I’m at home with my family for the holidays. I haven’t
been home since January because of travel restrictions. It’s been great
catching up with everyone and visiting old haunts. I’ve also been stocking up
on my favourite things to take back to my own place.
Reading
I’m catching up on reading the Babysitters Club. I
love those books and my collection is at my parent’s house. I’m also still
reading Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. It’s a book I’ve been reading on and off
for the past few years. Next year, I
want to finish up the booklist that Jon and I created back in 2011! I have
three books left.
Watching
I live in a remote island for work and I don’t get to
watch a lot of tv. So whenever I come back to my family home, I always try to
catch up on tv. I’m currently watching Star Trek Discovery. I have been a Star
Trek fan since I was a child and I’m always delighted when there’s a new series
or movie.
I’m back
home for the holidays and intend to blog more. I got a new job in August which
has kept me pretty busy. I’m a teacher and I went to teach in a remote
location. It was a very rewarding experience, I have lots of good memories
about the people and the place. I’m going back next year once the school year
starts. I hope to make a lot of improvements for next year.
One thing
that I want to improve on is giving priority to my personal goals. Before I got
my job, I had started on an Arts degree majoring in creative writing. It was
something that I had always wanted to do. I dropped out of college when I got my job
because I felt that I would be too busy to do it.
I missed
writing and having that creative outlet, so I’ve enrolled back into uni. I’m
still working full time, but I’ll make the time for my studies.
I have a
few weeks of summer vacation which I intend to catch up with friends, go out
and watch lots of movies. What I like the most about being back in city is the
availability of everything and catching up with people.I do enjoy living in a remote place, but a
change of scenery is good.
Reading
I am
currently reading The First Days of School: How to be an effective teacher by
Harry K. Wong and Rosemary T. Wong to get some tips on teaching. I’ve been a
substitute teacher for most of my career but now I have my own class. Subbing
is different from being a classroom teacher. A substitute fills in for a classroom
teacher who is away. Now I have to do some planning. I am looking forward to
seeing the growth of the students throughout the school year, which was
something I wasn’t a part of as a sub.
I am also
reading the bible to better understand the community that I work in. Most of
the community are Christians and the school is sensitive to the culture of the
community despite being a public school. We have a prayer at every staff
meeting and school function. I’m a Buddhist but I don’t have any problem with
learning another religion.
In
contrast, I’m also reading The Davinci Code by Dan Brown. Jon Bear and I are
reading the book together and I’ll post a review about it later.
Watching
I started
watching The Alienist on Netflix. It’s set in 18th century New York
and follows a psychologist, a newspaper illustrator and police secretary who
are investigating serial murders. I’ve only watched one episode and I’m hooked.
I work as a substitute teacher and school is about to finish
for the year. As I don’t have to do any school planning like regular classroom
teachers, I have two months to do anything.
Here’s my list of things to do:
1. Read every day
I have a huge to be read pile and lots of books collecting
dust. I’m not one of those people who can sit for hours reading, unless I’m
riveted on the book. So, I’m going to aim to read a little bit every day. I’ll
finish off all the half-started books first.
2. Exercise regularly
I’ve been glued to the computer all year, not really doing
anything. It’s time to get active again. My family has a treadmill that we
bought last year. I’ve only been on it twice. I’ve recently installed a
pedometer app on my phone and going on the treadmill will help me to reach
10,000 steps a day.
3. Netflix
To pass the time on the treadmill, I’m going to watch all
the movies and tv shows that I have on my list. I keep adding shows that I will
watch one day.
4. Blog
I haven’t been blogging much this year.
5. Finish Teacher
Portfolio
6. Go out solo once a
week
I need to get out more. I rarely go out by myself. I think
it would be a healthy experience for me.
Carlyn: The last blog I want to show for this year is Stella Lee's Blog. Stella
Lee is an Indonesian blogger who blogs about fashion, makeup and travel. Most of
her blog posts are on Asian products and she has mostly travelled around Asia.
I love to read her posts on Japan as it is my dream country to visit. I also
love her passion for fashion and makeup. She’s not afraid to try different
colours and styles when it comes to clothes, makeup and accessories.
Jon: My final blog of the month for 2014 is Arianna's Random Thoughts . Arianna's posts seem to center around a strong sense of self and the connections that we have with our loved ones. I think her blog sends a very good message by focusing on the important people in our lives, most expressly our family and our friends. For a young person she gives some heady advice and sometimes the best advice we get is from young people. They see the world from a place an older generation once saw it and sometimes forgets or ridicules. Learning never stops and I like when I find a blog written by a thoughtful young person. Especially someone with a positive spirit who can help others.
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