That's right. The exams are over, and boy am I relieved. It's been a tough semester, with a few really hard, back-breaking assignments. Oh wait. Most of them were hard, back-breaking assignments. But well, it's over. 3 years down, 1 more to go. I usually have a 2-month holiday after every semester, but this sem it'll be a little different. No holiday for us soon-to-be-4th-years cause we've got to go through our teaching practice for the next 9 weeks. I think I've mentioned this before. So yeah, I'll be heading out to a particular school situated right smack in the middle of town. Try to take a guess, you braver ones.
So what have I done in preparation for this great moment? So far, nothing. I just got out of exams lar remember? But anyway, there'll be three of us teacher trainees (I like the sound of that, don't you?) going to that school (the one right smack in the middle of town), more specifically 2 TESLians (me and a coursemate) and 1 Maths. We're pretty excited, rather worried, very nervous. We paid a visit to the school about 2 weeks back, just to y'know, look see look see. We've each been given 2 classes to teach (oooh, the poor students - they won't know what's gonna hit them), and we'll be starting "The Great 9-Week Experiment" - I'm gonna refer to TP as this from time to time - this Monday, the 5th. We're also supposed to get involved with some extra-curricular activities while we're there. No, we're not supposed to play basketball, we're supposed to monitor the goings-on. Big difference there, but hey it's not like I don't know anything about basketball. All that Slam Dunk-watching has its own benefits. But no, I didn't mention anything about basketball, though I did mention my interest in their debating club. My other TESLian friend said she might join the drama club.
Whatever it is, I'm sure it'll be an experience of a lifetime. I'll try to blog as much as possible, but due to confidentiality issues, I probably won't be mentioning any specific names, just in case. You know how technologically savvy kids are these days. Imagine stumbling onto your teacher's blog. Not a very nice thought.
I'm kinda sad though. Slam Dunk will be coming to an end next Tuesday. They'll be showing the last episode then, but it's far from over. The actual comic book lasts for like an additional 10 books. Too bad. It's like my medicine after a hard day's work. Stress stress stress, come home, watch Sakuragi and the gang, laugh laugh laugh. What am I going to do when there's no Shohoku team to come home to?
There's still American Idol though. They're down to the top 5, and I hope David Cook wins. Have you heard his version of Mariah Carey's Always Be My Baby? I had to pick my jaw up off the floor after his performance. It's really something.
Well, that's it. I think I've probably blogged long enough. Will be back real soon.
Cheers!
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Monday, April 07, 2008
It's been a long time!
Wow, I know it's been a really long time since my last blogpost. I've just been so occupied with assignments and all that I really haven't even had the time to come online. But it's getting better. This is the last week of lectures, and next week will be the study break before the final exams.
It's funny how time passes so fast. It seems like only yesterday that I took my first step into university, and in a blink of an eye my third year is coming to an end. I won't be having any holidays after the exams though. I'll be having my Teaching Practice (more affectionately referred to as TP) for 9 weeks, lasting from the first week of May till... however long 9 weeks is. Am I looking forward to it? Not really. The worst news I've heard so far is that we teacher trainees will be expected to go to the schools during the school holidays and work from 8 to 5. And the school I'll be going to is right smack in the middle of town, so you can see that I'm not really looking forward to facing the early morning and afternoon traffic rush. Why do they call it a traffic rush, when you can't even move a bit? Interesting.
But I've been doing a lot of reading. I've finished the first 4 books in Sophie Kinsella's Shopaholic series, and on Saturday I finished reading Burnett's A Little Princess. This morning I finished Little Lord Fauntleroy (also by Burnett) in class, and this afternoon I started reading Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House On The Prairie. Yeah, I guess you can say I'm really catching up on my reading.
I also managed to catch a 27 Dresses last Friday with three friends. First we had dinner at Richmond, where I had delicious black pepper lamb. After the movie, we hung out at Bing's and of course I had my usual White Summer.
I've still got about 2 assignments to go before I can relax. But then again, I can't really relax until after the exams, and even then I still have to face the pressures of TP. Argh. But on the brighter side, it'll make for some interesting blogposts. And that's if I can even find the time.
Cheers you all. Let's hope I blog more regularly after this.
P.S. If you scroll to the bottom of the page, you'll see that I've included the Tower Blaster game. So now you guys can come to my blog to read and play games, heehee! End of P.S.
It's funny how time passes so fast. It seems like only yesterday that I took my first step into university, and in a blink of an eye my third year is coming to an end. I won't be having any holidays after the exams though. I'll be having my Teaching Practice (more affectionately referred to as TP) for 9 weeks, lasting from the first week of May till... however long 9 weeks is. Am I looking forward to it? Not really. The worst news I've heard so far is that we teacher trainees will be expected to go to the schools during the school holidays and work from 8 to 5. And the school I'll be going to is right smack in the middle of town, so you can see that I'm not really looking forward to facing the early morning and afternoon traffic rush. Why do they call it a traffic rush, when you can't even move a bit? Interesting.
But I've been doing a lot of reading. I've finished the first 4 books in Sophie Kinsella's Shopaholic series, and on Saturday I finished reading Burnett's A Little Princess. This morning I finished Little Lord Fauntleroy (also by Burnett) in class, and this afternoon I started reading Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House On The Prairie. Yeah, I guess you can say I'm really catching up on my reading.
I also managed to catch a 27 Dresses last Friday with three friends. First we had dinner at Richmond, where I had delicious black pepper lamb. After the movie, we hung out at Bing's and of course I had my usual White Summer.
I've still got about 2 assignments to go before I can relax. But then again, I can't really relax until after the exams, and even then I still have to face the pressures of TP. Argh. But on the brighter side, it'll make for some interesting blogposts. And that's if I can even find the time.
Cheers you all. Let's hope I blog more regularly after this.
P.S. If you scroll to the bottom of the page, you'll see that I've included the Tower Blaster game. So now you guys can come to my blog to read and play games, heehee! End of P.S.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Flu!
I've been very sick this week. I started feeling really lethargic last week, but I thought it was just the usual me, until my dad told me that I had the flu. But that was just that, I just went around feeling really tired and lazy. And then on Sunday, I woke up from my afternoon nap and felt different. Something didn't feel right. For one, my nose was feeling really itchy and sneezy-like, and my eyes were somewhat watery. Then there was the strange headache. But I went out anyway, and had dinner with some friends and ended up at tHe Spring. It was there, while sitting at one of the tables at Secret Recipe downing my slice of New York Cheese Cake, that I started feeling really cold. By the time my dad came to pick me up from triSh and Viv's house, we had to make a stop at the nearest 7-Eleven to pick up some Panadol Soluble. That very night, my throat started feeling scratchy.
I skipped class on Monday morning. I remember waking up in a daze and stumbling around, taking Panadol after Panadol. And to make matters worse, I had to sit for an exam that night. I skipped class on Tuesday too. I would have stayed at home this morning too, if not for this other exam I had. And tomorrow, I really don't feel like going, I'm still ill, but for the sake of an assignment, yeah I'll drag/drive my way up to Unimas. Maybe I'll just skip the Friday class. Oooohhh... But then there's the exam on Saturday, and the few assignments that are due next week, and oh yes don't forget the exam on Monday too.
It's just not the best time to get sick.
I skipped class on Monday morning. I remember waking up in a daze and stumbling around, taking Panadol after Panadol. And to make matters worse, I had to sit for an exam that night. I skipped class on Tuesday too. I would have stayed at home this morning too, if not for this other exam I had. And tomorrow, I really don't feel like going, I'm still ill, but for the sake of an assignment, yeah I'll drag/drive my way up to Unimas. Maybe I'll just skip the Friday class. Oooohhh... But then there's the exam on Saturday, and the few assignments that are due next week, and oh yes don't forget the exam on Monday too.
It's just not the best time to get sick.
Monday, February 11, 2008
This time last week
Time has passed really fast. At about this time last week, I was getting really excited about the next day. Why? Because last Tuesday, at approximately 1.30 in the afternoon, I was getting ready to cook a big pasta feast for a little party of 10 girls. I know. The first thought that's probably crossing your mind right at this very instant is: "Esther can cook?" And my answer is really very simple.
Yes. Esther can cook.
It's just a matter of who she chooses to grace her cooking talents with, and whether you're lucky enough to get a bite of whatever it is she's decided to cook.
But yes, I can cook. So below, just to prove that I can cook, I've included some pictures (what little of it) that I've managed to capture during the cooking process.
Here is a snap of some of the ingredients that triSh and I went shopping for. Of course, we didn't have all the money to buy everything, so triSh managed to get everyone to chip in a few bucks to cover the costs.
Here's a close-up of the ingredients. You can see all 3 cans of button mushrooms, all sliced/chopped/butchered up real nicely. You can see the instant pasta (I personally think the San Remo's brand is the best there is). You can also see the chopped up onions and garlic. The others you can scrutinize for yourself. Like, press your nose against the computer screen and squint.
Just a few snaps of all the pasta we cooked up:
Looks scary I know. But hey, we're hungry people. And below! Check it out, people! My special culinary concoction: creamy mushroom ala carbonara! Looks really good, even if I do say so myself. I can't wait to whip this up again.
We also cooked one whole potful of bolognese sauce (my version lar!), but unfortunately I don't have any shots of it "in the making". You'll see the end product soon though. Here in the pics below you can see what triSh and I did when we realised we had an extra 2 hours plus to waste. Cookies! I used a knife to cut out the shapes. Notice how they're all shaped like the letter E? E is for Esther, heehee! I'm afraid it wasn't really very edible, but really it was just a trial and error kinda thing. A mere experiment that failed quite miserably. But at least we had fun.
Here's a snap of the entire end product, after nearly 4 hours of slaving over a hot stove. A pot of creamy mushroom carbonara sauce, a pot of bolognese sauce, and 3 packets worth of cooked pasta.
This was just a funny idea that crawled into our brains. Slice up some mandarin oranges (in abundance during the Chinese New Year period), freeze them until they're basically blocks of ice, and pop them into a cup of Sprite. I can't say I'm a big fan of it though. In the background, you can see a plate of the cookies we whipped up (in the microwave, no less!), which look good, but are quite capable of breaking windows.
There was about a whole pot of pasta left over, so I took some home. The two pictures below show what I had at midnight that night - my carbonara sauce with a twist. I added a raw egg to it, which is why the pasta looks kinda shiny. It was an interesting taste. I liked it.
And the next morning, we even had enough for breakfast! Yummy! Nothing like pasta for dinner, supper, and breakfast to put a great big smile on my face!
And to wrap this blogpost up, here's a snap of my cookies again. Don't they look really pretty?
So you see? I can cook! I sure had a great time cooking up a storm that day. I'm looking forward to the next time... Anyone care to take that hint? Cheers you all!
Yes. Esther can cook.
It's just a matter of who she chooses to grace her cooking talents with, and whether you're lucky enough to get a bite of whatever it is she's decided to cook.
But yes, I can cook. So below, just to prove that I can cook, I've included some pictures (what little of it) that I've managed to capture during the cooking process.
Here is a snap of some of the ingredients that triSh and I went shopping for. Of course, we didn't have all the money to buy everything, so triSh managed to get everyone to chip in a few bucks to cover the costs.
Here's a close-up of the ingredients. You can see all 3 cans of button mushrooms, all sliced/chopped/butchered up real nicely. You can see the instant pasta (I personally think the San Remo's brand is the best there is). You can also see the chopped up onions and garlic. The others you can scrutinize for yourself. Like, press your nose against the computer screen and squint.
Just a few snaps of all the pasta we cooked up:
Looks scary I know. But hey, we're hungry people. And below! Check it out, people! My special culinary concoction: creamy mushroom ala carbonara! Looks really good, even if I do say so myself. I can't wait to whip this up again.
We also cooked one whole potful of bolognese sauce (my version lar!), but unfortunately I don't have any shots of it "in the making". You'll see the end product soon though. Here in the pics below you can see what triSh and I did when we realised we had an extra 2 hours plus to waste. Cookies! I used a knife to cut out the shapes. Notice how they're all shaped like the letter E? E is for Esther, heehee! I'm afraid it wasn't really very edible, but really it was just a trial and error kinda thing. A mere experiment that failed quite miserably. But at least we had fun.
Here's a snap of the entire end product, after nearly 4 hours of slaving over a hot stove. A pot of creamy mushroom carbonara sauce, a pot of bolognese sauce, and 3 packets worth of cooked pasta.
This was just a funny idea that crawled into our brains. Slice up some mandarin oranges (in abundance during the Chinese New Year period), freeze them until they're basically blocks of ice, and pop them into a cup of Sprite. I can't say I'm a big fan of it though. In the background, you can see a plate of the cookies we whipped up (in the microwave, no less!), which look good, but are quite capable of breaking windows.
There was about a whole pot of pasta left over, so I took some home. The two pictures below show what I had at midnight that night - my carbonara sauce with a twist. I added a raw egg to it, which is why the pasta looks kinda shiny. It was an interesting taste. I liked it.
And the next morning, we even had enough for breakfast! Yummy! Nothing like pasta for dinner, supper, and breakfast to put a great big smile on my face!
And to wrap this blogpost up, here's a snap of my cookies again. Don't they look really pretty?
So you see? I can cook! I sure had a great time cooking up a storm that day. I'm looking forward to the next time... Anyone care to take that hint? Cheers you all!
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Monday, February 04, 2008
The wonders of Astro
It finally arrived last night. After hours (days!) of waiting on the couch and staring at the blank screen, the beautiful, vibrant colours finally made it to our beloved television screen. To hear those unfamiliar sounds, all those different accents, the lilts of the various voices... It's almost as if we never had normal TV* at all.
And for the first time in a long, long while, I couldn't even decide what I wanted to watch.
One of the first channels I flipped to was the AXN channel. This was at approximately 10 pm. Imagine my surprise when I saw that CSI:NY was up next. Then I hit the TV guide button, and it told me that the next programme after CSI:NY was CSI:Miami. Apparently it was CSI Supreme, where they have all three CSIs on back to back, only on Sundays. But no. I didn't stick to this channel. The temptations of the other channels were just too much.
So we scrolled through the channels and landed on the Asian Food Channel. Food! At night! It kinda took me about 10 minutes to snap myself out of staring at the screen. What are they trying to do? Don't they realize that showing food shows at night is just so wrong? Don't they realize how close I'm sitting to the kitchen?
So when 11 pm came around, I switched back to AXN, to watch CSI:Miami. All that food was just too much.
During one of the commercial breaks (so relatively short and rare as compared to normal TV), I decided to check out what other channels we had. Imagine my glee when I found the Star World channel. At long last! English sitcoms and serials the whole day long!
Imagine, also, the near-hysterical laughing I went into when I found the Animax channel. Cartoons 24 hours a day, 7 days a week! Here's your chance to spoil your inner child! The whole night sorta passed in a big blur of glee and amazement. I remember laughing so hard (I thought I sounded a bit like a mad scientist cum maniac) at one point when they showed the ads for Slam Dunk. And to think I actually wanted to buy the complete DVD boxset when I was in KL. Phew! No need for that, now there's Astro!
And at about 1 in the morning, I decided to watch the E! channel. All the entertainment news! Now I don't even need to spend a single sen on those rip-off entertainment magazines (outdated ones, might I add) you find at the news stands. It's all here, on Astro! What are they trying to do to me? Make me forget my assignments? Slack off and fail my exams? Stop blogging?
Aaaaaaaaarggghhhh! I think there's a conspiracy to make me fail my exams. Just too many things to watch! Too many channels, I just can't keep track! So I'm stopping my blogpost here. I've gotta go surf the Astro website and print out the programme listings.
Cheers from an ecstatic Couch Potato!
*Normal TV: From here on out, this phrase is used to refer to my pre-Astro days.
And for the first time in a long, long while, I couldn't even decide what I wanted to watch.
One of the first channels I flipped to was the AXN channel. This was at approximately 10 pm. Imagine my surprise when I saw that CSI:NY was up next. Then I hit the TV guide button, and it told me that the next programme after CSI:NY was CSI:Miami. Apparently it was CSI Supreme, where they have all three CSIs on back to back, only on Sundays. But no. I didn't stick to this channel. The temptations of the other channels were just too much.
So we scrolled through the channels and landed on the Asian Food Channel. Food! At night! It kinda took me about 10 minutes to snap myself out of staring at the screen. What are they trying to do? Don't they realize that showing food shows at night is just so wrong? Don't they realize how close I'm sitting to the kitchen?
So when 11 pm came around, I switched back to AXN, to watch CSI:Miami. All that food was just too much.
During one of the commercial breaks (so relatively short and rare as compared to normal TV), I decided to check out what other channels we had. Imagine my glee when I found the Star World channel. At long last! English sitcoms and serials the whole day long!
Imagine, also, the near-hysterical laughing I went into when I found the Animax channel. Cartoons 24 hours a day, 7 days a week! Here's your chance to spoil your inner child! The whole night sorta passed in a big blur of glee and amazement. I remember laughing so hard (I thought I sounded a bit like a mad scientist cum maniac) at one point when they showed the ads for Slam Dunk. And to think I actually wanted to buy the complete DVD boxset when I was in KL. Phew! No need for that, now there's Astro!
And at about 1 in the morning, I decided to watch the E! channel. All the entertainment news! Now I don't even need to spend a single sen on those rip-off entertainment magazines (outdated ones, might I add) you find at the news stands. It's all here, on Astro! What are they trying to do to me? Make me forget my assignments? Slack off and fail my exams? Stop blogging?
Aaaaaaaaarggghhhh! I think there's a conspiracy to make me fail my exams. Just too many things to watch! Too many channels, I just can't keep track! So I'm stopping my blogpost here. I've gotta go surf the Astro website and print out the programme listings.
Cheers from an ecstatic Couch Potato!
*Normal TV: From here on out, this phrase is used to refer to my pre-Astro days.
Sunday, February 03, 2008
I'm back!
Hello, everybody... Missed me? Muahahaha! I've been pretty busy these past 3 weeks, so I haven't been able to come online at all. That's right. No checking my emails, no Friendster-ing or Facebook-ing, certainly no blogging. But now I'm back (at least in the blogging world). I've got a little extra time on my hands now, what with Chinese New Year just around the corner. But it's not gonna be all bliss and laughter this hols - I've gotta work on some assignments. And I'm quite nervous about my teaching practice posting. For those of you unsure of the concept, it's basically an 'internship' thingy for all teacher trainees, where we get dumped into some school for a couple of months and see how well we can survive. Or something along those lines. We've all handed in our applications to our 'school of choice', and the results for those going to Sabah and Miri are already out, but not so for those in the Kuching and Sibu area. Probably too many students applying, so the workload is doubled and all.
And we have Astro in our house now. The decoder thingy is sitting there beside the TV, and I've been told that the satellite receiver disc thingy is somewhere up on the roof. We're still waiting for the programmes to come on though. Apparently we've got to wait a while for something or other to happen. I'm not sure what that something is. We're just randomly sitting in front of the blank screen from time to time, wondering when the Astro programmes will pop up.
Well, I better go. I'll be hanging out with triSh and Vivian tonight. Dinner, I think. And triSh, I've updated my blog. You happy now? It was your urgent insistence/pleading/threats that was one of the reasons I blogged this blogpost.
Teehee everyone!
And we have Astro in our house now. The decoder thingy is sitting there beside the TV, and I've been told that the satellite receiver disc thingy is somewhere up on the roof. We're still waiting for the programmes to come on though. Apparently we've got to wait a while for something or other to happen. I'm not sure what that something is. We're just randomly sitting in front of the blank screen from time to time, wondering when the Astro programmes will pop up.
Well, I better go. I'll be hanging out with triSh and Vivian tonight. Dinner, I think. And triSh, I've updated my blog. You happy now? It was your urgent insistence/pleading/threats that was one of the reasons I blogged this blogpost.
Teehee everyone!
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