Life is going slooooooow. I'm bored! I watered my plants twice, repotted one of them, then watched them grow. Seriously. And I hit Hobby Lobby two days in a row to find something to occupy my time. Erin talked me into knitting a scarf (it'd probably be winter again by the time I get done), and I also made a wedding gift for Charlotte and a graduation gift for a friend. THATs how bored I am.
So anyway, thats why I made plans to visit my friend up in Chicago next week. We're going to watch the musical Wicked!!! Its $100+ apiece but then everyone tells me its the best show they've ever watched. And maybe we can go to Chinatown for some tim sum and bubble tea, and maybe visit a museum. :)
Oh and my supervisor told me that I'd be picking up a new PD client at the veterans home! More schmaperwork fun. But at least it means I should cover my adult hours this summer and hopefully NOT need to get any more adult clients in the Fall. I really miss working with kids.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Friday, May 30, 2008
Twister!!!
How to tell when a tornado is headed your way:
1. The sky suddenly turns SUPER dark, cloudy and green after being sunny and cloudless all day
2. Howling winds
3. Tornado siren!!
The electricity was flickering on and off, the siren was blaring, winds were howling.. very scary!! It was like the movie Twister. TV reports kept telling people to stay in their basements, but I really didn't want to go hang out with the washer and dryer. And also, I wanted to stay close to the TV to get more updates (I should really invest in a battery-operated radio..). In the end, I just decided to stay in my apartment, hands clutching my cell phone and eyes glued to the TV and also to the neighbors. A lot of them were just standing outside watching the sky, so I figured I would run when I see them do so. ;P
But anyway, the storm has passed us and is heading east towards Dana and Delphi so I figure I'm safe. For now. I wish Johanna was here since she grew up in Oklahoma and would probably know best what to do!
Now I'm watching videos on Youtube of crazy people who drive towards tornadoes to get good footage. Omg.
1. The sky suddenly turns SUPER dark, cloudy and green after being sunny and cloudless all day
2. Howling winds
3. Tornado siren!!
The electricity was flickering on and off, the siren was blaring, winds were howling.. very scary!! It was like the movie Twister. TV reports kept telling people to stay in their basements, but I really didn't want to go hang out with the washer and dryer. And also, I wanted to stay close to the TV to get more updates (I should really invest in a battery-operated radio..). In the end, I just decided to stay in my apartment, hands clutching my cell phone and eyes glued to the TV and also to the neighbors. A lot of them were just standing outside watching the sky, so I figured I would run when I see them do so. ;P
But anyway, the storm has passed us and is heading east towards Dana and Delphi so I figure I'm safe. For now. I wish Johanna was here since she grew up in Oklahoma and would probably know best what to do!
Now I'm watching videos on Youtube of crazy people who drive towards tornadoes to get good footage. Omg.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Random thoughts
Spring is literally in the air, and I'm having the worst allergies. I can only assume its the pollen causing it because I get it every spring.
Anyway, I just added another $55 to my NYC fund babysitting Av today. Babysitting is gooood money, and great fun too. I mean, I get paid twice as much as last summer's job waitressing at Balaclava, and thats not even counting the suffering I go through being on my feet for hours, inhaling a ton of smoke, working unearthly hours, grouchy coworkers, completely brainless tasks..
How is it that I'm more appreciated in the US than in my own country? Since I've been in the US (less than 2 years), I've already made at least $104,000 in income and benefits, 10x more than what I've made in my 22 years in Sg. But more than that, its also that people are so much nicer! How is it that I get better treatment here as a foreigner than I do at home as a citizen? It doesn't even make any sense!
Anyway, I just added another $55 to my NYC fund babysitting Av today. Babysitting is gooood money, and great fun too. I mean, I get paid twice as much as last summer's job waitressing at Balaclava, and thats not even counting the suffering I go through being on my feet for hours, inhaling a ton of smoke, working unearthly hours, grouchy coworkers, completely brainless tasks..
How is it that I'm more appreciated in the US than in my own country? Since I've been in the US (less than 2 years), I've already made at least $104,000 in income and benefits, 10x more than what I've made in my 22 years in Sg. But more than that, its also that people are so much nicer! How is it that I get better treatment here as a foreigner than I do at home as a citizen? It doesn't even make any sense!
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Cooking away!
Went to the veteran's home again this morning. Our supervisor worked us but good. She made us stay a whole hour longer than we were supposed to - doing paperwork! Paperwork schmaperwork. Anyway, although I'd rather be working with kids, I do rather enjoy reading the files of veterans. I am SUCH a sucker for war stories. I love reading about which wars they fought in, for how long, which division they were in.. blahblah. These are people who have fought in real wars!!! How cool is that (Not that war is cool, but you know what I mean).
Sadly.. from their files, it seems that a lot of them kindof fell apart when they returned home after the war. It must be very hard to grow old and not be able to do so many of the things you took for granted when you were young. Like speaking, socializing, seeing, hearing...!! I don't wonder that they are depressed. (Apparently the SLP at Tan Tock Seng had reported that my paternal grandmother was depressed too before she passed away, although my family fervently denies it!)
Been cooking quite a bit lately. Today my new Japanese friend Erisa-san came over to our place and we made tempura for dinner, which was very very good. :)) Meeting different people is fun - from the little preschoolers to the 90-year-old veterans, people of different countries, cities, religions, ethnicity... It makes me realize that there is so much about life that I still don't know. I guess I will never be able to explore and learn it all, but I can die trying. ;)
Sadly.. from their files, it seems that a lot of them kindof fell apart when they returned home after the war. It must be very hard to grow old and not be able to do so many of the things you took for granted when you were young. Like speaking, socializing, seeing, hearing...!! I don't wonder that they are depressed. (Apparently the SLP at Tan Tock Seng had reported that my paternal grandmother was depressed too before she passed away, although my family fervently denies it!)
Been cooking quite a bit lately. Today my new Japanese friend Erisa-san came over to our place and we made tempura for dinner, which was very very good. :)) Meeting different people is fun - from the little preschoolers to the 90-year-old veterans, people of different countries, cities, religions, ethnicity... It makes me realize that there is so much about life that I still don't know. I guess I will never be able to explore and learn it all, but I can die trying. ;)
Monday, May 26, 2008
Memorial Day
We went to Amee and Jeremiah's place for a Memorial Day cookout last night. We made:
chocolate strawberry cupcakes (which taste just as good as they look!), and..
patriotic rice!!!! It was inspired by Johanna's story of how her family colored the rice green one year for St. Pat's day. We've been having SO much fun with food coloring. ;) Just think, in the future we can also make Halloween rice, Christmas rice, Valentine's Day rice, Easter rice... (On a side note, its also a good way to get your kids to eat some more. My friend's 2-yr-old son was captivated by the colors ;))
Anyway, I almost cried during Memorial Day service at church yesterday. They had a ceremony for the soldiers from our county (Tippecanoe) that have died in the last few years. Some of their family members were present and they were tearing, and there were some people that I know who were or are in the armed forces, and so I was very moved as well. Sometimes I think that the USA is full of Fox Mulders - all believing passionately in something and giving up their lives for it. Their beliefs sometimes seem "crazy", but I still deeply admire the passion.
Yesterday I also met so many cool people in church!! I met this amazing Japanese girl Erisa who attends a Baptist university in Wisconsin with a major in biblical counseling and a minor in music. She is here for the summer studying biblical counseling at my church and her parents are missionaries in Japan. She said she'd teach me some Japanese because I've always wanted to learn (and also because people always think I look Japanese!).
At the parking lot Erisa and I bumped into Courtney's parents and siblings, including her little 2-year-old sister who was recently adopted from China! (How coincidental is that? *see previous post) Anyway when I get the chance to, I'd find out more about adoption from them. They are one of many white American families I've seen that have adopted little girls from China. Even Johanna said her mom is thinking of adopting, even tho she already had a huge family of 5 girls, 1 boy!
And there's more! We were talking by the campfire and Amee told us how she and Jeremiah were travel nurses for about 3 years. Its like contract nursing - they move from state to state to the places they want to go to and work in hospitals there for a couple of months. They went to San Francisco, Vegas, South Carolina... so much fun!! Yes, I admit its giving me ideas... HAHAHA. I should write to ASHA and suggest they come up with a similar "travel SLP" program!
chocolate strawberry cupcakes (which taste just as good as they look!), and..
patriotic rice!!!! It was inspired by Johanna's story of how her family colored the rice green one year for St. Pat's day. We've been having SO much fun with food coloring. ;) Just think, in the future we can also make Halloween rice, Christmas rice, Valentine's Day rice, Easter rice... (On a side note, its also a good way to get your kids to eat some more. My friend's 2-yr-old son was captivated by the colors ;))Anyway, I almost cried during Memorial Day service at church yesterday. They had a ceremony for the soldiers from our county (Tippecanoe) that have died in the last few years. Some of their family members were present and they were tearing, and there were some people that I know who were or are in the armed forces, and so I was very moved as well. Sometimes I think that the USA is full of Fox Mulders - all believing passionately in something and giving up their lives for it. Their beliefs sometimes seem "crazy", but I still deeply admire the passion.
Yesterday I also met so many cool people in church!! I met this amazing Japanese girl Erisa who attends a Baptist university in Wisconsin with a major in biblical counseling and a minor in music. She is here for the summer studying biblical counseling at my church and her parents are missionaries in Japan. She said she'd teach me some Japanese because I've always wanted to learn (and also because people always think I look Japanese!).
And then I met my friend Jeanie's parents who drove all the way from Pennsylvania to visit. They are the sweetest people. Her mom is such a darling old lady, and she even played Big Taboo! (which is like Taboo, Pictionary and Cranium rolled into one) with us at the cookout.
-- my latest acquisition from Amazon! --
-- my latest acquisition from Amazon! --At the parking lot Erisa and I bumped into Courtney's parents and siblings, including her little 2-year-old sister who was recently adopted from China! (How coincidental is that? *see previous post) Anyway when I get the chance to, I'd find out more about adoption from them. They are one of many white American families I've seen that have adopted little girls from China. Even Johanna said her mom is thinking of adopting, even tho she already had a huge family of 5 girls, 1 boy!
And there's more! We were talking by the campfire and Amee told us how she and Jeremiah were travel nurses for about 3 years. Its like contract nursing - they move from state to state to the places they want to go to and work in hospitals there for a couple of months. They went to San Francisco, Vegas, South Carolina... so much fun!! Yes, I admit its giving me ideas... HAHAHA. I should write to ASHA and suggest they come up with a similar "travel SLP" program!
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Memorial Day weekend
Its a long weekend! Although not like it makes a difference to me since I'm on semi-vacation now anyway. ;) Yesterday I tutored Korean guy again, although its not really tutoring since we just sit around and talk for an hour. All I do is help him find words or ways to say things when he has difficulty expressing himself. I enjoy talking with him about korean culture and finding out whether all those things they show in korean dramas are actually true. ;)
Anyway, I've decided to put all my babysitting and tutoring money this summer in a jar, to save up for NYC trip in the fall. So far I already have $85, which is 1/3 of my plane ticket and I can stay with my friend Sunitha in Jersey City so I won't need accommodation. I will need extra money to SHOP till I drop though. ;) *shivers with anticipation*
Johanna and I talked for a couple of hours last night exchanging our life stories and our crazy dreams about the future. Our families and background could not be more different. Her childhood dreams include being an actress and Miss Oklahoma. ;) I almost fell off the couch laughing when she told me she always imagined herself as Anne in Anne of Green Gables. That is sooo her, bright red hair and all! I told her my new fantasy is going to Africa and being an educator for UNICEF. I don't actually think it will happen, but I'm dreaming about it anyway.
Dear friend Charlotte (who is getting married in less than a month!) and I talked the other day about kids, and she was saying why have babies when there are already too many people on this earth and you can adopt? Thats a good point and definitely something to look into in the future, especially since another friend who had worked in an adoption agency told me a lot of the older kids (i.e. age 3 and above) have trouble finding homes. I am making it my new personal goal to put all my stupid fears aside and reach out to love people who are unloved.
Anyway, I've decided to put all my babysitting and tutoring money this summer in a jar, to save up for NYC trip in the fall. So far I already have $85, which is 1/3 of my plane ticket and I can stay with my friend Sunitha in Jersey City so I won't need accommodation. I will need extra money to SHOP till I drop though. ;) *shivers with anticipation*
Johanna and I talked for a couple of hours last night exchanging our life stories and our crazy dreams about the future. Our families and background could not be more different. Her childhood dreams include being an actress and Miss Oklahoma. ;) I almost fell off the couch laughing when she told me she always imagined herself as Anne in Anne of Green Gables. That is sooo her, bright red hair and all! I told her my new fantasy is going to Africa and being an educator for UNICEF. I don't actually think it will happen, but I'm dreaming about it anyway.
Dear friend Charlotte (who is getting married in less than a month!) and I talked the other day about kids, and she was saying why have babies when there are already too many people on this earth and you can adopt? Thats a good point and definitely something to look into in the future, especially since another friend who had worked in an adoption agency told me a lot of the older kids (i.e. age 3 and above) have trouble finding homes. I am making it my new personal goal to put all my stupid fears aside and reach out to love people who are unloved.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Another fun day
Life these couple of days has been pretty busy, but in a fun way. Today I babysat Av all day and it was fun. That kid has SO much energy its unreal. But he was really affectionate, which was very sweet. He kept cuddling up and giving me big hugs, and his parents said he was really excited about me coming. He's such a little sweetheart. ;)
Unfortunately he got upset when I had to leave that he actually started crying. I got lost twice driving back home because I kept thinking about it and feeling bad. Anyway I'd be seeing him once or twice next week again since his dad is having a dinner party for some board of directors from England or something and he wants me to watch Av so they can entertain in peace. Ha.
Johanna made dinner and we had two of our classmates over for dinner. She made hamburger turnovers (which are like apple turnovers but with beef stuffing) and salad. And we ate the cookies from yesterday for dessert. Very yummy :))
But now I have a headache so I'm going to bed early and hopefully wake up fine and dandy tomorrow. Nitey nite.
Unfortunately he got upset when I had to leave that he actually started crying. I got lost twice driving back home because I kept thinking about it and feeling bad. Anyway I'd be seeing him once or twice next week again since his dad is having a dinner party for some board of directors from England or something and he wants me to watch Av so they can entertain in peace. Ha.
Johanna made dinner and we had two of our classmates over for dinner. She made hamburger turnovers (which are like apple turnovers but with beef stuffing) and salad. And we ate the cookies from yesterday for dessert. Very yummy :))
But now I have a headache so I'm going to bed early and hopefully wake up fine and dandy tomorrow. Nitey nite.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Baking fun!
The cookie dough
The edible playdoh
The bakers (Johanna and me!)
The end products: 
Seriously, the edible playdoh recipe is SO AWESOME. Its just powdered sugar, corn syrup, salt and food coloring! The texture is like real playdoh so you can roll it out into different shapes, and you can squish them together to make different colors. Me and Johanna are quite the artists huh. :) I'll give a prize to anyone who can identify all the picture shapes!
But anyway, the reason why we were baking is because I'm babysitting Av all day tomorrow from 11am-5pm so I'm trying out the recipe first before we make it tomorrow. He'll probably really enjoy it and it'd be good for his fine motor skills too. :)
Today was our first day at the veterans home. It wasn't too bad. We screened a very sweet old lady, and we met our clients for the summer. My client has post-stroke aphasia and Johanna's client has Parkinson's. They were both very very nice too. So yeah, I guess it won't be too bad working with them. My client loves playing on the computer and so today we played a bit of the computer version of Jeopardy! which is seriously the toughest trivia game on the planet. Then we wrote like a ton of paperwork. That's the very worst thing about medical settings - the darn paperwork! And what's worse is that its all handwritten, which makes it just hellish to plow through and digest. Sigh. They should make all doctors and nurses go through MANDATORY handwriting courses.
Then I went in to work and sat through a 3-hour-long meeting! *yawn* But I'm thankful for my job, really I am. So that's my busy but fun day! :)
The edible playdoh
The bakers (Johanna and me!)
The end products: 
Seriously, the edible playdoh recipe is SO AWESOME. Its just powdered sugar, corn syrup, salt and food coloring! The texture is like real playdoh so you can roll it out into different shapes, and you can squish them together to make different colors. Me and Johanna are quite the artists huh. :) I'll give a prize to anyone who can identify all the picture shapes!But anyway, the reason why we were baking is because I'm babysitting Av all day tomorrow from 11am-5pm so I'm trying out the recipe first before we make it tomorrow. He'll probably really enjoy it and it'd be good for his fine motor skills too. :)
Today was our first day at the veterans home. It wasn't too bad. We screened a very sweet old lady, and we met our clients for the summer. My client has post-stroke aphasia and Johanna's client has Parkinson's. They were both very very nice too. So yeah, I guess it won't be too bad working with them. My client loves playing on the computer and so today we played a bit of the computer version of Jeopardy! which is seriously the toughest trivia game on the planet. Then we wrote like a ton of paperwork. That's the very worst thing about medical settings - the darn paperwork! And what's worse is that its all handwritten, which makes it just hellish to plow through and digest. Sigh. They should make all doctors and nurses go through MANDATORY handwriting courses.
Then I went in to work and sat through a 3-hour-long meeting! *yawn* But I'm thankful for my job, really I am. So that's my busy but fun day! :)
Monday, May 19, 2008
Lazing
Its been nice just lazing around. Trying to get as much rest as I can before all hell breaks loose on June 9. Tomorrow Sunitha and I are going to Indianapolis to pick up her driver's permit in person because she's afraid it won't arrive in time by Saturday, when she'd be leaving Lafayette for good! Ah I hate it that all my friends keep graduating!
On the bright side, she's moving to Jersey City, close to NYC and I plan to visit her either the last weekend of May or maybe August. I'm soooooooooooo wanting to go to New York, but then I don't know if I have that thousand bucks to spare. 1000 dollars, which I should probably save. But then you only live once right?? ;)
Anyway, the city of New York beckons. I swear its almost a conspiracy.. there was even an article about New Yorkers in this month's Smithsonian. And one of my clinic supervisors who had moved from NYC maybe 20 years ago keeps saying how much she missed it and if we wanna live there we should go right after we grad. ;P Maybe I should look into externship sites in NYC instead of Cali.
Today after church I went for lunch with a couple of people, including this girl whose parents are missionaries in Liberia. Anyway, she was saying about her parents had always taught her that the safest place to be is in the middle of God's will. And you shouldn't let this fear of not being "safe" prevent you from doing things that you should be doing, whether its serving in other countries or even in the inner city. I mean, I'm pretty adventurous but I have my limits.. and I've never dared to head out to Africa or certain 'scarier' places in Asia or South America, or to some extremely impoverished inner-city schools. But thats exactly where God's grace is needed the most, isn't it?
So, I learned something today.
On the bright side, she's moving to Jersey City, close to NYC and I plan to visit her either the last weekend of May or maybe August. I'm soooooooooooo wanting to go to New York, but then I don't know if I have that thousand bucks to spare. 1000 dollars, which I should probably save. But then you only live once right?? ;)
Anyway, the city of New York beckons. I swear its almost a conspiracy.. there was even an article about New Yorkers in this month's Smithsonian. And one of my clinic supervisors who had moved from NYC maybe 20 years ago keeps saying how much she missed it and if we wanna live there we should go right after we grad. ;P Maybe I should look into externship sites in NYC instead of Cali.
Today after church I went for lunch with a couple of people, including this girl whose parents are missionaries in Liberia. Anyway, she was saying about her parents had always taught her that the safest place to be is in the middle of God's will. And you shouldn't let this fear of not being "safe" prevent you from doing things that you should be doing, whether its serving in other countries or even in the inner city. I mean, I'm pretty adventurous but I have my limits.. and I've never dared to head out to Africa or certain 'scarier' places in Asia or South America, or to some extremely impoverished inner-city schools. But thats exactly where God's grace is needed the most, isn't it?
So, I learned something today.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Me and the President of the United States
Spokesperson for Bush
and lounging with Playboy owner, Hugh Hefner
at the Las Vegas Madam Tussauds! Haha. It was fun. I love how they have all the props, like the bunny ears and champagne bottle. There was also golf clubs so you can pretend to play with Tiger Woods. Bet my dad would love that!
I was looking through pictures on my laptop to make a poster collage of photos. I ordered a 30x20" one and I can't wait for it to arrive! In the meantime, here are some of my favorite pictures.. I totally even forgot I had some of them. ;P
Tower Bridge, London '05
and Singapore '06 (I think. Any of you guys remember?)
and lounging with Playboy owner, Hugh Hefner
at the Las Vegas Madam Tussauds! Haha. It was fun. I love how they have all the props, like the bunny ears and champagne bottle. There was also golf clubs so you can pretend to play with Tiger Woods. Bet my dad would love that!I was looking through pictures on my laptop to make a poster collage of photos. I ordered a 30x20" one and I can't wait for it to arrive! In the meantime, here are some of my favorite pictures.. I totally even forgot I had some of them. ;P
Tower Bridge, London '05
and Singapore '06 (I think. Any of you guys remember?)
Redecorating
Cleaning up apartment, hanging up pictures (that have been sitting in the closet for almost a year), assembling furniture (likewise), re-organizing closet.. that's what I'm up to this weekend. ;)
I resolve to be more organized this semester!!!
Weather has been alternating between perfectly gorgeous and rainy. Typical spring weather, I guess. Bought some plastic deck furniture for the balcony yesterday. When it gets sunnier I plan to sit out there and get a nice tan! I'm sick of this pasty yellow color I've been all winter.
My little plants are blooming. Its fun to wake up in the morning and be surprised by the new flowers that have sprung up overnight. :)
I resolve to be more organized this semester!!!
Weather has been alternating between perfectly gorgeous and rainy. Typical spring weather, I guess. Bought some plastic deck furniture for the balcony yesterday. When it gets sunnier I plan to sit out there and get a nice tan! I'm sick of this pasty yellow color I've been all winter.
My little plants are blooming. Its fun to wake up in the morning and be surprised by the new flowers that have sprung up overnight. :)
Friday, May 16, 2008
*moans miserably*
Okay wtf I was thinking??! How on earth did I end up with a schedule thats packed from 8:30 in the morning to 6pm every. single. day??? I have zero time for lunch breaks. Actually, I have no time for any breaks. All I have is 10 mins to run from one place to the next.
And that doesn't even include the time I'd spend writing lesson plans, SOAP notes, homework assignments...!!!! That'd probably be 7-10pm every day.
It appears that I'm looking at another semester of PB&J sandwiches, takeouts, McDonald's, yogurt/cookies/crackers/pretzels in little on-the-go packets and LOTS AND LOTS of coffee.
I blame Ben Franklin. It was his quote that I read that *inspired* me. He had better be right.
Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that's the stuff life is made of.
And that doesn't even include the time I'd spend writing lesson plans, SOAP notes, homework assignments...!!!! That'd probably be 7-10pm every day.
It appears that I'm looking at another semester of PB&J sandwiches, takeouts, McDonald's, yogurt/cookies/crackers/pretzels in little on-the-go packets and LOTS AND LOTS of coffee.
I blame Ben Franklin. It was his quote that I read that *inspired* me. He had better be right.
Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that's the stuff life is made of.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Cold, tired and hungry
School has barely started and already I'm exhausted. Johanna and I stayed up late last night writing our respective ASHA scholarship applications, due tomorrow. Due to annoying circumstances (i.e. that half the staff and faculty are on vacation!), we had a really hard time pulling our apps and recommendations together and finally only got done late in this afternoon. And then I sped off to the post office to get it delivered by next-day express mail to Maryland. All I can say is, I hope all this hard work and $16.50 in postage pays off!
I'm also thinking about applying for the $5,000 ASHA grad scholarship which is due in about 3 weeks. The application process for this one is even worse, but then the prospect of more free cash and prestige is just wayyy too tempting. And also, I get a cheap thrill from reading recommendation letters about myself. LOL.
We had orientation for Indiana Veterans Home (IVH) today. I have NEVER seen so much American memorabilia in one building. I bet even the White House doesn't have every other person wearing shirts with American flags on them..! Apparently you have to have fought in a real war for 3 days at least to stay in one of these homes. I admit that one of the reasons I chose this placement is because I am such a sucker for war and military stories! The motto of the staff is We serve those who served. ;)
But despite that, I don't think I'd really enjoy this placement too much. I really still very much rather work with kids. I hate dressing up in formal wear, closed shoes, white coat, name badge.. And I hate the depressing hospital environment. I wanna be in a bright cheerful room or outdoors with the kids, in my sweatshirt, jeans and flip flops! I miss preschool SO MUCH. :(
Oh and Johanna's going hospital-visiting in Delaware this weekend, so I'll be all alone.
I'm also thinking about applying for the $5,000 ASHA grad scholarship which is due in about 3 weeks. The application process for this one is even worse, but then the prospect of more free cash and prestige is just wayyy too tempting. And also, I get a cheap thrill from reading recommendation letters about myself. LOL.
We had orientation for Indiana Veterans Home (IVH) today. I have NEVER seen so much American memorabilia in one building. I bet even the White House doesn't have every other person wearing shirts with American flags on them..! Apparently you have to have fought in a real war for 3 days at least to stay in one of these homes. I admit that one of the reasons I chose this placement is because I am such a sucker for war and military stories! The motto of the staff is We serve those who served. ;)
But despite that, I don't think I'd really enjoy this placement too much. I really still very much rather work with kids. I hate dressing up in formal wear, closed shoes, white coat, name badge.. And I hate the depressing hospital environment. I wanna be in a bright cheerful room or outdoors with the kids, in my sweatshirt, jeans and flip flops! I miss preschool SO MUCH. :(
Oh and Johanna's going hospital-visiting in Delaware this weekend, so I'll be all alone.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Raining again
Went to play with my little kid A this morning. He was in the best mood I've ever seen him in. His house is amazing - huge with a gorgeous backyard, lots of room, nice furniture, CRAZY MANY TOYS, including two playground sets in the yard and another playhouse in the basement! And a very expensive-looking table train set, cooking stove, basketball hoop, and baseball set... Seriously I was looking at at least a thousand dollars worth of toys.
We had the best time. He really was very sociable and chatty today, and he gave me a big bear hug before I left which he has never done before. :))
Anyway, now I'm pretty tired and I'm going to nap a bit before I start writing the darn ASHA application essay. Sigh. I'm so not in the mood for work.
We had the best time. He really was very sociable and chatty today, and he gave me a big bear hug before I left which he has never done before. :))
Anyway, now I'm pretty tired and I'm going to nap a bit before I start writing the darn ASHA application essay. Sigh. I'm so not in the mood for work.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
I really do love spring
No school, sleeping in, chilling out with friends, cooking, redecorating, enjoying the glorious sunshine and sprouting plants.. LOVING LIFE!!
I decided to join in the spring fever and bought a couple of plants at Walmart today. Lots of people I know are getting out their gardening gloves and patio furniture and grills, so I figure yeah why not jump on the bandwagon too. ;) After all, we only get four months of gorgeous sunshine a year right. I love the seasonal changes, I really really do.
So yeah, anyway, here are my new babies - sitting on my desk:
I decided to join in the spring fever and bought a couple of plants at Walmart today. Lots of people I know are getting out their gardening gloves and patio furniture and grills, so I figure yeah why not jump on the bandwagon too. ;) After all, we only get four months of gorgeous sunshine a year right. I love the seasonal changes, I really really do.
So yeah, anyway, here are my new babies - sitting on my desk:
Bonsai Ficus Ginseng
And on the balcony:
And on the balcony:Perennial
and Impatiens
I'm also half tempted to grow my own strawberries and herbs! Haha. We'll see. ;)
and Impatiens
Monday, May 12, 2008
I love spring
As expected, the TB skin test showed up positive and now I have to go for a blood test! AH AH AH AH AH!!!! Apparently its very common for international students to show up positive. Does that mean we all have TB infection or there's just something different in our blood?? But anyway I talked to my supervisor and she says its ok I can still go for the orientation on Thursday but I can't interact with clients until my TB test clears.
But I'm having fun these days, no school, just chilling out. I'm tutoring a Korean guy in English twice a week, and talking to him is pretty interesting. He was in Singapore quite a few times on business when he used to work in ExxonMobil and we swapped horror stories about how ***awful Singaporean English is. Haha. I get compliments on my American English a lot.. the Americans all think I grew up in the US. All thanks to the wonderful American English Accent book+CDs that I got off Amazon for $30!! Its like the equivalent of getting 50 hours of accent modification therapy, but for 1/100th the price. Just in case any of you guys are interested!
Tonight me and roomie are having friends over for dinner. I just bought a new rice cooker and it comes with free recipes inside - we are going to make 水饺! And Japanese curry and lemon chicken. Its Jamie's last day in West Lafayette so I guess its a celebration/farewell party.
And then tomorrow I'd get to play with my kid Av from preschool last semester! Yay! I miss him a lot and I'm sure he's improved quite a bit since the last time I saw him. Apparently he's been spending the last few weeks at his grandparents' farm riding tractors and loving every minute of it. LOL.
Finally, my clinic supervisor very nicely agreed to write me a recommendation letter for the ASHA (American Speech and Hearing Association) minority leadership program in November. Yep after sitting on it for several weeks/months I finally decided to apply. So I'd have to spend the next 2 days writing up a nice application essay. I guess thats the only "work" I'd be doing this week! Regardless of whether I get in the program or not, I plan to attend the ASHA conference this year and I'm looking forward to it already! Hanging out with half the SLPs and audiologists in America for 3 whole days! Fun times. :))
But I'm having fun these days, no school, just chilling out. I'm tutoring a Korean guy in English twice a week, and talking to him is pretty interesting. He was in Singapore quite a few times on business when he used to work in ExxonMobil and we swapped horror stories about how ***awful Singaporean English is. Haha. I get compliments on my American English a lot.. the Americans all think I grew up in the US. All thanks to the wonderful American English Accent book+CDs that I got off Amazon for $30!! Its like the equivalent of getting 50 hours of accent modification therapy, but for 1/100th the price. Just in case any of you guys are interested!
Tonight me and roomie are having friends over for dinner. I just bought a new rice cooker and it comes with free recipes inside - we are going to make 水饺! And Japanese curry and lemon chicken. Its Jamie's last day in West Lafayette so I guess its a celebration/farewell party.
And then tomorrow I'd get to play with my kid Av from preschool last semester! Yay! I miss him a lot and I'm sure he's improved quite a bit since the last time I saw him. Apparently he's been spending the last few weeks at his grandparents' farm riding tractors and loving every minute of it. LOL.
Finally, my clinic supervisor very nicely agreed to write me a recommendation letter for the ASHA (American Speech and Hearing Association) minority leadership program in November. Yep after sitting on it for several weeks/months I finally decided to apply. So I'd have to spend the next 2 days writing up a nice application essay. I guess thats the only "work" I'd be doing this week! Regardless of whether I get in the program or not, I plan to attend the ASHA conference this year and I'm looking forward to it already! Hanging out with half the SLPs and audiologists in America for 3 whole days! Fun times. :))
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Its the weekend!
I forgot to mention that I'm somewhat inspired to learn Cantonese since that appears to be the most commonly spoken chinese dialect here in the USA. My friends all tell me they learned Cantonese from watching HK dramas so maybe I'll try that. ;) Oh this reminds me, you know the W. Lafayette library here has 大长今?!!!! LOL. So the public libraries here are quite well-stocked one okay?
Strawberries were on sale yesterday at Pay Less.. 3 boxes for $5!!! I have never seen cheaper strawberries in my entire life (and they were good too!). So yah of course we bought 3 boxes and spent yesterday and today making chocolate strawberries. HAHAHAHA. Yeah I'm taking them to friend's graduation party later. ;)
My bubble from the TB test is red but fairly flat. I'm still praying about it..
Strawberries were on sale yesterday at Pay Less.. 3 boxes for $5!!! I have never seen cheaper strawberries in my entire life (and they were good too!). So yah of course we bought 3 boxes and spent yesterday and today making chocolate strawberries. HAHAHAHA. Yeah I'm taking them to friend's graduation party later. ;)
My bubble from the TB test is red but fairly flat. I'm still praying about it..
Friday, May 9, 2008
Summer plans summer plans!
Clinic/school:
MWTh - Phonology Group in morning, classes in afternoon
Tu - IVH in morning, classes in afternoon
Work:
20 hrs a week for assistantship
Speech therapy with A twice a week
Tutor C in English twice a week
I have quite a plateful, doncha think? But who can pass up the opportunity to make extra bucks.. especially with gas prices being what they are (!!). And anyway my roommate has 3 jobs too.
The things we do to pay for grad school... *sighs melodramatically*.
MWTh - Phonology Group in morning, classes in afternoon
Tu - IVH in morning, classes in afternoon
Work:
20 hrs a week for assistantship
Speech therapy with A twice a week
Tutor C in English twice a week
I have quite a plateful, doncha think? But who can pass up the opportunity to make extra bucks.. especially with gas prices being what they are (!!). And anyway my roommate has 3 jobs too.
The things we do to pay for grad school... *sighs melodramatically*.
Harbinger of gloom
I'm convinced that I'm the harbinger of bad weather. Gray clouds follow me everywhere I go! (Either that or the weather in the whole of continental USA just sucks this week). It was pouring with rain when I finally arrived back at Indianapolis yesterday. Gee.
Anyhow, I'm home!! Room is extremely messy and so I'm going to have to clean up today. And also go get an overdue TB test shot (please please please let it be negative), and maybe cook dinner tonight. I found a whole boxful of sauces last week that my parents sent from Singapore and I haven't found the time to use. My and roommie are doing a big 打扫除 of the apartment.
Anyway, I should update some more about California. Hospital at Arcadia turned out to be quite a mistake, and I knew it the second the SLP told me that she spends 80% of the time doing swallowing, which seriously ranks right at the very bottom of my preferred caseload. (Ok I know there are some people out there who loove swallowing, but... WHY??) And then I found out that the hospital serves mainly adults, which was a 2nd no-no for me. And then the SLP told me twice how much she hates working with kids. She loves adults cos if they don't want treatment then they can just sign out of it and leave, she doesn't have to put in effort to persuade them or anything (unlike those darn kids!). And thats when I knew that I also probably would NOT get along with her as my supervisor.
I guess I'm crossing it off my list! I'm keeping my fingers crossed about Rady's in San Diego. I also asked my clinic director for other childrens hospitals that I can go to, just in case.
Anyhow, I'm home!! Room is extremely messy and so I'm going to have to clean up today. And also go get an overdue TB test shot (please please please let it be negative), and maybe cook dinner tonight. I found a whole boxful of sauces last week that my parents sent from Singapore and I haven't found the time to use. My and roommie are doing a big 打扫除 of the apartment.
Anyway, I should update some more about California. Hospital at Arcadia turned out to be quite a mistake, and I knew it the second the SLP told me that she spends 80% of the time doing swallowing, which seriously ranks right at the very bottom of my preferred caseload. (Ok I know there are some people out there who loove swallowing, but... WHY??) And then I found out that the hospital serves mainly adults, which was a 2nd no-no for me. And then the SLP told me twice how much she hates working with kids. She loves adults cos if they don't want treatment then they can just sign out of it and leave, she doesn't have to put in effort to persuade them or anything (unlike those darn kids!). And thats when I knew that I also probably would NOT get along with her as my supervisor.
I guess I'm crossing it off my list! I'm keeping my fingers crossed about Rady's in San Diego. I also asked my clinic director for other childrens hospitals that I can go to, just in case.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Straight As. Yay!
So, I'm glad that I'm back on track after the slight lapse last semester. However that stupid B has blown my 4.0 GPA for good and nothing will ever get it back. Not that it really matters.. when I went to visit Rady's on Monday the person didn't even care to look at my CV. She was really nice and showed me around the hospital (which also, I'm surprised to add) was very very nice. I haven't had the best experiences in hospitals so I wasn't expecting anything much. But it was very much like Purdue, nice bright and cheerful with lotsa toys (gotta love). :) Maybe because its an outpatient clinic, it didn't have that icky disinfectanty smell.
Anyhow, she seems really eager to have me, unless legal mish-mash get in the way. The lawyers at the hosp have to draw up a contract with the lawyers at Purdue because of insurance/liability/confidentiality blahblah matters and if they don't agree then I can't go there. So it has *nothing* to do with my capabilities or their desire to have me. If the lawyers say no-go, then its a no-go. (But then I don't blame them. I wouldn't want to potentially be sued for millions of dollars either)
She's also not the first person to tell me that the world is my oyster. I am always asked if I plan to return to Sg to practice. Almost every SLP I speak to tells me there's a global shortage of SLPs and how I'd be highly sought after because of the many languages I speak. Its amazing how all my interests fall nicely into place, isn't it? (Let me digress: I learned English because I loved to read and write, I learned Chinese because I loved 林志颖, I learned German because for some reason I fell in love with german history and culture at that point in my life. Following your interests does pay off. People should realize that and stop discouraging others from pursuing what they want to because "cannot make a living", "waste of time", blahblahblah. You can make a living from anything if you are freaking good at it.)
I'm flying back to Indy tonight and I'm sad to leave even tho the weather has been absolutely abysmal. I'd be VERY VERY SORRY to return my lovely convertible to Avis. Booooooo. Even tho I've really only let the top down once (it was too cold and windy the rest of the time!), but it was fun speeding around in it. It was also nice to see the ocean again. I hadn't realized how much I missed it. But well, hopefully I will be back here next summer, and with any luck the legendary perfect Californian weather will be back and I'd be able to hit the beaches. Whee!
Anyhow, she seems really eager to have me, unless legal mish-mash get in the way. The lawyers at the hosp have to draw up a contract with the lawyers at Purdue because of insurance/liability/confidentiality blahblah matters and if they don't agree then I can't go there. So it has *nothing* to do with my capabilities or their desire to have me. If the lawyers say no-go, then its a no-go. (But then I don't blame them. I wouldn't want to potentially be sued for millions of dollars either)
She's also not the first person to tell me that the world is my oyster. I am always asked if I plan to return to Sg to practice. Almost every SLP I speak to tells me there's a global shortage of SLPs and how I'd be highly sought after because of the many languages I speak. Its amazing how all my interests fall nicely into place, isn't it? (Let me digress: I learned English because I loved to read and write, I learned Chinese because I loved 林志颖, I learned German because for some reason I fell in love with german history and culture at that point in my life. Following your interests does pay off. People should realize that and stop discouraging others from pursuing what they want to because "cannot make a living", "waste of time", blahblahblah. You can make a living from anything if you are freaking good at it.)
I'm flying back to Indy tonight and I'm sad to leave even tho the weather has been absolutely abysmal. I'd be VERY VERY SORRY to return my lovely convertible to Avis. Booooooo. Even tho I've really only let the top down once (it was too cold and windy the rest of the time!), but it was fun speeding around in it. It was also nice to see the ocean again. I hadn't realized how much I missed it. But well, hopefully I will be back here next summer, and with any luck the legendary perfect Californian weather will be back and I'd be able to hit the beaches. Whee!
Sunday, May 4, 2008
San Diego, CA
Some 10 hours after leaving Indiana.. here I am in San Diego, California! Somehow it doesn't quite look like what I imagined. I think I had something like palm trees and beaches and convertibles in mind. In reality, San Diego feels like a Mexico/Singapore hybrid. Its like I'm in another country. The architecture and landscape is strangely non-American (maybe because its right on the Mexican border), and the weather and atrocious roads/parking remind me too much of Singapore!
Driving here is pretty scary. I'm really glad I decided to pay extra for car insurance! My interview is at 8:30 tomorrow so I guess I'm going to turn in early tonight. The jury is still out as to whether or not I like it here. But then I've only been here a couple of hours. I'm sure it'd grow on me once I get more familiar with the area and find the beaches!
Driving here is pretty scary. I'm really glad I decided to pay extra for car insurance! My interview is at 8:30 tomorrow so I guess I'm going to turn in early tonight. The jury is still out as to whether or not I like it here. But then I've only been here a couple of hours. I'm sure it'd grow on me once I get more familiar with the area and find the beaches!
Friday, May 2, 2008
I'm free!
Exams over. Yay! Tomorrow I will be off to San Diego for a couple of days - will probably bring my laptop with me since I still have to get some things done.
I got my clinic schedule for the summer. I will be at the Indiana Veterans Home on Tuesdays, and Phonology Group on MWTh. I'm surprised they gave me Phonology Group - it'd be my third semester in a row working on artic! A whole summer of working on /l/ /r/ and /s/. Fun times! On the bright side, at least I get to work with kids again. :)
Johanna's moving in this week. We have the *exact* same clinic schedule. How coincidental is that?! We can travel to clinic and classes together. Save gas. Ha. :))
I am eagerly anticipating X-Files movie 2. July 25!
I got my clinic schedule for the summer. I will be at the Indiana Veterans Home on Tuesdays, and Phonology Group on MWTh. I'm surprised they gave me Phonology Group - it'd be my third semester in a row working on artic! A whole summer of working on /l/ /r/ and /s/. Fun times! On the bright side, at least I get to work with kids again. :)
Johanna's moving in this week. We have the *exact* same clinic schedule. How coincidental is that?! We can travel to clinic and classes together. Save gas. Ha. :))
I am eagerly anticipating X-Files movie 2. July 25!
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Finals finals finals
Finals week. PAH. I have an Autism exam tomorrow and I am soooooooo not in the mood to study. On the bright side, I'm fairly certain I have 3 As down pat, so even if I get a B for this.. it won't be the end of the world. I got a 107% on my clinic final, lol. Sweet sweet success. ;)
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