Pretty Clouds

When I was a child, I dreamed to be a pilot. I think there's excitement and adrenaline rush in navigating an airplane. You would get a closer look to the skies especially if the weather is fine and dandy. I'm sure that the main responsibility of every pilot is to accompany the passengers reach their destination safely. Though I didn't end up as a pilot, boarding an aircraft always gives me pleasure. That's my chance to see the clouds up-close and personal.

I'm fascinated with clouds! When rays of sunlight beam through them, they form different shapes and auras. I remembered Cloud 9 when I took that photo above during a trip. Seeing them along with blue skies brought glimmer of hope to me. If there's a perfect description for this photo, I would say it's breath-taking!

I prefer white and brilliant clouds, like cotton candies fluttering to the air. Perhaps giant moth balls rolling back and forth. They look eye-catching but unpleasant to the nose, right? Kidding! How about piles of rice cakes? Oh no! Now I'm getting hungry!

Sometimes I have crazy ideas describing a cloud. Maybe it's my habit to make myself busy and prevent boredom while on board an airbus. Unfortunately, some flights I took before were at late afternoon. I was glad to bring a nice reading material, though.

It's no wonder why clouds are pretty! They could form angles that are quite interesting. They would make your trip memorable, too! All you need is a wide imagination and creativity. Who knows, they could take you to your dream destination in the future.

Please provide an answer for this photo. 

Thank you for reading this blog post!

A king's praise is worth the best coffee in the world!

Winning caption from Anele! This photo was taken in a coffee shop. Thank you to all who took the time to participate on this Wordless Wednesday! Cheers! ☺

The year is coming to an end. To blog about our experiences or great moments on MyEC would remind us how we're able to contribute our own little ways to make this site be continuously patronized and supported by many members regardless of their English levels or knowledge. This is also a reminder if improvements of learning the language are achieved, based on the goals that we set to ourselves.

I can say that my English has improved a lot if I'd compare it to the previous year. I know that I still need to work on my goals to attain fluency and be equipped with the language. The comments, likes, suggestions and personal messages from other MyEC members served as complement to make my journey on EC as lively as possible. It's nice to keep in touch with our virtual friends and develop our English at the same time!

Being chosen as the video moderator of our club is one of my greatest adventures to date. I felt grateful that the admins bestowed this opportunity. There are responsibilities and challenges that would need to be considered. For the past eight months of stay as your moderator, this volunteer position has helped me widened my horizons and understanding on videos that were uploaded in our gallery. There would be times that my patience was being tested. I posted this blog to keep us reminded on what types of video to share in our club. I'm counting for more pleasant, entertaining and most of all educational videos, though! : )

I'm very thankful to our diligent learners and teachers who keep on sharing video clips in English, and to those who are following the guidelines. You know who you are! I wouldn't notice such educational videos that they're existing on the web if they weren't shared in our gallery. Some of them were very helpful to me.

Thank you to my fellow moderators for allowing me to join in your challenges. Writing and photo challenges gave me the chance to share my creativity. I hope you'd also take part in my video challenges in the future. : )

May all of us reach our goals and aspirations for the coming new year! Cheers!

What's your memorable MyEC adventure? Please do share it on the comment below!

Special thanks to Rajesh for challenging me to write this blog!

Are you an English learner? Do you like spending quality time on MyEC?

Do you have the following goals?

1. To be fluent in English.

2. To develop my confidence in speaking the English language.

3. To improve proper pronunciation.

If your answer is yes, then we have the same goals! I truly believe that learning a language involves commitment, hard work and patience. I would like to present to you some tips that I've been following to improve my English.

1. Set goal/s that you want to achieve.

    Your goals will serve as guide on what you should work on. Be focused and stay positive. Remind yourself why you are learning English in the first place.

2. Express yourself through blogging.

    Blogging is one of the best ways of self-expression. There are some things that you can't say, but you can put them into writing. Don't know what to write? You could write about your hobbies, your work, or the course that you're taking up in college. Find inspirations from other MyEC bloggers in our club.

3. Combine your passion with English.

    Do you love art? How about singing? Arts and Music are great skills to practice our English. We have Grace and N Naim, who incorporate their creative skills using English. They create paintings and interpret them on their blogs. If you like singing, you can join the Karaoke group where you can share your audio recordings. You can even listen to the group's singers!

4. Utilize the access on internet.

    Are you a visual learner? YouTube is just one click away! There are hundreds of videos to choose from according to your interests. Grammar and pronunciation are easily understood if you watch attentively how English teachers and native speakers use the language. Select notable English teachers and subscribe to their videos. You can also visit MyEC video gallery to watch video clips by our fellow EC members! Why not record your own video?

5. Learn English with humour.

    I'm not suggesting that you shouldn't take learning English seriously. This is just an option. I think, humour can help us learn effectively. Try to watch English TV sitcoms. It's no wonder why they are patronized by many people. Who would want a boring show anyway?

6. Join free study sessions and the Audio Speaking Group.

    Every Tuesday, Tara Benwell posts news recording for us members to participate with. Record your voice using Audioboo, and share it in the "Be a Newscaster" discussion page. This would enhance your confidence in speaking, as well as learn new vocabulary words for each news. Another excellent venue to practice your pronunciation is Gabriel Sowrian's "Study Sessions" on the EC Virtual Classroom group, where he would encourage you to work on English phonetics and proper pronunciation.

    Having a supportive group would inspire you to work at your best!

7. Surround yourself with English materials.

    Listen to English songs, podcast, or conversations while doing chores. Also, find an FM radio station in your country that has English speaking disc jockeys. By doing this, you could acquire new vocabulary words. Read newspapers or magazines if you have extra time. Watch a movie that you like. At home, I usually watch movie (from cable-TV channels) that has subtitles on it.

8. Don't take corrections on your writings personally.

   Some teachers and fluent members would like to correct any grammar, spelling and punctuation errors on your blogs and discussions. This is a part of learning process. It shows that they are interested in your work, and they would like to help you improve your writing. This is also a chance to connect with your readers.

9. Practice speaking English.

    For me, the most important skill to master is speaking. This is not an easy task especially if you're not living or working in an English speaking country. Choose reliable friends to talk to via Skype. Try to talk to your peers in English. Some of them would laugh or freak out, so choose someone that you're comfortable speaking with.

    I try to practice speaking English with my little nephew and nieces. They would joke around and giggle, though I'm not quite sure if they'd understand what I'm talking about. It's fun talking to them because they sometimes think like grown-up kids.

    I even practice speaking with my pet! Have you tried doing that? I know it sounds crazy, but it's alright. It's part of a goal anyway. Besides, I'm a crazy learner myself!

10. Reward yourself for a job well done.

     Whenever you accomplish a great activity, don't forget to treat yourself. A pint of ice cream would do!

How I wish I have a magic spell to be fluent in an instant. But I realized, I would be missing out the real journey of learning English, if challenges and obstacles are not met in a short span of time.

I'm looking forward in achieving your goals on MyEC! Let me know if you find these tips useful.

Cheers!

What English learning tips that you'd like to share to other MyEC learners?

For this month's writing challenge, Tara Benwell posted another educational blog about compound nouns. She is inviting us to participate on this challenge, and make our own compound noun list as well.

Here are some compound nouns that I'm not familiar with. Could you help me define these words? Please make sentences using the compound nouns that are listed below. You can write down your answers on the comment section. 

My Word List

1. blue-green

2. breakwater

3. spoonfuls

4. cheapskate

5. fire-fly

6. love-in

7. browbeat

8. freeze-dry

9. greenhouse

10. great-aunt

Feel free to share other compound nouns that are not listed here. 

Your participation will be highly appreciated!

Thank you and happy writing!

Winning caption by Grace

" Life always strikes a balance between entrance and exit. "

The MyEC Video Gallery has a variety of video collection that can be useful in learning or teaching English. The EC Team is currently categorizing the collection to find videos easier, and to choose videos according to your interest.

If you want to be equipped with your English, you can watch videos from our Grammar, Pronunciation, Vocabulary and Learning English tabs. There, you'll find informative videos from our ESL teachers and active members of MyEC. Perhaps you love singing, you can practice and sing along with different music videos in our Music Tab. You'll find plenty of music videos with subtitles, too. Click on the videos tab to see all the categories.

This blog was published to make us familiar with the guidelines on what videos should be uploaded in our video gallery. The EC Team aims to promote this gallery as a useful, interesting and educational venue to learn and teach English.

Please be reminded of the following guidelines in uploading or sharing your videos.

1. Make sure your video is in English! (If not, please don't upload it to MyEC.)

2. Videos that contain explicit and, offensive language, and have cruelty and derogatory content will not be approved.

3. Videos that are trying to convert someone to change his/her religion or beliefs are not recommended. Please save these videos for a different community. We respect all religions!

4. Videos that encourage members to learn English would be useful to EC learners and teachers.  Check out this Learning English Video Contest winning entry.

Tips to Improve English by Ray Jay

5. Videos about yourself (These are the best ones!), the things you do, and what interests you are more likely to be featured and approved. Check out interesting videos from EC Members.

Let's Start Blogging! by Luci

Speak English 10 Times Better by jdapotter

The Story of My Name by Joyce Fettermann

Introduction of Myself by Nelly Morales

Speak English Fluently by Shoaib Yunus

It's inspiring to watch EC members speak the English language. Don't worry about making mistakes. We're here to practice our English, right? Also, this would be a great way to develop our confidence in speaking. Members' comments can help improve ourselves, too!

6. Add appropriate title and description on your video. It should be in English! This is to understand the content and information of the video. It is also a nice way to practice your writing skills. Check your spelling and appropriate capitalization. You can invite other members to comment on your video. Or, you can provide a discussion question for English learners.

7. You can share videos from other site such as YouTube, provided it's in English. 

Please continue supporting MyEC Video gallery and make it as a useful place for learners and teachers. If you like to share some tips to improve the video gallery, you can leave a message on the comment section below. 

Thank you for reading this blog!

Do you have any favorite videos in English? What are those? You can share them here!

Note:

This blog post was approved by our former admin, Tara Benwell. Some information written here is from her previous posts. This article has been compiled for learning purposes. Watch her video here!

Early this year, I was able to experience one of the most celebrated festivals in my country. It's the Kalibo Ati-Atihan Festival.

The Kalibo Ati-Atihan Festival is held every third week of January in the town of Kalibo, Aklan, Philippines. This is celebrated to honor the Holy Child Jesus Christ. Local people call him, "Sr. Sto. Nino". It is common for devotees and tourists to carry icons and replicas of the holy child. Just like what I'm holding on some of my photos. 

Devotees honor the Sto. Nino for the bountiful harvest, for their answered prayers, for their good health and blessings, and for their protection from disasters and accidents. It is a religious way of thanking the holy child for every little things he has given to those who believe in him.

The Ati-Atihan Festival is one of the greatest and most colorful festivals in my country. Ati-Atihan means to be like an "aeta". The Aetas, an aboriginal group, were regarded as first settlers of Aklan. Today, different government organizations conduct a contest which is participated by local people. They form tribal groups, and imitate what the aetas did when they were honoring the holy child. Tribal members dress up and present their indigenous, colorful costumes to the public. 

Each group will be judged by their performances (pace and dance rhythms), creativity and theme. Cash prizes await for the deserving winners. It's a great contest with an important religious purpose! Tribal groups must do their best to convince the judges, that they are deserving for the title.

Tourists can get the chance to have their own photo taken while in the middle of the tribal participants. They can even dance and get along with them for awhile. So, expect to be carried away by the tribes' musics and loud drumbeats. "Viva Sr. Sto. Nino" as what they'll hear in every corners. It's a cheerful way of praising the holy child. I think, these are some of the reasons why this festival is unique.

The colorful parades are the exciting parts of the festival. These can be seen during the last two days of the event. But the highlight of the festival is the procession, which falls on the third Sunday of January at around 3 p.m. Devotees gather in front of St. John the Baptist Church, where the procession starts. Everyone is invited to join in this religious custom. The Sto. Nino de Kalibo, along with different holy child icons will be paraded around the nearby streets. After the procession, there will be a final program and the announcement of the winners.

The festival is also celebrated in other parts of the country such as Manila, Iloilo, Cebu, and other provinces.

I'm really grateful to be a part of this celebration. I not only enjoyed the experience, but I also felt a strong devotion to the Holy Child. For me, that's the very essence of this festival. This is truly one of my real-life adventures that I would never forget.

How about you? Have you attended a memorable festival? When and where it was held? I would love to hear it from you.

Learn more information here.

http://www.philippinecountry.com/philippine_festivals/ati-atihan_festival.html

  My country, the Philippines, is celebrating Women's Month. I would like to take this opportunity, to dedicate this blog to the fantastic females of MyEC. Here is my participation for February's writing challenge.

Correcting Commas: Example Sentences

1) In a list:
Nadiyah is known for moderating photos, inviting everyone to join in the photo challenge, and helping new members to be familiar in EC.
Nadira is a chat moderator, a teacher, and a good friend.

2) Between 3 or more adjectives or adverbs:
The Karaoke team is an inspirational, entertaining, enjoyable group for those who want to share their singing prowess.
Anele made a personalized greeting cards thoughtfully, accurately and neatly.

3) With two adjectives:
Irina is a kind, diligent woman.
Spring is an intelligent, optimistic blogger.
Sahar likes to read long, metaphorical novels.

4) With numbers:
I wish I could have 20,000 EC friends in two months.

5) For addresses or dates:
Ohnie is from Midland, Texas, United States.
MyEC has 54,406 members as of March 1, 2012.

6) For direct speech:
Sandy asked, "Could you give me any tips about reading? "
Rajesh replied, "Sure! I always bring a nice reading material wherever I go. A pocket-size grammar book, Men's Health magazine, and Reader's Digest are some of my favorites. "

7) Before a coordinating conjunction:
Junko was busy attending her vegetable farm, yet she managed to remain active in EC.
Yasemin would like to upload a video of herself, but she's shy to show her face.

8) For parenthetical elements:
Tara, a novelist, enjoyed her conference in Brighton Beach.
Lama Amar, who is from Syrian Arab Republic, is a well-respected blogger of EC.
Surawan, a beauty queen, captured the hearts of EC gentlemen.

9) After an introductory element:
After teaching her children with their homework, MileyJ recorded a love song for her EC friends.

10) With sentence adverbs:
Selma, however, commended her recording.

11) With adverbial clauses:
a) If everyone participates in the writing challenge, Josef would be proud.

b) Josef would be proud if everyone participates in the writing challenge. (no comma)

12) Run-on sentence correction:
Error found: I hate myself for what I am, how I look like and I want to change it, of course, in those better way.

Correction: "I hate myself for what I am, and for how I look like. Of course, I want to change in a better way."

or

"I hate myself for what I am. I also hate how I look like. Of course, I want to change in a better way."

To My EC friends,

  How are you all doing? I had a busy time last month, that I missed reading some of your messages on my page and on my EC inbox. I had was given the opportunity to spend a vacation with my family. It's funny to say, that I didn't even bother to use the internet and my cellphone for days. I wanted to experience the real essence of stress-free life and savor every moment that I had.  Could you live for days or weeks without using the net or mobile phones? Having a nice scenery far from where I usually live, gave me comfort. I discovered that milk and tea can be a good combination for breakfast even though coffee is normally part of my morning.

  I enjoyed the travel going to our province. Is the province a counterpart of a country? A term where we usually see mountains, beaches, and forests. I bet there are advantages and disadvantages living in a province. But, what I loved the most was the fresh air, especially the scent of rice fields that we passed by going to our provincial home. Unlike in the city, where you could experience different kinds of pollution. 

  I'm thankful to be a part of this month's writing challenge, the Uncountable Nouns. I noticed, a lot of members took the time to join this topic. That's a huge achievement for EC. Courage allowed me to join this time. Besides that, I missed doing art too!

  Indeed, this year has a wonderful beginning. New members keep signing in everyday. It only means, that more and more people are interested to be abreast with their English. I must say with enthusiasm and determination, we can all achieve our goals in EC. 

  Thank you for reading this post! May our friendship continues for many years. Until my next blog. Goodbye....

Your EC friend,

Robbie

P.S.

Some people find "patient" and "patience" confusing. What's the difference between the two words?

  Hi! I'm Robbie, am a proud member of MyEC. Since this year is coming to an end, let me share to you some of my activities that I had accomplished from being an active member. I considered them as my adventures of learning.

• I uploaded my videos.

        Making a video about learning English wasn't an easy task. It took me a lot of guts, hard work, and determination to have one. The Learning English Video Contest 2011 inspired me to share my ideas about blogging. Though I didn't get the prize, I'll always treasure the experience, particularly the comments and appreciations that I received from fellow learners. I gained a sense of accomplishment after my participation on that contest. I also uploaded a short video, as for my gratitude to MyEC friends for their support.

• I practiced singing.

        The Karaoke group opened new opportunities for me to share my recordings, to gain friends, and to learn to appreciate music from different genre. Though I'm not a good singer, it developed my confidence and I enjoyed improving my pronunciation skills. I also had a great time listening to other singers. Most active members of that group are supportive and it's nice to keep in touch with them. I'm thankful to Ms. Selma, for creating such a wonderful group.

• Writing and Photo Challenges participation. 

         It's exciting to be a part of these activities because I was able to know my weaknesses as an English learner. I couldn't imagine that I can be a blogger, until I became a member of MyEC. The photo challenges by Ms. Nadiyah amazed me with her ideas too. One of my favorites was DM's birthday party. 

• I became a star member.

        I'm very much grateful to the EC moderators and to Ms. Tara, for their appreciation on my activities, that led me to become a star member twice. It's a great feeling to be rewarded because of your ideas. I don't know the basis on how the moderators feature a member. All I think, is how a member expressed his or her ideas using the English language, or how other members can benefit for it.

• I've created a group

        I'm ecstatic with my group Bloggers, as it continues to multiply its members. I'm excited of the members' craftiness, creativity, ideas, and the hard work to show their interests in writing. It's enjoyable to learn from each other blogs too! I have learned to appreciate a blogger's work and gained ideas about different topics. 

  I think, my greatest adventure was building friendships from different people or nationalities around the world, with the same goal, to learn or teach English! Truly, MyEC has broken the gap between boarders of different beliefs, culture, and ideals. I'm hoping that my 2012 will be more exciting, educational, and be filled with interesting memories. Happy Holidays!

  Do you have an EC adventure? The one that made you proud of joining. Would you like to share it with other members? 

  What comes out in your head when you read the word fruit? A lot actually right? Fruits come in different shapes, sizes, smells, and tastes. But when you say fruits, there are nutritional and health benefits that are attached to it.

  Experts say that eating fruits like pineapple, banana, apple, pomegranate, and grapes, helps decrease the bad cholesterol in our body and prevents us from acquiring diabetes. If I'm not mistaken, Diabetes is the second leading causes of death in the world. Eating ripe papaya has a lot of benefits too. It actually improves our metabolism and helps in maintaining the normal level of blood pressure. Citric fruits such as orange, pomelo, and lemon have a cleansing effect on our skin. Scientists say that, we can achieve a glowing and healthier skin if we include those fruits in our diet.

  Fruits also serve as dessert to some people. Perfect to munch on during morning, lunch, and even dinner. People who are vegetarian or vegan include fruits into their diet. But, I'm not urging you to be a vegan. I believe, it is still important to eat the right food and with a balanced diet. I also think that, if we incorporate vegetables, fruits, meat, and fish in our daily diet, then we can achieve a healthy body and mind. And of course, a chance to live longer too!

  Always remember, no matter what food we eat, please consider its health benefits. It's also important to know where our foods come from and if they are properly prepared or stored.

  So what's your favorite fruit? And why do you like it? This blog will be another great opportunity to learn something from you. I'll be glad to read your comments too. : )

  A dress represents an identity to men and women. Different cultures, have different interpretations for that matter. Little girls love to dress up especially on important occasions like birthdays or holidays. We sometimes see in movies how leading men dropped their jaws when they glared at their leading ladies while wearing a stylish outfit.
 

  How about a red dress? I noticed, a lot of women around the globe prefer to wear red dresses. Female celebrities flashingly posed in font of the camera for us to astonish and to admire them. It's also evident in international and local pageants. Ms. Jimena Navarette of Mexico was wearing a beautiful red gown when she was crowned Miss Universe 2010. According to her, she chose to wear that dress in celebration of her country's Independence Day. Miss World 2011 1st runner-up, Gwendolyn Ruais from my country, the Philippines, also wore a gorgeous red gown during the coronation night which was held in Earls Court, London. On Rajesh's blog, Chhath Puja, I saw women wearing colorful dresses while participating on that important festival in India. These are some occasions that made me curious why women desire to wear such splendid clothing creations.
 

                                      Miss World 2011 winners

                                      Miss Venezuela Miss World (center) 

                                      Miss Philippines 1st Princess (left)

                                      Miss Puerto Rico 2nd Princess (right)

   I think, wearing beautiful clothes gives confidence to people especially to women. It also shows how a lady can be creative to mix and match her clothes to her accessories. A trendy fashion indeed!

  So, whatever clothes we wear, be it a glamorous dress or a casual outfit, it's important to project a great attitude to our friends, co-workers, and to the people around us. Because we're more likely be judged not on clothes we're wearing, but on how we carry ourselves in our day to day living.

  In your own opinion, why does a red dress appealing to women? I'll be glad to hear it from you. : )

Miss World photo is courtesy of yahoonews

  Nature is one of God's perfect creations. And because of its beauty, many people find it interesting. Besides that, it provides wealth, jobs, and pride to the people living on that community.

  The Puerto Princesa Underground River is a famous park which is located in Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines. The park is known for its limestone karst (rock formations) where you can find stalactites and stalagmites. Aside from that, you can find different species of plants, birds, mammals and insects. 

  I would like to invite you all to vote for Puerto Princesa Underground River as one of new 7 wonders of nature. 

Here's the link : http://www.new7wonders.com/archives/wonder/puerto-princesa-underground-river

You can also find additional information about Puerto Princesa on the following links:

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

http://www.puerto-undergroundriver.com/about-us/

Thank you very much for reading this blog. : )

recycle- (verb) to use again

water hyacinth- (noun) a common river plant

entrepreneur- (noun) a male or female business owner

  My country the Philippines, was recently hit by two consecutive typhoons. Typhoons "Pedring" and "Quiel" (local names) left thousands of people homeless and destroyed their livelihood. Agricultural areas such as farms or ricefields were included. Floods covered most of northern and central part of Luzon. Metro Manila wasn't spared by those typhoons. All classes and work in government institutions were cancelled. There was also a power outage. News reports were linking these unfortunate events in man's negligence in conserving nature.

  I think, this is the time to really love our environment. Having a discipline in managing our trashes, conserving water and electricity, and planting trees are common solutions that we should continuously doing. Recycling of paper, plastic bags, and old things became popular in our generation. Old clothes could be donated to the needy or use as rags. I'm amazed by the creativity of some Filipino entrepreneurs, for using water hyacinths in producing native bags which are exported abroad. Those plants are a problem and can cause clogging in rivers which resulted in flooding. Scientists are studying those plants if they could be converted to bio oil. If proven to be effective, then it would be a huge benefit as an alternative fuel. Another good idea, is the use of electric cars which are booming nowadays especially in European countries. It's a good way to lessen carbon emissions. As we all know, carbon emissions are harmful to our lungs and can cause air pollution.

  Deforestation and illegal Kaingin (burning of trees for cultivation purposes) are serious problems that need strict implementation of rules in order to prevent them from happening again. I think, Ecotourism is gaining popularity and creates awareness to people on how we can protect our nature. Local and foreign tourists are welcome to join in tree planting and other environmental activities that benefit not only our environment, but also the people who are involved on such acts.

  In my opinion, loving our environment needs a sincere and honest action. It involves respect and appreciation. Mostly, it should start from ourselves and in our homes. Isn't it brilliant that the next generation would be able to experience the wonderful nature that we are having right now?

  In a nutshell, nature is part of our culture, our heritage, and as a well-being. It defines people living in it.

Note:

  I decided to recycle this blog and rephrased it to add more information. Also, to express my thoughts clearly. You are welcome to share your comments and corrections if any. : )

Sources:

Loving our environment ( November 25, 2009 )

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

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_Kaingin_system

  It was a beautiful Thursday evening in Manila, Philippines. On that day, I was traveling on a bus on my way home together with my family. My sister and I were chatting about the things we accomplished. The bus driver turned on the TV and switch to a news channel. I remember how the first tower was hit by an airplane. It was unbelievable as I thought. It was like an action movie being commercially aired. The reporter kept on narrating the news and as I observed, all people on the bus were shocked on what's happening.

  There were a lot of questions on my mind. I couldn't believe on what was happening. I was thinking of World War III. Was it the end of the world? As we reached home, we glued on TV for hours. I felt goosebumps, especially when the building started to collapse. There were people waving white towels and asking for help. Then, the second building collapsed. There were ashes everywhere. Was it real? The bubbly city that was known for became quiet. All you have to hear were the alarms of firetrucks and ambulances. 

  The news shocked the whole world. And then it hit me. If a superpower country was victimized by the terrorists, how much more the small countries with less means to have security equipment to detect deadly weapons and suspicious terrorists? How would every country combat this problem?

  That evening, I was having a hard time to sleep. Instead, I grabbed my rosary and started to pray. I was hoping that all of the victims of that terror attacks would find peace. I prayed that when I wake up, their fears, heartaches, anger, and bitterness would be gone. 

"Let God heal their burden and find strength"

  I'm certain that there are a lot of poor children who want to learn but they couldn't attend school because:

1. They prefer to work in order to sustain or provide a living for their family.

2. Because of poverty, many women and children are become victims of sexual exploitation and prostitution. 

3. Those young children could be the next generation of scientists, educators, or lawyers but have limited access of support because they are living in far away islands and have no means to reach them.

  But how does poverty affect us? Basically, it actually affects the whole country to attain social and economic progress. If resources or funds are not used accordingly, (if fall to wrong hands like corrupt public officials) then these resources will be going to waste. 

  Poverty are linked to various crimes in a community. But what should the government do to lessen the crime rate in a community? I think, education could be one of the best tools to lessen poverty. Providing better job opportunities and livelihood programs to poor families are also good solutions. People should pay their taxes since it is a social obligation to the country. Through these taxes, funds can be provided to help alleviate poverty. Various donations from wealthy and generous people (non-government institutions or charities) are a huge help to poor children especially to those who are living in remote places. I believe a good deed is more than just a personal satisfaction. To see children receiving books, school supplies or funds for their education are extraordinary.

  To summarize this, poverty affects a lot of people, in different places and countries. It is saddening to know that this is a reality that human must face. But it could be eluded through determination and unity of every citizen. The roles of public officials are important to help their constituents...

  theme- (n) idea or concept

  medium- (n) way or tool

  premiere- (adj) to be the first of leading

  ample- (adj) sufficient or enough time

  MyEnglishclub.com or MyEC is one of the fastest-growing social networking site in the world. According to a survey conducted by knowlegdepoll.com, MyEC ranked 2nd as an active social network that most people would like to visit and connect with friends. 90% of respondents enjoyed communicating by writing blogs, participating on audio and writing challenges, and uploading informative photos. The applications of this site attracted young students to make an ample time to join and hone their skills in English. Recently, MyEC launched a new theme "One Wold, One MyEC", to give tribute to its members. According to Systems Administrator, Tracy James, "We are eager to push MyEC as a premiere networking site in the world and to unite members on a common goal since there are many young members who are willing to learn and contribute to the world through English as a medium of communication". Meanwhile, the site is enhancing security features to protect members from scam, and other on-line bogus that could lead to MyEC's loss in the future. The site also aims to add more features so that members can experience excellent service.

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Discussion Question:

  What is the purpose of MyEC in launching a new theme?

Comprehension Questions:

  1. What is the reason why members are attracted to join in MyEC?

  2. What is the theme of MyEC?

  3. What is the rank of MyEC as a social networking site according to knowledgepoll.com.

Note:

  This is a fictional news. This blog was published for MyEC Writing Challenge purposes only. It wasn't my intention to misled or misinformed members of this club.

  Chocolate has a variety of brands, textures, and types. But, why is it one of the favorite desserts of every person? People, young and old find eating chocolate is an indulging experience. It actually depends on the brand and type we eat.

  I think one of the best types of chocolate is the dark chocolate. Some of my favorite brands are Patchi and The Old Gold Original Dark Chocolate of Cadburry. Researchers say that eating dark chocolate (about 100 mg per day) would help prevent certain cancers and minimize the level of sugar and low density lipoprotein (LDL) in the body. LDL also known as the bad cholesterol, is the culprit behind some deadly diseases such as heart attacks, strokes, and diabetes.

  Basically, chocolate is came from cocoa, a rich plant that contains flavonoids and anti-oxidants, the same chemicals found in coffee beans.

  But what makes the dark chocolate a good dessert? Aside from what I mentioned above, there are some interesting ideas why I love this food. First, chocolate is a mood enhancer. Have you experienced tiredness in work or school, but after you munched on a chocolate, somehow it made you feel energized? Chocolate increases the serotonin in our body, the reason why we become happy, active or enthusiast.  Second, chocolate helps our body to quickly recover from hunger and stress. Soldiers bring chocolates whenever they have to go on a mission especially during a long travel or in deep forests or mountainous areas. And third, chocolate has a very soothing smell. The aroma of it is relaxing too. That's why it is use as flavorings on cakes, biscuits and beverages.

  While we like to munch on of this dessert, we should also take consideration that too much consumption of it (or in any kind of food) could harm our health. So let us remember to balance everything we eat. Moderation is key.

  To summarize this, chocolate has a lot of benefits to our health. It is in the way we consume food and how we follow our diet. As long as we incorporate exercise with what we eat, we can attain better mind and body. As we all know, we are what we eat!

Source:

 The Benefits of Chocolate

 http://longevity.about.com/od/lifelongnutrition/p/chocolate.htm

According to the great blogger, Seth Godin,

"If you're going to work....."

We have to work efficiently. Most companies are strict when it comes to employee's performance on work. We have to compensate money and benefits that the company provides to us, in return for our labor. As we all know, our work is our "bread and butter".

As I see it, if we work efficiently, there would be a chance for growth and promotion. Your boss or the company would see you as a model employee to others. Indeed, he or she would think of you as a profitable person. And could open a lot of opportunities in your career.

What if your boss caught you checking your on-line status on facebook rather than writing the correspondence that he asked you to do? For sure, he'll give you a memo or this could be a ground for suspension, or worst a termination. Wasting your time doing activities not related to your duties and responsibilities in expense of company's resources would make you a lousy employee.

Think of it this way. If we work efficiently, we could reap rewards not only for career growth but for personal and emotional success too.

"In the same amount of time you can expend twice the effort and get far more in exchange."    Seth Godin.

Source:

Seth's Blog: If you're going to work... (June 03, 2011)