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nienie11365
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Name: Stephanie
Birthday: 3/11/1982
Gender: Female
Interests: Contemporary art, the 19th century, yoga, singing, Food (both cooking and eating), travelling...
Message: message me
Member Since:
2/18/2004
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| so i started this blog when i was in Scotland to let people far away know what was going on...
so i felt that it was appropriate to contribute to it right now because it's the night before
we fly to New York.
big deal, NY. but after New York it's a one-way to Edinburgh and the St. Andrew's and that's
it... our new life.
we've gotten rid of lots of stuff, and our car was picked up this evening. you never realise how
many things you own that are 'liquids' until you have to move countries and none of those liquid
items can be packed... hahah.
so perhaps i'll start to blog again, perhaps i won't.
it's going to be a busy summer.
July - St. Andrew's and house-hunting
Mid-July - Wales for conference and visit to Yit's cousin Ming and family
August - move to new place
End-August - probably London
September - Belfast, N. Ireland for Yit's cousin Yih-Chuong's wedding
yay... summer in the U.K. and before that New York.
I'll miss you Denise.
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| guess it was time for another entry. the last few months have been super crazy busy... not only with the job but all the wedding planning (berkeley and singapore).
now we're moving house!! the space is way too small and cold. i hate the fact that there is no central heating. my greatest amazement is despite that fact i haven't fallen sick yet this january.
we've been looking at new furniture to fill the space and our greatest obsession is CHAIRS.
i had no idea that chairs were so expensive.
take the frank gehry chair made entirely of corrogated cardboard - $450-550
or the 'egg' from Design Within Reach - $5000
the cheapest dining chairs we've looked at have been around $88
take that time 4 and it's... too much!
even chairs from EQ3 which is only a step above ikea... living room chairs (big comfy ones)
cost $300-$700. ugh ugh ugh.
and usually... if there's a chair that matches a couch (like the couch we got). the chair is the
same price as the 2-seater couch.
does that make any sense?
some of the excuses i've heard is that... well, it's the same amout of labour, almost the same
amount of material, blah blah blah.
i don't know.. i guess i'm still living in a world where bigger = more = more cost.
but the furniture world is not that simple.
come visit after Feb 20th!! | | |
| so program started two days ago... after weeks of planning. i hired and trained my staff, got all the applications to teachers, got them back. i'm supposed to hit a target of 90 kids and it looks like it's going to happen.... i have a waiting list, and i still have teachers pushing to get their kids in. we have a mix of kids who were in last year and kids who really need the program for a variety of reasons - family instability, lack of social skills, weak academics... we really take them all i guess.
my staff has been great so far - they're on top of things, they're on time and ready to go. they seem organized and really ready to work with the kids. it's been great to see so many kids returning to the program and for some, their siblings starting with the youngest group. my group is really rowdy and noisy... so it's a little hard to get things done. hopefully they'll be well-trained in a bit. haha. we've just been doing icebreaker/getting to know you exercises. alot of them used to be in the program but it's important to get the new kids integrated with the group.
i talked to aaron, my boss last year who ran the program for 2 years... and we haven't communicated directly since june. it was really nice to share stories and let him know how things are going. he's the only person who really understands everything cuz we were both SO involved with all the kids last year. we tag teamed a lot and worked together. sometimes when i'm at school i still expect to see him... yeah. we became more than co-workers towards the end of the year and it was hardest to let him go as a friend. i'm going to see him this weekend in san diego before he moves to france. with all these friends who've moved.. it's nice to have the kids and the program as a stable thing. i really have missed being around kids this summer... i forgot how comfortable it is.
one of my students from last year, simon came to visit me yesterday. he was a recent immigrant from china when he first entered the program and i gave him a lot of english help. i basically translated everything. towards the end of the year he became all cool and disrespectful and didn't speak very much mandarin to me anymore... but that was fine. it was all part of his language transition. i used to worry about him cuz he doesn't have strong relationships with his parents and was left alone a lot. yesterday we talked for about 45 mins after program, in mandarin.. and he really was interested in getting to know me as a person. it was fun. i guess that's what youth development is all about... becoming a friend to a kid and not just a teacher/mentor. it's especially important for kids who don't have strong adult role models.
yay for youth development. haha.
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| so it's only a little insane...
but i know all these people who are pregnant. i found out about 3 of them in the last week. it's kinda nuts that everyone is pregnant and all due around the same time. one is my cousin in Phoenix... so this baby will be half Beckman :)
then there's a teacher at the school i teach at...
our friends who are best man and photographer at our wedding in october..
two people in my choir.
and that's not talking about the couple we know who JUST had a baby a few days ago.
i am definitely not ready to enter into that stage of my life... but it's nice to see that there are people who are. most of these people are in their 30's...
any one know of a good store to get cute baby stuff??? | | |
| so.. .. ..
heh.
I have a full-time job. yay me... it took much longer than most but i'm here. with an annual salary, benefits, vacation time ('leave' as they say in singapore). i will be conducting interviews and hiring people i want to work for me - the first task of power. yes, i'm scared shitless but oh well. we all have to grow up sometime right?
my closet has been re-organised today. after 3 visits to the hardware store, much agonising over what would and would not fit... my clothes are all in one place. for those of you who haven't seen my place you probably don't understand what the big deal is.. but it is. i have the most odd-shaped closet ever and it took many years (yes years) to figure out how to organise the space. i believe that organisation helps you feel rooted in a space but i guess that's just me. cuz i've moved so much lately. even my singapore childhood home is gone now. i have a couple shelves in my brother's room in singapore but that's it. i joke about moving out of here but i know i won't cuz i've invested so much... and foresee investing more.
my social life has been re-organized this summer. with people i really like moving to germany, france, edinburgh, london and now New York.... it looks like i'm either going to be anti-social, find new friends, work a lot, or develop new hobbies. i think it's going to be a mix of all of the above (our favourite multiple choice answer!)
and with that, i wish you all a very good night.
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