Here is some stuff that I have been doing/eating/thinking...
-It's been over a year since I last worked at Kamatics. And yet almost every time I get up to get to class/use the bathroom, I still instinctively reach for my safety glasses. (I used to work in an office in the middle of the workshop and we were required to wear safety glasses in the shop)
-I have a sudden intense desire to play 1000 Blank White Cards but I don't think anyone I hang out with here has either the right sense of humor or any desire to play.
-I have been listening to bellydancing music at work while I correct homework/make lesson plans to help get myself pumped. It works, although one side effect is that sometimes I end up dancing around in my chair without realizing it.
-Yesterday I wore a bandanna to keep my hair out of my face. People said I looked like a pirate. today I am wearing a shawl. People say I look like a witch.
-Wednesday night I went out to dinner with Charlotte to a Greek restaurant in Thumb Plaza. They didn't have ANYTHING I wanted to order so I ended up with something I wasn't excited about and it didn't taste good. I probably won't go back.
-It has rained for about a week now and weather.com says it's going to rain for the next ten days too. BAH! Stupid Shanghai and it's rainy season. Maybe I should buy rainboots....
-Last night Zeno and I got dinner at Yummi House. I got curry seafood risotto. It was 6 different kinds of tasty. We also got these delicious desserts that were real fruit that had been hollowed out, frozen and filled with a light ice cream. It was so fruity and refreshing and not too sweet. I am definately going back in the summer.
-I am happy because I think I have a better sense of how to fill up a class now. Not once so far this semester have I run out of stuff to do in a class period. I know the kind of questions to ask so I can make class discussions last longer and I always have a backup plan just in case. It's a good feeling.
-Tonight Zeno and I are going to make dumplings. I am super excited about this. I am finally going to make dumplings from scratch!
-I have been called cute 4 times today (all online) and it's not even noon! :-)
-Tomorrow Zeno and I are going to help with the River of Hearts Charity again (remember that sorting/packing of clothes thing I did in like...November?) and then I am taking her out for dinner at the DongBei restaurant for her birthday. Yum.
-Instant coffee and a little bit of hot chocolate make a delicious midmorning treat.
That's all for now!
-Stephanie
Friday, 27 February 2009
Thursday, 26 February 2009
Wednesday, 25 February 2009
The New Three Musketeers
Last night me, Isabelle and Lucy went out again. Ladies night at the Bulldog Pub. Free drinks all night! Whoo! Yes I am aware it was a school night. I was home and in bed my midnight. :-P
Also it should be noted that hats are super awesome. See below evidence.
Also it should be noted that hats are super awesome. See below evidence.
Tuesday, 24 February 2009
*POOF*
I have a new student in one of my classes and he is possibly made of awesome.
His English is excellent, but that's not the reason I like him. He is very creative and has a fun sense of humor.
Remember how I said I gave a lecture of X-Men so they could practice taking notes? His notes are hilarious.
Here are some of the reasons why:
-He drew a sketch of Wolverine and under his special powers he wrote "super sense, super healing, super hairstyle"
-Wolverine also has a note that says "pointy claws" and an arrow pointing at his claws
-Under Mystique and next to the word "shape shifter" he drew a picture of a person turning into a cow
-Under Iceman he wrote "good for picnics"
-And my personal favorite? All over the notes he has little sketches of Nightcrawler next to a cloud that says "poof" as though he just teleported there. Two pages later in his notes, at the bottom of the page that has his X-Men summary is another little Nightcrawler and another little *poof*.
I seriously want to photo copy his notes and keep them.
His English is excellent, but that's not the reason I like him. He is very creative and has a fun sense of humor.
Remember how I said I gave a lecture of X-Men so they could practice taking notes? His notes are hilarious.
Here are some of the reasons why:
-He drew a sketch of Wolverine and under his special powers he wrote "super sense, super healing, super hairstyle"
-Wolverine also has a note that says "pointy claws" and an arrow pointing at his claws
-Under Mystique and next to the word "shape shifter" he drew a picture of a person turning into a cow
-Under Iceman he wrote "good for picnics"
-And my personal favorite? All over the notes he has little sketches of Nightcrawler next to a cloud that says "poof" as though he just teleported there. Two pages later in his notes, at the bottom of the page that has his X-Men summary is another little Nightcrawler and another little *poof*.
I seriously want to photo copy his notes and keep them.
Monday, 23 February 2009
Weekend Burnout
I apparently put all my weekend-ness into Friday night and then spent the other two days being a bum...
After work on Friday I got a knock on my door from Chris and the other foreign teachers. They were going to (drum roll please) Blue Frog! Anyone sensing a pattern here?
I already had plans with Isabelle and Lucy but those plans weren't until later so I headed out with them. Chris was kind enough that after he used his electric bike to drop Becky off, he swung back and got me. If I sign on for another year I am so going to get one of those things. Chris said the ones that are more like bikes and less like motorcycles can go for around 1,200RMB or like $180.
I had a cup of soup to stave me off until my late dinner, and some mojitos. Yum. When I left they were still hanging out, but I didn't want to be late to meet the girls. Isabelle scared the CRAP out of me by sneaking up behind me and grabbing me while I was waiting in the subway. Our plans were to go to Adobo, a Mexican restaurant in the French Concession. Lucy's plane was delayed so she was going to meet us there. When Isabelle and I got there, the place was PACKED. Apparently there was a joint birthday party going on. I can't remember the last time I heard that much Spanish! The kitchen was apparently closed so Isa and I turned around and went to what was going to be our second stop of the evening, "The Spot". After looking over their huge menu (seen below)...
Isa decided to get some sort of Thai spicy salad and I got a Greek Feta Pita Burger. The only weird thing about my burger was that they took the pita bread and cut it in half so that it was literally being used like a bun. I had a disc of pita that far extended the size of my burger both below and balancing on top of the patty. Once I stripped away the excess (to be used later for soup dipping) it was DELICIOUS. Lucy showed up just as we were finishing eating. We got our one free Ladies Night drink at the Spot but then decided to try and head back to Adobo to see if the crowd had thinned out a bit.
It had not. The same amount of people were there...and now they were drunk! Whoo! We talked to a waiter who agreed to let us pay 50RMB each and have whatever we wanted from the bar until 1AM. That was INSANE. When we went out to Sin I had to pay 70RMB for one mojito. We helped ourselves to shots of tequila (with salt and lime slices of course) and beer. After midnight things started to get really crazy and the drunk bartender literally started just pulling alcohol off the wall and pouring it into cups that people put in front of him. It was like being at a college party all over again.
The people were tons of fun. We were welcomed into their joint birthday party instead of treated like outsiders. We are even in the HUGE group picture that got taken about an hour after we arrived. We were taught how to say cheers in Spanish, we chatted and danced and then we watched in bemused horror as the birthday boy and girl were each presented with a cake and then immediately had their faces shoved into them. Which then turned into cake wrestling on the floor. Between that and spilled drinks the floor was sllippery as an ice rink.
Here is one picture from Friday night at Adobo that I mostly posted cuz a) we look silly and b) I finally wore that shirt mom got me for Christmas and I wanted her to see.
I was quite tired after that, but Lucy had heard about Shanghai Studio and wanted to go so we headed off. When we got there, we sat at a table for a minute before my favorite spot opened up. It's this low table with curtains around it and pillows to sit on/lean against. It speaks to the kid in me that misses building forts. Isa and I hung out there chatting and fighting off sleep while Lucy went dancing and socializing. Soon after we got yelled out for a waiter cuz he thought we actually had fallen asleep...doh! What party animals are we, huh? After that the club was starting to thin out so we all headed home.
After going to FOUR restuarant/clubs/bars on Friday night I was ready to spend the rest of the weekend relaxing. I slept late on Saturday then cleaned out my entire sinkful of dishes. Uck. I realized I hadn't played guitar in a very long time so I tuned YingLong up and rocked out for a bit. I learned how to play "Fear You Won't Fall" by Joshua Radin and I think it's my new favorite song to play on the piano. I also headed out to New York Pizza for dinner and got a four cheese white pizza that was quite tasty and made leftovers for Sunday.
Sunday I had to do correcting and lesson plans. My brain can't seem to concentrate lately so it makes it hard to focus and get stuff done at work. Which sadly means that I have to do work at home. Becky, the Canadian woman who has actual teaching experience, gave me some advice at the beginning of the year. One piece of advice was to stay as late as you had to so that you didn't have to bring work home with you. She said eventually doing that would just wear you down. I agree. Here's hoping my brain has restarted enough so that I can focus in the office now.
Sunday night I started to feel ill. I was supposed to have a video chat with my parents but that ended up not happening. I tried to fall asleep early. My dreams (nightmares?) were AWFUL. Every single one of them involved me throwing up. By the time I woke up I wasn't certain whether or not I HAD puked (I did not). I still don't feel 100% but I feel better now.
Well, Imma try to focus on work now so I can get my stuff DONE.
Much love!
Stephanie
After work on Friday I got a knock on my door from Chris and the other foreign teachers. They were going to (drum roll please) Blue Frog! Anyone sensing a pattern here?
I already had plans with Isabelle and Lucy but those plans weren't until later so I headed out with them. Chris was kind enough that after he used his electric bike to drop Becky off, he swung back and got me. If I sign on for another year I am so going to get one of those things. Chris said the ones that are more like bikes and less like motorcycles can go for around 1,200RMB or like $180.
I had a cup of soup to stave me off until my late dinner, and some mojitos. Yum. When I left they were still hanging out, but I didn't want to be late to meet the girls. Isabelle scared the CRAP out of me by sneaking up behind me and grabbing me while I was waiting in the subway. Our plans were to go to Adobo, a Mexican restaurant in the French Concession. Lucy's plane was delayed so she was going to meet us there. When Isabelle and I got there, the place was PACKED. Apparently there was a joint birthday party going on. I can't remember the last time I heard that much Spanish! The kitchen was apparently closed so Isa and I turned around and went to what was going to be our second stop of the evening, "The Spot". After looking over their huge menu (seen below)...
Isa decided to get some sort of Thai spicy salad and I got a Greek Feta Pita Burger. The only weird thing about my burger was that they took the pita bread and cut it in half so that it was literally being used like a bun. I had a disc of pita that far extended the size of my burger both below and balancing on top of the patty. Once I stripped away the excess (to be used later for soup dipping) it was DELICIOUS. Lucy showed up just as we were finishing eating. We got our one free Ladies Night drink at the Spot but then decided to try and head back to Adobo to see if the crowd had thinned out a bit.It had not. The same amount of people were there...and now they were drunk! Whoo! We talked to a waiter who agreed to let us pay 50RMB each and have whatever we wanted from the bar until 1AM. That was INSANE. When we went out to Sin I had to pay 70RMB for one mojito. We helped ourselves to shots of tequila (with salt and lime slices of course) and beer. After midnight things started to get really crazy and the drunk bartender literally started just pulling alcohol off the wall and pouring it into cups that people put in front of him. It was like being at a college party all over again.
The people were tons of fun. We were welcomed into their joint birthday party instead of treated like outsiders. We are even in the HUGE group picture that got taken about an hour after we arrived. We were taught how to say cheers in Spanish, we chatted and danced and then we watched in bemused horror as the birthday boy and girl were each presented with a cake and then immediately had their faces shoved into them. Which then turned into cake wrestling on the floor. Between that and spilled drinks the floor was sllippery as an ice rink.
Here is one picture from Friday night at Adobo that I mostly posted cuz a) we look silly and b) I finally wore that shirt mom got me for Christmas and I wanted her to see.
I was quite tired after that, but Lucy had heard about Shanghai Studio and wanted to go so we headed off. When we got there, we sat at a table for a minute before my favorite spot opened up. It's this low table with curtains around it and pillows to sit on/lean against. It speaks to the kid in me that misses building forts. Isa and I hung out there chatting and fighting off sleep while Lucy went dancing and socializing. Soon after we got yelled out for a waiter cuz he thought we actually had fallen asleep...doh! What party animals are we, huh? After that the club was starting to thin out so we all headed home.After going to FOUR restuarant/clubs/bars on Friday night I was ready to spend the rest of the weekend relaxing. I slept late on Saturday then cleaned out my entire sinkful of dishes. Uck. I realized I hadn't played guitar in a very long time so I tuned YingLong up and rocked out for a bit. I learned how to play "Fear You Won't Fall" by Joshua Radin and I think it's my new favorite song to play on the piano. I also headed out to New York Pizza for dinner and got a four cheese white pizza that was quite tasty and made leftovers for Sunday.
Sunday I had to do correcting and lesson plans. My brain can't seem to concentrate lately so it makes it hard to focus and get stuff done at work. Which sadly means that I have to do work at home. Becky, the Canadian woman who has actual teaching experience, gave me some advice at the beginning of the year. One piece of advice was to stay as late as you had to so that you didn't have to bring work home with you. She said eventually doing that would just wear you down. I agree. Here's hoping my brain has restarted enough so that I can focus in the office now.
Sunday night I started to feel ill. I was supposed to have a video chat with my parents but that ended up not happening. I tried to fall asleep early. My dreams (nightmares?) were AWFUL. Every single one of them involved me throwing up. By the time I woke up I wasn't certain whether or not I HAD puked (I did not). I still don't feel 100% but I feel better now.
Well, Imma try to focus on work now so I can get my stuff DONE.
Much love!
Stephanie
Saturday, 21 February 2009
Cookies and Crabcakes
So these pictures are kinda random. I am just taking pictures off my camera and sorting stuff and I thought I would post them.
These are some no-bake cookies that Emily sent me the recipe for. I used the chunky peanut butter that Ali sent me. These cookies were pretty freakin' tasty. I made them as a thank you for Yuki's dad for picking me up at the airport. Since he never ended up picking me up at the airport I ended up eating some of them and giving the rest to Ned. The recipe was easy and if anyone wants it, let me know.
These crabcakes were another try at cooking something new in my kitchen aka hotplate. Dave had posted in his blog about crabcakes and then I was watching an episode of friends where they talked about crabcakes. Made me start craving them. The "recipe" was really me just having a go mixing some stuff together. Crab meat, pieces of bread, egg, some seafood seasoning...after frying them up in some butter and garlic they were really tasty! I'll have to make them again sometime.
I've been keeping an eye online for more tasty recipes that don't involve having an over. I found a recipe called "HolyCrapTheseAreAmazing Cookies" that looks even easier than the cookies pictured here. I also found a recipe for Meatloaf in a Mug that sounds easy enough. I might give it a try if I get brave. :-P
These are some no-bake cookies that Emily sent me the recipe for. I used the chunky peanut butter that Ali sent me. These cookies were pretty freakin' tasty. I made them as a thank you for Yuki's dad for picking me up at the airport. Since he never ended up picking me up at the airport I ended up eating some of them and giving the rest to Ned. The recipe was easy and if anyone wants it, let me know.
These crabcakes were another try at cooking something new in my kitchen aka hotplate. Dave had posted in his blog about crabcakes and then I was watching an episode of friends where they talked about crabcakes. Made me start craving them. The "recipe" was really me just having a go mixing some stuff together. Crab meat, pieces of bread, egg, some seafood seasoning...after frying them up in some butter and garlic they were really tasty! I'll have to make them again sometime.
I've been keeping an eye online for more tasty recipes that don't involve having an over. I found a recipe called "HolyCrapTheseAreAmazing Cookies" that looks even easier than the cookies pictured here. I also found a recipe for Meatloaf in a Mug that sounds easy enough. I might give it a try if I get brave. :-P
Knitting Update Five
First off, Happy Birthday Mama-San! :-)
I am a bit behind in my knitting updates. I got some squares mixed up but I am about 95% sure I got it all figured out. For some reason blogger is being stupid and even though I rotated and saved these pictures in the correct position three times, they still have half the pictures flipped one way and half the other. Bah.
First off, we have this square from Sabrina and Mike. I worked on it while I was on the plane both heading home for my visit and on the way back.
This is the first square I finished after my trip back to Shanghai. It's from Alice Powers at Kamatics.
This square is kinda special because I knit it on my trip to Harbin. It's from Emanuela from my mom's work.
And this square is from Auntie Bonnie. The colors in the yarn look so much better when I take the pictures in sunlight. I should do that from now on.
I am currently knitting up a square with yarn from Emily G.
Love,
Steph
I am a bit behind in my knitting updates. I got some squares mixed up but I am about 95% sure I got it all figured out. For some reason blogger is being stupid and even though I rotated and saved these pictures in the correct position three times, they still have half the pictures flipped one way and half the other. Bah.
First off, we have this square from Sabrina and Mike. I worked on it while I was on the plane both heading home for my visit and on the way back.
This is the first square I finished after my trip back to Shanghai. It's from Alice Powers at Kamatics.
This square is kinda special because I knit it on my trip to Harbin. It's from Emanuela from my mom's work.
And this square is from Auntie Bonnie. The colors in the yarn look so much better when I take the pictures in sunlight. I should do that from now on.
I am currently knitting up a square with yarn from Emily G.Love,
Steph
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