Uggghh

Having one of those gross days where they are making me wait 2 hours after classes have finished to go home. The train timetable sucks.
And it's a Monday.

Leslie walks free but Schapelle is still behind bars...

It is all so wrong. I am glad Leslie gets to go home but there is still no justice for others who are waiting. I can only imagine how it must feel to watch someone else walk free.
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=60406

Where will you be in 2011?

I'll be watching the bloody rugby! Yippeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
New Zealand has beaten out all other competitors to be named the official host for the Rugby World Cup in 2011. If only Tana was young enough to still be captain. I think it is also a huge bonus that frankly, we have the hottest team. Some of those Aussie and English guys I wouldn't take home to my mother...
A proud day to be a Kiwi.

This Crazy Job

I went to Koshigahama school this morning, my lesson plan indicating I had first period, and that's it.

I found out there was another English class scheduled for fifth period, after lunch. I said I'd do that class as well.

There were gasps. They asked me if I was sure. They then bowed and apologised.

So, instead of doing one class and leaving school at 9.35am, I stayed at school til 10.35am putting up a new English bulletin board. I will go back to school at 1pm to teach the last class. Could I be any more dedicated!!!

If only all my other schools were like this. Yesterday Hagi Higashi Junior High made me stay til 4pm. Slavedrivers!

Magical Miyajima

Well, I made it!
Here I am at one of the most photographed sites in Japan - the famous red torii on Miyajima island, off the coast of Hiroshima-ken.
The day was spectacular. Thanks to Dan, Jen and Ellen-sama for being the perfect tour buddies.
The sun was out, the momiji were bright and there were deep fried mushrooms!

Momiji Madness

Autumn is the time to enjoy the wonders of the momiji at their most beautiful. People like to picnic under the trees and take endless photographs - me included!

More Madness

So, we've all heard about the ALT who gets to class and has their existence made redundant by the stupid JTE who uses the CD player rather than the native speaker standing right there. Today I suffered the written equivalent.
Dear old doddery S-sensei lobbed a huge pile of 150 worksheets on my desk. She asked me to handwrite the word "shopping" on each one in the subject line. It was our topic for today at elementary school. Thinking, oh she forgot to write it in before she photocopied, I got on with the task.
Half way through she lobbed another stack of 150 worksheets onto my desk, hot off the photocopier. Muttering under my breath, I upped the pace so as to get it all finished in time for our next class.
So I'm handing out the worksheets in class and glance down. Something is not right. The handwriting looks shaky. I look a little closer. Sakuma obviously didn't like the way I wrote, and had gone back over each one, lengthening the stroke on my h's and p's. It looked unnatural and ridiculous.
What the *&%^?

Hang....bomb.

Was in class today, the teacher wanted to do a quick game to fill in 5 minutes at the end of a lesson. He thought we should do hangman. Except instead of drawing a hangman when the students miss letters, he drew a fuse leading to a bomb. Apparently a hangman is an "inappropriate picture for the students".
PC hysteria or a cool new idea?