Assorted Ramblings

It was Evan Dando of The Lemonheads who first introduced me to Ben Kweller. Not personally, of course, although that would be much cooler. About a year ago, I read somewhere that Evan was so impressed with Ben that he invited him to go on tour with him across America and Europe. I hold Evan's opinion in high regard, so I decided to check him out. I think Ben's a talented songwriter and I really dig his old-school rock yet indie style.

Yesterday, I wasted two precious hours of my life watching one of the most boring movies I've ever seen. Warning: Do not rent Running with Scissors!!! If you already have rented the DVD (or heaven forbid, actually paid full-price to see it at the cinema) I offer you my sincere condolences. Here is an IMDb user's review that pretty much summed up exactly how I felt after watching this rubbish:

"Just because something happens in real life doesn't mean it should happen in a movie. Case in point, Running With Scissors. Memoirs rarely make good movies because they have no plot to speak of and are generally made up of random events that lead to nowhere. Any good filmmaker knows this, but writer/director Ryan Murphy went ahead anyway; he merely has the narrator make a disclaimer up front that we might not believe everything that takes place. Oh, I believe everything happened, all right. What the "creative" team forgot is that the point is not to make me believe, but to make me care. They didn't...and I didn't."

"One bizarre scene after another piles upon the viewer until we're stacked with dysfunctional drivel up to our eyeballs. And it makes no difference whether or not the performances are any good if we're anxiously waiting for the damn movie to be over. Even the usually wonderful Annette Bening cannot salvage this material so completely devoid of rational thought that it knocks off ten IQ points each minute. And, um, what in hell is Gwyneth Paltrow doing in this movie? Did she have some unpaid traffic tickets to take care of? Or is she serving community service? I just don't know. And to tell the truth, I just don't care."

"I won't even dignify this behemoth of boredom with a more detailed review. I just had to warn anyone thinking of seeing this movie that their lives will be robbed of two precious hours that could be spent doing something more productive, like organizing recipes or vacuuming the tub. For those who did pay for this pile of garbage – and I mean emotionally, not financially – I've come up with a plan to get back at the filmmakers. I suggest every disgruntled viewer run with scissors to their local movie theatre and chop up every reel into guitar picks. Then stop by the bookstore on the way home and pick up Augusten Burroughs' funny and insightful book that never should have been adapted (well, obliterated) in the first place."

Believe me, don't let the outstanding cast fool you, this movie sucks. If you want to see a good movie about family dysfunction, there are plenty to choose from. Try renting the hilarious and poignant Little Miss Sunshine, the brilliant The Royal Tenenbaums or one of my all-time favourites, American Beauty.

From celluloid to literature...As I anxiously await the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (which I sadly won't be able to read until I get back from Switzerland since it won't be available until July), I've found a distraction from my obession with Harry Potter. I am currently mesmerized by another fantasy series featuring a young magician.

The series I am speaking of is The Bartimeaus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud. I am almost finished the third book and I just don't want the story to end! The two main characters are Bartimeaus, a sarcastic demon who provides much comic relief throughout and Nathaniel, a bad-ass Harry Potter. I would recommend these books to anyone interested in the genre. Kristen and Isabelle, I think you would like this trilogy!

While I'm on the topic, I was thrilled to recently find out that another favourite trilogy of mine, His Dark Materials by Philipp Pullman is being made into a film, due for release in December 2007. Actually, the film will be based on the first book of the trilogy The Golden Compass but I'm sure that they will be making movie versions of all three books, because each ends on a cliff-hanger. The film will be starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig. I can't wait!

In other news, I stopped taking dance classes a couple of weeks ago. I was enjoying the classes, but had to cancel for two reasons: I need to save money and I would have missed too many classes as well as the show because of my upcoming trips. Which brings me to my really big news...

I'm going to Japan!!! My friends Mike & Miyuki are getting married (omedetou gozaimasu) and they're flying me to Japan for the wedding. They are the kindest, most generous couple and I am honored and thrilled to be attending their wedding. I am so excited about seeing them as well as all of my other friends. I'm also very happy about re-visiting my home away from home, Nakatsu. I've been brushing up on my Japanese, studying every day during my lunch hour and am simply salivating at the thought of all of the oishii Japanese food that I've been missing.

I will be leaving on April 23rd and returning on May 4th. I wish that I could stay longer, but I can't afford it and must return to work for a month before heading to Europe. It will be difficult going back to work, but it's only for a month, so I'll have to suck it up and wait it out, while looking forward to returning to ISCM in Switzerland. Then, come June 1st, it'll be sayonara for good to Playskool! I mean it this time. Of course, I'll miss the kids, but I won't miss the constant illness, the lack of communication and organisation or (the worst part for me) the unbelievable shallowness, pettiness and cattiness of some of my fellow co-educators.

I will be leaving for London on June 12th. Then, I'll leave for Geneva on June 17th. My first day of work at ISCM is June 18th. My last day is August 25th. I'll be flying from Paris to Montreal once again, but this year I'll be spending a couple more days in France and plan on possibly visiting Versailles. I will be returning to Montreal on August 31st and then...who knows what adventure awaits? I plan on heading to South Korea but have no definite plans yet, except for the fact that I am definitely not going back to Playskool or any other daycare for that matter.

Lastly, I'm doing rather well with my latest weight-loss and exercise regime. I do cheat on occasion, but have managed to lose 8 lbs since the beginning of February. Of course, I gained 10 lbs within a month of returning from Europe (where I had surprisingly lost 2 lbs...I guess it was the daily alpine hike to work that did it). I have been exercising daily. I do two sets of 300 crunches a day. My abs have never been stronger! I'm not really doing enough cardio, especially since I dropped the dance classes but am looking forward to cycling to work every day once all the snow melts. I'm so sad...it was almost all gone due to springlike temperatures but we were hit with about 20 cm this weekend.

I guess that's it for now. This has been a freakishly long post and I hope that you've enjoyed it. It's actually my second attempt at publishing. My first attempt failed for some reason and I had to start over. Is it me, or is the screen looking a little fuzzy? My head is spinning. Okay...I'm copying and pasting this into Word right now and trying again. Here it goes...

A very sick girl

Promises, promises, eh? I said that I'd be posting again soon, but guess what? I'm sick again. This time it's a bad case of strep throat. I started feeling ill on Wednesday night and only slept 3 hours due to aches and chills. I suspected that I had a fever and my throat was killing me but I went to work anyway since one of my co-educators was on vacation and I don't have any paid sick days left. Bad mistake...

I left work at noon with a fever of 102, severe throat pain and my whole body was aching. I went to the clinic on Friday morning because on Thursday afternoon I was too sick to move from my bed. Actually, I wasn't feeling much better on Friday morning, but didn't really have a choice, eh? So, I've been on antibiotics for three days now and I feel quite a bit better. I have to go back to work on Monday. Mendoksai. Damn, daycare is not for me. I am so over it. I must pick up at least 3 out of 5 viruses that sweep through that place on a regular basis.

I'm gonna go watch The Amazing Race now. Hopefully, I won't catch anything again for a long while (wishful thinking) and will be able to post again soon. Until next time...minasama kiotskete!

Juicebox

Okay, so I haven't posted at all yet this month. I could blame it on the fact that I had a severe sinus infection, or just plain laziness. I will be posting again soon, I promise. Anyway, thought I'd share this awesome video. It's just so funny. I love these guys. Enjoy Juicebox by The Strokes...

Mysterious Skin

I watched the movie Mysterious Skin today on DVD. This haunting film was directed by Japanese American director Gregg Araki. I first heard of Araki when I was working at Blockbuster Video in the late 90's. He is well-known on the indie film circuit. Until today, I had only seen Totally Fucked Up (1993), The Doom Generation (1995) and Nowhere (1997), otherwise known as his "Teenage Apocalypse Trilogy." These films were highly controversial due to their graphic violence and sexuality. On the other hand, Mysterious Skin, a story that deals with the devastating effects of child abuse, based on a 1995 novel by Scott Heim is disturbing on an entirely different level and proves to me that Araki has matured as a filmmaker. The performances given by the young actors in this film are incredible. It is a must see. Click here to read an interview with Araki about this film.

New Look

Today, I had my hair cut and coloured by Carole at Salon Blue Earth. I had been to that salon before, a few times before leaving for Japan, but the stylist who did my hair then has since left, so this was my first time with Carole. I'm really pleased with her, so I'll be going back! I needed a change, even though I'm trying to grow my hair long. I like the layers and I'm loving the colour!

I also bought myself some new, funky winter boots at Yellow and went to the cinema. I finally saw The Departed. It was fantastic, but I'm still not sure if I liked the ending. Last weekend I saw Children of Men, which totally blew me away. Next weekend I'm planning on seeing The Queen. I'm trying to get in the habit of seeing at least one film at the cinema a week, like I used to. It's one of my many 2007 resolutions, along with keeping this blog updated!

Willy Waller 2006

"Eh! Mon ami, t'aimes tu ça manger des patates?" This one's for all of my fellow Quebecer friends... if you don't already know about this video, it's time that you watch it! For everybody else, it may not be that funny. Oh, and most people don't really speak French this badly in Quebec. By the way, if you haven't already, you should hit the pause button on my new music feature before playing the video. Enjoy!

That white, cold stuff...

Okay, I realize that it's been an eternity. I won't bother making excuses about that.

If you're unaware, I should let you know that we have been experiencing an almost snowless winter here in Montreal, which is virtually unheard of. Not only did we have a Green Christmas, but we have had unseasonably high temperatures for most of the winter. You can't go anywhere without hearing people talking about their fears of Global Warming.

The kids in my class haven't had the chance to make a snowball yet this winter, let alone a snowman, so you could imagine my delight when I awoke this morning to snow! Of course, 20 centimeters later, when I found myself waiting an hour for a bus that is supposed to come every 20 minutes and my toes were frozen solid, I wasn't as delighted. But seriously, I'm thrilled about the snow and am looking forward to building a snowman with the kids tomorrow. A Montreal winter without snow...it just didn't feel right.

I just finished watching The Golden Globes and now it's time for bed. I will be posting again soon...I promise.

Europe, here I come!

Well, I'm leaving for Europe in three days. My last day at Playskool was only a week ago, but it's been such a whirlwind of activity since then that it feels like ages ago. I still have a few details to sort out before leaving, but I'm pretty well prepared. I'm nervous about starting the new job, but excited about embarking on this Alpine Adventure!

I've lost 14 lbs (that's one stone to my British friends, 6.4 kg to my Japanese friends) of the initial 30 lbs that I'd wanted to shed. Don't get me wrong, I'm in much better shape than I was when I started out. I've still been exercising every day, but the diet...well, that's another story. I'll keep up the exercise while I'm away and try not to indulge in too much of that yummy Swiss chocolate.

That's all I've got for now. I will post again before I leave...I promise. By the way, check out my smugmug page. I've been working hard at updating it. :)

Decisons, Decisions

The twists and turns of my life never cease to baffle me. I mentioned that my current situation reminded me of the last time I worked at a daycare centre. I'll admit that my nervous feelings in regard to resigning from Montreal Playskool stemmed from my prior experience. The reaction that I got from Brenda yesterday has renewed my hope in humanity, and possibly in daycare centres.

Flashback...I had the most dreadful work experience of my life during the two months that I spent working at Garderie Betty, a daycare centre in my neighbourhood of Ville Saint-Laurent. I don't want to dredge up the entire scenario, but I'll give you the major details...

At Garderie Betty, I worked in the nursery. I was responsible for ten babies between the ages of 9-14 months. Given their young age, most of the day was spent feeding them, comforting them when they cried and changing diapers. It was very difficult planning for such a young age group, but I managed to come up with simple art activities like finger-painting and collage. I would also read them simple storybooks, sing to them (some were able to sing along) and allow them free playtime with the few toys that the daycare provided while supervising them cautiously and attempting to give them as much one-on-one attention as possible.

My co-educator Sophie was as useless as they come. She refused to help me plan, prepare or carry out any of the art activities for the babies. Her attitude was terrible. She would often ignore crying babies and didn't believe in giving them individual attention, stating that we weren't permitted the time to give them the attention they needed, so that was just too bad.

When the babies would go down for their nap, I'd spend my time cutting things out for cut and paste activities, cleaning the classroom, washing the toys, checking the diaper inventory, etc. I would usually only take 30 minutes or less for my actual lunch-hour, because I had so much work to do. Sophie, on the other hand, would spend her time doing her nails, plucking her eyebrows, leaving the daycare for up to two hours at a time to go to the tanning salon, meet friends for lunch, etc. I should also mention that she had had no previous training in childcare whatsoever. She was in fact a licensed esthetician. Go figure.

The worst part was definitely her treatment of the babies. She showed preferential treatment to those she liked, and ignored or screamed at those she didn't like. She overfed the babies and fed them way too quickly, causing some to either throw-up or have severe diarrhea on more than one occassion. The most horrible thing I caught her doing was feeding the babies using the same spoon or even worse, wiping their faces with the same cloth she had used to wipe the table.

I finally decided to speak up and the director (the evil Betty herself) pretended to believe me and sympathise with me. However, she never said anything to Sophie. When I gave my two weeks notice, she flat out refused it. She said that she wouldn't accept my resignation and that we would have a meeting to discuss the problems immediately. Of course, Sophie denied everything and since she had been there for several years, Betty believed her. The only thing that Sophie fessed up to was taking the long lunch-hours, although she made it sound like it was a rarity when in fact it happened almost every day. Betty made her promise that she would not take more than an hour for lunch. She also said that she would move me to another class as soon as possible, since "things weren't working out" between Sophie & I. That was about it.

As far as I know, there was never any effort to move me to another class. I suppose Betty thought that things would settle, imbecile that she is. You can only imagine what Sophie's wrath was like. She totally freaked out on me, called me a liar, said that I'd betrayed her...all this in front of the babies. She still continued to mistreat the babies, in addition to making my life a living hell. She took shorter lunch breaks, which she would spend going to the other classes and bad-mouthing me to other educators.

After about a week of this, I attempted once again to resign. Again the pleading and the promises resumed. Betty also started with the guilt-trip about how I would be letting the children down. I put my foot down and said, "I want to leave! You can't refuse me." Finally, she said, "You want to resign? Well, I won't accept your notice. Finish your day, then leave!"

I never got to say a proper goodbye to the babies or the parents. Some of the mothers started crying when I told them I was leaving that day. It was horrible. However, it gets worse...when I picked up my final paycheck, there was the most hateful letter I have ever read included in the envelope with a note stating that this was the letter that had been given to all of the parents. Basically, the letter was a major assault on my credibility and character, a bunch of venomous fabrications about how I had never had any intention of staying at the daycare and that I had lied about a doctor's appointment and instead had gone to a job interview, blah, blah, blah. I actually kept the letter to remind myself of just how mean-spirited and dishonest people can be.

So...that was the short version. It makes me sick just remembering that horrible experience. Those of you who've known me for a long time...I'm sure that you remember how devastating that experience was for me. I'm sure that you could all imagine why I was so skeptical about how Brenda would react to my resignation this time around. I was also very worried about Tatiana's reaction. Would it be a repeat of the Sophie situation? How would it effect the kids?

So...I called Playskool early Tuesday morning, and told Pamela that I wouldn't be coming into work but that I'd like to have the opportunity to talk with Brenda. She passed the phone to Brenda and we arranged a meeting at 11:00am. I had written a formal and straightforward letter of resignation effective immediately, requesting that the notice period be waived. I also intended on simply telling her that Tatiana and I had very different views on the concept of teamwork and that it just wasn't working out. I was prepared to go into more detail if Brenda seemed receptive. She has always been very understanding and far more present than that Betty scumbag ever was. Still, it was with trepidation that I presented her with my reasons for resigning.

Well...before I could even provide her with details, she let me know that some of the other teachers had expressed concern as to how both myself and Vanessa had been treated by Tatiana. She stated that she felt that Tatiana is very set in her ways and that she's been under a lot of stress. I said, "Working with children is very demanding, however there's no reason to be this stressed out. It just isn't right."

I told her how I felt that from day one, I was spoken to in a very condescending manner, reprimanded (in front of the children) for not doing things Tatiana's way and constantly given unsolicited advice on how to discipline children regardless of the fact that I have a degree in Child Studies and roughly three years more experience with this age group than Tatiana.

I also expressed how I felt that I was constantly being given mixed signals and that there was a gross lack of communication. I explained that many decisions regarding curriculum and classroom management were decided by Tatiana without discussing or even mentioning anything to myself or Vanessa. I reminded Brenda that I had worked with over a dozen different co-educators at the Community Centre and that I had never experienced such a complete lack of communication, not to mention respect. Needless to say, I have never included my two-month stint at Garderie Betty on my resumé.

I cited a couple of examples of Tatiana's unreasonable behaviour and suggested talking with Vanessa as well. I told her that both Vanessa and myself are talented educators with a lot to offer these children, but we haven't been permitted to adequately display this due to Tatiana's behaviour. "She just takes control," I told Brenda. I was careful to mention a couple of positive things about Tatiana. Believe me, that was a difficult task.

Brenda seems to think that Tatiana has difficulty accepting new educators because she was so attached to Sylvie (the educator I replaced). Tatiana started at Playskool as an intern and was basically trained by Sylvie. I can't figure out what she learnt from her, because apparently Sylvie was a good teacher. I met her once and she seemed very warm.

Currently, Brenda has placed Rebecca (who formerly worked with the three-year-olds) in the class. She thinks that Tatiana will react well to this internal transfer. I don't think that Brenda fully grasps just how harmful Tatiana is to the children, regardless of how good an intern she may have once been. It's obvious that although she seemed to have done a decent job when Sylvie was there, she is now completely out of control. I am hoping that Vanessa will speak up and provide Brenda with more details. She has been there longer than me and if we both speak up, it should have more of an impact.

In regards to my feelings and my resignation, essentially, Brenda was very understanding and apologetic. She expressed deep regret in losing me. She told me that the other educators want me to stay. In fact, she has offered me a job in the three-year-olds classroom. She said that she understands that I have a "bad taste in my mouth" and that I may not be comfortable in coming back. I told her that I would think about it.

Of course, I also have the English teaching job to consider. I've told both Brenda and Nadia that I would get back them before the week is up. So now I have to make a decision. Incidentally, the job at Telelangues is only part-time and the first contract (beginning 10th January) is a 1.5 hour bus ride away. I am considering a request to work part-time at Playskool, that way I could possibly take on both jobs.

I should mention that Brenda told me that I didn't have to commit straight away. She said that if I wanted to, I could give it a two-week trial. I think that I will be doing that. However, Nadia is going on holiday from 14th December to 6th January, so she needs an answer from me ASAP. I have to make up my mind by tomorrow! Aarrgh!

Gambarre masu!

Hisashiburi

Well...it's been a while. You'll notice that my regular posting stopped when I started working at Montreal Playskool. I haven't even been working there for a whole month and I will be giving my notice tomorrow. In all honesty, I'm scared shitless at the reaction I'll get. I know that I will be letting both the administration and the kids down. However, I must do this...both for my health and my emotional well-being.

Last week, I went in to work from Monday to Wednesday, regardless of the fact that I was feeling rather sick. On Wednesday, my psychotic co-educator Tatiana fully laced into me and after two and a half weeks of being subject to her condescension and eratic behaviour, it was the final straw. The next day, I awoke feeling completely run-down and congested, not to mention repulsed at the thought of having to deal with Tatiana, so I decided to call in sick.

I got a call from Brenda, the daycare director who implored me to come in the following day for parent/teacher interviews. I told her that I would be there. I went to bed early, around 10:00pm, but at 5:00am, I was still completely awake due to a throbbing headache and earache and a sick feeling of what the day would be like meeting with the parents alongside my unsupportive co-teacher. I left a message on the daycare's answering service, saying that I'd be dropping off the 12 out of 24 report cards I was responsible for (each of which was a ridiculous 5 pages long) but that I wouldn't be able to come in to work.

After dropping off the report cards, I went to the clinic. I was diagnosed with a severe sinus and ear infection and given a prescription for antibiotics and a steroid nasal spray. I spent the weekend resting and of course, come Sunday night, I was tossing and turning all night once again. Still, I woke up, got ready for work and as I was about to leave, I suddenly felt very nauseous. I ran to the toilet and threw-up my entire breakfast. Once more, I called in sick.

This afternoon, I got a call from Nadia at Telelangues International, the language school that had offered me a part-time job just days before my interview at Montreal Playskool. It seems that they have an opening beginning 10th January and can offer me 15 hours a week to start. I was asked to go in for training next week. So, I will give my notice tomorrow, letting Brenda know that I am willing to complete this week. This means that I will be unemployed for a few weeks, which will be a financial strain, but as I've said, my health and emotional well-being are most important.

I have decided that I will never work at a daycare centre again! I had a similar experience at another daycare centre a few years ago. I worked there for two months, with an equally psychotic co-teacher and constant bouts of illness. Daycare is definitely not for me! It's not like teaching 2-3 hour preschool programs, which I did successfully for four years at the John A. Simms Community Centre. In my opinion, it's unnatural for children aged 1-5 to spend 11 hours a day at "school" and the profession seems to attract crazy people, not to mention these places are a breeding ground for all kinds of illnesses. This experience simply strengthens my views on Daycare Centres. If I ever have children of my own, they will never set foot in one!

So...that's all I have to say for now. Wish me luck in both resigning and completing this week, which will be hell on earth, I'm sure. Mata ne!

Blustery Day

There was an intense storm in Montreal this evening, with strong winds and heavy rain that reminded me of the ol' typhoons back in Nakatsu! This storm was the result of the devastating tornado that ripped through Kentucky and Indiana early Sunday morning killing 22 people and injuring 200. Mother nature continues to freak me out!

Once again, I was busy uploading piccies to smugmug today. I managed to upload another 100 or so pics, including all of the most recent ones from Japan and yes...Christmas 2004! It's about time desho? I've still got over 150 pics to add to existing albums. I'll try to finish that tomorrow. After that, I'll start with the Egypt photos (over 300) and of course the ones I've taken since I've been back in Montreal. Then...I'll have to continue working on all the descriptions and captions as well. Hopefully, I'll be able to get everything done before I start working full-time, either this week or the following. It isn't easy when you're working on a computer that crashes, on average, five times a day...taihen desu ne!

BTW, don't be shy about leaving comments on this blog or on smugmug...or both! Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. I know that Candice, Laverne and Isa have been keeping up with all of my hard work, but...anybody else? I know that I've been neglecting my e-mail since I started this project and I apologise for that. I will catch up soon, I promise! I also realise that those of you with keitai e-mail are unable to see any of this, so here's a message for those of you fortunate enough to have internet access...please tell them (the keitai users) what they're missing! Arigatou!

More smugmug updates...

Well, I've been busy again today! I've uploaded over 100 new photos to smugmug. Actually, some are new and some are old, since I'm updating all of my galleries. I hadn't realised just how much I'd been slacking. I actually still haven't uploaded my piccies from Christmas 2004, not to mention all of the missing pics from loads of existing galleries! Gomen nasai. Pretty pathetic, I know. That's why I'm starting from scratch and revising all the old galleries as well as creating new ones. So, keep checking back for updates onegaishimasu...

Oh yeah, and Laverne will be glad to know that I've added more captions, and yes, the Family category has been completely updated so you can now tell who's who. My, those kids have grown, haven't they? And...Isabelle will be pleased that I've put more piccies of myself up on smugmug...you're right, I'm usually behind the camera! I can always count on you two to pay attention to everything that I put online. Thanks!

Oh yeah, and Angie-dahhhling will be proud to know that I've been catching up on The OC! I'm well into season 3 and soon will have to start watching it when it's televised just like everybody else...rather than watching it on videotape!

Oyasumi nasai!

BTW...anyone hear from Atsushi yet? Chotto shinpai yo!

Natsukashii!

Izogashii! I've been very busy updating my online photo galleries at smugmug for the past two days. Omoshiroii ga taihen desu! It's not easy working on this s-l-o-w computer of mine. Kono pasukon wa totemo furui desu! Unfortunately, I'm in a bit of a catch-22 situation. I'm trying to get this done now, whilst unemployed, because I have time. However, I can't hook up my newly-repaired, speedy laptop to the internet because I can't really afford the router that I need to do so. Ah...dilemnas.

Soon, my financial problems should be rectified. All of the job hunting I've been doing has finally paid off. I have actually been offered two jobs! Sugoi ne? Firstly, I was offered a teaching position, teaching French-Canadian business people the art of the English language. It pays well...$16/hour for new teachers. However, they can only give me a few hours a week until the new session starts in January. I have also been offered a full-time position as a pre-kindergarten educator. I will be going in for a trial-run on Tuesday, 8th November. I will post my decision next week...so please stay tuned! Of course, once I start working, I won't have as much time to work on this blog or my galleries. Ah...dilemnas.

So, let me tell you all what I've been able to accomplish. First of all, if you scroll down a bit and look to the left, you'll see the smugmug button in the navigation bar. That's where you should click if you want to visit my photo galleries. Now, I've still got loads of work ahead of me, but what I've managed to do so far is...

Create three new categories:

• Holidays
• Weddings
• Celebrations

Create two new subcategories:

• Candice's Family
• Japanese Weather

Create a bunch of new galleries within the Travel category:

• A Day with the Tad
• Aso
• Fukuoka
• Nagasaki
• Oita
• Osada Park
• Osaka
• Sanko Village

Create new galleries (or modify existing ones in Family, Friends and Weddings categories):

• California Dreamin'
• The Fosters
• The Phillips
• Mark & Yumi

Update many existing galleries including:

• Barbeques
• Garden Bar
• Western Night
• The Adventures of Kristen

On a final note...I've written captions for most of the existing pics as well as for many of the new pics, although I'm not quite finished yet. I've also written descriptions for a good number of my galleries...new and old alike. Phew!

I've still got plenty more piccies to upload (including Egypt, of course) so please be patient! In the meantime...in addition to all the above-mentioned new stuff, here are some piccies of my last few days in Nakatsu. I'm trying desperately to do this in chronological order, so that's why I'm focusing on organising and updating the older galleries first. I wanted to share these with you because I'm feeling very natsukashii and sabishii yo!!!!


Group Shot at Mark's Birthday Party

Geoff & Pads at Marky's Birthday Party

Kazue, Mayumi, Miyuki, Mike & I at Miyuki's family sushi restaurant

Kumi-chan, Mike & Miyuki at my Sayonara Party at Tropicoco

Moyai, Shinobs, Lyndsay & Mike at my Sayonara Party

Mu-Chan and her sister with Mike & I at my Sayonara Party

Hide & Atsushi in the lobby at Queen's Echo Karaoke

Atsushi, Mark & Geoff at karaoke

Mark & Angie at karaoke

Pads & I at karaoke...Angie, Geoff & Mark in background

Well, that's all for the preview! Those of you who are waiting for actual prints of any of my photos...shinbou onegaishimasu...I'm currently financially challenged, but I will get it done...eventually...I promise!

In other news...I went to the dentist yesterday and...no cavities! Yay me!

I've just started...finally...reading Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and I must say...I'm simply riveted! I'm trying to savour it as slowly as possible. I'm also very excited for the upcoming film-version of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire being released in North America on November 18th!

I guess that's all for now. It's almost 3:00am, so I best be off to bed...

Mata ne!

I have issues...

Okay, so I just found this great website called similarminds.com! First, I took a Word Association Test and apparently:

I have issues with...

sex age walls chaos health

Take Word Association Test

Ha!

Since I'm currently looking for employment, I also decided to take a Career Inventory Test. Here are my results:

Career Inventory Test Results Extroversion |||||||||||||||||||||||| 76% Emotional Stability |||||||||||||||||| 56% Orderliness |||||||||||||||||| 53% Altruism ||||||||||||||||||||| 66% Inquisitiveness |||||||||||| 33% You are a Supporter, possible professions include - nurse, social worker, caterer, flight attendant, bookkeeper, medical/dental assistant, exercise physiologist, elementary school teacher, minister/priest/rabbi, retail owner, officer manager, telemarketer, counselor, special education teacher, merchandise planner, credit counselor, athletic coach, insurance agent, sales representative, massage therapist, medical secretary, child care provider, bilingual education teacher, professional volunteer.

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personality tests by similarminds.com

Honestly, I love this stuff! Could you see me as a minister/priest/rabbi? I think not...

Catching Up

One of my latest obsessions is...catching up on all the film and television that I've missed out on while I was living abroad. I've discovered a handy little service called zip.ca. What is it, you may ask? It's Canada's Largest Online DVD Service. They offer members access to an always-growing DVD library of over 36,000 titles. The service combines a simple title selection process, no due dates or late fees, and free home-delivery. With the plan I chose, I pay $24.95 per month and have unlimited rentals. I can only have four DVDs out at a time. As soon as I've finished watching one, I send it back, and they send me the next DVD on my list. Currently, I have over 80 titles on my list. The first three DVDs that I've watched are: Closer - brutally honest and well-acted, The Stepford Wives - a sad re-make of the 1975 cult classic, and Old School - not quite as funny as I had hoped. Some titles that I'm looking forward to receiving are Thirteen, Super Size Me, and Audition.