It's been a while...

Yeah, it's been a while. I wasn't really i a blogging mood. I was sad for a while. Then I was busy. I'm still busy, but no long as sad, I think. University is just about finished (I have 4 days of field experience, one assignment and one exam left). The Grad Ball is coming up in 2 weeks and then there's my Convocation on June first (my friend should be coming from Calgary for that!). I'm really excited/nervous/anxious about going out into the real world, as a real adult, with an actual degree and a supposed purpose in life.

When I went to school, I did just that. Everyday (or so). It was my purpose, my goal, I had a clear idea of what I was meant to do everyday (or so). But now, I'm done with (formal) education. I'm a responsible adult who needs a job and eventually an apartment... and isn't THAT a scary thought?

I know, my posts are sooo emo. Bear with me...

I'm really new at this responsible adult thing. I still don't consider myself an adult and I'm somewhat startled when I'm told that I am one. I mean, really.

Well, enough whining, I suppose. Would you like to know what I've been up to? Let's see. My last post was in November... Since then, I've:

• I moved into my own apartment, kind of, upstairs from my parents
  
• Celebrated Christmas. It was nice.
• Celebrated my 25th birthday. It was super nice. I had my family and friends (some from California!) help me celebrate at a fantastic Portuguese restaurant called Porto Mar. You should go.
• Started my last semester EVER at McGill for my B.Ed. I was missing three credits, so I had to pile on an extra class. I'm managing it well, so far.
• I went to the Big Apple, NYC for the first time for a friend's birthday.
  
• Learned to hate something called a SPEAQ Quest. Hate it SO MUCH. FUCK THE SPEAQ QUEST was our motto and I stand by it.
  
• I learned to hate group work. As well meaning as everyone is, work is never divided equally. It's no one's fault, really, but ultimately there's one person who does more work.
• I started my final field experience (and only have four days left).
• I've learned to enjoy reading my favourite novels for the second, third, fourth time.
• I've learned that a little slash fanfic isn't a bad thing.
• I've rediscovered the joys of Stars Hollow.
• I'm still cleaning my room.
  

I think we're all caught up.

Oh, and I'm sick.

Good night!

One Step Closer

Hey everyone! I've got some freaken awesome good news!

I am once step closer to to going to beautiful Hong Kong for my final field experience. WOO! I'm really excited about this. I just have to wow the two interviewers and then I'll be on my way! I want this, I deserve this. I'm ready for this. I'm ready to start (or continue, after Italy) my life as an international ESL teacher. I WILL do this and I WILL be awesome and I WILL succeed. And the best part? I'm going and grabbing life by the horns. I'm making things happen. I'm not waiting to something to just fall into my lap. Look at that picture. Isn't it beautiful? I belong there, I mean look at the skyscrapers: some of them are pink! I'm sad, though, because I've found out that some deserving people didn't even get an interview. I'm sorry that I won't have the opportunity to be in Hong Kong with her. She and I weren't in direct competition for a spot, so, for me, there's no upside to her not getting an interview.

Something else I'd like to mention is this video from 2009's World of Science Festival. In it, Bobby McFerrin demonstrates the power of the pentatonic scale. It's just incredible that people who don't really know each other and don't know what will happen next can (correctly) assume what note will be next based on the three note set up McFerrin gives them. It still gives me chills, even though I've watched it many time.

Humans are fascinating, aren't they?

My goals

My (short term) goals are as follows:

1. I want my room to be perfectly clean.
2. I want to lose enough weight that I feel comfortable in a bikini.
3. I want to write (and publish) a book.
4. I want to go to Hong Kong to do my final field experience.

Let's look at these one by one, starting with... well... the first one.

1. I want my room to be perfectly clean.
Okay, for my room to be perfectly clean, I have to clean it, right? Well, I'm trying. I really am. I'm up to what, part six of my room cleaning saga? This is a goal I can control, and I am controlling it. I'm setting some time aside as often as possible to clean as much as I can. As I clean, instead of just moving things from one side of the room to the other, I'm actually packing it in boxes and reusable bags. This way, I can easily stack, store, and (later) find my books and DVDs (which seem to be the stuff of which I have too much). This way, everything has it's place and it's place isn't randomly strewn around my room. This is a goal that I am in control of. I can (and will) achieve.

2. I want to lose enough weight that I feel comfortable in a bikini.
Ahh, this old thing. Yep, the weight thing. So, I'm fat. I'm not delusional about this, it's a fact and I'm okay with it. Well.. not really, if I want to lose weight, right? This is a health thing, not a vanity thing. I'm out of breath all this time, my knees hurt, my heart beats so freaken quickly... I'm too young to have all these problems. Also, I have an awesome tattoo that NO ONE SEES because I'm too ashamed of my fat belly to show it off. So I'm eating better, not dieting. Dieting is a deprivation of certain foods. I'm not ready to (nor do I think I have to) cut out whole items from my daily menus. Instead, I'm eating less bad stuff and more good stuff and making better choices in my day to day life. I'm also exercising more. I'm not going to the gym because a) I'm poor and b) I don't think I need to go to the gym right now. Gyms are great for those with time and money and I have neither at the moment. We have an elliptical at home and if I use it more and walk the dog more, then I think that'll be enough for now! This is a goal that I am in control of. I can (and will) achieve.

3. I want to write (and publish) a book.
I think this may be the easiest of the goals to accomplish. Now a days, anyone can write and then self publish a book. The thing is, I don't want to be a self-published author. I want to be a real author. A good author. I want to write something that people who are not my family and friends will buy, read, and love. My mom says all I need to do is get an idea and run with it, but that's a lot easier said than done. I mean, if it were easy, I'd have already done it. My mother raised a good point by asking my what kind of book I want to write. Well, I have no idea. Whatsoever. Not a clue. But, if I persevere, I might actually succeed. This is a goal that I am in (somewhat) control of. I can achieve it, if I try.

4. I want to go to Hong Kong to do my final field experience.
Seriously, this is a possibility. It would be a DREAM COME TRUE in more ways than one. I'd be teaching in Asia. This could open up a whole new bunch of possibilities: I'd have my foot in the door of a teaching job in Asia. Also, I'd be going to Asia on my school's dime, which really isn't that terrible of thing, is it? Hong Kong is a beautiful city. I really want to be chosen for this... That's right. Chosen. This is NOT a goal that I am in control of. I've written my letter of intent and all I can do is hope that it gets me an interview. After that, I can just pray that I've impressed them enough to pick me as one of the lucky 8 people from TESL to go. I hope I can achieve it.

Stupid Stage

For those of you who don't know what "stage" is, it's French for Field Experience. And by Field Experience I mean slave labour. Yes, we need experience in classrooms. Yes, we're only students and therefore not completely competent yet. However, if I'm planning, teaching, correcting and the teacher isn't even in the school, why shouldn't I be paid for what I do? It's not like McGill is *not* charging us the same tuition as last semester, you know, when we were able to work... It's just so frustrating!

I do love the experience, even if it's completely unrealistic (or at least highly improbably). Three IB classes and one enriched, all in secondary 5. I'd need a hell of a lot of seniority, luck and, well, luck!

I think I belong in high school though. I deal with "grown up" kids a lot better than the little hugging ones. At least these older students understand the concept of personal space! Yet, I still get sick from one of them. Better than the Pinkeye I got on my first stage.

Whatever. Just three weeks left. Then, I get to work again, woo! And then I get to complain about working. Yep, I am a needy bitch ;)