A Hundred...

                A hundred times of fun. A hundred times of excitement. A hundred times of relaxing moments. A hundred and twenty-three islands. Hundred Islands National Park is in Alaminos City, province of Pangasinan, northern Philippines. The islands are believed to be about two million years old. Three islands have been developed for tourists: Governor’s Island, Quezon Island, and Children Island. According to Wikipedia, the islands are said to be ancient corals that extend well inland, in an area previously comprising the seabed of an ancient sea. Lowering sea levels have exposed them to the surface and the "mushroom"-like shapes of some of the islands have been caused by the eroding action of the ocean waves.

 My co-workers and I went to this wonderful place together for the first time. We’ve heard a lot about this place from the people who have already been there. We’ve searched and seen a lot of pictures  and we’ve been waiting for this time to finally see the beauty behind those pictures and stories. The long wait is over and I should say that it was really worth it. Everything is just so fabulous. It’s surpassingly good to see those beautiful islands.

                We arrived there at around 8:30 in the morning. My friend talked to the officer there to rent a boat that will tour us to the islands. Our boatman, Kuya Ricky and his nephew JP(10 year old kid), were very friendly (though they don’t talk a lot) and kind. They also served as our tour guides. You can ask them everything about the islands. If I were in their shoes, I wouldn’t be able to remember all of those(hehehe..just joking!). While passing by the islands, he told us the names of the islands and showed us the difference between each of them.

                We stopped at the Governor’s Island where we set up our tents and cooked dinner. After eating dinner, we took a shower(there is no fresh water in the island, so we washed up using salt water as well). We had a little chat and fell asleep. Actually, it was so hard to sleep because of the noisy group near our camp plus the hot weather. When we woke up the next morning, we just ate breakfast, fixed our things and went to the top of the island to see the view of the Hundred Islands.

                It was really a remarkable experience for all of us. We really had a lot of fun. I do hope I could come back to a beautiful place like the Hundred Islands.

Six Deadly Career Sins You Can Avoid

Start the year right:

2012 had been a challenging year for me and maybe for everyone as well. As I welcome 2013, I would like to give positive thoughts about everything. Since I am a career person and been working in an institution for a few years now, I wanted to start my year right and wanted to start it from giving guidlines and tips not only for me, but also to those employees like me. I read this article from a book I’ve been using for a few years now and I just wanted  to share this to everyone.

 

Six Deadly Career Sins You Can Avoid

To err is human.  We all make mistakes. But in the business world, we need to be aware of the kinds of mistakes that may prevent us from being successful.  Here are a number of business mistakes you may want to avoid:

·         Making a fashion statement at work. Follow the written and unwritten dress code at work.  Whether you work in a suit-and-tie office or a more casual office environment, learn to go with the flow, and you’ll avoid making fashion mistake.

·         Bad-mouthing people and complaining about them behind their back. Bad words have a way of coming back to haunt you. Even if your bad-mouthing and complaints never get back to your boss, you’ll probably still get a reputation as a complainer, and your hopes for a brilliant career will be shot down.

·         Trying to “wing it” at meetings. Preparation helps to make a meeting run more smoothly. It also shows that you are motivated in what you do. Prepare ahead of time... or prepare for disaster.

·         Forgetting the little things people do for you. The people around you are human beings like yourself who need to feel appreciated for the things they do. Co-workers whose efforts you brush off as “unimportant” today may become very valuable to you in the future. If you forget to acknowledge the little things these people do for you, they may stop helping you out and start standing in your way to success.

·         Showing up fashionably late. Businesspeople are busy and don’t have time to wait for you to show up. Lateness is rude and should be avoided to take responsibility seriously.

·         Taking a “boring” assignment lightly. If you’re given an asssignment you consider to be nothing but “busy work,” put your best effort into it anyway. You’ll impress your boss with your attitude and your ability to take responsibility seriously.

-Exploring English 5

Tim Harris/Allan Rowe

 

                Hoping to help myself and other people with these tips.