Are you feeling down?
Go and grab some chocolate. You’ll feel better.
If your friend is sad because of her grade in an exam, or if your girlfriend is not in the mood and wouldn’t smile even if you try to cheer her up, maybe you should try giving them a bar of chocolate.
Whenever I feel sad or depressed, I don’t deprive myself of anything; instead, I give myself more- more sweets, more chocolates, and more reasons to feel happy again.
You’ll frequently hear the word moody as a description to a woman, not to a man.
Women are really more likely to have mood swings- one moment they’re up and happy; a little later, they’re already down and depressed.
Women like me usually say that they need something sweet to make them feel better. It can be after a day’s work, after a hard-hitting criticism from a professor, after a break-up, or after a two-hour sermon from a father.
Next time you see a woman indulge into the sweetness of chocolates, don’t tell them it’s bad for them; instead, tell them it’s okay an add to their so-called therapy of making one’s self feel better by trying to lift their moods up. Crack a joke, tell a funny story, share your happy experiences and of course, tell them that many happy things are still going to happen to them.
But always keep in mind that anything that is too many is always bad for the health.
This habit of women isn’t because they just want to eat chocolates; it has scientific basis.
How exactly can chocolates serve as an antidepressant?
Chocolates are proven to have phenylethylamine (PEA) which is the chemical our brain produces whenever we feel happy. Our brain also produces this chemical when we’re in love. It also has the same effects of amphetamines; it can cause a feeling of alertness.
Another thing found in chocolates the neurotransmitter serotonin. Neurotransmitters are specialized chemicals that carry information into the brain. Low level of serotonin can cause depression so taking in a good amount of serotonin by eating chocolates is another way of making yourself feel better.
Endorphins which are natural opiates of the body are also found in chocolates. Endorphins are known to elevate the reward or pleasure centers of the brain and shield the body form pain. Eating a bar of chocolate can make you feel pleasure instead of pain.
So don’t forget, next time you court a girl, give her a box of chocolates. Maybe, just maybe, it will make her fall in love with you.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Science Writing: How?
Maybe most would say writing about science has never been an easy job and will never be, but we could at least try to make it easy for our readers to finish reading our articles.
And understanding it the way we understand it.
Sometimes, we don't find the right words. Sometimes, the first word in our sentence doesn't jive with the next; thus, the words in that sentence don't fit together.
Sometimes, we just don't know how to say what we want to say even though we know the what, when, where and why.
The problem is how. How am I going to write this? How am I going to write this in a way that my readers would get the exact point I am talking about?
There should be communication between the two, not miscommunication as Dave Munger calls it.
"Understanding the audience, determining the message, deciding on strategies, and measuring success."- major components of successful communication
Knowing for whom to write is a huge step towards a successful writing. By knowing who exactly they are, we would know what strategies to use, and how to make these strategies work.
John Timmer said, “It feels like the public has completely lost touch with what science is all about.”
The public has not completely lost touch with science, I believe. People just often don't find science articles that are interesting and easy enough to read.
Our job is to make that kind of articles and make them see it.
And understanding it the way we understand it.
Sometimes, we don't find the right words. Sometimes, the first word in our sentence doesn't jive with the next; thus, the words in that sentence don't fit together.
Sometimes, we just don't know how to say what we want to say even though we know the what, when, where and why.
The problem is how. How am I going to write this? How am I going to write this in a way that my readers would get the exact point I am talking about?
There should be communication between the two, not miscommunication as Dave Munger calls it.
"Understanding the audience, determining the message, deciding on strategies, and measuring success."- major components of successful communication
Knowing for whom to write is a huge step towards a successful writing. By knowing who exactly they are, we would know what strategies to use, and how to make these strategies work.
John Timmer said, “It feels like the public has completely lost touch with what science is all about.”
The public has not completely lost touch with science, I believe. People just often don't find science articles that are interesting and easy enough to read.
Our job is to make that kind of articles and make them see it.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Who Summer Is in terms of Psychology
“Ayoko na. Baka binabasa mo na ‘yung isip ko eh.”
A guy once told her while they were out on a date.
“Yes, nababasa ko sa isip mo na ‘di mo alam ang ibig sabihin ng psych,” Apryl Mae Parcon, whom students call Miss Summer because of her first name, just joked around it. On the first day of our Psych 101 (General Psychology) class, she already told us that psychologists do not read minds. They use psychology concepts and theories as scientific basis for human behavior. These include how the brain works, the complexities of human mind, dreams, psychological disorders, and human development from conception to death.
“That’s the beauty of psych. You can apply it to your everyday life,” she said. She said she could apply it in her family. At 61, her father started to feel and think he was useless. She explained to him that this was the stage in human development where people at his age question themselves if they had contributed something to the society or if they had done nothing. He just needed to overcome this stage.
Since she was a kid, she dreamt of becoming a teacher. “My ultimate dream is to have a school of my own,” she added.
Her parents told her not to take education since she could be a teacher even by not taking education. Inspired with her elementary principal, she decided to do the same thing: take psychology, then work as a teacher.
Miss Summer took BA Developmental Communication in the University of the Philippines Los Banos after not passing for BS Psychology in UP Diliman. But she shifted out from Dev Comm after a year and pursued psychology.
After graduation, she worked as a researcher and technical writer in Malacanang but resigned after a year.
“I really wanted to teach. So I went back to school.”
And so she decided to take her Master’s in UP Diliman while teaching preschool students at St. Mark Learning Center, New Manila.
“They (Kids) are very lovable and very interesting to work with. You learn to deal with them as you actually spend days with them.”
This was what she knew she wanted to do: to be a teacher.
Describing herself as simple, cheerful and optimistic, Miss Summer never forgets to smile. She was smiling throughout our conversation while eating her lunch inside Palma Hall Annex Room 209B. In class, I always feel Miss Summer’s energy and enthusiasm as she speaks. And she really never forgets that smile.
Aside from teaching, she also worked as a researcher assistant in Center for Women’s studies and Center for Educational Measurement.
“Para na lang akong zombie nun, but then you learn to manage your time.”
After finishing her thesis, she worked as an instructor in La Salle and Ateneo for four semesters, teaching General Psychology, Psychological Measurements, and Experimental Psychology. UP, then, told her that if she would teach in UP, her tuition fee for her doctorate would be free. So instead of going to two different schools, she just chose one. And that was UP Diliman.
This was the last time Miss Summer changed her mind.
Now, she is an instructor for General Psychology and Developmental Psychology in the morning and a student by night.
As a teacher, she makes sure she gets the attention of her students. Almost every meeting, she has an activity reserved for us. From drawing to writing, from games to reporting. She also provides her students, acronyms for example, to make it easier for them to memorize concepts. One example is the six approaches to psychology: behaviorism, psychodynamic, cognitive, behavioral neuroscience, evolutionary, and sociocultural. Just remember BICEPS, but written this way: B2CEPS.
The next question would be, “How would Miss Summer describe herself using these six approaches?”
Behaviorism means you incorporate rewards and punishment to what you decide to do. If as a kid, you were given rewards after doing this, you will continue doing this. But once you get a punishment for doing that, you opt not to do that anymore. As a kid, her parents treated her out for dinner every time she got high grades.
Psychodynamic involves your early family experiences. “I am the way I am now because of how my parents brought me up. They fostered openness, communication and expression.”
Cognitive deals with how you think and solve problems. To memorize concepts, she relates them to her everyday life or makes a story out of it.
Behavioral neuroscience is all about the brain. She believes she mostly uses her cerebral cortex, the one responsible for rational thinking, rather than her instincts and emotions.
Evolutionary is concerned with adaptation, reproduction and survival. She prefers an older man, thinking he can ensure her security and survival.
Sociocultural involves culture, socioeconomic status and gender. Another reason why she wanted to be a teacher was because she also wanted to be a mother who could stay at home most of the time and be able to teach her children.
Some students do open up to her and share their problems. In terms of giving advices, she said, “If they ask for it. But I always listen.”
“Teaching students who really value learning is already a big contribution to the society,” Miss Summer said. Also, she wanted to contribute to the body of knowledge and disseminate information by being a researcher.
But above all these, Miss Summer has an ultimate goal. And that is to be a good mother.
“If I’m able to do my part, I’ll be able to raise up sons and daughters who can then contribute to the society.”
“Ayoko na. Baka binabasa mo na ‘yung isip ko eh.”
A guy once told her while they were out on a date.
“Yes, nababasa ko sa isip mo na ‘di mo alam ang ibig sabihin ng psych,” Apryl Mae Parcon, whom students call Miss Summer because of her first name, just joked around it. On the first day of our Psych 101 (General Psychology) class, she already told us that psychologists do not read minds. They use psychology concepts and theories as scientific basis for human behavior. These include how the brain works, the complexities of human mind, dreams, psychological disorders, and human development from conception to death.
“That’s the beauty of psych. You can apply it to your everyday life,” she said. She said she could apply it in her family. At 61, her father started to feel and think he was useless. She explained to him that this was the stage in human development where people at his age question themselves if they had contributed something to the society or if they had done nothing. He just needed to overcome this stage.
Since she was a kid, she dreamt of becoming a teacher. “My ultimate dream is to have a school of my own,” she added.
Her parents told her not to take education since she could be a teacher even by not taking education. Inspired with her elementary principal, she decided to do the same thing: take psychology, then work as a teacher.
Miss Summer took BA Developmental Communication in the University of the Philippines Los Banos after not passing for BS Psychology in UP Diliman. But she shifted out from Dev Comm after a year and pursued psychology.
After graduation, she worked as a researcher and technical writer in Malacanang but resigned after a year.
“I really wanted to teach. So I went back to school.”
And so she decided to take her Master’s in UP Diliman while teaching preschool students at St. Mark Learning Center, New Manila.
“They (Kids) are very lovable and very interesting to work with. You learn to deal with them as you actually spend days with them.”
This was what she knew she wanted to do: to be a teacher.
Describing herself as simple, cheerful and optimistic, Miss Summer never forgets to smile. She was smiling throughout our conversation while eating her lunch inside Palma Hall Annex Room 209B. In class, I always feel Miss Summer’s energy and enthusiasm as she speaks. And she really never forgets that smile.
Aside from teaching, she also worked as a researcher assistant in Center for Women’s studies and Center for Educational Measurement.
“Para na lang akong zombie nun, but then you learn to manage your time.”
After finishing her thesis, she worked as an instructor in La Salle and Ateneo for four semesters, teaching General Psychology, Psychological Measurements, and Experimental Psychology. UP, then, told her that if she would teach in UP, her tuition fee for her doctorate would be free. So instead of going to two different schools, she just chose one. And that was UP Diliman.
This was the last time Miss Summer changed her mind.
Now, she is an instructor for General Psychology and Developmental Psychology in the morning and a student by night.
As a teacher, she makes sure she gets the attention of her students. Almost every meeting, she has an activity reserved for us. From drawing to writing, from games to reporting. She also provides her students, acronyms for example, to make it easier for them to memorize concepts. One example is the six approaches to psychology: behaviorism, psychodynamic, cognitive, behavioral neuroscience, evolutionary, and sociocultural. Just remember BICEPS, but written this way: B2CEPS.
The next question would be, “How would Miss Summer describe herself using these six approaches?”
Behaviorism means you incorporate rewards and punishment to what you decide to do. If as a kid, you were given rewards after doing this, you will continue doing this. But once you get a punishment for doing that, you opt not to do that anymore. As a kid, her parents treated her out for dinner every time she got high grades.
Psychodynamic involves your early family experiences. “I am the way I am now because of how my parents brought me up. They fostered openness, communication and expression.”
Cognitive deals with how you think and solve problems. To memorize concepts, she relates them to her everyday life or makes a story out of it.
Behavioral neuroscience is all about the brain. She believes she mostly uses her cerebral cortex, the one responsible for rational thinking, rather than her instincts and emotions.
Evolutionary is concerned with adaptation, reproduction and survival. She prefers an older man, thinking he can ensure her security and survival.
Sociocultural involves culture, socioeconomic status and gender. Another reason why she wanted to be a teacher was because she also wanted to be a mother who could stay at home most of the time and be able to teach her children.
Some students do open up to her and share their problems. In terms of giving advices, she said, “If they ask for it. But I always listen.”
“Teaching students who really value learning is already a big contribution to the society,” Miss Summer said. Also, she wanted to contribute to the body of knowledge and disseminate information by being a researcher.
But above all these, Miss Summer has an ultimate goal. And that is to be a good mother.
“If I’m able to do my part, I’ll be able to raise up sons and daughters who can then contribute to the society.”
Who Summer Is in terms of Psychology
“Ayoko na. Baka binabasa mo na ‘yung isip ko eh.”
A guy once told her while they were out on a date.
“Yes, nababasa ko sa isip mo na ‘di mo alam ang ibig sabihin ng psych,” Apryl Mae Parcon, whom students call Miss Summer because of her first name, just joked around it. On the first day of our Psych 101 (General Psychology) class, she already told us that psychologists do not read minds. They use psychology concepts and theories as scientific basis for human behavior. These include how the brain works, the complexities of human mind, dreams, psychological disorders, and human development from conception to death.
“That’s the beauty of psych. You can apply it to your everyday life,” she said. She said she could apply it in her family. At 61, her father started to feel and think he was useless. She explained to him that this was the stage in human development where people at his age question themselves if they had contributed something to the society or if they had done nothing. He just needed to overcome this stage.
Since she was a kid, she dreamt of becoming a teacher. “My ultimate dream is to have a school of my own,” she added.
Her parents told her not to take education since she could be a teacher even by not taking education. Inspired with her elementary principal, she decided to do the same thing: take psychology, then work as a teacher.
Miss Summer took BA Developmental Communication in the University of the Philippines Los Banos after not passing for BS Psychology in UP Diliman. But she shifted out from Dev Comm after a year and pursued psychology.
After graduation, she worked as a researcher and technical writer in Malacanang but resigned after a year.
“I really wanted to teach. So I went back to school.”
And so she decided to take her Master’s in UP Diliman while teaching preschool students at St. Mark Learning Center, New Manila.
“They (Kids) are very lovable and very interesting to work with. You learn to deal with them as you actually spend days with them.”
This was what she knew she wanted to do: to be a teacher.
Describing herself as simple, cheerful and optimistic, Miss Summer never forgets to smile. She was smiling throughout our conversation while eating her lunch inside Palma Hall Annex Room 209B. In class, I always feel Miss Summer’s energy and enthusiasm as she speaks. And she really never forgets that smile.
Aside from teaching, she also worked as a researcher assistant in Center for Women’s studies and Center for Educational Measurement.
“Para na lang akong zombie nun, but then you learn to manage your time.”
After finishing her thesis, she worked as an instructor in La Salle and Ateneo for four semesters, teaching General Psychology, Psychological Measurements, and Experimental Psychology. UP, then, told her that if she would teach in UP, her tuition fee for her doctorate would be free. So instead of going to two different schools, she just chose one. And that was UP Diliman.
This was the last time Miss Summer changed her mind.
Now, she is an instructor for General Psychology and Developmental Psychology in the morning and a student by night.
As a teacher, she makes sure she gets the attention of her students. Almost every meeting, she has an activity reserved for us. From drawing to writing, from games to reporting. She also provides her students, acronyms for example, to make it easier for them to memorize concepts. One example is the six approaches to psychology: behaviorism, psychodynamic, cognitive, behavioral neuroscience, evolutionary, and sociocultural. Just remember BICEPS, but written this way: B2CEPS.
The next question would be, “How would Miss Summer describe herself using these six approaches?”
Behaviorism means you incorporate rewards and punishment to what you decide to do. If as a kid, you were given rewards after doing this, you will continue doing this. But once you get a punishment for doing that, you opt not to do that anymore. As a kid, her parents treated her out for dinner every time she got high grades.
Psychodynamic involves your early family experiences. “I am the way I am now because of how my parents brought me up. They fostered openness, communication and expression.”
Cognitive deals with how you think and solve problems. To memorize concepts, she relates them to her everyday life or makes a story out of it.
Behavioral neuroscience is all about the brain. She believes she mostly uses her cerebral cortex, the one responsible for rational thinking, rather than her instincts and emotions.
Evolutionary is concerned with adaptation, reproduction and survival. She prefers an older man, thinking he can ensure her security and survival.
Sociocultural involves culture, socioeconomic status and gender. Another reason why she wanted to be a teacher was because she also wanted to be a mother who could stay at home most of the time and be able to teach her children.
Some students do open up to her and share their problems. In terms of giving advices, she said, “If they ask for it. But I always listen.”
“Teaching students who really value learning is already a big contribution to the society,” Miss Summer said. Also, she wanted to contribute to the body of knowledge and disseminate information by being a researcher.
But above all these, Miss Summer has an ultimate goal. And that is to be a good mother.
“If I’m able to do my part, I’ll be able to raise up sons and daughters who can then contribute to the society.”
A guy once told her while they were out on a date.
“Yes, nababasa ko sa isip mo na ‘di mo alam ang ibig sabihin ng psych,” Apryl Mae Parcon, whom students call Miss Summer because of her first name, just joked around it. On the first day of our Psych 101 (General Psychology) class, she already told us that psychologists do not read minds. They use psychology concepts and theories as scientific basis for human behavior. These include how the brain works, the complexities of human mind, dreams, psychological disorders, and human development from conception to death.
“That’s the beauty of psych. You can apply it to your everyday life,” she said. She said she could apply it in her family. At 61, her father started to feel and think he was useless. She explained to him that this was the stage in human development where people at his age question themselves if they had contributed something to the society or if they had done nothing. He just needed to overcome this stage.
Since she was a kid, she dreamt of becoming a teacher. “My ultimate dream is to have a school of my own,” she added.
Her parents told her not to take education since she could be a teacher even by not taking education. Inspired with her elementary principal, she decided to do the same thing: take psychology, then work as a teacher.
Miss Summer took BA Developmental Communication in the University of the Philippines Los Banos after not passing for BS Psychology in UP Diliman. But she shifted out from Dev Comm after a year and pursued psychology.
After graduation, she worked as a researcher and technical writer in Malacanang but resigned after a year.
“I really wanted to teach. So I went back to school.”
And so she decided to take her Master’s in UP Diliman while teaching preschool students at St. Mark Learning Center, New Manila.
“They (Kids) are very lovable and very interesting to work with. You learn to deal with them as you actually spend days with them.”
This was what she knew she wanted to do: to be a teacher.
Describing herself as simple, cheerful and optimistic, Miss Summer never forgets to smile. She was smiling throughout our conversation while eating her lunch inside Palma Hall Annex Room 209B. In class, I always feel Miss Summer’s energy and enthusiasm as she speaks. And she really never forgets that smile.
Aside from teaching, she also worked as a researcher assistant in Center for Women’s studies and Center for Educational Measurement.
“Para na lang akong zombie nun, but then you learn to manage your time.”
After finishing her thesis, she worked as an instructor in La Salle and Ateneo for four semesters, teaching General Psychology, Psychological Measurements, and Experimental Psychology. UP, then, told her that if she would teach in UP, her tuition fee for her doctorate would be free. So instead of going to two different schools, she just chose one. And that was UP Diliman.
This was the last time Miss Summer changed her mind.
Now, she is an instructor for General Psychology and Developmental Psychology in the morning and a student by night.
As a teacher, she makes sure she gets the attention of her students. Almost every meeting, she has an activity reserved for us. From drawing to writing, from games to reporting. She also provides her students, acronyms for example, to make it easier for them to memorize concepts. One example is the six approaches to psychology: behaviorism, psychodynamic, cognitive, behavioral neuroscience, evolutionary, and sociocultural. Just remember BICEPS, but written this way: B2CEPS.
The next question would be, “How would Miss Summer describe herself using these six approaches?”
Behaviorism means you incorporate rewards and punishment to what you decide to do. If as a kid, you were given rewards after doing this, you will continue doing this. But once you get a punishment for doing that, you opt not to do that anymore. As a kid, her parents treated her out for dinner every time she got high grades.
Psychodynamic involves your early family experiences. “I am the way I am now because of how my parents brought me up. They fostered openness, communication and expression.”
Cognitive deals with how you think and solve problems. To memorize concepts, she relates them to her everyday life or makes a story out of it.
Behavioral neuroscience is all about the brain. She believes she mostly uses her cerebral cortex, the one responsible for rational thinking, rather than her instincts and emotions.
Evolutionary is concerned with adaptation, reproduction and survival. She prefers an older man, thinking he can ensure her security and survival.
Sociocultural involves culture, socioeconomic status and gender. Another reason why she wanted to be a teacher was because she also wanted to be a mother who could stay at home most of the time and be able to teach her children.
Some students do open up to her and share their problems. In terms of giving advices, she said, “If they ask for it. But I always listen.”
“Teaching students who really value learning is already a big contribution to the society,” Miss Summer said. Also, she wanted to contribute to the body of knowledge and disseminate information by being a researcher.
But above all these, Miss Summer has an ultimate goal. And that is to be a good mother.
“If I’m able to do my part, I’ll be able to raise up sons and daughters who can then contribute to the society.”
Read Again
How would an interviewer know what questions to ask if he doesn't know anything about the interviewee or what his interviewee has done?
Research. Research. Research.
Read. Read. Read.
Then you'll have not only a successful interview but also a meaningful conversation.
Michael Silverblatt said he's first and foremost a reader and a conversationalist. He also asks questions that will lead to answers his interviewee has never said before to any other interviews. That way, people gain something new.
Coturnix is a scientist who writes for Scienceblogs.com. He really writes well. I liked his idea of a scientist as also a journalist and a responsible one. He applies the same principles journalists adhere to.
Truth-telling. Transparency. Credibility. Readers' trust.
To know the truth, he keeps reading and researching. This is to make sure that what he puts on his blog is something readers can verify as true.
Metin Basoglu's You Can't Fight Violence with Violence is a good read. It doesn't simply state the effects of violence to one's social being; it calls for action.
I agree with what William Zinsser said about clutter and simplicity. Most of the time, as writers, we try to please our readers. We do this by using words we think are pleasing to hear or words in which readers may think, "Wow, this writer has a wide vocabulary."
What we don't know is that by not trying to please them, that's actually the time we are able to please them. That's the time we becone who we are, not just as writers, but as individuals. Just like everyone else.
I believe most writers are aware of the rule on not putting too much unnecessary words. We often comment this when we critique other writers' works. Still, many of us keep doing it. We don't often see that we're just doing the same thing. We just realize that when others start to comment on our work.
We don't usually take time to read our own works. That's the problem.
It takes time to read and comment, and to write and revise. But that's how people learn. That's the way writers learn how to write well. Even if it takes too much time.
At least we learn.
And sometimes, we just have to relearn what we already know.
Research. Research. Research.
Read. Read. Read.
Then you'll have not only a successful interview but also a meaningful conversation.
Michael Silverblatt said he's first and foremost a reader and a conversationalist. He also asks questions that will lead to answers his interviewee has never said before to any other interviews. That way, people gain something new.
Coturnix is a scientist who writes for Scienceblogs.com. He really writes well. I liked his idea of a scientist as also a journalist and a responsible one. He applies the same principles journalists adhere to.
Truth-telling. Transparency. Credibility. Readers' trust.
To know the truth, he keeps reading and researching. This is to make sure that what he puts on his blog is something readers can verify as true.
Metin Basoglu's You Can't Fight Violence with Violence is a good read. It doesn't simply state the effects of violence to one's social being; it calls for action.
I agree with what William Zinsser said about clutter and simplicity. Most of the time, as writers, we try to please our readers. We do this by using words we think are pleasing to hear or words in which readers may think, "Wow, this writer has a wide vocabulary."
What we don't know is that by not trying to please them, that's actually the time we are able to please them. That's the time we becone who we are, not just as writers, but as individuals. Just like everyone else.
I believe most writers are aware of the rule on not putting too much unnecessary words. We often comment this when we critique other writers' works. Still, many of us keep doing it. We don't often see that we're just doing the same thing. We just realize that when others start to comment on our work.
We don't usually take time to read our own works. That's the problem.
It takes time to read and comment, and to write and revise. But that's how people learn. That's the way writers learn how to write well. Even if it takes too much time.
At least we learn.
And sometimes, we just have to relearn what we already know.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
On Science Articles
What exactly is a genome?
What is atrial fibrillation?
What is induced pluripotent stem?
I had so many questions in my head while reading Human Genetic Variation-- Science's 'Breakthrough of the Year'. There were so many jargons I couldn't understand. The article would be better if the writer had used simpler terms or at least had explained what exactly was he talking about.
From Museum Basement, a 'New' Dinosaur, on the other hand, was fun to read. It was like I was hearing the words from a good storyteller. It was also interesting to know that this particular scientist, Longrich, is not into discovering new fossils but discovering the new beneath the old.
Realities in RP Science was also a good read. It tackled current issues as to why scientific productivity in the country is low. It is very relevant and very easy to understand.
After reading the last sentence of For Male Finches, Range Comes with Muscle, I was like...
Ha? Tapos na? Wait, baka may kasunod pa.
But it really was the end of the article. It was really bitin. Bitin na bitin.
It's not that articles should be long in order to be understood but articles should be understood, no matter how many words a writer uses. The thought should be there. The significance should be there. And the relevance to its readers should be there.
Why would readers bother to read an article anyway?
What is atrial fibrillation?
What is induced pluripotent stem?
I had so many questions in my head while reading Human Genetic Variation-- Science's 'Breakthrough of the Year'. There were so many jargons I couldn't understand. The article would be better if the writer had used simpler terms or at least had explained what exactly was he talking about.
From Museum Basement, a 'New' Dinosaur, on the other hand, was fun to read. It was like I was hearing the words from a good storyteller. It was also interesting to know that this particular scientist, Longrich, is not into discovering new fossils but discovering the new beneath the old.
Realities in RP Science was also a good read. It tackled current issues as to why scientific productivity in the country is low. It is very relevant and very easy to understand.
After reading the last sentence of For Male Finches, Range Comes with Muscle, I was like...
Ha? Tapos na? Wait, baka may kasunod pa.
But it really was the end of the article. It was really bitin. Bitin na bitin.
It's not that articles should be long in order to be understood but articles should be understood, no matter how many words a writer uses. The thought should be there. The significance should be there. And the relevance to its readers should be there.
Why would readers bother to read an article anyway?
Friday, July 9, 2010
"Pabili po."
“Pabili nga po ng Tata Ritz.”
“Ng ano ‘yun?”
“Ito po oh.”
Then he pointed to the peanuts. So I got one and handed it to boy who was giving me a peso in return. While handing it to him, I saw it. Clear and bold.
It was the factory that manufactures those peanuts. That is why the kids were used to calling it Tata Ritz.
Ate Ging-ging started her small sari-sari store two years ago. There at San Francisco St., San Roque Village, San Dionisio, Parañaque City, houses are built close to each other. And almost everywhere I look at, there would be a store. Just know where you’re heading and you would get what you need and what you want.
Ate Ging-ging’s store is just small, compared to the only sari-sari store we have in Multinational Village. But do not get me wrong.
Need anything?
Just go to Ate Ging-ging.
She has biscuits, candies, chips, pancit canton, coffee, powdered juice, toothpaste, dishwashing liquid, shampoo, sauces and condiments, cooking oil, onion, garlic, tomato, canned goods, soft drinks, beer, cigarettes and even floor wax.
She may have limited quantities for these but she still has enough to give you what you’re looking for.
A friend of mine, Mark, lives two houses far from hers. He was with me the afternoon I became a tindera or vendor for the first time in my whole life.
I spent three hours there, waiting for people to come and buy. If you’re curious about what it was like, it was not that exciting but I tell you, it was not easy as well.
After listing all the products I could see in her store, I asked Ate Ging-ging to put the price beside each product. The list became my guide but it still was not that easy, especially when I had three buyers all at the same time.
It was confusing. Much worse, it was as if I forgot I know mathematics.
When a girl asked for a Tata Ritz and Potato Crisps chips which cost six pesos and handed me a twenty-peso bill, I asked myself, “Twenty minus six?”
Twenty minus six.
Twenty minus six.
The thought went on for about four times in my head. And then I asked myself, “Why was I over-thinking a very simple subtraction?”
After giving her fourteen pesos, I just smiled to myself and thought, “Oh my. Twenty minus six lang, hindi mo alam?”
After one hour of sitting, waiting, and reading a newspaper, I looked at the money I got.
Twenty-six pesos.
Twenty-six pesos only.
Then suddenly, a man came and said, “Aba, may bagong tindera.”
Talking to Ate Ging-ging, he said, “Sigarilyo nga, Fortune.”
“Ayan oh. May tindera kami.”
“Eh di naman marunong yan eh. Pag-seminar niyo muna ‘yan.”
Then I panicked. I wasn’t able to include the cigarettes in my list. It was because they were stored in a jar and I did not think that the jar had something inside it.
I asked Ate Ging-ging where and how much the cigarette was after he had given me two pesos. But since the guy was muttering something I did not bother to understand anymore, I did not clearly hear Ate Ging-ging’s answer. I mistakenly heard her answer, “piso isa” as “Bigyan mo isa.”
“Oy, isa pa! Sus! ‘Di naman marunong eh.”
Then I just said, “Pasensya na, kuya.”
Mark, who was with me, was my best friend since high school so I wasn’t surprised that he knew that I was deeply affected with the man’s words.
“’Wag mong pansinin ‘yun. Ganun lang talaga ‘yun magsalita.”
To be honest, I was about to cry that time.
I felt stupid, not knowing what to do and not knowing what to say. I also did not even know how to take a soft drink bottle’s cap off.
It was hard. Hard for a girl like me who is used to a not-that-cozy-yet-you-have-all-you-need lifestyle.
After an hour and thirty minutes, I already knew that being a vendor isn’t for everyone.
Try memorizing all the prices plus dealing with that kind of people.
It is a skill. A skill not all of us has. A skill I don’t have.
Why I chose this to be my new experience, I still don’t know why.
I just did.
It was already seven o’clock in the evening and I still had sixty-two pesos in my hands, the same amount I had thirty minutes ago.
“Ui Mark, wala ng bumibili sa ‘kin.”
In order not to get bored, I just thought through my head the new experience I was having.
First thing that came into my mind was that almost all who bought gave exact amounts. Thinking of where I was used to, people usually do not give exact amounts when paying. Giving five hundred pesos for buying just 1.5 liters of soft drinks is usual.
But there at San Francisco St., I guess either it seldom happens or it doesn’t happen at all.
Another thing that I observed was the Filipinos’ culture of tingi.
The culture of tingi or pakonti-konti is very evident here in the Philippines. From the toothpaste to the shampoo to the onions to the cooking oil, you can buy them in small amounts. A sachet of toothpaste or shampoo, a piece of onion, or a plastic of cooking oil.
The main reason here why we love buying tingi is because they cost lower. Trying to budget our money everyday, we prefer buying small amounts of everything and paying lower costs rather than getting many of everything and giving more money away.
In doing groceries and shopping, not all Filipinos like one time, big time. Many still prefer the other way around.
Then I was lost with my train of thoughts when Ate Ging-ging said, “Pakiabot naman yung itlog. Magluluto muna ko.”
That's the time I realized the advantage of having your own store. Everything is at your reach. You don't need to go outside and find whatever you need.
Forgetting to go back to my train of thoughts, I just concentrated on the people buying.
Three hours had already passed and it was already eight o'clock. In my hands were one hundred and two pesos.
That was the time I said to Ate Ging-ging that I already need to go, gave her the money, and thanked her.
Walking away from Ate Ging-ging's store, I suddenly thought to myself...
That one hundred and two pesos was just eighty percent of the fare I spend a day when going to school and going back home.
“Ng ano ‘yun?”
“Ito po oh.”
Then he pointed to the peanuts. So I got one and handed it to boy who was giving me a peso in return. While handing it to him, I saw it. Clear and bold.
It was the factory that manufactures those peanuts. That is why the kids were used to calling it Tata Ritz.
Ate Ging-ging started her small sari-sari store two years ago. There at San Francisco St., San Roque Village, San Dionisio, Parañaque City, houses are built close to each other. And almost everywhere I look at, there would be a store. Just know where you’re heading and you would get what you need and what you want.
Ate Ging-ging’s store is just small, compared to the only sari-sari store we have in Multinational Village. But do not get me wrong.
Need anything?
Just go to Ate Ging-ging.
She has biscuits, candies, chips, pancit canton, coffee, powdered juice, toothpaste, dishwashing liquid, shampoo, sauces and condiments, cooking oil, onion, garlic, tomato, canned goods, soft drinks, beer, cigarettes and even floor wax.
She may have limited quantities for these but she still has enough to give you what you’re looking for.
A friend of mine, Mark, lives two houses far from hers. He was with me the afternoon I became a tindera or vendor for the first time in my whole life.
I spent three hours there, waiting for people to come and buy. If you’re curious about what it was like, it was not that exciting but I tell you, it was not easy as well.
After listing all the products I could see in her store, I asked Ate Ging-ging to put the price beside each product. The list became my guide but it still was not that easy, especially when I had three buyers all at the same time.
It was confusing. Much worse, it was as if I forgot I know mathematics.
When a girl asked for a Tata Ritz and Potato Crisps chips which cost six pesos and handed me a twenty-peso bill, I asked myself, “Twenty minus six?”
Twenty minus six.
Twenty minus six.
The thought went on for about four times in my head. And then I asked myself, “Why was I over-thinking a very simple subtraction?”
After giving her fourteen pesos, I just smiled to myself and thought, “Oh my. Twenty minus six lang, hindi mo alam?”
After one hour of sitting, waiting, and reading a newspaper, I looked at the money I got.
Twenty-six pesos.
Twenty-six pesos only.
Then suddenly, a man came and said, “Aba, may bagong tindera.”
Talking to Ate Ging-ging, he said, “Sigarilyo nga, Fortune.”
“Ayan oh. May tindera kami.”
“Eh di naman marunong yan eh. Pag-seminar niyo muna ‘yan.”
Then I panicked. I wasn’t able to include the cigarettes in my list. It was because they were stored in a jar and I did not think that the jar had something inside it.
I asked Ate Ging-ging where and how much the cigarette was after he had given me two pesos. But since the guy was muttering something I did not bother to understand anymore, I did not clearly hear Ate Ging-ging’s answer. I mistakenly heard her answer, “piso isa” as “Bigyan mo isa.”
“Oy, isa pa! Sus! ‘Di naman marunong eh.”
Then I just said, “Pasensya na, kuya.”
Mark, who was with me, was my best friend since high school so I wasn’t surprised that he knew that I was deeply affected with the man’s words.
“’Wag mong pansinin ‘yun. Ganun lang talaga ‘yun magsalita.”
To be honest, I was about to cry that time.
I felt stupid, not knowing what to do and not knowing what to say. I also did not even know how to take a soft drink bottle’s cap off.
It was hard. Hard for a girl like me who is used to a not-that-cozy-yet-you-have-all-you-need lifestyle.
After an hour and thirty minutes, I already knew that being a vendor isn’t for everyone.
Try memorizing all the prices plus dealing with that kind of people.
It is a skill. A skill not all of us has. A skill I don’t have.
Why I chose this to be my new experience, I still don’t know why.
I just did.
It was already seven o’clock in the evening and I still had sixty-two pesos in my hands, the same amount I had thirty minutes ago.
“Ui Mark, wala ng bumibili sa ‘kin.”
In order not to get bored, I just thought through my head the new experience I was having.
First thing that came into my mind was that almost all who bought gave exact amounts. Thinking of where I was used to, people usually do not give exact amounts when paying. Giving five hundred pesos for buying just 1.5 liters of soft drinks is usual.
But there at San Francisco St., I guess either it seldom happens or it doesn’t happen at all.
Another thing that I observed was the Filipinos’ culture of tingi.
The culture of tingi or pakonti-konti is very evident here in the Philippines. From the toothpaste to the shampoo to the onions to the cooking oil, you can buy them in small amounts. A sachet of toothpaste or shampoo, a piece of onion, or a plastic of cooking oil.
The main reason here why we love buying tingi is because they cost lower. Trying to budget our money everyday, we prefer buying small amounts of everything and paying lower costs rather than getting many of everything and giving more money away.
In doing groceries and shopping, not all Filipinos like one time, big time. Many still prefer the other way around.
Then I was lost with my train of thoughts when Ate Ging-ging said, “Pakiabot naman yung itlog. Magluluto muna ko.”
That's the time I realized the advantage of having your own store. Everything is at your reach. You don't need to go outside and find whatever you need.
Forgetting to go back to my train of thoughts, I just concentrated on the people buying.
Three hours had already passed and it was already eight o'clock. In my hands were one hundred and two pesos.
That was the time I said to Ate Ging-ging that I already need to go, gave her the money, and thanked her.
Walking away from Ate Ging-ging's store, I suddenly thought to myself...
That one hundred and two pesos was just eighty percent of the fare I spend a day when going to school and going back home.
The Need to Know
I didn't find these articles very interesting...
Big Phone, Big Screen, Big Pleasure and Riding the Rails of Malaysia, in Singapore.
The first talked about things a not-that-techie girl like me doesn't understand. The second simply narrated what happened. It was lacking the magic words plus a good writer could do.
I didn't feel any connection.
What i found very fun to read were How I Used Tweeter to Live-Blog the Opera and The Kentucky Derby is Decadent and Depraved.
I liked the way Tweney described what he did and how he actually live-tweeted the opera. I was amazed with how he carefully used his words not just to not exceed the 140-character limit but also to let the readers feel that they were also watching the live opera.
It wasn't just merely reading what was happening, it was as if even I was seeing it in live.
Thompson's use of quotes made his article powerful. He made me feel curious as to what will happen to them.
That's what a good story needs, I guess.
Curiosity. Want to know. Then the need to know.
You just have to keep reading and reading until you already know.
Big Phone, Big Screen, Big Pleasure and Riding the Rails of Malaysia, in Singapore.
The first talked about things a not-that-techie girl like me doesn't understand. The second simply narrated what happened. It was lacking the magic words plus a good writer could do.
I didn't feel any connection.
What i found very fun to read were How I Used Tweeter to Live-Blog the Opera and The Kentucky Derby is Decadent and Depraved.
I liked the way Tweney described what he did and how he actually live-tweeted the opera. I was amazed with how he carefully used his words not just to not exceed the 140-character limit but also to let the readers feel that they were also watching the live opera.
It wasn't just merely reading what was happening, it was as if even I was seeing it in live.
Thompson's use of quotes made his article powerful. He made me feel curious as to what will happen to them.
That's what a good story needs, I guess.
Curiosity. Want to know. Then the need to know.
You just have to keep reading and reading until you already know.
Friday, July 2, 2010
On "The Biggest Little Man in the World"
Creative. Interesting. Detailed descriptions.
From the way Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao strikes his fist into his opponent...
Down to the way he looks when he is already at rest.
Andrew Corsello did not just write who Manny is, but how he became who he is now and how he represents the Philippines and its people.
Corsello did not write just for the sake of writing and finishing an article; he knew how to communicate with people through his words.
Even those who don't know Manny will, I believe, still find his article interesting. By just reading his article, one can already have a clear picture of who Manny is.
A boxer. A politician. A singer. A God-fearing man. A family man. And a very curious one.
Or rather, not just simply see the picture, but become a part of it.
That's the magic words can do. That's the magic Corsello did. And that's the magic a very good writer can do.
Despite its length, no one can get bored, may he/she be a boxing fan or not, a Pacquiao fan or not.
It doesn't matter. Why?
As Corsello always phrased it...
Because he is Pacquiao.
From the way Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao strikes his fist into his opponent...
Down to the way he looks when he is already at rest.
Andrew Corsello did not just write who Manny is, but how he became who he is now and how he represents the Philippines and its people.
Corsello did not write just for the sake of writing and finishing an article; he knew how to communicate with people through his words.
Even those who don't know Manny will, I believe, still find his article interesting. By just reading his article, one can already have a clear picture of who Manny is.
A boxer. A politician. A singer. A God-fearing man. A family man. And a very curious one.
Or rather, not just simply see the picture, but become a part of it.
That's the magic words can do. That's the magic Corsello did. And that's the magic a very good writer can do.
Despite its length, no one can get bored, may he/she be a boxing fan or not, a Pacquiao fan or not.
It doesn't matter. Why?
As Corsello always phrased it...
Because he is Pacquiao.
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