Mga Kaibigan Ni Mama Susan

Instead of buying a pair of jeans for myself, I ended up at National Bookstore (Gaisano Mall of Davao Branch) buying some writing stuff and other paraphernalia for my crazy luxuries. While looking for things that I think I badly need, I came up with NB's quick-search-item computer and began searching for Bob Ong's new book Mga Kaibigan ni Mama Susan and to my own dismay, found it already out of stock! Although, I am aware of the fact that Mr. Ong is already popular and more and more Filipinos are actually getting hooked to his books however I just can't help believing that his new book would be out of the shelves in few weeks after its release! I haven't checked NB SM Davao though but I doubt they have some copies left. Anyway, I hope I'll be able to get myself a copy next year. It comes with a cheap price for a masterpiece and I really won't let it slip off my hands.

On the right is the cover of Bob Ong's new book and I won't be surprised if most would brand it as the violet book (as most of his books are labeled according to its color, with the exception of Stainless Longganisa and Ang Alamat Ng Gubat). I can't wait to have a copy of my own already! ^_^

Virtual Torture Chamber

Did I just admit myself in the virtual torture chamber when I required my students in technical writing class to setup a blog? Hmmmmm... well... I really don't think so... True that reading the blogs is quite troublesome but I think it's worth it. Besides, it is my job to let the students understand the importance of writing in their lives, not only in the academe but in the real world per se.

Bienvenida!

I have been encouraging my students to write a blog and as a start I made it as their requirement for my Technical Writing class. I know, some of them were not pleased, but what choice do they have when one blog entry is equivalent to 20 points of their quiz (I haven't told some of them about this, but I will this week.. XD).

No, I am not being ruthless. I am just trying to help. ^_^

So, what's with blogging anyway? A lot of them might be wondering why I am asking them to setup one. For now I know they can't still see the essence of blogging. I am aware of the fact that most of them despise writing especially when it is in English - an attitude that is honestly alarming because writing is just one of the most important human activities. True that not all humans are born to be writers, but all humans are born to communicate and writing is one of the means of communication.

But why blogging? The answer is very simple --- I am just exploiting the existence of internet. Since most of the students are so hooked with it, why not make use of it, right? Besides, I think they would prefer a blog over a technical writing journal (or am I just assuming too much? hahaha!). More than that, if they can update their Facebook accounts every day, why not blog something about what they have learned at school?

Well, I just hope that after this semester they would grasp the importance of writing (or blogging). I hope that they would grasp the importance of being able to communicate through penning down what they have to express. I hope that they would grasp the importance of being able to put down into writing the information that they acquired from their studies. And I hope that they would be able to grasp the importance of being able to convey their thoughts and ideas to other people.

Octopus's Plural

Weeee.. the plural form? Whatever.. XD

Octopodes, octopi, or octopuses? So, which is the correct plural form of octopus? Well, all those three are correct. According to the associate editor of Merriam-Webster Dictionary, Kory Stamper, the word octopus first appeared in mid-1700's and its plural form octopuses, but when radical grammarians decided to standardized the pluralization of nouns, where the Latin's pattern of pluralization was adapted, octopuses became octopi. This should have resolved the issue of octopus's plural form, however, another concern was raised - octopus is not a Latin word but Greek! For this reason, some smarter grammarians gave a proper Greek plural ending to octopus which is octopodes, a term seldom used and only heard in British English. But then Stamper asserted that when a foreign lexical item enters the English world, its inflection must be according to the language's pattern! Hence the three plural forms of octopus - octopuses, octopi, and octopuses. (Just be careful when using the term octopodes, you have to say it in the British English way.) ^_^