Members' News

What is the difference, if any between that and TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) ? In any case, congrats, glad to hear some people will be taught gramatically correct English

Strangely enough, my parents don't have any tapes of me or my sister doing stupid things... I remember making "radio show" tapes, but they must have got erased at some point, and apart from one family tape made with a rented video camera and a few very old super8 tapes, they never had a video camera and so didn't make any... There are plenty of photographs, though, the naked red baby in the bath one is my biggest shame, my sister's is one of her naked on a sheepskin rug... age 6 months
But then my mother isn't that hot on showing them at people (I mean at, not to, it's like talikng at as opposed to talking to) but she does love telling everyone time and again about how they made me eat our rabbits when I was 4 by saying it was furry chicken. Ok, so we were poor, and that was all there was to eat, but for the gods' sake, it's not funny to be told that you once ate your pet !! Not even after the 100th time.

That sounds great, Grace. You fit the job perfectly.


Anyways, I haven't been posting much lately due to little time on a real internet connection, as opposed to one that comes out of my mobile. While I can read the boards via my mobile, and do, writing a post and emailing it for someone else to post is a bit difficult for me.


What little time I spend at the uni is usually full with work on my final project. I should have more free time once the semester starts, in a month or so.

Congrats, Miss Grace!! Is it a college course that will lead to a job in TESOL, or will you be teaching others right away?

Fairyliquid, There has been some problems with the ipods and upgrades I have heard about recently. If you find your library is completely gone, Apple will allow you to re download all the media you had, for free. If you find yourself in that spot (which I sincerly hope you don't, as I know what a pain in the a** it can be) let me know and I can at least provide you with some links.

Katcal , wow, Big Hugs!! That probably would have inspired me to be a vegetarian. :cry: I think it would be easier to put up with the naked baby pictures.

*Hugs to anyone else who needs them*
No news here on my front. Its 11 am and all is well. *rings bell*

Congratulations Grace! Hurray for jobs.

In other news, I'm in the process of hitting my head on a wall because my professor in Honors Writing from Literature assigned us a most fearsome essay that I am most definitely struggling with.

University would be much better without all these pesky classes to do homework and write essays for.
I also have my first exam tomorrow in Political science.

I suffer.

My mother had a job like that for a while. Will you be focusing a a perticular language group?

The next weekend I'm taking a course in knifesmithing. I've always been amazed by blacksmithing, and I am so looking forward to trying it for the first time.

The course will be 2x8 hours, so I will by no means emerge as a master bladesmith, but I will hopefully have learned something.

Our teacher has an online gallery of his works. Under "More Stuff", check out the thumbnail second to the top in the right column, the ring in stainless steel and gold. That is the most beautiful piece of jewelry I've ever seen. Check out his other stuff too, it's well worth a visit.

I am hoping I will have gotten my hands on a decent camera by then, so I can document the course and show you all the flaming forges, anvils and hammers.

Thanks for the advice. Though technically my library dissapearing has nothing to do with them and some of it is backed up on my dad's hard drive...though it's really only my dad's music.

I have to find the apple store first which, in singapore, you need a car to get to. So it's going to take a while to see if I can salavage anything. Hopefully I can because most of my music is borrowed off others.


ANyway I am still ridiculously busy and so tired it's unbelievable. Our school expects amazing amounts of commitments other than just school work and at the moment I'm working to get 150 hours worth of extra curricular activities (creative action and service). I am probably going to achieve 3 times that by the end of this school year the way we are pushed here. It's crazy.

Plus the fact that, since last year, my work load has at least doubled.

Now I need tro read half of a novel by tomorrow so I can write a commentary on it, do a heap of science practicals, write a heap more and do goodness knows what else.

Excuse the rant.


On a side note : Kapten, your right his work is amazing it sounds like a great coarse!

Buzzfloyd - congratulations sounds like an fantastic oppertunity.

Wow KK, he seems to be quite a craftsman, lucky you !! The stuff on his website is truly beautiful, I'd love to try metalwork someday...

Congrats Hsing on your webcam, Grace on your new course to larn people to speak good, KK on the smithing course (I've also had an interest in knifemaking), Hex on her first PoliSci exam, and Roman for his squarish project. Fairy, I'm sure that you'll power through whatever gets thrown at you.

Not much going on in the way of news, as everything in my life is on hold while Barnaby figures out some dates.

As you all know I will be coming to england in less than 30 days. Woo. Then I will be moving to CT. I will update you all when more info is available.

Congratulations Grace, at least some students will learn english correctly!

KK, I would love to do something like that. I'm looking forward to the pictures.

My housebuying is finally moving as the solicitor is sending me the contract to sign. It's only been two months in progress so far :roll: and probably at least another three weeks before completion!

Yay for the internet,I can remember when i couldn't care less about it, now that I have it it's like loseing an arm without it. I'm currently at my dads so I've a lot of catching up to do, but for now a huge hurrah for the internet on a whole

[/fanatical rant]

in other news I started college [yay], but not the one i hoped for [boo] however i have found that this is probably a better college for me anyway [not quite sure what to say...]. The college I'm at now (Bury college) has better physics facilities and computing facilities and being that they are my main subjects its probably better for me.

I have taken Physics, Maths, Computing and Business studies. In Physics and Business I'm the best in the class (so modest aren't I), in computing I'm amongst the best. in Maths I suck.

it drains the will to live.

We did a test today to see how we're doing, I think I'm going to be kicked off the course which is a real bummer being that its the cornerstone to my other subjects (more specifically Physics which is what i hope to get a job in... somewhere).

I've also met up with my not-so-long-lost cousin (does that say the relative kinda thing or the food kinda thing or just a gross misspelling of the both? I have no idea) which is cool.

And Yay to everyone thats had something good happen since I've been gone and condolences/unluckyseseses to those that havn't :?

Congratz to Dane for getting into a good college.

In other news, The common cold SUCKS ASS.

Congratulations to Mowgli, Brad, Grace, Dane and whoever else I missed.

I hope the river had a wash before you got in...

Dane, I agree that maths sux arse. And thats my very eloquant insult for the day...

I've been away for a couple of days in Adelaide, catching up with the people who let me stay at their house in England. It was all good. Before that my boyfriends parents came to Canberra, seeming as how there was nothing here for them to do we took them to the coast and my boyfriends parents met my Dad and stepmum. Very scary. Not to be advised for any couple. Although I think it went OK.

Hmmm, swimming in a river... haven't done that for ages, at least a couple of years... Had a swim in the Med' the other day, it was freezing cold, but the air was hot as hell... strange. We spent ages watching these fish swimming round our feet, beautiful, and quite big, about 30cm long, and golden brown...

No, you're not imagining things. A general estimate is 6-8 weeks for an uncomplicated purchase - which this should be. So far it's been 2 months and I still haven't received the contract to sign.
Don't ever use Nationwide's own conveyancing service - it sucks. Find yourself a good local solicitor instead.

I just want a rant and a rave. I have finched school and i am looking for a job not fun at the best of times. evry day i look for one and there is still none. i cant wait for next week when the new age discramation law cames it because it will mean i can finaly get a job.

today i was going to book driving lesons as i despratly need to learn. i called 3 people and the first one i tryed dosent teach any more and the other two there was no anser (bad spelling). i want to pass my driving test by crismas because im going on holiday abrod next year with a good friend of mine and i want to share the driving dutes.

one good thing is happaning this week the new tiffany book is out. yay. as well as my new Play Station 2 game.

Freshly returned from Singapore and plunged straight back into work due to a staff shortage on account of a flu bug. Have an urge to crawl under my desk and sleep, must try to resist... Singapore's a lovely little country though, well worth a quick visit for anybody touring the region, especially the night safari.

My dad just got back from Singapore, where he got me an iPod nano! Yay! Of course, I know owe him €140 (they're cheaper over there) but still

Congratulations/condolences where appropriate, as I haven't been on this thread in a while!

Right now, I'm rather... high... on completely legal drugs. My doc gave me some pills to try and help this pain in my arm I have had since december last, she thinks it's a weird kind of nevralgia (sp ?). This stuff does help the arm a bit, but I feel soooooo stoned out, and it is not nice ! Why the fuck do people want to acheive this state ? It sucks. Say no to doctors drugs people !

You look stoned too.

**looks at her own avatar**

KK, you bastard, that just made me laugh out loud at work

**returns from 15 minutes straight giggling in the company loo, wiping tears from her eyes**

Oh, ok, ganging up on me are you !!


AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH !!!! **waves turnip**

Sorry you are suffering with neuralgia. Tell the work you need a new chair, one of those ones with the funky elbow rests that swivel. Agree 100 with you on the drugs thing. They just mess up the strange reality of the world.

Now to solve the strange pain - find a Chinese trained healer who does acupuncture - the western trained ones don't always get it right (probably the difference between 6 months and 7-11 years training). I've had the needles for tennis elbow, frozen shoulder and a pinched nerve on the middle spine. All three times were treated by aleopathic doctors first but after three or more weeks of painkillers in each case I went off to the acupuncturists and was moving freely within two days and tablet free.

I've already talked them into getting me a posh chair, it's great, and swivels mightily...

Acupuncture would be great, it's probably the only thing I haven't had tried on me (unless you count the exam that mesures nerve reactions where I had electric shocks for half an hour followed by having a long needle stuck right through all the muscles of my arm and hand... ) but around here, I have never heard of a "real" acupunctor (or whatever you call them), They may be findable in somewhere like Paris, but out here is a little to... provincial, I guess... But thanks for the advice, I'll look into it...

Edit : scratch all that, I was greatly misinformed. Not only are there plenty of them, acupuncture is even covered by the social security. I take it all back ! Thanks inwig, I'll ask my regular GP to send me to see one - and also ask him if he knows of any good ones, too

poor Katcal! Get better soon!

<-- passes a collection hat around to import a real acupuncturist for Katcal!

Acupuncture is great. I have a pinched sciatic nerve because if scoliosis that pinches right in my hip. A couple of years ago it got so bad that I could barely walk. I went to see an acupuncturist and 30 minutes later, no pain. It's been great. I recommend the ones where they have the needles hooked up to a battery and they send waves of electricity through you. It's a strange sensation, but helps immensely.

That's similar to what happened to my dad. Three months of physio and he could barely hobble around - a huge problem for a civil engineer who was a construction site manager at the time. Two sessions with the needles however and the sciatica was all gone.
They used the electric stimulation on me when my back went, I had needles from the top of my head all the way down to my feet, and yes it was wierd feeling the pulsing. Fun to get in tune with your body through the energy channels pulsing if you are in any way meditation inclined though.

*finds rusty nail, wraps it in wire, sticks wire in electric socket*

Miracle cure here we come...

Seriously though I hope you feel better soon and the bunnies stop whispering stoned thoughts in your ear...

rust + nail + heat = tetanus.
Hope your miracle includes an up-to-date tetanus jab spiky.

This happended to me the night before last: Just as I am about to go to sleep, I realize that liquid is coming out of my nose, and it has the wrong consistancy for snot. I turn on the light, and Shit, its red. I spend the next several minutes clotting my nosebleed, and putting my pillowcase in the wash.

Goddamn nose, stop bleeding.

Well... technicall yes, it is a jab full of tetanos

The bunnies have stopped, for now. If they return, I will be waiting with a rusty-nail gun.

Bad luck for the nose-bleed Quoth, hope it's ok now... At least now you know to stop trying to snort screwdrivers

(edited to amputate extra s)

Stop using cocaine and don't pick your nose. ;-)

I know the feeling quoth. I get terrible nosebleeds. Mostly I get them because of dry weather and high altitudes....one of the reasons I just love to fly :? and also heat or if I get flustered...living in Singapore can be such a pain.

ANyway, I just got back from my social service helping pre-schoolers learn to read and opening them up to books and literature.

It was great fun and we had them doing all sorts of silly activities. It's amazing how rewarding it is when they all run up to you as happy as pie because they get to read books and play games with you for an hour

Now I am off to a hockey game against a crazily good Dutch team. I am scared.

wooooo! Go Dutch!

what was the score?

3-1 to them.

We almost beat them...then got thrashed. bob understands

well, I guess having a fairy on the team didn't help either... :lol:

Cheer up fairy, one day, you shall be avenged

Sorry for you - it's humiliating to beg GGG. Now in the best weatherwax tradition I'm too busy to be worried about having other people's children. Have them yourself Garner or discuss it with the wife, laddie.
Edit: to add coma so Garner can gloat

I shoud hope that the wife is a lady, and you the fellow, otherwise I would disaparate rapidly from a board where the men are girls, the girls are lads, and I have no interest being on a board like that.
I prefer it here, where normal is as I usually experience it. Subjective.
Oh and I've editted the comment and will try to remember not to be patronising about laddies and lassies again.

<--- throws a bucket of (slightly) cold water over both inwig and Garner

You just got my book wet. Water drenching only works on cats and dogs fighting. Humans will both turn and charge at you instead.
** goes off swearing and grumbling to find the hairdryer. Now I'll have to get it dry before I can carry on reading.

::beams::

(apologies for any temporarily melted books)

Dear Sir, you may be relatively new to this place, so maybe you don't know, but please refrain from using leet or chat speak here [insert the rest of standard newbie rant here] thank you.

Having now steamed off the water, through the heat of a raging temper, I have finished said book. Mr Pratchett Next please. And to anyone who ever wonders about me. There is a comment Nanny makes about Granny on pp 232 of the hardcover Wintersmith. Sums up my attitude to people word perfectly.

It is awsome when you can open up a little one's mind to something thats actually good for them, like reading. Is that something you do often?

The Hubby and I heard the crib lizards heart beat last night. It was incredible. I thought I would cry, but, actually, I wanted to laugh. I had to hold still, though, or the doc would have to spend another 5 minutes hunting around to find it again.
The Hubby was a typical "manly-man", grinning and beaming like the proud poppa he is.

Its great to hear the crib lizard has a heart that beats and that this something for the father to beam about It sounds like things are going well even if the mental image created by the term criib lizard is very off putting.

I have no news except to express astonishment at Clay's sudden desire to procreate with random women... Its bad enough thinking of his off-spring being born with a full beard as it is.