Who Will I Drink Tea With?

Meccano

2010-06-30T02:52:00.000-07:00

My boyfriend suggests that the elderly in nursing homes should be given meccano to make things out of. I think it's a fantastic idea- it'd really help keep minds active and they could make some great things. It's certainly not 'just for kids'.

Aw

2010-05-02T02:34:00.000-07:00

My placement didn't work out. :( I can't really go into it on a public forum, but it's left me feeling quite unhappy, disappointed and angry. I'll be going back to it in hopefully a few months' time, at a different school.
But for now I can relax- I've never been so stressed in my life.

What I'm Up To

2010-03-23T05:36:00.000-07:00

A research subject (I picked a topic, it's creativity in schools, and if teachers/the education system encourage or discourage creativity/creative thinking and how/why, and whatever other issues come out of the conversation).
A visual arts/performing arts subject. We're making puppets and masks and analysing things and making teaching resources and learning how to do mime and write jingles and all sorts. So much fun, but a lot of emotional and physical effort each week.
A maths/science subject, to teach us how to teach it. Lessons are really fun in that one too but also time consuming in terms of homework and readings.
A subject that is supposed to help us prepare for the future, but also to keep in contact with us about our placements.
And my placement. A very nice 6/7 class.
I won't be able to see my boyfriend for a week because of all the homework and even then I'm going to feel slightly guilty! I've got three assignments due next week. :(

This week I'm teaching my first class. And I'm going to teach something modern! Something relevant! The Internet!

... No, not really. I'm teaching letter writing and running daily fitness time. :p

My course has been making it increasingly difficult to blog.

Would it be unethical to blog, (under a different name, on another blog, using as few identifiers as I can about me, the kids (obviously), even the city I'm in or the area I live in at least) about my teaching experiences? I feel like I need an outlet.

How To Get Your Kid To Eat Healthy Food

2010-03-19T04:15:00.000-07:00

"Lie through your teeth"

Sew Sweet Stitches (her Etsy shop is here)made that statement a little while ago, and I'd like to talk about it. She's talking about that practice where you tell your kid whatever possible, to get them to try/eat things that they don't want to eat. An example she used was telling her child that some herbs were 'tree stars' from The Land Before Time, and her daughter flipped out over it, saying that she's not going to eat leaves!

Whoops!

Also telling her that grapes are berries.

And other lies/embellishments too, apparently.

I know why she's doing it- she wants her daughter to eat healthily. However, it obviously also backfires- now her daughter thinks herbs are 'leaves'. And now she's being 'punished' (forced to eat it by doing the sit and wait thing) for not wanting to eat something that she considers to be inedible. It's a tricky situation and one I think would develop some trust issues- can she trust Mum when she sees something new in her food? Or will it be as gross as leaves?

Now, we all know that Mum was simply trying to connect the gross food with something that her daughter likes watching, and something a character likes eating. But lies can backfire, which this one did.

I posted in the thread about this on a forum, and was, probably rightly, asked 'Any tips for us dummies? ' (Maybe I sounded a bit mean, saying that there's no need to lie, and that children should be exposed to healthy food from birth.)

I gave some suggestions which she liked, so now I'm going to share it with you. Some are tips for from birth, others for 'when you already have a picky child'. Please note that I am not a parent, these were just my ideas.

1. Start them off early. Feed them a wide variety of food from the moment they're starting to be weaned. Mashed banana (and let them SEE you mash the banana, rather than it being from a jar. Not that jarred food is the devil or anything, but kids won't make the connection unless they see it.), stewed apricots, whatever else you have. It doesn't have to be for every meal, I know how time poor many mothers are.

One of my extremely early memories is my mother and father pipping cherries for me one afternoon when we were on holiday- their fingers were incredibly stained. Go that extra distance!

2. Let kids see YOU eat healthy foods/foods that you want them to eat. It's an evolutionary thing- they need to see you eating it to see that it's alright. That doesn't mean that, if you hate oranges like Sew Sweet Stitches does, you have to eat oranges- there are many other choices of foods. Or let other family members feed them a variety of foods that you don't eat. This can be fruits and vegetables, or whole meals. Set a good example. If you hate the texture of certain things, get someone else to be available to be the example.

3. Give up on 'kids meals' at restaurants, and from early days. I was never allowed to eat chicken nuggets while my parents ate pasta or other, more adult things. I was fed bits from their plate, and when I was older and my brother was able to eat solid foods, we shared a plate. Most places will let you do this. Or, go to restaurants that just have smaller sizes of the adult meals for the 'kids menu'. This might require some sacrifice sometimes, but it's up to you to decide if it is worth it.

4. Understand that kids will have to try new things many times before they come to like it or accept it. So, mix up how you serve certain items, rather than, for example, trying to feed them a banana just as it is, if they hate banana.

I'm 24 and only just starting to accept capsicum, curry, and other certain flavours right now- these were things my parents didn't like, so they never exposed me to them (though they did well in so many other ways!). I think it's because I've been building it up.

5. Don't back down, but also don't force them to eat the entire plate of something they hate- would you want someone to do that to you? Instead, insist they eat three bites of their disliked food. Or, say that if they don't eat the required amount, no dessert for them (if you don't want to sit around for two hours while the cauliflower gets cold).

6. Understand that there will be some foods that they just... won't like. We're trying to minimise that here, not insist that they eat absolutely everything for all eternity. I still don't like really hot spicy foods, and I don't think I'll ever be a fan of cheese with fruit in it.

7. Try offering foods in different ways, disguised or with a different flavour. They hate cauliflower? Put cheese on it, or a sauce, or cook it til it's really soft, or put it in soup, marinade it, etc etc. They don't like oranges? Try orange juice first, or orange flavoured iceblocks.

8. Try growing some things at home, or letting them go to a farm to pick some/see them grow. Peas were infinitely tastier when picked off my grandfather's plants, and eaten right on the spot. Berries were better when picked from sharp bushes by my parents. Bananas were awesome when a man cut one down for me with a long scythe.

9. Make your own meal look AWESOME. And make a big fuss to each other about how wonderful this meal is going to be, how special, this is going to be the best thing you eat this month. Most kids will then want to try it. :P
That doesn't count as a lie, I think- it's just a jealousy thing and they'll come to the conclusion they want to eat it themselves. Most of the time you really WILL be looking forward to eating it- but how often do you express that out loud so that the kid can hear?

10. Literature! Go out and find books about food, or where people are eating food. Get the kids to watch movies like Ratatoille if that's appropriate for their age group. When I was teaching my Healthy Eating unit to the kids last year, you'd be amazed at how much they responded to the book 'Delicious'. And they were 10 year olds! It's a story of a duck, squirrel and cat who live together and ALWAYS eat pumpkin soup. One day there are no pumpkins. Duck refuses to try the things that the other two spent hours slaving over, pronouncing them gross before even trying it. At the end they trick Duck by making an orange coloured soup. The duck tries it, and realises it is not pumpkin, but that he likes it anyway! We discussed about how the squirrel and cat feel about having their food rejected, is there any real reason why Duck is refusing to try it, is it good to only eat one food forever, and so on.

And there's always the old favourite Green Eggs and Ham! My mother would always say "Try it, Sam I am!" and I'd have to grudgingly try it, because I acknowledged that Sam refused to eat things without knowing what they're like.

Seek out episodes of their favourite tv shows that talk about food- and tape them, then show them it. They'll soon start thinking about it.

11. If your child now thinks that the food is gross as a result of a lie (eg, that food is leaves) try to admit you were only teasing about the leaves thing, or, explain what other things we eat that are leaves- such as lettuce. Go into biological detail, explain about omnivores, and that we do eat certain leaves but not all of them.

12. If your child eats too many unhealthy snacks- simply stop having them in the house. Sorry kid, no longer an option. You'll eat this carrot, or you'll go hungry. Alternatively, ration them. "You're allowed one unhealthy thing today, if you eat this cupcake now, you cannot have a biscuit later, which will it be?"

13. It's harsh, but the whole 'well, if you don't eat it, you'll go hungry' thing is tried and true.

14. Not mine, but from Naturally Hip act excited over healthy snacks. "Who wants a banana??? YAY!"

15. If you have time, make your unhealthy things yourself. Desserts, biscuits, etc from scratch. Then it becomes more of a special treat thing rather than an easy fix from the pantry.

16. Involve the kids in the cooking process.

17. Let your kids have a choice. Have a recipe book, and ask the kid to pick what's for dinner based on the pictures in it. Then cook it for them.

18. Explain WHY you have done something- herbs add flavour, vegetables are needed to keep you healthy, meat keeps you strong, that sort of thing.

19. Let the kids watch cooking shows- that'll give lots of examples of people eating healthy foods.

20. And of course the old 'bribery' method- Eat everything on your plate, and I'll make you a dessert. If you eat fruit for a snack every day this week, I'll do [fun thing that is not a norm] with you! Sticker charts. Lots and lots and LOTS of praise when they get it RIGHT.

21. Make the food fun. There are ads around here where little girls are making necklaces out of fruit, and there's a whole lot of other 'recipes' too.

I hope this was helpful for you!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lorena-david/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

NightLight

2010-03-18T23:13:00.001-07:00

The Twilight Parody book.

Nightlight: A Parody of Twilight

... I am not a fan of Twilight. I haven't read it, but I don't need to read it to know that it'll drive me crazy and that there are lots of elements that are in it that will guarantee I won't like it.
So, I read this book, because I thought it might be amusing.

It wasn't.

The End.

... P.S. It was still better than Twilight.

Eloise

2010-03-17T00:47:00.000-07:00

Eloise by Kay Thomson

A blog recommended I read this, as a 'books you should read no matter your age' sort of list.

The book is a picture book, about a little girl called Eloise, and was written in the 1950s. Eloise lives in the Plaza hotel, which was a hugely interesting aspect for me- I didn't realise people did live in Hotels. Do they still live in Hotels? She basically runs around all day exploring and having little adventures. She has a Nanny, and her parents are always away. I find it interesting that it's a book where she has a career mother, but I guess they're leaving it to you to decide if that's right or wrong- Eloise is left largely unsupervised and is a bit naughty, but since you see it all from her perspective, and her stream of consciousness, it's okay. It's also nice to see an older book with a 'naughty' little girl, and where she's not punished for it, it's just how she is.

I wouldn't recommend reading it to children who are too young- it's very long, but the front cover does say for ages 7 and up (though the main character is 6).

If you ever get a chance to look at it, do.

Teacher Identity

2010-03-17T00:36:00.000-07:00

A young woman in Alaska was killed by some wolves recently.
The headlines said "Wolf Attack Kills Young Teacher in Alaska".

I find it interesting that she was not in her teaching capacity when she was killed, but that is how she is identified in the papers. They wouldn't say 'Young Shop Assistant' in that headline would they? I found this classification interesting, and I see it a lot. It's as if a teacher becomes a teacher and then that's what he/she is. People forget that she would have been a daughter, possibly a mother or wife or girlfriend or sibling, perhaps an aunt, perhaps she's a crafter. She was apparently a runner, but they didn't say 'Young Runner'. Why is 'Teacher' the biggest, most important part of her identity? Is it because many of her students would be in mourning, so lots of people are invested in her, more as a teacher than as a daughter?

Have a think, and reply! I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Sad Thought

2010-03-01T19:49:00.000-08:00

I remember a time when gorgeous craft supplies weren't so easily accessible, but it's quite trendy now.
... I feel sad thinking that maybe it will go out of fashion, and I won't be able to get things in the future. I also see lots of fantastic things right now that of course won't be in fashion in the future- scrapbooking paper designs. :( But I can't afford them now, and even if I could I think I'd still want more in the future.

Fail

2010-02-26T19:21:00.001-08:00

Something I learnt while teaching:
NEVER give the kids their marks for something, just before you want them to move on and do something else. At least I did the right thing by giving them their individual marks and not writing it on their work for all to see as it was being displayed, and also giving it to them on paper so that they can see how I marked it. But ... total chaos. Remind me not to do that one again.

Sad Thought

2010-02-26T05:27:00.000-08:00

Sad Thought... in the future there'll be very few photos of the 2000s... because they were all just kept online and never printed.

Don't have that there

2010-02-19T19:26:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I saw a bunch of Asian tourists, no idea where they're from as I saw them out the window, walking around Hahndorf taking photos. One young man pointed and took a photo of the "No junk mail please" sign on a letter box.

I found that quite interesting. What little things have you taken a photo of when you're in a foreign place?

The Year Of The Flood

2010-02-17T15:28:00.000-08:00

The Year of the Flood
by Margaret Atwood

Another great book I've read this year. Apparently I have good book choosing taste/luck because I've only given up on three books this year, all the others I've liked or loved!

This is a dystopian future novel (she does them so well!), where some people live in compounds run by companies, which seem pretty similar to nowadays, but with added genetically modified animals, but many people live outside them in slum areas, eating foods that have 'secret' meats in them (could be anything! human, dog, lion...) and in some really interesting conditions. There's also several religious/environmental groups who want the world to change. Adam One, the leader of one of these groups called The Gardeners, has long predicted the end of the world. Now it has happened. The story flashes between two women who remain on earth when everyone around them is gone. It also flashes back to their pasts before The Flood, which is what Adam called the coming apocalypse and cleansing.

I have to say I was incredibly sucked into this story right from the beginning.

Crucial Pancake Day

2010-02-16T17:34:00.000-08:00

I watch this episode of Maid Marian and Her Merry Men every Shrove Tuesday. What an opening sequence for a show, right? :D

Queen Victoria, Demon Hunter

2010-01-31T03:30:00.000-08:00

Queen Victoria: Demon Hunter
by A.E. Moorat

Wow, this book is a good one. I read it hot on the tail of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, and the cover led me to believe it'd be another 'zombie' thing. But no! Sure, there are some zombies in it, but it's mostly about demons and other otherworldly evils, and the fact that Queen Victoria is often attacked by them as a young woman. Why? You'll find out!

It follows the real life of Queen Victoria quite accurately, which is slightly 'scary'- for all you know, it could be true, because who's to say that demons aren't real and they're just hiding themselves well? Reminds me of that bit in Doctor Who about The Royal Family (you know what I mean if you've seen it.)

It's quite funny in places, and has a good love story between Victoria and Albert, plus all sorts of great actiony scenes. Plus zombie servants, mad scientists, werewolves, rats, Intrigue, and much much more.

Tagline: She loved her country. She hated zombies.

Blurb: There were many staff at Kensington Palace, fulfilling many roles; a man who was employed to catch rats, another whose job it was to sweep the chimneys. That there was someone expected to hunt demons did not shock the new Queen; that it was to be her was something of a surprise.

London, 1838

Queen Victoria is crowned, she receives the orb,t he sceptre and an arsenal of blood-stained weaponry. Because if Britain is about to become the greatest power of the age, there's the small matter of the demons to take care of first.

But rather than dreaming of demon hunting, it is Prince Albert who occupies her thoughts. Can she dedicate her life to saving her country when her heart belongs elsewhere?

With lashings of glistening entrails, decapitations, and foul demons, this masterly new portrait will give a fresh understanding of a remarkable woman, a legendary monarch and quite possibly the best Demon Hunter the world has ever seen...

Books I'm Looking For

2010-01-29T03:32:00.000-08:00

Updated list of books I'm looking for. I've put a hold on the books that are at the start of the original list. I have a limit of I think 10 books on hold, hopefully more will come in soon!

Neverending Story
Bring the Jubilee

Pretty much all the books on this list.

The Catcher in the Rye, because I've not read it yet
What I saw and How I Lied
The '100 Ideas' books for education
Little Brother- I really like dystopian kinds of books.
Saturn's Children, about a sexbot after the humans have died out.
Zoe's Tale
The Last Colony
Books by Lois McMaster Bujold
Thunderer
Briefs for the Reading Room by Dan Marvin
The Magicians
The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency
The Handmaid's Tale- read it before, but I want to read it again.
The Time Traveller's Wife... I'm not totally sure on this one but I'll give it a go.
Before I Die - if I'm wanting a tearjerker.
More of the Jeeves and Wooster stories
The Invention of Hugo Cabret
Up the Down Staircase- about teaching
To Sir With Love
More books by Mark Billingham, one of the guards in Maid Marian and Her Merry Men. He writes crime novels.
A book by Hugh Laurie. I forget what it's called, it's a detective story
The Picture of Dorian Grey
Books by Dickens
Gods Behaving Badly
Galex-Arena A book that has stuck with me since my early teens.
Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict
The Brief History of the Dead
Geek Love, Catherine Dunn
Catch 22
Buying Time
Starship Titanic (again)
The Difference Engine
Diary of Anne Frank
The Minpins
Something Beginning With
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep
Beka Cooper series by Tamora Pierce
Bartimaeus Trilogy
Stranger in a strange land by robert heinlein.
Full Tilt
Books by Shel Silverstein
Playing Beatie Bow
To Sir With Love
more Terry Pratchett books

Blind Faith

2010-01-22T17:22:00.000-08:00

Book: Blind Faith
Author: Ben Elton

I've been sitting and staring at this draft (with only the above on it) for quite a few days now. Why? Because it's hard to explain how good a book this is.
I read it a while ago, and then asked to get it for Christmas. I got a good quality second hand copy- that's all I need.

Ben Elton is a British comedian who did/does stand up comedy, wrote many fantastic britcoms and is friends with Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry and Emma Thompson. He also writes novels: something that people might not know.

I think "Blind Faith" is my favourite Ben Elton novel, and I've read quite a few of them.

I like that it plays on many classic novels like 1984, Farenheit 451 and quite a few others, in its portrayal of the future, but makes it more 'relevant' for modern times (not that 1984 isn't still relevant, but he bases his dystopian future on a world that we, now, could fear happening).

I like that it's written in a way that is very readable, and entertainingly (in a non funny way). I like that it all seems so ridiculous, but at the same time possible. It makes me think about social networking, the internet, privacy, religion, and the nature of technology.

Without giving too much away, Blind Faith is set in the future, after a Flood that the citizens believe was a message from God to kill off people for their vanity and pride, however is clear from the start was the ice caps melting- the whole city is too hot as a result of global warming. Everyone is crowded in, and 50% of children die. There's also a lot of media everywhere, even little screens on coffee cups. People are constantly watched on webcams by fellow citizens, and are expected to watch other people as well. They're expected to blog and to read blogs, and to post up videos of all major life events. This is a matter of religion- you're taking pride in what God has given you. Similarly, you should not wear too many clothes, or that's not taking pride in the body God gave you. 'Disrespecting' someone is a crime that could get a mob after you very easily. Fiction is banned. Cake is good and therefore God must want you to eat more of it.

You are never alone.

And the main character lives in this world.

It sure makes me thankful for not joining Facebook.

I really, really, love this book.

My Weight Loss 'Secrets'

2010-01-16T18:14:00.000-08:00

In 2008, I went from 69 kgs to 55 kgs. I am very short, so this was a huge difference. I felt really proud of myself.

People asked me 'how did I do it?'

Here are my 'secrets'.

1. Eat stuff you like.
Yep. I'm serious. Don't waste calories eating stuff you don't like or don't really want, out of politeness. Learn to say 'oh that looks lovely but I'm not really hungry right now' when offered biscuits, cakes, or even a giant steak. And don't just eat random junk because you're a bit peckish. How much do you REALLY like those chips? Really? Wouldn't it be better to eat some cherry tomatoes right now, that you actually enjoy and are better for you? Or eat nothing?

2. Don't feel bad about eating. Just eat in moderation.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/eszter/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

There's no food that's really bad- it's just bad in certain quantities. You like chocolate? Eat two squares instead of 2 rows. Then put it away. You've had your chocolate pieces for today! Full? Stop eating that meal and put it away for lunch tomorrow. Want dessert? Go for it. Just don't eat five scoops of icecream. This way you don't 'miss out'. Don't feel you have to live a life just eating vegetables and nothing else. This is what put me off originally. It depressed me.

3. Save foods- understand it'll most likely be there for you tomorrow too.

I think I got a big possessive about my foods, I was thinking if I don't eat it now, it'll be ruined tomorrow, or eaten by someone else! Just because I don't eat it *now* doesn't mean I can never eat more of it again ever, even if it is ruined tomorrow- I'm full now, and had enough now. It doesn't matter if other people have had more. So, make use of doggy bags, of gladwrap, fridges, freezers, and leftovers for lunch. And that chocolate will still be there the next day.

4. Eat frequently but little.

This way your metabolism can keep fuelled, and you don't feel hungry. By 'frequently', I was eating a little every two hours. This totally stuffed up when I went back to uni though, this year. :(

5. Gum.

Chewing something sweet actually convinces my body that I've just had some sort of tasty snack- but it's very very few calories.

6. Know calories.

Understand how calories and metabolism work. You don't just need to eat less than what you're eating now, if you're already eating way too much for your body size- that's still gaining weight, just less quickly. And understand that the fitter you are, the faster your body processes energy. I figured out how many calories my body actually needs. I ate about that, and then did more exercise every day. It was also illuminating to find out how many calories are in different foods. When I was in my first degree at uni I'd often eat two packets of dried noodles for lunch. I found out in 2007 that those noodles are about 400 calories or more a packet- I could certainly not afford to eat 800 calories just for lunch! Finding out some of the foods has now put me off those foods for life, and I don't even miss them.
Some people get too stressed about calorie counting- my mother for one. But if you don't have at least a vague awareness of it, I think that you're less likely to be successful.

7. Drink water

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lorispindler/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

This hydrates you, which does all sorts of wonderful things for your body and metabolism, makes it easier to exercise (at least it did for me!) and also, most of the time when your body is saying it's a little peckish, it's actually thirsty. I'm really bad at remembering to drink water- it could be good to get into a habit (like I did) of tallying how much water you drink a day.

8. Food/drink diaries
Just for a few weeks, write down what you ate that day. Perhaps get a trusted friend to look at it. Just knowing that a friend will look at it, in combination with a promise to yourself not to cheat, can make you moderate what you eat, and how much water you drink.

9. Diet soft drinks and other low calorie options.

I don't feel like drinking my calorie intakes. So yep, 'diet coke, and a pizza please', if the pizza can fit in for that day. Coke has a lot more calories than you realise.

10. Home Made Foods
Home made pizza is soooo much better for you than pizza from Pizza Hut. And if you have my boyfriend's recipe, you'd be drooling. It also doesn't take that long to cook!

11. Find an exercise you like

http://www.flickr.com/photos/procrasti-nate/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Not me.

I can't stress this enough. In late 2007, I took up ballroom and latin dancing with a group of friends. Decided I'd take the plunge and learn, I'd always been interested. That then moved to some of us taking up swing dancing, which I still do today, slowly rising through the ranks of abilities. I LOVE it. I love that I get to dress up, get to chat to all sorts of different people, that I'm feeling far more coordinated and less clumsy in day to day life, that it's all vintagey and feels wonderfully old fashioned that I can go out dancing with my friends and not have it involve alcohol and loud music, that I feel good and happy doing it, that I can help newbies out, and I'm proud of my abilities. I could have just gone walking on the treadmill alone.
Find an activity that suits YOU. You need to combine healthy eating with exercise- make it something you're NOT going to resent and put off. Don't just hit the gym, unless that is the activity that suits you.

12. Put signs up.

I put signs up saying "Do you really want these biscuits?"
"Are you really actually hungry? Drink some water".
It only works as long as the signs are 'fresh', but it does work.

13. Stress/willpower

Sadly, I think one of the things that made me lose weight was stress. It gave me more willpower somehow. Don't do that if you can avoid it. But I thought I'd be honest. Willpower however is important- people say 'oh, I couldn't possibly lose weight!'
But they CAN! If they have the willpower. (Well, 99% of people who say that could if they wanted to. But perhaps not with their current mental state).

11. Have a goal.

I wanted to be able to fit into pretty dresses. I also wanted to win a weightloss competition. It was fun competing against my friends, and also having a goal to work towards.

12. Go do things

Don't just sit around at home. Get hobbies. Go out walking. Walk to the shops. Get a 'life'. (not just a job). You're moving around more if you do, and are distracted from thoughts of food.

13. Don't be afraid that you're too fat to be seen.

You're not too fat to dance. Too fat to swim. Too fat to go to the gym. Too fat to find love. Too fat to do anything at all, unless I suppose you're housebound but even then you could dance with just your arms!
"Ugh, no one wants to see me in bathers"- you're not THERE to be seen. You're there to swim and have fun. "No one can dance with me, I'm so big". Well, I know two very large girls in my dance classes, and a few very large guys- it's no big deal. And we're not doing lifts anyway, you don't until you get muuuuuuch better than I might ever be.
If people laugh at you for being in your bathers, that is THEIR problem- you are out, getting exercise, doing what you want to do and having a fun time doing it. Force yourself into some self confidence, and go out and do it all.

A sad note though: I've gained weight back, because of university- university meant I was sitting still for longer, couldn't see friends as often, eating less frequently and worse foods, had to sit around and read and write a lot at home, and so on. I'll be trying to follow my own rules again from now on.

Pride and Prejudice And Zombies- Review

2010-01-05T05:47:00.000-08:00

"It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains"

By Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith

A much talked about book, that I finally finished on the 4th! But just in case you've not heard- it is awesome, if you're a zombie geek, and a Jane Austen lover (or hater even, I think). It's even great if you're like me and like the concept of zombies but can't cope with too much gore so don't go much further than Shaun of the Dead in terms of Zombie Movies, as it's all in text format and is just so funny juxtaposed with Regency England!

The basic idea is that someone has added zombies to Pride and Prejudice. Woah there, don't get angry- they did it in a completely awesome way, and most of the original text is still there! The zombies have been woven almost flawlessly into it. I was expecting normal Pride and Prejudice, and then sudden Zombie attack, like what often happens in movies- they have no awareness of zombies before that point. No. They've written it so that quite a few decades ago, a plague started, a strange plague, that brought the dead back to life. Now, it is usual and expected for young ladies of a certain social standing to add 'zombie killing' and 'hand to hand combat' to their list of accomplishments, for children to be sent to China, or better (according to Lady Catherine) to Japan, for martial arts training, for groups of militia to travel about the country side killing the afflicted and for deadly blood oaths to be sworn rather than mere grudges based on pride or prejudice.

Yet all of the original story is still there (though altered sometimes due to the zombie changes).
Brilliance.
I also love the fact that it is *illustrated*!

I will have happy memories of this book forever, as I started reading it in the tent while I was away on the Yorke Peninsula, lit only by a torch, and I was laughing away at all the changes Seth made. If you love Jane Austen (or Zombies) you'll love that there's some more stuff to read that could easily get people loving the original (rather than just loving the most recent P&P movie which was sadly lacking in my opinion. No, not talking about that one where she jumped into the book through a portal, which I quite liked!). If you hate it, it'll make it more entertaining for you.

I look forward to the movie that is being made, and also to reading Sense and Sensibility and Seamonsters, which I got for Christmas.

Do Not Buy From

2010-01-04T17:31:00.000-08:00

Haha awesome, I'm on a Do Not Buy From list of someone on Etsy because I'm an 'Unbeliever'. Like she was going to buy dollhouse miniatures anyway.

The Yiddish Policemen's Union -Review

2010-01-03T18:22:00.000-08:00

The Yiddish Policemen's Union
by Michael Chabon
Genre: Detective/Crime/Alternative History

I picked up this book from the library as it was on my list of books that sounded cool- it was on an alternative history sci fi list. This is a genre that I quite like. The author changes something that happened with history, and writes their story set in that world. The changes can be big or small, and have varying levels of difference to reality. The stories can be set in any time in the past or present or future as well.

This story, by Michael Chabon, is set in the present, but the point where time diverged into a different dimension, was that after the second world war a safe haven was created for Jews in Alaska. In 1948, the fledgling state of Israel collapsed. Now, sixty years later, the Jewish state of Sitka is about to be reverted back to Alaskan control. A homicide detective, a workaholic after the shameful divorce from his wife (bit cliche for a crime novel...), investigates a murder that took place in the same 'flophouse' he's been living at.

What do I think of it? I think people should give it a try, but I didn't get more than a few chapters in. Perhaps I will keep reading it, but it doesn't seem like 'my' sort of thing. I didn't realise when I borrowed it that it was a crime novel, and though I don't mind crime novels, I like specific sorts. To be honest the Jewish stuff confused and frustrated me- I don't know nearly enough about Jews apparently to understand things, and though I tried to just read it and piece it together like I would for an alien culture, it was difficult for me, and I gave up, I wasn't sucked in. I LOVED the concept of the alternate history, however, and he writes decently, just in a style that I'm not used to. And I know nothing about Chess.

Maybe I'll try reading it again in a while.

Apparently a movie is coming out - I'd watch it.

edit: People on Library Thing had a hard time reading this too, this makes me feel slightly less bad about it!

My Favourite Gingerbread Recipe

2010-01-02T19:48:00.000-08:00

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jopeattie/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

Not made with my recipe, but looks similar.

I made a lot of gingerbread this holiday season! Once we tripled the batch and it wouldn't fit into the mixer anymore.

I thought I'd share the recipe that I've been using, and perhaps you can enjoy it next Christmas, or maybe 'just for'. :)

* Melted butter, to grease
* 125g butter, at room temperature
* 100g (1/2 cup, firmly packed) brown sugar
* 125ml (1/2 cup) golden syrup
* 1 egg, separated
* 375g (2 1/2 cups) plain flour
* 1 tbs ground ginger
* 1 tsp mixed spice
* 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
* Plain flour, to dust

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Brush 2 baking trays with melted butter to lightly grease.
2. Use an electric beater to beat the butter and sugar in a bowl until pale and creamy. Add the golden syrup and egg yolk and beat until combined. Stir in the flour, ginger, mixed spice and bicarbonate of soda. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Press dough into a disc shape. Cover with gladwrap and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to rest.

3. Place the dough between 2 sheets of baking paper and roll out until about 4mm thick. Use cutters to cut out shapes (we used star shapes). Place on trays about 3cm apart. Repeat with any excess dough.
4. Bake in oven for 10 minutes or until brown. Remove from oven. Transfer to a rack to cool.
If you want to, decorate the gingerbread with icing.

Eco Friendly Lifestyle- Guest Post

2010-01-01T19:18:00.000-08:00

This is a guest post from Frugal Mom in MA. AKA, ShabbyChic72

I am just your ordinary thirty-something stay at home mom who tries to make an effort each day at living an eco-friendly lifestyle. One of my biggest attributes ( at least I consider it to be one!) is that I am frugal. There is a distinction between being cheap and being frugal. I prefer to reuse, reduce and reycle! And from this comes my love of all things vintage! I believe things were forty or fifty years ago were better quality and back then people were eco-friendly before things changed.

One of my favorite things to do is to shop at thrift stores and yard sales. I find beautiful cloth napkins that make me feel like I am dining in a five-star restaurant when I use them at home. The other option is to use paper napkins and feel like your are eating at your local fast-food restaurant and killing trees! Vintage napkins are eco-friendly, cost effective AND beautiful!

Another love of mine is Pyrex. The beautiful designs from decades ago that our moms had when we were growing up. Before microwaves and plastic covers were invented! And the best part is you can find them at yard sales and thrift stores! They are inexpensive, beautiful AND they have glass lids so you don’t have to worry about chemicals being released into your food!

And like many women, I love, love, love jewelry and purses! I love it when I stumble across a beautiful purse or piece of jewelry from years ago. What a hidden treasure! It is usually inexpensive and I am reusing and recycling, so how can my husband complain?

I am a coffee and tea drinker. Over the years I have found many beautiful vintage teacups and tablecloths at yard sales and thrift stores. I am a bit of a girly-girl, and I have two daughters, so to me this is fun to be able to have my tea in fine china and a fancy tablecloth! I don’t need the Queen of England to invite me for tea, I can feel special right at home and know that I am recycling and at little to no cost!

Maybe thrift store and yard sale hunting is not for everyone, but at least it is my passion and my conscious effort to having an eco-friendly lifestyle! This is also why I started shabbychic72, my online vintage store at etsy.com. Hopefully others will find the beauty and benefits of all things vintage!

Photo by

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nicestalan/ / CC BY-ND 2.0

Happy New Decade!

2009-12-31T19:30:00.000-08:00

In this time of New Year, I hope that you are happy and safe, and have plans to improve your life for the next year, if you are happy and safe or not.

Last night I reconnected with some of my old friends, and I had a fantastic night over at a friend's house, playing pool, dangling our feet in the spa, eating, playing boardgames and wii, and playing with sparklers and bubble blowing and the dog. It was warm, and we were in tshirts, bare feet and half of us in board shorts. We saw my friend's ultrasound images. We ate a home made icecream cake. Our night was simple and wonderful. We didn't see fireworks. We didn't get drunk. We didn't go out to some huge party. We didn't dress up. We did have a great time, and though we do like fireworks, we also just like being ourselves.

I've not had time to think about my resolutions yet, but I am resolved that this year will be full of adventures and development and achievements. I had a great 2009, learning many new things, finding a boyfriend, going back to university, getting over (more or less) depression and anxiety and perhaps a silly thing, but I've had a great time with my websites. I often freak out about all the things I didn't manage to do in a year, but this year I feel quite contented, even though there's that niggle that maybe I could have done more.

What are your New Year's thoughts?

Secret Army

2009-12-30T15:51:00.000-08:00

The other day, I finished watching Secret Army, it only took Mum and I a year of finding time when we had an hour to watch something at the same time!

I highly recommend that anyone with even the remotest interest in the Second World War watch this show. Or anyone who wants a gripping drama, or likes classic shows.

So, what is Secret Army?

Secret Army is/was a BBC Drama that was made in the late 70s, about the incredibly brave work that the Belgian evasion lines did. They weren't 'resistance' with guns and spying (though they do do some!) and they didn't help Jews escape. They did collect wounded or fallen airmen from the Allied side, hide them, nurse them back to health and help them escape detection by the Germans (who occupied Belgium during the war) and get back home to England, so that they'd be able to pass on useful information about the things they saw behind German lines, and also, hopefully come back and blow up some more Germans, and of course, to save their lives.

The front to their Evasion Line, named 'Lifeline' is the cafe (then in series 2 and 3, Restaurant) Candide. Much of the work is done by female characters, in fact the woman who started it off, Lisa, was a very young woman. She is aided by another young woman Natalie, the man who owns the Candide, Albert, and Albert's mistress, Monique. When the story begins Albert has an invalid wife who never leaves her bedroom that they must hide everything from. They have helpers such as a farmer who does the radio work, and a doctor, who helps the wounded and also gives a Front for Lisa's travelling around at night by letting her work for him.

There are two Germans who are 'after them' (as well as other people of course) part of the occupying force in Germany. This is Kessler, the head of the Belgian Gestapo, and Brandt, then later Reinhart, the leader of the Luftwaffe in Belgium. They become extremely interesting characters.

There is a great turnover of other characters- be warned, much of it is through death, and the show is very dramatic, tense, and tragic, though also incredibly interesting and wonderful.

The iconic opening (and ending) titles.

The story of Lifeline is based on a true group of people in Belgium. And many of the details in individual stories and the fates of many different characters is based on other true stories.

The show was obviously filmed and made with much love, a lot of research and great actors who put their heart and soul into being these characters. It is filmed partially in studio in England, partially on location in England, and partially on location in Belgium.

Though it does have a very 1970s feel, and isn't all cut all over the place like a modern wartime drama would be, it certainly stands up on its own even now, and is just as sad and great as it was then. It was also one of the first wartime dramas that showed the friendship between the women.

Does this storyline sound familiar to you? Perhaps you were or are a fan of 'Allo Allo', a seventies Britcom that was actually... based on Secret Army! Though they set themselves in France rather than Belgium, 'Albert' has more than one girlfriend, and of course it's a comedy. Never in Secret Army are the words 'Listen very carefully, I shall say this only once' uttered.

Albert from Secret Army

Rene from Allo Allo. Notice a resemblance?

I highly recommend that people go out and get this series (available in ABC shops, on Amazon, and probably many other shops that I just don't pay attention to/know about), and enjoy it- you'll learn a lot, and come away with the same question that my mother and I did. If we lived in those times- could we do that sort of thing? We agreed that it was braver than what soldiers did, and that it must have been incredibly strange when the war ended.

Part 1 of the first episode.

My List of Books to Find or Request

2009-12-28T02:08:00.000-08:00

A goal of mine for 2010 is to read more books. I'm going through lists right now and finding good sounding ones. Fiction, non fiction, children's/teens/young adult fiction, help books, travel books, anything useful sounding. I'm requesting and holding them now (some aren't in our local library so I need to ask them if they'll buy it, or look elsewhere), because then I'm much more likely to actually get to the library soon, unlike last year when months would go by without any Library access. Unfortunately my library card will only let me request or hold 10 books at a time, so I need to make a list to remind me. Perhaps you'll want to do the same?

Laura Charlotte- a picture book that was my brother's favourite when he was little. I want to reread it!
The Neverending Story- I don't know if I've read this or not.
The Princess Bride- I've read it before, but I think I want to own it, or at least read it again.
Bring the Jubilee, Ward Moore- Alternative Fiction about the South winning the Civil War

Pretty much all the books on this list.

The Catcher in the Rye, because I've not read it yet
What I saw and How I Lied
One of those Twilight Parody books
Pagan's Daughter ... I think I disagree with the book being written and Pagan having a daughter, but I do still sorta want to read it. I might want to rant about it though.
The '100 Ideas' books for education
Little Brother- I really like dystopian kinds of books.
Saturn's Children, about a sexbot after the humans have died out.
Zoe's Tale
The Last Colony
Books by Lois McMaster Bujold
Thunderer
Briefs for the Reading Room by Dan Marvin
The Magicians
The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency
The Handmaid's Tale- read it before, but I want to read it again.
The Time Traveller's Wife... I'm not totally sure on this one but I'll give it a go.
Before I Die - if I'm wanting a tearjerker.
More of the Jeeves and Wooster stories
The Invention of Hugo Cabret
Up the Down Staircase- about teaching
To Sir With Love
More books by Mark Billingham, one of the guards in Maid Marian and Her Merry Men. He writes crime novels.
A book by Hugh Laurie. I forget what it's called, it's a detective story
The Picture of Dorian Grey
Books by Dickens
Gods Behaving Badly
Galex-Arena A book that has stuck with me since my early teens.
Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict
The Brief History of the Dead
Geek Love, Catherine Dunn
Catch 22
Buying Time
Starship Titanic (again)
The Difference Engine
Diary of Anne Frank
The Minpins
Something Beginning With

And I'm sure, much much more. Which books do you think I'd like?

Wreaths and Decorations

2009-12-26T11:41:00.000-08:00

From Clayitagain

Resolutions for next Christmas

I want to make more decorations, particularly a wreath
I want to cook more foods. This year I made gingerbread!
Watch more Christmas themed tv and movies (this year I saw The Big Baby from Maid Marian and Her Merry Men, AD/BC and that's about it.)
Donate more things
Make presents for friends
Have a Christmas party for friends.

What are yours?

A Christmas Joke

2009-12-25T21:42:00.000-08:00

In our bon bons, we, like every other user of bon bons, get bad jokes, and read them out to our families. We'd just finished reading out such delights as "Why are fish easy to weigh? Because they have their own scales!" when my brother said something about laughing at a joke about Tiger Woods the other day. My aunt asked him what it was.
And he launched right into it.

"Why is Father Christmas better than Tiger Woods? He stops at three hos"

Cue a gasp and a laugh, and my grandfather asking him to repeat it and then explain it, and my mother being horribly embarrassed. My aunt explained to him, and it went okay but my goodness I wouldn't have been brave enough to tell a dirty joke in front of my grandfather!

We had slightly upmarket bonbons, with such prizes as giant paper clips, round dice, little notebooks, tiny packs of cards, and nail clippers. And jokes on shiny paper. The other day my brother and his girlfriend had a Christmas party with their friends and had jokes like " Why are elephants not small, white and fluffy? Because then they'd be an aspirin".

One day I want to make bonbons with better jokes in them, and perhaps sell them on Etsy.

We also have a tradition where we must cross our arms to pull the bonbons. Fun times! How about you? Do you have any? What was your worst or best joke this year? Any particular traditions?

Santa Claus vs Father Christmas

2009-12-25T15:43:00.000-08:00

When I was little, he was called Father Christmas, NEVER Santa Claus. Santa was, we were told, what children in America called him, and Saint Nicholas, what people in Europe called him. He was all the same person, but he was drawn and portrayed in different ways. Father Christmas usually didn't have a hat (when seeing him in real life. He did on cards and on the big statue of him in the mall), he had a wreath of holly or ivy on his head, he also often

wore a robe or a hood. He often wore glasses. Sometimes he had pants and black boots, other times an ankle length robe or coat. He seemed a bit more mystical though he was still jolly. Over the years, the increased American media, and the Internet, has led to people in shops calling him 'Santa' on signs, and children saying 'Santa' because of the tv shows they're watching which have him in it. My own brother is saying 'Santa', and he's 21. But he also insists on saying 'cookies' and 'candy' instead of biscuits and lollies just to piss me off- he likes saying the American words in a 'funny' way, like he's imitating a tv show.

This change makes me sad. I'm not entirely sure why, maybe because it's another example of us losing our uniqueness. A sign of commercialism, and mass media, and almost brainwashing.
'Father Christmas' puts a nice, calm image and feeling in my head. 'Santa Claus' somehow does not. It almost doesn't seem like the same person, though I know the idea is the same.
I will find it weird if my children eagerly await 'Santa' where I was excited for 'Father Christmas'. A weird culture shock in my own country and within 20 years. I guess I can still call him Father Christmas with my own children.

People right now are complaining that Santa is too fat, and is a bad example. Father Christmas (and Saint Nicholas for that matter) were never traditionally hugely obese (sure in some books they were, but the ones I saw in shops, were not). Maybe a bit of a belly but it didn't usually require shoving 3 pillows up your front. Maybe we should go back to the look they had in the 80s rather than the look they're having now. Then they still look Jolly, rather than like Gandalf dressed in red.

What did the Father Christmas, Santa Claus, Saint Nicholas, Kris Kringle, etc etc, look like when you were little? And do you still call him the same thing? (Especially if you're not American). What do you think about that?

The actual Father Christmas of my childhood, from the John Martin's Christmas Pageant. I visited him in John Martin's every year.

Somehow him not having a hat makes a difference. And though he looks reasonably similar to the American one here, except not having a hat, most of the Santas around the place that I saw as a kid had hoods, long robes (sometimes over the top of the belted suit), no hat, glasses, long hair (not just a long beard) and all sorts.

*sigh* I hate change.

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-24T04:38:00.000-08:00

It's 11 pm on Christmas Eve and I'm ready to go to sleep. Tomorrow, we have to wake up at 7, as my brother is going to a Christmas Breakfast, plus two other Christmas engagements other than for our family- insane boy, and making our Christmas as full and early awake as it was when we were little.
I'm quite happy with the gifts I have chosen/made for other people, and something great is happening- my boyfriend is spending the day with us. :) I'm looking forward to it. The Christmas tree looks great, the weather will be nice (21 degrees celcius ish), I really think this year has a lot of potential.

I was going to try to write something awesome and profound, or rant about something, but I don't really have anything. I'm not very prepared am I? But I have a list of things that I'd like to talk about after Christmas. I'll take photos, I promise.

Have a wonderful and safe Christmas everyone, and thanks for reading my blog!

Treadmill Time

2009-12-20T20:58:00.000-08:00

That '15 lbs' that you gain (though of course I'd use kilograms!) when you go to university seems to be true. I was normal in High School, I assume because I was walking between classes, was carrying heavy bags, walking to the bus interchange after school and it was more acceptable to run around. I gained a LOT (... probably... hmn. 10 kilograms? A lot on my short frame) during the first year of uni and didn't really notice it until 2.5 years ago when I finished my degree. Then I put myself on a 'diet' (as in, just cut down how much crap I was eating.), started dancing, and did more walking on the treadmill. In a year, I lost 15 kilograms, it was crazy, I was as light as I was as a 14 year old!

Then I started up this education degree and ... yeahhhh. 7 kilograms gained back (still less than I was after my first degree). Boo. I just didn't have time to go out as much. Even though I was dancing 2 or 3 times a week, I was eating less healthily and not walking around as much in the home.

The past two or three months I've had insane homework and teaching time, so I've not been able to go to dancing as often. Also my Wednesday dancing ended forever. :(

I felt so unfit walking around in the Yorke Peninsula, when a year ago it would have been no problem (and until 3 months ago I could have easily danced for 2 hours non stop without a problem. Different muscle use I suppose.) I think I need a treadmill program. I would go out walking on the streets but unless I go late at night (with someone else, I think!) then it's too hot to go out.

Another motivation is that my boyfriend wants to travel more with me- backpacking. And he's more into adventure travel than I am. I'd be happy wandering around museums. But he wants to go on lots of walks as well as museums. And I suppose, if I were in a strange city I'd be wanting to walk around all day and it could be quite hilly.
I need to get myself fit again! I just walked 5 kms and I don't think that's a bad effort.

I want to put myself through some sort of program and see what happens with it. Got any to recommend, for someone who can't go outside right now?

Merry Bloopy!

2009-12-19T20:44:00.000-08:00

One of my favourite shows is Maid Marian and Her Merry Men.

It is a musical, historical, comedy/parody show that I believe is great for all ages. It has Tony Robinson who is currently doing many historical documentary shows like Time Team, but was also Baldrick in Blackadder.

MMMM is a parody of the Robin Hood legends that is saturated in historical anachronisms. Marian is the leader of the gang rather than Robin. But more about that another day.

Since it's almost Christmas I thought I'd share one of my favourite songs from it! Father Bloopy. From the episode "The Big Baby".

The Sheriff is trying to get out trouble for having a parcel stolen by the Merry Men, and so he and the two guards, Gary and Graeme, invent the holiday of 'Bloopy'- which means deliveries can't be made! They get a bit carried away with their invention of it, and invent Father Bloopy, a man who is supposed to bring presents to everyone on Bloopy. The King is outraged- why isn't HE getting any Bloopy presents?? They then invent the 'tradition' that all the villagers must give presents to Father Bloopy (the King in disguise) in order to get a present in return. So they head off to the village to convince everyone (and Robin who happens to be passing) about Father Bloopy and how great he is.

My favourite quotes "And in his stable he has got sixteen hippopotamuses, and he harnesses them to a silver sleigh, cos he doesn't like using buses!"

"He'll climb right down your chimney stack, but if you haven't got one, he'll crawl right out of a radiator valve, unless it's a very hot one, then his hippos will come and smash down your door, and if you've been good he will thrill you! To good girls and boys, he gives presents and toys... but if you've been bad, he will kill you!"

Watch it, and have a Merry Bloopy, everyone!

If you are or were a fan, make sure to join the fanforum! And if you want to watch it, it IS available on dvd! (and much better quality than this video)

Blythe Dolls -Guest Blog

2009-12-19T11:27:00.000-08:00

Liz Logan from Paperbella on Etsy makes some great papercut crafts! She's also the guest blogger for today, talking about something that I like- dolls! (though I'm more into the 1:12 scale variety).

Here she is!:

Am I the only one who hasn’t ever heard of Blythe dolls?

1. BlytheCouture.etsy.com

I was born in the 80’s so as you can imagine, there was no shortage of the coolest toys; Cabbage Patch Kids, My Little Pony, Rainbow Brite, and the list goes on and on. I was such a girly girl too; I loved dolls. My childhood consisted of the ones that you can actually feed them a bottle and then they wet themselves. You know what I’m talking about right?

I’ve had to grow up of course, and put away all those pretty and shiny toys, C’est le vie. So, fast forward 20 + years later; where I stumbled onto a listing on Etsy; of a Blythe doll. It instantly caught my attention. She was so pretty with big doe eyes, angelic face, and shiny hair in a cute bob. I looked at more listings, and this Blythe doll can pull off any look! Seriously! Short bob hair, long hair, pink hair, curly hair and so on. I then saw that this doll has excellent sense of fashion; she has some cool accessories.

2. blythelove.etsy.com
3. blythelove.etsy.com

I decided to learn more about the Blythe doll and I nearly passed out when I saw that she has been around since the 1970’s! Have I been living on some other planet all these years? How could I have never heard of these dolls before? I know I would have coveted one of these beauties so bad!

I invite you to check her out too, take a look at their official website
http://www.blythedoll.com/index-e.html

Throughout this post, I’ve picked some of my favorite shops who sell accessories for these dolls on Etsy, here are some more; click on each one to learn more:

4.LarasFawn.etsy.com

5. susa.etsy.com
6. susa.etsy.com

7. goodyblythe.etsy.com
8. goodyblythe.etsy.com

Thanks Liz! And remember, anyone may contact me with an offer to guest blog. :)

Gobsmacked

2009-12-19T00:44:00.000-08:00

At last year's Lobethal Lights, (see previous entry) we witnessed something that totally shocked us. My Mum, brother, his girlfriend and I were walking along the main road. There's a house there with a verandah, and it had these toys that were moving up and down on a mechanism, attached to 'parachutes' I think it was. All these different toys were clipped onto it. There were people all over the place even though it was dark.

Suddenly, a car pulled up. It was full of laughing teenagers. One jumped out and ran up onto the porch. I don't know what we were thinking, maybe that she lived there. She grabbed one of the toys, ripped it off of the clips that were holding it, and ran off back into the car.

We just stood there, totally shocked. Our minds had all gone to about five different assumptions before we realised what was going on, and by the time we had, it was too late for anything but my brother's girlfriend to call out something telling her off.

Sorry, Lobethal people, that we couldn't save your bear. :(

When have you been gobsmacked?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lapstrake/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Awesome Grammar Quotes

2009-12-18T18:34:00.000-08:00

When I 'grow up' and get my own classroom, I want many of these quotes all over the walls!

From Mylifeisaverage

Today at school, I was on my way to english class when I noticed a sign taped to the door. It read: "'Let's eat grandma!' or, 'Let's eat, grandma!' Punctuation saves lives." I laughed for about 10 minutes. MLIA

What are your favourites?

Lobethal Lights and the Beach

2009-12-16T22:25:00.000-08:00

This post contains random parts of my life, a date idea, and tourism in Adelaide ideas. Plus probably other stuff.

Yesterday was a hot day, almost 40 degrees, and my boyfriend and I decided to go to the beach- one of the many things on our Making The Holidays Great list we've made. We went to Semaphore Beach, which I highly recommend if you want a very safe swimming beach in the Adelaide area. We went with my pool noodles, were laughed at by a drunk/weird man who thought I was a boy (seems you're a boy if you're not in a bikini!) who said we looked as ridiculous as his three legged dog, and threw a ball for his dog. Drunk/weird but at least funny. The water was beautifully warm, and so we sat in probably waist deep water enjoying it for hours. We got out, and then went to get some chips with chicken salt and tartare sauce... mmm. Met some seagulls, felt sorry for another 'gimpy' one that was missing a foot, and fed that one 6 chips. The other seagulls were so angry with that seagull by the time we left- they actually came up and pecked it in the back of the head a couple of times! Whoops.

As we sat on our towel at the edge of the dunes, big black clouds were rolling in on the horizon. Instead of making a run for it, we decided we'd stay and watch, as huge bolts of lightening were shooting across the sky in the distance, and it was still warm. We stayed until it started to rain, but it didn't bother us as we were still in our bathers. I think we got the better deal than the people who ran home!

We then decided a bit randomly, that we'd drive up to see the Lobethal Lights. Lobethal is a town in the Adelaide Hills that has a huge reputation for its Christmas Lights on most of the houses. They get many thousands of tourists yearly. We're going to see their Pageant on Tuesday, but that gets so crowded we thought we'd get an early look in.

So, we made the 30 or so minute drive up through the twisting Hills roads through a short cut that my boyfriend knew of because he used to live there. We originally intended to just drive around, but we changed our mind and walked around, still embarrassingly dressed in bathers (though I'd put on a sarong and a tshirt) and with our hair looking like we never wash it. We explored many of the places that he used to hang out in as a child, even though it was dark. This whole thing was a lot more spontaneous than I usually do, and I greatly enjoyed it. We explored one of the Christmas markets they have, saw many lights, laughed at bogans, ate a boysenberry icecream, drooled over the pancakes that we couldn't afford as we'd only brought enough money for chips, and were rained on in a humid, huge drops, sort of way.

Then came home and played Sims3.

All in all a fantastic afternoon/evening/night out! :D

Winter/Kangaroos

2009-12-14T21:03:00.000-08:00

What is winter like in Australia? Can you tame kangaroos and keep them as pets?

From Prairie Boutique

It depends on where you live!
Winter is of course, not over Christmas. In South Australia, winter is rainy/rainyer than usual, and anywhere from 5 to 20 degrees Celcius. In Queensland, it is anywhere between 15 and 25 degrees celcius, and dry, rather than wet. Queensland and the Northern Territory has two main seasons- the wet season and the dry season. The wet season is during summer, and it's wet and humid and hot. So a great time to travel to Queensland is in June and July! The Northern Territory and Alice Springs can be 30 degrees in 'winter'. In Tasmania, it is colder, from about 0-10 degrees I believe, and it can snow a bit, in the mountains (it can also snow in the mountains in New South Wales and Victoria. It doesn't tend to snow in places where people live).

You can tame kangaroos yes, but they won't ever be exactly like a dog or cat. People don't tend to have them as housepets. My aunt has 'tamed' a few by feeding them, and she can pat most of them. Some come when they're called. They roam around her land.

Coober Pedy

2009-12-13T20:41:00.000-08:00

Photos
I recently watched a documentary on the underground town, Coober Pedy. Have you ever been there... heard of it? I was fascinated.
BayoulandBabies

There's something magical about the idea of Coober Pedy, a town in the middle of South Australia, red, hot, full of Opals (it's the Opal capital of the world!), where everyone lives in caves underground called 'dug outs'. There are even churches underground!

Opal

But as well as being fascinating, this is a very valid action. It prevents the inhabitants from being too affected by the heat, as under the ground the temperature is more constant. And it is eco friendly, before the term existed. Many sci fi books I've read imply that in the future we should all be living underground.

Though I've obviously heard of it, and I've read books like Fire in the Stone by Colin Thiele (I'd recommend it!) I have not been there. Why, you might say, looking at the map. Don't you live in South Australia?

I do indeed. But it is 850 kilometres away, or over 9 hours drive. One day I'll go. How about you?

My Blog is Over A Year Old!

2009-12-13T16:14:00.000-08:00

I just realised that this blog is 1 year and 8 days old.

I think I've changed a lot since then. The content and purpose of the blog certainly has, and I actually have some readers. (Thanks guys and girls!) I'm updating regularly, which I wasn't doing at the start of this year. I'm a lot more confident in myself. I'm back at uni, I have a boyfriend, and my best friend is still in the UK... Sadly, it'll be a year tomorrow that I last saw him, that we went down as a group to say goodbye at the airport... that we did swing dancing and some of them did circus tricks in the departure lounge... do I feel silly about my plot about 'bringing him back'? No. I've also not given up hope. Our websites have however taken a down turn (check out Not Negative News on the sidebar there- and join in, we'd LOVE to have you), because we've both been so busy, working and studying, and it didn't kick off as quickly as we were thinking it would. Why couldn't it have been passed around amongst friends like twitter was, and have a sudden start up? I guess it's not too late for that to happen.

I hope this blog continues to grow and develop over the next year!
A big thanks to my 46 followers I have so far, and all the readers. I absolutely adore your comments.

Yesterday I finally had time to work out the labels/tags whatever you call them. You'll be able to see them in the cloud on the side, perhaps it'll help you search through my blog. :)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hfb/ / CC BY-ND 2.0

Student Teaching

2009-12-12T19:57:00.000-08:00

I have my placement for next year! I have a school that is just down the road (25 minutes walk, I timed it last night), and is very good. It's got a lot less socio economic problems than the school I was at last, the teachers from all accounts are nice and friendly. However, I have a year 2/3 class. Year 2s? They're junior primary and aren't included in my degree. This will make it difficult for me, as I've not been trained properly for teaching literacy and numeracy to younger children. I'm sure that I can do it well especially with the support of the mentor teacher, but it is still a bit odd to be so placed. I rang the principal and she was very understanding after I explained what the problem was (and explained that year 2s are like year 1s at the start of the year). At least I have many resources and I have had experience with junior primary before.

Nine Men's Morris

2009-12-11T18:44:00.000-08:00

http://www.flickr.com/photos/amagill/ / CC BY 2.0

I thought I'd recommend a game to you today.

Let me introduce "Nine Men's Morris", a game of strategy and thinking skills.
It is an extremely ancient game- the Vikings enjoyed playing it, sometimes for money.

Nine Mens' Morris is a game for two players. Each player has 9 pieces. They each take turns putting a piece on the board- if they get three in a row, that is a 'mill' and they are allowed to take one of the other player's pieces from play. Once all nine pieces are on the board, they are allowed to move pieces to get more mills. A piece in a mill is untouchable from being removed by the other player- but sometimes you have to move one out!

My boyfriend and I played this while in our tent in the wild wild wind, it was the first time he'd been introduced to it. Playing against him is much harder than playing against the computer, which is how I learnt it back in the 90s.

I bought my board in a museum in England, and my pieces are two different colours of marbles.

A fantastic travel game, or for fans of board games, or for kids who want an extension on noughts and crosses.

Anyone else here a fan?

Cultural Shock Of The Day

2009-12-11T15:49:00.000-08:00

On Fmylife

A group of college students are made to go to court, fined $25 and made to do 8 hours community service, for playing on the swings after dark.

People respond with "But the parks close after dark, so you deserve it"

What? Parks close in the USA? (At first I just thought it was only in New York, but the comments imply that it happens everywhere, and I just read a comment that says the parks are closed in England too after dusk...).

This is totally bizarre to me. Around here it's quite common for friends to go walking together after dark when NOT drunk (or even just a little drunk, and who really cares?), for teenagers to go and actually play on equipment but not do anything wrong after dark, for people to go out and exercise from 8-11 pm, in the dark. I've never heard of a park being 'closed'! If it doesn't have a fence around it, it's fair game. But you wouldn't want to make a lot of noise if there are houses nearby, but you'd just be moved on.

7 Blogging Tips

2009-12-10T18:38:00.000-08:00

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dharmasphere/ / CC BY-NC 2.0

If you want people to comment more on your blog...

1. Put the comment form at the end of your posts. Never have it where it pops up, or where to verify it pops up and reloads the page.

2. Allow anonymous comments. People stumble upon blogs often, yet are not members of blogger. Make it easy for them to comment!

3. Allow people to post using a name and url. People like to promote themselves, and again, may not have a blogger, or don't want to log in right now.

4. Get rid of the verification captcha, if you're not one of those hugely popular blogs anyway who get thousands of comments a day. Then make it so that comments on entries over a week old are moderated- those are the ones more likely to be hit by spammers. Verifications take time, and many people just can't be bothered.

5. Post about things that people care about or could have an opinion on.

6. Comment on other people's blogs.

7. Get genuine followers. Don't participate in 'follow for follow' deals- you want people who are actually interested in you.

Simple Cadbury Experiment

2009-12-09T17:43:00.000-08:00

An experiment that will even get your older kids excited. It can be connected to science, or to Society and Environment, or even Design and Technology.

Materials: Get two different sorts of milk tray chocolate boxes. One has to be Cadbury (make sure you test this out first).

Come into class with the chocolate boxes and announce that we're going to have an experiment, but first... we must eat the chocolate!

Then, give each group of students two containers of warm/almost hot water, and two pieces of the plastic trays- one from each box.

Have them put the piece in the warm water and record the results.

If you have the correct Cadbury one- the Cadbury tray will dissolve and 'melt'! Have them feel the texture. The other will not.

You could then test a few pieces of the cadbury one and different temperatures of water!

Cadbury has made their milk trays biodegradable. You can then discuss with the children why Cadbury might have chosen to do that, and what it would mean for rubbish dumps. What else is biodegradable?

Eating Kangaroo and Emu

2009-12-08T16:55:00.000-08:00

This is the Australian coat of arms. It has a kangaroo and an emu on it. They're on it because they're quite common in Australia, and because they're both animals that cannot walk backwards- symbolic of our progression as a nation.

People have been eating kangaroo and emu for centuries. The Aboriginal peoples have been eating them for thousands of years. I ate a kangaroo meat patty the other week and it was delicious. It's quite a good meat, very lean. I've not yet eaten emu but I wouldn't be opposed to it. There are sometimes emu and kangaroo farms for meat, other times, there needs to be a cull of them (they are too abundant in some areas due to humans planting/allowing grass, providing too much food. Then they have a population boom, eat all the grass, and potentially starve or ruin crops.), and that meat I believe is sometimes eaten. (if it's not, it should be!).

Foreigners are often horrified by this. How can we eat something so cute??

Apparently there is now/going to be emu or kangaroo flavoured chips. Why is that worse than beef flavoured chips?

Some people are getting a bit upset about it, but most Australians I've asked are not concerned- though they may not choose to eat them themselves.

Their argument is that 'it's on the Australian coat of arms'. We're apparently the only nation that eats the animals on our coat of arms. But we made a choice that was like putting a cow or pig on the coat of arms.
And I think that the argument against the chip flavour is ridiculous.
It's not like we're eating a bald eagle, a lion, a unicorn, etc, things that don't exist or are almost extinct.

What's your opinion?

Gifts For Teachers Part 4

2009-12-07T23:24:00.000-08:00

Fourth part in my series of what to get for teachers. Teachers get some horrible presents. I am trying to help you make good decisions! Since this is the last week of school for Australian students, I think this will be the last post I'll make on this for this year. I have a lot more to add for next year! I hope you enjoyed the series.

25. Thank You Cards
Invita Paper Studio

Buy your teacher some thank you cards, or if you're particularly crafty, make it yourself! Many teachers like to give thank you cards if they're able to. (In Australia it is harder because of the fact that kids move on to a different classroom after the gift giving occurs in most cases). Attractive cards that are blank inside would also be useful- they could give them out for whatever they want then!

26. Something for the whole class, or the staffroom or library.

Apparently some parents do this, and I think it's a nice idea. Buy some new books for the library or the classroom bookshelf. Buy an 'apple slinky' to encourage the kids to eat fruit. Buy a new binding machine or laminator or a microwave. Buy sports equipment or a dvd. As I mentioned previously, a new beanbag or cushion. Buy science equipment. The ideas could be endless! What are your ideas?

27. Donations to Charity

This is good, but only if you actually do it. If you just tell the teacher 'instead of giving you a present, I might donate to charity this year!', it'll sound like you won't actually do either. Actually go and make the donation, then give them a card saying that you gave a donation to [charity] in their name. This works especially well for charities that give back a little thank you card. Perhaps you could buy some chickens via World Vision for a village overseas- particularly if you've been learning about that country! Or to Book Aid which provides books in native languages all over the world. 2 British pounds sends a book overseas.

28. A letter or email years later telling the teacher about what you're up to.

Gifts don't have to be given now! Email them or send them a letter a few years later explaining how they helped you, or just saying what you've been up to.

29. A teacher's resource book.

A book of plays for example, or craft activities, cooking for kids, history books, maths quizzes/games, family quiz/trivia books, crossword books, there are all sorts out there and often easily accessible in Newsagencies and book shops.

I even made an Amazon widget for you. :)
30. Origami
PLB Crafter

A book of origami folding procedures and some origami paper. The guy who I originally started this blog about gave me a fantastic one involving maths. Or you could make a piece of origami for him or her.

31. Group Gifts
You might want to pool your money with other students or parents and get something fantastic and 'bigger'!

32: A dvd
A dvd either for them or for the classroom. If for the classroom make sure it is of an appropriate rating. In Australian schools, primary schools can't show PG rated movies without a permission slip. Some historical fiction/drama/comedy series are about that are fantastic, documentaries, educational shows, or just fun ones to watch on a hot or rainy day. Or perhaps you want to recommend one of your favourite movies or shows to the teacher?
I'd be happy to talk about my favourites that could be useful in class!

33. Joke or riddle books

Teachers like funny things. And many teachers like to start the day with a joke or riddle for the class!

34. Things about a pet peeve of theirs
Is your teacher a stickler for grammar for example? Make a light joke or acknowledgement of this fact!
Beanforest

35. Board or card games

Teachers tend to love these! They can be played by the students, or at home with their friends or family. There are some fantastically creative games out there right now.

Where The Wild Things Are

2009-12-07T18:38:00.000-08:00

(photo is mine, taken at the Innes National Park in South Australia)
I saw Where The Wild Things Are on Sunday.
This is one of my mother's favourite books to read to her class.
I always liked it too.
So when I saw that they'd made a movie from a 25 page (each with a sentence or less) Children's book, I was very confused about how they could make it into a movie!

But I'd give it 5/5. Max was a very realistic little boy, the story was lovely and obviously lovingly created, they 'stuck to the book' as much as possible- including amazingly created Jim Henson puppets showing The Wild Things. The scenery is beautiful, and is obviously filmed in Australia (Apparently in Victoria), and I loved that they filmed it like it was filmed with a camcorder, most of the time. That was very surprising.
Apparently the writer of the book had worked with the producers and script writer, and approved it heartily.

I don't believe it is suitable watching for the under 10s however. There are some scary and heavy themes and feelings involved. As an adult I can watch it and know that the characters are upset over really trivial things but somehow it is shown so that you feel all of the character's childish yet real pain. Children may not be able to cope with that. And some things are indeed very scary- one thing (spoiler alert!) is the teacher freaking Max out by telling the class that the sun was going to go out... and neglecting to say when that's expected to happen. That whole issue isn't resolved in the movie, he goes on believing it and convinces the Wild Things of it (though they decide not to worry about it). I was very scared by that concept as a child myself. Great example of careless teachers though, or a reminder of how kids take what we say!

I'm also very curious how they got the names for the Wild Things! Where do they come from?

I recommend it to everyone over the age of 10 years. Don't be put off thinking it's for 'Children'. It is much more than that. It will either take you back to your childhood, or make you want to hug little Max!

School Hat Policies

2009-12-06T21:10:00.000-08:00

From West Wallsend School
From Happy Valley School

If you're moving to Australia, this might be something you don't know about!
In Australian primary schools, hats are usually compulsory. Some are compulsory just in the last and first terms of school (ie, in the hot weather), others all year round, whenever the children are outside. They're usually part of the school uniform and are of the school colour or have the school logo. Baseball caps are not acceptable hats. It's usually bucket hats or broadbrimmed hats or caps with a flap at the back (my least favourite...).
"No Hat, No Play" is a common phrase heard around Australia!

There was an article in the paper today about how Sunsmart Australia is trying to encourage high schools to get their high school students to wear hats.
We had to wear hats in Highschool for PE but not for just outside during lunch. We just put on sunscreen.

I do feel for those kids who hate what it does to their hair. They want to still look nice in the afternoon but they must completely redo their hair. It also used to make my head hot and my head feel horrible. But it is a good idea as it shades the face and (usually) neck, something which is needed in our hot country, where something like 1/3 get some form of skin cancer.

I say bring back shallow hats and hat pins so hats can perch on top of the head rather than being jammed over the ears. Or have hats be shady yet good looking rather than hugely daggy and dorky. (The bucket hat is the best option of the three for that, as long as it is broad brimmed like mine usually is). Then older kids don't have to worry about their hair. And it's not like they need strings around their chin to keep them on their heads as they play chasey. Or maybe some nice straw hats like the private schools have sometimes?
But, at least everyone is dorky together.

Animals We Encountered in Innes and Yorke Peninsula

2009-12-06T15:31:00.000-08:00

On our trip around Yorke Peninsula we encountered a lot more animals than we expected to... or, we forgot that we would, being silly city people.

1. Dolphins.
(The beach where we saw the dolphins)
We saw dolphins while on the beach where the Ethel Wreck is, in the Innes National Park at the foot of the leg of the Yorke Peninsula (see the map in my previous entry). There was a beautiful beach with only a few footprints on it on part of the beach, a rusting skeleton of an Edwardian wrecked ship, waves crashing onto the beach, high cliffs that we were about to go down via a very steep staircase, and then we saw the fins near the shoreline. My boyfriend later saw them jumping. We believe there were four out there.

2. Kangaroos
We saw kangaroos when we were out walking. They'd usually stand and stare at us. We were going home from trying to call my parents on the solar powered Telstra public phone in Pondalowie campground in Innes (all other phone lines were dead. And this one wasn't good! It cut out.). It was dark, and only the light of the moon was available. I had forgotten how bright the moon can be at night! I am a bit too used to light pollution I believe. We'd just been talking about how we're the only ones in the campsite (a huge one built for 50 camp sites) and how there was no way to get help since all the phones were down, if there was a problem. We then saw a big shadowy figure by the path and thought that our fears were becoming reality! My boyfriend shone the torch, after stopping me from walking on and freaking me out in the process. It was a HUGE male kangaroo. We turned the light off and hurried past so we wouldn't annoy it. There were two female kangaroos in the campsite near to us too that night.

3. Tammar Wallaby
(picture from OzAnimals)

Tammar wallabies were extinct in Australia, until strangely they found some in New Zealand. New Zealand has no kangaroos naturally (or other mammals), but someone had taken some of these wallabies over in the past and they'd been living quite happily there. They're being reintroduced into Australia, starting with Innes National Park. I only saw a flash of it in the scrub but my boyfriend insisted that it was one. It was certainly a wallaby with similar colouring.

4. Big Black Snake
Strangely enough, we didn't get a photo of this one.

This one is the hugely scary one. My heart still beats thinking about it!
The stories are true folks, there are big black scary snakes in Australia!
We were walking along a path in the abandoned town of Inneston in Innes National Park. Actually just out of it, on another walk that went up the old railway tracks (an official walk). We were carrying sticks waving them around to get rid of the horrible flies, and to ward off spider webs in front of us as it was a narrow path. Suddenly my boyfriend grabs me and says stop. In front of us, only 2 metres away, was a big black snake that was rising up ready to strike. My first instinct was to grip my stick tighter to defend myself, but then fear kicked in and we both ran like hell the other way. We needed lots of hugs after that! We managed to get through a scrubless area to the dirt road just about 5 metres away that is for cars, and then we stomped our way through the next two kilometres to get back to our car, and made as many vibrations as possible.

My heart was still beating hard hours later. But we were joking that the snake was probably all 'yeah, I scared them off! I didn't even have to bite them, they ran away, they were so scared of me! Scary stupid humans!!'

5. Ticks

(This Is Actual Size)
We noticed these weird flat bodied spiders almost as soon as we were setting up our tent. There were thousands of them all over the bush. I looked a bit closer and suspected they were ticks. We kept finding them on us when we slept, or crawling up our pant legs. They were like little contortionists. You'd squish them and their body would just contract and not squish! Neither of us were bitten, but the very fact that they were everywhere was disturbing and shudder worthy. We looked it up when we had the internet again and confirmed yes, they were ticks. BIG ticks. And some came back home with us in our tent! According to Dad they're there all year round in Innes.

6. Flies

Every. Where. (In Innes. It wasn't bad in Port Vincent and surrounding area because of the crazy wind on those days, or in the Copper Triangle area for some reason... sea breezes?)
We'd have about 10 seconds outside before they'd find us. I'm incredibly thankful that there aren't many flies in Adelaide. I really REALLY wanted one of those cork hats, or to cover myself in a veil made of tulle to keep them off me.

7. Seagulls and Pigeons and other birds

We found these pretty hilarious! We made 'friends' with two of them in Innes. (This photo is of 'Not Gimpy'. And we laughed at the pigeons living in the old buildings in the copper triangle.
We saw parrots, tiny finches, all sorts of others as well.

8. Lizard
In Innes we saw a lizard. I love lizards. Its head is behind that stick a bit.

9. Emu and Chicks
We saw a Dad emu (the Dads are the ones that raise the chicks) and three teenage looking emu chicks about half his size.

This confirms to me that yes, Australia is as dangerous and wonderful as 'they' say it is. So, bring your repellent, crash around in the bush, watch out on oceans and bush, and bring a camera!

Is it better to crash around in the bush and scare off snakes, or walk quietly and see cuter animals?

Yorke Peninsula

2009-12-06T01:23:00.000-08:00

Why no posts for over a week?

I was on the Yorke Peninsula!

Where is that?

South Australia. It's also "The only leg Australia has to stand on". Note its shape!

I travelled with my boyfriend, and it was the longest trip he'd been away from home for, and my first camping trip since I was a child. It was the first trip I've ever organised 'myself', rather than it being a case of 'hey everyone, lets go to my grandmother's shack!' or, being taken along by my parents. We also managed to make it the entire way around the leg, which feels like a huge achievement, something we can really be proud of. We only missed a few shack towns on the Western side of Innes, because we didn't realise there's only one entrance and exit to Innes- on the Eastern side. I might need to make a map showing where exactly we went!

We spent two nights in Port Vincent, two nights in Innes National Park, and four nights in the Copper Triangle (staying in Wallaroo).

We faced extreme wind, some rain, ticks, huge black snakes, flies, lack of cooking facilities, no phone connections, and my greatest nemesis- long drop toilets. Of course (other than the wind and the flies) that was mainly in Innes National Park- the towns were fine so don't let me scare you off! We travelled many hundreds of kilometres. That peninsula doesn't look like much in the picture, does it!

We survived! And I return with only a sprained ankle and a sandfly bite under my eye- the only place I didn't put repellant. The sprained ankle was where I tripped over the tent.

More to come about this soon. Ask questions?

Christmas Decorations

2009-11-25T15:14:00.000-08:00

Danish hearts by ViolinKeri
I want to make Christmas decorations. Now that I have dexterity in my fingers, unlike when I was in junior primary school and making popstick stars, I can actually make some decent things. Even simple things look nice.
I'd like to make some bead angels, make some polymer clay ornaments, and whatever else I can find. They'd be great to give as random presents to brighten people's day.

Link

(our tree is just a tree, no animals. And our candle thing holds two tiny candles, one at each end, and has people in it, not a town scene).

I'd like to make some from different cultures to remind me of our travels. In our house we've got some little ornaments from Germany- some wooden deer, and a tree made with curled shavings, and a little candle arch thing. They had them all over Germany and we loved them. Several years later my mother's penfriend sent us a tiny one. Getting the wooden tree was an 'ordeal'. We were in a Weinachtsmarkt (Christmas market) and I pulled myself together, got brave, and asked in a pretty good attempt at German, how much the little tree was. The woman answered me in German, and I asked her a few more questions. Until she said "Oh, let's just speak in English. I'm American!"

It was my first night in Germany and my first attempt at German too.

I'd also like to make some Danish paper hearts, as pictured above. I didn't see any, because I didn't go to Denmark, but when I was student teaching my mentor had one pinned to her noticeboard near her desk. It seems like a great project for kids either at home or in class, and you could teach them about different cultures and traditions while you do it, or you could buy them to give as cards or to put in your windows, if you're not in a making mood like I am.

I think I'm going to make it a tradition that every year, I'll make some more ornaments.

Hi, I'm a Gravy Addict

2009-11-24T18:24:00.000-08:00

(not my gravy boat)

I am a major gravy addict. I love it. Absolutely love it. People tell me 'do you want some roast with that gravy?' I'm exactly like this kid. (except for the something sweet) I'll eat leftover (and refrigerated) gravy from the roast the day before, heated up, and then with toast to mop it up with. So. Good. I love gravy so much that I was given a 1920s gravy boat for my 18th birthday. I thought it was brilliant. I was given a little green one shaped like lettuce leaves for my 21st. Also brilliant. I have a beautiful silver one somewhere too. Usually it's just put in a jug, and it doesn't stay there long. But it's nice to know I could present it prettily if I wanted to!

My Dad is the Gravy Maker in this family. He is also the Roast Cooker.
So you'd think, that at Christmas, I'd be able to get lots and lots of delicious, wonderful, gravy. Most important meal of the year, involving roasts too.
... nope. :(
Because my Dad cooks the turkey on the webber.
How Australian is that? We *barbeque* the turkey.*

(not our webber or turkey. Imagine this, but with a whole turkey, not just legs)
So I have to make do with fake, powdered gravy that does not taste at all good on turkey.

Okay, I know that part of the 'issue' to do with this is space. We have fish on one tray of the oven, and vegetables on the other. So it's a great additional cooking space. Barbequed turkey still tastes good.
It means that Dad and my grandfather, and when my uncle is over from Scotland, and occasionally my brother, can enjoy standing around outside in the warm weather. At least, they seem to enjoy it.

But. No. Gravy. Happens. :(

This year I think I need to put a plan into action. Because after over 10 years of this no gravy travesty happening, I am fed up with it.
I asked online, and people recommended 'Gravy in a Jar'.

It certainly looks more appetising than the powdered gravy. But I don't know if it exists in Australia.

Many foods don't exist in Australia. (and in other countries, and visa versa).
I've been talking about camping lately, asking for advice on what to take. Not only can people not understand that we're not allowed campfires at this time of year, they also insist on me taking freeze dried foods (only available in very expensive camping shops) or things like 'tinned mashed potatoes'. ... ew. Does not exist. Or they talk about making 'dump puddings' (ignoring again that we have no campfires. :P) which require 'yellow cake mix'. I have no idea what that is! And it goes on.
So apparently the USA has vast 'fake' gravy options.

Please tell me someone if those gravies in a jar exist, because I'd totally give them a go!

... I'm thinking of trying something like getting Dad to make a bunch of roasts, and then I don't eat much gravy, and then we freeze it, and Christmas will be Saved for me!

Or I could go to takeaway shops and buy containers of gravy a few weeks previous to Christmas.

I'm taking charge this year of this gravy situation. No more!

You might see me on the streets this Christmas, trying to score gravy.

*well, slow barbeque. Over coals. For hours. Not quite the same as chucking it on the barbie.

Gifts to Give To Teachers Part 3

2009-11-21T16:36:00.000-08:00

Part 3 of my Teacher Gift Guide! Hopefully you can get lots of ideas for that special teacher in your life. Or other people who might like these ideas!

Little Vintage Violet: a collage kit Barbed lotus
13. Kits
Since food often isn't eaten in time, why not give a food making kit? Give the main ingredients for a favourite recipe, for example, biscuits or pasta. Include the recipe, and if required, a biscuit cutter.
You could also make up movie watching kits, relaxation kits, craft making kits, anything your imagination comes up with.

You could also make a Breakfast Basket, a Gardening Basket, etc.
RetroGrandma
14. Make a hollow book
There are instructions online for how to make a hollow book. It's rarely given, is fun, and you could pick an old book cover that suits the teacher. If you're the parent, your child can help with a lot of the gluing! Or, you can buy them online for reasonable prices.

SewFabulousCraft
15. A recipe booklet or poetry anthology
Write out your favourite recipes and present them nicely. Or write out/print out lots of your favourite poems. You could theme it, such as 'My favourite...' or 'Recipes that could be made in class' 'recipes for a quick dinner' 'recipes for tasty lunches for teachers' anything that would be useful. 'Relaxing poems' 'Poems to read to classes', etc. I recommend you make it in a way that he or she can add to it later with their own recipes or poems.

EmsyJane
16. Hand, feet or eye wheatbags

You can buy these or make them. You just microwave for a few minutes, then put it in your bed, or in your pocket. May not be useful for an Australian Christmas, but I'm sure it'd be used once winter comes around! (Unless you're in Queensland where you might be out of luck for this one!)
I *love* mine. In fact mine (much bigger than the ones I pictured) is sitting on my lap right now. It's good for backaches, cramps and so on as well. You can find the instructions all over the internet, and buy them online or at craft fairs.

LeakyLounge
17. A Photoshop Adventure

Are you a creative student or parent? Get (good) photos of your teacher, and photoshop them into a travel (or fantasy!) adventure. Make it look like they've travelled all over the world or through time. Put them in some sort of novelty situation. And print it nicely. You don't need to frame it. This would give a kick to the teacher, and shows off your talents. If they taught you creative writing, you could write a story to go with it! Or, make them the star of a movie!

Enrique
18. C.Ds
Many teachers love music. Find an appropriate cd and give it to them. Relaxation c.ds are also good, and usually anything upbeat or classical is great. Or recommend something that you love that they might also.

What's Eating Yin?Bellissima Minerals
19. Samplers
Does your teacher like to cook? Provide them with small sample bags of lots of different spices that they may not have tried before. Or tealeaf or coffee samples! (if they drink tea and coffee). Or soap samples for fancy soaps.

Mywoodentoys
20. A 'Dime Store Game'.
You can make them yourself, and they look quite awesome. Also very small so they won't take up much room.

Handsonlearningfun
Alice The Camel from Feltboard Fun
21. Classroom resources
Look up teaching resources online, and then make some of them for him or her, or buy some. Some good ones are maths or literacy games- they can often be made just with a computer printer and a laminator. What would be fantastic is if you could add to what they taught you or your child this year. An example a lecturer gave (not in regard to presents) was when he was teaching Germany between the wars, he bought a lot of Deutschmarks on Ebay, that showed the inflated prices. This allowed the class to remember things a lot more than if he'd just told them. They could pass them around, have a look, and exclaim over it. Props. Teachers would love relevant props! If your class was learning about the economy and had a 'shop' simulation- get or make some play money. If you do a lot of acting in class, get some props for that. Some hats or something. Feel free to discuss more thoughts about this with me! Or buy or make some maths equipment, a small board game, posters for the class, anything at all that could be used! Have a look at the things you did this year, and then see if you can improve it somehow for next year's students.

Griffies Growth
22. Add to the Reading Corner, home corner or give to the class pet
Does your classroom have a reading corner? (Yes, even high schools have reading corners here! Or they SHOULD). Buy some small beanbags or comfy cushions. When I was prac teaching one of the beanbags was broken and needed to be replaced. It was shaped like a flower. Or buy some books for the classroom library shelf. Second hand would be fine. Is there a class pet? Buy it an ornament, some food, a toy. Is it a class for younger kids? Is there a 'home corner'? Add to it! Donate small food packets (eg the tiny cereal packets for travelling), dress up clothes, waldorf toys, plastic foods...
AGlimpseofReality

23. Earrings, necklaces, hats etc

Does your teacher wear jewellery? Have you seen her out and about wearing them if not in the classroom? Does your teacher wear a hat? These can be nice gifts for males or females. Just make sure it's non allergenic. Ask students if she wears gold or silver more often. Many teachers like wearing bright and colourful things in class. Or novelty earrings. Many young male teachers I know enjoy wearing caps when not in class. Ties might also go into this category, if the male teacher wears them. If your teacher has long hair, how about some nice hair things?

LilacAve
24. Things to make the class less stinky.

... kids smell. Buy your teacher some sort of way to freshen the air. Reed diffusers are a good one (as long as no one has allergies!). There are also more natural ways to do it. I suggest you look it up! It's good to have a wide base as well, so that it will be less likely to spill.

Gifts To Give To Teachers Part 2

2009-11-18T17:24:00.000-08:00

This list is going to be so comprehensive by the time I finish! I might have to add to it annually or something. Some of the things on my list might be a bit weird, but I think that's okay- only so many people will see my list, and maybe it will bring some originality.

From CountryRoseDesign: That's a piece of original artwork on that card!
7. Really nice cards

If you want to add to your Christmas Card giving experience, why not buy (or make, if you're talented!) a really nice card that can also be considered a work of art? Not only are you getting a nice card, but a small piece of art that the teacher can frame if he wishes, or generally display. You could write a poem on the back, or just a nice message.

Very reasonably priced from PennyPaperworks.
Made using a recycled postcard by studioBBN

8. Notebooks
An appropriate notebook never goes astray, at least for me. I'm addicted to spiral bound notebooks. You can link it to what the teacher is currently doing too! For example if I just taught about sustainability, a notebook made from recycled paper would be great, and show that something has sunk in.

9. Food. Early. And hygienic looking.

If you're from one of my aforementioned 'trustworthy families' and you'd like to give food to your teacher, why not do it, but give it two or more weeks before the end of school? Then the teacher will have a chance to enjoy it, it won't be overshadowed by 10 plates of biscuits all on the same day. This might be a controversial one, but if you know that your teacher is very busy or stressed, it might be nice to provide a nice, possibly frozen, dinner for him or her and his or her family to enjoy. This could be VERY useful during report writing season! Obviously you'd have to be cautious about allergies and things like vegetarianism, and probably avoid foods that are very uncommon or unique unless you're pretty sure that everyone would like it if they tried it. Or just go the delicious cake/biscuit route, but early.

From Smallpackagess

10. Nice Christmas Ornaments

A nice Christmas ornament for a teacher should be a) non religious b) not with the name of the child on it or worse, face (except maybe a tiny signature somewhere), c) small.

In my opinion anyway. Maybe your teacher LOVES giant Rudolphs (check that he actually loves them, and hasn't just been given masses by people thinking he likes them, perpetuating the cycle).

11. Some of those grow a tree/mountain things

If you think your teacher likes a bit of fun without going too crazy, this could be an option. Little crystal growing ornaments, that only last as long as you want them to last. He or she could use them in the class too! They're not expensive, at least here. You can often get them for $2 at shops like The Reject Shop or Cheap as Chips. To this category I'd also add things like 'instant snow'.

Ones by KuteKlipboardsbyAmy
12. Great Clipboards

These are attractive and useful, and I almost never see them being given.
Other great things around the place right now are very attractive empty boxes, magazine boxes, document trays, etc. You can get them from The Reject Shop or Officeworks, and they get so battered so quickly that it'd be useful. I also don't think it'd matter too much to 99% of teachers if it didn't match what else they had in the classroom.

To Be Continued...

Gifts To Give To Teachers

2009-11-17T23:48:00.000-08:00

Now that you've read my 'Gifts Not To Give To Teachers and Why' series (which might be added to later!)
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
and left me some lovely comments, I'm going to start on 'Gifts To Give Teachers and Why'. Like the What Not To Gives there will be exceptions to my comments (for example, the teacher might be very prepared, or a brand new teacher who needs a lot of stuff), and I truly believe the best thing you can do is get to know the teacher a little, or ask your child if you are the parent. Like before, feel free to argue.
This list is also not in any particular order.

Magnets by magnolyadesigns, $5.50

Bippityboppityglue, $3.50

I Heart Grammar Magnet $3.50 Vozamer does some AWESOME ones that I certainly wouldn't turn down as a geeky teacher!

1. Good, Strong, Non Tacky Magnets, or awesome pretty/cool pins.

I've seen some LOVELY strong magnets that are little and tasteful, and often could be themed to the teacher's interests, and can be very masculine or very feminine or very themed (I love Victoriana stuff!). I know we'd appreciate them at school *or* at home on the fridge. From my experience it's only when teachers get ones with apples on them or 'world's best teacher' or an owl, or they're really flimsy, or really huge, that it's not wanted. There are some wonderfully crafty people out there, and also kids can make some really professional looking things, using strong magnets you can get from craft shops and some really pretty big buttons. And if the hand made ones break after a year, at least they were used.
Try to keep them small and strong. If the teacher is using them to put a note on the fridge or the magnetic whiteboard, he doesn't want them covering up whatever they're attaching.

Really awesome pins: I've seen some hilarious or awesome ones in shops and online. Ones that *I* would like involve little animals, flowers, etc. By 'pins' I mean ones for noticeboards. Thumbtacks with pretty things on them. You can make your own!

2. Really attractive split pins, paper clips, useable but pretty erasers, pens, etc.

Like the pretty thumbtacks, have you seen those little paper clips that look like feet, or flowers? *wants*. Useable though attractive erasers could be cool, as would pens- they always go missing in class! For male or female teachers.

3. Notepaper
I know I'm always writing down notes, and I can't imagine I'll be any different as a teacher. There're some really pretty/appropriate funny post its out there too. I *always* use post its.
Along with this goes really pretty/attractive printer paper. (note, I've made an exception about apples in the above case! See, I *told* you there were exceptions!)

4. Something from your travels, or your culture

Are you an ESL student? Do you travel a lot? Find something from that culture to give. Particularly if it's *from* or *of* that *culture* rather than being a tourist item. (Unless the teacher has always wanted to go to that particular place and would get a kick out of a snowglobe from [town]!)
For example, some chopsticks and a chopstick rest, a recipe book, a tourism dvd, a small traditional piece of artwork, or even something that could be used in a unit of work in class!

5. A book

A book that you particularly like and want to recommend, a book for the classroom, a non fiction book, a book that you feel the teacher will enjoy, a book of crossword puzzles, a book that would be a good resource for the class, a teaching type book, a book on one of the teacher's interests, a joke book to make her laugh, anything. If it's not to his or her exact taste, I can almost guarantee that it will go to good use somewhere! This might be one of those 'ooo, not sure about that one, Chiara!' things, but I personally would even love a second hand book.

Message in a Bottle

6. A letter.
This has often been quoted as the best present ever from a student or parent. A letter or note or card expressing gratitude, revealing that the teacher has helped, or whatever you'd like to write. Teachers treasure this sort of sentiment, they almost never get closure from students. This is particularly poignant if the student is a 'troublemaker' or 'difficult', or the teacher has spent a lot of extra time on that student, or if the student just sits quietly and doesn't ever cause a fuss or attract attention.
It could be written hastily on a piece of computer paper, or on a gorgeous hand made card, or typed up, or even emailed. Better yet, it's practically free!
I've seen some examples of this being done as a 'note in a bottle'.

You will warm the cockles of the teacher's heart. Once I made one of my male high school teachers cry by giving him a Christmas card and a (shame) christmas pudding. He was the art teacher and many people found him very difficult to deal with as a student.
Imagine working day after day, doing your best, and being unappreciated by hundreds of teenagers, or dozens of pre teens. This is why I gave gifts to mine, even in High School.

To Be Continued...

Which presents not to give teachers and why: Part 3

2009-11-16T23:02:00.000-08:00

Want to know what not to get your child's/your teacher this year? Read on, and make sure you check out the first two parts of this! Arguments are welcome.

10. Fruitcake or shortbread.

I've been guilty of this before. It's probably not so bad, and since it was suggested by my teacher mother, it can't be too horrible, right? But I just realised that we have two old fruitcakes in the pantry right now. Hmn. At least you're usually fairly sure that it's clean, and it does last for a long time and won't go off! But it's another of those 'teachers get a lot of this at Christmas' things. So proceed with caution! When I got it for teachers, it was for high school teachers, who don't get many presents in the first place, so hopefully they didn't get 20 that year.

11. Bad Smelling Candles

Smell the candle before you buy it. Is it something you'd want burning or sitting around in your house? If yes, proceed! Candles, though generic, are one of those 'quite often greatly enjoyed' generic presents (Though some years you might get dozens of them, like what happens with chocolates). If not- please, choose a different one or something else entirely.

12. Giant Candle Holders

It goes in the 'where are they going to put it' category. Especially if Christmas themed. Keep it small, and try to keep it tasteful.

13. Bad smelling/cheap lotions and toiletries.

a) because teachers get too much of it.
b) because well, it's often really gross, and will not be used.
c) I have an issue with people assuming "She's female! She loves toiletries!!!" I do appreciate the sentiment behind bubble baths and things like that, that imply that the teacher can go and relax now, but most women after a certain age have a brand of hand cream, body lotion, etc, that they use already, so I've always been wary of getting it for anyone past their teens. But ah, forget it, can't get people to change years of traditional thinking just like that. :) Just make sure it smells nice, okay, and is decent quality? ... and please not Lavendar, even if I do like purple. An example of 'please use common sense when you buy'.

P.S. If you're getting chocolate AND a strong smelling soap- beware! Soap smells soak into chocolate SO fast.

And try to keep it age appropriate. My Mum keeps getting some that's clearly marketed at tweens- complete with cartoon 11 year olds, and glitter. You might be able to get away with that (and bath toys!) for me, but for 50 year old ladies? I've always found that odd. Though, some does smell really nice, or if it has cartoon animals on it, or has a theme like frogs, I can see teachers thinking that's cute. :)

14. Things that might be implying that the teacher is getting old, or that she/he's ugly or fat.

In conversation about this topic, several people have talked about getting anti aging cream. When they were in their 20s. (was it a joke? Were they saying the kids were stressing her out and she might need some anti wrinkle cream?) Similarly, makeup goes into that category, unless you have a decent reason (you're an Avon lady and you have some awesome lipstick that you really think the teacher will like, and the teacher wears lipstick generally), it will seem like you're saying she's unprofessionally dressed, you think she has bad makeup now, ugly, or that she should 'go out on the town' or something. (Though that could be a nice sentiment since teachers should go out and have a life. That would go into the 'if you have a decent reason' category). It is also inappropriate to buy things like a weight watcher's membership.

15. Inappropriate Jewellery or Makeup
Are their ears pierced? Check before you give.
Are they over the age of 14? Please, no play makeup for kids!

16. Totally random crap. Glitter or fake snow does not make it better.

"Unless you were the class mom of my 3rd grade class. With $30 she bought the teacher this mini mailbox looking thing, stuffed with pinecones, some fake snow, and a drawing made by her son.

I'm sure that got a prime spot in the teacher's house!"

I think that says it all, from this Etsyer!
If it's dusty things from your own house, please try to pick things that are awesome that you think she'd like. Or at least dust it off. Thanks!

17. Gifts assuming that the teacher is exactly the same as any other woman or teacher.

This is a hard concept. People assume certain things about teachers. That they all like to read. That they all like bubble baths. That because they're female they like crotchet or craft. That because they're male they don't! I don't expect many people to 'get this right', but I thought I'd throw it out there- teachers are people. Try to get to know the teacher and aim for that person as an individual, rather than 'she's a teacher.' 'he's a man'.

18. Clothes.

Mum once got a skirt, and a top, from one of her students parents.
... both about four sizes too small for her. Had this parent never seen my mother? The parent was Chinese, ESL, and I'm wondering if she just bought a 'large' size and forgot that Asian sizes are not 'large' for us fat Australians.

19. Underwear.
In what world is this appropriate? I've heard several anecdotes while researching this list saying that underwear was bought by parents or students. CREEPY. Do NOT do it. EVER. Unless maybe you're a lingerie sales woman. Even then, you'd still not know what stuff the teacher likes, and she also probably doesn't want the child (or you) thinking about it. *shudder*.

20. Anything at all wink wink, nudge nudge.
Yes even if the teacher just got married.
Unless you as a parent are so close to this teacher (friendships happen) that you were invited to the Hen's Night.

Feel VERY free to add to this list, and I'll make another post when/if I think of more things not to give teachers for optimum present giving!

As before, I'd like to emphasise that all gifts are received knowing the kind intention, particularly if it's from a student. These lists are merely to help you in your decision making.
Please check out the first two parts of the list!

Gifts Not To Give To Teachers and Why Part 2

2009-11-15T18:34:00.000-08:00

Here's the second part of my posts about what not to give to teachers and why!

5. Artwork created by your child.

I don't mind if the child decides to give their hand made artwork. But as a parent- the teacher does not want your child's art work if *you* chose to give it to them. He or she is NOT your child's aunt or uncle or grandparent. What do you think the teacher is going to do with the collage? Stick it on their fridge?

6. Something that is just going to gather dust.

Is it something that you feel the teacher likes? Is it useable all year round, or really really awesome and seasonal?Do you mind if she uses it once this Christmas, and then gives it away? Or if the ornament is given to her child? If so, great! Carry on! If not... why are you giving it?

7. Chocolate
Bear with me!!
I'm NOT saying 'do not get him or her chocolate'. I love chocolate. Most people love chocolate. But if you're going for something unique, chocolate is not the way to go. It is fairly generic. (but tasty and generic!). Also your child's teacher will get about 10 boxes of it or more. Be aware also that many teachers are on diets, or are concerned about their weight. This may mean your chocolate is not eaten for a year (as she's rationing it out) like my mother does, or, it might be given away. Make sure that he or she doesn't have diabetes, and isn't allergic to nuts or other ingredients like that. But it will almost always be appreciated anyway, and as generic, default gifts go, it's one of the best. :)

8. BAD chocolate

This one isn't excusable!
Really cheap, gross tasting chocolate. It will not be eaten at all, and you have wasted your money and just made yourself look cheap and without taste, without care for the teacher. That said, no one is expecting $30 truffles. There is usually plenty of cheap, TASTY chocolate for sale in supermarkets. Even in GoLo there is quite nice chocolate for a lot less than usual.

9. Are you from a trustworthy family? If so, skip this part!

Home made food.

This is a touchy area. I LOVE home made food. Biscuits, cakes, awesome!
But ... foods that the *kids* made are often looked at with scepticism. Or foods made in dodgy households. My mother came home with cupcakes and said "Don't worry, they're safe, [student teacher] made them!". I've heard many teachers say that they don't eat food given to them by students or their parents, but I also know of many teachers who do, and love it. Mum often gets given sushi, or spring rolls, or cold rolls, or cakes, biscuits, etc, and if it's from a trustworthy family, she'll eat it.
Of course no one reading this will admit or realise they're from a dodgy family, so I guess, just try to present it so it looks nice, not mashed up or in a gladwrap ball, and is covered, and don't let the kids do it all themselves! And make sure hands are washed, pleeeaaaase.

More posts to come!

Disclaimer: Teachers like the sentiment, no matter what it is. This is simply supposed to be a guide about how to improve the gift giving for the teacher's end of it.

And Relax.

2009-11-15T16:36:00.001-08:00

So, my teaching prac is over! It already feels 'long ago' because I've been instantly thrown back into assignments.

Unfortunately, even though I'm fairly anonymous here, I don't feel like I can summarise it to the extent I want to, just in case. It makes me really nervous, just in case I say the 'wrong thing'.

Let's just say that I enjoyed it, it was stressful sometimes, fun sometimes, and I feel my skills have improved dramatically. I had some concerns about behaviour management, but I managed to improve a lot especially in the last few days. The kids were great and I'm going to miss them, even the 'naughty ones'. They made me and my fellow student teacher an autograph book card, and had been sneaking out all day! They were asking me if they could go to the toilet and I was getting annoyed about how many needed to go. They were in actuality, signing the cards. Aw.
I don't know how or when she managed to tell the class about it since one of us was in the class all day!

One of the boys who has huge issues, and I really do wish him the best (though I think he needs some help to achieve that), made us a card, but the printer was broken so we had to just read it.
We gave the kids freddo frogs, which seemed contradictory to my Healthy Eating unit of work I had to organise, but ah well, moderation?

On Wednesday we had a Healthy Eating party, and I'm thrilled to announce that those kids who tell me they don't eat healthy food because they don't like it, or 'just don't', loved the sandwiches I was making with them, and also loved the honey and banana low calorie yoghurt I gave too! When I had been telling them I ate yoghurt for breakfast they were all 'ewwwww!'- I think I've converted them! :D I think the reality is that they just aren't given it, and don't know what it's like.

There's a lot of socio economic issues like that in the school. Something I loved was that I could start dialogues and provide experiences that they haven't had before. And I think they now all know that hotdogs aren't 'healthy'. I'm sad that I ran out of time for SO many things. I wish they hadn't put us in a pair, but it's not like we're the only ones who were in a pair. And as far as pairs go, we got along well. I was nervous about it at first but I think we worked as a team.

And we managed to spill salsa all over the floor. I'd given it to one of the boys (they love feeling all manly. It's hilarious. I offered it 'can anyone stronger than me open this?', not 'can you open this because you're a boy', don't worry) to open and he was opening it sideways. Just as I warned him... SPLOOSH all over the floor, my pants, my feet. Ah well I did the same thing the next day with my pasta!

My report is very good. :D I think it's very complimentary (yet true) and also has the very useful part where it mentions that I mainly taught Health and Maths. Why is it useful? Because my major is for teaching English and SOSE. This shows that I can be versatile, and that I take all subjects seriously, not just my favourites. There's a tip for student teachers out there- if you want to expand, make sure that you have evidence of your expansions! And get as much practice as possible with different subjects- remember you'll be teaching those too!

I feel I have a much better grasp on Maths now, which is excellent. I was so nervous about it.

There's a lot more that I'd want to tell, but I think it'll have to wait until later. Feel free to ask questions!

But for now, I have to stop pretending that just because the lights are dim in this room it's early in the morning, and accept that it's later, and I need to do some essay writing now so I can finish on Friday for the semester.

Gifts For Teachers: What not to give and why Part 1

2009-11-07T18:41:00.000-08:00

I've been talking with other teachers and parents in the past few days about what not to give to teachers. All of the following gifts have been given to teachers. As with anything, there may be exceptions to these 'do not gives', many of them are just due to the number of times these are given rather than the whole idea of it. My overriding advice to anyone trying to buy a present for a teacher is a) know the teacher. b) use common sense.

1. Apple, owl, or pencil themed things. Particularly if they are tacky.
(Though the one above actually looks quite nice, I still don't want an apple decor in my house thanks).

As I explained in my previous post, teachers get this stuff a LOT. For some reason people have attributed 'teacher' with 'apples' and 'wise owls', and stationery. And apparently this means the teacher actually wants gifts with those things on them. From everyone. Imagine how often people have given him or her presents with apples, owls, or pencils. Then imagine he or she has been teaching for over 10 years. That's a whole lot of apple themed stuff. Where is she supposed to keep them all? And if you were an accountant, would you want to constantly get earrings with calculators on them, bags with bank statements on them, or little abacus ornaments? For years and years, not just a one off? No.
Your gift may be perfectly nice, (though from what I hear they're often tacky and also forced upon the consumer by catalogues and shops saying they're 'perfect for the teacher!') but everyone else is also being influenced by the market and also tradition- it's not just you. It's everyone! So please, try to be more original, unless it is an absolutely STUNNING teacher themed gift.

Please also avoid anything with the word 'Teacher' emblazoned on it in any way shape or form. Teachers have their own identities, and they also get hundreds of these things over the years.

Similarly: Things with "Miss Surname" on it, that are intended for use at home rather than at school. Um, do you want things with Mrs Jones on it, all over your house? Rather than Mary?

2. Mugs.

All teachers loooove drinking coffee, or tea when they're relaxing from the kids!
... I don't. I hate coffee. Please, get to know your teacher before you assume that teachers love coffee. (So this goes not only for mugs, but for any coffee or tea related items). Unless you're okay with the fact that the coffee or tea themed things might be redistributed to other family members or to Goodwill.
The other issue with mugs is similar to the issue with apples.

I like mugs. I do! But my mother and father, both teachers, have been teaching for about 35 years each, and each of them are given 10 mugs a year... those mugs don't get worn out. Each of those kids and their parents thought that teachers like mugs, that they drink lots of tea and coffee. Which is often correct. But everyone else thought that too!

Teachers get hundreds of them. We've got a giant cabinet full of mugs, and I don't think any were bought by us ever, except the fancy ones from overseas that came in a set.
Sometimes the mug is filled with something- this is nice! But, teachers will probably dispose of the Cadbury branded mugs after they eat the chocolate that was sitting inside it. If you'd like to give them anyway, know that the teachers did like the sentiment, and accept that teachers often don't have enough room to keep all mugs.

There are exceptions to the mug rule: Really REALLY nice mugs.

3. Framed photos of your child.

I suppose the sentiment is that we won't forget your child. But as with the mugs and the apples: Where are you expecting us to put this? On the mantlepiece along with the photos of our own biological children, nieces and nephews, husbands and wives, parents, grandparents, cats, dogs, boyfriend, girlfriend, holiday snaps with friends?
Don't you think it's a little out of place? A little self centred to think your child goes into that category? Your child is not our beloved little cousin or our baby, no matter how sweet he or she was. We're not running an orphanage or teaching the same group of kids for a 12 year period, nor are your children our friends or youth group members. Perhaps some other teachers can help me explain this concept.

Gifts like framed photos come across as a bit odd coming from parents. If it came from a child themselves because they want to be remembered by you, because you made an impact for them and you were really special to them, that is the exception to the rule. But sorry Jane, I probably won't be displaying it on my wall. (But feel free to send me photos of you as you grow up! :D I'd love to know how you went).

In the future if I ever get one like this, I might put the photo in a scrapbook along with class photos, and use the frame for something else. :) Thanks for the frame, Mrs Jones and Timmy!

4. Ornaments with your child's name on it, or worse, face.

Again, pretty self centred. If it's pretty, it might be kept anyway. If it's horrible and tacky, it might be displayed for one Christmas and then weeded the next year. But that goes for any Christmas Decoration given as a gift! And please use caution when it comes to religious gifts. Many teachers are not Christian (they might be another religion, or not religious at all). I think angels are pretty, but if it says something about God on it, I will feel uncomfortable displaying it.

Disclaimer: I will always appreciate the sentiment, as I'm sure will all teachers. I'm merely trying to advise for better gift giving, so you have more luck that the teacher will like the gift too.

No apples for teacher! -Buying Christmas (or other) presents

2009-11-06T16:10:00.000-08:00

To parents,

Please try to give non apple themed presents to teachers this year. I may be a student teacher right now but I'm becoming increasingly aware just how many apple themed things people are giving to teachers, and just how many Etsy people are saying that their apple themed things would be good for teachers.

After 10 years, can you imagine how many apple themed things I'd have? I don't like apples *that* much.

And it's not that we don't appreciate the sentiment, because we do, but I have to admit to you now, that many of your presents are redistributed. I can't eat 15 boxes of chocolates by myself (don't stop giving it though, just asking you to understand that I might give some away). There's only so many Christmas themed things I have space for. ... and I have no idea what to do long term with the thing your child made me.

Please keep this in mind when you make your choices this year.

Thank you.

Chiara, and teachers everywhere.

p.s. Also please, teachers are given about 10 mugs a year- where do you think we keep them all? Nor do we want a framed photo of your child to put in our living room, even if he or she was a darling.

Echuca: All The Rivers Run

2009-11-03T03:27:00.000-08:00

Moama NSW, on the Murray’s northern bank, was the first port to be established along this part of the river. It was settled by a British ex-convict called James Maiden, in the 1840s. The biggest challenge to Maiden was another British ex-convict Henry Hopwood, who was sentenced to transportation in the same British court on the same 1834 day as Maiden.

Map of Victoria

Henry Hopwood's rise to power and fame in Echuca was due to establishing his own punt across the river, originally called Hopwood's Ferry, and building a hotel nearby. When the punt was closed, travellers had to sleep and eat locally until it re-opened. As it happened, Hopwood's Hotel was the closest place to find accommodation. And as Hopwood made money, Echuca shared his prosperity.

The crossing was important in the 1850s because of the market for meat created by the thousands of men on the goldfields, but with the decline of that market and the slump in cattle prices, Maiden went bankrupt. Hopwood, with financial support from the big cities, developed Echuca which was formally founded in 1853 and surveyed one year later.

The Victorian railway came to Echuca in 1864 and transformed the town into a major port. The centre of Echuca during its expansionist decades was the huge (400-metre long) redgum wharf built in 1865 and later restored. Many of the paddle steamers towed barges, lying low in the water beneath loads of redgum timber, cut from local stands and shipped to Echuca for milling.

Redgum wharf, 1865

A railway bridge across the Murray was initially opposed by Echuca, because NSW would derive the benefits. But it didn’t matter; the railway company built its own bridge in 1876, with a lifting system that allowed steam boats to pass. Just to annoy the Victorian government, the NSW government built an iron bridge a mere 50 ms upstream in 1878. In time, the town became the trading hub from as far as Queensland, utilising the Darling and Murrumbidgee Rivers to transport their agricultural products, then by rail to the Port of Melbourne.

By the 1870s Echuca had become Australia's largest inland port and was enjoying substantial urban growth. Being the point of shortest distance between the Murray River and the major city of Melbourne, Echuca was both a key river port and railway junction. Steam-driven paddleboats would arrive at Echuca's wharf, unloading their goods to be transported by rail to Melbourne. Wool, wheat, other grains, livestock and timber were the most common cargoes.

Bridge Hotel, 1858

This industrial boom led to a rapidly expanding population to over 15,000 people, with all the amenities needed by a working town: pubs, brothels, gardens and music halls. The two-storey building Bridge Hotel (1858) was erected by town founder Henry Hopwood across the way from his punt and pontoon bridge. Now restored to its original design, the upstairs rooms can be viewed by visitors during a Wharf Museum Tour. An important pub in connection with public transport was Redman's Commercial Hotel (1862). It used to be a staging post for Cobb & Co passengers en route to Shepparton. The Echuca Hotel (1873) opened for business to replace the 1858 original which had been built for famous explorer, Thomas Mitchell. The Star Hotel (1867) was also very popular. When the Star Hotel lost its license at some stage, it continued to serve customers. Its underground bar developed an escape tunnel for drinkers so that they could get away during police raids.

Every sailor/paddle steam captain and port worker needed a brothel which, in Echuca, was a very fine institution. The Old Brothel (1875) had two floors, each with three small rooms and separate entrances for privacy. Spouse and I stayed at the excellent Steampacket Inn (1860s), half way between the brothel and the port!

Echuca Brothel, 1875

But visible wealth and increasing population left the town anxious about criminal activity. A number of beautiful bank buildings were erected, to assure people that banks were safe, dependable and respectable places to do business. The Bank of Victoria (1860), with its traditional architecture, still retains its original safe. The original police station and lock-up (1867) is now used as the Echuca Historical Society Museum. The museum collects all the material available relating to Henry Hopwood, Echuca’s river trade and the local timber industry. The Bank of NSW (1877) opened in a very beautiful, two-storey classical piece of architecture.

Bank of NSW, 1877

Another facility for security-conscious citizens was the town’s first courthouse. It was built in 1869, a simple building with decorative brickwork designed by Mr Wilhelm Vahland who designed some of Bendigo's most important public buildings eg Town Hall, Shamrock Hotel, hospital, School of Mines, Mechanics Institute, Princess Theatre and Masonic Hall. This Echuca courthouse became the town hall in the 1920s and the library in the 1950s. The second, larger Echuca Court House was built in the 1870s as the Shire Hall and was taken over by the government c1880. The plain exposed brick walls of the single storey building were decorated with stucco mouldings. The three bay Hopwood Gardens facade has a small central Doric portico, as visitors can still see today.

2nd court house, 1870s

The coming of the railway was inevitably going to harm the riverboat trade, although the railways largely travelled north-south en route to and from Melbourne. In any case, the paddle steamers continued to carry essentials to homesteads along the river system and returned heavy with bales of wool, and harvests of wheat.

Railway station, 1864-77

The historic port is now home to the largest collection of paddle-steamers in Australia. Many of them have been fully restored and offer daily cruises, along with insights into a trading river from over 100 years ago. In fact it was recorded that 240+ boats had used the wharf facilities in one year. Now Echuca is regarded as the home of the largest number of paddleboats in the world. The wharf is still operational, open to the public all year, and is now on the Australian National Heritage List. Six tourist cruising paddle-steamers run river tours: PS Adelaide, PS Alexander Arbuthnot, PS Pevensey, Pride of The Murray, PS Canberra and the PS Emmylou.

Every civilised rural centre needed a top quality post office. Echuca’s post office (built in 1870), with its distinctive clock tower, suggested that this was a city very proud of its short history and very confident of its future. In a sense that confidence was misplaced. With river cargo through the Port of Echuca all but ceasing by the turn of the century, Echuca returned to a quiet life. Fortunately the main 1870s architecture remained in situ. Today the population has stabilised at 12,400.

Post Office, 1870

The Tourist Bureau people note that this lovely rural city is only 206km or 2.5 hours north of Melbourne. The historic Port of Echuca alongside the wharf is a living museum. Original buildings, horse-drawn carriages, gravel roads, blacksmith and wood turner all create an atmosphere that feels appropriate for the latter C19th. I found a very useful book called Echuca: A Centenary History, Jacaranda Press, 1965, written by Susan Priestly

This has been a guest post by
Hels
Art and Architecture, Mainly
Melbourne

Two Funny Conversations With Kids

2009-10-30T14:35:00.000-07:00

There is one boy in my class who is older than the others, and likes pretending he is my peer. And in some cases, 12 year olds *can* be like my peer, depending on the situation. But other times, it's obvious just how innocent (thank goodness! I get worried about these kids) and also unthinking in a childish way he is.

Him: So, Miss [Name] do you have a husband?
Me: Nope, I don't. (thinking "hello, my name is "Miss"!")
Girl 2 years younger than him: Do you have any kids?
Me: No kids, no!
Him: Of *course* she doesn't have kids, girl! She just said she wasn't married!
Me: ... ermm... that doesn't necessarily mean I don't have kids, but I don't have any, no.
*girl gives me this total 'what the hell's up with him look'*

This kid would certainly know unmarried mothers. He'd also know many divorced mothers (therefore, no husband). Yet obviously hasn't connected his thoughts up in his questioning process! Education from Life still needs the comprehension skills I think!

I was in the computing room watching a class while their teacher was out (my mentor was supervising both classes at the same time, and the other student teacher was in our actual class. So no duty of care issues, just in case you were concerned).

I went up to one boy who was playing games and asked

Me: Why aren't you doing your powerpoint presentation?
Him: I don't have one.
Me (conversationally) : Oh? Why's that?
Him: I'm just here on transition.
Me: You came here from another school?
Him: Yeah, [mumbles something that was the name of a school]. It's for kids who're being Extended.
Me:... Extended? What do you mean?
Him: You know, extended!
Me: No, I don't know...
Him: You know, the other type of suspended! One is suspended, the other is extended!
Me: Oh! You mean excluded??

Of course the word I didn't hear was the name of the local school for kids that no other schools will take anymore due to lots and lots of exclusions (being expelled) from schools. They have smaller classes and more security, and try desperately to get them back on track if not just contained.

I still thought that his "starts with an ex, is related to suspended, must be extended" logic was pretty funny.

Tea

2009-10-29T22:40:00.001-07:00

As you can see, the title of this blog is called "Who Will I Drink Tea With?"

... well it turns out, I won't be drinking tea with anyone for quite a while!
Possibly TMI but it seems I've developed a sensitive bladder from too many years of being able to go to the toilet whenever I wanted or going "Just in case" because my mother did, plus drinking caffeine. I like my pepsimax and I do enjoy my cups of tea. However, when I started going to school three weeks ago, I was also drinking more water than usual, and having to 'go' at the specified times, as well as drinking a cup of tea every morning before school, AND more water because it's getting hot now! My bladder couldn't take it! And it was very very annoying. Until about a week and a half ago when my bladder decided it had had enough and just sent me constant 'you have to go for a trip to the lavatorium now!' all. The. Time. I was freaking out, thinking I had a bladder infection. Which it turns out I did not.

... I just can't drink tea anymore. Or at least for a few months until I retrain my bladder not to freak out at waiting for half an hour.

So there's a little thing that you don't expect to affect you as a student teacher but sometimes will!

Sixth Happiest Nation!

2009-10-27T02:50:00.000-07:00

Australia is apparently the 6th happiest nation out of 104 nations!

It came in after Finland, Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark and Norway. Not bad, since everyone always talks about how great those countries are in terms of economics, democracy, education, health, safety, security, personal freedom, governance and social capital, all things that we apparently came into the top 10 for, and are also indicators of happiness according to the study. We 'lost out' on entrepreneurship and innovation, which the US and UK did best in. But still, pretty good, and we were at 15th place! The survey was apparently done by Legatum Institute, in London.

Canada was 7th, then Holland, USA and New Zealand. It was measured with 79 variables including quality of life.

What do you think about this?

And what's the relevance of the dog? He's a happy Australian Shepherd.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/littlekoshka/ / CC BY-NC 2.0

A Probably Obvious Tipette

2009-10-26T23:21:00.001-07:00

For student teachers.

Most classes of Year 5 kids take a VERY long time to do tasks that you would consider absolutely basic.

What I thought was a five minute sorting activity today took 30 minutes. There goes the lesson!

I had given them pieces of paper with different foods, taken directly off food pyramids (that I was going to explain to them in the second part of the lesson). The instruction was to decide as a group how to sort them into categories, and then sort the pieces of paper. Write down what your categories are. Let me take a photo of them.

So, I had kids dividing it into some pretty bizarre ways, but that's okay! The thing that wasn't was that they took soooo long to do anything at all. We had one table that was Girls Against Boys, another where the boys refused to do any work, so the girls did it all and the boys sat and grinned at me every time I asked them to participate. We had The Meltdown. One of the boys melted down, because he didn't like that I'd given him no mark for the assignment he'd not done, and he refused to participate and sat ripping pieces of paper up. We had the table where they wanted to get it Perfect, and therefore couldn't agree how to do it or took years to move pieces of paper around. And we had the group that worked really well together, but then couldn't tell me why they chose their categories for the foods. Even the people who were on task took foreeeeeeeverrrrrr. I swear I can't remember things taking this long when I was a kid!

... Next Time: I will give a definite time limit. "You have 10 minutes to do this task".
I might make them work in pairs so this group fighting thing won't happen again. :(
I will have a demo version with different foods and do it very quickly on the smart board, plus give them categorising options (even though I was hugely curious to see how they would divide it up).

But even WITH those things, observing it done better by my mentor teacher, I'm surprised how long they take to do really simple things. Ruling up a page takes 5 minutes.

Patience, teachers, patience. Find some balance between trying to force them to work faster, being efficient in your teaching, and also allowing them to be slow- they're kids, simple things are not simple for them.

Frustration?

2009-10-24T17:53:00.000-07:00

Do you get easily frustrated when a student doesn't understand what you are trying to teach?
- Samphor

Easily? No. I've only been teaching for a little while and I've had some children not understanding. Sometimes it's because it's a hard concept and will take them a while anyway, sometimes it's because they have massive gaps in their learning, sometimes it is my fault for not explaining well enough or not being able to explain in various different ways. I get frustrated at myself for not being able to get it explained, but I would try my best not to let it show to the student.

However, I do have a confession to make. Times tables and other maths surrounding that still makes me feel that ball of rising panic I felt when I was 8 years old. It is really hard to stop telling myself "I'm not good at maths" and just get down and teach it. It is like a foreign language to me still! I'm improving a lot, and I'm looking forward to understanding it more and more as the years go past. So perhaps that's why I am being patient with the kids- I was like them. I just didn't get something. I know how it feels, and in fact, still feel it. It is my job to help them feel successful so they don't label themselves as 'no good' like I did and put up a mental block for themselves. I want my students to feel that even if they're not getting it NOW they will get it later, and it's okay to struggle with things for a while, it doesn't mean you're a failure and no good- these are hard concepts to master! (for any subject, not just Maths).

I think that's a really important thing for teachers to hold onto, and any students reading this: You CAN improve whatever you're having trouble with, be it art or maths or English or Science or even P.E.

Some teachers get frustrated but I have a feeling it's because they are annoyed that they don't know how else to explain it, or they really want kids to all 'get' important concepts... forgetting that not all students will get there straight away. These same teachers often resent it when the student has the concept explained in a totally different way by someone else and 'gets' it. I honestly don't understand that feeling. I just want the student to understand it, if it's because of me, great, if not, then I have just learnt a new way to attempt it with another student the next year, and this student can now move on. Huzzahs all round!

Parents, you can help your student's frustration by learning what they're attempting to do, and working through it- use different ways to explain it if you can, perhaps one of us will be able to ease this child's mind! Then we all win.

Personal Life of Teachers

2009-10-23T17:11:00.000-07:00

Do you ever let your personal life interfere with your teaching? Like if things are going bad at home, do you teach not as well at school?
- Samphor

I think that that is the case, yes. Personally, the worst thing happening in my life so far in my teaching career is simply being exhausted! I spent the first few days of teaching feeling very very tired, due to being very nervous and not sleeping properly. I think it affected my teaching by me not being as bubbly or as quick thinking as I can be. I still did the best I could and I believe I was very successful at 'faking it'.

If I were really upset in my life, I might have less patience for things that I usually am fine with, but I would try my best not to 'take it out on' any kids- it's not their fault. But personal life does affect things a little. I was talking with a teacher who was so upset about things going on with her life that she burst into tears when a teenager insulted her, it was the last straw.

Other teachers I have witnessed actually getting really angry on their bad days. Which is sad, and I really hope I never get like that.

The other day I was really disappointed in the class due to some extremely bad behaviour, so the next day I was certainly not as fun, though I was still polite. I got over it.

Teachers are human, and their emotions do affect them, just like a horrible horrible night at home would affect any other person in their career- they won't be up as much as usual.

Sometimes I think that if things were going great at home/in my other life, I would be really happy in class, so it works the other way too!

Teachers should try to remain professional, but sometimes, slip ups happen. And sometimes people have been so upset for so long they can't control it anymore- I saw that in quite a few teachers I had in High School and Primary School. It was very sad. Remember: It's most likely not about you, if they're constantly freaking out at everyone. Try to stay sane even when they're being stressful.

How would other teachers answer this question about their personal experiences with interactions between real life and teaching?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/guest_family/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

The Dreaming

2009-10-21T02:41:00.000-07:00

So according to the Aboriginal Education Officer at my school, it should no longer be called "The Dreamtime" but "The Dreaming" (Which was out of favour 10 years ago and is now back). So there you go. Just thought I'd let you know about the change in attitude!

Living At Home

2009-10-20T00:25:00.000-07:00

How common is it for 20-somethings to live with their parents in Australia? Has this changed in the past few years?

I'd say "Very common". Most of my friends live at home. Two went almost straight to jobs from high school (after TAFE or a year or so of uni before stopping), I and a friend are uni students (yep, still, at 24), one friend is married, but if she weren't married she intended to stay home until after she finished her degree. My boyfriend lives in a shared house thing by 'himself', because he lived in the hills and it was too far to come to uni every day, and also he didn't get along with his parents particularly well.

People start thinking about moving out of home at about end of uni (so, 21 ish) but it's certainly not uncommon to stay longer to save money or because you simply can't afford to move out (I won't be able to until... at least a year and a half away.), if you're at uni or if you're not. I really don't even mind, I usually like my family! I also think that people don't want to fuss around with room mates who you might not like, move out with boyfriends or girlfriends you might not stay with, loneliness, deal with renting crappy places, and so on. And parents don't usually go "Right, you're moving out!!", at least not amongst my 'class' of people.

There are of course people who move out at 18 but I've noticed that is very uncommon. People don't go away to uni unless they can't get the degree they want locally, for example if they live in the country. Most Australians live in cities, most cities have universities, Tafes or other ways to have further education (apprenticeships or what ever) in your choice of career, so we just stay home. No dorm life for most of us.

I don't think it's actually changed much recently, I don't believe this is a 'Recession!!!' issue, this is a different cultural attitude and different geographical facts.

Constellations

2009-10-17T16:07:00.000-07:00

How many constellations can you see there????

Hmn. I've never counted! And constellations are really just humans putting their imagination onto random placements and creating patterns connecting it with things in their lives. I don't know 'how many' to be honest. Most of them are upside down for us so 'Orion's Belt' becomes the bottom of "The Saucepan". Kids look in the sky and see The Saucepan, and also, The Shopping Trolley. (two different constellations). Aboriginal people of this area look into the sky and see a big stingray, where we see The Southern Cross (which is on our flag, and apparently can't be seen in the Northern Hemisphere). I don't know much about the Northern Hemisphere's constellations or if I can find them down here. I just know that when I travelled to Europe the sky looked foreign and weird.

Here are some links that might be useful.
Learning the Stars Downunder.
Some info about (some) Aboriginal interpretations of the stars.

Something you might be surprised about if you ever visit is that the Southern Cross and the two pointer stars is quite small! It certainly doesn't take up a huge space of night sky. But most (I think) Australians can pick it out and find it quite quickly. It can help us with directions, though very few know how to do that properly.

What constellations can *you* see as an Australian?

Toilets

2009-10-13T23:37:00.000-07:00

Our toilets flush clockwise in the northern hemisphere. Is it true they flush counter-clockwise in the southern?

I went and tested. And tested our sinks (Didn't test the bath or the shower, perhaps that would have different results!). And I'm suspecting that things are differently shaped over here!
Our toilet didn't go any way at all. It just flushes. Straight back, no swirling at all. So do the toilets in the school.
Our sink, well our bathroom basin has two taps. The tap on the left the water went anti clockwise, the tap on the right it went clockwise.
Maybe someone else can help me with this?

Are our toilets shaped differently further than the dual flush thing? (We often have two buttons, one for full flush one for half flush. You only use the full flush for more solid waste, and the half for most flushes. Saves a LOT of water, and is compulsory for new buildings to have these now).

Kids Smarter Than Teachers

2009-09-30T19:45:00.000-07:00

Are any of the students smarter than the teachers nowadays? Bet that's true!

LOL UniquelyEmber! I don't know if this question was a joke, serious, or a jab at teachers, but I'll try to answer it seriously.

I honestly believe that 'smart' is subjective. And I also deeply believe that it doesn't MATTER if the teacher is less smart on certain topics than the students. I also believe that it's okay to acknowledge that kids are smart, and adults have different strengths and weaknesses.

For a modern teacher it is a huge strength to acknowledge, in public, to the children, that you do not know everything. Modern teaching, at least in Australia, does not require it. And it's true. We don't. My first degree, which I'm basing my grad entry teaching degree on, was in History and English- does that mean I'm an expert at Maths, Science, or PE. But I have to teach them anyway. I'm put through a one semester course on each subject. Do I now know all there is about science? No. But I hope that I have the intelligence and skills to find out and teach myself.

Here's how modern Australian teaching works. We don't have teaching textbooks to work through. We look at the curriculum, and then decide how we want to teach that aspect of it. They're really broad, it's not "Child will know multiplication by the end of year 3". Then we pick what we want to teach, and go out and research it. We check what the children already know, then build upon that. This means that every year will be different. We often pick things based on gaps we see in the student's learning or skills, rather than 'semester 2, this means I should be teaching Australian History now'. I might notice 'oh wow, these kids have no idea about how people lived in the past!' and then do a unit on that. The next year that same year level might be obsessing over animals, so I do a unit on animal cruelty. Those are both society and environment topics.

The kids are *supposed* to be bringing in their own information. It is normal and common for a teacher to say "oh wow, I don't know the answer to that, why don't we look it up?" It's stupid to keep on insisting you're right when the kids say you're wrong though. But recent teachers are trained not to do that. And every year, teachers should improve their skills and expand their knowledge. Revise what they did last year, and add to it, or take away things that were irrelevant the year before.

The other day I made a really stupid mistake with tens and units and pop sticks. I said "If you want to minus six from a hundred, you unwrap this 10 here, and put ten of them in the ten's column, remove six and then put the four left over in the units". One of the students was like "Don't you have to move that 90 down to the tens?" and I said "Oh yes [Child's name]" you're right, I forgot about that step, why do you do that again?" and she explained to me (though I already knew what I'd done at that point.) I knew that I had to move it down, but I just forgot because I was holding 100 popstick bundles up in the air pressed against the whiteboard so they could all see. My mistake was no big deal.
If I'd gone "Oh yes, I was just testing you!"then that would have been very stupid.

If a child asks me a question, I reply with the best of intentions (ie, no bullshitting) and then they say "but what about..." then I should take that as an opportunity to model 'how do we find out more information' which is an important skill for adulthood. If I later find out that I made a mistake, I'll happily announce that to the class and say I was mistaken, here is the real information. It's about modelling.

As a class, we're all entitled to make mistakes, without embarrassment.

Modern teachers cannot be afraid to go into teaching as a partnership, as a facilitator of learning, nor to give up the old fashioned attitude that they are the all powerful, intelligent, all knowing, teacher, and that it'd ruin the children's perception of you if you didn't know an answer straight away. So you don't know the answer- what do you do about that? No one knows the answer to every question in the world.

However! Some teachers do not do this. Some teachers refuse to acknowledge their gaps. I consider that extremely stupid. But they've been doing that for all time, that is the traditional way of teaching. So I don't think that you can say that students are smarter 'nowadays'. In the past there were many, many stupid teachers, many uninformed students, and also many intelligent teachers and students. We now all have to think for ourselves, and not use textbooks.
And there would be the teachers who not only don't teach smartly (ie researching the best they can, and then helping the students answer their questions), but ... simply don't have much in their heads.

There are many intelligent children. In the past, I think teachers refused to admit that children could know a lot. And children have a different sort of intelligence. They aren't in training to be part of society, they already are part of society, and are people. And people have different strengths. Little Timmy might have wonderful reasoning skills for example. But I'll probably still 'know more' in other ways, because some sorts of intelligence just come with age.

In the words of my fellow student teacher

"And that's okay."

Photo credit

Koalas and Kangaroos

2009-09-28T19:06:00.000-07:00

Are the koalas friendly, and do you see them a lot? I think they are so adorable. Or are they only in certain areas? And how about the kangaroos, are they all over and how do they react to people?

Hi Earthy Elegant Jewelry!
Koalas aren't friendly. They won't attack you randomly, but they're wild animals, and see those large claws for climbing trees with? They hurt. A lot. They usually just sit in their tree and eat and stare at you, and that's the end of it. You can't just go up and pat ones that are wild. There are lots of native animal parks however where they do provide experiences patting koalas! They just chill out on logs or on their keeper's hip and you pat them- only on the lower back/rump or they don't really like it.

However you do see them quite frequently, at least around here. My boyfriend went for a nice walk in the hills and he saw one, sitting quite close to the ground, eating nice eucalyptus leaves. They quite often show up in suburban backyards, if you're near the edge of suburbia near the hills. We've had them in our back yard two or three times. They are only in certain areas- places with plenty of food for them, that is, eucalyptus trees. (gum trees).

But then there's the drop bears. They're vicious and vindictive.

Kangaroos should live all over Australia, but since we've got so many houses, they don't often live in cities, they stick to the lesser populated areas. But go to any country town and you'll see them around the place - though not usually hopping down the street! My aunt has a mob of them that live on her property, and they're quite friendly because the previous owners tamed them. They'll come and knock on her door to get treats, and try to get inside. Most of 'hers' loves being patted, they're like dogs in that sense. However wild ones tend to hop away when they see humans. There's a large variety of different sorts of kangaroos. Around here we have the Eastern Greys.

Climate Change

2009-09-18T18:37:00.000-07:00

What is its condition or situation since it is affected daily by climate change, declining water quality from coastal runoff, development...

by akapalaria

Hard question to answer. Australia is indeed having environmental problems, however the biggest problem is the drought. We're really not sure if it is 'climate change' or part of Australia's natural cycle (at around 1896-1901 there was a huge drought similar to this), but our water habits and farming habits and developments are not making it 'better', that's for sure. Damming upstream of the River Murray causes massive problems for South Australia's water supply. Farming of unsuitable produce such as rice (!) causes a problem too, but people argue back that it's better for the environment or we'd have to ship the rice further from Asia. I'm rather torn on that issue.

We've changed our attitudes in a few ways. I'm amazed hearing about 30 minute showers from Americans, and that '15 minutes is a short shower' from others, where here, we're usually limiting ourselves to 10 minutes maximum. We already had dual flush toilets. People are installing rain water tanks, recycled water systems, solar panels, and other things. The government is creating desalination plants (though this will cause salinity problems in the ocean, which is not good), storm water cleaning (many people are opposed to this) and have banned plastic bags in shops. People willingly shower with buckets, so that they can water their plants, or use that water to flush toilets- we're under water restrictions that mean we can't water our gardens as much as they need. If people have a green lawn in summer, people look at them as if they're being decadent, and others put signs on their lawn informing the public that they're using bore water, or rain water, so they don't get glared at.

I think Australia looks about the same as it did, but the growing population does mean there are more housing developments going up, which always distresses me. Australia is a place where people love living in suburbia. These developments are often tiny plots of land (gardens that are 2 metres wide...), and are also often on land that would be better put to farms or parklands. I wouldn't want to live there, and I also want to see more trees. Cutting down trees doesn't do any good, especially when they don't plant more to take their place because of the water crisis! However I don't know what to do with all the people either. Perhaps new settlements out in land that doesn't grow much produce? Attitude change perhaps should happen.

Please don't think we're a treeless, ugly place though! We're dry, yes, and there are houses and cities, but we're still nice. I promise. :)

Hotness of Australian Guys

2009-09-15T02:14:00.000-07:00

Are all the guys as hot as Keith Uban? hee, hee
By Ceejay60.

I had to google to see who Keith Urban is. :P Oh yeah, that guy! The one who for some reason looks like Tim Minchin without makeup and shorter hair! (I don't know why I make that connection)

Like all (most? Debate it!) places in the world, there are certainly quite a few hot guys around the place. :P However, most are 'average' looking. But in a good way.
It's weird, but I *have* noticed a slightly different facial structure/attitude/expression on Australian faces vs 'foreign' faces (like the British or Americans). I can often pick out Americans from a group without ever hearing their voice. I can also pick out people from Polish ancestry. Apparently our mixes of races mixed in a different way, and our expressions are somehow different too!
Australia is not a place of hot people, just like any other country, with the possible exception of Sweden. :P (Kidding...) It's an ordinary place.

Has anyone else been able to 'pick' Australians (or other nationalities that are supposed to be from similar stock, such as Americans) from a crowd without hearing them speak?

Have you been to Australia and found a disproportionate percentage of the opposite sex 'hot'?

Niagara Massage Chairs

2009-09-12T22:13:00.000-07:00

I went to the Royal Adelaide Show yesterday, a fun event where people go and check out new products, see animals, try things out, go on rides, do educational things, eat free samples, buy products, and watch entertainment shows.
It was a fantastic day, except for one nasty experience with a sales man at the display from Niagara chairs. He was incredibly rude and intimidating, and it is yet another example of discrimination against young people. Here is the letter I sent to the company a few minutes ago. I find it bizarre as all other displays in the whole exhibition always encourage interaction with the products, and most, even if you're a teenager unless you're being disruptive or it might hurt you.

Why are massage chair people the rudest people at the Adelaide Show? I met so many fantastic people there yesterday. Thanks to the Chutney guy, the Kyneton lamington woman, the nail art lady, the wobbly exercise machine woman, and soooo many more.

Note: This may just have been this one guy, not the whole company, but I've experienced rudeness in a similar vein before.

My boyfriend and I attended the Royal Adelaide Show on Sunday the 13th of September and experienced some rudeness by your staff in your stall. We are young looking, but we are 22 and 24 years old. I realise that there is often a 'no under 18s on the massage chairs' policy at the Royal Adelaide Show.

My boyfriend had been talking about getting a massage chair, and my Dad had been talking about getting one, so when we saw them we thought we'd go in to have a look.

We were immediately greeted by a man (I wish I'd got his name) in a very rude fashion, asking us what we were doing in his stall, as if we had no right to be there. My boyfriend, nervous at times, mumbled something about 'just interested in looking at your chairs'.
Your sales person then bluntly said that 'They're $9,000. How many do *you* want?'. My boyfriend thought he was joking on the last point, and said he'd take three. The salesman then demanded to see my boyfriend's credit card. He then told us that these chairs are only for 'old people', and that we couldn't use them, and that he only wanted to talk to 'old people', who would be coming in soon.
We left without looking at any chairs.
This whole exchange took less than a minute, and we were made very unwelcome.

We understand that teenagers often want to go in and 'try' the chairs with no intention of buying one. We also cannot afford a $9,000 chair right now, but we did not know how much they cost until we were 'informed' of this. This assumption that we were teenagers, or without money, and the rude manner that we were dealt with, means that we will be sure to not buy your products in future, even if we did have $9,000 to spend on a chair, and I will not be recommending Niagara chairs to my father.

I believe that this is very bad practice, and though I have been asked if I'm over 18 before at massage chair stalls, this goes far beyond that in terms of rudeness and assumptions.

I would suggest that your representatives be trained to try different techniques as to how to deal with potential 'time wasters'.
Thankfully the exercise equipment people (Whose products cost over $2,000) took me seriously and I now have their contact details to share with my parents who
were looking for options. They seemed to have no trouble accepting us as potential customers or influencers of parents and 'hype' to the general community.

I hope to receive a response soon.

My boyfriend also wrote them an email.

I went to see the display at the royal adelaide show yesterday. My experiences were quite offputting. I was immediately swooped upon and my purpose for being there was challenged. I am a younger person, so perhaps not the usual sales target. However, at 22, and my friend, 24, it's certainly not unreasonable that we could be genuine customers, or even just to be treated with respect and given some information about how they work.

It happens that I actually am interested in buying a massage chair, or a massage cover that slips over a chair. I didn't know the price range of the chairs, or if you sell the cheaper slip over ones, and, I still don't know this, for reasons that will become clear. So, after having my intentions challenged, I was then aburptly told that the chairs are $9000, with a sarcastic and hostile question "how many would *you* like to buy?". Now, the salesperson is probably correct. I can't afford that much. However, clearly I could not have known this previously, and therefore his rude attitude is entirely inappropriate. It should also not be ignored that there are 22 year olds who can afford such an amount.

So, assuming that he's not just being a jerk, I tried to make light of his comment by stating that I'll take 3, in a joking way. Perhaps he can give me a quick description of its mechanics, health benefits, suggest something more affordable, or politely apologise that they only cater to that particular price range with a thankyou for my interest in their product? However this was met with the demand that I show him my credit card, followed by a remark that these chairs are meant for elderly people, with a very pronounced implication that I am not welcome. At this point I was very confused and felt no other option but to move on, confused as to why I had such hostility directed at me, and having learnt nothing of the product except that they (all chairs? some chairs? most expensive? cheapest?) cost $9000, the salespeople are rude, and that I must be at least 25 in order to buy one.

There are certainly situations where a younger person could be disrupting enough to warrant this kind of rudeness. However, in this case I did nothing more than walk into this display area before this was directed at me. I was left with a sour feeling and certainly the affirmation that I will avoid this company, and, although I will have rare opportunity, I will discourage anyone from buying from this company given the topic arises.

I'm giving this feedback only because I don't think that it's right at all that a person should be treated in such a way merely because they don't fit the targeted market. I also understand that a salesperson can have a bad day, as can anyone. However, there are certainly ways of dealing with a bad day, and that certainly does not include taking it out on an unlikely customer.

Another point of view. I discussed this on a forum, and one of the responses was:

From what I've read, it sounds like he was definitely rude but I also think it's understandable. Though, understandable and excusable are two different things.
[...]

To be honest, though, I do think you both look like teenagers. Or at least could pass as teens. I'd completely understand how someone would peg you off as another teenager who isn't serious about buying a chair and only wants to try them.

Considering that, also remember that your presence there may not have just seen by the salesperson as a waste of his time but as a discouraging presence among a target group. Remember that these rules of marketing were not simply created by the people who sell such products but by the consumers, themselves. Rich people don't want to shop where poor people shop, stuff like that. The salesperson may have wanted you out of there in case more serious shoppers wouldn't want to approach the vendor with you there.

Arguments against the arguments (for not having national health care in the US)

2009-09-10T22:09:00.000-07:00

I'm not in the US, but I've been watching the debates for and against national health care with interest. My friend (the one who had to go back to England) and I used to talk about it all the time. In England and Australia it works quite well. Someone on Etsy argued for not having National Health Care, then someone replied to those arguments. What do you think?

These cons are *possibilities* not likelihoods, and some of them are remote possibilities. Furthermore, there are existing government services that contradict some of the posited cons.

*1*There isn't a single government agency or division that runs efficiently; do we really want an organization that developed the U.S. Tax Code handling something as complex as health care?

--- Talk about choosing examples of convenience... Your government also runs your military. Apparently the US military system has been deemed to be well run/effective/efficient by the repulicans (and even other nations.) Who's to say that healthcare would "look" more like the failings of the tax system, rather than the successes of the military system?

*2*"Free" health care isn't really free since we must pay for it with taxes; expenses for health care would have to be paid for with higher taxes or spending cuts in other areas such as defense, education, etc.

---- Nothing in life is ever free. Who said this healthcare would be free? The healthcare would be paid for by the users. Overall costs are reduced when "wholesale" prices can be negotiated. These prices can only be negotiated if there a significant number of users making use of a single system. Some users might find they have more services available at a lower cost in a public optioned system (if there are a large enough number of users to create leverage to reduce overall costs of services.)

*3*Profit motives, competition, and individual ingenuity have always led to greater cost control and effectiveness.

------- Erm... It appears the opposite is true in the current American healthcare system. On average, American healthcare costs are nearly double that of Canadians, who are currently under a public system. In fact, the very reason why system reform has become an issue is because healthcare costs have contravened the traditional trajectory of free market systems. As such, it appears that somehow, somewhere, the structure of healthcare in America is fundamentally flawed, or run from an economic system that is not capitalist at its root.

*4*Government-controlled health care would lead to a decrease in patient flexibility.

--- Patients are already complaining of a lack of flexibility with the current system. As such, this con is complaining about a problem that already exists, and would not be new. A system with increased number of contributors would actually *generate* flexibility when care options can be purchased wholesale... reduced costs overall for basic treatments means that even expensive treatments that are relatively rare *could* be covered.

*5*Patients aren't likely to curb their drug costs and doctor visits if health care is free; thus, total costs will be several times what they are now.

--- This con is referring to "frivolous use of services." While it is true that there may be a flood of "new" patients in the initial months/years, this is simply due to those individuals who will be seeking treatment for existing conditions/checkups because they could not do so before. This initial flood will wane after time, and a normal "flow" of patients will settle. Generally patients under a public system make no more or no fewer visits than patients who are insured. Another point to consider is that patients may actually have *fewer* visits if we consider healthcare over the lifespan... preventative care early in life generally leads to LESS dependence on healthcare services later on since minor conditions/or risky behaviours are LESS LIKELY to develop into long term chronic conditions.

*6*Just because Americans are uninsured doesn't mean they can't receive health care; nonprofits and government-run hospitals provide services to those who don't have insurance, and it is illegal to refuse emergency medical service because of a lack of insurance.

--- apparently 46 million americans are unable to obtain insurance. Lack of insurance means that americans cannot take preventative measures to maintain their health. lack of prevention explodes into chronic illness. if one is admitted to emergency due to illness, their condition has reached a life threatening stage, and they may die from what may have been preventable. furthermore, emergency services don't provide follow-up care, or respond to chronic conditions that only require medical maintenance (as opposed to treatment.) Can charities bear the burden of care for 46 million americans? a better question: *Should* charities bear the burn of care for 46 million americans?

*7*Government-mandated procedures will likely reduce doctor flexibility and lead to poor patient care.

--- Possibly, however this isn't the case in all the other developed nations who enjoy their universal access to healthcare. Certainly, there are complaints about poor services, just as there are complaints about poor services in any other industry where humans interact. Also, doctor flexibility may be increased, since they will be able to provide treatment to patients without having to consider which components of a treatment, or which treatments, a patient can afford. Essentially, a doctor's prudence, and patient choices of treatment options, will dictate care; rather than the amount of money a patient has in their bank account.

*8*Healthy people who take care of themselves will have to pay for the burden of those who smoke, are obese, etc.

---- Certainly. And those who don't mountain climb, or ride bikes will have to pay for the costs of those who incur injury as a result of their hobbies. Also, those who are hurt in heavy industry jobs will "cost" those who have less risky desk jobs. So what's the issue?

*9*A long, painful transition will have to take place involving lost insurance industry jobs, business closures, and new patient record creation.

---- certainly some jobs will be lost, however other jobs will be created, as is the natural flux of job creation in capitalist systems. is this "con" suggesting that the current (failing) system should be immune to the freemarket economy... somehow by "staying afloat" even when it is clear the services offered/affordability are failing its customers? and in any place where there is change, transitions are expected to be relatively difficult, simply because what is being done is "new." Are we suggesting, in this con, that America, the land of innovation, abstain from "transition" simply because it might lead to personal discomfort? Wasn't americal "built" on personal discomfort of a sort?

*10* Loss of private practice options and possible reduced pay may dissuade many would-be doctors from pursuing the profession.

------ All fields/industries have a natural "cap" to wages. (One can only work so many hours at a day, and the free market determines the cost of labour/service, hence there is generally an upper limit to earnings.) These wage caps, which are bread by the capitalist system, are generally a consideration for those interested in professional careers. There are other job options, if one is interested in earning more, less, or the same wages. We live under a capitalist system where people are free to choose whatever job they like, based on the considerations that are most meaningful to them.

*11*Malpractice lawsuit costs, which are already sky-high, could further explode since universal care may expose the government to legal liability, and the possibility to sue someone with deep pockets usually invites more lawsuits.

---- All of this con is conjecture, of course. Would there be more or less legal liability under a system where access to care and barriers to care are reduced? This is an important question to consider. Also, the government, under public systems, is generally a "payor" where the hospitals/clinics/doctors are private providers of service who are compensated by the payor. How is the government responsible for services that are provided by a hospital? Wouldn't it be the hospital's duty to take measures to reduce liablity claims... like having highly trained staff, or writing in non-liability in it's "care" contracts with patients (as insurance cos do at present, and as is being suggested by the GOP)? (All patients have to legally consent to a treatment, and the non-liability could be an aspect of consent, unless the medical notion of "duty of care" is contravened.)

*12*Government is more likely to pass additional restrictions or increase taxes on smoking, fast food, etc., leading to a further loss of personal freedoms.

---- having to pay more for a product does not reduce freedom in ANY manner, it simply means that a product costs more. Losing limbs or livelihood due to lack of access to care, however, may have serious consequences on the notion of "personal freedoms." Furthermore, with obesity on the increase, should the cost of nutritious food remain higher, calorie for calorie, than the cost of less nutritious food (as is the present case)? By reducing the cost of nutritious food, and increasing the cost of non-nutritious food, would we be creating "incentive" for people to make better food choices? And where diet is an enormous factor in preventing chronic illnesses like diabetes, heart disease, and some cancers, wouldn't it be somewhat *prudent* to make it more expensive (thus prohibitive) to consume poor-quality food?

*13*Patient confidentiality is likely to be compromised since centralized health information will likely be maintained by the government.

---- I don't understand how centralized health information =/= compromised confidentiality. The goverment will do as well on this issue as it does with other areas where confidentiality is expected, such as social security numbers, taxes, information collected as a part of military service.

*14*Health care equipment, drugs, and services may end up being rationed by the government. In other words, politics, lifestyle of patients, and philosophical differences of those in power, could determine who gets what.

--- At present health care is rationed to those who are able to pay. The "rationing" those who cannot afford to pay is: nothing. As such, rationing, technically, already exists. At present, politics, philosophical differences of those in power currently DO guide distribution of services; the present politics and philosophies dictate that those who are able to pay are those who should have access to services. It also dictates that those who are unable to pay need beg, borrow, or sell their material goods to afford healthcare. It also dictates that in the absence of charity or worldly goods to sell for healthcare, a person is undeserving of healthcare, unless they are dying in an emergency ward. The present system also considers the lifestyle of patients in the distribution of healthcare... those seeking insurance need fill out extensive questionaires to determine the costs and services provided under their insurance. Smokers, the obese, those with "risky" lifestyles generally pay more in insurance fees than others. Under public systems, generally each pays into the payor system based only on one factor: their income (through taxation).

*15*Patients may be subjected to extremely long waits for treatment.

---- Treatment is based on triage. Those in the most life threatening circumstances are treated first. Is there a problem with waiting for an elective procedure, such as a skin tab removal, or knee laroscopy, when a person may die if they are not treated before you are? Also, most treatments have a window where they are most beneficial... for example one can't wait too long to get a cast on a broken limb, otherwise the bones will continue to reknit, resulting in deformity, or a need to "rebreak" the bone. and one can't wait for treatment for cancer. Treatments under public systems are provided in their "beneficial window," just as they are provided under private care. Generally these windows are outlined in Medical Association approved treatment practices, which are practices that are endorsed and applied under currently existing public systems.

*16*Like social security, any government benefit eventually is taken as a "right" by the public, meaning that it's politically near impossible to remove or curtail it later on when costs get out of control.

------ Most nations with public systems understand that their access to healthcare is not a "right" in the formal sense. Moreover, public access to healthcare is considered a *privilege* of living in a developed nation. Why is America, a developed nation that prides itself on innovation and its ability to transcend virtually all oppressions, denying its citizens of a privilege that every other developed nation is currently enjoying? Is America oppressing its citizens by denying them a public healthcare option? Has America become a nation for the rich, instead of a nation for all people? These are important questions to consider.

Vegemite

2009-09-08T19:12:00.000-07:00

If I had a jar of Vegemite, what are some ways to enjoy it? I've had it on toast, and in a sandwich with butter, but I didn't care for it then. It has been years since, and I'd like to give it another chance. Any suggestions?

Hi! I'm an Australian with a similar problem. As a child, I hated vegemite! I was a travesty to the Australian traditional childhood! ... or not.

Honestly, I didn't like it because I didn't try to eat it often enough. It is most certainly an acquired taste, and it really has to be eaten in extreme moderation. It is STRONG.

It is usually the children who were fed it as small children who enjoy it, not the adults who try it for the first time.

That said, another option is on dry biscuits with butter (and I mean the teeniest, tiniest, thinnest layer of vegemite). By dry biscuits I mean 'Sao' biscuits.

But it's actually a quite nice ingredient in various savoury recipes! If you can get a hold of 'cheesymite scrolls' try it. That's the only way I eat vegemite. It's a savoury bread scroll, with cheese and a tiny bit of vegemite within it, rolled up. You eat it cold, and I buy it from a bakery chain here called Baker's Delight. Or you could make some yourself.

You can also use it in various meals! I direct you to the official vegemite website since I assume they know what they're talking about, and have pretty pictures to show examples.

Enjoy giving it another go!

The Great Barrier Reef

2009-09-08T01:11:00.000-07:00

Q: What is the status of the Great Reef Barrier from your (local) close perspective over there? (akapalaria )

I'm not quite sure how to answer this question. The status as an icon is that... well it's not a South Australian icon, and most South Australians have never been. I've been... once. When I was 4. I still have absolutely fantastic memories- of small glass bottomed boats and clear waters and beautiful corals, and gorgeous beaches along the coast. One morning my mother and I woke up and went down to the beach at dawn, and the whole beach was covered with tiny blue butterflies. Other beaches were covered in almost microscopic crabs. Our caravan parks were right on edge of the rainforest, and we played on the vines like they were swings. We patted sting rays in a giant touch pool, and found giant shells on the beach. The glimpses of the actual reef that we saw through the glass bottomed boat were stunning, though none of our photos turned out properly pre digital age and photographing through glass.
I'd highly recommend it as a tourist destination- as long as this tourism is careful and responsible, and not damaging to the local environment.

It's environmental status... to be honest, it is endangered. Temperature changes and pollution have damaged the coral, which are living beings. In many areas its colour is fading to white, bleached by damage. Extra nutrients in the water from sewerage etc has caused too many water weeds to grow, which suck life out of the balance. The reef also has a status as being one of the most fantastic natural features on the globe. What others do you know of?

School Question About Australia

2009-09-07T00:03:00.000-07:00

This question is from iheartmetees .

She asks: What months do children go to school there?? Is it Aug/Sept to June like the US?

No, Iheartmetees, it's not. The reason for this is that our seasons are opposite to yours! June is the middle of our winter, and we don't get snow (in cities, where most of our population is). Our Summer is at Christmas time, so the summer/christmas holidays are combined. The children get a six or seven week holiday over Christmas/Summer, starting around the 11th of December and ending at the end of January.
The school year is divided up into four terms (two semesters), unless you live in Tasmania, where they kept the old three terms a year format (and I believe they get longer holidays). Each term is about 10 weeks long, some are shorter or longer depending on quite arbitary seeming things, and there is a two week break in between each of them.

Something that I consider good or interesting about this system (not that you can help it with your crazy backwards seasons :P ) is that it is the same calendar year for their whole school year. 2009, they ARE in year 3. Or whatever.

It's hard for me to wrap my head around only having a short holiday for Christmas!

Puppy Boy

2009-07-02T02:21:00.001-07:00

Unfortunately I have bad news. My little black poodle had to be put down two weeks ago. :(

A Useful Link

2009-05-21T01:51:00.000-07:00

Here's a very useful paypal fee calculator, for all of you setting up websites or advertising or ebay sales.
I'm using this right now to work out payments for our website's products. It's very tricky!

Controversy

2009-05-18T06:54:00.000-07:00

What is one of those harder, no single right answer, questions going through your head right now?

20 Ways Ordinary People Can Change The World Via The Internet

2009-05-16T21:49:00.000-07:00

20 Ways Ordinary People Can Change the World Through the Internet

I was thinking the other day that ordinary people can do so much to change the world without even getting off their computer. So I wrote a list of ways.

1. Create a website that you think needs to be made, or help on someone else’s website.

2. Use websites such as freerice.org and raise money for charity while you play or view. Use bookcrossing.com and share the joy of seeing a book travel around the world. Search for other websites like that. Basically, have interesting and useful fun online.

3. Buy online from people who hand craft items if you can’t shop locally- support local/independent workers rather than corporations or factory machines. Etsy is good for this, but there are others. You’re paying for ethically made items, and for artisan made (often custom made!) items that take hours. You’re getting a bargain. Similarly, buy second hand online, or swap.

4. Link to great sites where you can. You’ll change the owner’s world, and if they really are great, you'll change the life of whoever now has a chance of seeing the link.

5. Comment on or talk about things that are important to you. There’s a lot of chatter on the internet, but the chatter could represent you and your opinions. One drop of water raises the sea. Don’t leave everything to other people and assume someone else will say it, if it really matters.

6. Protest.

7. If you like something you read on a website or a forum, tell them. Compliments can make people happy. There’s real people on the other end of the ‘series of tubes’ that make up the internet. People seem to only take the time to complain.

8. Make someone’s day.

9. Share your CPU cycles to cure diseases, study global warming or explore space. You’re not using your computer all the time, you might as well be part of a super computer system doing research.

10. Give advice. The internet is full of people needing help and advice or a shoulder to lean on temporarily. Or mentor someone.

11. Age does not matter on the internet- use that to your advantage.

12. Reach out to a friend or family member. So, it’s better to call or visit. But where that’s not possible, taking two minutes to send a message online is a very good alternative.

13. Write something profound- a blog entry, article, fanfiction, forum post, it doesn’t matter.

14. Interact with other cultures or thoughts or types of people. Both sides will learn something.

15. Add to the positivity in the world.

16. Find new friends, and then meet in real life with them if possible.

17. Use the internet to find ‘real life’ causes to help.

18. Study. You’ve got a wealth of information at your fingertips.

19. Research or learn better ways of living. If you change, the world changes slightly.

20. Think of other ways to add to this list, then do them.

Digg This List

Image from Flickr.

Website Launches

2009-05-15T23:05:00.000-07:00

Ah, website launches. Nervewracking stuff. Our 'Messages' website is nowhere near ready to launch, but I want to start thinking about it.
There are two ways we could attempt it.
1) Put it up quietly, and let it grow slowly... and gamble on if it gets members.
2) Hype it up first, launch it with a lot of fanfare and gamble on if it'll come crashing down after 2 weeks if people get bored with it.

My natural reaction is 'put it up slowly! That way we don't have to deal with hundreds of new members all at once and we can ease into it! It'll develop a nice little community atmosphere, and it can slowly gain momentum. Also any prizes we give won't be useless! If we did it 'big' then after a few months, an offer of free whatevery won't be that much of a good deal, and it'd be weird to suddenly give free stuff out two months in, if we made a big fuss of it at the start yet no one really started joining!'

But there REALLY are some flaws to that. That's how we tried to start our positive news site.

No launch party or anything, we just put it up one day, and then started using it ourselves. I spent time over the next few weeks going around posting links to it on forums, other websites etc, telling friends about it, putting up Project Wonderful ads... I still hope for the best, but even now we can't get people to submit anything to us. I've got Twitter now, and I'm rssing the articles. Still. Some websites do start off like that okay. We just need(ed) two or three regular posters and it could have been awesome. But somehow, it hasn't hit it off with the Internet yet.

Internet, meet Not Negative News.

Oh sorry, the party music is too loud? I'll tell you about it later.

I'm not giving up at all, but wow maybe I should bribe five people somehow to start talking on it.

I'm considering doing things for our Messages site such as handing out vouchers, rewarding people for getting other people signed up, having competitions, linking in as many places as possible all at once instead of gradually... (any other ideas?) but I'm concerned that could backfire as well. If it doesn't hit it off straight away, because they'll look at it and go 'oh. It's not very active is it?' then forget about it and go on their way, (but it'd only not be active because it'd be new) then I'll have run out of places to advertise- forums won't want me to advertise again a few months later.

A big launch flop could be more detrimental...

Thoughts?

Adelaide Zoo Orangutan

2009-05-15T16:28:00.000-07:00

No one can deny that this Adelaide, South Australia, orangutan is smart. She managed to deliberately short circuit an electric fence with a stick, and was building a mound out of grass and sticks in the ditch in order to get to the second electric fence.

She has been previously known (I saw it) to get into electrified areas of her enclosure (they were being protected to let plants grow) by a complex plan of jumping from trees and down support wires.

This recent escape attempt resulted in the evacuation of the Zoo on Mother's Day.

Ah, I love the Adelaide Zoo!

"This animal has a history of trying to outsmart and be a little bit smarter, and she's an animal which has caused lots of keepers a lot of late hours," he said.

Your Favourite Charities

2009-05-14T19:56:00.000-07:00

Our new website that will be launched soon will be supporting a charity. We'll be picking the one for the first month, then the other months it will be up for nomination and votes from our readers. Which ones would you nominate for the first month?
Small charities are fine. We'd prefer something that we can pay through paypal, and that is a 'good cause' (though I know that is subjective, we want it to be a non disputable good cause for the first charity at least).

I was thinking of a charity I've heard of where every 5 pounds pays for three books, and these books go to impoverished areas of the world in their local language.
Or World Vision- perhaps we could buy chickens or seeds (or goats or whatever, depending on how much we raise) for a family in Africa.

What would be your nominations? Or thoughts on things we should consider? (things that might put people off, for example)

Birthday

2009-05-14T06:51:00.001-07:00

It's my friend's 25th birthday tomorrow. Happy birthday! :) You know how much I hope you have a great day, I'm sure. Last year we went to a really nice Indian restaurant as a group, and it was raining yet we walked up and down the streets and enjoyed ourselves. I had baked him a chocolate mocha mud cake...

Why can't someone invent a way to have a virtual party... holograms or something!

Promoting Your Blog or Cause

2009-05-09T18:26:00.000-07:00

Good morning, viewers!
Our new website is slowly (though I'm sure my friend doesn't feel like it's slow, he's working very hard!) being developed, and it's now my job to trawl around through the internet looking for content for part of our website.

Part of our website will involve a different blog entry every day (or maybe even more than once a day once it really gets started!).

We hope to get an incredibly large range of topics covered, and from a very large variety of people. I'm hopeful that it could be a great social experience, as everyone can comment. When you're looking around for blogs you tend to look for ones that are similar to yourself... this one will allow a snippet of life to show from many different life viewpoints. Those who submit the articles will get a wider demographic looking at their writing, and those who are reading will get something new to read every day. Exciting stuff!

When the site is up we'll have a submissions form so that you can put it up yourself, but for the first few weeks, I'm going to be asking, and putting articles up under my own account (credited and linked to the original blogs of course) just to keep things moving along.

So, I'm asking you- Would you like some free blog promotion? Or to speak to the world about a certain topic?

If so, you can reply with a link to a certain blog post you think would be good, or just a link to your blog and let me pick out one or two of your articles to add to my list of submissions. Either way I'd credit you with a link back to your blog, unless you want to remain anonymous (tell me.)

Remember that the blog entry must make sense out of context! And for now, not be too 'topical' as it could take months for the website to be up properly.

What do you think of this idea?

$7.01

2009-05-09T18:17:00.000-07:00

*sigh*
It is slightly depressing. That's the extent of money that our advertising has earnt us so far, and it certainly wasn't from this blog. It was from Fluffy Bricks.
However we've still not worked out Project Wonderful ads for Not Negative News.
How pathetic do I feel now?
It's sort of why I've not been posting on the blog very often. Just looking at it was depressing, and posting seemed futile.
However I've reactivated the ads on this blog and hopefully I'll be able to muster up some new posts and views, so we can keep plodding along. At this rate it'll take a million years, however I guess we're adding new websites at a consistent rate, and every little bit will help. And one or two might 'make it big'.

Colours

2009-05-09T18:13:00.001-07:00

What are your favourite colours for a website? A website that you could stare at for hours that is. Say favourite three or four colours that go well together.
Help us out!

New Website

2009-04-03T18:47:00.000-07:00

Though our newest website, for positive news is not yet a hugely popular website, we've moved on to designing our second website. I'm scouring the internet for potential content, and trying to write some of my own content too. Pricing for the new website is also a difficulty, as paypal takes 30 cents plus a percentage from all transactions, and we wanted our website to be as cheap as possible for people to use. But we don't want it free, as we'd love to donate money to charity, pay for our hosting and *gasp* maybe even get a salary for the website. It's a really difficult balancing act. How much will people pay? How much is our site worth? We just don't know.

Not Negative News

2009-04-02T17:09:00.000-07:00

Not Negative News is slowly having people signing up and participating. A lot slower than we were expecting to be honest.
We now have Discussions, and capabilities to 'follow' threads and comments.
We've also had some thoughts about new ways to set the site out.

Twitter

2009-03-08T22:51:00.000-07:00

Ah, Twitter. That wonderful site. We're now on it.
At least, Not Negative News is. It gives rss of all news stories posted to N3 , which means it's an easy way to keep up.
I recommend it to anyone who has a website or blog- people will be interested in what you have to say, trust me.

The Torrens Has Drained- Whoops.

2009-02-12T17:08:00.000-08:00

The Torrens has Drained. This is crazy.

The Torrens is a 'River' that runs through Adelaide. It's more of a river shaped lake to be honest. It's a dammed up creek. The dam weir broke the other day, opening the gates with some sort of malfunction, and 2 metres of depth of the Torrens leaked out before they could close it manually.
So, we now have a river of mud and rubbish flowing through the city centre.

The Torrens is also a place that lots of people socialise along- barbeques, walks, musical events. And we've got the Fringe coming up in less than a month, where we'll have visitors from around the world.

A good point though- maybe now they'll be able to clean it out a bit.

The Big Announcement

2009-02-02T19:24:00.000-08:00

So, today my friend got online and showed me the link- He'd put it up on our chosen host! The host is discountasp.net, and we think we're going with it just for this website, and then for the others, going over to something else and creating websites that don't need url rewrite.

Anyway! So it's up! And I'm excited. We just got our first new member.

What is it?

Not Negative News

Are you fed up with the negativity of the media? So are we. So we created Not Negative News, a site that allows you to help us create a positive read for the morning. Share that great news story you read or heard. And it can be about any topic you want, as long as your news story is positive.
Read happy news and feel better about the world- it's nowhere near as bad as people say it is.

CPSIA Laws

2009-01-27T17:18:00.000-08:00

As parents and concerned citizens I’m sure most of us at one time or another have been confronted with the question of lead poisoning. But have you asked yourself what your government is doing to protect your children from lead contained in toys? The answer? They're banning toys, taking books from schools and libraries, hurting low income families, killing entrepreneurial spirit and risking putting the economy in an even greater depression than we've seen in decades. I'd like to introduce you to their solution: the CPSIA.

Do you know about the CPSIA? No? Then I ask you to take a few minutes to find out about it.

The CPSIA stands for Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, a new set of laws that will come into effect on 10 February, 2009 and will impact many, many people in a negative way. Make no mistake, this is very real. View it for yourself. If Forbes, the American Library Association and numerous other media are paying attention, perhaps you should too.

How will these new laws affect you? Well, here are a few examples:

To the Parents of Young Students:
Due to the new law, expect to see the cost of school supplies sky rocket. While those paper clips weren't originally intended for your student to use, they will need to be tested now that your 11-year-old needs them for his school project. This law applies to any and all school supplies (textbooks, pencils, crayons, paper, etc.) being used by children under 12.

To the Avid Reader:
Due to the new law, all children's books will be pulled from library and school shelves, as there is no exemption for them. That’s okay though, there's always television. Our children don’t need to learn the love of reading after all.
Article from the American Library Association http://www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch/?p=1322

To the Lover of All Things Handmade:
Due to the new law, you will now be given a cotton ball and an instruction manual so you can make it yourself since that blanket you originally had your eye on for $50 will now cost you around $1,000 after it's passed testing. It won't even be the one-of-a-kind blanket you were hoping for. Items are destroyed in the testing process making one-of-a-kind items virtually impossible. So that gorgeous hand-knit hat you bought your child this past winter won’t be available next winter.

To the Environmentalist:
Due to the new law, all items in non-compliance will now be dumped into our already overflowing landfills. Imagine not just products from the small business owners, but the Big Box Stores as well. You can't sell it so you must toss it. Or be potentially sued for selling it. You can't even give them away. If you are caught, it is still a violation.

To the Second-Hand Shopper:
Due to the new law, you will now need to spend $20 for that brand new pair of jeans for your 2-year old, rather than shop at the Goodwill for second hand. Many resale shops are eliminating children's items all together to avoid future lawsuits.

To the Entrepreneur:
Due to this new law, you will be forced to adhere to strict testing of your unique products or discontinue to make and/or sell them. Small businesses will be likely to be unable to afford the cost of testing and be forced to close up shop. Due to the current economic state, you'll have to hope for the best when it comes to finding a new job in Corporate America.

To the Antique Toy Collector:
Due to the new law, you'd better start buying now because it's all going to private collection and will no longer be available to purchase. “Because the new rules apply retroactively, toys and clothes already on the shelf will have to be thrown out if they aren't certified as safe.” http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123189645948879745.html

To the American Economy:
Already struggling under an economy that hasn’t been this weak in decades, the American economy will be hit harder with the inevitable loss of jobs and revenues from suppliers, small businesses and consumers. The required testing is far too costly and restrictive for small businesses or individuals to undertake.

To the Worldwide Economy:
Due to this new law, many foreign manufacturers have already pulled out of the US market. You can imagine the impact of this on their businesses.

If you think this is exaggerating, here is a recent article from Forbes
http://www.forbes.com/2009/01/16/cpsia-safety-toys-oped-cx_wo_0116olson.html

And for those of you prepared to be stupefied and boggled, The New Law
http://www.cpsc.gov/about/cpsia/cpsia.html

Did you know? If this upsets or alarms you, please react.

---

I know I'm Australian, and my friend is British. But this will affect a lot of my hobbies, a lot of my international friends, will affect possibly what items I can sell on Etsy or Ebay to raise money (they won't be for children, but they might be considered 'for children' by idiots because they're dolls).

Questions About Australia

2009-01-24T19:56:00.001-08:00

Got any questions about Australia? Leave them here, and I'll try to answer them as a blog post.

Adelaide...

2009-01-24T18:43:00.000-08:00

Love it or hate it? And why?

I love it. Why? Well there's my friends of course- they're hugely entertaining and creative, and we never run out of stuff to do. I don't think I've ever been bored in Adelaide. Adelaide itself has some great events on. I don't care about pubs or clubs, but if I wanted to go, there's enough to keep me entertained, though not hundreds like in Sydney- but why does that matter? The city is not bad looking, I like that it feels safe, I like the feel of the community. I love that we have Fringe- my friends and I are going to it again this year of course. Except My Friend. :( I'm really looking forward to that! The comedians seem to enjoy Adelaide.

The things that people dislike Adelaide for, do not affect me at all and in some cases I actually consider them advantages.

So... how about you?

2009-01-24T18:32:00.000-08:00

Discountasp.net
Anyone got any thoughts on it as a host?

Twitter

2009-01-24T16:34:00.001-08:00

I just discovered twitter. If anyone would like to follow me
Feel Free.