I think the Webster dictionary is more suited for me as a user of dictionary compared to Cambridge and Oxford. This is because Webster's wording is more familiar to me and suits me better which is probably in American English. I have been trained in the school in the Philippines using American English and using Webster dictionary. Probably, my judgement will be different if I have been trained and educated using the British style.
I also find Webster's website as more complete than the two others in terms of providing examples, synonyms and antonyms. It even has a section which provides rhymes for the word your are searching which is very useful if you are writing lyrics of a song or a poem. The website of Cambridge is full of advertisement photos which annoy me because it distracts and divides my attention when looking at the meaning of the word I am searching.
Thursday, 3 July 2014
My Profile
I am Jose Alan Castillo from Philippines. I am married with 2 kids. I am a forester by training and I have been in the profession for 17 years now, as a research forester specifically doing studies on understanding the ecology of forest ecosystem, my last 10 years focused on mangrove forest. I have been trained and educated both for my undergraduate and masters degrees at the University of the Philippines in Los Banos, Laguna, some 65 km south of Manila, the Philippines capital. Currently, I live in Australia in Toowoomba, Queensland doing my PhD in the application of remote sensing technology in the study of biomass and soil carbon stock and sequestration of mangroves.
Sunday, 29 June 2014
My first week in Australia
It was a mix of excitement and apprehension during my first week in Australia. Excitement because of the new life ahead of me and my family in this country as well as the feeling of studying abroad and on a scholarship at that. On the other hand, there is some apprehension because I am in a new environment and in new culture and away to those things that I am used to.
I was fortunate enough to have friends and contemporaries in college at the University of the Philippines Los Banos (UPLB) College of Forestry who are current PhD students in USQ. One is about to graduate this September and the other hopefully by God's grace by next year. The two were my fraternity brod and sorority sister. They were very helpful especially during the time when I was still applying for my PhD program slot at the university. I feel the family atmosphere and the Filipino environment with their company especially that both of their families are living with them here in Toowoomba.
I arrived Australia in Brisbane on a Tuesday and after two hours, I first saw Toowoomba in person, my host city for the next three years. Going to Toowoomba from Brisbane is like going to my place back home. This is because from the airport, you will first pass an urban area and after that enter an expressway where you will see left and right of the road vast agricultural fields. I work and live inside the campus of UPLB which is located also two hours drive south of Manila, the Philippines' capital. The only difference in Toowoomba is that there is a long uphill portion.
My first week in Australia was busy, full of excitement and adjustment. The very first night when I arrived, we had a dinner with my Filipino friends. It was my first time to eat a steak in Australia. The following day, I went to the University for the first time and I was lucky to have accompanied by my filipino friend to the campus and to the office of Student Contact Officer in Block B who accompanied me to do some paper works and gave me a sort of a tour to the different offices of the University. I also met for the first time co-Australia Awards scholars Jacob from Indonesia and Filemon of East Timor. On Thursday, I had the chance to have a meeting with my supervisor and my co-supervisor and talked initially my program of work, topic and other things. The two were very kind and gave me encouragement and advises on how to proceed with my program. I find the campus very nice, just like the campus I left temporarily in the Philippines. By Friday, we were invited by my fraternity brod to have a dinner in their house to celebrate his wife's birthday and also the result of his dissertation examination. We attended a worship service on Sunday and after the service we went to a park on top of a hill with giant flag pole and big Austalian flag and with a deck overlooking the uphill highway going to Toowoomba and Brisbane. We had lunch there with my two filipino friends and their family. I am still adjusting with the cold temperature and the right-hand drive and driving using the left side of the road. I think I need a month or two of practice before I can finally drive a car in the main street.
My first week in Australia is full of excitement and surprises but I miss my family, my wife and my two daughters I left in the Philippines. Hopefully they will be able to join me in a couple of months and be with me in my new chapter of my journey in life, The Australian Experience, as we savor together and experience in the next three years this Australia adventure.
I was fortunate enough to have friends and contemporaries in college at the University of the Philippines Los Banos (UPLB) College of Forestry who are current PhD students in USQ. One is about to graduate this September and the other hopefully by God's grace by next year. The two were my fraternity brod and sorority sister. They were very helpful especially during the time when I was still applying for my PhD program slot at the university. I feel the family atmosphere and the Filipino environment with their company especially that both of their families are living with them here in Toowoomba.
I arrived Australia in Brisbane on a Tuesday and after two hours, I first saw Toowoomba in person, my host city for the next three years. Going to Toowoomba from Brisbane is like going to my place back home. This is because from the airport, you will first pass an urban area and after that enter an expressway where you will see left and right of the road vast agricultural fields. I work and live inside the campus of UPLB which is located also two hours drive south of Manila, the Philippines' capital. The only difference in Toowoomba is that there is a long uphill portion.
My first week in Australia was busy, full of excitement and adjustment. The very first night when I arrived, we had a dinner with my Filipino friends. It was my first time to eat a steak in Australia. The following day, I went to the University for the first time and I was lucky to have accompanied by my filipino friend to the campus and to the office of Student Contact Officer in Block B who accompanied me to do some paper works and gave me a sort of a tour to the different offices of the University. I also met for the first time co-Australia Awards scholars Jacob from Indonesia and Filemon of East Timor. On Thursday, I had the chance to have a meeting with my supervisor and my co-supervisor and talked initially my program of work, topic and other things. The two were very kind and gave me encouragement and advises on how to proceed with my program. I find the campus very nice, just like the campus I left temporarily in the Philippines. By Friday, we were invited by my fraternity brod to have a dinner in their house to celebrate his wife's birthday and also the result of his dissertation examination. We attended a worship service on Sunday and after the service we went to a park on top of a hill with giant flag pole and big Austalian flag and with a deck overlooking the uphill highway going to Toowoomba and Brisbane. We had lunch there with my two filipino friends and their family. I am still adjusting with the cold temperature and the right-hand drive and driving using the left side of the road. I think I need a month or two of practice before I can finally drive a car in the main street.
My first week in Australia is full of excitement and surprises but I miss my family, my wife and my two daughters I left in the Philippines. Hopefully they will be able to join me in a couple of months and be with me in my new chapter of my journey in life, The Australian Experience, as we savor together and experience in the next three years this Australia adventure.
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