p.s. on iELTS

for those folks who are considering taking this test, particularly nurses, IELTS is administered practically every weekend here in manila. you need to check the British Council website for its timetable though.

as i've noted earlier, there are 4 stages. Listening, Reading and Writing tests are usually given on a single day (Saturday) and usually last around 3 hours. no need to bring pencils or paper as they're supplied by the examiners. the Speaking test (basically a 15-minute interview) is usually given separately, sometimes on the same day after the 3 tests. they'll inform you about your schedule right after the exam, or — as in my case — your interview could be scheduled as early 2 days before the exam proper.

the test will cost you P8,640. required documents: usually a copy of whatever ID you plan to use (passport, SSS, BIR), a manager's check for the exam fee, a filled-out application form. you may submit them straight to their office, by mail, or via DHL, at least 2 weeks before your target exam date. you will receive a confirmation receipt a week later.

Tip: if you want to get a good score, choose a test date that's at least a month away so you'll have enough time to review. one of the examinees told me that you can review at the British Council (apparently covered by the fees you're paying). i haven't tried this though coz it's much too far from where i live.

as for test scores, you'll need at least 6.5 if you want to work in europe, canada, new zealand, australia, etc. (however, many employers will accept 6 or even 5.5 as long as the job isn't too linguistically demanding). if you plan to study in these places, a score of 7 will land you in a good university, although it also depends on the course you want to take. a band score of 7.5 would be better though (enough for postgraduate courses). as a yardstick, note that even UP requires a score of 7.5 for its foreign students.

more on IELTS

allright for those who are interested, International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is the British version of the TOEFL. if you're planning to immigrate/work/study in europe, australia, new zealand or canada, you definitely need to take this test. (Note: some US universities will also accept IELTS scores).

you can check out http://www.britishcouncil.org/philippines for more details — requirements, test dates, fees, etc. 

the test is given in 4 modules: Speaking, Listening, Writing (essay), Reading. you can submit your docs straight to the British Council office in Ortigas or you can send them via DHL (it's free; just use the code WWWE642210981).

there are 2 test formats: Academic (for students), which is more demanding, and General Training (for immigrants and workers). band scores range from 1 to 9. if you want to score high, a review would help. also note that this is an evaluation exam; so there is no failing score — although i'm sure it'll be a huge personal boost if you could score high. as a group filipinos score well in this exam.

lastly, your results (valid for 2 years) will be mailed to you in 2 to 3 weeks' time. if you're not satisfied with your score, you can take the exam again.

Good luck!

ielts

just received my IELTS results today (20 min ago). i'd been waiting for this since last week, but when i opened the LBC envelope it was almost anti-climactic. i don't know if anybody noticed, but if someone tried to guess my score via my facial expression, i'm sure (s)he'd be pretty much confused.

my reaction fluctuated from bafflement (raised brows), followed by a spontaneous smile (for my score in Speaking — big surprise there. i had this nasty impression at the time that the interviewer didn't think much of my answers because they sounded lame even to me); an incredulous frown (i had expected to get my best score in Reading; still the score was good enough i guess); grimace of disappointment (Writing — i scored lower than i'd hoped); and finally a philosophosical shrug (Listening, i knew i'd bomb there).

oh well…

still i'm glad that's over, which means i can now move on to other things (like TOEFL maybe heheh)… no i really didn't need to take the IELTS. i just took the exam to gauge myself. and the thing was i didn't prepare for it. frankly, i didn't have the time. actually i didn't even realize that you could review for it (until one of the examinees told me). which accounts for the rude shock i received during the Listening test…

jeeze, i really need to dig my head out of the sand one of these days….

aaarrghhh!

you gotta be kidding me!

was my incredulous and disgruntled reaction last sunday as i scanned the list of films that were being shown in Robinsons Galleria, where all theaters were still featuring tagalog films, all residues of the recently concluded MMFF.

puh-leez! all week long i had been mentally planning what to do this weekend (i rarely get free weekends these days) right down to my probable ETA when i get home. i had several activities lined up, all culminating to watching a movie at the end – as a treat! i could have stamped my feet in comic frustration if i hadn't been loaded down like a pack horse (gym gear, purchases, and laptop). i was soooo looking forward to sitting down for the next 2 hours munching greasy popcorn and watching a film of my choice.

don't get me wrong. i have nothing against filipino movies — in fact, i think it's a disgrace how the industry has suffered lately due to the double whammy posed by piracy and dearth of good-quality projects. it's just that getting smothered by tagalog films left and right for 2 weeks nonstop (with nary an alternative in sight to break the monotony) could be just a bit too grating on the nerves, you know…

on top of which i'd been diligently searching for a sign of the films that i'd been impatiently anticipating these past few weeks (and months!), hoping that if i were patient enough i'd be rewarded by a passel of 'em being shown this weekend… (*sniff*)

nursing my bruised feelings, i slunk out of the mall and headed down to MoA (specifically to Blue Wave where i was hoping drown my sorrows with hot latte). about a hundred meters away from Blue Wave, i was spectaculary awakened from my aggrieved musing by these successive bursts of fireworks (i had no idea which country was demonstrating at this time).

so the WorldPyro competition is still on, i noted. i had mistakenly thought that it would only be until saturday. and what do you know, i forgot to bring my camera with me. waaaaahhh!

loved the fireworks though. worked like a charm to soothe me back into better humor.

some feel-good news

wow.

i just read this amazing story about a 50-year-old blue-collar NYC guy who saved a 20-year-old film student in the subway tracks just recently. seems like Cameron Hollopeter was having a seizure when he fell into the subway track just a few moments before a train was due to arrive. Fortunately for him, Wesley Autrey, a quick-thinking construction worker (guy in yelow jacket), jumped off from the platform and held the student down with him in one of the cracks as the train rumbled over them "with inches to spare".

the rest (outpouring of praises, rewards and media attention), as they say, is history… 

again, wow. it must be the greatest feeling in the world to know that you saved another human being. no i’m not talking about the rewards (they’re just the icing really, and they have their downside too). i’m referring to that unmatched feeling of having done something worthwhile in your life — an unthinking act unvarnished by any motive — an unutterably pure moment that cannot be touched nor altered by anything that happens before and after the event. if all of us can be defined by such moments i’m sure the world would be a far better place.