Just got back to the game again after I quit it last 4 or was it 3 years. I noticed it helps u improve english a lot, so I started playing it again.
Who here plays this game in ur home? with ur neighbors?
Parliamentary Procedure
Lorenzo Angelo G. Co
Speech 64 (Mrs. Nora Ravello)
SUMMARY:
The Student Government of Silliman University had their meeting at January 4 2010. The meeting took into hearing the concerns of the University students, and activities that revolve around it. Members of the student government established formalities for the representatives of Silliman during their meeting, the Parliamentary Procedure was utilized during the meeting, creating a formal atmosphere during the session.
The parliamentary procedure was free for the public to watch and hear. Students and staff members of Silliman University were allowed to witness the meeting take place. As I could recall, there was a fair number of the student government members who attended the session. But it seems there were only very little non-sg members who tried to take a look at the parliamentary procedure; there was only me and my classmates of Maam Ravello’s class who were able to attend the parliamentary procedure.
The parliamentary procedure was being held inside the Hibbard Hall. There were no speakers or microphones that the members of the student government used during the session, just some chairs with arm-desks all arranged in the shape of a U, with the Vice President of the student government in the middle (since the President was absent during that day).
I and my classmates were seated at a distance away from the formation of chairs, leaving us a spectator’s view of the events that transpired. Since there were no speakers that the sg-members used, their voices were but unclear and faint for the ears.
Nevertheless, the members of the student government were very hospitable to us. They gave out printouts related to the flow of events in their meeting, so that we would be able to keep in tract as to what was going on, or what has been talked about if we were somehow unable to overhear the sg-members speaking aloud during the meeting.
REACTION:
Having some knowledge about Parliamentary Procedures, I was able to relate about most of the way the student Government in Silliman took place. However, due to the faint and unclear voices that the members of the student government gave out, I can only say that I was able to understand little about what actually happened. I knew that the sg-members were mostly talking on topics about, funds for the student government of Silliman to use for future plans and projects, about a video camera that the sg-members lost, and some topics related to future activities to be held in the campus. This point of “understanding what they were talking about” was enough for me to give a proper reaction to the meeting.
I can actually say that the student-government of Silliman University is well organized and formal, in a sense that they are able to establish meetings following proper parliamentary procedures. True, there might be some slight/not too slight differences in the course of action, but I believe, that it is through these little similarities the students have towards the actual government official meetings that makes them prepared in utilizing and battling the power of the government. After all, this is what we all came here for; to learn, in order for us to survive in the real world which is not encompassed by the boundaries of University protocols.
Formalities established in the student Government meeting at that time was enough for the members to have their own say. Proper decorum was established, even though the students were wearing casual attires and doing laid-back fronts. And in the end, the students were all able to come to an agreement about what to do regarding the concerns of their meeting. Some of the topics were tabled, some actually taken care of.
I’d like to comment about the volume of the students during the meeting. Most of the time I was unable to properly hear what the sg-members were saying, thus, I was unable to properly take track of what was happening. Perhaps it would’ve been better if the students talked in louder voices, or maybe make use of some voice modulating devices to give some comfort to the audience. Witnessing the meeting of the student-government members in Hibbard Hall made me weight the differences between them, and the meeting of the officials in the City Council in terms of “audience-friendliness.” I can say that the student government parliamentary procedure was more understandable to the audience compared to the meeting done by the officials at the City Council. The students even gave some of us handouts and brochures regarding the events that transpired during their past meetings.
While the parliamentary procedure in the City Council was fast, very incomprehensible and new to us. The sg-meeting gave out an air that was comfortable for me. Perhaps it is because of the fact that they were students like me, and that going inside a room filled with adults (I’m referring to people who are older than me, not just in terms of age, but in terms of lifestyle and position in the government) makes me feel a bit indifferent. But then again, there’s always that spark of curiosity and awe when you look at somebody at your level/or better yet, who should be at your level, doing stuff you couldn’t imagine to do; like going into conferences utilizing proper decorum.
I have never been a person who has immersed too much into formalities. I’ve always preferred the laid-back area of our society, constantly leaving my mannerisms like, rocking my extremities left to right and sitting in a slouched position to themselves. And I’m always saying to myself every time I think about doing things similar to what people do in conferences with proper decorum, “I could never do that.”Looking at the way the students acted on the meeting at Hibbard Hall, I said to myself “Hmm…That doesn’t look too hard. Perhaps if I were to work on my mannerisms more, I could blend in properly within a proper conference with me having a big part on the event.
To sum it all up, the meeting at Hibbard Hall by the student government has been more than a learning experience for me. Not only was I able to take a look at a parliamentary procedure in real-life, I was also able to relate the actions of the members to myself, whether I could do this/that or not. I believe that the atmosphere in a learning area is very important for the student to properly assimilate the information available. I was able to properly observe the parliamentary procedure, disregarding the facts about the problems relating to the volume of the members.
I would like to think again about my interests regarding formalities after looking at the parliamentary procedure in Hibbard Hall. Of course, there are always regrets, I sometimes say to myself statements like; “if I was able to practice these things during my younger years, then I might become very good at following proper decorum in group-discussions utilizing parliamentary procedures, perhaps not just parliamentary procedures, but to all kinds of formalities in a group-discussion, or better yet, perhaps all kinds of formalities in the social system.” I know that skills in a group-discussion are very important if I were to set out in the real world and get a proper job, with a controllable environment that doesn’t get too much out of hand every time personal matters come in place. But then again, I’m still young, and perhaps these small observations are just small stepping stones in my preparation to venture into the big world that is ruled by the formalities of the government.
Parliamentary Procedure
Lorenzo Angelo G. Co
Speech 64 (Mrs. Nora Ravello)
SUMMARY:
The City Council of Dumaguete City held a meeting last February 11, 2010. The meeting of the City Council took into hearing concerns about the City of Dumaguete. The parliamentary Procedure was used during the City Council Meeting, to create a system that was formal and controlled for everybody on the office to have their say in the matter.
Of course, the meeting at the City Council was always free for the public to hear, there were notably a few individuals taking their time to witness what actually occurred on February 11, 2010 City Council Meeting. I remember seeing people who wore semi-formal attire sitting in a corner of the City Council Meeting along with me to witness the parliamentary procedure take place.
The City Council meeting of Dumaguete City started at around 2:30 in the afternoon. There were a few city officials that came in late during the meeting, as I have noticed some of them arriving with formal attire on, and sitting on one of the chairs that was reserved for the city officials. There were plenty of agendas being discussed that afternoon, but due to the very unclear voices of the speakers, I was unable to understand almost everything that the city officials were saying. One thing that I was able to notice in familiarity was the topic about an election of Board of Directors, which was notably tabled during the later parts of the parliamentary procedure.
I was unable to finish watching the entire parliamentary procedure, and was only able to stay at the City Council meeting for at least 2 and a half hours, it was getting late in the afternoon, and I had an upcoming class at 5:00 pm, so at around 4:30 pm I packed up and left the scene.
REACTION Going into the City Hall and listening at City Council meetings was actually my first time. Surprised at myself after going into the room and actually witnessing the parliamentary procedure, I noticed that I was not very nervous. There was just a big hint of curiosity in my mind that came out at that time. Because of the fact that I have already witnessed how a student government meeting takes into action the parliamentary procedure in one of their meetings; I was even more curious and eager to discover the differences between a parliamentary procedure organized by students and a parliamentary procedure organized by actual government officials who must have actually been doing the process for years already.
The very first thing that I would like to comment about the parliamentary procedure was about the voices of the city officials during the meeting. It was so unclear to the point that I was really unable to understand more than half of what they were talking about. I believe that the student government meeting that occurred at Hibbard Hall was a lot more understandable than the official City Council meeting that I attended that afternoon.
Not only was that, but the pacing of the parliamentary procedure during the City Council meeting also very fast for me to take into decipher every bit of information that the meeting was giving out. I could remember being dumbfounded and startled, when the moderator pounds the small hammer out of nowhere during the procedure. I mean, I just barely trying to take into careful account what the officials were talking about, when all of a sudden, their talk about the agenda (which I am a bit unfamiliar at) comes to an end.
I also would like to point out the many unnecessary events that occurred during the parliamentary procedure, there were people moving in and out of the room. Some assistants or secretaries would come close to one of the officials sitting in the chairs and give a whisper, and then the official would stand up and go out of the room.
To sum it all up, I critique the student government meeting in Hibbard Hall, as a more formal one compared to the parliamentary procedure at the City Council in terms of following parliamentary procedure rules. Of course, I do believe that these inconsistencies are actually unavoidable in an actual parliamentary procedure. I don’t know why, but the variations that were occurring the City Council kind of gave their parliamentary procedure a more professional atmosphere. Maybe it is because students are still too yearning for a flawless system from the fact that it is only through rare occasions that they conduct such procedures. I believe that if you witness the same procedure again-and-again for a long time being, you’ll become tired of the proper decorum, not only tired, but adept at it to the fact that you can actually have your own version of the rules of formalities.
Thinking about the procedure made me realize the importance of never forgetting the earlier experiences of one’s lessons. Because I believe that it is through this constant reminder of oneself to create more flawless steps during the procedure that you can actually be good until the end.
