Before i Forget » LITTLE BECKY – SCHOOL DEMOLITION – All I can say is, I am glad little Becky from Dublin isn’t one of my students! In fact I only had one student to teach today. After watching Bend it like Beckham in class yesterday, I seem to have mastered personalising the lessons for my regular class! Want to try it for yourself, the Bend it like Beckham – movie quiz (PDF)? You have to rent the DVD with your own money!

Last Friday my favourite cousin and her classmates displayed their creative talent at the 2006 Ceramic Graduation Exhibition, aspect(s).

Fashionably late, Kate and I got along to the Yarra Sculpture Gallery (at 117 Vere Street, Abbotsford) just before the 8pm finish time. Joining the large crowd of enthusiasts, we checked out some of the works but mostly chatted with relatives over free wine. Lynette’s installation definitely posessed the WOW factor, we were most impressed. Well done, you can take a rest now.

Next week will be the screening of my digital slide-show chunks of China. Following on from where we left off in Japan – a year in the life, this second part of the trilogy takes on a different approach, a different country, a different culture, and of course it has a different story.

I hope you can make it on the night, this Sunday the 19th of November from 4pm… Meanwhile, the poster and the YouTube preview (55 sec’s) before you see the main feature!

A recent trip to the Robot Bar included more than I bargained for. On Tuesday nights there are free Japanese animation movies projected onto the window curtain screen. I was rather impressed at the quality after watching Appleseed with a couple of friends tonight. This isn’t just bug-eyed Astroboy on steroids. Perhaps an overdose of visuals stolen from The Matrix, Aliens, and two bags full of US military in a post-global nuclear holocaust setting nothing at all like Mad Max, but the message was unique and quite humane. If you haven’t for a while, try some Japanese animation.

First day of work for a really long time! I’ve got Mondays at Victoria University (ELICOS) for the next 5 weeks, teaching the Upper Intermediate class of English for Academic Purposes (EAP). The class will have around 12 or more students, from Asian, European, and Middle Eastern countries. This should be fun. At least I’ll finally have some income!

Wonder where I’ll be spending my Monday afternoons…

Two new friends from Japan made a bet on the Melbourne Cup. What are the odds that two Japanese competitors would win and place second? Highly unlikely, nevertheless it became reality.

Japanese raider Delta Blues has just held out Katsuhiko Sumii-stablemate Pop Rock to win the $5.1 million Group 1 Emirates Melbourne Cup (3200m).

Our friends Takako and Takeshi had a wager on their national steeds and won!

The next day they brought their luck to our house, cooked a delicious okonomiyaki and watched Raiders of the Lost Ark together. Nothing but the best of great food, excellent company and fun entertainment.

Does the Australian Government care about climate change?
http://www.pigswillfly.com.au/?p=764
Saturday 4 Nov 2006 will be a day of ‘Action on Climate Change’. If you care, you can walk at many places right around the country. Check out the website www.walkagainstwarming.org

The organisers say, “The Government will only take real action on climate change and protect our kids’ futures if you tell them to. Join thousands of other Australians in a peaceful walk urging action on climate change now.”

Great to see the turnout for the Walk against Warming – over 30,000 people in Melbourne and 50,000 in Sydney.

Andrew, Christie, and I met up with Luc, Juliet and some of the 30,000 Melbournians last Saturday. With so many people aware of and caring enough to disrupt the Derby Day traffic, will our government do anything more than just listen this time? Our lack of ski-able snow this winter concerns me more than just missing out on my favourite recreational past time. If you are still one of the few people who don’t believe global warming is really having such a strong effect, the proof is in the underpants. So get your shit together, and do something. You can start here and now, by signing a petition asking the Australian government to pass legislation that would:

• Put a price on carbon that reflects its true cost
• Guarantee 25% of our electricity from renewable energy by 2020
• Slash energy waste

Last Friday we, who have been locked away for 4 weeks of intensive study and training, completed the Cambridge Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults (CELTA). What a relief!

I certainly got more than I bargained for out of this course. A truck load of new teaching tricks, barrels of stress, a diminished immune system and an unshakable cold to boot.

Time for job hunting. Do you want to employ me? Great! I need heaps of pay and plenty of holidays, a little bit of work and a whole lot of fun. I am ready to start immediately.