XIV - Finale

This blog entry will be my final one, and it will be something that is addressed to our PhilLit and EEP professor, Ms. Eliz Reyes.

One of the writing activities we did in our Expository Writing subject was a character sketch. The persons we should be writing about were only limited to our classmates and our professors, and the first person who came to my mind was Ms. Eliz. The essay is written below.

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As I started all-English term at Asia Pacific College, I braced myself for any professor who will give me a hard time. There was one but she wasn't that interesting as my Philippine Literature teacher, Ms. Eliz. She was the first professor to welcome us to this new semester. Ms Eliz is like no other; she has a unique appearance, a pleasing personality, and an intellectual mind.

Ms.  Eliz having a unique appearance caught my attention. Dressed in black from head to toes, Ms. Eliz went inside the room with a heartwarming smile. I have always loved the color black and liked people who always dress in all black. My friends even thought that she looks like a professor from Hogwarts. Her eye-catching appearance could really tell a lot about her personality.

Ms. Eliz has a personality that pleases us all.  At first, I thought she would be like those grumpy, old teachers that I had last term. But I was wrong. We don't have much to do during her classes, so we had some time to talk to her about a lot of things. When we do activities, like origami or drawing, she always compliments our work because she can see the effort we exerted. She isn't strict about deadlines and whenever we make mistakes, she doesn't get mad but rather help us correct what we did wrong. With her nice and decent personality, she is deemed respectable of her work.

One of the things I like about her the most is her intellectual mind. When I read her blog, I learned that she has over a thousand books at home. She can finish a novel in one or two days. Because of this, she has a vast knowledge about literature and poetry. There was even a time where she entered our room and suddenly began speaking Spanish. We were really surprised and were left in awe although we didn't understand a word she said. Her perception about a lot of things made her a very likeable and interesting person.

Ms. Eliz's unique appearance, pleasing personality, and intellectual mind made her someone who is like no other. I had a lot of first impressions about her but when I finally knew of her striking characteristics, she is now my favorite professor for this term. I never forget those people I really like. Ms. Eliz will indeed leave an impact on my life. 

XVIII - The End of the all-English Term

The most awaited day was on December 22, 2015. It was on this day the Ignite Speech and Speech Choir competition was held (also it was the last day of classes before the holidays) and everyone was excited. At 8:00 am, every one of us in our section were rushing and cramming just to prepare for our presentation. It was very funny yet stressful at the same time.

The two competitions were performed alternately, starting with our speech choir then an ignite speech was delivered by a representative. I think it was kind off hard for the ignite speech speakers, since they memorized a piece and a speech that would be presented at the same day.

AC151, our block, was the first section to present so it was really pressuring for us. I really had no confidence with our presentation since we started practicing a week before the competition. Since it was rushed, our presentation seemed to lack and some of our movements weren't in sync when we finally presented. But would you believe that we were the second runner up? Me neither.

Nicole Timbol was our representative of our section for the ignite speech competition. For me, her content was really meaningful since she talked about agape, the highest form of love and a mother's love. She talked about the unconditional love of a mother. It was wonderful because you can feel the emotions in her speech. Although she talked very fast and I felt that I was also running out of breath. But I was really glad she became the 2nd runner up.

I felt really proud of our section because we won in all three competitions for this term. 2nd runner up in the Speech Choir competition, also 2nd runner up in the Ignite Speech competition (Nicole Timbol), and finally champion in the Inter-class Public Speaking Competion (Gracielle Sitjar).

All of these activites were really overwhelming for me, and it helped shape our skills in very way. This term was kind of fun too, despite all the deadlines to accomplish and anxieties to conquer.

XVII - The Inter-class Public Speaking Competition

"The cult of celebrities and fantasies... a Filipino obsession?" A question that served as the main theme of the inter-class public speaking competition that took place at the Asia Pacific College Auditorium on December 21, 2015. This was the first day of the culminating activity of our English term. Inter-class public speaking competitions are held at the end of every English term. Six students from each SOM block will compete and represent their section; three from all the participants will have the chance to win a medal and a certificate.

An elimination round was conducted first since there were at least 30 students competing. The students were divided and were put in different classrooms for the round. While they were away, some students who weren't included in the competition were left in the auditorium. To kill the time, the host together with APC Speaks conducted different activities and games. There were really a lot, but I could say they were rather entertaining.

As the participants entered the auditorium one by one after an hour, each section asked their representatives on how the competition went and if they were selected. Then the finalists were announced and it was finally time for the finals. From six representatives, our representatives narrowed down to three: Gracielle Sitjar, Bianca Gonzales, and Adonicole Palma. I was disappointed that some of our representatives didn't made it when I really liked the content of some of their speeches. 

The winners were announce the following day at the awarding portion of the second day of our culminating day.

The second runner up place went to Jan Michael Mil from TM. 

The first runner up place went to Eno Mejico from MA. Her delivery of her speech was really good that I remembered how she related her love life to the telenovelas and dramas on TV. 

Hats off to the inter-class public speaking competition champion, from our block, Gracielle Sitjar! The way she delivered her speech was very emotional. She related her painful experiences of being a child in a dysfunctional family. Honestly, I never really thought that she will win. She said that her speech was rushed and she still haven't memorized the entirety of it on the morning of the competition.

Kudos to all of the competitors for conquering their fear of public speaking and defying the odds. All of their speeches took a lot of effort and preparing, and they were wonderful for it. Now, I guess all of us in the AC151 will surely have a high grade for the incentives.