Class Update 4/16/15

We will have a class tomorrow at the classroom according to Prof. Javier

Wanted: topic

The aim of this thread is to help those  who don't have their topics approved yet. For those who don't have their topics yet, please edit this article and list your name and course below. For those of us who already have a topic, let us help them by commenting, suggesting, and asking questions sir Javier would have probably asked.

Also, if you want your papers to be peer-reviewed, post your papers here and place "concept paper", "report", or "position paper" in the labels section located at the right side of the screen when you are making an article. Note that the labels are case sensitive. Everyone is encouraged to review the papers uploaded by our classmates. :)

Without approved topics:
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2.
3.

Order of Consultation

Hello, guys! As discussed during our recent meeting with sir Javier, we'll agree among ourselves which group goes first. Please comment below or edit this article if you want your group to go first, second, etc. Also, please include the names of your groupmates. For those who don't have groups, please indicate by underlining your name.

Thank you.

DAY 1
Batch 1

Batch 2
Pattaui, Karen Joyce
Sajul, Beata
Mabus, Kyla Isabelle
Santiago, Lara
Ronsayro, Howard Lorenzo
Belleza, Ricci

DAY 2
Batch 1
Uy, Abigail
Perez, Elizabeth
Garcia, Tyrone
Garcia, Ricardo Jr.
Gatchalian, Anne Beatrice
Enerio, Bianca

Batch 2

DAY 3
Batch 1

Batch 2

-Liz Perez

Essay Awards

Catchiest Title: La Vida by Allen Bisarra 

The intro that drew me in: Codes of Character by Beata Sajul

Most surprising event: The Awesome Generation by Ige Domingo

Most memorable moment: A Student by Michaela Alcover

Easiest read: A Student by Michaela Alcover

Most Profound: La Vida by Allen Bisarra

Most Organized: Millennial Generation in the eyes of it's constituent by Julia Lagman

New word most of the students learned: La Vida

Most Striking conclusion: The Bored generation by Boju Garcia

The line we wish we had written: "Life was made all to extraordinary, to find it boring." -                                                                                                                                                            from The Bored Generation by Boju Garcia 

The  Essay we wish we had written: The Bored Generation by Boju Garcia

Update January 30

Hey, guys!

Regarding the homework sir Javier said, here's the link to the file:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/aju87ojfaqu6p7i/LogicalFallaciesInfographic_LetterSize.jpg?dl=0

-Liz

Flavors for Life

Delicious, spicy, sweet, salty, sour, and bitter. This is what our generation is all about. A flavorful stew worthy of our tastebuds. We not only get to taste the old, nostalgic beauty of a society that was once was, but the high and lows of today's technological advancements. 

Everyday, we try to pursue new and different achievements, but this does not always come to fruition. So, we taste the bitterness of our tears and boredom. We use the computer as an excuse for our lack of initiative when we should be loving it with passion.  Our generation is very lucky to actually be able to savor the sweetest of achievements done by others. Most of us did not need to endure long hours of sleepless nights and expect to keep a happy smile on your face the next day.

We learn to create new recipes for pursuing life to its fullest because of the number of competition there is around every corner. Your friends become rivals and your siblings become your greatest competition. We learn that in this age, you can not be slow when everything else is speeding up.

Update January 28

I'm reposting this in case some of you haven't read it yet.

Hello, English 10 classmates! Prof. Javier sent a link of an article for us to read. Here's the link
 http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2013/04/the-work-required-to-have-an-opinion/

A Dilemma of Choice

It's not uncommon for someone today to say "I'm bored". Oftentimes, people say so without thinking. So then a question begs an answer: What is boredom? A lot of people would say that it's the state of lacking things to do. Yet in this day and age, lacking things to do seems like such an absurd idea.

A valid answer to the question would be "A state of mind". Why? From smartphones, personal computers, tablets, and other gadgets, we can do a lot of things. One can play games, write, read, or watch movies. Heck, even just logging on to the internet is one offered a lot to do. Take note that these are things that one can do indoors. A lot can still be done outdoors, with or without technology. With that in mind, saying that boredom is but a state of mind does actually sound valid.

Saying that boredom is a state of mind, though, implies something. It's that we impose it on ourselves. We do so because in our free time, we tend to do only things that we are familiar with. We end up in a somewhat stagnated state, afraid of stepping out of our comfort zones to find new things to do. If only we had learned to step out and expand our horizons, then we would probably be happy -- or at the very least, content -- with our mundane lives. Instead we choose to confine ourselves to our friends' endless streams.

Missed Opportunities

Like this. Share that.

Comment here. Retweet that.

“Awww, that selfie is so cute!”

“Omg. Sir, can you, like, just post that on facebook?”

“I’m so depressed. Don’t ask.”

These statements seem completely absurd, like a bunch of self-centered spoiled brats ran wild on a virtual world where they think they can dominate popularity ranks with their egos fed with “likes”, and “retweets” – a world more commonly known as the internet. But wouldn’t it be more absurd if I were to say that this is my generation in a nutshell?

We seem to be too absorbed in this virtual world where our ego is bloated with the illusion of feeling loved that even when walking on the streets it’s a rare sight to see someone without his cellphone in his hand, busily scrolling over new posts in facebook or stalking someone in twitter. We often fail to see what is beyond that small square of blaring light that leads us into a virtual world that we often miss the chance to greet a friend we run into in the street. We might have even missed the chance to meet that seemingly random stranger who bumped into you in your way to your next class, missing the chance to meet “the one”.

Don’t get me wrong, I am thankful I’m born in a generation where information is right at your fingertips. It’s just that the technology of today is too abused that we fail to see what’s in front of us.


Author's note: I apologise for the late entry. I'm currently experiencing some technical difficulties with my laptop and my internet connection a.k.a. DilNet.

-Maria Elizabeth Perez

Realizing Today

Having a glimpse of how my classmates spent their sembreak doesn't really give out an accurate generalization of how today's generation is. Looking only through a small part of the spectrum will not contribute much to determine what it really is in the bigger picture. Reading these essays may not have given me enough leverage to land on a sure conclusion, but rather it gave me an impression of at least how some of us behave.

Upon realizing how we, the young people of today spend our free time, I couldn't help but bump into the idea of our differences as individuals. As a generation, we can never be too akin, or unakin, but coexisting with one another constitutes to at least one common denominator; the pellucid exposure to modernization. This was what I observed from all our sembreak experiences. Some had technology to play a big role in their free time, while others had no stories to tell mainly because of the modern mentality on "running out of things to do." Although we share this new way of living, we, as Filipinos at least, still practice the tradition of celebrating the holidays with our loved ones at home.

I would best describe today's generation (having read all about my classmates' sembreaks) as one that's full of knowledge and advancement, but lacking the hunger for personal leisure. I'm quite hopeful that this wont continue on in the generations yet to come.

a student

I have been alive for 18 years and compared to how long my great-grand mother lived? It’s not even a quarter of it. For me living today is cruel and harsh. Many things have to be accomplished with scarce materials and limited resources. It’s why I whine about how hard my life is, but then I was wrong.

  

My great-grandmother used to wake up every morning by the sound of “cock-a-doodle-do!” She would either make a small bonfire or reap one to two sweet potatoes for her breakfast. Later on she will walk to school which takes her about one and a half hour or at least one hour to get there. In solving arithmetic she has her mighty pencil, scratch paper and knowledge to help. To comply with all her requirements she would open books and write all the necessary information needed in a clean sheet of paper. This was how students were back then.

I wake up every morning with the sound of the alarm and the vibration of my cellular phone. I would turn on the stove to cook hotdogs for my breakfast. Later on I drive my car going to school which usually takes me 30-40 minutes. To solve arithmetic, I always have my calculator, ball-pen and pad paper to help me. I type all the papers required and download all the readings to be discussed with the use of my laptop. This is how students are from the digital era.  

Codes of Character

Codes of Character

Displays of teen spirit  wouldn't  just be exclusive on temper tantrums in poster-flavored bedrooms and occassional midnight sneak-outs. Younger age groups can now can do it under a hundred-forty characters.The golden era of handheld devices allowed us to make the cyberspace our diary which we can say and post whatever we want but only now, with an audience, and expect that you get to hear what they think after you put on quite a show.Our generation makes most of the ringleaders of this kind of stage.

  We make this page with so much chunks of our being that it becomes more of something intimate to us.We breathed life into this blank container of pixels and codes, and in return, it breathes something into us too. It may be contentment of the virtual evidence of what memories they hold, or it may also be false sense of security, friendships or glory.

With pieces of our life laid out for everyone to see,fragile and inviting of criticism, what could do more damage to us but words for they are what rule this digital world.  One word can make what people in my generation has established themselves for collapse. Such a powerful influence was made for our hands for what takes for our generation to destroy or to build someone's character right then and there,   is a just  a keyboard.

2014-01296
Beata Sajul

The Awesome Generation

Our generation's F*CKED UP! LOL, just kidding. According to usatoday.com, the most general and most observable view of the present generation is a group of techno-junkies.Some parents, professors or anyone older than us have a common statement: "You're lucky, in our time we didn't have tablets, wifi, smartphones, etc." I guess we really are lucky. We have easy access to references for our homeworks, we can communicate so much easier with the chat apps on our phones and we could even communicate with ease with people from different parts of the world.

However, technology could also be our enemy, in acads at least. Along with the easy access to references, we have social media to distract us. And that's the downside in our generation. We're all so fixated on the technological world that we tend to forget the beauty of nature around us. Do we still appreciate the world outside? I'm glad to have read that a lot of people still appreciate nature trips during the sembreak and that they appreciated them, that some people still go out to discover and play rather than staying at home playing video games.

Other than technology, I have also seen that most people experience stressful academic struggles, party a lot and strive for productivity during the sembreak. I conclude from the essays that our generation, the "techno-junkie group", is more than just people in front of LCD screens. We strive for academic excellence, we party, we try our best to be productive and we're awesoooome.

Do You Really Know Us?

                What is it like to be part of this “crazy” generation? Older generations tend to back fire us with common statements like “back in the days” or “when we were younger..” in times of comparison of mishaps in life. Yes of course they have a point and they know more than we do, based on number of years they have lived here on earth. In truth, we hold similar quests and we are all still Aliens of this Universe, Time is our only difference.

                I would call this generation, “The Age of Exploration”. We are sandwiched with the wonders of the past and the wanders of the future. It is amazing how we are capable of time-travelling here in the present. One way to introduce the people of our own is through these 3 kinds during “sem-break” First of is, The Settler- they will not really care about the things happening around them; they would rather stay at home, sleep, watch movies all-day, eat, then do nothing but any forms of relaxation. The Adventurer- You will find them ANYWHERE, they do not choose places, they explore and discover. Lastly, The Achiever- they would rather do productive activities to start polishing their maturity in life. “Not all those who wander are lost” We just have different tactics in dealing with life.

We are just misunderstood by the many; you say you have been there and you have done that, but then, Do You Really Know Us?

“not the usual”

(SEM-BREAK PAPER)

Around the mid-December, “sem-break”, everyone would usually go on a vacation or maybe spend time trying to even study more. Regular students probably took a break from all those cramming moments; deadlines, projects and anything stressful in terms of academics. I, as a student-athlete, was not able to spend my “sem-break” the usual way. Our season was up by then and it was the beginning of a “horrible” journey for our team. Double-training for this “vacation” enclosed with soul-taking runs, breathtaking circuit training- training composed of various exercises that is time-based- and an overall package of playing football. Each morning of that break, I come and collect myself; wake up 30 mins before training time, to prepare for another battle that is up and approaching. Snooze the alarm, open my eyes wide, rush to the bathroom door, grab my towel and shower, rush again downstairs to eat a bowl of oatmeal and a banana, then rush again to my car and head to U.P. for our 6 am training; end of training at 9 , rush to our teammate’s condo to sleep and then get back up again to ready ourselves for the 4 pm training. This was the usual routine we did as a team, a week before the weekend (which is primarily our finish line, which is the game day). I or we are not just the usual students or athletes, we have our own battles and challenges that not much people know of.

La Vida

It is just black or white but some people cannot simply choose one so they invented gray. It is either hot or cold but some people love it when it is lukewarm. Life does provide choices but it does not always give you exactly what you want because sometimes you have to create a spot when life does not give you one. People find ways to satisfy themselves. It is a pursuit of satisfaction and contentment.

People sometimes choose the things that would possibly bring fulfillment to them and these choices give birth to a lot of new experiences. Although they thought that their decisions will satisfy them at the end, the consequences brought by these experiences are inevitable and not always satisfying.

That is when introspection comes in. These consequences engender innumerable emotions which will then determine if the choice they took was right for them or not. It could be a modicum of disappointment, a great bliss, an ineluctable regret, etc. That is how life revolves when it comes to decisions; one choice, multiple experiences, countless consequences, different subtle emotions.

People nowadays attempt to pursue happiness, contentment, satisfaction, etc. But I guess, the place where these things hide will never be known unless people realize the definition of these things, the definition that is too personal that only the finder knows.

Is it Easy to live in GenZ?

Spoon-full feeding 

      This is how I may describe today's generation, and believe it or not, we belong in this era. We are called 'technological natives' from a tribe also known as 'Generation Z.' 

      Unlike past generations, today's is almost better in all aspects.Technology played a very important role in each aspect.

      In socializing, we are closely connected to our families, friends and the world. Messages are just one click away in text messaging and electronic mail. We are also more conscious of happenings around the globe and can even react about it. In the commercial world, business transactions are now frequently done online, like online shopping.Even banks have online applications for costumers' advantage. In education, teachers find it more lenient to use computers and projectors for the discussion while students are using technology for different academic purposes. Answers for questions and directions for some things are also one-search away.

      For our generation got it all for us, we sometimes neglect simple things that can make us happy like eating together with the family, engaging in games and sports, attending the church, strolling in parks, having picnics, watching movies, bonding with friends and many more.We are slowly being eaten by modern addiction.

      Being in such a lavish generation, we should be mindful of using these blessings around us. It is recommended that in some point in time like semestral break, we need to escape in our daily routine and enjoy a technology-free and stress-free life. 

Pattaui, Karen Joyce C.

Counterattack

        I can describe our generation today as a stressed one. This generation tends to be adventure-seeking and achieving. According to what I have read in the essays, a lot of us are into adventures and into learning new skills. We always feel the need to know or feel the need to do, that being unable to do so is disappointing. Even the people who claimed that they had boring semestral breaks wished they could have gone out or at least done sensible things rather than stare up their ceilings. It makes us think that we have to do something or be somewhere to calm our information-hungry brains and adventure-seeking bodies.  

        It makes us goal-oriented as well because most of the essays I have read point out that our generation tends to do everything we can just to achieve our goals. Examples in the essays are leaving hometown just to enroll in the premier university, and sacrificing sleep to do school works. Sometimes, we are so much of being achievers, particularly in the academic field, that we have no time for rest anymore. Having gadgets that are high-tech also gives us more choices in the possible-things-I-can-do list. We have been so busy in the previous semester, given the demands in school and other factors, and it felt like we have done and experienced everything already, but maybe we are still missing out on a lot of other things. And maybe, all we need is to rest after all. Somehow, the vacation was able to give us enough time to have the break we needed.

        The adventure-seeking and achieving qualities our generation has can lead to a lot of things: boredom, disappointment, and possibly, stress. But in the end, these qualities we have can also be utilized to counterattack the bad effects as long as we put them into good use.

the new generation

Based on the essay that I’ve read, there are so many changes in this generation. First is they all need a technology in their life, they don’t want to go to other country to enjoy their semester break or go to other town. The second is there always go to mall to spend their money. Why they don’t want to spend their sembreak with their family, they always want to spend their semester break with their friends. They can spend their break with their friends and family without spending money or without using technology.

We don’t need to use technology to enjoy our life or to spending our time. We can enjoy our life without technology by making talk to your friends personal or by playing a pinoy street games like TAGUTAGUAN, TUMBANG PRESO, and HABOL HABOLAN. This is the right way to enjoy your day or to spend your time. And also we don’t need to spend money to be happy, it’s easy to be happy. Go to family and bonding with them. That’s the best way to be happy. We can enjoy our semester break without using technology and without spending money there is the best way to spend our time. Using money just to be happy is not good, there also the best way to spend your money. Sometimes we don’t need money or technology in our generation.

Fast-paced

I never would’ve thought that using gadgets would take most of my adolescent life. Yes, I grew up with computers and Game Boys, but as a kid, I preferred to go out, play badminton, and ride my bike. Now, everything has changed. Computers have taken over my life, also my cellphone, and even Facebook.

Older people usually say that our generation is lucky to have these advanced technologies because now everything comes easy for us. Research? We have the internet. Need to disseminate a message? It’s just a text or chat away. Technology and social media have not only pros, but also a handful of cons, for it changed the way people in our generation, think, communicate, and deal with things.

With the advanced technologies, the things people our age enjoy differ from what older people used to do during their childhood. Before, kids play outside, while today, most of us play with iPads and computer games. But even with the incessant clicking to keep us occupied, being bored is still inevitable. We usually say we're bored even when there are ample possibilities of things that could keep us occupied or when we do things repeatedly.

We’re in a fast-paced world. Back then, everything seems so simple. Now, we are fortunate enough to have the technology that makes things easier for us, but people still end up complaining and dissatisfied. I guess the only thing to ease boredom is to keep in mind and appreciate the simple joys in life.

Generation from other generation

          As what I have read according to their essays, there are so many changes there are so many changes in our generation. Technology is the fastest way to everything, not being adventurous but the experience that the students must have and not technology. We know that there are advantages and disadvantages of technology, there are do`s and don`ts. Why do they need technology? Money cant buy experience! Instead of spending money with nothing, then spend your money traveling, experiencing the things in other generations. Technology vs experience.

          There are so many kinds of technology that can make you addicted to it and that’s an example of disadvantages having technology. Experience how can you spend your life without spending so much money, technology can have good sides and bad sides. Our generation from the past generation? It is so different, past generations no iphones, no laptops, no cameras, no ipod, no itouch, etc. But our generation? ¾ of the population in earth uses the latest technologies, all of the person I see from past to present their just spending their money with nothing. Actually we don’t need technologies the reason why we want it, because we want to look rich, look famous, etc but we don’t need that instead of spending moneys to technologies, spend your money to the person who are in need, person who was suffering from other diseases. Spread the love not the technology. 

Breed Apart

As I reread the essays of our ENG10 classmates, if you observe thoroughly, all of us have a few similarities on how we regard our semestral break. According to some elderly people, our generation is said to be socially isolated. But what is this generation all about?

At this point in time, we are in the stage of being an adventurous bunch of teenagers. Continually searching for something else to do after another. We seem to be restless in a way that we always wanted to do something during our spare time. Planning out our vacation to maximize the time we have to accomplish all the things we wanted to do to compensate the very hectic first sem. Most of us, we expect much from the break that if the plan doesn’t go so well, we suffer from grave disappointments and regrets.  This new generation live in a world of technology that even in vacations we allot time for surfing the internet. Even more importantly, we value our family and our peers because we work so well in groups just like other any other generation do.  

            The common interest found in this new generation is to become a lot more active and technologically competent. But still despite being a part of this new generation we still have the same values from other generation. Like what the author, Meghan Biro has said, “yes, today’s generation is a new breed of human, but they are not necessarily a breed apart”.

The Great Wall

Once, there was a great wall called the technology. This great wall separated people instead of binding them closer to each other. People stopped talking to each other.

I can vividly remember the life without advanced technology. Way back when all I needed to last a day was a light bulb. I can still recall the time when I and my mother did the laundry with our neighbors in the common pump in our subdivision. Now, we just set the laundry on time and let it do itself with the use of the washing machine. Before Sunday masses in the television, families used to go to the church together. Before personal cars, people used to go from a place to another using a public transportation. Before online shopping, people used to go to the mall, usually with their friends or family. I can also remember the time when group projects, group meetings and hanging out were done in a specific venue. Now, the venue is always Facebook.

I am a 90's kid which means I have lived my life without the advanced technology. Some days, I just sit back and watch people use their gadgets. And there's only one thing in my mind: this great wall between people must be demolished.

The driving force: Curiosity

The driving force: Curiosity

I think that our generation is drive-by curiosity, A generation that’s fascinated with everything around them. With the Internet, we are able to explore and learn anything that crosses our minds. We try to at least have an idea on anything that we encounter in our lives. We are exposed to different sorts of experiences at an early age and we seek to try different experiences after we have tried at least once. This rekindles our faculty of wonder, to make our lives a bit more meaningful.

           

When we were young, we would always question a lot of things in our lives and would ask our parents about it, on how it would function or how was it made? As we grew older or at least for me, there was a time in were I loss my faculty of wonder on everything around me and when I graduated from high school It was rekindled because I realized that we are now open to a whole new set of experiences that weren’t allowed or offered when we were in high school. I started engaging in activities that interest me like hiking, diving, cliff diving and etc.

Our generation gives me the impression that most of us are thrill-seeking junkies. See, we learn about things and sooner or later try them out; we seek for what catches our interest. Even in our academics, we engage in what career we would want to be in. Our interests might differ but everyone wants to try or learn what fascinates them that most and because of curiosity we are able to make are lives meaningful.