February 29th! Something that we see once every four years (kind of like the Olympics). According to one of my profs, apparently there's a tradition in where a woman is allowed to propose to any man that she likes... Very interesting.... though I wonder if the man has the right to reject the woman? I know that its mostly men that propose to women, but..... yeah....
Anyways, today was a pretty average day. I went to volunteering today (managed to remember this morning...) and had a pretty good session with both of my buddies. After volunteering, I went home and worked on my 406 assignment (where we make a m/c question for our final). It didn't go to well, so I started playing some FF XIII-2. I downloaded the Sazh side quest, which officially came out today I believe. In his side quest, you pretty much gamble (Texas Hold'Em and some other game... forgot what it was called) away so Sazh can be reunited with his son. I was playing poker, since I was most familiar with this game. I managed to take down two people in 6 turns (I went all in on a full house, which I knew that I would have the biggest full house =P). However, it took me about an hour to get rid of the last guy, since he kept playing it safe and never really bluffed... In the end, I just whittled him down by bluffing every major hand, since I knew he wouldn't call my bluff (too bad this doesn't really work in a real casino =P).
I went to school after to work out. I had a pretty good work out today! My shoulders are quite sore from today, though I'm starting to see some improvement! =)
Class was a bit dry today I thought (or maybe since I've been tired the last couple days from thinking about these research papers I have to write), so I started to nod off a bit. I'm not sure if my professor caught me nodding off, but she called on me to answer a question (she was working her way up the stairs, asking people questions) on the types of life-long learning we discussed so far. It has been about 5 years since I last answered a question in front of a class, I found it a bit difficult in forming my thoughts on the spot, but luckily my professor helped me out by giving me some guiding questions.
Right after class, I got back to 406, since I wanted to have some sort of idea to discuss with my group tomorrow. For about an hour and a half... I could only come up with one thing... Oh the frustration >_>. What made it worse, was that I got an email stating my placement for this semester. I'm going to be placed in a school that's about 20-30 minutes away from my house. I was hoping for something closer, so I could walk (Dr. Higgins Jr. High was my wish), but I guess life doesn't always give you what you want.
Eh, I'm fried... so I guess it means bed time! As for today's picture of the day (well really yesterday's picture but I was too tired to blog):
Beef Lasagna and Chicken... something something soup from the education cafeteria. It was pretty good for $9! Kept me full for a while. My only complaint with yesterday's meal was that the lasagna was still frozen in the middle. =( Otherwise it was quite tasty, though I was extremely thirsty afterwards.
My day in school started with a m/c test for 407. I wish I spent more time studying for it, and especially spent time to memorize the stats. Oh well, there's still one more test to go!
After my exam, I went to go work out. I found a song that really helped me during my run on the elliptical: FF XIII-2 Knight of the Goddess. The ascending motifs were just mind blowing! That really got my heart pumping. After cardio, I did some weights and called it a day.
I proceeded to watch a bunch of TED talks for 406 (that I should have watched a couple days ago...). One of the talks spoke about the power of vulnerability. Now, I have to say that I was uncomfortable watching this video; not because it was bad (it was extremely well made), but because it struck a chord within me. All too often, I feel scared of being vulnerable, so I do numb that sensation by avoiding it in the first place. (More on this when I write my 100th post: Insecurities).
Along with the other videos I watched for today's class, I noticed how they were discussed in today's episode of Gintama. (Great Anime by the way! One of the best I ever watched!) One of the supporting characters, Hasegawa Taizou (aka Madao) was a contestant in "Who wants to be a Madonaire".
[Spoiler Alert]
Now the backstory behind Hasegawa was that he used to be an official in the government, but he lost his job one day. After losing his job, his wife left him (though not truly) and he pretty much ran out of luck. Well anyways he goes through this game, but he gets upset after answering each question correctly. The reason why is due to the fact that he's finding out how pathetic he is (since he's a Madao) due to answering these questions based on his life [parody of Slumdog Millionare]. However, he realize that it was okay to be a Madao; to be pathetic, for he had a goal to achieve. As in any Gintama episodes with a heart-warming story, it ends up in comedy, but nonetheless, I saw parallels with what I watched today for class!
That's it for today! For those who never watched Gintama, here's a picture of Hasegawa looking for money.
Well today marks the end of Reading Break for 2012. It felt like time flew by... I didn't feel like I got a lot of rest over this week. Oh well, what can I do =P
Friday was the last day of WestCAST. I got to host two interesting sessions. The first one was on protecting my online identity, and what I should do to help ensure I can get a job. In other words, I shouldn't have any suggestive pictures/videos/etc of myself! It was a very interesting session, but I was quite surprised that there was only 6 of us (including myself). The next session was targeted towards new teachers. There was a HUGE amount of people that wanted to attend this session. The room was so packed, that it was actually a fire hazard, if we had a fire.
After the two sessions, we all got served lunch in the ballroom. It was a pretty decent vegetarian lunch. During this time, I got the chance to interact with a couple of other 1st years who were volunteering as well. Once lunch was finished, UofC passed on WestCAST to the next school (University of Northern British Columbia?). Apparently, they only want a few handful of people to come, because their program is VERY small (80ish people if I remember correctly).
Well that pretty much marks my experience with WestCAST! It was actually a pretty fun conference, despite the fact that I had to pay a large amount for it =P (tough being a University student =( )
As for today, it marked the end of my FF XIII-2 quest... well the main story line anyways. I grinded quite a bit to get Lightning as a playable character, so I was pretty much overtrained for the final boss. I think my guide book recommended 2500 HP for Serah and 3000 for Noel. Well, I had 4300ish for Serah and 5700 for Noel. It was a nice ending, though it was sad. =(
Good thing there's multiple endings for this game!
Well that's it for tonight! No pictures, since I'm tired... =_=
Better wake up early tomorrow and finish studying for my midterm...
It started bright and early at 7:30 this morning. My first task of the day was to usher in guests as they walked down the aisles in MFH 162 (the biggest lecture room at UofC if I'm not mistaken.). The keynote speaker for today was Deborah Bell. Her topic was that great teachers are not born, but taught. In other words, the key point of her speech was that teachers are a profession that should have technical terminology to ensure that all teachers speak the same language (from what I got from it).
Once that was done, I had hosting duties from 10:30 - 4:30. I had the chance to host 5 workshops in that time span. There were some really interesting activities, like how to incorporate inquiry based learning in science, how to fill out a professional development plan (which I need for my 408 portfolio!), and how to engage a classroom as a new teacher.
I have to admit, at first, hosting a room was stressful. I had to ensure that the room was set up the way the presenters wanted, that the water jug was filled with water, that people who were in my room actually wanted to be in my room, that I had to keep things running on time, etc. However, I felt "in the zone" for the 3 afternoon sessions (After lunch, though I didn't get the chance to eat lunch today =()
Tomorrow is the last day of WestCAST. Luckily for me, it'll be a lot shorter. I believe I only have to host two workshops tomorrow!
It's been a while since I last blogged! I blame it on my paper (last week). No excuses really for this week...
So I woke up today, thinking "What a wonderful week" since it's reading break. At around 11 o'clock, I realized that I had volunteering... that was supposed to start at 9 and finish at 11... I don't recall missing out on an event due to pure carelessness before =(.
Also, I went to staples today, since they had an advertisement on 16 GB flash drives for $10! (My old 512 MB one was $10... 5-6 years ago?). I've been looking for cheap flash drives since my external harddrive doesn't work with my mac anymore =(. There were sales at BestBuy, but I always arrive too late...
I eagerly entered the store (since the flyer came out today and I was there probably a couple hours after it opened... there should be at LEAST one more flash drive left!!), not knowing that a sales attendent wanting to help me out. After I noticed that she was there, I asked her about the flash drive. She proceeded to lead me to the area where they kept the flash drives, but the one in question wasn't there. Then she looked at the flyer and pointed out that it was a "Saturday Door-Crasher Event". Once again, I felt embarrassed and walked out after a sheepish apology for my clumsiness...
I went to BestBuy next, since I needed a Sony Playstation Network Card for Final Fantasy XIII-2. There was a new DLC package, where you can fight Lightning and Amodar (Lightning's commander). The cool thing about this optional battle is that you can use them as your 3rd person/monster in your party! I quickly purchased a card and went home to put it on my PS3. After downloading and installing the DLC, I went to go fight these two.
I was underlevel =(. Both Lightning and Amodar had 600 000 HP+. I fought for an hour, realizing that I couldn't defeat them, since they healed like 60% of their HP in 30 seconds (I managed to stagger them down, but to no avail). Disappointed, I gave up and went to do some homework...
On the plus side, I managed to finish a couple readings. All that I need to do for the rest of reading break is to determine suitable topics for my two big papers, start on my portfolio and start planning my lesson plan for 409... Not too bad...
Also, tomorrow is the first full day of West CAST! I wasn't able to attend the mixer tonight, but hopefully tomorrow will be a day full of fun!
As for today's picture:
For a HARDCOVER guidebook under $30, it's a great buy! So detailed in terms of the numerous side quests in FF XIII-2. I don't think I seen a finer guidebook than this one!
It's that time of the year again! Happy Valentine's Day to those couples out there! Apparently there's a thing called Single Awareness Day as well?
Either way, I wanted to make this review post a lot longer... but I was preoccupied with... FF XIII-2. I'll get that essay done tomorrow! About 500 more words to go...
Well let's start off with my top 5. There won't be any synopsis or characters or pictures (except for my favorite romance drama). Just a plain old list and a little explanation for each one.
Normally, I don't enjoy watching romance dramas. They tend to be mostly about love-triangles, which I abhor. Personally, I find that love triangles are usually fillers and that those dramas usually contain idols that are used to attract throngs of people to watch the show. On the other hand, I do have to say that there are some romance dramas out there that have a love-triangle that can work, without it being the heavy emphasis of the plot. Without further adieu, I will present my top 5 now!
In fifth place: Tsuki no Koibito (Moon Lovers) [2010] - feat: Kimura Takuya, Shinohara Ryoko, Lin Chi-ling and Kitigawa Keiko.
Amazing first episode. It really captured my attention. The love story between a ruthless CEO of a furniture company and a factory worker in a place where the company is exploiting... or is it? Slight twist at the end, which I thought ruined the story for me. However, I guess you could say that it was scripted so that the particular ending (which I'm certainly not fond of) is the correct ending.
In fourth place: Hotaru no Hikari 1 & 2 (Glow of Fireflies) [2007 & 2010, respectively] - feat: Ayase Haruka and Fujiki Naohito
Great series overall. The main male lead goes back to his parents house one day (after on the verge of a divorce) to see that his father rented out the house to an employee. It was interesting to see the relationship between the main character and the main male lead. The main character is a slob (what they called a "dried women") and the main male lead is highly organized. After some time, the main male lead starts to have feelings for the employee/main character. It starts off as a manager/employee relationship, but love started to bloom from it. I have no complaints for this drama, but why did they star such an emotionless supporting male actor in the first season...
In third place: Yamato Nadeshiko (Perfect Woman) [2000] - feat: Matsushima Nanako and Tsutsumi Shinichi
A love story between a gold digger and a poor mathematician. The main character is looking for a rich man since she grew up poor, so she became a flight attendant (due to her long legs and pretty face). She was at a group date/meeting (goukon) where she met the mathematician, but assumed that he was rich due to the clothes and accessories he wore (which he borrowed from a rich friend).
The story was scripted with subtlety in mind. Nothing was done dramatically to create a melodrama. I don't recall how she eventually falls in love with him, but I remember that it was well done (vague I know). It was a nice story, showing how sometimes it's not all about the money, but the time spent between two people. Straying off onto a tangent; sadly though, this world does depend on money.
In second place: Kekkon Dekinai Otoko (The man who can't get married) [2006] - feat: Abe Hiroshi, Natsukawa Yui and Kuninaka Ryoko
To those who watch the Big Bang Theory show, the main character kinda resembles Sheldon. He doesn't really know how to interact with other people, though he has a high self-esteem (almost to the point of being a narcissist). In the first episode, he comes down with a stomachache, which prompted a call to the hospital. This was where he meets a female doctor, that becomes his "friend" to eventually his lover.
It's a comedic story, but with some heartwarming moments. The main actor and actresses did a wonderful job in their roles. It has a great comedic ending as well, but I won't spoil it to those who are interested in watching the series =P
Finally in first place: Bara no nai Hanaya (The Flower Shop without a Rose) [2008] - feat: Katori Shingo, Takeuchi Yuko, Shaku Yumiko, Matsuda Shota and a whole bunch of other characters that play a big part in this drama.
This is one of two series (the other being 1 Litre of Tears), in which I watch an entire drama series TWICE. I'm a veteran of around 120 series, and my policy is to never watch a drama series over since I could spend the time watching a new series instead. Bara no nai Hanaya is my absolutely favorite romance drama. It has a simple, yet captivating story line. Also, the OST is great. I really enjoyed the track, "Dandelion".
The opening sequence of the first episode (as seen in the video) caps up the emotions in the series: a simple love story. The love story is between a florist and a "blind" nurse. Sure, they're loopholes in the story, but it is as though I'm not aware of it when I watch this drama. The main actor and actress did an amazing job to portray the relationship and to let it grow from episode 1 to 11. The last part of episode 11 was one of the most romantic scenes I ever seen in a drama series to date. (This was where they first kiss as well! =P)
I have not done this drama justice by writing this review, but if you're looking for a simple love story, this is the one to watch! Besides romance, there is some mystery to this drama as well. Why is there no roses being sold at the florist's shop? Why does the director of a hospital hate the florist so much? And so many more!
And that's all for me today! To finish it off, here's a picture/poster/promo of Bara no nai Hanaya
Yesterday, I went to the dentist to get my tooth checked. It turned out that I suffered a level 4 fracture (meaning that the pulp was exposed). The dentist had to perform a root canal to remove the pulp (and to prevent an infection).
All I can say was that the root canal therapy is the most painful dental treatment I ever had. Apparently, since my tooth suffered trama, it's difficult to numb/freeze the nerve around the tooth (due to inflammation from the trauma). During parts of the surgery, some parts of the pulp/nerve wasn't numb so I felt pain as the dentist removed it. Oh well... no pain, no gain!
After removing the pulp, everything went smoothly. My tooth was no longer sensitive to hot/cold!
Today, I went back in to get my filling. It wasn't as bad as yesterday, that's for sure!
Here's a picture of the finished result. I'm going to go back in a couple of months to get a crown. Hopefully, the crown will offer a more permanent solution than the filling =P
I thought my daily event yesterday was pretty interesting... wait till you hear today's! =P
I woke up later than I would normally like this morning, but I managed to get to school on time. In 409, we made a lesson plan to incorporate ICT with the topic of genetics. My group decided to focus on mutations with the use of an interactive software online called Molecular Bench (I believe that's the name). We actually finished the project quite early, so I spent the last 30 minutes or so looking at other people's ideas. There were some interesting ones, like playing a game to explain mutations or using cool videos from youtube to describe transcription.
Now the interesting part. =P
About an hour after class, I was running outside. Unfortunately, one of my shoe lace loops got tangled with the hook on my other shoe/hiking boot. As you can imagine, I tripped and fell down quite hard. I scrapped my right hand and wrist, banged my nose on the ground, bloodied lip and... chipped my left front (incisor) tooth.
I went to the nearest bathroom to wash up. Once I was done with that, I ventured to Mac Hall to go visit the local dentist and walk-in clinic to get assessed. I managed to get a dental appointment booked for tomorrow to examine my tooth. The walk-in clinic was quite fast. I managed to get in, like 5 seconds after finishing my patient form. The doctor told me that I should be fine, but my pride might be hurt (which she was right =P). I also got a tetanus booster just to be on the safe side! =P
So after the visits, I decided to skip my last class and go home. When I informed my dad, he just acknowledged the fact that it happened and hope that my recovery will go well. My mom on the other hand called me careless and stupid, but she got working on my boots (modifying my laces) to ensure that I don't fall again! =)
So why is this blog titled Karma? Well, it could be just a coincidence, but I'll let you be the judge of that. So yesterday... I had a little "accident" but didn't inform anybody about it. Thinking about how Karma was striking back, I had a bit of an uncomfortable evening last night. And today, this has happened... so... I am now a true believer of Karma. (Until I forget again, like how I sometimes do... but I hope this is a good lesson!)
Well despite my physical injuries and hurt ego, I had a transformative experience today. I know that I stated that I try not to take my health for granted, but I would normally not take great care of my teeth. Sure, I would brush at least twice a day and use floss at least once a day, but it was always a half-ass job. Teeth health is crucial and I'll be sure to take extra care once I get my front tooth fixed!
Now, one might ask, why I seem so cheery after such an accident. Well, "shit happens". When I first got frostbite a couple years back, I was depressed for quite a while. However, it did made me realize the importance of health, first of all. Also with my recent accident, it could have been a lot worse. I could have chipped both front teeth, twisted one of them, broke my nose, etc. (Also, I guess I had worse accidents before, like smashing my face while sledding, frostbite, sprained finger that healed crookedly, etc).
To end it off, I would like to thank those who helped cared for me today during my ordeal! I'm grateful for the caring medical staff/ receptionists and most importantly, my friends and family.
Well it may be a bit graphic... but here's a picture of my tooth
So I just realized that the stitching on one of my Rocks is slightly messed up... Good thing it wasn't my favorite pair though! What a coincidence though (in terms of rocks)... as you'll find out when you read through this!
So I started my day off with volunteering. Things were great with my first buddy but things got a bit "rocky" with my second. After volunteering, I went home. Instead of studying... I went and played some FF. I was stuck at Oerba 200 AF, since I wasn't able to beat Caius for the first time. However, after grinding a bit more, and levelling up my monsters, I decided to try again... with success (after like 1.5 hrs of grinding...).
I went to school early to go work out. I haven't worked out in a week and a half, so I started off with some laps around the track. While running, I was "rocking" it out with some.... slow music (oh gosh... maybe I should stop...). Afterwards, I met up with a friend and we did some shoulders and back. We also did pull ups, but unfortunately, I wasn't able to do them =(. I guess I'm still too heavy for my arms to lift me up! GRRRR
Class was a bit boring today. Thank goodness that a friend decided to attend class with me, or I would have fallen asleep. We were talking about transformative learning today, but just somehow, I wasn't really in the mood for it.
After class, I went to help a friend find some rocks for a project. After an hour or so (felt more like 15 minutes), we were able to find a decent amount. Good thing it was a relatively warm night!! I actually learnt some things about rocks and clay, and soil (pardon the English) while we were digging for these rocks.
And now, the picture of the day: my first dinner tonight
Korean Clear Noodle Soup. It was pretty good, but I was quite thirsty afterwards... and I didn't drink all the soup this time! =(
Today was colder than yesterday, though it wasn't as bad as a couple weeks ago with that -40 degrees Celsius weather!
In 407 today, we discussed emotional and behavioural disorders. Like how the prof stated, it's not as clear-cut to identify one with EBD for all people have these symptoms from time to time (aggression, jealously, isolation, depression, etc). For 408, we had our presentation today. I think it went well! The activities seemed to kept our audience's attention for the most part.
I got home early today to "get some work done", but really I ended up playing FF XIII-2... (I did manage to do my readings for 410 and Calgary Reads though!). I want to play XIII-2 now, but unfortunately, my game chair is being occupied so I guess now is a fine time to start my review of the latest drama I watched: Soredemo Ikite Yuku (though not as long as I thought it would be...)
EDIT: Well it's been almost an hour and I'm still on the story section... another day perhaps! Here's a picture of the show though. Taken from drama-wiki
Today marks the first time this semester that I skipped a lecture...
The reason why I skipped was primarily due to the fact that I did not finish my readings for the lecture today and that I wasn't too keen on taking transit late at night by myself... (I'm a bit of a scaredy-cat after that one bad experience a couple years back...)
Anyways, today in seminar, we talked more about students at risk and students that have emotional disorders. I was a bit inattentive today so I didn't absorb much from seminar. We did watch a couple short clips though of students that have been homeless/living in shelters for a while. Those students were from Calgary, so it gave a sense of "relevancy". If the clip didn't say anything about the students' statuses, I would have never guessed that they were homeless. Also, watching that video made me count my blessings again, for I was fortunate enough to go through school with certain luxuries like having a warm place to return to each day, getting 3 meals a day, having the school supplies I need and able to participate in club activities without the need to go to work.
Hmm, I keep saying that I'll post a drama review... but I've been so lazy in starting it up! Perhaps next week? I have a Top 5 drama post coming up this weekend for sure though! =P
Unfortunately, I don't have a picture to post for today, so here's a youtube video instead!
It's pretty amazing to see this baby hit the ball back quite accurately!
I don't know why... but all of a sudden I was thinking of BoA's song: Woo Weekend, when I was thinking of a title for today! (I usually come up with the title first before I start writing my post. That's why these titles can be pretty lame at times =P)
Well well... I was busy playing games the last couple of days, so I wasn't able to post. =P FF XIII-2 is pretty good so far! I like the revamped battle system!
As for today, it was a normal day. I went to volunteer and played my usual songs. Work was ordinary as well, though I felt a bit light headed during work... Who knows why?
I went to BestBuy after work to see if I could still purchase a USB Flash Drive. They were having a sell on 64 GB drives for $40!! It was all sold out when I went. =( I guess next time!
When I got home, I started on my readings for 408 (group presentation this coming week!) I managed to go through the first two readings... just one more to go!
Hmm, what else... oh tomorrow is karate examinations! I wonder how my students will do tomorrow...
As for today's picture, it was taken a couple days back. I accidentally spilt some capelin roe into my tea, so they started to cook! The white ones are cooked while the orange ones are still being cooked (I believe). Take a look! ^_^
Done my 409 History of Science Paper! Well, not 100% edited, but that should only take like 10 minutes tomorrow morning. =P
Well since I was working on my paper all today, I didn't have the chance to go work out. =( There's always Friday I guess?
Class was alright today. There was a lot of technical problems, so I spent most of the time just sitting there and playing Bejeweled on my iPhone. I'm playing the Zen mode at the moment, but I don't feel like its keeping me relaxed...
Since I'm done with my papers (for now...), I plan to start FF XIII-2 when I get home tomorrow! Can't wait for that! To end of today's post, here's what I had for dinner
I was craving noodles today, so I got udon from Kobe Beef! It's been a while since I last visted that place. Apparently, they're serving "Reman" now... hmm, I wonder what that could be... =P
