Getting Killer Abs and Becoming Fluent in English

Many people would like to get those killer 6-pack abs.  And if we can't get them ourselves, we would like to be with and have someone who does.  No matter how obsessed we are with looking good and having a to-die-for body, we simply find it too difficult to achieve those washboard abs.

How, then, do some people get those perfectly sculpted abs?  Is it a blessing?  Is it a gift?  Absolutely not.

Those who have it simply worked for it.  That's right.  No big secret.  Plain and simple.  Work for it.  They definitely had the right diet combined with the right exercises.

Compare the achievement of abs to the achievement of speaking English fluently.  It is not a blessing.  It is not a gift.  It is a skill that one must worked hard for.  Like having killer abs, it is a combination of the right practice and habits.  It is a combination of studying and practicing, meeting new English speaking friends, being around like-minded people, and studying and practicing again and again.  Study without practice and application doesn't do much.

I cannot emphasize enough how important to practice and apply what you have studied.  Like every skill, one must be passionate and motivated to continue to improve oneself.  In becoming a good English speaker, I would highly recommend to read books, speak English with friends, and enroll at a good English school.  Of course, I would recommend the American Institute for English Proficiency in Makati or Quezon City.  It is a great institution for learning English because English is not only a classroom subject there, it truly is a lifestyle and culture.

So whether you want to have a heavenly body with killer abs or be dynamic and powerful public speaker in English, don't forget, get the right combination of of habit, discipline, and lifestyle.

English School in Quezon City Trains GMA Artists

The American Institute for English Proficiency, with branches in Makati and Quezon City, has been training Jackie Rice, Jeric Gonzales, and Ruru Madrid, all of whom are GMA Artist Center talents.  The talent and development department of GMA has partnered with The American Institute Quezon City Branch to develop the English proficiency and communication skills of its artists so that they continue to improve on their craft in acting, singing, and dancing, and in this case, becoming a better English speaker and a more personable communicator.  They are taking private classes, but they sometimes join the groups to practice. 

Here are some of the things that they are learning:

• Grammar
• Writing
• Public Speaking
• American Accent
• Critical Thinking
• Impromptu Speech
• Extemporaneous Speech
• Hosting
• Confidence Building
• Personality Development

American Institute for English Proficiency - Quezon City
131 Timog Avenue, 3rd Floor (corner EDSA)

American Institute for English Proficiency - Makati
227 Salcedo Street, Suite 2G (corner Gamboa Street)

If you would like to improve your English and communication skills as well, you may join us for either private or group classes.  Many of our students have already had a chance to practice their English when our celebrity students are having their class at our office.

Most Filipinos Won't Read Despite Benefits

I moved to the United States when I was just nine years old.  When I got there, many kids, especially Filipino kids, made fun of me because I didn't speak English, and my accent was, well, very Filipino.  I had other Filipino friends who also just migrated to the US, and they, too, were made fun of because of their English and accent.  I didn't want to be teased of bullied, so I decided to quickly improve my English and American accent.  I did many things like watching television and mimicking the sound of the actors, but the one that really helped me a lot in becoming more proficient was reading books.  That's right, reading! 

After a few years, my accent was reduced, and I started to have a neutralized American accent.  Guess what, I was playing lead in theater and even became the captain of my debate team in high school.  To add to that, I was the literary magazine editor and editor-in-chief of our high school paper.  Yes, I was class president too.  I attribute my growth and development to reading, the past time that most Filipinos hate.  But I tell you, if you really want to go far, you should learn to love reading. 

Here are three benefits of reading:

1. You become smarter.  Yes, you really do.  You improve your knowledge as you gain information.  You become a critical thinker, and you will strengthen your analytical skills.  Reading helps you to gain so many perspectives from different characters, including of course, the authors.  You become a philosopher, a psychologist, and a thinker. 
   
2. You become a better communicator and better in English.  Your vocabulary will expand, and your writing and speaking skills will definitely improve.  You start to sound like the characters you read about.  You start to speak like the authors you read.  When you absorb all these stories, the information, these perspectives, these ideas, you can use them to strengthen your speech.  And if you read books written in English, you definitely will become a better English speaker.
   
3. You become more successful.  When you become smarter and a better communicator, success naturally follows.  A well-read person, combined with having a great-personality, can go very far in life in terms of career and business.  People naturally gravitate to a well-spoken, intelligent individual, regardless of looks and social status.

The problem is, even with these benefits, most Filipinos will not read.  They would rather make excuses like "I'm busy," "I don't have time," or "It's boring."  Then again, the world is fair since success comes to those who do not make excuses.  Otherwise, everyone would be successful.

So are you ready to pick up a book and start reading?  Chances are, you are not.

Learning English at a Young Age is an Advantage

Kalihi Waena Elementary School May Day
Celebration.  I was in the 5th grade when I  was
selected as a "kahili bearer."

The average age range of our students at the American Institute for English Proficiency is 20 to 30 years old.  Many of our students finally came to our school to improve their English and communication skills because they are looking to boost their careers, gain confidence and employment, or seek personal enhancement.  They are mostly Filipino professionals from different industries, and because most of them are working, they can now afford to study English.

One of the reasons why many of them do not speak English well is because they did not enjoy their classes.  Furthermore, they didn't believe that English and strong communication skills would one day help them in their careers.  After some years in their respective industries, they have come to reach the glass ceiling and impenetrable walls, and they no longer feel that they are as competitive as their colleagues.

Fortunately for me, I moved to the United States when I was just nine years old.  At an early age, I realized that strong English and communication skills would be my edge.  In high school, I was the editor-in-chief of our newspaper and the literary magazine editor.  I was also  the captain of the debate team.  I even participated in speech competitions,winning awards in dramatic interpretation, and I was a member of our school's theater group.  In college, I continued participating in speech and debate competitions, winning numerous awards in speech, specially in my final competition held in Vancouver, Canada, where I won Western America Communication Association's Impromptu Speaking Championship.  At the end of my college life, I was selected as the commencement speaker. 

I strongly believe that I became a good speaker because I started at an early age.  As soon as I knew that I would need strong communication skills to compete in the "real world," I was determined to continually improve my English and communication skills, which would, in turn, enhance my critical thinking and build my confidence.  I remember joining a reading program at our local school library; it was especially enjoyable because I could get stickers for each book I read.  I even remember the very first ever gift that I got from a teacher, a dictionary.  She told me that one day, I would be a great speaker.  Today, I am the co-founder of the American Institute for English Proficiency, and my clients include celebrities, politicians, call center managers, doctors, and lawyers.  I have worked with major local and multinational firms. 

I urge parents and older siblings to encourage their young ones to start at an early age.  Do not allow your children to be handicapped with poor English and communication skills.  Do not wait till they are in high school, and it becomes harder to acquire the language skill.  And for those who would like to continue learning, it is never too late. 

English Proficiency Scholarship Giveaway

This is my first time working with bloggers and social media practitioners in terms of giveaways.  I know that bloggers individually and collectively have a strong voice and presence online.  Therefore, I have decided to offer them 20 English proficiency scholarship giveaways valued at almost Php 120,000; each scholarship is good for a 40-hour course at either the Makati or Quezon City branch of the American Institute for English Proficiency.

The group courses include: C3 Course (Conversation Fluency, Critical Thinking, and Confidence Building), PSG Course (Public Speaking and Grammar), and CX Course (Communication Excellence).  CX Course is actually a combination of the C3 and PSG courses, and it includes American accent training.  There are about 5-15 students per class.

Since I have never done a giveaway with bloggers and social media experts before, I am very excited to see the results.

Examination Ethics

Cheating is part of the human nature.  Here in the Philippines, we tend to associate this word to the elections.  Whenever the election results come out, we have everyone, including voters and elected officials crying foul.  Throughout my more than six years of teaching at The American Institute, I have come across individuals who have asked me to do something unethical for them.  For different reasons, there were people who have asked us to lie for them.  Here are some of the things we've encountered:

1. Money for Certificate.  The most common one is to give them a certificate even if they have not enrolled in our English proficiency classes.  They will just pay the tuition fee.  Why do they needs these certificates?  They want to present to their employers that they are improving their skill sets.  They want to present to a future employer that they have studied at The American Institute, which would give them a better chance of gaining employment.  They can also present these certificates to the embassy when migrating to an English speaking country like Canada, the US, the UK, or Australia.
   
2. Falsified Certificate.  There have been individuals who have gotten a copy of the certificates we issue, and they reproduced their own with fake signatures.  One technical training center required their students to complete at least 100 hours of English proficiency training in order for them to complete their school requirements and graduate.  These students created their own certificates, but they were caught when the training center called us to verify the certificates. 
   
3. Exam Substitute.  Just recently, I got a call from a foreigner who would like me to find someone who would take the TOEFL or IELTS exam for them.  This individual mentioned that his school required him to have a 7.0 Band on his IELTS exam, and he would be willing to pay someone who would pretend to be him and take the exam for him. 

Of course, we point blank refused to do anything unethical.  These individuals argue that there are some schools who would do that for others.  Well, they called the wrong school.  Some of them even argue that "this is the Philippines."  Well, sorry to say, but we do stand by our corporate motto: Ethics, Education, Empowerment.  Ethics is the first word, and with better education, citizens would become more empowered, as in empowered to create better decisions.  So instead, we clearly tell these individuals that what we do is to help them speak English well so that they do not have to resort to any unethical behavior.

There will always be individuals who would like to take the quick, easy way.  We believe that learning a language isn't necessarily easy, but it could be made possible when one practices, studies, and works hard.  At The American Institute, we make learning more fun and interactive so that acquiring the English language and improving one's communication skills can be more effective.

The Deliberate Art of Practice

HOW many times have you heard the saying, "Practice Makes Perfect?"  Yes, you've heard this cliche numerous times that it no longer means anything to you.  However, if you are a top athlete, artist, musician, dancer, debater, you would know that practice means everything.

People who don't like to practice will never really know the importance of it all.  They want to get better in doing something, but would never really take the time to practice.  Let's take learning a language, for example, like English.  Learning a new language is not just about knowing one day in class and hoping to speak it fluently immediately.  One must do deliberate practice: read, converse, homework.  And did I mention read, converse, and homework? 

I cannot emphasize enough how important reading, conversing, and doing homework are.  There must always be some kind of interaction with English: enroll in a class, watch a movie, hang out with friends and speak in English, and so much more.  One cannot become good in English by speaking Filipino all the time.  As they say, birds of a feather, flock together.  So if your friends are always speaking Filipino, it's time to find new friends.  Well, you don't really have to replace your old friends, just add new friends who are either English speakers or at least trying to improve their English.

So for one last time, no matter how much you want to improve your English, if you do not practice, you will never really improve.

Commitment is Key to Learning English

Commitment does not belong only in relationships. When learning English we, also need to be committed. When we start, we are extremely enthusiastic about learning English. However, when things get rough or as time goes by, we tend to lose this level of enthusiasm. In order to continue building our English and communication skills, we need to make sure that we are committed to our goals. Without this commitment, it will be extremely difficult to achieve our goals when learning English.

So, how committed are you? Do you feel that you have the commitment that it takes to build and improve your English?

Learning Beyond the Classroom

It's always a great time at The American Institute: www.aiepro.com.

At the American Institute, we take learning out of the four corners of the classroom.  We believe that spending time with our students outside of the classroom can help them improve their English and communication skills.

In this photo, Chris (Specialist), Daniel (Specialist), Rosdom (Marketing and former student), Leah (Marketing and former student) spend time with the students in Eastwood.  We listened to a band and spoke in English throughout the whole night.

The others in the photo are July (aspiring call center agent), Pretty (auditor), Ken (aspiring English teacher in Japan), Ziad (aspiring businessman), Jennifer (aspiriing businesswoman), and Edward (engineer now in Saudi Arabia).

Most of our students are Filipino professionals who want to improve their grammar, American accent, public speaking, and confidence.  From time to time, we also have foreigners who prefer to study at The American Institute because they are surrounded by Filipino classmates whom they can practice their English with.

Teaching Foreigners is More Fun in the Philippines

More and more foreigners have been traveling to the Philippines to study English because the Philippines has an English speaking population, the cost is relatively inexpensive, and the country touts many beautiful tourist spots.  Therefore, studying English in the Philippines can be very rewarding, and the American Institute for English Proficiency is the best English school for Filipinos and international students alike.  We have three locations: Makati, Baguio, and Quezon City.

Confidence Building via English Learning

There are many ways to build confidence.  One these ways is to improve your communication skills, specifically English.  More and more, we're living in an era of globalization.  We no longer work or deal with others just locally.  With the advent of technology, like internet, email, videos, and communications improvement, it is vital that we improve our English.

When our English improves, we become more confident because we can deal with others easily and more effectively.  In the Filipino culture, speaking English well could also be a sign of upper social status.  It is the lingua franca of the rich.  When we can speak English well, it gives us a certain kind of status, thus making us more confident. 

For more information about learning English, visit the American Institute for English Proficiency in Makati, Baguio, or Quezon City.

Working with GMA Artists

Dion Ignacio, Louise De Los Reyes, Chris Delacruz
Aicelle Santos, Alden Richards, Mark Herras

Last Sunday, May 27, 2012, we started working with more GMA Artists.  The course they have decided is CX Course (Communication Excellence), which is a combination of many our courses.  It was a very fun class as the participants, Dion Ignacio, Louise De Los Reyes, Aicelle Santos, Alden Richards, and Mark Herras were all very attentive and participatory.
Vin and Wyn had their own groups.  I have advised them to take photos of their groups as well so that we can have our own documentation.

UPDATE: 6/20

Here are more photos of the rest of our students at GMA:

The American Institute works with GMA Artists

The American Institute Quezon City location has been opened for about three months now.  Last week, we started working with the GMA Artist Center and several of their artists.  Today, we work with two more batches.  There are about 35 of them in total.  Vin, Wyn, and I are teaching them.  Very exciting indeed.

Follow your Passions and Love What you Do

Khate, Kenneth, Keith, Ivan after C3 Class

I had the pleasure of teaching three bright teenagers, Ivan, Kenneth, and Khate, and a recent college engineering graduate, Ivandrea, this morning.  Yes, they are all learning English proficiency, communication skills, conversation fluency, critical thinking, and confidence building.

Since three of them were just teenagers, I wanted to first discuss their future goals. Khate wants to become a statistician, Ken a basketball player, and Ivan, an actress.  Keith just graduated with a degree in engineering and is about to take the board exam.

I reminded them that being ambitious is really good.  It will help them go beyond what most people could achieve.  I also reminded them that being ambitious and waking up to reality are two different things.  Reality will tell them that they can't do it.  But if they really want to achieve their goals, they must fight for their dreams.

Most people do not reach their full potentials because they give up, they wake up to reality, or they do not follow their passions.  I encouraged them to do what they love doing.  As long as they love what they do, they will never go wrong.

We ended the class with public speaking.  They practiced their Five Elements.  We had done this many times, but they are still unable to fully complete the structure in their speeches.  Why?  Not enough practice.  I encouraged to be better than average.  And that requires practice, practice, and more practice.

Join me at The American Institute.

Surefire Ways to Building Confidence

How do we build confidence?  Why is confidence so important? 

Building confidence can be very difficult if we don't really know how to go about it.  Sometimes, we try to strengthen ourselves, but we only end up in frustration.  We try to find ways to become more assertive, but we end up going nowhere because we are doing the wrong things.

So what are some of the best ways to gain confidence?  Here are some surefire techniques to get you started and get you going on your way to being very confident:

1. Soul Searching.  Seems deep, right?  In fact, it is.  Being confident starts from within.  So search from deep within.  What are your goals?  What are your innermost desires?  What makes you happy?  Know who you are and what you want.  Know where you want to be.
2. Self-esteem.  Value who you are.  Everyone is different for a reason.  Not everyone can be a superstar celebrity or athlete.  You do not have to be a supermodel with God-like looks to value who you are.  Everyone is valuable in themselves.  The fact that you exist, you already are valuable.  If you do not value yourself and your uniqueness, you end up hating yourself.
3. Act.  Only three letters, but a very powerful point.  It's fine to dream, but you must take action to fix your low self esteem and poor confidence.  One way you can act is by attending courses that will help you enhance your skills.  For example, developing great communication skills is a great skill to help you with your confidence.  Enroll at the American Institute for English Proficiency, the best training center for English and career development in the Philippines.

Confidence can take you to many places.  You don't have to be stuck where you are.  There is so much to enjoy. 

Cool App called GifBoom

I have been playing on my Iphone, and I found this really cool application called GifBoom.  What it does is that it allows you to put rotating photos together with features to allow you to edit the frames and the photos.  If you have a smart phone and you are into picture editing, this is a nice app.

The photos you see on the left are photos of our students and staff.  You may be wondering why most of them look like Filipinos.  That's because a majority of our students are indeed Pinoys.  We only have international students from time to time.

We invite you to visit us and find out how we can help you develop your confidence.

Bringing Kale to the Beach with The American Institute

A relaxing day at the beach.  That is the perfect getaway for me.  And to have your dog as a pillow.  Haha.  On the 5th year anniversary of our school, the American Institute for English Proficiency, we brought Kale to Anawangin Cove with us.  He was popular to everyone.  After all, he's a Golden Retriever.

He was more than willing to be my pillow.  No animal cruelty here.  In fact, he loves to be pet.  He loves to play as well.  Yes, he wants you to throw the ball!  Throw a stick.  Yes, even a rock.  He wants to play, play and play.  He also loves to swim.  In fact, when he's at home, he loves to go into the bathroom to look for water, not to drink, but hoping that he would get a shower. 

So that's Kale!  The playful, lovable golden retriever.

Back to Blogging

It's been a while, a long while, since I've posted something here!  Ever since the school I co-founded with Vin Magbuhos, the American Institute for English Proficiency, has gotten into full swing, I have had very little time to focus on writing my thoughts down.  I usually pour my heart out in the classroom when I am teaching.

I hope to re-ignite that blogger fire in me.  I want to jot my thoughts down once again and share them with others.

If you are reading my old posts, chances are, you may see a very different me.  I had angst and wasn't quite sure where I was in my life.  However, I believe that I am now more experienced and have taken a different perspective on life.  It's true when they say that experience is the best teacher.  I have learned such a great deal from my travels and from meeting different people everyday.  My day is never the same.  I am thankful for all these diverse experiences.

So let this be the re-start of my writing.  Let this be a new chapter.

The Rich and the Poor

I was driving through Alabang yesterday from Cavite, and I was completely shocked by what I saw. I saw rows of houses behind high walls. I wanted to have one of these houses. They were very beautiful, luxurious, and inspiring.

As I drove further, however, I began to see a different row of houses. These houses were in stark contrast to the ones I saw earlier. They were jam-packed houses made of thrown away material, and they looked like a beaver built these houses. And just across the street is a tall wall, separating these posh houses from these "squatter" looking houses.

How can two worlds exist right next to each other?

AIEPRO Blog Contest Worth over Php 10,995 in Cash and Prizes

START DATE: Contest starts September 1, 2008
END DATE: Contest ends September 30, 2008

WHY JOIN THIS BLOG CONTEST?

1. You will be promoting your own website and ours. You will definitely gain more readers and fans for your blog.
2. You will be helping to promote English proficiency in the Philippines.
3. You will be helping to promote critical thinking, communication, and writing skills in the Philippines.
4. You will be fostering healthy debates and discussion, which are all essential elements for a democratic society.
5. The American Institute's First Most Active Blogger Award
6. CASH and PRIZES!!!

MECHANICS:

1. Create or post a NEW topic in any of the forum areas. (To promote your blog, make sure your forum/post signature contains your blog's web address.)

2. Copy your post and use it as an entry in your own blog.

3. At the end of your blog entry, please include the following message:

This blog post is an official entry in AIEPRO's contest for bloggers, in which the winner will win Php 10,995 in cash and prizes. To vote for this entry, please visit www.aiepro.org. (You may add more here to entice your loyal readers to support you.)

4. Come back to this thread and reply to this topic/thread by posting the address or URL of your post here in the forum. (Below, see the example in the reply to this post). Each time you create a new post here, you must come back to this thread/topic to post the URL of your new post!

5. You must have a new entry at least three (3) times a week. Simply repeat steps one to three above to create new entries/posts.

6. The winner will be the blogger who earned the most points.

SCORING

A. Number of replies. We will count your posts/replies, up to a maximum of 25
B. Number of unique participants replying to your posts.
C. 50 Bonus Points if our website address is on your side bar as a link. Please use American Institute for English Proficiency as the title and www.aiepro.org as the address.
D. 100 Bonus Points if our logo is on your sidebar linking it back to www.aiepro.org. Resize if necessary.

SIMPLY VISIT WWW.AIEPRO.ORG TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS CONTEST!
Or directly to... http://aiepro.com/forum/index.php/topic,731.msg10254.html#msg10254