including nature and the world, under its control; Vegas, Disneyland and all those shows stand for its Superman, I-am-God syndrome.
But don’t let my critique of America bother your youthful wonder. Go on and taste of it; age will soon take over.
God bless you, your mom and your sister for the New Year and the next!
-----Original Message-----
From: Marga Reyes
Sent: Monday, December 20, 2004 3:55 PM
To: Mila D. Aguilar
Subject: Marga in Las Vegas, Nevada!!
Hi mam! Thanks for posting my picture. I was shocked to see my picture on the home page of your blogsite. I tried to post a comment but I'm not sure if I was doing the right thing. Wow, you've been partying for 6 days? That's tiring, but i hope you enjoyed.
My mom, sister, aunt and I spent our weekend in Las Vegas, Nevada. We traveled interstate from California to Nevada. It was a 4-hour drive passing through mountains and deserts. Las Vegas, also known as the "Sin City", is popular for its hotels, casinos and attractions. All of the nice hotels are located on the 'strip' such as the Bellagio, Paris, Venetian, Treasure Island etc. My sister and I enjoyed strolling on the strip while my mom and my aunt played the slots in the casino.
Along the strip is the M&M's World where people can buy 21 not-so-common colors of M&M's chocolate and other M&M's items.
Each hotel has an attraction to attract tourists. Attractions can be a theme park, shows, or thrilling rides. My most favorite hotel, the Venetian, is Italian inspired with all the paintings on the ceilings and walls. It is also known for the gondola ride inside the hotel. I saw a couple who exchanged their marriage vows on the gondola. There were also musical performances by musicians from Venice.
However, in the Paris hotel, you can find the 50-story replica of the Eiffel Tower. You can go to the top of the tower but you have to pay an amount. In the Bellagio hotel, you can see the indoor garden with fresh Christmas trees and Poinsettia flowers. Outside, there is this water show every hour, wherein the water dances to the music. It was so amazing.
I always enjoy my stay in Las Vegas. The lights, attractions and tourist spots just drive me crazy all the time! It was my first time to go there on a December, and it was really, really cold. Now, I’m back in LA and im down with flu. Maybe, I'll be spending the next days resting at home.
Again, I attached pictures of me in Las Vegas, particularly in Venetian hotel, which you can post in your blog[site] so that your other students can also see the nice part of Nevada.
I’m going to send more pictures of the strip and other hotels later.
Ma'am, how do I post an article on your blog? I'm clueless. Sorry.
I'll wait for my corrections. Thanks again, Ma'am!
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A minor note:
I've noticed that some of you don't place a line between your paragraphs, or don't cut your paragraphs at all. Be sure to place at least two spaces between sentences and one line between paragraphs so your posts become readable on the computer.
I've been to Charmaine's site and recommend the same thing to her. Carry on, Charmaine!
I hope you all see this before classes start, because I want you to do one more thing: I want you to email to me, AS ATTACHED MSWORD DOCs, whatever you've written here, so I can correct your grammar privately (my use of the MSWord "Track Changes" facility will show exactly where you went wrong, and your email to me will give me your email address as well).
This is all so that you won't get embarassed with my corrections, okay? :)
If you don't email me soon I'll be constrained to show one and all your mistakes. :) That's a threat, and a promise as well.
I was wondering why, having received your comments via email three times in a row, I still couldn't find them on the blog, Em, till I realized you'd been putting your comments on the main post for English 1. Actually, if you had answered on the topmost post, you'd have an easier time making out what the best sentence lookslike.
Whoever gives the best sentence will get half the prize!
Thank YOU, Em. This was a very satisfying semester for me. I had so many intelligent, and not only intelligent but appreciative, and not only appreciative but hard working, and not only hard working but intellectually active students! And you were one of those! I hope you continue keeping tabs on this site, as well as my egroups for various classes.
If you're not a member yet, tell me and I'll sign you up.
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