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71st day
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71st day July 22nd Sunday
Today was the second day of diving lesson. We gathered in front of CPILS 20 minutes after the designated departure time, that was because of our insufficient preparation. We were to bring lunch today but we had not have enough time to prepare that we decided to buy something at Jollibee. We went to Jollibee on the way to Mactan. I bought a burger that has two pieces of patties, a cup of Coke and French fries. Others bought something else. I would like to describe what the others bought but my memory does not serve me well that I reluctantly omit this part. Anyway Coke would be hot before the lunch time that I drank the Coke on the way to Mactan.
At the scuba diving shop, we met Jason who is a Korean and is in charge of Guidance Office. He was with many students for island hopping. Anyway we took final exam that was very difficult but we cooperated to deal with the exam. After the exam, we headed to the diving spot where we could see bigger fish. We dived into the ocean. It was not crystal clear but it was not a big problem. The problem was my bad eyesight, my eyes are terribly bad that I could only see just around my goggles. By the next time I dive, I want to take lasik surgery or just buy contact lenses. My poor eye is too inconvenient in this kind of situation.
I could not see very well but I would try to describe the underwater world as far as possible. In the water, there were a variety of fish, all of them were tropical fish and some of them are quite big. The biggest fish I saw was about 30cm. There were bright blue fish, the color was the most beautiful color I had seen through my life. Our instructor brought bread and we fed fish with the bread. It gathered many kinds of fishes. It could also cause water pollution but I tried not to think about it. Other than beautiful fishes, I was also amazed at the beautiful seabed. The seabed was covered with white sand that is supposedly from coral. On the seabed, there were a lot of coral reefs and some other creatures like flatfish, starfish and so on. Coral reefs have fantastic shapes and perfect colors, starfish did not move a lot, and flatfish moved swiftly.
Anyway, the underwater world was beautiful and I would like to go scuba diving again. It cost $215 for this two days' course. I think the course just for fun must be cheaper that if I have a chance, I would like to dive again.
We had two dives today. I have not gotten confidence yet. But I think I can dive without making big troubles. I learned all basics. I had four diving sessions, twice on the first day and twice on the second day. And I could successfully pass the final exam I took this morning. I need more practice to get confidence but considering the schedule hereafter, I would not be able to come here to take diving course again during this stay in Cebu. It costs about Php 2,000 that is about 5,400 yen to have one day course with two dives.
I might come to Cebu again. There is a good excuse to come here, to study English in CPILS. I think many Japanese come to CPILS just in order to make a good excuse. I might use the same excuse to come here again. But English education in CPILS is truly good, and I do learn English a lot here that the excuse is good enough to justify my additional purposes like diving.
It cost $215 but it was valuable enough to balance out the expense. This experience broadened my world deep into the sea and the license is good forever. I got temporary license today. Thank you so much for all attendees, instructors in the scuba diving shop, Ken the person who organized this, Nao a Japanese lady, Kozue a Japanese lady, Rosa a Korean lady and one Japanese middle aged guy who abruptly joined us.
After going back to CPILS, we had delivery service from Jollibee. I had mango Sherbet and apple mango pie. Delivery service is convenient but it is a little bit difficult to tell the order. If you are familiar of its menu, it can be easy but otherwise it would be very difficult. Fortunately Jollibee has a website that we could check the menu.
At night, one Japanese student who used to take TSE class together suggested me to make speech during the annual festival on July 27th. The festival is going to take place on my birth day that I could make my speech funny. It would be very difficult to deliver a speech in front of hundreds of students but must be unforgettable memory for me.
The speech can be like this. “Thanks for coming to CPILS's 6th year anniversary. And to tell you the truth, today is my 25th anniversary. I am very happy to have so many people celebrating my birthday.....oops..CPILS anniversary. Please enjoy the rest of this festival and the rest of your life in CPILS.”
One of my friends is inviting me to go to Leyte island that is about 100km from Cebu. It takes about 2:30 to go there and it costs about Php500. I would like to go there with my friends in CPILS. I have not fixed the plan yet but I will make concrete plan during this week and want to go there on the next weekend.
- (2007-07-25 18:07:24)
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70th day
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70th day July 21st Saturday
Today I got up at 7:30, thirty minutes before the departure. I took a shower swiftly and threw food into my stomach and ran in front of CPILS at 8:00. All of us were there but the pickup van did not turn up for a long time. We asked CPILS staff. According to him, the van was coming and we did not have to worry. The van finally arrived at 8:50. It was 50 minutes later than the time I had heard. But the time I had heard was mis-transmitted by someone. The actual time was 8:30 and the van came just 20 minutes later than the scheduled time that is quite common in Philippines.
Anyway, we took the van and headed for a diving school. It took 40 minutes to go there. When I arrived, I was surprised. The place was exactly the same place as the place we went island hopping.
To evoke your imagination, I would like to describe the member. There were five Japanese and one Korean, one middle aged and five young, and three male and three female. This description might confuse you but there were three young ladies there that motivated us.
The course we are taking is Open Water Diving License that is authorized by PEDI. At first we watched short films that explain what is scuba diving and how to do it. We have learned general knowledge through the films. After watching it, we take four tests to check our understanding. All these class study took about two hours and then we had lunch that was curry rice.
After lunch, we learned how to set up and maintain scuba diving instruments. It took about one hour and then we started actual training near the scuba diving shop. At first I felt it was very difficult. It is difficult to breath, difficult to control my body and difficult to equalize the pressure in ears. Through the first session I managed to get used to breathing but I could not equalize nor balance myself.
After the first session, we took a small ship to go to a place where we can dive deeper. The depth was about 3 meters. It is not at all deep for licensed diver but I am a very beginner that it was enough exciting for me. Anyway I dived into the water and sank to the seabed, three meters under the surface. Three-meter water gave me a big pressure. Three-meter water give us about 30kpa that is about 30% of air pressure on the sea level. If we did not equalize the pressure, it would damage our body. I equalized many times in order not to damage myself. I learned a lot through this second session and I started to understand how to dive well. The important thing is to adjust buoyancy. It can be adjusted in two ways. One is breathing and the other is an air tank in scuba diving equipment. First of all, we have to adjust the amount of air in the air tank. Then we can go up and down by breathing. If you inhale, you will go up. If you exhale, you will go down. It is easy to explain, but difficult to do.
After the diving session, we went back to CPILS. It took about one hour because of the heavy traffic.
Tonight, we had Nao's Birthday party. Nao is a Japanese lady, the person who went scuba diving with me today. She became twenty-one today and about 20 students in CPILS gathered for her birthday. Many of us had presents for her. One Korean guy gave her bouquet of flowers, another Korean guy had drawn her picture and gave it to her, and so on. Many of us are having their birthdays these days. My birthday is on July 27th. I have not had birthday party for a long time but hopefully I can have birthday party.
This night, I heard that POWER SIM class was going to open from next week. Garfield seems to have gotten level 3-high in speaking test, that is enough to join POWER SIM class. I have heard that POWER SIM class would be good but would give as a lot of homeworks so it will be busier.
- (2007-07-23 19:49:16)
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69th day
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69th day July 20th Friday
POWER SIM class is still up in the air. They are waiting for the result of Garfield who really wants to join it but needs higher score to join it, but she has not informed her new score. If she can get higher score, she can join it and we can launch the class, but if she cannot she cannot join the class and we cannot launch the class because of the lack of students. Anyway I have no choice but to wait for a phone call from the academic office.
Tonight I was informed of tomorrow's schedule. We will go scuba diving tomorrow. The departure time is 8 am. But there was a big problem. I had only Php 2,000 that is about $50. It costs $215. I have traveler's check but I do not think they will accept it that I went to SM and withdrew money. There is an ATM near CPILS so we should not be bothered where and when to draw it. But the ATM has been broken for more than a week.
This weekend, seven Japanese are coming. The number is smaller than I have expected. But considering the season, the beginning of summer vacations, there must be more young Japanese than old Japanese.
I am going to go diving tomorrow so I should go to bed early but I could not because of my laziness.
- (2007-07-23 19:48:05)
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68th day
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68th day July 19th Thursday
Whether or not I can get level 6, I am going to make a speech in graduation ceremony and the speech would be publicized in YouTube. I have to polish my pronunciation so as not to humiliate myself.
I downloaded and installed Lilith into my laptop. Lilith is a software that can play music in different paces. If I accelerate the speed, I can practice listening ability. If I slow down the speed, I can easily dictate it. Now that I have only two weeks to the last Progress Test that I have to start listening practice.
One Japanese was killed in Mandaue. It is said that he had some trouble with a woman and that could be the cause of his tragedy. It is better than indiscriminate rampage but it is still scary. In Philippines, it is legal to have gun and it easy to buy it. Thanks to their nationality, it does not seem so dangerous. But if I did terribly wrong thing, they would shoot me. I have to bare in mind that I am in Philippines not in Japan.
If my memory serves me right, today is the last day of the first trimester in elementary, junior high and high schools in Japan. CPILS will have more Japanese students from the next week. It would be a busy weekend welcoming new students, hopefully young beautiful ladies.
My former 1:4 teacher Darwin told me that it is very important to speak clearly and I have to speak slowly in order to speak clearly. But my current teacher Albert has a little bit different opinion. His idea is like this. It is important to speak clearly but it is also important to speak in natural speed. Of course, to speak in natural speed does not mean to speak extremely fast. But to get true fluency, I have to be able to speak in a native speed that is quite fast for non-native speaker. If I speak in that speed, low level students would never understand me. But it is better to speak in native speed when I am facing native speakers.
Donald returned. He used to be Buddy member but he quited to work in a call center. He started to work in CPILS again to get double income, from CPILS and from the call center. He has to work from 7 pm to 10 pm in buddy in CPILS and he has to work from 12 am to 10 am in the call center. It is very demanding for him but he must have better salary without any doubt.
- (2007-07-23 19:47:41)
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67th day
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67th day July 18th Wednesday
Air plane plunged into airport in Brazil that allegedly killed more than two hundred. This is the worst aviation accident ever happened in Brazil.
I applied to POWER SIM class. Hopefully, the class is going to start next Monday. But there are not enough applicants so far. The schedule is still up in the air.
TSE class, a special class I take between 5:10 pm and 6:00 pm is going to become TOEIC Speaking class and that will require us to make reservation. The maximum attendees will be six so as to provide sufficient time to each attendee. Our teacher Lie does not want to change it into TOEIC Speaking class
I was asked by Mika to help with her homework. Her homework was not easy at all but I could manage to help her with the help of my dictionary.- (2007-07-23 19:47:03)