I’d been Hospitalized- I thought it’s just an Injection

I was hospitalized last Tuesday because of severe abdominal and stomach pain, I even puked quite a number of times.  In my entire  adulthood life I’d been hospitalized only once before this incident occurred. At first, I just did some self-medication, I’m the kind of person that if I could still tolerate the pain and still deal with it, I’ll do it on my own however after a few hours I feel that I’m getting worst, I decided to call my assistant and  see a doctor.  You’ll never really know until you have it.

The findings quoting exactly what my Chinese Doctor who specializes in Internal Medicine said ” intestinal toxin” or should I say food poisoning.

He prescribed that I should have an injection to remove the toxins out of my system.  At that moment I thought okay I will just have an INJECTION, thinking that the syringe will just hurt a little like an ant’s bite, in Filipino Language  “parang kagat lang ng langgam“. Surprisingly,  it’s not just a simple injection it’s IV (“intravenous”) and four bags of medicines should flow thru my vein.

I am quite scared, it may sound funny or over-acting that a 30-year old adult like me was acting like a child when the nurse did put the syringe.

But I’m just being me. I thought it’s just an Injection, I’m afraid of IV.

So I felt like posting it here, what is “intravenous“. It  is quite properly an adjective. In this guise, it entered the English language around 1849. It means, according to Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, “situated, performed, or occurring within or entering by way of a vein.”

Some examples of the use of “intravenous” as an adjective:

• Intravenous antibiotics refer to the administration into the venous circulation of a solution containing antibiotics;
• Intravenous immunoglobulin is a sterile solution of concentrated antibodies extracted from healthy people given straight into a vein;
• An intravenous injection is just that: the giving of something such as drugs into a vein through a syringe.

The accompanying adverb is “intravenously”, as in: “The glucose was given intravenously.”

In more recent years, the word “intravenous” has taken on a second role: as a noun. Thus, “an intravenous” refers to an intravenous fluid drip, a solution (usually a balanced electrolyte solution) administered directly into the venous circulation. Also called a drip.

Above all, I thank God . I’m at home now and just taking some medications. I’m experiencing the effect of the medicine that’s been given to me ’cause every now and then I need to go to the restroom and you may already have the idea what will I do next. Restroom is now my sanctuary( laughing out loud).

Thanks to the doctor and nurses who helped me, my assistant Shanna who patiently stayed with me the whole time I’m at the hospital and assisted me with all my needs. Shawn, our college department director, who made sure that everything that concerns about me is being well taken care of. My family, friends and students who’d been so sweet on checking my condition. I am not trying to make  a big deal out of it, I’m just so thankful and grateful to all the people that God has blessed me especially in situations like this.

It gives me enormous joy that I have them in my life.  Thank you.

Origin of English Language

Five Events that Shaped the History of English

Philip Durkin, Principal Etymologist at the Oxford English Dictionary, chooses five events that shaped the English Language.

The Anglo-Saxon Settlement

It’s never easy to pinpoint exactly when a specific language began, but in the case of English we can at least say that there is little sense in speaking of the English language as a separate entity before the Anglo-Saxons came to Britain. Little is known of this period with any certainty, but we do know that Germanic invaders came and settled in Britain from the north-western coastline of continental Europe in the fifth and sixth centuries. The invaders all spoke a language that was Germanic (related to what emerged as Dutch, Frisian, German and the Scandinavian languages, and to Gothic), but we’ll probably never know how different their speech was from that of their continental neighbours. However it is fairly certain that many of the settlers would have spoken in exactly the same way as some of their north European neighbours, and that not all of the settlers would have spoken in the same way.

The reason that we know so little about the linguistic situation in this period is because we do not have much in the way of written records from any of the Germanic languages of north-western Europe until several centuries later. When Old English writings begin to appear in the seventh, eighth, and ninth centuries there is a good deal of regional variation, but not substantially more than that found in later periods. This was the language that Alfred the Great referred to as ‘English’ in the ninth century.

The Celts were already resident in Britain when the Anglo-Saxons arrived, but there are few obvious traces of their language in English today. Some scholars have suggested that the Celtic tongue might have had an underlying influence on the grammatical development of English, particularly in some parts of the country, but this is highly speculative. The number of loanwords known for certain to have entered Old English from this source is very small. Those that survive in modern English include brock (badger), and coomb a type of valley, alongside many place names.

The Scandinavian Settlements

The next invaders were the Norsemen. From the middle of the ninth century large numbers of Norse invaders settled in Britain, particularly in northern and eastern areas, and in the eleventh century the whole of England had a Danish king, Canute. The distinct North Germanic speech of the Norsemen had great influence on English, most obviously seen in the words that English has borrowed from this source. These include some very basic words such as take and even grammatical words such as they. The common Germanic base of the two languages meant that there were still many similarities between Old English and the language of the invaders. Some words, for example give, perhaps show a kind of hybridization with some spellings going back to Old English and others being Norse in origin. However, the resemblances between the two languages are so great that in many cases it is impossible to be sure of the exact ancestry of a particular word or spelling. However, much of the influence of Norse, including the vast majority of the loanwords, does not appear in written English until after the next great historical and cultural upheaval, the Norman Conquest.

1066 and after

The centuries after the Norman Conquest witnessed enormous changes in the English language. In the course of what is called the Middle English period, the fairly rich inflectional system of Old English broke down. It was replaced by what is broadly speaking, the same system English has today, which unlike Old English makes very little use of distinctive word endings in the grammar of the language. The vocabulary of English also changed enormously, with tremendous numbers of borrowings from French and Latin, in addition to the Scandinavian loanwords already mentioned, which were slowly starting to appear in the written language. Old English, like German today, showed a tendency to find native equivalents for foreign words and phrases (although both Old English and modern German show plenty of loanwords), whereas Middle English acquired the habit that modern English retains today of readily accommodating foreign words. Trilingualism in English, French, and Latin was common in the worlds of business and the professions, with words crossing over from one language to another with ease. You only have to flick through the etymologies of any English dictionary to get an impression of the huge number of words entering English from French and Latin during the later medieval period. This trend was set to continue into the early modern period with the explosion of interest in the writings of the ancient world.

Standardization

The late medieval and early modern periods saw a fairly steady process of standardization in English south of the Scottish border. The written and spoken language of London continued to evolve and gradually began to have a greater influence in the country at large. For most of the Middle English period a dialect was simply what was spoken in a particular area, which would normally be more or less represented in writing – although where and from whom the writer had learnt how to write were also important. It was only when the broadly London standard began to dominate, especially through the new technology of printing, that the other regional varieties of the language began to be seen as different in kind. As the London standard became used more widely, especially in more formal contexts and particularly amongst the more elevated members of society, the other regional varieties came to be stigmatized, as lacking social prestige and indicating a lack of education.

In the same period a series of changes also occurred in English pronunciation (though not uniformly in all dialects), which go under the collective name of the Great Vowel Shift. These were purely linguistic ‘sound changes’ which occur in every language in every period of history. The changes in pronunciation weren’t the result of specific social or historical factors, but social and historical factors would have helped to spread the results of the changes. As a result the so-called ‘pure’ vowel sounds which still characterize many continental languages were lost to English. The phonetic pairings of most long and short vowel sounds were also lost, which gave rise to many of the oddities of English pronunciation, and which now obscure the relationships between many English words and their foreign counterparts.

Colonization and Globalization

During the medieval and early modern periods the influence of English spread throughout the British Isles, and from the early seventeenth century onwards its influence began to be felt throughout the world. The complex processes of exploration, colonization and overseas trade that characterized Britain’s external relations for several centuries led to significant change in English. Words were absorbed from all over the world, often via the languages of other trading and imperial nations such as Spain, Portugal and the Netherlands. At the same time, new varieties of English emerged, each with their own nuances of vocabulary and grammar and their own distinct pronunciations. More recently still, English has become a lingua franca, a global language, regularly used and understood by many nations for whom English is not their first language. The eventual effects on the English language of both of these developments can only be guessed at today, but there can be little doubt that they will be as important as anything that has happened to English in the past sixteen hundred years.

Source : http://www.oxforddictionaries.com

A brief chronology of English
BC 55	Roman invasion of Britain by Julius Caesar.	Local inhabitants speak Celtish
BC 43	Roman invasion and occupation. Beginning of Roman rule of Britain.
436	Roman withdrawal from Britain complete.
449	Settlement of Britain by Germanic invaders begins
450-480	Earliest known Old English inscriptions.	Old English
1066	William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy, invades and conquers England.
c1150	Earliest surviving manuscripts in Middle English.	Middle English
1348	English replaces Latin as the language of instruction in most schools.
1362	English replaces French as the language of law. English is used in Parliament for the first time.
c1388	Chaucer starts writing The Canterbury Tales.
c1400	The Great Vowel Shift begins.
1476	William Caxton establishes the first English printing press.	Early Modern English
1564	Shakespeare is born.
1604	Table Alphabeticall, the first English dictionary, is published.
1607	The first permanent English settlement in the New World (Jamestown) is established.
1616	Shakespeare dies.
1623	Shakespeare’s First Folio is published
1702	The first daily English-language newspaper, The Daily Courant, is published in London.
1755	Samuel Johnson publishes his English dictionary.
1776	Thomas Jefferson writes the American Declaration of Independence.
1782	Britain abandons its American colonies.
1828	Webster publishes his American English dictionary.	Late Modern English
1922	The British Broadcasting Corporation is founded.
1928	The Oxford English Dictionary is published.

BAD WORDS in English

English Words that you MUST AVOID saying in PUBLIC.

If you want you can download this VIDEO for better understanding:  this one with SPONGE BOB saying bad words

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGNxBcrSq_k

Today its a very complicated and not so usual subject, but in my opinion this subject must be discussed and presented – The Bad Words in English. Those ones that don´t like to talk about this, my sincere APOLOGIES. However, this subject is very important and relevant in this globalized world we live in where movies and songs with obscene language use to invade our homes and consequently our schools and our classrooms, (unfortunately).

All and any language of the world has its forbidden or bad words, and they are censored when they are spoken on the streets or in public places. For more and detailed information about BAD WORDS, You can visit the site “The Alternative Dictionaries”. This site is an Online Dictionary that have “Bad words, vulgar expressions, obscenities, etc in several languages around the world. There are four groups of words that are considered “taboo words” (words that must be avoided in any circumstances):

Remember that it is not because you listen to them or read them in movies and songs that you will start to say them everywhere you are or repeating them all the time like they were the most normal and common thing to do with those words in the world. Below is a list of the most offensive bad words in the English language, have a look.

Rank of the worst “bad words” of the English Language:

Accordingly with the search made by BBC – British Broadcasting Television – principal Broadcasting TV in the UK the “Bad words” below are the worse of the English language (at least for the british).

This list start with the less offensive and goes to the more offensive ones.

Bad Words BBC Ranking

1. Cunt

2. Motherfucker

3. Fuck

4. wanker

5. Nigger

6. Bastard

7. Prick

8. Bollocks

9. Asshole

10. Paki

Happy World Teacher’s Day! – Tribute to Teachers like Mrs Thompson

This story is truly motivating and inspiring, the lesson here is not only reserved for the teachers. No matter where lives have placed us there are areas where we can extend a helping hand to others who are less fortunate. Let us start looking for them and not let the opportunities slip through.

As she stood in front of her 5th grade class on the very first day of school, she told the children an untruth. Like most  teachers, she looked at her students and said that she loved them all the same.

However, that was impossible, because there in the front row, slumped in his seat, was a little boy named Teddy Stoddard.

Mrs. Thompson had watched Teddy the year before and noticed that he did not play well with the other children, that his clothes were messy and that he constantly needed a bath. In addition, Teddy could be unpleasant. It got to the point where Mrs. Thompson would actually take delight in marking his papers with a broad red pen, making bold X’s and then putting a big “F” at the top of his papers.

At the school where Mrs. Thompson taught, she was required to review each child’s past records and she put Teddy’s off until last. However, when she reviewed his file, she was in for a surprise.

Teddy’s first grade teacher wrote, “Teddy is a bright child with a ready laugh. He does his work neatly and has good manners… he is a joy to be around..”

His second grade teacher wrote, “Teddy is an excellent student, well liked by his classmates, but he is troubled because his mother has a terminal illness and life at home must be a struggle.”

His third grade teacher wrote, “His mother’s death has been hard on him. He tries to do his best, but his father doesn’t show much interest, and his home life will soon affect him if some steps aren’t taken.”

Teddy’s fourth grade teacher wrote, “Teddy is withdrawn and doesn’t show much interest in school. He doesn’t have many friends and he sometimes sleeps in class.”

By now, Mrs. Thompson realized the problem and she was ashamed of herself. She felt even worse when her students brought her Christmas presents, wrapped in beautiful ribbons and bright paper, except for Teddy’s. His present was clumsily wrapped in the heavy, brown paper that he got from a grocery bag. Mrs. Thompson took pains to open it in the middle of the other presents. Some of the children started to laugh when she found a rhinestone bracelet with some of the stones missing, and a bottle that was one-quarter full of perfume. But she stifled the children’s laughter when she exclaimed how pretty the bracelet was, putting it on, and dabbing some of the perfume on her wrist.

Teddy Stoddard stayed after school that day just long enough to say, “Mrs. Thompson, today you smelled just like my Mom used to.”

After the children left, she cried for at least an hour. On that very day, she quit teaching reading, writing and arithmetic. Instead, she began to teach children. Mrs. Thompson paid particular attention to Teddy. As she worked with him, his mind seemed to come alive. The more she encouraged him, the faster he responded.

By the end of the year, Teddy had become one of the smartest children in the class and, despite her lie that she would love all the children the same, Teddy became one  of her “teacher’s pets..”

A year later, she found a note under her door, from Teddy, telling her that she was the best teacher he ever had in his whole life.

Six years went by before she got another note from Teddy. He then wrote that he had finished high school, third in his class, and she was still the best teacher he ever had in life.

Four years after that, she got another letter, saying that while things had been tough at times, he’d stayed in school, had stuck with it, and would soon graduate from college with the highest of honors. He assured Mrs. Thompson that she was still the best and favorite teacher he had ever had in his whole life.

Then four more years passed and yet another letter came. This time he explained that after he got his bachelor’s degree, he decided to go a little further. The letter explained that she was still the best and favorite teacher he ever had. But now his name was a little longer…. The letter was signed, Theodore F. Stoddard, MD.

The story does not end there. You see, there was yet another letter that spring. Teddy said he had met this girl and was going to be married. He explained that his father had died a couple of years ago and he was wondering if Mrs. Thompson might agree to sit at the wedding in the place that was usually reserved for the mother of the groom.

Of course, Mrs. Thompson did. And guess what? She wore that bracelet, the one with several rhinestones missing. Moreover, she made sure she was wearing the perfume that Teddy remembered his mother wearing on their last Christmas together.

They hugged each other, and Dr Stoddard whispered in Mrs. Thompson’s ear, “Thank you Mrs. Thompson for believing in me. Thank you so much for making me feel important and showing me that I could make a difference.”

Mrs. Thompson, with tears in her eyes, whispered back. She said, “Teddy, you have it all wrong. You were the one who taught me that I could make a difference. I didn’t know how to teach until I met you.”

(For you that don’t know, Teddy Stoddard is the doctor at Iowa Methodist in Des Moines that has the Stoddard Cancer Wing.)
“Believe in Angels, then return the favor”

My Crest of the Wave – Wenzhou University

Crest of the wave simply means the highest or culminating point or the peak,  just like my teaching experience in Wenzhou University, it’s one  of the crest of my career, my life.

I would like to share here the essay that I wrote for the speech that I have prepared for the awarding ceremony for the Foreign Expert Award and West Lake Friendship Award to remind myself how  God has blessed me, though years has passed, the memories still tucked deep in my heart. I hope this will also serve as an encouragement and inspiration to all my fellow Filipinos working overseas to always do our best, be a pride of our country and to bring glory to GOD for all the gifts and blessings He have bestowed on us.
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Working overseas provides opportunities for individuals who want to make a meaningful contribution to international education by living and working as teachers or professors in fast developing countries like China. A sleeping dragon no more, China’s economy is booming with increasing opportunities. Three years ago, I traveled in China as a tourist, had visited several cities like Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Guangzhou. I was amazed by the diverse cultures and practices, so when I had the opportunity to work here without any hesitations, I wholeheartedly accepted the job offer. I’m so excited to live in a new country, a new city; living in China is something I always look forward to. Most of the time I keep contemplating on what vital contribution I can make to the society most especially for the young students who are eager to learn and wants to broaden their horizons in learning.

December 25, 2008, is one of the most unforgettable dates in my life, I’m one of the awardees’ for “2008 Foreign Expert Award” given by the Government of China for my contribution in the field of education. I’m really thankful and accepted the award proudly, not just for myself, but on behalf of all our international and Chinese work colleagues, who have made such achievements possible. Given this kind of recognition from China, the more I became inspired and motivated to contribute to the society most especially to the education of the students who will cultivate the future success of this country. We all know that education is the best route to develop individuals, and it is through developing individuals that we can build up our nation. It is about developing each individual’s unique talents and abilities to the full, about teaching him to appreciate the finer things in life and the beauty of the world around him.

I still remember my first day of class, the first time I entered into the classroom. Silent, smiling faces stare expectantly as I step up on the raised platform. The room is crowded. Around forty Chinese college students sit on small, wooden stools behind simple desks. I introduced myself and turn to write my name on the blackboard. Everyday was a challenge. University students can be very shy. This goes especially the freshmen, many of whom are away from home for the first time. Outwardly, they are very respectful, and sometimes the entire class will greet me when I enter the classroom saying, “Good morning Professor, Riz”, in unison. The first time this happened to me, I was speechless, I was so surprised. They seemed so formal, so polite and so adorable.

But when I call on the students to participate in class, I often find that they hold back. This is either because they are afraid to make mistakes, or because they are shy to speak in front of their teacher. Sometimes when I asked them a question they won’t respond at all, the entire class looks as if it were on a lifeboat drifting across the Pacific, they smile, look down, look at each other and giggle, but nobody speaks. I have to find a way to get them to come out of their shells and open up, so they can learn something. One thing I have learned to do is to put them into small groups and let them to the exercise that way, sort of like a workshop. Then, I come around and check how each group is doing. I desperately find ways to allow each student to learn, working together in groups was new to the students, but they are becoming accustomed to the unexpected. I’ve stayed here for several years, and have seen great and it’s a great sense of fulfillment for me as their teacher. I have witnessed their progress everyday, step by step they are getting out of their shell, and they are becoming more expressive, outspoken and confident.

From year 2007 up to present I have been working in the university. Augmented student learning through the use of extensive teaching methods that will create proper learning and ensure high quality of is continually provided. Keeping myself focus in developing and implementing creative, hands-on curriculum that reaches every student’s learning style and ability, empowering student to succeed and realize their individual goals, I always tell my students every time we have a class, “ Don’t be shy”, and it has been one of my trademarks with my students. I immensely enjoy working, my teaching experience here has continually helped me to grow professionally, and most importantly I have met a lot of good friends and have worked with great colleagues. I have also done volunteer works such as coordinating student group performances and activities including competitions. I had students who had won several competitions. Their success is my success too, I always feel proud of them. Most of the time, I usually find and spend time with my students beyond class hours, like in a camp, or if they have a class party, or simply having dinner with them, it’s a good opportunity for me to get to know my students personally that I don’t really want to miss.

I had also conducted classes and trainings to post graduate students. Teaching post graduate students had been a challenge for me; some of them are even older than me and have been already working as teachers too. But it has never been a hindrance, every time we will have a class I can see their eagerness to learn. I’m glad to say up to now I still keep in touch with them.

For the passed years I have witnessed the appreciation of Chinese people to recognized foreign experts who have given enthusiastic support to China and “West Lake Friendship Award”, is one the most honorable one. I salute the government of China for their continuous support and recognition to the foreigners who have made special contributions to the country’s growth in economy, technology, culture and education. It has been an encouragement for me and for more foreign experts to contribute to the economic and cultural development in China so as to promote the globalization. We are in no doubt that Zhejiang has a vital role in China achieving its full potential. At the outset I should confess my delight at the impact of this award, I consider it such a great privilege to be a candidate for West Lake Friendship Award. This kind of recognition highlights the role of Sino-foreign exchanges in realizing China’s goals as a global nation.

As time passed by, the more I realized teaching is not just about standing in front of the classroom – it’s about coming up with creative ideas to engage and hold the attention of all your students and to make learning fun for both of you. It’s a give and take relationship. I strongly believe that this can only be achieved through the use of an integrated curriculum cooperative learning, hands-on/minds-on activities. The whole process of preparing and delivering lessons that is absorbing and this has helped me discover and develop skills that I probably didn’t even know I had. I want my students to grow socially as well as academically, to be involved and responsible citizens of society. Teaching is a passion, having passion in what you do, most importantly with all sincerity it must come from the heart. It is my wish that my students will continue to develop their potential in all aspects of their life through their education and personal endeavors.

Teaching abroad, in China offers a world of professional development and personal adventure. It has helped me to become a global citizen. The prosperous economy and rich culture of China has made me stay here for so long. It has given me a sense of fulfillment realizing that I have imparted a great value on education and the wholesome upbringing of students. I have been entrusted with the responsibility of guiding, motivating and inspiring future generations of young Chinese. It reminds me that teaching is not just about getting through the syllabus, but about interacting with your students, guiding them through the choices in life that they have to begin to make, helping them stand up to difficult situations without backing off, and inspiring in them the spirit of care and concern that I myself displays as a teacher. We need to educate our young people to become adults who cherish the values of education, for it can contribute to nation-building. The power of education extends beyond the development of skills we need for global economic success.

Working and living in China is incredibly worthwhile, memorable experiences comparable to the exhilaration of living within a different culture. The time I spend here allows me to enjoy the vibrant mix of traditions and cultures, along with the legendary friendliness of the Chinese people. I’m so grateful and honor to work, to serve, to share my knowledge and impart the best of my ability to the Chinese people. I love this country for so many reasons & now consider it to be my second home. I fell in love with this country. Throughout my experience, I have felt grateful and rewarded every step of the way.

With all my heart I want to share this award and say thank you to my family in the Philippines who has always been my inspiration, all these years although they’re not here to personally witness this milestone in my life I know how happy and how proud they are for my achievements. To my parents, my Mama whom I love most, my Papa who has instill in me the value of education ever since I was young although he’s gone, I know he’s looking down from heaven and I made him proud, my siblings, to my Aunt Agnes whom I considered as my second Mom for all the help, support and generosity she has continually given me. For my fellow Filipinos, for my wonderful friends, my colleagues, my dear students and everyone who always makes my stay more enjoyable and memorable. For everyone who has been a part and has touched my life in so many ways, thank you. To the Chinese people, thank you, I feel at home here, I feel welcome, truly living in China is a life changing experience, a significant part of my life that I will always treasure in my heart and thank God for. Everything I have now is from God, apart from God I can’t do nothing, this award is first and foremost for Him, Who has changed my life and the Giver of all these blessings, I’m returning all the honor and glory to my Almighty Father. Thank you so much.

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“Everything I have now is from God, apart from God I can’t do nothing, this award is first and foremost for Him, Who has changed my life and the Giver of all these blessings, I’m returning all the honor and glory to my Almighty Father. Thank you so much.”