View from my apartment

Realised I left out a lot of information about my Europe trip after going through the digital footprints on my laptop. Particularly fish and chips from North Sea Fish near Passfield Hall, with vinegar instead of mayonnaise. My last couple of days in Europe were spent getting wasted every night with Hert and Kyle, two American soldiers I met in Paris who really changed my perspective on wars. I can never watch another war flick or read news about wars the same way again.

The previous posts are a year late and I’m currently in Beijing embarking on the next chapter of my life. Snow cheers me up in these negative temperatures.

to http://burabura.me!

I am moving to China this Sunday and since WordPress is banned over there (read: the Great Firewall of China), I’m transferring burabura to my own web hosting. A little ironic that a has-been web designer is now using off-the-rack blogging solutions, free themes and free hosting when she’s perfectly capable of scripting and designing, and has existing web hosting plans with Media Temple. *shrugs*

See you on the other side!

Sorting the ephemeras I collected during my first backpacking trip in December last year. I’m still not a firm believer of ‘everything happens for a reason’ but as luck would have it, I won a ticket to Paris at a CozyCot Holy Grail Private Party. (Thank you, CozyCot.)

A single return ticket to Paris via KLM, which may I add, is the best airline I’ve travelled with yet. Almost a year on, I have now exhausted my savings after visiting a couple more countries in Asia since Europe and got a CELTA last month. Let me attempt to record what I experienced last winter before I leave to teach in China and start a new chapter.

You’d say it’s home sweet home for me right now but I’d rather be somewhere else in the world living without the comforts of a 24/7 mother, caring and concerned father and sister, and friends who miss me. Not sure if selfish is the appropriate adjective for me but there’s so much I want to see and experience in this world. Wish I’d embarked on this journey a few years earlier.

I found people visiting my blog searching for How to get a CELTA B? instead of What to bring for CELTA? and decided to write this down: I got 3 Above Standard (AS) and 5 To Standard (TS) grades for my teaching practice (TP) with 1 re-submit for my assignment, my friend scored 6 AS and 2 TS without any re-submits; we both got a Pass B. In our hearts, he is a Pass A. Perhaps your best bet is to read the CELTA Syllabus before the course. Digest everything you learn during the course, refer to the guide before every TP, then execute them. Sounds easy? There’s a reason why they emphasize that it is a very intensive and challenging course.

Meanwhile, I’m busy trading in my gadgets and toy collections for extra cash. Note to self: get Certificate of No Criminal Conviction (CNCC), apply for visa, and get a couple more original transcripts before I embark on the next adventure of my life – look for a job in another country.

Updates:
(1) “Photocopy of document from relevant consulate/immigration authority/government bodies to show proof that the certificate is required by such authority” is required to get a CNCC.
(2) Very long queue at China Embassy, be early.

Dear Michi,

All is well over here, please let Pa and Mummy know and tell them not to worry.

Golden Sweat has been very accommodating with my nonsense and makes sure I get to school on time every day. He is very smart and helps me a lot, especially on grammar and phonetics. When I get too stressed with school, he encourages me. He also packs food for me when I am rushing for my assignments and makes Milo for me every morning.

I bought a new Paul Frank bikini on Saturday and have been swimming every day since. (Splurge, I know.) The pool water is cleaner after the rain, or maybe I can’t see too well at night.

The Pool - Day & Night

My classmates are awesome. I think it’s the Western culture. They’re very friendly and generous with compliments and encouragement. I’d love to say the same to them, and I truly mean what I say, but somehow I just find it hard to express myself.

I taught a new pre-intermediate class and got an “above standard” for my lesson today! It was probably my lesson plan that scored. I had a good warmer leading in to my context for teaching comparatives and superlatives and I used my students as examples. My little “invention” of a bigger or smaller game where they form sentences like “A cat is bigger than a rat,” or “My eraser is smaller than a rat,” went quite well even though I was running a little late into the lesson. The pre-intermediate students took a little longer than I’d anticipated for a worksheet they had to complete. I miss my students from the intermediate class!

Origami dice

Kenji visited us over the weekend and they helped me with these origami dice. I got the instructions off this YouTube video. School’s been absolutely exhausting and I have 3 lessons and an assignment due this week! Kenji and Golden Sweat went to Ayuthaya on Saturday but I didn’t join them. Just gotta tide over this week and the next two weeks will be more relaxed!

Working hard and healthy!

Love,
Jie

House @Dempsey

JH brought me to Dempsey for some Ben & Jerry’s (love cookie dough). I’ve never been to Dempsey mainly because it’s so inconveniently located (without a car) and because my friends don’t hang out there. Only one out of four photos I took that night turned out nice, I guess 25% isn’t too bad a ratio.

http://www.dempseyhouse.com/

Uploaded via mobile

Came across this book when Suya lent it to Kenji when we were in Bangkok and I went to borrow a copy from the National Library (I seem to be the only non-student I know who borrows from NLB regularly). I absolutely adore this book and I’m so gonna get a copy for my personal library. Makes me want to buy the LC-A+ Traveller Package NOW!!! The 25th anniversary promo does not ease my pain. $_$

Kevin Meredith http://www.analogintelligence.co.uk/hot_shots_launch/

I like the title for this article: Have Weekend Bag, Will Travel. I was looking for a weekend bag and came across this really cute Doctor’s Bag by MowLift.

Source: MowLift

My colleague likes my Burberry’s gift with purchase weekender but it’s very, very worn. I like his agnès b or maybe something similar to Porter. No LeSportsac or Cath Kidston, thank you.

Went to the gym on Saturday only to realize I forgot my water bottle and padlock (for the locker)! Goes to show how long I haven’t hit the gym to actually forget them. So I went to Outdoor Life, conveniently located below the gym at Novena Velocity and got this TSA recognized, magenta padlock.

Travel Sentry padlock

TSA screens every passenger’s baggage before it is placed on an airplane. While our technology allows us to electronically screen bags, there are times when we need to physically inspect a piece of luggage. TSA has worked with several companies to develop locks that can be opened by security officers using universal “master” keys so that the locks may not have to be cut.

I was packing my room this afternoon and found all these different currencies I have, all over the place!

Get money, b*tch!

In the end, I sorted them out and put them into individual purses. I need a coin pouch with multiple compartments.

小錢包

By the way, I’m going to Bangkok this weekend and I got 2 new cameras! Can’t wait!! See you next week!