Back on the Horse

If you have an important point to make, don't try to be subtle or clever. Use a pile driver. Hit the point once. Then come back and hit it again. Then hit it a third time - a tremendous whack.
Winston Churchill


I did it again.

I neglected blogging again. Like so many things in my life, I kept putting it off for one reason or the other. I can give the same reason that I used to give... That there are so many things going on that I don't know
what to write. Or that I'm too busy to go online and start typing away. But then I'd be lying. So enough with
the excuses. Enough with the reasons.

I could've written about the CELTA. Wrote about my day to day schedule, the assignments, the jokes, the drinking and my friends. I could've written about the vacation I had after that, decisions I had to make, and changes I forced on myself to do. But of course, I didn't.

So now. Back to writing.

CELTA mode

Sorry I've been MIA for a while. I moved to Saigon last Thursday and started the CELTA course on Monday. I've probably mentioned it before but I'll just say this again. CELTA is an initial quailfication for experienced/non-experienced teachers of the English language. It can last from four weeks to over a year. I'm doing mine at ILA Vietnam (51 Nguyen Cu Trinh St., District 1, Ho Chi Minh City) and it's supposed to last for four weeks.

Week 1 was a whirlwind of activities. I met 10 participants and some ILA people in a welcome dinner at BBQ Garden last Saturday night. 845am Monday morning we were in school to meet the rest and start the course. Day 1 was the easiest day of course.  Orientation, a sample of a foreign language lesson and we met our tutors for lesson planning. There are 18 of us all together and we're divided into 3 groups. We do input sessions together but lesson planning and teaching practices, we're with our tutors and 5 other groupmates. The whole group is great, not just the "A-Team" which I'm on, but all 18 of us. Benita, one of our tutors, mentioned that we're a strong group. It might partly be because some of us are experienced teachers, but I think it's because everyone is so into doing the course and everybody's helping out everybody. There's no competition to speak of, which is great, because it's not high school. We all have the same goal and we're being assessed individually anyway.

The youngest person in class is Ginny, a fresh graduate from Pennsylvania. The eldest might be Viviene, a Filipina who's worked in China and Saudi Arabia as a teacher. All 3 trainers are British, the trainees are 3 Filipinos (including me), 1 Canadian, 1 Polish, 2 Australians, 5 Brits and 6 Americans. Everybody's so different, it's interesting to see what everyone does. Teaching styles and approaches vary and we see something different everyday, even from tutors, so I get different ideas all the time. Whenever friends and family ask me how it's going, I say that information overload's difficult and can be overwhelming. At the same, though, it keeps me on my toes and wakes up my neurons which I feel has been dying in my 2 years in VN.

This week I only taught twice but next week I'll be doing 3 teaching practices. That means 2 lesson plans that I need to pass and show my trainer--written lesson plans are required from TP4 to 9. First assignment is due in the middle of the week so I want to finish that by Monday night. Starting Tuesday, I'll be in the Pre-Intermediate class along with my groupmates. We started out teaching Elementary level but we're switching to Pre-Intermediate class after my TP3 then Intermediate class the following week.

It's not all work and no play by the way. I've been doing yoga and I've been out with some of my CELTA mates. After teacher observations Thursday night, I was out drinking and playing drunken darts till 3am with some other people. It was funny the next day because they were so worried that I might miss school. One of the guys was so woozy, he went home for a nap at lunchtime. Friday night we went out for a bit then last night we had yogurt at Penguin's then Karaoke at Pham Ngu Lao. It's supposed to be an advance celebration for Ginny's birthday on the 19th. Oh yeah, last night was the first time I drank Korean soju. Candice and Jamie, who worked in Korea, said that they needed some shots before we could head to the karaoke place. We walked past a Korean restaurant and they figured soju would do the trick. They even had a drinking game--Submarine, shot glass floating in a mug if beer, you use your other hand (left for righties and vice versa) to pour some soju in. If the shot glass sinks, you have to drink it all up. I had to drink 2 mugs in a row. Aargh! We had just come from the yogurt place where I had 2 or 3 glasses of tra da (local iced tea) plus I don't really like the taste of beer. It took me a while to finish the 2nd mug but after a bathroom break, I got back into the game. Todd drank the last shot of soju because he lost in a Rock-Paper-Scissors game to Jamie. After that, we went to 357 Karaoke and stayed for 2 hours. Anyway, drinks or no drinks, I was trying to get away with not singing much but Ginny and Richard kept at it till I held the microphone again. We ended the night with Bohemian Rhapsody.

OK, that's it for this week. I have to go to the bookstore, buy some pens and head over to ILA for lesson planning and possibly starting my assignment. =)

Hunting for Accommodation in Saigon

I'm moving to Saigon next week to get ready for my CELTA course on October 11. Last Sunday I stayed overnight in Saigon so I'd have time to for apartment/room hunting. I was busy meeting friends for lunch and dinner on Sunday so I started Monday morning with a light breakfast then I was off.

I found a couple of agents with websites and narrowed it down to 3 who had a lot of listings for serviced rooms in District 1. The first one, Jon directed me to a place in Nguyen Canh Chan St. He wasn't around to meet me personally so he just called the maid who let me in and showed me around. The house was in a quiet alley and seemed like a nice place but it costs $300-330 without electricity and I don't think I'd like to walk to school from there. The other two agents I spoke to, said they'd get back to me after I said that I'd prefer a room within walking distance, gave my budget as $250 a month but said I'd consider something a little higher if utilities were included. 

After Nguyen Canh Chan St., I went to ILA at 51 Nguyen Cu Trinh St. so I could start looking around for guesthouses nearby. The hotels/guesthouses I found within 500m-1km from the school ranged from $340-500 a month. All had wifi, fridge, ac and cable TV. Some of them let me look at the rooms and some turned me away. Others that were a little bit further in the backpacker district cost $180-320 a month. If I were just staying for a day or two I wouldn't mind a room without a fridge but a month without one ---- where would I put food, hmmm.... There was one rude lady who said she had a room available but when she found out I wouldn't be moving in till next week, she pushed me away and said that all her rooms were occupied. I was a bit miffed but after more than 2 years in Vietnam, I've faced worse than that, so rather than let it ruin my day, I just shook my head, shrugged my shoulders and moved on.

I had a quiet lunch on De Tham St. then met agent number two, Tony Ngo. He's short, about my age and seemed like a nice, mellow guy. He showed me two places around District 1, the first one was at 69/22 De Tham St., $300 all utilities included. I was showed an occupied room, it was big and airy, everything was well kept and the bathroom was nice and clean. Second one was on a side alley connected to Tran Hung Dao St. It has an elevator, available rooms range from $260-320, electricity not included. If I had a roomate, I probably would've chosen the first one. 

The last agent I met was from VNRental, Tin sent over a guy named Alex to take me around. Can't remember the name of the street for the first house, but it was quite far and the house had a weird smell. The place was clean, I guess, but the walls were a bit dingy and the place was cluttered. It seemed like families lived there, not sure how big the house was because it had a lot of rooms. The room I was showed had a small window, own bathroom, wifi, TV, fridge and even a small kitchen with an exhaust fan. It costs $200 a month, electricity not included. It was a good deal, I guess but it was far from the school and I'd have to pass under a flyover to get to it. The second place he found for me was the same place on Tran Hung Dao st. that Tony showed me, however, he said it would only cost me $250 a month. I apologized to Tony and decided on the Tran Hung Dao room.

Wednesday morning I went back to Saigon to meet the landlord and sign a contract. He speaks a little English and mentioned that a Filipino used to live there, too. He said that since I was a teacher, he won't ask for a deposit anymore. I paid the $250 up front and he said that that was it.

If you want to see pictures, click on this. I can't tell which one is mine because they look the same because of the sheets but I have a small room because I got the cheapest one. Anyway, the pictures are pretty accurate, the house is newish and very well kept.

Litterbugs Beware!

Bishop supports MMDA’s revival of anti-littering law

By LESLIE ANN G. AQUINO
September 5, 2010, 3:57pm
http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/275693/bishop-supports-mmda-s-revival-antilittering-law

This was the heading of the newsletter I received today from the EcoWaste Coalition. Yey! I think it's about time. If people start having to take responsibility for their litter, they'll probably take more time in thinking about the amount of trash they produce.

Some years ago, I was on a jeepney (i.e. means of transportation in the Philippines originally made from US military jeeps left over from WW II), when I saw a mom and her young daughter eating peanuts. The kid  was about 6 years old and was trying to hold the peanut shells in one hand while eating with the other hand. The mom, on the other hand, would crack open a peanut, eat the kernel and throw the shell onto the jeepney floor. I guess the mom finally noticed the kid holding on to the shells, they were getting a bit too much for her small hand and she was looking helplessly toward the trash can a few feet away----the mother, took her kid's arm and shook it till the shells dropped to the floor. She snapped at her kid and basically told her daughter that she was stupid for not doing that in the first place. I wanted to scream and rail at the mother right then and there. However, at that time, I was a kid myself, and I didn't feel like I could get in the way of her revolting parenting skills.

That's just one of the littering incidents that happen everyday back home... It probably happens in a lot of other places, but it doesn't make it right. It'll take a while before Filipinos become as disciplined as most people are in Singapore, but baby steps towards a litter-free environment is way better than no steps at all.

Traditional Turned Digital

A few years ago if you had asked me to choose between ebooks and "real" books I would've probably chosen the latter. Like millions of other bookworms I have an attachment to the written word, ink & paper, fonts and binding. Yet these days if you ask me what I've been doing on the computer all day, 8 out 10 times, I'd answer that I've been reading ebooks.

I first got into ebooks a few years back when I read some book reviews but didn't have the funds to buy a book. I stumbled onto free ebook sites and began to find books I didn't own. Eventually, my growing addiction to anime brought me to manga and reading online became a habit. Given the chance and the money, I still went on book shopping sprees and continued filling my bookshelves with books. However, I moved to Vietnam in 2008 and acquiring printed books was put to a stop. English language novels aren't that common in bookstores here. In fact, I would have to go to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh) to find them and even then my choices would still be limited. There are a few secondhand stores here in Vung Tau that sell old English novels, but they mostly are of the dog-eared romance paperback variety. So that's why I now turn to ebooks when I need my daily book fix.

Ebooks are so easy to obtain these days, I have thousands of them in CDs and in my hard drive. I have started uploading them to a 4shared site in case something ever happens. I have also thought about it and for a greener future, this might be a better option than having them on paper. Less trees to cut.

Sometimes I envy people who mention that they just bought a new book... I still miss the smell of books, old or new. I miss touching the pages and rifling through the book for something specific. But ebooks aren't so bad, after all, it's the text that counts. Or so I keep telling myself.

Daiso Japan Store Haul

I am not a shopper. You can ask my family or friends and they'll tell you the same thing. But today, I was in Now Zone Shopping Mall in Saigon. As I was heading out, I passed by a Daiso Japan Store and I couldn't resist going in. FYI, Daiso Japan Store sells various items for a cheap price. They've got stuff you probably don't even think you'd find or need. In Japan, items cost 100 yen, in the Philippines 88 or 66 pesos, in Viet Nam 35 thousand dong or $1.80. Most of the items are made in other countries but it says on the back of the packaging "Produced for Daiso Japan."

I spent almost $24 on these items.

I bought the following:

• 2 handy white boards - always useful to have those around when you're a (language) teacher like I am. 
• 2 pc. set of shoe brushes - made of coconut fiber and useful for removing stubborn dirt.
• 340mL watering bottle (for dogs) - going to use this for my no 'poo habit, for baking soda and water or ACV rinse

Instead of using disposable body scrubbers, I'm going to switch to washcloth. The fabric is made of cotton threads and milk fiber.

I figure I'll be needing this when I go to HCM and will be using someone else's washing machine. Also, our lint catcher here is quite old and threadbare.

Something to add to my baking soda shampoo mix or ACV rinse. I wasn't sure about the other scents so this'll do for now.

This storage bag is meant for paperbacks but I'm planning to use it for storing my other lightweight items. Dimensions are 16cm x30cm x12cm. If this proves durable, I might buy other sizes next time.

I bought 5 reusable shopping bags. The designs were cute and it took me a while to choose. The third one from the left (black) and the striped bag on the bottom is mine but the other 3 are for friends who I'm trying to introduce to the reusable vs. disposable lifestyle.

If I end up moving to Saigon to work and need stuff for my new apartment, the crew at Daiso will easily become my new best friends. :D

Saigon Daiso Japan Store is located on 3rd floor Business Center Now Zone, No. 253 Nguyen Van Cu Street, District 1, HCMC.

No 'Poo Update

9 days of no 'poo!

I used Pantene shampoo on my hair last Wednesday, 25th of August. At that time I wasn't really planning on going no 'poo, I just figured I'd use less shampoo on my hair.

Day 1: no 'poo and no conditioner - hair was alright, not greasy and not dry, either
Day 2: 'no poo, used Sunsilk conditioner - soft, a little greasy but looked and felt alright
Day 3: 'no poo, Sunsilk conditioner - my scalp felt icky and greasy but my friends didn't say anything so I guess it wasn't that bad. I saw a few white flakes on my hair
Day 4: 'no poo, Sunsilk conditioner - greasy and itchy
Day 5: baking soda, Sunsilk conditoner - bad hair day in the morning so I put on a baseball cap. Was finally able to buy baking soda and ACV, worried about vinegar smell and had to go to class so just used baking soda and water. I just used a bit dissolved in water because i was nervous about it. My hair was still a bit greasy after washing it.
Day 6: baking soda, Sunsilk conditioner - 1 tsp used like paste and 1 tsp dissolved in water. Hair was still a bit greasy but the edges were dry.
Day 7: baking soda, Sunsilk conditioner - same as yesterday but hair felt better. Scalp was clean but stung a bit when I massaged the concoction in.
Day 8: baking soda, Sunsilk conditioner in the morning - my hair felt more like its usual self, not greasy or dry but had fly away edges. It was a bit itchy, though.
baking soda, Bath & Body coconut verbena conditioner in the afternoon - hair was a bit dry at first but became better as the night progressed. See picture below. After a night of dancing and smoky bar air, it looked amazing.

Day 9: B&B coconut verbena conditioner - less itchy than the day before but it wasn't dry or greasy.

I've started telling my friends here in Vietnam about what I'm doing but I don't think I convinced anyone to try it. I've told my sister and she offered to bring me organic shampoo... I think I'll try going no 'poo for 2 months. If there's a bad reaction and my scalp never adjusts then that'll be an option. But think about it... one less plastic bottle for the trash.