Didn't get much work done... >.> All I did today really was Survivor mode on CoD.
Almost done my essay though! Just have to edit it tomorrow.
As for today's picture...
No picture since it was such a boring/ordinary day =(
As for today's 30 day song challenge: a song from a band that i hate
well, i don't really listen to bands, so i can't say that i hate any songs from a band... but if there's a band/genre of music i don't like...
it'll be screamo
Thursday, 10 November 2011
Wednesday, 9 November 2011
Call of Duty 3!
Had just the one class today... at 5 PM... >.<
The Dean spoke to us today about making changes to the program to help us get through the new program. Hopefully everything goes smoothly... as smooth as one can get going through a pilot program!
I started watching Sket Dance today! Apparently, the creator used to work for the creator of Gintama, or something like that. I can see the similarities between the two shows, but there are their differences. For one, Sket Dance doesn't seem as dirty as Gintama. =P
Anyways, my brother got his copy of MW3 today. It's actually quite fun. Survivor mode is pretty crazy!
Day 11 of the 30 day song challenge: a song from my favorite band.
well i don't have a favorite band... but a band i kinda listen to is Prague
Found this song off Gintama. I believe it was the 2nd Ending theme for the 5th season if I'm not mistaken!
The Dean spoke to us today about making changes to the program to help us get through the new program. Hopefully everything goes smoothly... as smooth as one can get going through a pilot program!
I started watching Sket Dance today! Apparently, the creator used to work for the creator of Gintama, or something like that. I can see the similarities between the two shows, but there are their differences. For one, Sket Dance doesn't seem as dirty as Gintama. =P
Anyways, my brother got his copy of MW3 today. It's actually quite fun. Survivor mode is pretty crazy!
Day 11 of the 30 day song challenge: a song from my favorite band.
well i don't have a favorite band... but a band i kinda listen to is Prague
Found this song off Gintama. I believe it was the 2nd Ending theme for the 5th season if I'm not mistaken!
Tuesday, 8 November 2011
What are the chances...
Today marks the first day I started volunteering for the Calgary Reads program. Fortunately for me, I was able to pick which elementary school I wanted to go to and that happened to be my elementary school that is about 2 minutes away from my house! When I entered the school, I found out that my principal from grade 4-6 was still there. I also found out that my grade 4-6 music teacher was also there! (I believe she's been there for the last 3 years of my primary education...). As I walked around the school, it seemed so foreign to me. All of the classrooms have been revamped with smart boards, new flooring, etc. It was nice to see though, that my class photos are still up on the wall (I guess my school isn't that old yet... like 30 years old or so?) Anyways, I had a hectic, but enjoyable time reading with my two buddies.
Going to my old elementary wasn't the end of my trip down memory lane! After I was finished with my seminar, I met my old Suzuki piano teacher in the hallways. We talked for a while, since its been about 14-15 years since I stopped taking piano under the Suzuki methodology.
Anyways, that marks my day! As for today's picture:
This is the spot where I usually hang out between classes. We call it the "picnic tables", since it kind of looks like picnic tables. I never get any work done here, but we have a BLAST of a time hanging out here. Some of the most hilarious stuff in my life occur at these tables!
As for today's song: a song that makes you fall asleep... Well this song comes to mind! It's not bad that it makes me fall asleep, rather that its peaceful, that it lulls me to sleep =P
Mika Nakashima's Nagareboshi (Shooting Stars... i believe)
I couldn't find a version with her singing in it, so here's a music box version of it!
Going to my old elementary wasn't the end of my trip down memory lane! After I was finished with my seminar, I met my old Suzuki piano teacher in the hallways. We talked for a while, since its been about 14-15 years since I stopped taking piano under the Suzuki methodology.
Anyways, that marks my day! As for today's picture:
As for today's song: a song that makes you fall asleep... Well this song comes to mind! It's not bad that it makes me fall asleep, rather that its peaceful, that it lulls me to sleep =P
Mika Nakashima's Nagareboshi (Shooting Stars... i believe)
I couldn't find a version with her singing in it, so here's a music box version of it!
Monday, 7 November 2011
So weird to go back to school!
My first day back on campus and boy, was it weird... It was actually strange to see university students, even though I am a university student. It made me realize how old I'm getting =(
So tired, so I'll cut down to the daily picture and song of the day.
This is a picture of a STi I have on Grans Turismo 5
I should have lowered my car and camber my wheels a bit. Oh well =P
As for today's song: a song that you can dance too
This song brings back memories:
Backstreet Boys - As long as you love me
When I was about... 7 (?), I was at my cousins house for a party. We were dancing to songs and I chose to dance to this song. I ended up falling flat on my face with a mild nosebleed. Yup... great memories =.=
So tired, so I'll cut down to the daily picture and song of the day.
This is a picture of a STi I have on Grans Turismo 5
As for today's song: a song that you can dance too
This song brings back memories:
Backstreet Boys - As long as you love me
When I was about... 7 (?), I was at my cousins house for a party. We were dancing to songs and I chose to dance to this song. I ended up falling flat on my face with a mild nosebleed. Yup... great memories =.=
Sunday, 6 November 2011
My thoughts on the last two weeks
Well here goes nothing:
With around a 3.2 GPA in biological sciences, I knew that I had no hope to try out for med school in Canada. I was in my fourth year of university before I realized that I should have probably switched into another degree that will give me a greater chance of landing a job in the future. With the end so near in sight (graduation), I thought to myself, "David, you really have two choices: 1) Go do my masters OR 2) Do another degree". I didn't enjoy biological sciences as much as I would like, so I knew that I couldn't do a masters program. All that was left really, was to find another degree to do.
Since I been tutoring for the past 10 years (started off with Rapid Calculation, then moved onto regular tutoring), teaching karate for the past 12 years and teaching piano for about 3 years, I immediately thought of education. However, I was hesitant at times since there doesn't seem to be a lot of job postings for teachers in the CBE and that the pay is quite low for an after degree ($45 000 a year I believe when I last checked). At this time, I got suggestions to pursue a MBA since they make much more money than a teacher.
As I entered my first day of Education, I was amazed to see so many other student teachers. At least 400 in my year! I guess you could say that I was feeling cocky on my first day, since I thought that with all my experiences, Education shouldn't be too difficult right? I even thought about dropping out of the program on the FIRST DAY, since I was pretty much set on getting a MBA. I recall even going to talk to the MBA coordinator at the university to see whether or not I could qualify as a candidate for the MBA program. While talking to the coordinator, she recommended that I should finish my education degree before applying since I was too young, so taking her words into consideration, I decided to stick with the program.
Well, was I wrong. There were things that I didn't know, such as using tact in certain situation. Being brought up by asian parents, well all we really know is discipline. I never physically disciplined my students, but I did yell a lot in karate. (Such as telling them to get in line, to stop fooling around, to kiai louder, etc). By using tact, I could enhance a student's growth, rather then just imbuing discipline (which they never truly seem to have lol). I learnt that negative reinforcement should be used, rather than punishment. I learned the importance of a curriculum that should help a student, rather than to produce workers, etc. There were many things that I learnt, that I never learnt before. However, I didn't really care much since I thought, "Well after I'm done my degree, I'm just going to go find a job at an office and work for a bit before applying for the MBA program).
Then in late October, I had my first field practicum. I was placed in Forest Lawn for my first week, and Erin Woods Elementary for my second week. To be honest, I wasn't looking forward to working at either schools since they were pretty much in our "ghetto". Well well, was I wrong.
Forest Lawn was indeed an interesting experience. Most of the students I encountered were polite to me and my fellow student teachers. Also, the teachers there seemed to be really engaged with their students. I assumed that teachers wouldn't care about students at Forest Lawn, due to its reputation, but they were as hard working as any teacher I encountered when I went to high school. I had the chance to visit classes ranging from "low achieving" (ie: Science 14) to "high achieving" (ie: Chemistry 30 AP) students. I enjoyed working with the Science 14 students more since the teacher I was with did an excellent job with his class. He encouraged students to think outside the box, and he would celebrate the accomplishments they achieved (such as 2 people, out of 20 handing in their homework on time). I had to say that I was amazed at the resilience the teacher had, for I would probably initially just give up on that class. He gave them tact, thus getting a positive response from his students EVEN though it wouldn't be at a standard set up by a "normal" class.
At Erin Woods, I got the chance to relive my childhood. I saw children full of energy: playing, studying, making friends, etc. I usually don't like teaching little kids since sometimes "full of energy" = "ADHD", but I didn't have that trouble at all during the week. The students were attentive when the teachers were teaching and asked questions when they needed help. They were a pleasure to help, since they would listen to what I had to say and tried to use my advice in their work.
After these two weeks, I have to say that I actually glad that I entered education. I actually do want to work at a school, whether it being an elementary or a secondary school. There's a sense of joy that I get from teaching others, to help them and myself grow as individuals. I will still probably try and pursue an MBA, just in case I do have troubles landing a job, but for now, it won't be the focus of my career.
Well, time for the picture of the day:
With around a 3.2 GPA in biological sciences, I knew that I had no hope to try out for med school in Canada. I was in my fourth year of university before I realized that I should have probably switched into another degree that will give me a greater chance of landing a job in the future. With the end so near in sight (graduation), I thought to myself, "David, you really have two choices: 1) Go do my masters OR 2) Do another degree". I didn't enjoy biological sciences as much as I would like, so I knew that I couldn't do a masters program. All that was left really, was to find another degree to do.
Since I been tutoring for the past 10 years (started off with Rapid Calculation, then moved onto regular tutoring), teaching karate for the past 12 years and teaching piano for about 3 years, I immediately thought of education. However, I was hesitant at times since there doesn't seem to be a lot of job postings for teachers in the CBE and that the pay is quite low for an after degree ($45 000 a year I believe when I last checked). At this time, I got suggestions to pursue a MBA since they make much more money than a teacher.
As I entered my first day of Education, I was amazed to see so many other student teachers. At least 400 in my year! I guess you could say that I was feeling cocky on my first day, since I thought that with all my experiences, Education shouldn't be too difficult right? I even thought about dropping out of the program on the FIRST DAY, since I was pretty much set on getting a MBA. I recall even going to talk to the MBA coordinator at the university to see whether or not I could qualify as a candidate for the MBA program. While talking to the coordinator, she recommended that I should finish my education degree before applying since I was too young, so taking her words into consideration, I decided to stick with the program.
Well, was I wrong. There were things that I didn't know, such as using tact in certain situation. Being brought up by asian parents, well all we really know is discipline. I never physically disciplined my students, but I did yell a lot in karate. (Such as telling them to get in line, to stop fooling around, to kiai louder, etc). By using tact, I could enhance a student's growth, rather then just imbuing discipline (which they never truly seem to have lol). I learnt that negative reinforcement should be used, rather than punishment. I learned the importance of a curriculum that should help a student, rather than to produce workers, etc. There were many things that I learnt, that I never learnt before. However, I didn't really care much since I thought, "Well after I'm done my degree, I'm just going to go find a job at an office and work for a bit before applying for the MBA program).
Then in late October, I had my first field practicum. I was placed in Forest Lawn for my first week, and Erin Woods Elementary for my second week. To be honest, I wasn't looking forward to working at either schools since they were pretty much in our "ghetto". Well well, was I wrong.
Forest Lawn was indeed an interesting experience. Most of the students I encountered were polite to me and my fellow student teachers. Also, the teachers there seemed to be really engaged with their students. I assumed that teachers wouldn't care about students at Forest Lawn, due to its reputation, but they were as hard working as any teacher I encountered when I went to high school. I had the chance to visit classes ranging from "low achieving" (ie: Science 14) to "high achieving" (ie: Chemistry 30 AP) students. I enjoyed working with the Science 14 students more since the teacher I was with did an excellent job with his class. He encouraged students to think outside the box, and he would celebrate the accomplishments they achieved (such as 2 people, out of 20 handing in their homework on time). I had to say that I was amazed at the resilience the teacher had, for I would probably initially just give up on that class. He gave them tact, thus getting a positive response from his students EVEN though it wouldn't be at a standard set up by a "normal" class.
At Erin Woods, I got the chance to relive my childhood. I saw children full of energy: playing, studying, making friends, etc. I usually don't like teaching little kids since sometimes "full of energy" = "ADHD", but I didn't have that trouble at all during the week. The students were attentive when the teachers were teaching and asked questions when they needed help. They were a pleasure to help, since they would listen to what I had to say and tried to use my advice in their work.
After these two weeks, I have to say that I actually glad that I entered education. I actually do want to work at a school, whether it being an elementary or a secondary school. There's a sense of joy that I get from teaching others, to help them and myself grow as individuals. I will still probably try and pursue an MBA, just in case I do have troubles landing a job, but for now, it won't be the focus of my career.
Well, time for the picture of the day:
A picture of what Forest Lawn looks like. Credits to Wikipedia
As for the song of the day: a song that you know all the words to
Well this is pretty sad. The only song where I know all the words to is this song:
Well I guess that's a lie, since I only know the first verse, but oh well!
Saturday, 5 November 2011
Out of ideas!!
I do not know what to write today! It was an ordinary day today. I went to volunteer and work, with nothing out of the ordinary occurring today! When I came home, I spent a couple hours scrolling through the internet and facebook (yes, facebook is a separate thing from the internet =P). Afterwards, I worked on my paper for my 405 class that is due tomorrow. Almost done it, but I'm so tired from working on it =P
Anyways, for today's picture:
These are the headphones I got from Best Buy for $15 dollars! They were on sale from... $40 to $25, and my brother had a $10 off coupon! =D For its price, its a really great set of headphones!
As for today's 30 day song challenge: a song that reminds me of a certain event
Well this song reminds me of changing seasons:
Namie Amuro - Four Seasons
Enjoy!
Anyways, for today's picture:
As for today's 30 day song challenge: a song that reminds me of a certain event
Well this song reminds me of changing seasons:
Namie Amuro - Four Seasons
Enjoy!
Friday, 4 November 2011
Last Day at Erin Woods and 1st semester Practicum
Today marks the last day of my practicum for the first semester. I had a blast all day playing dodge ball with the grade 6 and grade 1 kids. The grade 1 kids were very kind, for they kept giving me balls to throw. Afterwards, I spent a good amount of time at the music room. Since it was a half day, we ended around noon. Very soon after, there was a rehearsal for handbells, for the staff! It was neat to see how some staff members bonded over activities such as playing handbells together.
I should have time on Sunday to write a more detailed analysis of my 2 week practicum so wait for that! =D
Anyways, today's picture is actually going to be a picture I took during late August. The reason why I'm using this picture is because there's snow outside, and I want this picture to remind me of the wonderful summer I had (Despite it being shorter than normal). This was taken in Banff, near the Tunnel Mountain Campground site.
Now for the 30 day song challenge: a song that reminds me of somewhere
This is actually quite hard, for I don't normally think of places when I listen to songs... The first thing that pops into my mind is this:
Princess Mononoke OST in general. It reminds me of my grandparent's house in Japan. No real reason for it, besides the fact that the movie was Japanese and my grandparent's house is in... Japan.
I should have time on Sunday to write a more detailed analysis of my 2 week practicum so wait for that! =D
Anyways, today's picture is actually going to be a picture I took during late August. The reason why I'm using this picture is because there's snow outside, and I want this picture to remind me of the wonderful summer I had (Despite it being shorter than normal). This was taken in Banff, near the Tunnel Mountain Campground site.
Now for the 30 day song challenge: a song that reminds me of somewhere
This is actually quite hard, for I don't normally think of places when I listen to songs... The first thing that pops into my mind is this:
Princess Mononoke OST in general. It reminds me of my grandparent's house in Japan. No real reason for it, besides the fact that the movie was Japanese and my grandparent's house is in... Japan.
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