teasmartgarden.com

SAFE!!!

Hi guys! Miss me?

For the past half a week, I’ve been imagining how I would start the first post of my new Teasmartgarden blog. It would go something like this: “Hey guys! I blew up my website (accidentally) through a freak upgrade-gone-wrong, so if you wouldn’t mind re-writing any posts you might happen to remember off the top of your head, that would be great. Only need two years worth…over 170 posts! Thanks a bundle!”.

At first, I was in denial when it happened. “Where’s my website?”. Then I was all, “damnit”. Then I was all, “No problem! They gave me an easy step-by-step recovery walk-through!”. Which was followed with, “…the files aren’t here…”. BACK into denial. I spent the rest of that day trying to think happy thoughts. I tried a few things here and there the next day…

And then I called technical support.

It took two phone calls (and one long international-charged wait on hold), and my site was back!

But it didn’t know Japanese. All the posts had random symbols added in whenever there was an apostrophe, and any Japanese was a bunch of garble. But the guy working on my site tweaked it, and once more, it was 日本語 capable.

And that was my story.

*phew!*

Glad to be back, completely intact!

GRE Prep Power!

Why isn’t there a DS game for studying the GRE?  If the GRE was a popular test in Japan, there’d be a billion games for it.  But then again, DS games here are all about the niche markets.

Someone make this game.  Or at least a nice game that covers the math portion.  And perhaps one for the “big” words needed.  There’s a DS game called “My Word Coach”, but it’s too vague…  I need drills and tests!!!  In DS touchscreen form!!!

*sigh*

A JHS ALT Heaven-Sent

I have several links posted for sites that have activity ideas for teaching English.  They’re good, though usually cluttered, and geared towards eikaiwa teachers.  Which sucks.  Because I am ALT!  Mighty ALT!  Who works with JTE (sometimes)!  Mighty JTE!

So check this out! (can’t shake the thought of an 80′s saturday morning commercial voice saying that…)

I just got an e-mail with a forward by CLAIR themselves about a volunteer-based website designed specifically with the ALT in mind.  It is a database of lesson plans, worksheets, and an awesome link page (if only I had found the flashcard links section sooner…drew sooo many of them!!).  Sooo, being the kind samaritan that I am, I am posting it here.

Englipedia.com is a site founded by an ALT, with the ALT in mind.  Read the “About Usについて” section to get a feel of how this site came about.  It’s made to run fast on ancient equipment (the part about us having to use the fifteen-year-old computers is truuue).  Speaking of crappy computers, mine won’t display the thumbnails for any of the worksheets, but not a problem, since I can still load the full pages when clicked (yokatta~!).

There’s even a section that shows activities that match the textbook you’re using (and if they don’t, be nice and post them).  I’m using the Sunshine series, and only the book for the third-years is posted.  Not a problem, though, since that’s the teacher I sit next to.  What?  You’re saying that I should be “nice” and post the first two?  Sorry kids.  The “nice” died out long ago in me.  Now all that’s left is a bitter and hollow husk…

…

So yay!  Visit the site!  It’s well worth the visit.

And, wow, I kindof feel like a jerk for adding this as a footnote to a post about the awesomeness of another site, but…yeah.  It deserves love, too!

This Sendai Education website actually DOES have activities for all of the Sunshine books and has a very similar structure to Englipedia.  And complete lesson plans!  Love!

They both deserve your perusal.  楽しんで。 Enjoy.

Take That, Cold!

Maaaan, the brain pressure was sooo bad, I went ahead and visited the doctor again on Tuesday, even though I knew that the English-speaking doctor wasn’t in that day. My conversation went as such:

My head really hurts. Here is super pain! Yesterday, for fifteen minutes, I coughed a lot!  Afterwards, lots of pain!  My vision, sometimes dark! *insert lots of hand gestures throughout the silly Japanese talk* My head *make sideways motion* ouch!

Yeah, my Japanese RAWKS!!! *cries*

But whatever. After hmming and hawing, he gave me some medicine that made me feel happy. The exact feeling was summed up as I was sitting at a Joyfull, making (awesome) drawings for flashcards. I suddenly looked up and said, brain no longer hurting but dazed, “I feel drunk…!”.  Good times.

So now, I’m healed enough to sit at my desk all day long.  I’m still trying to tell myself that it was a good thing that the medicine worked.

Think of the weekend, Charity!

Arghhh!!! Killer Cold!!!

I acquired a common, run of the mill, cold last week. However!
Yesterday afternoon, I had a fifteen minute coughing fit. Ever since then…doom!!!!!!

I think I bruised my brain :(

No, seriously, though. There is sooo much pressure. Always throbbing. Can’t tilt my head without blackout-threatening pain. Can’t cough or blow my nose without fear of waking up ten minutes later, sprawled on the floor.

Son of a gun.