How to Improve Your Accent

Although I have quit working for the call center industry and decided to pursue another career, I  still support call centers and promote it to other people, most especially to the students graduating this year. Some graduates though may not consider the call center industry very appealing.Maybe some are just not confident enough with their English grammar and pronunciation. So, they opt to put an X mark on the Customer Service Representative on their list of possible jobs and consider other normal day jobs with of course, normal salaries. I am not saying that the call center is the only option for making money after college. I am just trying to emphasize that if you want a job right after graduation and want to earn decent money, being a CSR would be a good option. For those who share my perspective, I would like to help you out on how to improve your accent. Just for the record, if you want to apply in a call center, it doesn't necessarily mean that you must have an American accent. They don't expect you to sound like CNN reporters or Britney Spears. You just need to sound professional. This means that you don't stammer and grasp for words and most of all, you must not have a thick accent. They prefer it slim and thin. So consider learning to slim down your accent like a work out. I'm just going to share with you the steps that I have learned on how to speak English fluently and it is up to you on how you are going to work it out.

 STEP 1:LOVE WHAT YOU LEARN!

First of all, before learning anything in general, you must love what you learn. If you want to learn to speak English fluently, you must ignore the notions that you will sound "maarte" and that you will be like a "stinky fish" and will feel like you've betrayed our national hero. You are doing this because you don't want to be a bum. Thus, you are actually a responsible citizen who will be contributing to the country's economy through paying your TAX!

STEP 2:

THINK IN ENGLISH!

Once you've come to love how Americans sound, the next step would be to think like an American, which means that you should always think in English. I assure you that this is very effective. When I was in high school, I was an MTV fanatic. It was my ultimate dream to be a VJ or a DJ. I just thought they sound cool and they get to do a lot of talking. I tried my best to sound like them. I was always alone at home so I had a lot of chance experimenting. At first, I would just imitate the exact words that they say like MTV's Most Wanted phone numbers, email and address. But later on, I got ambitious and wanted to say more than contact info’s. So I tried to imitate them when they introduce music videos but I would always stammer not knowing what words would be appropriate to say. I thought to myself that if I speak my own dialect, I don't stammer. I realized that the reason that I don't stammer is because I think in my own dialect. The words would just automatically come out of my mouth like most of us do, because we speak what we think. From then on, I had an epiphany to always think in English. So every chance I get like walking home from school, I would recall the events of the day in English. It was a good practice. It also helped me out in expressing my thoughts in class clearly. Unfortunately though, I did not become a VJ or DJ. I became a call center agent instead, which is not that bad I suppose. At least I got the chance to say websites and phone numbers and I got the chance to talk a lot.

STEP 3:

WATCH AMERICAN SHOWS

Since you've trained your mind to think in English, it would be now easier to understand it as well. It is important to know this because you will be talking to Americans from different states with different accents. You will hear people who sound like Larry King, Ellen Degeneres, Chris Tucker, and Jackie Chan. So considering this, I would highly recommend you should watch late night American shows. You can also watch TV series like Desperate Housewives, CSI, and Alias. Watching Rush Hour 1,2, and 3 is also a must! =) Observe the way the characters speak, interact, and make comments. Take note of the idiomatic expressions that they use as well. It may come in handy during interviews or when taking in calls. I guess it is also more effective to watch comedy sitcoms like Friends and Will and Grace. If you get their jokes and laugh, then you're on the right track. Just make sure you're not pretending to get the joke even if you didn't understand a thing. ;-)

STEP 4:

READ! READ! READ!

Reading English materials is very important too. This will enhance your vocabulary skills. It really doesn't matter what you read as long as the grammar is correct. If you're the type of person who likes reading, then this should not be hard for you. But if you're the type that considers reading a punishment, don't fret, because there are other ways to read. You can probably try reading the newspaper. You can read the Entertainment section and check your horoscope. Skip the Tagalog Comics. You can also read Archie or Marvel or Mangga or even the writings at the back of your favorite junk food. Just right after you've picked the reading material of your choice, read them aloud. Make sure you're not in the bus, subway, or public restroom while you're doing this. You may do this before going to sleep, during commercial breaks, or when you just don’t have better things to do. By reading aloud, you will be able to assess how you sound and what vowels you need to work on. While you're at it, be mindful of the grammar as well. You need to match your accent with a decent grammar to make it believable. For a much more dramatic effect to achieve your goal, you can also record your voice. This will serve as your reference on your progress.

STEP 5:

BE PATIENT!

Being patient is always a virtue. You can't do all these overnight. It takes a lot of effort, guts, and practice. Like I said earlier, it is like an exhausting body work out. But you'll know in the end that all the sweat is worth it. You'll know it on your first payday and you will be surprised how good you are as a responsible tax-paying citizen.

Why Ricebunny rocks?

You may ask who or what is Ricebunny? Ricebunny is not a type of food or a type of rabbit. It is Michelle Phan’s famous username in YouTube. So, who is Michelle Phan then?  She is a makeup guru, artist, businesswoman, and spokesperson. She is a self-made woman and an inspiration to her loyal followers (including me).

In the past two years that I followed her works in Youtube and Xanga, she has accomplished so many things. Back in 2007, she was just one of the many faces in Youtube trying to share  her practical tips on makeup and do-it-yourself beauty regimen. Now, she is considered as the most subscribed YouTube Guru, outshining all the other makeup gurus in her time.  Not only that, she has now a skincare line of her own, has moved to a bigger apartment, has appeared in a magazine, has travelled in US and Asia back and forth, and has become the official Lancome video makeup artist.  

YouTube played an important part in her fame and fortune, but it is her hard work and great talent that took her to the heights of her success. Having the most-watched makeup video in YouTube is no easy task. Your videos can easily drown in a sea of other makeup videos, but her works stand out from the rest. All her videos are carefully thought out and edited. She makes sure that once she uploads a video, she is giving a part of her creativity and knowledge that other people can use. I guess that’s why girls like me can’t get enough. Well, even boys too. Even if you don’t like makeup or don’t wear makeup, you will be equally entertained. If you watch one of her videos, you won’t feel like watching a makeup tutorial. Her video is like a work of art.  It flows smoothly and beautifully from the introduction to the end, complete with themes and great choice of music.

What I like most about her is that behind her dolled up look, she is one nerd chick. She describes herself as “a dame who plays game”. I don’t know her personally but, as a fan, that phrase would best sum up my perception of her personality. She is a hardcore gamer, computer savvy and an artist. She would think of creative and fun ways to give away prizes to her most loyal fans. In December she held a Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 Tournament. Contestants who had beaten her in a death match won different cosmetic prizes from her skincare line, IQQU. What a cool and fun way to win makeup!

Besides her talent and beauty, she is also a woman with a big heart. In September 2008, she and her friends took time and effort to organize a fundraising event called Fashion for Compassion, wherein they were able to raise more than $20000 to help a rape victim. I believe that this is where her success comes from. She tries to give what she can thus; in return, the world gives it back to her.

Sometimes when I feel like everything is beyond my reach, I think of her great contribution and dedication, and it gives me strength to go and reach for my dreams too. She is like a cool damsel from a modern fairy tale. She is a woman who doesn’t need saving from her knight in shining armor. She is a woman who stands strong and tall… in her stilettos.

Steps in Getting the Best Deal when Buying

If you are planning to buy something that is very important or quite expensive, it is best to equip yourself with the best guidance, to make sure you get the best deal. Let's say you are planning to buy a latest gadget, a printer, or even a car; don't make an impulsive decision that you will later regret. You have worked hard for your money, so you deserve to get the best product and the best deal. Here are some important steps that might help you decide before taking the plunge.

Budget

Before deciding to buy anything, it is very important to allot a budget. You don't want to end up spending half of your savings account or your one month's salary for a new laptop. Set aside a realistic amount that would allow you to buy want you need without overspending. Once the budget is set, the following steps will help you to stick with this budget.

Research

Research is very important in buying and often it is overlooked. It begins by finding out what you really want. Let's say you're planning to buy a printer, but you have no idea which one to choose. What you can do first is decide what you need the printer for. Do you need it to print just plain documents or do you need to print quality pictures? Do you just need a plain printer or do you also need a printer that allows you to scan, copy, and fax? If you have answers to these questions, then you can decide what type of printer to buy.

Once you are able to define what you want, the rest of the steps will be much easier. Now, since you have the perfect printer in mind, it's time to look for the perfect brand. This part can sometimes be tricky. You will get a lot of biased and unbiased opinion about different products in the market. In order to ensure you get fair and accurate reviews, you can visit different review sites specific to the item of your choice. You can read reviews from critics and from consumers on different review sites like cnet.com or reviewstream.com.

Now that you have decided the specific item and brand, you can now proceed to another part of research- canvassing the price. Not all websites and all stores offer the same prices for the same product. Sometimes you will be surprised as to how much the difference of the price is. If you are out to buy the item, don't buy it on the first store you enter. Make sure you check all the other stores and ask them what type of payments they accept. Most of the time if you pay cash, there will be a discount. You can also check if they offer any other promotions related to the product you are buying. It is a little bit of extra work, but your goal is to get yourself the best deal.

Decision Time
After all the hard work that you have done, now is the time to finally buy the product and take it home. Make sure you get the receipt and the warranty slip. Keep it in an envelope or a folder at home. You don't want to be looking for receipts if ever you have problems. With all the steps you have taken, you will feel confident about the choice you've made and you will be able to say that indeed, you got the best deal.

The New iPad: Will it rock of will it flop?

The newly released iPad came to me as a surprise. Probably a lot of people were anticipating its release but as for me, it's definitely new. Thanks to Google Desktop news update, I get to read news right away. At first, when I heard about the iPad and saw its presentation, I wasn't all hyped and excited. First of all, it looks like a giant iPod touch. It's like OMG, I can't fit it in my pocket and how am I supposed to hold it? It actually looks ridiculous at first, but then I realized all the great apps that I'm enjoying with my iPod touch. So I started to change my mind. I find web browsing in iPod touch revolutionary. You can literally say that the web is at your fingertips. Well, this is Mac's main selling point and it definitely works on me.

So here are some questions I have for myself (and you probably have these questions too):

The golden question: How much is it?




How different is it?

It is HUGE!!!
1GHz Apple A4 Processor
16 GB to 64 GB of storage space
9.7" LED Backlit IPS dispay - 1024 x 768 pixels 
Wifi 802.11n
Bluetooth 2.1
10 hours uptime (I hope this is true!)



What can you use it for?
Since I am a bookworm, I am really excited to use this as my digital bookshelf. One of my favorite apps is Stanza. Basically, it's like your paper book, only better. You get to download many classics from different genre for free. I downloaded almost all of the Sherlock Holmes adventure books. There are also many great eBooks you can find for free or sometimes with a price. If I have an iPad,I feel like I have the library in just one sleek digital tablet.

All the apps on iPhone and the iPod Touch would work on the new iPad, but there will be other apps dedicated for the iPad.

How different is it?

Well, I think there's not much difference, except for the fact that it's huge and that your pictures would look great. And oh, you can connect a keyboard,so it would be much easier to type.

Will I get or not?

If I have money to burn, I will definitely buy it without having second thoughts. But since I only have my eyebrows to burn, I would buy it some other time. For sure, I will buy this in the future. Hopefully by that time, prices would be much lower. All in all, I'd say iPad still definitely rocks.