Last weekend was a craze. I prioritised and didn't post but I have pictures to put up. I have just caught the Megabus to London. I booked a flight two nights ago to go home for a week. Toronto, with my family and friends is apparently the best way to recover from these seven and a half trying weeks. Will see some of you soon. Cheers!
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Eye of the storm
Took the day off. Already feel rested not having to think about facing the kids. They completely drained me yesterday. Feeling aches and pains, not sure if it's the beginnings of flu or hormonal imbalance...maybe both.
Monday, October 08, 2012
School days
The bus I intended to catch came early (I mournfully watched it pass by on the bridge as I headed towards the staircase). As I waited for the next bus (a text to NextBus real time updates told me the next bus would also be 3 minutes early), the misty sunset caught my eye.
Sunday, October 07, 2012
Happy Thanksgiving
Caught the bus, made it to Laisterdyke by 10:30am only to find that the website is out of date and that services at the Laisterdyke Methodist Church are combined with the Baptist church and are held at 11am! Got to chat with the very friendly 60+ year old seniors. There were 15 people at the service that morning. Congregants passing away or moving away and the lack of young people coming in are the reason for its sudden recent downsizing so that they now meet in the small room to the side instead of the main hall. Still a lively bunch with good lay speakers though. They all wanted to know if I'd be back. :P
I found figs *super pleased with self*, and the blue cheese (on the pears) was given us from last week's wine and cheese Uganda/India info session. Fig salad with rocket (arugula), baby spinach, and watercress, roasted potatoes with rosemary, roasted squash, squash seeds, chicken, and roasted pears with blue cheese.
And...just took a walk through the City Centre for the "Garden of Lights" event.
City Hall is freakeh in red. It kept changing colours. Reminded me of the CN Tower. Simply awful. Otherwise the other lights were quite nice. Quite a gathering of people there, for no reason but to enjoy the novelty of a slightly different scene, I guess. I got poked in the arm by a kid's blow-up sword as I crossed the street without paying attention.
Laisterdyke Methodist (and Baptist) Church, built in 1928
Sort of Thanksgiving Dinner (I shared some with my housemate who didn't want much dinner seeing as she'd eaten a lot at lunch when a bunch of others went out on a day trip)...
And...just took a walk through the City Centre for the "Garden of Lights" event.
City Hall is freakeh in red. It kept changing colours. Reminded me of the CN Tower. Simply awful. Otherwise the other lights were quite nice. Quite a gathering of people there, for no reason but to enjoy the novelty of a slightly different scene, I guess. I got poked in the arm by a kid's blow-up sword as I crossed the street without paying attention.
Just another Saturday
First stop: Barkerend Post Office
Made a trek to an unscouted part of the city to get my mail that had finally made its way to Bradford. Not sure why they didn't send it to the post office in the city centre or to the main mail depot near the retail outlets where everyone else's gets held. At least it wasn't still waiting for me in Leeds, where it would've taken me at least an hour each way to go get it. Perhaps USPS's delivery service only partners with Parcelforce in the UK which has a depot in Leeds. Note to people who want to send me things...
Second stop: Bradford Central Library via Jacob's Well
That's all for now, folks.
Actually, story of the week:
Two year 7 girls come to my room asking for a pass to use computers during lunchtime. I send them to the maths department because I don't have passes and one of the teachers comes back asking if they can stay in my room and use the student laptops in my room. While they're doing their work, year 7 boys run down the hallway. One of them is in my maths class so he comes in (my door doesn't lock from the inside) and asks what they're doing there. While he's talking to me, his friends decide I look like Chun Li from Street Fighters and take out a (pink clad) Blackberry to take a photo. I take the phone from this (forgivably insensitive) kid and ask them if they know how old Street Fighters is because even I played it as a kid. Some kid yells 1920 or something but I point out that computers weren't invented then (not entirely true but true enough). I shoo the boys away but they start to take it too far by shooting imaginary fireballs outside my door (open concept - there are ceiling to floor windows).
And the boy in my maths class...hilarious. Won't stop talking.
Student: Miss, I'll bring you a panini tomorrow!
Me: [Name], are you going to be at school tomorrow? (It was Friday.)
Student: Miss, I'll bring you ten paninis on Monday! Okay?! *makes a promise fist and bangs it against his chest.
Made a trek to an unscouted part of the city to get my mail that had finally made its way to Bradford. Not sure why they didn't send it to the post office in the city centre or to the main mail depot near the retail outlets where everyone else's gets held. At least it wasn't still waiting for me in Leeds, where it would've taken me at least an hour each way to go get it. Perhaps USPS's delivery service only partners with Parcelforce in the UK which has a depot in Leeds. Note to people who want to send me things...
Second stop: Bradford Central Library via Jacob's Well
Four short tunnels converge in a circular area with greenery planted on the "well walls", allowing pedestrians to cross the street conveniently from the City Centre to get to other various points of interest. Still creepy, man. At least it gets aerated, unlike my apartment staircase which has smelled strongly of urine for a week. I successfully got my library card but the upstairs levels of the library are closed for renovations. I saw fiction and newspapers but no magazines and only history titles in the non-fiction section. Way to be the main city library...
A mural of the Alhambra Theatre on the wall of the above tunnel I went down
The real thing, where other Canadian teachers went to see Julius Caesar last weekend (while I went to the Cathedral to see Tasmin Little play)
And next to it, the National Media Museum
Third stop: National Media Museum
Free admission is sweet. The special exhibit was on Motion and Movement - a number of photographs taken of animals in motion and time lapse shots. The number of frames and shutter speeds were incredible, especially for being done so long ago (I'd have to research to find out all this info again, which I don't have time for right now...sorry!)
Also got to see the IMAX projector:
Also got to see the IMAX projector:
And, the old projector...which is from Toronto!
Isn't that neat? I get excited when I see things that remind me of home :)
Not sure if you can see... "IMAX Systems Corporation Toronto Canada [postcode]"
And an exhibit on Kodak cameras. Did you know Kodak was a unique name made up to be marketable? And that being photographed at the beach was the thing to do? And that the first cameras were called "detective" cameras because they were made as boxes and could be disguised as handbags or briefcases? One photographer was famous for his everyday shots he took from his briefcase-looking Kodak camera.
And the Queen sent the first Royal email in 1976.
That's all for now, folks.
Actually, story of the week:
Two year 7 girls come to my room asking for a pass to use computers during lunchtime. I send them to the maths department because I don't have passes and one of the teachers comes back asking if they can stay in my room and use the student laptops in my room. While they're doing their work, year 7 boys run down the hallway. One of them is in my maths class so he comes in (my door doesn't lock from the inside) and asks what they're doing there. While he's talking to me, his friends decide I look like Chun Li from Street Fighters and take out a (pink clad) Blackberry to take a photo. I take the phone from this (forgivably insensitive) kid and ask them if they know how old Street Fighters is because even I played it as a kid. Some kid yells 1920 or something but I point out that computers weren't invented then (not entirely true but true enough). I shoo the boys away but they start to take it too far by shooting imaginary fireballs outside my door (open concept - there are ceiling to floor windows).
And the boy in my maths class...hilarious. Won't stop talking.
Student: Miss, I'll bring you a panini tomorrow!
Me: [Name], are you going to be at school tomorrow? (It was Friday.)
Student: Miss, I'll bring you ten paninis on Monday! Okay?! *makes a promise fist and bangs it against his chest.
Friday, October 05, 2012
Even better curry!
Went to Akbar's for South Asian cuisine last night with new staff at Grange. Quality stuff. I ordered a Vegetable Makhani ("Indian custard" muttered the server as he wrote down my order), which is displayed in the photo. Creamy and nutty. My fellow teacher also graciously posed next to the hugest piece of na'an I've ever seen, and the best I've ever had. Apparently Akbar's serves more northern cuisine and is one of the best places to get curry in Bradford. Again, Bradford is known to be the "curry capital" of the world.
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