Pharyngolaryngitis

Went to the doctor this afternoon, waited with a bunch of other coughing people, then saw Dr Wilai Chotojiraphan. She's nice, and speaks English well, but she was the one who only gave me a 5 day Rx for my strep last time instead of a 10 day (and I had to come back a week later for more meds).

When she stuck her little mirror-on-a-stick in my mouth and asked me to say "Ahh", it came out more like "hhhuuhhhhhhhhhhhhhh"; she made me do it again....same result.

She scribbled down her diagnosis and sent me off to the pharmacy to pick up my Rxs. Now I have a nice cocktail of sunlight-sensitive antibiotics(Augmentin), anti-inflammitories(Danzen), mild steroids(Prednisolone), and antibacterial throat lozenges(Cepacol) to enjoy for the next week.


Oh. And "no talking until you're better."

Not the end of the world, unless you're a teacher. -___-

BATMAN

Caved to peer pressure. Saw it. AWESOME.



HOWEVER:
*Couldn't understand half of what Bane(terrorist leader dude) was saying.
*Kinda wished there was a little bit more of the Batman-riding-his-sexy-motorbike-with-cape-flying-behind-him action.
*Anne Hathaway was still her awkward, untalented self, and made for a pathetic Catwoman; say what you want, Halle Berry made a much more convincing badass feline.
*Though Batman has now "risen" much higher on my awesomeness chart(this movie was, beyond words, SO much more entertaining than Batman Begins in 2005), Superman will always trump Batman(as a hero) because, well, Superman saves the world. Batman can't seem to get out of Gotham long enough to care about the rest of the world.

Good Friends, Good Food

Just a good night out for dinner after church last Sunday :)

Puppies!

My coworker's dog Shira, who has mellowed out quite a bit since the time I dog-sat her, had puppies two weeks ago! I finally went to see them today, and they are SOOOO adorable. Can't quite walk yet, more like scoot, dragging their little hind legs behind them. :D

I AM That Teacher

Midterms are next week, and while I'm confident that most of my students will do well, I always hold high expectations for them, and passing my class requires hard work on their parts. I don't offer extra credit, and what you earn is what you get, regardless of how adorable your little face is.

BUT...I'm starting to notice the things I do that frustrated me in school, and now..I am that teacher.



In my defense, it's a rhetorical question, and they usually don't know how to tell me in English anyway, so..yeah.



They should know the hard way; it will be on the test.



If you're raising your hand, I know you know the answer. Just because you're cute doesn't mean I'm going to let you fly under the radar and hide in the back of the class. Speaking is part of your grade, too, you know.



Sometimes...there is no other way to explain it. If it comes to that, I'm not against having one of the knows-every-answer-to-every-question students translating the word or definition into Thai for the class.



Or, in this case, "In English, please!"



*long discussion about difference between 'can' and 'may'*



Well, yes. They should have. They're old enough to do that.



We do have a bell now, thanks to the scowling dictator in the white habit, and I can't say that I completely disagree with it, but it does make it irritating when it goes off as I'm trying to orderly dismiss my students.



This doesn't usually happen, but every once in a while there's a word in the wrong place, or the sections go A-B-D-E...it happens.



Seriously, there's no way you finished MY midterm exam in 10 minutes without making any mistakes or skipping an entire section. Check it again.



SO annoying.



Well..yeah. The kids need to not only keep their classmate accountable to getting their exam done after school(the next day, because they were likely absent the day of the test), but it also reinforces the everyone-gets-their-grades-when-everyone-has-finished-taking-the-exam.



This is Thailand. Your understanding of the material, and my credibility and value as a teacher, are assessed almost completely by your exam scores and whether or not you finished all of your homework this year. So whine all you want, but if you don't do the work, it shows up in your scores. If you know how to do it so well, your homework shouldn't take you more than 15-20 minutes.

That Time Again

Monsoon season is back in all its glory.

One Nation, Under God

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands. One Nation, under God, indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all.

Perfect Timing

Midterms are coming in two weeks, and it seems every day I go into work there's another rule/restriction from the head dictator-..I mean, Sister..at the school. She insists on our work being completed and thorough, yet continues to move deadlines up, shorten class times, and send students on random field trips. Forty minute classes are a nightmare, and I felt incredibly rushed all day today. I moved their Unit 2 exams up to tomorrow to try to get my grades in sooner, and then one class informs me today that they're going on a field trip to the temple tomorrow; I don't have them on Wednesdays, so they won't have their exam until Thursday, so any chance of having grades completed by then is out the window.

I have a couchsurfer coming Thursday afternoon. Hoping I'm finished with all this scoring nonsense by then.

And on top of it all...now I have an ear infection. Super. Doctor's got me on 500mg of Dicloxapen 4x a day for the infection, and 500mg(x2) of Paracetamol every 4-6 hours for pain, as needed. I'd forgotten how much ear infections hurt; can't sleep on my left side, even WITH the pain meds. :(