New Gregorian Year!

Part 1 [Posted before]

My roommate invited me to a celebration at the Crowne Plaza hotel, a well known place for foreign events and gatherings. I hesitated in deciding to go, since I don't drink. The festivities commence at 9pm.

(yawn)

Part 2 [Posted after]

I hijacked a pretty colleague from work to go with me to the event. Around 2am, the group wanted to speed to a night club for 30 minutes of dancing before closing. I wanted to go home. I was feeling burnt out, but champagne, red wine, beer, and 6 cocktails will do that. Oh, and a chicken leg. Yes I know I said I don't drink, but you're crazy if you think I'm going to suffer 5 hours with my friends sober.

There were prizes through the night. I think the first 4 or 5 winners came from a single table. They announced the final draw, and they won again. Later in the night, they held another draw. I think they had winners in that too. Theoretical probability considered, the prize draw had to be fixed.

The Plan, Mwuhahahahahaa!

I received a shirt and some Christmas cards a few days ago, sent to me by my mother and nephews. I failed to organize my gifts to send out this year, and I have no excuse. Well I do have excuses, but dad always said "No excuses. >:[ "

"What do Atheists do on Christmas?"
I dunno, same as you!

My plan is to have everyone on Skype at the same time Christmas morning. I have a web cam for the event, and I just need confirmation from my family that the plan is agreeable.

I'm off to work, now that my apartment has water again and just in time.

Tonight, I am joining Paul at a middle school event. If it ends early, I'll meet Chris at the Crowne for a big Christmas party.

Photo: YOU!

Earliest Christmas Memory

My earliest recollection of Christmas, I believe, was in 1981. Possibly 82, or was it 83?

I awoke around 2 or 3am I guess, having wet the bed (shut-the-hell-up! Quite natural for a 3 year old) Anyway, I wandered out of my room and into the decorated living room of our home.

The room was lit up by the Christmas tree, covered in lights and a blanket of tinsel. On the couch watching TV was my mother. The next few things I recall are a pound puppy http://www.poundpuppies.com/, a gingerbread house, and the street covered in black and snow out the front window.

If I recall correctly, my mother sent me back to bed with a pound puppy toy from under the tree. I remember being drawn to the window. The gingerbread house was amazing. It sat on an old sewing machine that converted into a table. Outside the window was a beautiful sight. The snow was so very thick, falling very slowly.

What's your earliest Christmas memory?

Photo: Random google image search. http://www.duvekot.ca/eliane/archives/2008_02.html

Xiǎojiě, nǐ shì nǎ guó rén?

America is not a country.

I didn't think much about it until a few days ago in a cab ride to work. The driver of the taxi asked me a couple of questions. I became aggravated as the conversation progressed.

Taxi - "nǐ shì nǎ guó rén? Měiguórén? [which country are you from? American?]
Me - "wǒ shì jiā ná dà rén" [I am a Canadian.]
Taxi - "ahhh, (nodding) nǐ shì Měiguórén." [Ahh, you are American.]
Me - (Thinking for a moment) "shì, jiānádà. wǒ shì jiānádàrén." [Yes, Canada. I am a Canadian.]
Taxi - "zhī dào, Měiguórén." [I know, American"]

It was a refusal to acknowledge my identity. We know it is impolite to refer to someone as "Middle-Eastern", "Asian", and "South African". In these situations, we tend to ignore it unless it is directly related to a given situation. Courtesy would be that being corrected expects the conversation to adapt and use the preferred term.

Idiot - "Which country are you from? Asian?"
Chinese National - "Yes, I'm Chinese."
Idiot - "Ahh, Asian."
Chinese National - "China. I am Chinese."
Idiot - "I know. Asian."

Mistaking someones nationality with their geographic region is excusable. Refusal to aknowledge someones identity by considering their regional origin to be their country of origin regardless of being corrected, is belligerent.

My computer is back in working order. I lost alot of data, but my Mandarin software has been reinstalled.

Photo: The McDonalds here keeps messing up my order. I literally point and touch the menu item, so why do they still get it wrong? Next time, I'm opening everything as soon as the bag is on the counter. >:[ Edit: Who am I kidding? I should be happy that they mess up simple orders. It gives it that "like back home" feeling.

Lightning Crashes

After 2 days of searching for options, I reluctantly had to format my hard drive and start over, all due to a botched windows update. I did however manage to slave my hard drive to a friend’s PC and burn my important documents to disc. My PC problems didn't end there.

After reinstalling Vista™ Ultimate and suffering the endless updates, it seems my data stored on 3 DVDs could not be read in my defective DVD drive.

My drivers are up to date, and my burned DVDs made using the drive work fine on a friend’s PC, but can’t be read by the drive that made them. Samsung can kiss my ass.
There’s no listing in their product database for my TSSTcorp CD/DVDW TS-H652D ATA Device. The latest firmware for my device failed to install with an error indicating it was incompatible...

Picture: Dopamine now!

Firefly

I found this interesting.

This link http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/260010/Serenity/chineseslang.pdf is for the pen and paper game for Firefly (Serenity). It was linked to me by Kurt Hebron.

I remember watching the Firefly DVDs on my friend Kevin’s big screen TV over the months and days before leaving for China. Despite a few mixed DVDs in incorrect cases, no DVDs were harmed in the viewing of this series.

Upon inspection of the link above, I noticed a few discrepancies in the pinyin (Romanized English phonetics of the Chinese language) used for Firefly. Additionally, the pronunciation was too inaccurate for my Chinese friends to understand when we watched the Serenity movie here.

Now if I recall correctly from the extras on the Firefly box set DVDs, the writers would have a Chinese contact call her friends in China for phrase translations.

They explain the confusion somewhere in the series extras, but I have my own theories as to more possible factors involved in why the pinyin and pronunciation is how it is.

Photo: Firefly, an awesome (but too short) series of which I was reluctant to enjoy, despite strong recommendations from others. I would have listened to their testimonials, but they had heavy accents and it was difficult to understand. :)

By Dionysus' Beard!

I’ve been trying to track down an existing oath or code of ethics, used by teachers in Canada. I haven’t had much success. I did however locate bits and pieces, other comments and requests, ideas and theories, and other things that refer to a code of some kind.

I stumbled onto the hippocratic oath of physicians? I found it interesting.

I swear by Apollo, Asclepius, Hygieia, and Panacea, and I take to witness all the gods, all the goddesses, to keep according to my ability and my judgment, the following Oath.

To consider dear to me, as my parents, him who taught me this art; to live in common with him and, if necessary, to share my goods with him; To look upon his children as my own brothers, to teach them this art.

I will prescribe regimens for the good of my patients according to my ability and my judgment and never do harm to anyone.

I will not give a lethal drug to anyone if I am asked, nor will I advise such a plan; and similarly I will not give a woman a pessary to cause an abortion.

But I will preserve the purity of my life and my arts.

I will not cut for stone, even for patients in whom the disease is manifest; I will leave this operation to be performed by practitioners, specialists in this art.

In every house where I come I will enter only for the good of my patients, keeping myself far from all intentional ill-doing and all seduction and especially from the pleasures of love with women or with men, be they free or slaves.

All that may come to my knowledge in the exercise of my profession or in daily commerce with men, which ought not to be spread abroad, I will keep secret and will never reveal.

If I keep this oath faithfully, may I enjoy my life and practice my art, respected by all men and in all times; but if I swerve from it or violate it, may the reverse be my lot.

I found a teachers oath online (http://ematusov.soe.udel.edu/oath/). A link to the history of this oath shows that it was made by an educator who could not locate any such oath online. So far it looks good, but I will need to spend time making that I fully understand it before I appropriate it.

To consider dear to me as my loved ones, those who taught me this art; to live in common with them and if necessary share my goods with them; to look upon their children as my own brothers and sisters, to teach them this art if they so desire without fee or written promise; to impart to my sons and daughters and the sons and daughters of the master who taught me and the disciples who have enrolled themselves and have agreed to the rules of the profession, but to these alone, the precepts and the instruction.

I will strive to facilitate learning and implement a curriculum for the good of my students according to my ability and my judgment and never knowingly do harm to anyone.

I will keep an open ear to hear those who I may unknowingly cause pain to and try my best to see the error of my ways and turn from them.

To please no one (e.g., state, school administration, parents, taxpayers, myself) will I prescribe a "one size fits all" curriculum and assessment techniques, but rather I will be aware that students learn in different ways, in different timelines and may exhibit that which they have in a multitude of styles.

Nor will I become so stagnant or complacent with that which I know that I will cease seeking further education for myself; and if such a time occurs, I will reconsider my involvement in this profession.

Also, in my zeal to help every student I encounter I will still realize my limitations and if necessary call upon the assistance and guidance of another.

In every school where I come I will enter only for the good of all students, keeping myself far from all intentional or unintentional ill‑doing and all seduction, and especially from the human tendencies to stereotype those who are the same or different from me and to place blame within the student when it appears that learning has not occurred.

Whatever, a problem I perceived as a teacher, I promise to consider my own teaching first and foremost in search of a solution.

I will also be sensitive to the needs and other obligations of those that work with or for me and remain open to their suggestions by prioritizing learning needs and well‑being of my students over other concerns and goals.

Above all these things, I will never forget that I was once a student in my students' position, keeping in mind the obstacles that I once faced.

All that may come to my knowledge in the exercise of my profession or outside my profession or in daily interaction with the public, I will not keep secret but will reveal to anyone with an open ear.

If I keep this oath faithfully, may I enjoy my life and practice my art, respected by all and in all times; but if I swerve from it or violate it, may the reverse be my lot.

Designed and signed first by Stephanie of Drye, June 16th of 2000, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware U.S.A.

If anyone has any leads towards finding any such oath used in Canada and North America, please let me know either by comment or email.

Photo: A pendant of Dionysus, bringer of the hangover!

Zoom Boom II !

I stopped near a school I used to teach at and took a picture. It was the location of the 2nd accident I wrote about in my previous post. It was just a plain calm stretch of road.

Satisfied that I had a photo to append to my previous blog entry, I turned and carried on.

I heard a vehicle breaking. The sound broke with a certain familiarity, as the people in the area all turned their attention to its source.

The man on the ground with his scooter seemed to be dazed but otherwise, still breathing.
I had just passed on the idea about taking a small documentary style video of the area for my previous "Zoom Boom!" post, but chose not to for whatever reason. I could have caught it all on cam.

Photo: One of my students posing for the picture (center) as he was leaving the school I used to teach at. A man stunned and contemplating his options (left) after having been hit by the van (right). Also, that student said he didn’t even notice the guy on the ground.

Zoom Boom!

Why?

If you were on the 400 heading to Toronto going 50kph on an electric scooter alongside other vehicles, wouldn't you be scared?

On my way to work (an 11 minute walk) two separate accidents involving electric scooters happened along the same street. The accidents happened about 2 minutes apart.

The first one, a guy stopped in the middle of the road to take a call on his cell. Another scooter crashed into him. He didn't budge, he didn't offer to help the other guy up off the ground. He just kept talking on his cell and stayed put.

The second accident happened as a man on a scooter with his daughter standing on the back was inching across the road at a designated crosswalk. Another scooter plowed through his scooters front wheel. It didn't knock his scooter down, and his daughter was not injured, but the driver of the other scooter crashed and fell down, and slid about 8-10 feet.

Photo: I can't find a good photo. I tried searching for electric scooters in google, but none of the results feel right for this entry. Use your imagination I guess.