Don't play with it

So invigilating Common Entrance exams wasn't half as bad as i was expecting it to be... dare i say it was fun even?

I now have my time table.. I collected it from college.. Oh bleh.. the reality of my impending exam.

Not much else to update on...

I bounced into Martin at college. He kept me company for a good bit of the rest of my afternoon. He was the model for Shev and I. 'Twas fun sketching him.

I saw Zel at the Esplanade Mall. Everything is alright with her.

My allergies are acting up...and i'm hungry...

So i shall be off..
about...
now.
Shelli out.

Today's workshop was alright. It wasn't particularly great, but it was alright. I remember us doing lesson planning exercises, but that's about as far as i remember. The food was good. *shrug*

Afterward the workshop, i took the bus back to town. It was a nice ride... i should do long rides more often... Bounced into several of my students. Then i went to my dad's office to kill time while i waited on Mitchie(Shev) to arrive.

She did around 4.30 P.M., on time. We sketched for a bit. Before she arrived, i was sitting on the Square sketching a couple school girls engaged in a heavy bout of "Can you believe she said that?" and "how i hear it so i telling you" to the point of being oblivious of my presence. A bit after Shev arrived, one of the girls realized i was sketching her friend - and they left.

Oh well... I then proceeded to attempt to sketch Shev instead. I can't quite decide how to say how successful that mission was...



It seems i've reached a writing block. I've had my pencil poised in my hand whole night... and nothing of substance is reaching the paper, except a series of rhythmless, nonsensical lines...

Maybe this is my hint. My, i-should-go-study hint.

I'm off.
I have nothing more to say tonight.
Shelli (reluctantly) out.

~~~

Today's been a good day.

Honestly, the English workshop was good - the morning half that is. It wasn't anything personal, but i wasn't fully a part of the afternoon session. The post-lunch, surrounded by outside noise environment, wasn't particularly conducive to paying rapt attention.

I learned so much from the morning session. Well, not necessarily learned per se, but i was able to learn some new techniques to use on my students. Each of them just brimming over with untapped potential... just waiting for me to find a technique that works to tap it.

Richie had some pretty good ideas. To help generate an interest in reading, he reads to his students every Friday. By reads to them, i mean he selects an interesting story/book and reads in class and then stops at a climax point to keep them in suspense. I think that's a brilliant idea. He said that since doing so, he's actually seen that some interest in reading has been generated amongst the students.

Also, another approach was to take their role model's work and present it to the class in a "they do it too" way... Like, he presented Tupac Shakur's book of poetry "The Rose That Grew From Concrete". And the kids go all.. "aw.. dey does write? dey does read?". How about that? I think it could work...

~~~

I saw Carly for the first in a couple months, looking adorable in her work suit. I saw Liz. Umm.... well Ms. G and Ms. R from our school.. Lis was with me... who else? Richie. I saw Richie. And Mitchie.. Earlier in the morning, i bounced into Daniele.

~~~

I FINALLY FOUND THE SONG!!

After craning my neck to place my ear against the mesh on my window, just to hear the words of the song... That the bar across the street on the main road insists on playing very loudly every night along with some other music that can only be defined as "Real schupidness".... It sounded like an 80s song, and the words were too muffled for me to identify anything to work with on a Google search.

Lo and Behold... whilst going to the workshop in St. Davids... I heard it!! I made a note of the words... and then... and then... the radio guy announced the song. I almost clicked my heels in utter delight - granted there were many limitations to my actually clicking my heels, such as there was a lot of people on the bus, i would've looked silly, and i can't actually click my heels like Fred Flintstone.. Oh and i'd have to be standing for it to work.... hmm...


I'm happy.
I'm off to study now.
Like seriously.
Good night.
Ciao.
Shelli out.

OH! and congrats to me... 800 hits on my hit counter.

Nite y'all.

I was reading Ru's blog... and i stumbled across this. I laughed. It's classic. It's true, well to me. In my... humblest opinion. LOL.

May 1st, 8.31 pm

Random Chat at CM

Playing chess online today at the best chess site ever, www.chessmaniac.com and one guy who's user name happens to be Osama Bin Laden joins up talking about 9/11 One of the other members' reply came as

Osama: I crash planes into buildings and blow stuff up
Other Member: That's a lie Osama, you need two idiots to pull that sorta stuff off OSAMA & BUSH

~~~

Now that we're done with that.

I was watching local news today. Yes, that rare moment has come around. I only heard and understood bits and pieces, but what's this about legislation being changed .. or amended..? Lands in perpetuity no longer under such and are free and open to the clutches of any one willing to purchase? Ahem... including park land and natural monuments? Land that was once reserved solely for the aesthetics of the country, the history of the people, and enjoyment of all the generations...

Like.. Mt. Hartman... the dove sanctuary. No one has any problem with development of the country... The issue is the long lasting effects of such...

What ever happened to sustainable development?

Before i talk and mis-talk and put myself in trouble... let me go look for something solid.

*grabs The Grenada Advocate newspaper 'Fri. April 27th, 2007'*

New CEO for Four Seasons Development Company

*scans through rambling* someone leaving post...qualifications...people are delighted.. mutter mutter mutter mutter...AHA! Something of substance...

The Four Seasons development in Grenada will encompass Mt. Hartman and Hog Island, and building is scheduled to commence later on this year.

hmm.... interesting... *turns page*

Grenada Dove: The 'hart' of sustainable development
by Jennifer Ellard-Deveney

One of the greatest challenges in sustainable development is reaching consensus among viewpoints that can vary as widely as sustainable development solutions can be perceived. Defining a 'sustainable development path' is no easy accomplishment. The attempt to define sustainability virtually began in 1972 during the Stockholm summit on People and the Environment...

...Just as this debate has been raging on the world stage for decades, so it is happening in Grenada now. Civil society groups are now raising a critical eye of observance on a recent amendment to the parks act and plans to develop an area that has been reserved to protect the country's national and critically endangered National bird, the Grenada dove.

...The Government does not believe they are abandoning their environmental responsibilities by allowing development to take place on Mount Hartman Estate; the land area that had been reserved as parkland, and is now at the centre of this controversy. The Government is attempting to balance economic needs with long-term land management options. The environmental screen of the proposed development plan suggests that the steps being taken to the Dove may actually enhance its preservation rather than threaten...

right... i'm not absolutely sure but i think they've reduced the amount of land for the dove. Insert --> here <-- here=""> anytime how exactly this "enhances" it's preservation? I've been on this island all my life... and never seen this dove. I can count on one hand, the people who have seen it, and they're not even sure.

The dove is endemic to the island.

Like i said... so much for sustainable development. We preach it in our classrooms... and this is how we provide examples of what it should look like eh?

Brendon says:
well from what i've heard and read, i have no problem with them encouraging foreign/private investors to help further develop the areas/lands.

But i will not under any circumstances condone undermining of Grenadian's citizen right as towards selling off our national parks/crown lands to these people , surely without a proper referendum.

Frankie says:
I think it's another one of the government's schemes. The ammendment is obviously and completely in contradiction to the primary act. I think that they've run out of nationally owned things that they can sell to private owners legally. So now they wanna alter the legislation so that they can basically sell anything they choose. It's a complete disregard for national pride. By a desperate, out of options, corrupt, bankrupt and neck high in debt administration.

The primary act basically states that the nationally owned parts are to remain nationally owned in perpetuity for the enjoyment of the children of Grenada. Now they wanna implement legislation to give, of all people, the governor general power to transfer ownership if the same parts to anyone. the Governor general is practically a member of the NNP regime.

Ru says:
Its not passed yet. No one can touch the land. It was brought up and presented to parliament. They're supposed to make the decision. As to what I think, I'm a STRAIGHT UP DOWN GRENADIAN. If I could take back the entire country as ours I would.

So that's hardly a wide cross-section of opinions... But it's a few voices... and every voice matters right?

~~~

Oh.. today is Labour day.

I slept too much today. This shall be the first and last time i ever do such a thing.. I don't understand how people could sleep their lives away. I felt so lethargic when i got up.

anyways,
shelli out.