Today was my first day of practice teaching at a high school - and I loved it!!!! Of course, there is a big difference between observing and teaching and there will probably be some days that I think that life is being a complete nightmare but here are a few things that I've loved today:
♥ The fact that the school doesn't have bells - it doesn't have anything to signal the end of the period so you avoid that whole "OMG the bells run we have to leave class right now mentality" - the teacher has much more control. It does have an innovative way to signal to the student to get to class; a piece of music starts playing through speakers all over the school and students should be endeavouring to get to class by the time the music finishes (about five minutes). Way more pleasant!
♥ Instead of 5/6 usual length periods, the school runs three 100-minute classes. Slightly less effort than a double period, it's actually more effective with students. It stops them dicking around in between classes and allows for you to do more intense and interesting exercises with them.
♥ The teachers there have been so nice - I arrived to a fully organised time table with a variety of different teachers, age levels and abilities... I even have to assist with doing lunch duty on our whanau day (Friday). Dorky thing to be excited about, I know!
♥ Whanau groups - sort of like school houses (if you are from overseas and have no idea what I'm talking about... I can't help you) but they permeate even more through the school. Whanau is Maori for family and these whanau groups act as home rooms, senior mentors, core curriculum classes for those students who aren't streamed into higher achieving classes...
♥ Diaries - I swear, these are like little student passports. It's fantastic. They're used for records, for goal setting, for passes out of class and for what they call commendations - showing the qualities that are outlined as befitting a student of the school. This gains them both points for the house and personal letters of achievement in the areas of good character.
Ack there's so much more, but I'd be here all night. Still feel like there's so much to soak in. I really enjoyed my first day and here's to an equally good Day 2. And a professional development meeting of playing beach volleyball.
Sunday Afternoon Reads: "New Free Chocolate Sex" by Keith Lowe
"Well, the plot's nothing exciting but you learn a lot about chocolate!" - truer words never spoken, Mama Scribbles. Sharing books in the Scribbles household is par for the course, even if it is decidedly average like New Free Chocolate Sex by Keith Lowe
It's the first experience I've had of this author and the blurb of the book sounded a bit formulaic from the get go - standard chick lit fare. Boy meets girl in weird an unusual circumstance, girl is not so fond of boy, mayhem ensues and eventually ends in a happily ever after... trust me, I'm not spoiling the story for you by offering that much. What makes this story an interesting read is what's around the periphery of this bog-standard love story. Matt is a marketing director for a chocolate company and has a passion and knowledge for what makes us desire the sweet taste of chocolate. It is he that imparts the reason for the novel's unusual title. Sam takes the complete converse side of this - she is making a documentary on chocolate and is full of the facts and figures and appalling conditions in the countries that produce the raw ingredients. You really do get a well rounded and informative view of the world of chocolate if you can ignore the saccharine playacting of the characters inbetween.
I wouldn't go out and purchase this book myself, but it might be ideal for some "fluffy"-type reading on a picnic blanket when you can't really be bothered.
2 out of 5 stars.
It's the first experience I've had of this author and the blurb of the book sounded a bit formulaic from the get go - standard chick lit fare. Boy meets girl in weird an unusual circumstance, girl is not so fond of boy, mayhem ensues and eventually ends in a happily ever after... trust me, I'm not spoiling the story for you by offering that much. What makes this story an interesting read is what's around the periphery of this bog-standard love story. Matt is a marketing director for a chocolate company and has a passion and knowledge for what makes us desire the sweet taste of chocolate. It is he that imparts the reason for the novel's unusual title. Sam takes the complete converse side of this - she is making a documentary on chocolate and is full of the facts and figures and appalling conditions in the countries that produce the raw ingredients. You really do get a well rounded and informative view of the world of chocolate if you can ignore the saccharine playacting of the characters inbetween.
I wouldn't go out and purchase this book myself, but it might be ideal for some "fluffy"-type reading on a picnic blanket when you can't really be bothered.
2 out of 5 stars.
March, you've been a month...
March is usually a fairly crazy month at the best of times - it's the last of the summer (although it's officially autumn) and you get a lot of people trying to squeeze in events at this time. I know already of a wedding I'm going to in March next year! This March was as full on as I had expected - even more so really! Let's recap:
- Birthday dinner, where I had a great time with those friends who are dear to me.
- Started uni - was totally overwhelmed in the first week.
- Mum back into hospital where they finally detected a bacteria that shouldn't have been there and gave her the appropriate antibiotics - she hasn't been back since
- Met a certain handsome boy who had been sending me lovely long emails - and have been seeing a fair amount of him since
- Felt more au fait with things the second week of uni - got used to class and schedules and the fact that one of our assignments was to READ (I mean, how cool is that?)
- Finding a pair of jeans that fit my butt!
- Got surprised by Gothika who usually lives in Australia - she asked me to pick her up to go to our friends' engagement party
- Engagement party - this couple has been together for years but it doesn't make it any less special.
- Worked a shift as I was coming down with serious illness - I swear I actually felt kinda delirious.
- Got my ass absolutely booted by a cold - it was not cool. An ear infection made me deaf for a week and I'm still fending off a snotty nose and a cough
- On the upside, that didn't seem to make the boy like me any less.
- Dates... lots of dates. Including holding hands at the movies - oh man, have I missed that.
- A weekend away in Waihi in which I managed to miss the boy, feel stressed about Gothika's personal circumstances in Sydney, feel relieved that Ex-S has decided to be not so much of a baby and enjoy spending time with my crazy friends. There is also photographic evidence that I spent most of the evening in my sleeping bag - damn March nights are cold :D
- Handing in two assignments, one early - damn it feels good.
- Getting assigned to practicum at the school I wanted and prepping for the experience, purchasing a $160 dictaphone - yikes!
- Having two classes cancelled yesterday and resting for most of the day - for what feels like the first time in March.
Literary Inspirations - George Orwell on Children
Never have ideas about children, and never have ideas for them
Sage words to keep in mind, as either a parent or a teacher. I start my practicum next week at the school I hope to be teaching at next year and at the moment my mind is just overwhelmed with different ideas and theories and information. The moment I step in front of a class, none of that is going to matter. It will be me, it will be them and we'll work together to learn regardless of Piaget's theories. I'm thrilled and really nervous at the same time, but this is the culmination of why I went back to study in the first place.
-George Orwell
Sage words to keep in mind, as either a parent or a teacher. I start my practicum next week at the school I hope to be teaching at next year and at the moment my mind is just overwhelmed with different ideas and theories and information. The moment I step in front of a class, none of that is going to matter. It will be me, it will be them and we'll work together to learn regardless of Piaget's theories. I'm thrilled and really nervous at the same time, but this is the culmination of why I went back to study in the first place.
Just another manic Monday...
Actually, my Monday isn't too manic. I have uni then work and somewhere in between I have to polish off my reading log to hand in tomorrow but there's very little stress involved in that... the marking for the reading log is complete/incomplete and it either is or it isn't LOL. It will be. I had a wonderful weekend... hanging out with the boy on Friday night, we decided to go to the movies. It wasn't for a while so we thought we'd snuggle on the couch and watch TV, not realising it was a double episode... epic fail! We ended up just getting burgers and watching movies at home and it was lovely and comfortable and I wished I could stay (and so did he) but I had stuff to organise for the road trip the next day.
A group of us were heading down to a bach in Waihi Beach for some fun in the sun before it disappears for the next six months (okay, that's an exaggeration, I live in NZ not Antarctica) and it was a bit too soon in the scheme of things to bring down the boy so I was travelling down with Curvette. It was good to have someone to chat to on the ride down and we ended up breaking the trip in both Ngatea (so Curvette could buy some booze, it's actually cheaper out of Auckland) and Waihi (lunch and a little bit of an explore). Waihi township, not to be confused with Waihi Beach Village, has a really rich goldmining history which leaves you with some crazy gorgeous ruins like the one below...
That's an old pumphouse... if you spin around from the vantage point where I took this picture, you can look right into the modern-day gold mine that operates there. Talk about some serious vertigo... nothing like a massive hole in the ground to make you feel like an ant.
Anyway, as Curvette and I were geeking it up we were getting texts as to why we weren't at the bach yet so we packed it in for the twenty minute drive the rest of the way. Had a nice time hanging out with friends and for some reason, this was the weekend that Ex-S actually decided that it was alright to be mature enough to talk to me. Whether he felt enough time had gone by, he heard me talking about the new boy or he just decided to be a man and grow up, I'll never know. I can't say we'll ever be friends, but it's nice that he can be civil - makes the whole thing a tonne less awkward. Had some drama going on with Gothika in Aussie that had me a little concerned all evening but was still able to relax and have a great time... even if I kinda wished the boy was there to have a little snuggle with. Thank goodness for cell phones and surreptitious text messages.
Had a lazy start to Sunday with bacon (and eggs for those who eat them) done on the BBQ... munched on the bacon sammie, drove to the village for coffee (mmm, soy mocha) with my fellow addicts and then lazed on the deck while those who could get their ears wet went for a morning swim. Drove back to AKL with Curvette, stopping to have a look at a house that one of the couples has a conditional offer on (because we're nosey and we roll like that) and then went out last night to catch a movie (and a cuddle) with the boy. Awwww... cuteface. Is it wrong that two weeks after meeting him, I can already be missing him?
A group of us were heading down to a bach in Waihi Beach for some fun in the sun before it disappears for the next six months (okay, that's an exaggeration, I live in NZ not Antarctica) and it was a bit too soon in the scheme of things to bring down the boy so I was travelling down with Curvette. It was good to have someone to chat to on the ride down and we ended up breaking the trip in both Ngatea (so Curvette could buy some booze, it's actually cheaper out of Auckland) and Waihi (lunch and a little bit of an explore). Waihi township, not to be confused with Waihi Beach Village, has a really rich goldmining history which leaves you with some crazy gorgeous ruins like the one below...
That's an old pumphouse... if you spin around from the vantage point where I took this picture, you can look right into the modern-day gold mine that operates there. Talk about some serious vertigo... nothing like a massive hole in the ground to make you feel like an ant.
Anyway, as Curvette and I were geeking it up we were getting texts as to why we weren't at the bach yet so we packed it in for the twenty minute drive the rest of the way. Had a nice time hanging out with friends and for some reason, this was the weekend that Ex-S actually decided that it was alright to be mature enough to talk to me. Whether he felt enough time had gone by, he heard me talking about the new boy or he just decided to be a man and grow up, I'll never know. I can't say we'll ever be friends, but it's nice that he can be civil - makes the whole thing a tonne less awkward. Had some drama going on with Gothika in Aussie that had me a little concerned all evening but was still able to relax and have a great time... even if I kinda wished the boy was there to have a little snuggle with. Thank goodness for cell phones and surreptitious text messages.
Had a lazy start to Sunday with bacon (and eggs for those who eat them) done on the BBQ... munched on the bacon sammie, drove to the village for coffee (mmm, soy mocha) with my fellow addicts and then lazed on the deck while those who could get their ears wet went for a morning swim. Drove back to AKL with Curvette, stopping to have a look at a house that one of the couples has a conditional offer on (because we're nosey and we roll like that) and then went out last night to catch a movie (and a cuddle) with the boy. Awwww... cuteface. Is it wrong that two weeks after meeting him, I can already be missing him?
Sunday Afternoon Reads: Wicked by Gregory Maguire
Having grown up with the Judy Garland technicolour version of Oz, the novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West really intrigued me. I mean, how much of a back story could there be? She was the evil villian - of the same vein as Ursula the Sea-Hag in The Little Mermaid, The Wicked Stepsisters in Cinderella, Cruella de Ville in 101 Dalmations. They were mean and nasty and harboured vendettas because, well, that's just who they were. Yet in life, when people are harsh or mean and seem to harbour grudges, I always seem to try and work out what makes them feel that way; what went so drastically wrong that they feel that attitude is their only recourse.
Wicked provides the back story behind who this character is... this wicked witch of the west. It follows Elphaba from her birth (where she appalled her otherwise normal parents by her fang like teeth and appalling green colour) and through her higher schooling years where we are interested to the other "witches" of the story - Nessarose, whose dictorial rule over Munchkinland earns her the title of Wicked Witch of the East, and Glinda, who never considers herself a witch at all until Dorothy gives her the title. It follows the passions for causes and for lovers that Elphaba pursues in early adulthood and the disappointments and struggles she has that lead her to be a somewhat embittered middle-aged woman who is living a life that she never really asked for in the first place.
Where the story really gets fired up is with the introduction of Dorothy as an antagonist in the story. Suddenly the story that you thought was so clear becomes very muddy and murky. Dorothy is perhaps not the innocent southern belle that she has been portrayed as. It brings to mind the truism that history is always written by the victors - we often don't get to see the losing side.
Gregory Maguire creates a story and background to the world of OZ that extends far beyond the realms of what can be seen in the movie. I haven't had a chance to see a stage play of Wicked but I doubt that it goes into the colour and significant amount of detail that he has been able to compact into a still very readable novel. I recommend this to all girls who ever wanted to wear ruby slippers and follow the yellow brick road.
4 out of 5 stars
Wicked provides the back story behind who this character is... this wicked witch of the west. It follows Elphaba from her birth (where she appalled her otherwise normal parents by her fang like teeth and appalling green colour) and through her higher schooling years where we are interested to the other "witches" of the story - Nessarose, whose dictorial rule over Munchkinland earns her the title of Wicked Witch of the East, and Glinda, who never considers herself a witch at all until Dorothy gives her the title. It follows the passions for causes and for lovers that Elphaba pursues in early adulthood and the disappointments and struggles she has that lead her to be a somewhat embittered middle-aged woman who is living a life that she never really asked for in the first place.
Where the story really gets fired up is with the introduction of Dorothy as an antagonist in the story. Suddenly the story that you thought was so clear becomes very muddy and murky. Dorothy is perhaps not the innocent southern belle that she has been portrayed as. It brings to mind the truism that history is always written by the victors - we often don't get to see the losing side.
Gregory Maguire creates a story and background to the world of OZ that extends far beyond the realms of what can be seen in the movie. I haven't had a chance to see a stage play of Wicked but I doubt that it goes into the colour and significant amount of detail that he has been able to compact into a still very readable novel. I recommend this to all girls who ever wanted to wear ruby slippers and follow the yellow brick road.
4 out of 5 stars
In the blink of an eye...
When trying to come up with something clever, witty or pop-cultural reference for today I was drawing a complete blank... My brain is clearly in need of a defrag, loading a boy into my system has got my virtual memory running too low. My apologies. Things seem to be going well on that front for those of you that are playing along at home. I haven't been able to see him for a week so I'm really really really looking forward to seeing him tonight.
The thing that's been crossing my mind lately is the death of Natasha Richardson, actress and wife of Liam Neeson, at the age of 45. And it's not for the reason you might think. Ever since Mama Scribbles got cancer, everyone goes "Oh that's so hard! How do you cope? Morbiddy morbiddy blah blah". The answer is you just do cope - when you're there, it's not like you have a choice to do otherwise. Driving to the hospital one day (oh probably about the second time mum got admitted because of that darn infection), I saw an accident on the other side of the motorway that was most likely fatal. All that could cross my mind was that my mum was in hospital, with cancer and an infection, but at least she was safe. These people hopped in their car, heading to a destination and had no reason whatsoever to believe that they wouldn't arrive.
When my grandma passed of cancer, we only had a short time to say goodbye (six weeks from diagnosis to her passing) but we made each moment count. Mum and I have big long talks some days because I know and she knows that there's a possibility of her not being round five years from now. Natasha Richardson's family? They had no time... no time to say how much you are loved, no time to say how much you changed a life, no time to share your words of wisdom, advice and dreams.
So on that deep and dark note, my Scribblettes, seek out those people who mean the most to you and tell them now, not later, what they need to know. They may not have cancer, they may in perfect health... but one day, it may be too late.
The thing that's been crossing my mind lately is the death of Natasha Richardson, actress and wife of Liam Neeson, at the age of 45. And it's not for the reason you might think. Ever since Mama Scribbles got cancer, everyone goes "Oh that's so hard! How do you cope? Morbiddy morbiddy blah blah". The answer is you just do cope - when you're there, it's not like you have a choice to do otherwise. Driving to the hospital one day (oh probably about the second time mum got admitted because of that darn infection), I saw an accident on the other side of the motorway that was most likely fatal. All that could cross my mind was that my mum was in hospital, with cancer and an infection, but at least she was safe. These people hopped in their car, heading to a destination and had no reason whatsoever to believe that they wouldn't arrive.
When my grandma passed of cancer, we only had a short time to say goodbye (six weeks from diagnosis to her passing) but we made each moment count. Mum and I have big long talks some days because I know and she knows that there's a possibility of her not being round five years from now. Natasha Richardson's family? They had no time... no time to say how much you are loved, no time to say how much you changed a life, no time to share your words of wisdom, advice and dreams.
So on that deep and dark note, my Scribblettes, seek out those people who mean the most to you and tell them now, not later, what they need to know. They may not have cancer, they may in perfect health... but one day, it may be too late.
Literary Inspirations: Victor Hugo on Deafness
“What matters deafness of the ears when the mind hears? The one true deafness, the incurable deafness, is that of the mind”
A bit tongue in cheek this week, I've been half deaf this week due to having a nasty ear infection that only infants are meant to get. No wonder they scream and yell when they get it, it really hurts and they have no way of communicating that. Despite only hearing things out to the right to me and feeling off kilter, life has been getting steadily better since the Sunday/Monday hooha when I had to work an extra shift on Sunday and woke up on Monday feeling like I had elephantitis of the left side of my head. Emails and texts have totally helped as well... it's nice to have someone who will mock you in a very caring way :D
I did like this quote though - there's nothing worse with someone who has a closed mind. I'm not so narcissistic as to believe everyone should share my point of view. We write in a blogosphere where one person may have a completely different take or opinion on something - we're multi-national, multi-cultural, multi-spiritual. We support different political movements, we're pessimists, optimists, realists. Sometimes I'll read something on a blog that I really don't agree with - it's not valid in my personal life experience. That doesn't give me the right to dismiss it out of hand as a valid way for that person to live their life and it doesn't give me the right to dismiss all their writing based on one comment... by becoming deaf to them I could find that I miss some gems of advice that could change my life.
-Victor Hugo
A bit tongue in cheek this week, I've been half deaf this week due to having a nasty ear infection that only infants are meant to get. No wonder they scream and yell when they get it, it really hurts and they have no way of communicating that. Despite only hearing things out to the right to me and feeling off kilter, life has been getting steadily better since the Sunday/Monday hooha when I had to work an extra shift on Sunday and woke up on Monday feeling like I had elephantitis of the left side of my head. Emails and texts have totally helped as well... it's nice to have someone who will mock you in a very caring way :D
I did like this quote though - there's nothing worse with someone who has a closed mind. I'm not so narcissistic as to believe everyone should share my point of view. We write in a blogosphere where one person may have a completely different take or opinion on something - we're multi-national, multi-cultural, multi-spiritual. We support different political movements, we're pessimists, optimists, realists. Sometimes I'll read something on a blog that I really don't agree with - it's not valid in my personal life experience. That doesn't give me the right to dismiss it out of hand as a valid way for that person to live their life and it doesn't give me the right to dismiss all their writing based on one comment... by becoming deaf to them I could find that I miss some gems of advice that could change my life.
Swapsies...
I have THE worst head cold known to man, so thought I'd swap round "Sunday Afternoon Reads" for something I could type with absolutely no mental capacity whatsoever - so if you've dived into this article expecting a philosophical and intelligent post... you're best to come back tomorrow, when I have some semblence of having my head together. Today is not the day for advanced thought - I thought I heard a baby start screaming and it took me about 10 seconds to realise that it was the milk frother on the espresso machine...
Yes, I am at work today. One of the crappy things about working in a small department is that the amount of cover available is minimal. I'd rostered on to cover someone else's shift, which left no one to cover me... however much the boss might like to. About half the way through my shift and have been able to keep my shit together, barely. I have a compelling urge to just fall asleep on the desk and I look like a pale nightmare with a chapped red nose - the one thing that makes me glad that I'm not seeing the boy until Thursday...
And yes, as those of you who follow me on Twitter may have noted (and possibly snapped me out on), there is a special boy in my life at the moment. It's very new, very exciting and I think he's fairly fantastic... and hope he feels the same. We've been on three dates now and I feel very at ease when talking to him; as I was saying to Em recently, he's the first guy I've felt invested in for quite a while. Things are nowhere near official yet (I mean, come on, he hasn't been given a blog pseudonym and there's been no Facebook status change) but I'm enjoying the time that we're spending together and taking things slow. Will fill you in more as this unfolds but now all you love bunnies are in the loop and no-one can accuse me of being a dirty hold-out minx (ahem, CC!)
Speaking of sparkly wonderful things, I was slowly getting ready for an engagement party last night - should have really known that I was getting sick even then - and I get a text from Gothika asking how I am, what I'm doing tonight, the usual cross-Tasman banter that we usually do. I tell her about the boy and she says Fantastic, tell me more over drinks tonight!... ahem, say what? I ask her if I've missed a memo somewhere along the line and she says Surprise! I'm in Auckland. Much squeeing ensued but I enjoyed being the gruesome twosome again for one night only :D As much as I wish that she would hurry up and move back to NZ, I know that she's in the right place for her now... and just hope we can get up to a tonne of mischief in July, when I make the big trip over to Sydney.
Anyway, that's my blah for today. On a day when I'm feeling blah. Come back for something more well-educated tomorrow.
Time...
Halfway through March already - it's crazy how fast a year slips by! One night, in deep drunken conversation with a couple of friends, we decided that the years seem to go faster because the percentage of your life that they contain reduces. When you're ten, a year is 1/10th of your life. When you're forty, the fraction is a lot smaller. And yes, I can only do maths when I've been drinking :P
I turned 24 recently, that's not that old - some people are married with kids at that age, others aren't. You're definitely a grown-up (even if you live under the same roof as your parents - ahem) but in essence you're at the beginning of your flight of adulthood, regardless of your circumstance. For the most part I still feel really young.
For the most part...
Until another student in my curriculum study class pipes up that for his 21st, he's going to do X and I realise that my 21st was three years ago. When I speak up in class that we were the last high school year before the new New Zealand high-stakes assessment regime (NCEA) was instituted - and that was seven years ago. When my high school boyfriend texts me to say he's been back to a place we went on vacation to, telling me how much it's changed... and I think, well duh, that's because it was nine years ago that we were there. When Ms.Bee leans over in the church service on my birthday and tells me that we've known each other for twenty years - and I realise that it's almost a quarter century that I've known NavyWife. When I think about the time that has passed, it makes me feel ancient... then I realise that my adult life has only just begun.
I turned 24 recently, that's not that old - some people are married with kids at that age, others aren't. You're definitely a grown-up (even if you live under the same roof as your parents - ahem) but in essence you're at the beginning of your flight of adulthood, regardless of your circumstance. For the most part I still feel really young.
For the most part...
Until another student in my curriculum study class pipes up that for his 21st, he's going to do X and I realise that my 21st was three years ago. When I speak up in class that we were the last high school year before the new New Zealand high-stakes assessment regime (NCEA) was instituted - and that was seven years ago. When my high school boyfriend texts me to say he's been back to a place we went on vacation to, telling me how much it's changed... and I think, well duh, that's because it was nine years ago that we were there. When Ms.Bee leans over in the church service on my birthday and tells me that we've known each other for twenty years - and I realise that it's almost a quarter century that I've known NavyWife. When I think about the time that has passed, it makes me feel ancient... then I realise that my adult life has only just begun.
Literary Inspiration: Thomas Hardy on Affection
" . . . the highest form of affection is based on full sincerity on both sides."
Enough said.
Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy
Enough said.
Fuel...
And not the hyper-expensive liquid stuff that you put in your car, either. That's another blog post in itself. I'm talking about people fuel... what we put in to get from A to B. My schedule at the moment also appears to have me looping around E, parking on dotted yellow lines at Z and zooming back to N.
With such a full on schedule at the moment, I'm already feeling the drag when I don't eat well and I've got back into the bad habit of skipping meals entirely. I'm absolutely not hungry when I wake up at six and then *boom* I'm skipping out of a class at half past twelve and I haven't eaten yet. The uni cafeteria sucks a big banana (it is tiny and once the sushi has sold out, the only thing I can eat are the hot chips) so I'm eating unhealthy food, I'm eating it far too late in the day and I'm spacing out - sorry, proper teaching term opting out - in my morning classes because I haven't had enough to eat. Mondays and most Tuesdays I'm heading straight to work afterwards, meaning that I'm getting fast food on the way or not eating until 10pm at night. Or not eating dinner at all.
I'm getting a heck load more walking in so I'm yet to see the effects of my disastrous eating efforts on my waistline, but I'm sure not getting any lighter. What's worse is that it's unlikely that I'm getting the nutrients I need for a healthy body which is going to lead to illness. The way I see it, there are three central points to be addressed.
1) I'm not hungry when I wake up first thing in the morning, ergo I am missing out breakfast, the most important meal of the day.
2) There is very little that I can eat in the uni cafeteria, ergo I am eating fatty fried food for lunch
3) On days when I have work straight after uni, my dinner hour gets all messed up, ergo I am eating crap or eating late.
Let's tackle #1 first... I wish I could drink an "Up & Go" or similar fibre-packed breakfast smoothie. At last check, they hadn't brought out any soy-based versions that were dairy free. I'm willing to do an experiment here though... using a blender at that time of the morning would probably get me shot but I can attempt to make a soy version of a breakfast shake the night before and see if that is easier to digest before catching the train.
#2... Convenient, chuck-straight-in-the-bag, minimal prep meals. Tuna and crackers, fruit and sandwiches if I'm feeling particularly bountiful on time. Little packets of rice crackers or healthier style chips. When I ran my own house I used to deliberately cook so there would be left-overs; doing some cooking on the weekend could allow for food to reheat during the week, even in
#3, the evenings. This one requires a little more thought and effort, on the other hand it's only once or twice a week that it's an issue. I drive to uni on the days that I have work afterwards. What's to stop me dropping a meal into the work fridge on the way?
I think the key to getting my healthy eating back on track and feeling energetic lies with methodically planning - the same way I'm tackling my school work. Any ideas on how I can make this work even better? Recipes and advice most welcome in the comments.
Sunday Afternoon Read: The "Tomorrow" series by John Marsden
Today's Sunday Afternoon Read focuses on John Marsden's Tomorrow series, and in particular the first novel of this seven part series "Tomorrow, when the war began". While all the books could be read separately, I feel that once you've read one, you'll be eager to find out what happens next.
Tomorrow is targeted at more of a teen audience than the readers of this blog but I don't think anything is lost in reading the books from an older perspective... there are elements that aren't so much "That's so my life right now" but are more "I remember being that crazy when I was younger". There are also themes that are relevant no matter what age you are - that people can change under pressure and it's not always in the way that you'd expect, that love comes when it isn't convenient and how trauma can bring people closer.
The plotline is somewhat predictable - at one stage the characters in the novel have a minor premonition as to what has happened - but the fodder of the novel is not so much in the invasion as in the reaction of the characters to the invasion in their lands. When you come back from a camping vacation to find your land full of hostile forces and your parents have been captured, what do you do? Surrender or fight?
The novel is well written, simple enough language to be accessible to a wide range of people but with complex themes that make you think.
4 out of 5 stars
Tomorrow is targeted at more of a teen audience than the readers of this blog but I don't think anything is lost in reading the books from an older perspective... there are elements that aren't so much "That's so my life right now" but are more "I remember being that crazy when I was younger". There are also themes that are relevant no matter what age you are - that people can change under pressure and it's not always in the way that you'd expect, that love comes when it isn't convenient and how trauma can bring people closer.
The plotline is somewhat predictable - at one stage the characters in the novel have a minor premonition as to what has happened - but the fodder of the novel is not so much in the invasion as in the reaction of the characters to the invasion in their lands. When you come back from a camping vacation to find your land full of hostile forces and your parents have been captured, what do you do? Surrender or fight?
The novel is well written, simple enough language to be accessible to a wide range of people but with complex themes that make you think.
4 out of 5 stars
All this wasn't enough...
What you see in the photo were the wound dressings that we had for changing mum's incision and radiation burn coverings. That's our dining room table covered with them (we've just been eating in the lounge). Yet it wasn't enough... mum is back in hospital for the fifth time because of this stupid infection. I'm at the end of my tether and wanting to kick some serious hospital ass. How's she meant to focus on beating her cancer with this recurring bullsh*t?
This isn't my usual perky or philosophical or deep post - I'm sick of this crap and it's overwhelming the way I feel tonight. Is there anything that is pissing you off? Who's or what ass are you wanting to kick tonight?
This isn't my usual perky or philosophical or deep post - I'm sick of this crap and it's overwhelming the way I feel tonight. Is there anything that is pissing you off? Who's or what ass are you wanting to kick tonight?
Literary Inspiration: Jane Austen on disappointment
There will be little rubs and disappointments everywhere, and we are all apt to expect too much; but then, if one scheme of happiness fails, human nature turns to another; if the first calculation is wrong, we make a second better: we find comfort somewhere.
- Jane Austen
There's been a bit of an altercation in my personal life that I'm not yet sure I will blog about. It is something that I hope can be resolved, but my disappointment in this person will be comforted regardless in cups of Coffee Culture Vanilla Chai Latte (any parcels of this from my Christchurch readers, I will love you forever!), beginning a new crafty project (the scrapbooking album I made for my parents' anniversary went down a treat), throwing myself into the required reading for my university assignments and spending time with those friends (both IRL and online) that don't desire me to change.
What are your "schemes of happiness" that you use to pick yourself up from disappointments?
Holey Moley...
The first day of anything is always an eye opener.
It starts with your first day at kindy, first day of the school year, first day at a job...
Today was the first day of my one-year intensive teaching diploma.
Yikes.
Concepts seem to turn real and at the same time become somewhat overwhelming - in four weeks, we will be observing in a school. In only 6 weeks of class time, we will be starting to teach classes (albeit fairly unsuccessfully to start with). In the second semester of this year I will be teaching classes ALL on my own. And less than a year from now I will have my OWN classes - I will be a fully fledged teacher. I knew all of this before I started the course, don't get me wrong. But looking at our full-on assessment schedules and hearing about lesson plans and thematic unit structures and mapping out (on the first day) the books I will be reading as my Young Adult reading log (a pass/fail requirement for the semester) makes it so much more real.
I'm really excited to be finally doing the study that will allow me to follow my dreams but, at the same time, feeling really overwhelmed. It isn't the first time I've felt this feeling and I need to bear in mind that I just need time to sit and digest the information and work out a manageable plan. Scribblettes, do you ever feel overwhelmed with anything? What are your coping techniques?
Sunday Afternoon Reads: Guest Post by Miss Corrine!
This Sunday Afternoon Read is brought to you by my good friend Miss Corrine. Check out her self-named site Miss Corrine and keep in the loop for updates on her upcoming web project "Frock & Roll"!
When a friend recently suggested that I run, and not walk, to obtain Russell Brand's autobiography My Booky Wook, I was instantly curious, but admittedly, it was only upon having the opening dedication thrusted under my nose that my interest truly piqued:
Aside from it's brilliant wit and impressive insight, what I loved most about My Booky Wook was it's surprisingly inspirational undertones: Brand's early relentless pursuit of greatness and quest for fame proves that with persistence, you can truly achieve anything that you desire:
4 out of 5 stars.
When a friend recently suggested that I run, and not walk, to obtain Russell Brand's autobiography My Booky Wook, I was instantly curious, but admittedly, it was only upon having the opening dedication thrusted under my nose that my interest truly piqued:
''For my Mum, the most important woman in my life, this book is dedicated to you. Now for God's sake, don't read it.''It is these words that immediately set the tone for what is truly an achingly hilarious, shockingly sharp and remarkably charismatic novel. My Booky Wook chronicles the extraordinary life of Brand, capturing everything from his troubled youth and experimental adolescence, to his magical and somewhat awe-inspiring journey into the world of acting and comedy and ultimately, how he grew to become one of Britain's most popular entertainers. Throughout the novel, Brand is intelligent, witty, and refreshingly candid: even as he navigates his way through recounting his various addictions (self-harm, alcohol, drugs and sex), his brilliant sense of humour and flair for writing make even the most difficult of situations seem utterly hilarious, and him entirely likeable. Completing the novel almost feels like having an extended conversation with an intimate friend.
Aside from it's brilliant wit and impressive insight, what I loved most about My Booky Wook was it's surprisingly inspirational undertones: Brand's early relentless pursuit of greatness and quest for fame proves that with persistence, you can truly achieve anything that you desire:
''You can do whatever you want. Now if I want something - whether it's a job or a woman - I will determinedly, resolutely, remove anything that's in the way, until I possess the object of my desire. My dad's philosophy was (and I think still is) that life is a malevolent force, which seeks to destroy you, and you have to struggle with it. Only those who are hard enough will succeed. Most people get crushed, but if you fight, in the end life will go 'Fucking hell. This one's serious. Let him through.'The verdict? Cancel-all-of-your-plans-and-stay-home-reading good.
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