IELTS at IALF Jakarta #2

Listening

I have always been aware that Listening is my weakness. Even in the paper-based TOEFL test where the questions are explicit, my Listening score was always the lowest compared to the two other sections. Unfortunately for me, the IELTS Listening section is more implicit. Oh, they are not all implicit; at the first and second parts, the questions are pretty explicit (as in you can actually hear the question stated). The problem lies in the third and last part, where paraphrases and changes in the sentence structure are everywhere.

When I was taking the course, I observed that most people start making mistakes in the last two parts. Of course, this is something that doesn't need to be observed--some of you must think "You don't say." Oddly enough, that was not the case for me. I made more or less the same amount of mistakes during the first two and the last two parts. Somehow I always missed that one bit where they stated the answer. It could be that I was too sleepy to concentrate, but if so, it was not something I can fix (except by getting enough sleep before the test). However, I'm not here to write about this.

If you are normal, unlike me, and are in the perfect condition to take the test, there are actually some things you can do to help your Listening section. The credit goes to my teachers, for sure, because I was not aware of this before they told me: the first thing you have to do is to make sure you understand what is asked by the task. What it asks for. When I was an English Studies student, it didn't matter how I write the answer as long as it is correct. On the contrary, in the IELTS test, it is important to follow the instruction precisely. This is basic know-how in life and at work, but this is so basic that sometimes we are careless about it. Or could it be that we just like to rebel because "rules are meant to be broken"?

Anyway, the second thing you have to do is to spot possible paraphrases and misguiding information. The one thing I like about the IELTS test is how the Listening section sounds natural, far more than the listening recordings I have listened to during my student days. As challenging as it is, I think it gives us an example of how real conversation takes place; how sometimes people do not straightforwardly say what we need to hear, or what information we need to get. Hence, the paraphrases and misguiding information. 

Lastly, we have to pay attention to details. Again with the details! Details are extremely important in the IELTS test. That one -s/-es behind a plural noun can decide whether or not your answer is correct. You have to be so focused to avoid missing anything. 

As I mentioned earlier, Listening section in any kind of test was always challenging for me. In the IELTS test, especially, I have to be able to think instead of 'wait' for the correct answer to be stated. It is three brain processes at once: actually listening to the recording, reading the questions, and spotting (desperately) the possible changes in the sentence structure/paraphrases. Still, I liked that the recordings resemble real talk. After all, we cannot expect to find people speaking in short, clear, and simple sentences abroad, amirite? 

Taken from http://www.memegen.com/meme/pst8oo

All in all, I believe you should remember to get enough sleep and be sharp on the day of the test. Those alone can be a big help for you. Aside from them, I also think that it is crucial for you to set the limit of the mistakes you can make. I know that we cannot know for sure whether or not our answers are correct, but at the very least, we can be sure of some answers. Once you make a certain amount of mistake (for me, it's five, although I hope I won't make that many mistakes on the real test), tell yourself that you must not make any more mistake. You can no longer afford to make mistakes. This kind of determination is what usually saves me. Somehow it makes me more focused.

My teacher shared some of the websites we can visit to improve our listening skills: TED, English Listening Lesson Library Online (ELLLO), English Central, and BBC Learning English. I haven't tried visiting BBC Learning English, but the other three are helpful. My favorite one so far is English Central because, on the video I opened, there were on-screen texts with difficult words on which we can click and whose definition we can read.

You may ask, can we just listen to English songs? The answer is no. People do not talk in musical notes all the time. Songs cannot help you in real conversation. However, I am sure songs help enriching our vocabulary (if we take the time to look up the meaning of the words). Anyway, instead of listening to songs, I believe watching movies and TV series without subtitles will help us more. Whereas the aforementioned websites help us with our academic lexical resource, movies and TV series help us with the daily vocabulary.

That is all I can write about the Listening section. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as it is helpful for you.

Till next time!

IELTS at IALF Jakarta #1

Many of my peers these days plan to pursue higher education abroad. The popular target countries include the U.K. and Australia. To be able to get in the universities in those countries, we--as the citizens of non-English speaking country--have to take a language requirement test. There are several kinds of tests, one of which is IELTS.

I decided to resign from my office job to take a two-week IELTS course at IALF Jakarta. My friends, who have taken the IELTS test as well as fellow graduates from English Studies program, told me that I do not need to take the course. It will be basically the same with what we have learned during our study. Also, because I work as a translator/interpreter, I would find it a piece of cake. I am, however, a natural worrywart, and I worried about my writing skills since I had not written any academic essays/paragraphs for so long after college. Thus, I made up my mind and signed up for it.

Originally, I thought I took the course simply for the extra writing practice. It surprisingly turned out to be so much more than that. I actually felt happy and satisfied by the time the course was finished. Of course, it would be a waste if I just store away my notes and leave it just like that without making much use of it. Thus, for my sake and the sake of anyone who probably read this, I would like to share some of the tips I got from my teachers at IALF. Before we start, I hope you enjoy reading this as well as I enjoyed writing it!

Reading
I have read lots of novels and popular articles, but they are totally different from academic texts! Of course, the vocabulary sets are different; moreover, the texts in IELTS test are the ones with questions. Having to answer the questions to test our comprehension of the text is something I find especially difficult because most of the times I just read carelessly through my chosen reading list. I never had to worry about the main idea of a paragraph, not to mention the paraphrases. Unfortunately, I have to be aware of those things in facing the reading test.

For this, one of my teachers actually gave me some helpful tips: (1) you have to use your scanning skill and read the text quickly. It really helps you to grasp the general idea of the text. At least, you can familiarize yourself with some of the words you might find on the questions. (2) You have to highlight the details, but what are the details? The details of a text include names, dates, places, and numbers. Highlighting them serves as something like the search tool on your e-Book. Your brain remembers that you have highlighted it, and looking for those details shall be a lot easier than ever. Lastly, (3) you have to look at the questions. These tips are not written in order, so you can do whichever first. My lecturer once told me to read the questions first to understand what you have to look for. However, reading the questions after you have done the previous two steps is also okay. The important thing is to do it in the most comfortable and efficient for you.

There are not many tips for reading, but these tips are more or less sufficient for reading and understanding academic texts (not limited to an IELTS test!). It goes without saying that reading practice is a must, and if there is one thing I realize after taking the course, it is that we have to have a wide range of vocabulary. As my teacher said, improving our vocabulary is not something we can do within a fortnight. Therefore, if you really want to improve yourself, I suggest you start by reading lots and lots of things--from reading articles and novels. You can also sign up for a newsletter from websites like Grammarly.com or Buzzfeed's Quibbles and Bits. I signed myself up for them and they are truly helpful.

Anyway, that is the end of my short and (definitely not) thorough recapitulation of what I've learned about the reading test. I will write about the other three parts in my next posts, for I fear they will be too long for one post.

Till next time!

Update:
A reader pointed out to me that the IELTS test often used articles from The Economist or The New Scientist. He shared the following links because they provided the PDF version of New Scientist magazine:

The Economist - 2 July 2016
http://banquyensoftware.com/english/the-economist-2-july-2016.html

The New Scientist - July 2, 2016
http://banquyensoftware.com/english/the-new-scientist-july-2-2016.html

Otherwise, you can just open The Economist and/or The New Scientist websites.

God, have mercy...

...for every time I closed my eyes, I saw that dream. So strong was it that it made my heart pounding with longing. Thoughts would be racing, trying to convince me of their existence, and actually succeeding. I would be left hanging, out of breath, knowing nothing to do... because the dream was not something I could realize so easily, so soon.

It was something bigger than me, something I was too scared to pronounce, something I was too shy to imagine. So strong was it that it made me lose sleep and my mind occupied. 

Possibilities, possibilities, possibilities ran back and forth, tempting, luring me in, enslaving me and turning me vulnerable. It was bigger than me; it always has been. It always had that frightening and thrilling charm, and before it, I was a middle school girl all over again, believing I can, believing I should, believing this is worth everything I've got.

God, have mercy because I am afraid to be broken. God, help me because this is worth all the treasure in the world to try. God, bless me because this might be the only thing I have ever truly longed for... because this is the dream for which my heart beats differently from any other wishes and prayers I have ever sent to You.

And I'm writing this out because my heart just can't take it anymore and this is a concept too great for my brain to process.  

Thoughts I Had When Watching "Captain America: Civil War" (2016)

(This post is completely subjective and not professional. Contains spoilers.)

1. I never really liked Steve Rogers/Captain America. What a goody two-shoes. So righteous.

2. Despite the great opening action scene, I didn't get the feel of the movie. 

3. Probably it was because I was exhausted when I watched this.

4. Tony Stark's sarcastic humor was not as sharp as usual--still adequate, but not as satisfying.

5. I forgot this wasn't an Avengers movie.

6. Somehow I didn't like Wanda/Scarlet Witch.

7. They should've emphasized the importance of the peace treaty or something like that more. 

8. I like Black Panther. He's like this wise character the Avengers needed (since none of them was).

9. Couldn't help but think of Thor and how this must be trivial for him.

10. I like Scar-Jo. Black Widow was always cool.

11. Didn't think of Hulk until he was mentioned.

12. Who's that kid? What, Spiderman!?

13. Tony Stark definitely looked tired and worn out the whole time.

14. I didn't like Capt, but Bucky was great. Poor Bucky.

15. Where the fuck did the Doctor come from?

16. Zemo was the only person I hate more than Capt. America.

17. Oh, Martin Freeman!

18. I could not dislike Paul Rudd since Friends, hence the love for Ant-Man.

19. Oh, they're fighting. What a cute Spider-ling.

20. "What an eagle vision," when Vision spotted Capt and Bucky approaching the jet. Pun intended.

21. Poor Tony Stark.

22. Despite him being wrong, I'm still #TeamIronMan.

23. Can't believe Bucky did that to Tony's parents. Poor, brainwashed Bucky.

24. I hated the Capt almost immediately. Gosh, he's so nosy and frustrating.

25. Everyone was okay but him. And Zemo.

26. Zemo's motivation was... not strong enough? It was kind of forced.

27. The end of the movie was near, what was the point of the whole movie??????

28. Seriously, tell me. This was almost aimless.

29. The conflict was there, the team divided, but the reason was a bit forced?????

30. Shocked because the plot was actually simple.

31. There was nothing strong in the plot.

32. This movie was a total bridge. I need to see the next sequel.

33. Just realized I never really liked Captain America movies. The second was fun, but the first was totally out of question. Wouldn't have watched it had I not seen the second one.

34. Capt, you have a big heart to be able to offer help for Tony. Doesn't mean I like you.

/æ/

Why do you stare?






What do you care?






Which of my reaction are you after?






Have you ever thought this is more than I can bear?






From my life, you will I spare






Sorry for me, don't you dare







At least I hate your hair






And it makes these all fair

Erasing Regrets with "Orange"

Courtesy of image: Google

Orange is a short manga created by Takano Ichigo published in 2012. The story revolves around a group of friends who received a letter from their future selves, telling them to erase the regrets related with the death of their friend in common. Bittersweet; both the plot and the tone of the drawings used by the mangaka contributed to the beauty of the story.

My friend introduced me to Orange. She said that it was cool and all, and it was short, so it wouldn't take much of my time to finish it. It was indeed short, consisting of only 22 chapters (compare it with Naruto--about 700 chapters!), and indeed, it didn't take me more than half a day to devour it. What she didn't tell me was how sad this would be and how it would affect me in ways I had not expected.

Because the main characters were high school students, and the story started with this main female character who received letter from her future self--for God's sake--I thought, "Ah, this would be another typical shoujo manga." It would be sweet, and it would be full of love, vigorous. Very much like Proposal Daisakusen (dorama, 2007). However, soon it was proven otherwise, as the story took a rather dark twist with suicidal potential.

Well, I won't spoil the story. You really should read it for yourselves if you're a fellow masochistic, who likes to abuse your own feelings, because this book will bring you to tears. My friend actually has a great advice to read this: grab your blanket, cover yourself, and read it alone. Of course, do not read it at the office. Seriously, who is stupid enough to read a melancholic story at the office??? Where people could see them cry??? I was dumb.

Anyway, because it's me, what I want to share is the message I thought this manga tried to convey. After reading it, it occurred to me that probably this was about how to be more sensitive to people with depression. Those main characters were high school students; for sure their main concern was themselves. They were living the time of their life. Unfortunately, the fleeting happiness of high school turned into regrets for them in the future. They tried to erase those regrets, to save their friend, from the inevitable death. Hence, the letters.

The way they treat this certain friend changed after receiving the letters. They became more sensitive to his feelings, his action, his choices. . .and they became wary with how they behave around him because it could affect him ever so slightly. They encouraged and supported him. I believe this is important.

As a loud and straightforward person, I realized I may have overlooked someone's voice. I was not sure of what had happened to me, but somehow I turn out to be a person who expects other people to be as 'loud' as me; to be as straightforward and honest with their wants and needs. I don't think being myself is wrong, but I do believe I have to listen more. There's more than meets the eyes.

After all, even if you don't save someone from depression, at the very least you can make the day a happy day for people. You don't want to regret it sometimes in the future.

5/5 for Takano Ichigo for turning a 22 chapters ride into a simultaneously beautiful and meaningful reading!

As cheesy as it may be, this post is dedicated to you

The term 'best friend' does not come easy for me. Oftentimes, I associate it with cheesiness, irrational sense of belonging, dependency, excessive display of exclusivity, and even worse... burden. I do not trust people who so easily declare that they are best friends. Therefore, it had taken me a long time before I finally accepted the fact that I consider the two of you as my best friends. Ugh, it sounds cheesy even now.

But I don't mind, because that's what best friends do: being exceptional. Being special.

Why the sudden change of mind, you ask?

Well, you are not my best friends because we are always together. Neither are we best friends because we are always happy without any slight of disappointment. We are most definitely not best friends just because we have known each other for long.

No.

I can give you cheesy reasons here.

Like how we are best friends because we can be silly together. . .

Or because we traveled together (which of course, a reason more appropriate for the two of you, excluding me, since you really are travel-buddies).

              

Or because you have been there when I was still in this awkward teen-turn-adult phase. . .

Or because you have been there on my biggest moments. . .

But for me, we are best friends because you keep staying for me to come back, welcoming me with warm friendship, despite the times I drifted apart. And I am forever grateful for that. Thank you. It is more than I could imagine asking from someone. And you make me see that being best friends does not necessarily mean we have to stick together all the time or we have to exclusively hang around the three of us - you make me see that 'best friends' go deeper than that: it is as long as we trust we will always be there for each other, especially when we need it the most.

I may not be generous with my words, and this whole post may sound flat, but I know you know how much I value this friendship.

So here's to years we've shared and the years to come.

May we stay best friends against all odds.

I love you.

Let me embarrass us.