Mogwai

Since my little Mac is poorly, I have to resort to this PC~~. It doesn't remember who I am when I go to the blogger website, or when I go to Flickr. It does let me change colour, though. Anyhow, fingers crossed she will get better soon:-) I think she will.

I am listening to Mogwai. I really do like them. I like track 7 (I do not know the title of the track since R didn't write them down for me) of this album, Happy Songs for Happy People.

I also finally got a copy of On Beauty, which I can't put down. It's been a while since I sat down and really got into a good book.

Scarborough

Today we went to Scarborough. We ate chips and played bingo... We took a walk along Marine Drive and around the castle. It was so cold we thought our noses were going to drop off.

See my photo album for more exciting snaps.

A Happy Christmas

Since being back in York I've been having lots of fun...

I've put some photos onto flickr for people to look at... Just click on the photo link.

Thanks for the party, Andy... The carols were fun too, despite all the religious stuff. And thanks for joining us for Christmas Wanyu! Think my mum wants to adopt you!

Hope everyone had a lovely Christmas.

last day (for now)

Just got back from my last day of "school experience" 1 at Aldercar... I can hardly believe that Christmas is here already. My feelings are a weird mix of relief and sadness (to leave some great kids behind and wonderful staff). And also huge surprise that I made it this far and am still alive and relatively happy! I pretty much had tears in my eyes when the kids were on the stage today signing to Slade's Merry Christmas Everyone (OK, not the most moving of songs, but to see kids signing for the deaf kids really... ugh... brought tears to my eyes!)

(That says SIGNING not SINGING for those who can't read properly.)

Yay, the holidays have begun!!

mornings eleven

Today I discovered THE MAGIC NUMBERS. They are amazing!!!!! I have been listening to Morning's Eleven nonstop. Hmm, gonna have to see if they are coming to play in Sheffield any time soon. (Also wanted to go and get tix for the Arctic Monkeys, but sold out, surprise, surprise...). Fre, I know you would like this song a lot. Just want to jump around to this song:

You're in denial
You're in denial, and I know
Well, what's my name?
Well, what's my name? I don't know

Maybe you could telephone
Maybe I could meet you in the morning
Call me if you're on your own
And maybe I could meet you in the morning

You're in denial
You're in denial, and I know
Well, what's my name?
Well, what's my name? I don't know

Maybe you could telephone
Maybe I could meet you in the morning
Call me if you're on your own
And maybe I could meet you in the morning

Ba Ba Ba Ba Ba...

Mornings eleven
The feelings are severed
I can't feel anything at all
But I would die for you
Oh I would die for you

All that I'd ever seen
All that I'd ever been
All that I'd ever wanted
And I would die for you
Oh I would die for you

I had it all
But I never thought I did
No no no no, I never thought I did
Oh oh oh oh

I had it all
But I never thought I did
No no no no, I never thought I did
Oh oh oh oh

Ba Ba Ba Ba Ba...

You're in denial
You're in denial, and I know
Well, what's my name?
Well, what's my name? I don't know

Maybe you could telephone
Maybe I could meet you in the morning
Call me if you're on your own
And maybe I could meet you in the morning

Die for you...
Die for you...
Oh oh oh oh

I had it all
But I never thought I did
No no no no, I never thought I did
Oh oh oh oh

I had it all
But I never thought I did
No no no no, I never thought I did
Oh oh oh oh

Ba Ba Ba Ba Ba...

bagels and cream cheese

Well, the end of another school week for me. Two days left... Monday and Tuesday... then holidays. I just finished my millionth assignment, to be handed in tomorrow. No planning to do this weekend, just santa origami to learn for the 'fun' lessons next week. Almost a weekend of complete freedom!!

Am going to take my camera tomorrow along my course's xmas meal... Hopefully I will be uploading some of them so that you can see the lovely people going through the same hell as me ;-)

I made the decision today to apply for the job at my school. More out of curiosity than serious belief that I will get it.

Right, I am so hungry that I am going to go and toast a bagel and heap it with cream cheese. Then sleep (even though it's only 9).

PS Carols, anyone? Outside the Mansion House on xmas eve...

PPS Anyone know what a 'fuddle' is? We had one at school today. I think it's just a Derbyshire word...

today was a good day

Recently things seem to be fitting into place. For some reason, since Friday, I have been in a really good mood. Maybe it's the run-up to Christmas, the end of term, the lovely people I know, my lovely friends, family, work colleagues. The apple crumble Kate made last night, or the burgers I made last night, the chance I might be in with a job at my current school... Perhaps because I am getting better at pool. Maybe the yummy meal on Friday. I don't know, but I thought I'd like to share my good feeling with you all (while it lasts!!! I hope it does!!). I do like this time of year:-)

The Constant Gardener

I saw this tonight with E&K... I guess I was prepared for what I was to see from what I'd heard from others who'd seen it already. A truly moving film, which really opens your eyes to the realities of the situation in Africa, both past and present. What I don't understand is how a continent as stunningly beautiful as Africa can be so full of evil and corruption and at the hands of manipulating companies taking advantage of its complete vulnerability. It's been a while since I cried at a film, but I couldn't help myself when they had to leave the little kid behind who, as the pilot said, may, or may not, find her way to a refugee camp. Most likely not.

It does make you stop and think what we do (or don't do) as individuals to help those strucken by poverty and disease in countries polluted with corruption. Today I bought cards from Oxfam, but is that enough? I feel it is far to easy to forget that part of the world and its problems, worring about trivial annoyances that in reality have no importance whatsoever. Like what I will buy so-and-so for Christmas. It's far too easy to watch the film and walk out of the cinema and forget. It's far too easy to buy charity Christmas cards and think that's enough. I don't know what we (I) can do, but there must be more we can do.

Belle&Seb: important news

Dear B&S fans

There is a new live version of If You're Feeling Sinister available from iTunes... I've listened to some of the clips and it's really, really good. Hoping someone will buy the tracks for me...

Just thought I'd add a pic of the band:



Stuart M looks weird with blond hair... No?

It's all for charity (Asia earthquake) so doubly worth getting.

ドレミ do re mi

I don't mean for everything recently to be Japan-related, but I had to put this in here. Helen lent me a cassette of Japanese children songs today so on the way home in the car me and T were listening to it... all of a sudden, without expecting it, Do Re Mi was playing!!! And, in Japanese, it's incredibly cute (why am I using this word so much recently...). We were literally singing all the way home, only being able to work out half the lyrics. We actually thought the ラ was ラクダ(camel)のラ！ That's what we were singing anyway. I guess everyone else on the motorway thought we looked pretty silly sitting in the car singing our heads off! But, listening to it reminded me how much I love The Sound of Music (I do!).

Here are the lyrics (for anyone who can and wants to read them):

作詞／Oscar Hammerstein II　日本語詩／ペギー葉山　作曲／Richard Rodgers　編曲／風戸慎介　歌／伊東恵里、森の木児童合唱団

ドはドーナツのド　レはレモンのレ
ミはみんなのミ　ファはファイトのファ
ソは青い空　ラはラッパのラ
シは幸せよ　さあ歌いましょう　ランランラン

ドはドーナツのド　レはレモンのレ
ミはみんなのミ　ファはファイトのファ
ソは青い空　ラはラッパのラ
シは幸せよ　さあ歌いましょう

ドレミファソラシド　ドシラソファミレド
ドミミミソソ　レファファラシシ
ドミミミソソ　レファファラシシ……
ソドラファミドレ　ソドラシドレド

どんなときにも　列を組んで
みんな楽しく　ファイト持って
空を仰いで　ランララララララー
幸せの歌　さあ歌いましょう　ドレミファソラシドソド

I totally love learning songs in other languages...

wish xmas would hurry up

I can't wait till Christmas! In my head, term is already over... But no, two and a half weeks to go till I can be free of ridiculously early mornings for TWO whole weeks! WY, my mum knows about the potatoes and the dripping, so you don't need to worry about that. I think dripping is quite nasty really, but it does make the potatoes taste really yummy.

I had a nice weekend, although not particularly exciting. Whenever I bake, it puts me in a good mood. I should make brownies more often since they have a really good effect on me. They don't do much for my tummy and hips though. Fre, can you hurry up and send that recipe for me please~~ onegai... Dinner in East One (again), a game or two of pool (I think I'm improving - even almost slightly better than T!). And MeadowHELL (that wasn't a nice bit of the weekend). Remind me never to go there on a Saturday again. Nevermind a Saturday in December. Remind me to never go there again at all actually!

K-flatmate is making mulled wine later... to give the internationals in our flat a taste of Christmas. A tad early if you ask me, but, I'm not complaining.

Another busy week ahead, including a trip to Nottingham (city centre, not my school - going there anyway~~) to see my cousin (who I haven't seen since her 21st birthday party back in March). Will be kind of weird seeing her not in Devon or York (the only two places I think I've ever seen her). I'm sure we'll find plenty to talk about (erm, teaching... groan).

Hurry up xmas hols!!

I went to the Shimomura Noboru homepage and found this really cute picture! Just click on something and find out what the kanji is! K, didn't you use this guy's books in school at all?

Yesterday in uni we had a guy come to talk to us from the BBC - Stephen Fawkes. I haven't laughed so much in such a long time... This man was amazing! It would've been wonderful to have had a teacher like him in school - I guess all his kids would have loved languages in his school. Hmm. It's people like him that really inspire you to give 100%.

漢字の本

Fre told me about these kanji books for elementary school kids in Japan. They look so cute... and could be really useful for my kids at school! I haven't seen the inside of them yet, but since they're only 700 yen each I'm going to risk getting couple (well, K is... thanks K!) to see what they're like. Oh to be able to go to Kinokuniya again and buy the books I want...



PS can anyone read this guy's first name? He is しもむら somebody...