resurrection

the past four months haven't been easy for me. these months seem to have just passed me by. i don't really know what happened in between January to April. everything seems so fuzzy that i feel like i've wasted so much time!

here are some of the highlights of those four months though:

• i resigned from my job. (boy i miss being a Quality Specialist)
• i didn't take the comprehensive exam again because my shift to another program is not effective until next term
• i did something stupid in the name of love (grinning here) and i don't want to delve into details anymore
• i resumed my stint as a freelance writer
• still trying to figure out/contemplating what my plans are for the next three months
• i have been working out (doing yoga and weight-lifting) and i've been trying to stop smoking. So far, i'm down to 1-3 sticks a day now. That's an improvement, isn't it?
• i'm happier. i don't think and worry too much anymore. ;)

i guess time management is still a problem of mine. but that doesn't mean i can't do anything about it. and besides, i have my whole lifetime to accomplish everything that i want to do. looking back, the last four months made me realize not to take each day for granted, to procrastinate and settle for medioctrity.

having said that, i think i need to revisit the lectures that were given to us when i was still a QS. they were like moving forces that make me want to be a better me... i think i need to write more often in this blog as well coz it's a form of reflection for me.

***

three years ago, i decided to take a leap in my career. i enrolled in graduate school and this was the essay that i submitted as part of the application process. i got this while browsing through my school files and i want to share it with you. three years have passed already, i still have two more years to actually make my dreams substantiate. =)

...

Charisma Grace Oliveros
Masters of Arts in Education major in English Language Education

Five years after, I’m expected to have finished my Masters degree at De La Salle University. Thus, wider horizon and bigger opportunities are in store for me. Personally, I see myself as a better educator, possessing the knowledge and skills acquired from the two-year course. It had been a part of my plans to take graduate studies from a prestigious university to help me improve in the field that I chose. I’ve been working as an English instructor, particularly to Koreans, for more than two years now and I believe that this is a big factor to be admitted in the said program. I have learned some ways/styles in teaching English as a second language. I have also finished a certificate program (ESL Certificate Program) from De La Salle University wherein I had a bird’s eye view of how to teach the second/foreign language to foreign students effectively. Furthermore, I’m a graduate of Journalism at Centro Escolar University and I had gained some knowledge regarding the technicalities of the English language. Pursuing further studies would help me grow more as an English educator. This will also enable me to hasten my English skills and knowledge and would give me the chance to contribute in the promotion of English proficiency in the country.

The Philippines is known to be the third largest English-speaking country after the United States and United Kingdom but according to recent statistics, the Filipino’s English proficiency is declining. I hope to contribute in solving this rising problem through continuous research and studies about the second language and sharing them to other people. I would be able to share the things I’ve learned from these investigations through teaching. Through studying new approaches in teaching English, I would be able to teach English well and help the students to be more adept in the use of the second language. I would also like to study or investigate about the English proficiency or literacy in depressed areas or public schools. This would probably be the focus of my thesis since English proficiency is expected to be low in these areas and I would like to think of ways that could help address and alleviate this issue. I hope to teach ESL students as well. At this age, the Philippines is not just considered as a tourist spot but as an English hub, especially to Koreans. A lot of foreign students opt to study in the Philippines now. I would like to contribute in this endeavor and I could only do that if I’ll have enough knowledge of the second language.

I see this opportunity to study as a career move. I hope to be admitted in the program so that my dreams and plans will materialize. This step will not only benefit me personally but other people as well.

...

xoxo..