when i was younger, i went to the brooklyn public library EVERY weekend. either saturday or sunday, you'd see little nerdy karen at the library borrowing 20 books at a time. yes, 20. and i would finish them all in a week and then go and borrow more. the thing i remember most about those times was when i found books that were pretty new. you know...books at the library are all kinda old, and lots of people have touched, read, and spilled stuff on them before. those rare occasions that you'd find a semi-new book were the magical ones. they smell different...it's a fresh smell, kinda like the smell of a new car.
anyway. i like the smell of new books. there's just something about them that makes me smile and think about my inner nerd. haha, so what's the point of this entry? I GOT A NEW BIBLE! heh, most people think it's not a big deal, but i think it is. i've been looking for a new one, with a different translation (non-NIV) for awhile, yet hadn't seemed to find the right one until now. i like it a lot, and now i can spend time with the big guy AND be happy with my new book.
hah. stupid, eh? heh...whatevs. i need to stop spending time blogging and more time sleeping. camp is great, i love my kids :D
OH! i got an interview to the teaching fellows thing. not sure how i feel about it though. it's a group interview and it'll actually take time to prepare for it. also, i need to take two certification tests by august 23rd! is it worth it? aug 23 is also running roots...so i guess we'll see :)
before i forget. some of you know how i'm horrible with cell phones and keeping them unscratched/unscathed. well, today i was putting something in the trunk of my friend's car. it's an suv, so they have that little ledge, and i put my tiny little cell phone there. then i took my water bottle out of my bag and proceeded to close the trunk. i got into the car, then realized i forgot my phone in the trunk. however, i then realized that it wasn't in the trunk. i had unfortunately slammed the trunk door onto the phone, pinning it between the trunk and the ledge. ugh. now it's dented on one side, and i have a couple of the big buttons cracked. great. sigh. i want the new iphone!!!
Monday, June 30, 2008
Sunday, June 29, 2008
the opportunity of a lifetime
camp started this past week, and after the first three days, i am pooped beyond imaginable. adjusting to waking up at 530am to get to work by 645am gets pretty exhausting when you're also leaving work around 7pm everyday. hopefully this week gets better though, and i can start being a normal human being again.
this camp is beyond all my expectations for it. prior to the start, i thought i was real smart and knew a lot about adhd kids and how to handle them. it's a horribly big misconception, and incredibly difficult to understand until you're actually in the roll. the whole camp has 49 kids only, and there are 30 counselors. most would think that the ratio is already pretty good, but it's not enough! many of these kids need one on one attention, and it gets really crazy when you've got a bunch of them running around. eesh.
i wish that everyone of you can have this opportunity to spend time with these kids. it's been the toughest thing i've ever had to do, but i feel so blessed to be able to do this. hah, some of you reading this may be getting confused. you're all used to the easily frustrated and easily annoyed me that would make you wonder if this is right for me, but i'd like to say that i'm pretty different when i'm with them. i constantly feel like i'm on a high during the day, like there's no better feeling in the world. anger, frustration, and low tolerance goes out the door. i'm leaning more and more towards teaching special ed as my profession - it's tough as hell, but i'm excited. being with these kids make me come alive :D
hope everyone is having a great summer. apologies for not being around -_-
this camp is beyond all my expectations for it. prior to the start, i thought i was real smart and knew a lot about adhd kids and how to handle them. it's a horribly big misconception, and incredibly difficult to understand until you're actually in the roll. the whole camp has 49 kids only, and there are 30 counselors. most would think that the ratio is already pretty good, but it's not enough! many of these kids need one on one attention, and it gets really crazy when you've got a bunch of them running around. eesh.
i wish that everyone of you can have this opportunity to spend time with these kids. it's been the toughest thing i've ever had to do, but i feel so blessed to be able to do this. hah, some of you reading this may be getting confused. you're all used to the easily frustrated and easily annoyed me that would make you wonder if this is right for me, but i'd like to say that i'm pretty different when i'm with them. i constantly feel like i'm on a high during the day, like there's no better feeling in the world. anger, frustration, and low tolerance goes out the door. i'm leaning more and more towards teaching special ed as my profession - it's tough as hell, but i'm excited. being with these kids make me come alive :D
hope everyone is having a great summer. apologies for not being around -_-
Sunday, June 22, 2008
miscellaneous
eek, i hope i spelled the title of this post right. anyway, just some random thoughts to jot down.
- why in the world does the dmv make people sit through a six hour defensive driving class? ugh, i'd rather pay the extra whatever amount of money for the insurance than to sit through that thing ever again. AND i missed church for it. so sad :(
- it's weird how everyone is getting a blog. but cool, i guess. my google reader used to be like...75% real blogs (like non-personal ones) and 25% friends' blogs. now it's the exact opposite. which is kinda cool, i guess. i just don't want it to turn into xanga and livejournal. blogger is cooler than that.
- i'm starting work with the kids in THREE days. it scares the bejesus out of me cos these kids are so crazy! adorable and funny and awesome, but crazy! need to start training myself to wake up at 6am again -_-
- currently applying to be a nyc teaching fellow. one of the last things i ever wanted to be was a teacher. and after getting into the field i'm in, and working with kids with special needs, all i want to do is to teach special ed. now it's up to God to see if that's where He wants me :D
- i need a vacation, har har. summer's only beginning and i'm already thinking about it. eesh.
eh. random post. i guess it's for all of you who are bored :)
- why in the world does the dmv make people sit through a six hour defensive driving class? ugh, i'd rather pay the extra whatever amount of money for the insurance than to sit through that thing ever again. AND i missed church for it. so sad :(
- it's weird how everyone is getting a blog. but cool, i guess. my google reader used to be like...75% real blogs (like non-personal ones) and 25% friends' blogs. now it's the exact opposite. which is kinda cool, i guess. i just don't want it to turn into xanga and livejournal. blogger is cooler than that.
- i'm starting work with the kids in THREE days. it scares the bejesus out of me cos these kids are so crazy! adorable and funny and awesome, but crazy! need to start training myself to wake up at 6am again -_-
- currently applying to be a nyc teaching fellow. one of the last things i ever wanted to be was a teacher. and after getting into the field i'm in, and working with kids with special needs, all i want to do is to teach special ed. now it's up to God to see if that's where He wants me :D
- i need a vacation, har har. summer's only beginning and i'm already thinking about it. eesh.
eh. random post. i guess it's for all of you who are bored :)
Thursday, June 19, 2008
i feel like a white girl.
like the title of this post says, i feel like a white girl. why? i spent two days in a row at the mall. why? because i was bored out of my mind. why? because i'm living in the suburbs. and there is absolutely nothing better to do here.
ugh.
and i bought something from ruehl today. slightly disappointed in myself.
all i need now are a pair of uggs, an LV purse, and a north face jacket.
ugh.
i need brooklyn.
and my beloved manhattan.
save me. make plans to hang out with me and drag me out to civilization :)
ugh.
and i bought something from ruehl today. slightly disappointed in myself.
all i need now are a pair of uggs, an LV purse, and a north face jacket.
ugh.
i need brooklyn.
and my beloved manhattan.
save me. make plans to hang out with me and drag me out to civilization :)
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
face wash makes you grow beards??
hellooo. just thought i'd give an update on my life, for those who care :)
since i've been back from basileia, i started training to work at a summer camp for kids with adhd. if you're thinking it's something like ocm's summer day camp, boy, let me tell you that you couldn't be more wrong, haha. the training itself is 4 freakin weeks, and it's jam-packed with a whole lot of stuff i have to learn by the time camp starts on june 25. the way that the camp is run is that it's all based on a token economy, and a rewards/points system. every minute of the day, from the time that the kids arrive at the camp (815am) til when they leave (4pm), they can be earning and losing points. most of our training revolves around learning this rigid point system, and what kids can be getting points for. it's a crazy system, and really complex to the outside eye, but so awesome when you're in it and actually doing therapy with these kids.
the camp has 50-something kids in total, split into 4 groups by age. i'm the lead counselor for the red group, the 9-10 year olds, and working with 5 other counselors. yes, that means that there are 6 counselors for 11 kids. it's a great counselor:camper ratio, but it's still gonna be extremely tough to manage them. i'm so afraid one of my kids is gonna run away or hurt him/herself. last year, there was this one kid who ran away from his group, and ran up to the roof. man, if that happened to me, i'd probably be crapping in my pants.
but anyway, long story short, this camp is gonna be taking a really big toll on my physical state/health. gotta be there at 730am everyday, can't leave til at least 600pm. probably gonna take a toll on my spiritual health as well, since it'll be hard to find time that i'm awake/alert to do QTs and stuff. so yea, pray for me, please. this is something that i think God is pushing me to do in the future, so i hope this camp goes well and i can get a job with the institute for adhd come this fall.
guess that's all for now...oh. the title of this post? the other day, my cousin convinced me that his face wash would make me grow a beard. needless to say, it wasn't true, but i believed him for a bit >< boys are dumb!
hah.
later :)
since i've been back from basileia, i started training to work at a summer camp for kids with adhd. if you're thinking it's something like ocm's summer day camp, boy, let me tell you that you couldn't be more wrong, haha. the training itself is 4 freakin weeks, and it's jam-packed with a whole lot of stuff i have to learn by the time camp starts on june 25. the way that the camp is run is that it's all based on a token economy, and a rewards/points system. every minute of the day, from the time that the kids arrive at the camp (815am) til when they leave (4pm), they can be earning and losing points. most of our training revolves around learning this rigid point system, and what kids can be getting points for. it's a crazy system, and really complex to the outside eye, but so awesome when you're in it and actually doing therapy with these kids.
the camp has 50-something kids in total, split into 4 groups by age. i'm the lead counselor for the red group, the 9-10 year olds, and working with 5 other counselors. yes, that means that there are 6 counselors for 11 kids. it's a great counselor:camper ratio, but it's still gonna be extremely tough to manage them. i'm so afraid one of my kids is gonna run away or hurt him/herself. last year, there was this one kid who ran away from his group, and ran up to the roof. man, if that happened to me, i'd probably be crapping in my pants.
but anyway, long story short, this camp is gonna be taking a really big toll on my physical state/health. gotta be there at 730am everyday, can't leave til at least 600pm. probably gonna take a toll on my spiritual health as well, since it'll be hard to find time that i'm awake/alert to do QTs and stuff. so yea, pray for me, please. this is something that i think God is pushing me to do in the future, so i hope this camp goes well and i can get a job with the institute for adhd come this fall.
guess that's all for now...oh. the title of this post? the other day, my cousin convinced me that his face wash would make me grow a beard. needless to say, it wasn't true, but i believed him for a bit >< boys are dumb!
hah.
later :)
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
more about driving...
so i've been driving for about a week now, and i have to say, i feel like a brat, but public transportation is just so ICK now. driving is way, way better. driving in queens + suburbs, however, is much different from driving in brooklyn + the city. since living in queens and all that, i've become a much bigger fan of the outer borough. the roads are nice, the neighborhoods safe (at least in little neck), and the people are nicer too! i don't have to worry about potholes (SO FREAKING MANY IN BROOKLYN) or alternate side of the street parking!
and get this...so i'm HORRIBLE at parallel parking. God's been really gracious though...so far, i haven't been in a situation where i've had to fit my car into a tight spot. everything i've needed to park in comes with an extra big spot so that parking becomes very easy :D or maybe it's just cos i have a little car. either way, it's been awesome.
i also wanted to say...there are definitely a bunch of things you notice only when you start driving. i'm sure there's more than the ones i'm gonna list below, but i figured i'd start a running list:
1) there are so many fire hydrants...is this really necessary???
2) taxis SUCK. they stop anywhere and everywhere and cut into your lane all the time
3) people who walk slow are stinkers. they stop traffic. walk a little faster! or better yet...DRIVE :D
4) potholes really hurt. i cringe every time i drive over one. the city department of whatever is in charge of roads should really get on that.
haha okay that's all. lastly, everyone's getting a blogger, yay!! haha i don't feel like i was one of the first to get blogger, but now i've had one for a little more than 6 months. it's starting to get even more popular, so yay!
enjoy the nice weather homefries :D
and get this...so i'm HORRIBLE at parallel parking. God's been really gracious though...so far, i haven't been in a situation where i've had to fit my car into a tight spot. everything i've needed to park in comes with an extra big spot so that parking becomes very easy :D or maybe it's just cos i have a little car. either way, it's been awesome.
i also wanted to say...there are definitely a bunch of things you notice only when you start driving. i'm sure there's more than the ones i'm gonna list below, but i figured i'd start a running list:
1) there are so many fire hydrants...is this really necessary???
2) taxis SUCK. they stop anywhere and everywhere and cut into your lane all the time
3) people who walk slow are stinkers. they stop traffic. walk a little faster! or better yet...DRIVE :D
4) potholes really hurt. i cringe every time i drive over one. the city department of whatever is in charge of roads should really get on that.
haha okay that's all. lastly, everyone's getting a blogger, yay!! haha i don't feel like i was one of the first to get blogger, but now i've had one for a little more than 6 months. it's starting to get even more popular, so yay!
enjoy the nice weather homefries :D
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
basileia
so i decided not to write anything about basileia here. a lot of it's pretty personal, and i don't mind sharing with you all...just not the rest of the world. if y'all wanna know what happened, and how God's worked in me, gtalk me or something. i'd be more than glad to catch you all up :D
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