Emoticons : -)

An emoticon is a textual portrayal of a writer’s mood or facial expression. Emoticons are often used to alert a responder to the tenor or temper of a statement, and can change and improve interpretation of plain text. The word is a combination of the English words emotion (or emote) and icon. In web forms, instant messages, and online games, text emoticons are often automatically replaced with small corresponding images, which came to be called emoticons as well. Examples of widely known emoticons are the smiley face : ) and the frowny face : (

Early emoticons go as far back to the 1800s and commonly arose when casual or humorous writing was common. The emoticons on the Internet can largely be traced back to a proposal by Scott Fahlman in a message of 19 September 1982.

Fahlman was the first documented person to have used the emoticons : -) and : -(, with a specific suggestion that they be used to express emotion. (www.en.wikipedia.org)

Contemporary Words

Here's a list of words and their definitions. Have fun reading the list.

1. An ecosexual is a single, environmentally conscious person with a strong aesthetic sense.
   
2. A fauxmosexual is a person who pretends to be gay, particularly as a way of generating attention; or a person who mistakenly believes he or she is gay.
3. A metrosexual is an urban male with a strong aesthetic sense who spends a great deal of time and money on his appearance and lifestyle.
4. A pomosexual is a person who shuns labels such as heterosexual and homosexual that define individuals by their sexual preferences.
5. A retrosexual is a man with an undeveloped aesthetic sense who spends as little time and money as possible on his appearance and lifestyle.
   
6. A technosexual is a male with a strong aesthetic sense and love of technology.
7. An ubersexual is aheterosexual man who is masculine, confident, compassionate, and stylish.
8. An alpha earner is a wife who earns all or most of her household's income
   
9. Womenomics is the theory that women play a primary role in economic growt
10. The 13th Generation is those who are born between 1961 and 1981 because they are identified as the 13th generation since the founding of the United States.
    
11. The Nexus Generation is another term for the Generation X who represent, to some, a link (nexus) between the Industrial Age and the Information Age.
12. People born in 1978 or later are known as Generation Y because they came after Generation X, the cohort born between 1965 and 1977. Since Generation Y is composed mostly of the children of the Baby Boom Generation (1946 to 1964), a synonym for Generation Y is the Baby Boom Echo. Yet another synonym for Generation Y is Millenial Generation or the Millenials.
    
13. The N-Gen or Net Generation refers to the people born since the advent of the personal computer.
    
14. Generation 9-11 is the group of people who were enrolled in high school or university on September 11, 2001.
15. Generation D (also known as Digital Generation) is the group of people that has grown up with and is completely at home with digital devices and digital culture.
16. Generation O is those who are approximately 18 to 35 years old who voted for or supported Barack Obama in the 2008 U.S. presidential election.
17. Generation XL refers to children or young adults who are overweight.
18. The Reset Generation are the young people who, when a situation becomes difficult or burdensome, quit and start over again in a different situation. This phrase was inspired by the "reset" feature that comes with most video or computer games. Choosing this feature gives the player a fresh start and is most often employed when the player gets into a mess from which he or she can't or won't escape.
19. The Sandwich Generation are the people who must care for both their children and their parents; people who have finished raising their children and now must take care of their aging parents.
20. The Club-sandwich Generation are the people who provide care for their parents, children, and grandchildren.
21. Skipped-Generation relates to a household in which grandparents are the primary or sole caregivers for their grandchildren.
    

Source: Wordspy

Achieving a Goal is Like Flying a Kite

Achieving your goals is like flying a kite. Your goals may be as colorful as your kite yet so high and difficult to reach. You must follow the direction of the wind and keep your eyes on the kite so that it would not fall. You must hold on tight to the string that keeps you and your kite connected. This string is like your hope that even when you are far from your goals, you are just a string away to achieve it. In flying a kite, sometimes the wind blows too low which makes your kite fall. But even though it falls, just like your hopes, you still try to find the wind and let your kite fly high in the sky. (bernadette ann pestanas)

Life is Like a Song

Life is like a song, simple yet complicated. A song consists of a verse, a refrain, a chorus, and a bridge. In life, the verse is the part where you start to experience what the world is like. The refrain deals with the part of putting these experiences into action. You try to use what you’ve learned. The chorus is the peak of life that deals with where you find a job, try to support yourself, and survive the challenges life has to offer. And finally, the bridge is the point of contentment. It is where you are already settled. You have less worries. You just wait for your time—the time where your life ends. But despite these, it still depends on how you will deal with life. (jerome manabat)

Studying for a Test

Phase 1 of studying for a test, often called the “no problem” phase, runs from the day the test is announced to approximately forty-eight hours before the dreaded exam is passed out. During phase 1, the student is carefree, smiling, and kind to helpless animals and small children. When asked by classmates if he or she has studied for the test yet, the reply would be an assured “No Problem.” During phase 1, no actual studying takes place. Phase 2 is entered two days before the test. For example, if the test is scheduled for 9 A.M. Friday, phase 2 begins at 9 A.M. Wednesday. During phase 2, again, no actual studying takes place. Phase 3, the final phase, is entered 12 hours before “zero hour.” This is the cram phase, characterized by sweaty palms, nervous twitches, and confused mental patterns. For a test at nine o’clock on Friday morning, a student begins exhibiting these symptoms at approximately nine o’clock on Thursday night. Phase 3 is also termed the “shock” phase, since the student is shocked to discover the imminence of the exam and the amount of material to be studied. During this phase, the student will probably be unable to sleep and will mumble meaningless phrases like “a2 + b2.” This phase will not end until the exam is over. If the cram session has worked, the student will fall gratefully asleep that night. On waking up, he or she will be ready to go through the whole cycle again with the next test.

English Skills

John Langan.

Types of E-Mail

As more and more people take advantage of e-mailing, three categories of e-mail have emerged. One category of e-mail is junked mail. When most people sign on to their computers, they are greeted with a flood of get-rich quick schemes, invitations to pornographic websites, and ads for a variety of unwanted products. E-mail users quickly become good at hitting the “delete” button to get rid of this garbage. The second category that clogs most people’s electronic mailbox is forwarded mail, most of which are also deleted without being read. The third and best category of e-mail is genuine personal e-mail from genuine personal friends. Getting such real, thoughtful e-mail can almost make-up for the irritation of the other two categories.

English Skills,

John Langan

A Student's Plight

The first semester of college is difficult for many students because they must take on many responsibilities. For example, they must create their own schedules. New students get to select their courses. In addition, they have to decide when they will take them. Students must also purchase their own textbooks. Colleges do not distribute textbooks each term as high schools do. No bells ring to announce when classes begin and end, yet students are supposed to arrive on time. Furthermore, many professors do not call the roll, for they expect students to attend classes regularly and know the assignments. Above all, new students must be self-disciplined. No one stands over them telling them to do their homework or to visit the writing lab for the extra help. They must balance the temptation to have fun and the desire to build a successful future.