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The First Day of... well, it's still too early.

It's still too early to tell... but it's Aunt Nina, so you never know what can happen around her.


Aunt Nina came from California and already she has made my bed and the couch her home. It's not that she's aunt Nina -- but the constant nagging is what makes her unique amongst the aunts. She has already met with Aunt Yolanda and Aunt Gaby and has already managed to annoy the heck out of both of them. According to my cousin Edgar, there will be a family reunion on Easter Sunday... is it? I can't remember if he said it was gonna be on Sunday or Good Friday. The thing is that we're gonna have the traditional Chairez Lent feast: PORK AND CARNE ASADA!!! SHEAH! -- I kid. It's gonna be capirotada, chiles rellenos (with tuna), lentejas, tortitas de camaron... and salad. Out of all these items, this panda will probably just dig into the salad because the bad thing about this whole ordeal (yes, there is such a thing as a bad thing in the Lent season) is that my mother was commissioned to do the capirotada and none of us has the courage/heart to tell her that her capirotada sucks.

School's doing okay. The big rustle was that the Academic coordinator FORGOT to place Miss Yesmin on the payroll. She just oops! forgot! And Miss Yesmin was in danger of not getting paid not only this last two weeks (we get paid every two weeks here), but also the two weeks of vacations we're gonna have in the morning! Unbelievable nerve of this woman! I know she's a little pregnant... but I swear, that baby must be sucking her brains out! Gladly, I could arrange it with the administrator her and Miss Yesmin will happily receive a check for her trouble.

Oh! And remember the CENEVAL deal? Well, since Mr Juarez (AKA the Squirrel) did not get up and move it move it, there was no promo for it (and the little promo that it was for it it was all screwed up with the 24 hour day and the costs of more than 2000 dollars) well, the courses will not take place. And it was a good idea. Now I am focusing my mantra energies of the FORCE on the conversational English. I have two groups now (one of them comes from the UACJ but I don't wanna tell the Squirrel of my boss 'till the deal is sealed -- they want to prepare for the TOEFL as they're about to finish their MA and do not know anything about this test) and I plan to make some extra dough out of them.

I am going to present next Saturday on my Leadership class! I am preparing the material! Yeeey! I wanna raise the bar so that my classmates know the kind of limits my imagination can go... and the level of nerdyness my brain has (is it "nerdiness" or "nerdyness"... is NERD-Y/I-NESS even a WORD??) So, I am very psyched about that. And on the communications class, I have to research a little bit on how mass media affects society. Hah! I am sure glad I listened to all those hours of talk radio now! Thank you!!!

I am sleepy yet happy...
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It's a COLD Friday!

Today I have my SECOND MA class... I can hardly wait. I have a meeting with English teachers on Saturday, so unless I can come up two of me in less than 24 hours, then I dunno what the heck I gonna do... I´ll probably ask Miss Carmen to take over the meeting (study meeting) for me since I'll be at the MA class from 9 to 1... and every now and then I'll roll on and see whatzzup with them. But then again, I also have to tell them what the deal is with the TKT... and that's something that I want to do AFTER vacations.

Thus far, I've had discada tacos. I am stuffed!!! Too many discada tacos in less than 15 minutes (I was running because I had a class). And yesterday's lesson on how to differentiate people from person did not go as planned. They keep insisting that people should carry an "s" at the end when it's more than one. I keep telling them that "people" is the plural of "person". Somehow the concept is oblivious to them... o though, I sincerelly doubt that they know the meaning of the word "oblivious", even in Spanish.
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Windy City? Chicago? Pshah!! Nothing Compares to JUAREZ!!!

Winds up to 31 mph are brushing through the city... as it always does when the Lent season is upon us. It's no surprise that a very common Mexican saying is "Me hace lo que el viento a Juarez" (It affects me like wind does Juarez).

First of all, TKT has to be postponed. The delay fee was DENIED DENIED DENIED! So, now we're gonna do the exam on June 20th. Some of my teachers already know. But the others don't. Tomorrow I shall have a meeting with Mr Lombardi (I dunno why I keep calling My boss that) about what to do. I think that I'll talk to the teachers AFTER spring break (SHEAH BABY!! OUR SPRING BREAK IS IN ONE WEEK!!! WOO-HOO!!! AND WE GOT PAID FOR IT THIS TIME!!! SHEAAAAH!!! COM'ON GIRLS! WE'RE GONNA GO OUT AND WIGGLE ON PANDA'S GONE WILD VIDEO!!! WOOOOOOOOOOOHHHH!!!!!!!) ... Yes, I think that's the most civilized way to go with this.



Yesterday evening, the school was left with no internet service because they were fixing the phone line. But that's not even the highlight of the day. Angie wanted to see me... and tell me about her work at the Master's. She's doing this presentation with vaginas. Yep... and then she showed me one that's very cool and that was done in the Brooklyn Museum by Elizabeth A. Sackler, The Dinner Party It's awesome. It has all these vaginas done in porcelain and they are the "serving", right? But all of them represent a famous or influential (I rather say) female in history. Check it out, it's rather cool.

Tomorrow is day 2 in my MA. I am such a nerd! I have done homework and done some plus-side research on the topics of tomorrow's class AND have pasted it on my notebook. Ha ha ha! I just need the Star Wars T-shirt with nacho cheese stains on it, the awesome skills in video games, and the crooked glasses. This reminds me that I need glasses; my old pair got destroyed in the name of art (I disguised myself as John Lennon for an Art class... and students had to ask questions about my life as an artist. It was rather interesting, I never knew John Lennon could be so Mexa).

Aunt Nina is coming next Sunday. So, expect bitter, sleep-deprived entries for about two to three weeks. I don't know why she's coming. She just left! Why, God! WHYYY? MENDOZA!!!!

... wonder if "killed by panda who thought she was bamboo" is a good defense for a trial?


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The creepy doll


This image is --- by far... the creepiest one I've done. Judge for yourself.

(Options for photo, canvas, mugs, magnets, cards, and puzzles at yuvia.deviantart.com)


NOTES FOR TODAY'S TEACHER MEETING!!!

(NOW in SPANGLISH!!!)

JUNTA 29 DE MARZO DEL 2009

WHY OH WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY????!!!!!


HE STINKS...

REALLY
FOR CHIZEL

1. ENCUESTA DE PLANEACION URBANA - IMIP

2. COMO TRABAJAREMOS EL PROXIMO SEMESTRE?

----- USO DE PIZARRONES ELECTRONICOS
---- EVALUACIONES
--- CONTENIDO PROGRAMATICO DE LAS MATERIAS

*TETRAMESTRES
LOS ALUMNOS QUE ENTRARON CON SEMESTRE, TERMINAN LA CARRERA SEMESTRAL (DE SEGUNDO A OCTAVO); LOS DE PRIMERO SON LOS UNICOS QUE TIENEN LA OPORTUNIDAD DE CAMBIARSE A PLAN TETRAMESTRAL.

INICIAN EN EL 2009, TERMINAN EN EL 2012. EL SISTEMA IMPLICA LLEVAR TRES TETRAS EN UN SOLO YEAR. INICIAN EN AGOSTO (SEPT, OCT Y NOV -- TERMINAN EN LA SEGUNDA O TERCERA SEMANA DE DICIEMBRE); TERMINAN EN MAYO DEL 2012

TETRAS -- 15 SEMANAS DE CLASE

DAR LOS MISMOS CONTENIDOS PROGRAMATICOS PARA LOS PLANES TETRAS QUE SE DAN EN SEMESTRE Y SEGUIR CON LA MESMA CALIDAS... WHAAAAAAAT????!!!! IS HE CRAZY?!!

--- NO HAY VACACIONES..... @.@ ES COMO TENER LAS 24 HORAS EN LOS CURSOS CENEVAL HAHAHAHAHAHAH!

DESAPARECEN LOS SEMESTRES... KIND OF LIKE THE DINOSAURS... WITHOUT THE FLASHY METEOR THINGIE... O THOUGH... (NOTE TO SELF: THROW SOMEONE OFF THE ROOF THE DAY THAT IT'S THE LAST SEMESTER... THEN I CAN SCREAM "METEOR!!! RUN!!!!" ... HAS TO BE SOMEONE CHUNKY... LIKE KIKE.. OR EDER... NEED TO MAKE SPLASH SO IT CAN BE FLASHY.... IF I THROW SMELLY CAT NOT ONLY IT WILL BE FLASHY... IT WILL BE STINKY TOOO....MMMMMMM INTERESTING... HECK! I WOULD BECOME A HERO! IT WOULD BE AS IF I WAS DOING HUMAN KIND A FAVOR!!! PARADES WILL BE MADE!)

----------------- ACADEMIAS ------------------------

JUNTARSE EN GRUPO...

LA REFORMA BASE FUE PRESENTADA AL VICERRECTOR Y FUE BIEN ACEPTADA. BASICALLY CAUSE THE VICERRECTOR DID NOT HAVE A CLUE ABOUT DIDDLY.


PARAPARAPARAPARAPARAPARAPARAPARAPARAPARAPRAPRPAPARAPARAPARAPARAPARAPARAPARAPARAPARAPARAPARAPARAPARAPARAPARAPARA
BOREDBOREDBOREDBOREBORED.... WHERE'S THE POOOORN???!! I WAS PROMISED POOOORN!!!! (INSERT RETORCIDO AQUI)

...... LAUGH MONKEY! LAAAAAUGH!!!!

... I SHOULD BE PAYING ATTENTION TO THE INFO.... I DON'T WANNA... AND YOU CAN'T MAKE ME...

CLICCKYTY CLICK!

OOOOHHH LOONEY TEACHER IS HERE! ... LET'S BURN HIM! BUUURN!!!!

NO VACATIONS??!!! (GRABBING TORCH AND PITCH FORK)

DO IHAVE TO BE HERE IN THE AFTERNOON??????

SMELLY CAT! SMELLY CAT! WHY OH WHY DO YOU SMEEEL?! SMELLY CAT, SMELLY CAT... WHY ARE YOU HERE IN A CLOSED ROOM????

MMM I'LL PAY ATTENTION IN THE AFTERNOON...

Y LOS PSICOLOGOS? LOS PSICOLOGOS NO CUENTAN, DWEEEB!!!! (INSERT WEDGIE HERE)

Y LUEGO NOS VAN A PONDER UN RECADITO EN LA DIRECCION QUE DICE "LA DIRECCION YA NO LES VA A DAR DISPOSITIVOS PARA EL PIZARRON... SO EITHER STOP ASKING OR STEAL THE ONE THAT CORAL HAS ON HER DESK"... I WILL GO WITH CORAL'S ONE.

WEEELLL... NOT SO COOL AND SMART NOW, ARE YOU??? --- IT'S TOO MUCH HASSLE, IF I CAN USE THE COMPUTER WITH A REMOTE CONTROL, IT'S THE SAME DEAL WITHOUT ALL THE BLUE TOOTH SHEET.

SEAN PRACTICOS --- 'XCEPT WITH THE GREMLINS. THEIR BRAINS ARE NOT MADE FOR PRACTICE.

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I feel like the one in the middle

No word yet on TKT late fees. I am beginning to think that I should just pay for the June test and take the bullet. It's not like we're not going to do the thing, we're just going to postpone it -- AGAIN. But I don't want to postpone it. I want to make this work. It's the responsibility deal of me. And I'm cold. It wasn't cold when I left the house... now I am cold.

Yesterday it was the disaster of the expositions. The topic for the English VIII class was "World Cultures" and they were supposed to research cultures and bring a presentation about them... but not culture as "the department of culture in Brazil has issue a statement..." No. It was more like "In Japan, people bow as a sign of respect; the lower the bow, the more respect you show". I explained this detail about three times a day for about two days. They had a week to do this. And I said "If you have questions about the presentation, please tell me because I will count the spelling and grammar errors". So, yesterday they show up... and voiala! The England presentation was more about the history of England... (from 1823 to 1826, the prime minister...); the Sweden one was about the geographical territory (it is located 2330 miles north of...); the Japan one had beautiful background images, but the letters got lost and since the letters got lost, and since the students were reading off the screen, then it was a lost cause; the India presentation was taken off the Slum Dog Millionaire movie, so that was another lost cause; the North Korea presentation was "North Korean" and it basically sucked... Oh! And did I mention they had 10 minutes to present it? If they had not read the entire class, they would have more than enough time to do it... but nooooooooo! They read and read, so their times were up before slide No. 5 came up. The shortest presentation was of 20 slides! 20!! Not even my DVM degree thesis was 20 slides long! Today I plan to have a looong conversation with them -- break the rules and scold them in Spanish, because I swear that if I scold them in English they will not understand diddly squad of what I'm saying.

UTEP Miners won last night and are now in the Final 4 of the Regional Tournament. And It's not like I'm a UTEP fan, but I follow this radio show, "Sports Talk" in 600 AM and I've been following the ups and downs drama of this basketball team all season... so I'm kind of happy that they've made it this far. Plus, this kid, Stephan Jackson? He should play in the NBA.

(sigh!) My father has to go to the nutritionist today. It's a lazy-ass situation. He doesn't wanna go, I don't wanna take him. Is there any way that we can compromise and find common ground?



POST-NOTE (LATER IN THE AFTERNOON)


----- I dunno what's going on, but apparently the images are back on line. Cool! I can see the banner now (at least some of the images are up...) I have decided to take the bullet train with the TKT ... one more month behind. PSHAAH! My boss is not going to be happy about it, but there is not much he can do about it, now is there?

---- Decided to tell students if anyone has ever told them what a "Power point presentation" concept is. So, I've also decided to give them extra credit work in reading comprehension (we're Mexicans, we don't read --- SAD BUT TRUE, PEOPLE!)

--- I am torn between Suky's party and a date... can I bring the date to party? Can I go on Friday to Date and Saturday to Suky's Poker bash?

-- I am torn between e-mailing Federico (one of my old teachers from college) or not. I stumbled upon his wifey the other day at the plant shop (Oh yeah, me and mom went back to get some chili plant... and it was funny because my mom thought it was my BBF Ofelia and Federico's wife and Ofelia HATE each other's guts) and she said he wanted to contact me. Still torn about that.

- Metallica... I want to go to the Mexico City concert.
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The New Banner...


Since the system that I am using is determinate to not allow me to see images uploaded from my computer, I am relying on your comments about the new banner. Is it good?

:) Send me the hollah about it.
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Pandarrific Weekend Y'All!

Well, it's monday and that means that it's time for a recap of all the things that have happened in the weekend...

WEEKEND UPDATE with RAINY -- WEEKEND UPDATE with RAINY --- WEEKEND UPDATE with RAINY

1. This weekend it was my turn to be in the student's place as my MA started
. I have two classes: Communications and Leadership. In my Leadership class I have to do research of three figures in leadership. One religious, one political, and one in the Mexico history archives. I have chosen Krishna, Benjamin Franklin, and Sergio Mendez Arceo.

2. I need to watch more TV in Mexico instead of cable TV. One of my teachers is a news anchor person in Univision channel 26, El Paso, TX., and I did not know him, so I am not at all starstruck about it. He was more than amused by this pesky little fact. "Don't you watch TV?" he asked. "Yes... I watch GOOD TV... like Sony channel, Warner Channel... and Animal Planet".

3. Me, mom, and dad are going to hell at no more than 10 munches an hour. My mother's B day was on Saturday and we decided to make a BBQ cook-out. Me and the folks, ate like there was no tomorrow. You're not supposed to eat meat because of Lent, but then again, Fish is meat... because it's an animal, right? So... WTF?

4. The ceneval is going to open coming in three weeks.
I need to find teachers who are willing to sacrifice a few hours from their already busy schedule and teach them how to teach these classes. If all goes well, then we are going to have a lot of students coming here to take the courses on how to pass their University/College entrance exams. First step -- next... THE MOON!

5. These are images I have uploaded into DeviantART. Apparently, they're good and have received a lot of Favorites in them. What do you think?





The two images are based upon the fact that the Graphic Designers question the ability of someone outside the design school being able to do art using photoshop brushes... I rest My case.
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First Day of Class

Today is going to be my first day of class. It starts 20 mins from now and I am all psyched. I even made ('cause I can make them) a new notebook and all. And now I wonder if I can handle it. The excitement is very good... very very good... very.... good...

And it was my last day of class also. I have no more classes until next April and taking in note the hours, I have 1 month of spring break. Sheah, baby! No class for one month and in between it is Spring Break. So, how much do you envy me right now? I get paid vacations for one whole month... mmmm good.

:D

Gotta go to my classroom now. Gotta go meet new friends.

Gotz to open mah brains...

Gotz to drink a Coke.

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Sorry about the Images... BUT


As you can see, Blogger is screwing with this panda's images. I've already posted a "Please help me" thingie on the thingie where you ask for help. I'll check it out later on.

Today was very difficult. The TKT is going to drive me crazy but I have faith that everything will work out for the better. We're down 25 000 pesos. That means that we are missing that amount to pay for the tests. Breathe in, breathe out.

Ok... If I had known that the promotions dept. of the University was going to get 16 000 pesos paid FOR DOING NOTHING... then I would have done the same thing. Who was the one who was calling people in the first place? Who pushed and pushed for the course to take place? To go door-to-door (or, rather school-to-school) promoting this thing? Well, I'll tell you, it wasn't promotions. They did a magnificent promotions deal with 5 posters... 5!! Do you know how many schools I visited to promote this thing?! 30! 5 posters... and they got 16 000 pesos for it (16 000 translates roughly as 1400 US moolah, which is still a lot). So, to move the brain wave twisting thingie... I have to contact Cambridge to get a late fee to pay for the tests a little later on. Then, I have to contact the International House people to tell them how much time I managed to BEG Cambridge for. Then, talk to teachers... My teachers paid a little less than the rest of the group, so I'll be asking for their cooperation. A lot of stuff to do in less than three days.

Time to blog? Yes... oh yes.

After toying with idea that maybe the google thingie has problems, and that maybe those problems derive from the fact that my school's internet support is saying that the address is filtering violation... then maybe that explains a lot. I have here a picture I have done and posted over at DeviantART (yuvia.deviantart.com) called "JUAREZ".

... I have to do these sorts of images... or else the coo-coo bananas in me starts going amok.
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It's Official --- I'm back in the Game.




I am officially a student -- I start my MA on Friday!

At last! After weeks and months of deliberations, I start my MA in Education on Friday. I'm excited, physiqued, and all ready to become once again a student. They tell me the group is nice and that the teachers are awesome, I sure hope I can fufill the expectations. :)
So, back to the books for me... at least on Fridays and Saturdays. I am really excited and now I am all filled with this new renewed energy. I think I need this... XD

I am a little worried about the TKT results, though. It seems that some teachers haven't paid the course and, thus, I will not be able to pay their test. I hope I can figure it out tomorrow. I hope so.

My friend Angie is still jobless. But I just heard from a teacher that she is opening a daycare (the teacher, not Angie). And I figure, since Angie has experience working with kids and all, I asked the teacher if she needed an art teacher. So, if all goes well, Angie might have a job at this daycare.

The "LEARN** Me Good" Book is AWESOME. It's funny, witty, and it totally pictures what one goes through as a first-year teacher... (a first day for me, for I too gave the Mr Opus speech to my 6th grades my first day...) I totally dig this book.

Sleepy, hungry... excited.

Viva La Panda.

PS: ** -- Sorry Mr Teacher... It's LEARN me good.. I am but sad, sad panda... who gets t shirt and book confused... see? I'm just a PANDA, your technology of books frightens me and spooks me (yeah, recalling old SNL skid of Caveman Lawyer here... I'll go away now)
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EXHCOBA --- that's a BROOM!


The new entrance exam in the UACJ is the EXHCOBA. This is important because the URN (the university I work for) wants to launch a project about giving the students a crash course into taking this exam. The chances of passing the exam are pretty high though -- unless you're a useless bum... Plus, the name of the exam "EXHCOBA" sounds like "ESCOBA" which means "BROOM" in Spanish...

... com on.. at least CENEVAL --- the NAME itself made fear thunder in your heart... EXHCOBA... makes me wanna clean my house..

That reminds me...

PS--- The EXHCOBA and CENEVAL courses in the URN are going to be "Monday - Saturday (24 hrs)"

I give you a cookie if you find the flaw in THIS plan!
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The Plants and the Panda

A three-day weekend was upon us. So, after doing some OLD SKOOL downloads (yeah, for reals, I mean --- OLD SKOOL), on Monday me and me moms went around town to see who had the best plant dirt ('cause apparently not ALL dirt is good for plants -- it has to be SPECIAL dirt). We ended-up getting a gardenia, a jazmin, a ruda plant, one that's called viola, a rubber plant, a palm, a chile plant, a juliet, and 6or 7 plant pots... with dirt. What started as a "let's go out" Monday turned into "Let's plant some plants!" day. It was fun. We started planting at about 3 in the afternoon and ended at 8... mainly because we took a two-hour break to see Slum Dog Millionaire on DVD (don't ask, m'kay?). It's so refreshing working with plants... but I found out that it's a lot like working with people.

1. Plants need to be reminded that they're pretty. MOST people I work with need to be reminded that even though they are pretty that doesn't make them GOOD people.

2. Plants need food and water to grow. People need food... not necessarily water, but a good diet coke will do... Dr Pepper if you're REALLY about to blow someone's brain out.

3. Plants need songs to keep them cheery. People need songs to... well... something.

4. Plants tend to get sad when are being mistreated. People get sad... then angry... then vengeful... then sad again when their vengeance turns against them.

5. *Some* plants end-up as food... as do most people at the end of their lives.

:) I love my new plants... and the old ones as well...
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I've actually Won



I have learned that I have won the Mr. Teacher thingie... I was so excited about it but then I thought that maybe the fact that I live in Mexico might post a problem. I hope not. I really like the "I teach there for I am... poor" shirt... or the one that says "Darth Grader" that one is cool too..

Speaking of teachers, this is me with a camera. The one grading is my friend Angie, when she was grading the English I papers... music effects done by moi. I know, I know... never let a Panda have control of a camera.

Yesterday we went to watch The Watchmen. I have not read the "graphic novel" (name you give comic books and you don't wanna look like such a geeky adult buying comics) but I liked the movie. I thought it was too long, though. It came to a point that I just said "get on with the killing man!!" but the ending was good. I give it four Rainy Stars because the length of any action movie shouldn't be more than 2 hours... plus, the owl character was just hilarious to me.

The funny bit was that when we got out of the movies I couldn't get out of the building. Spent about ten minutes trying to figure out how the door worked --- the ELECTRIC DOOR... yeah, turns out that it might be time for me to get glasses.

We don't have class tomorrow. It's a national holiday. Well, not tomorrow: we have the Birth of Benito Juarez on the 21st, but the School Board of Education moved the date to the 16th so we could have a day off. So, school starts on Tuesday -- new school schedule because the afternoon class finished their module last Friday, so they start next week. 6 weeks of class and then nothing 'till August, at least in the Afternoon. I am torn into whether taking the English IX class so I can keep busy during May-June or not. Or maybe I should give the class to a teacher who is in need? Like, has three children, no wife and a mother to support? Something like that? What do you think?

I am preparing myself for the CENEVAL classes to. The School wants to embark on that journey and the only teacher with the experience teaching those types of classes is yours trully. CENEVAL means Centro Nacional de Evaluacion (National Evaluation Center) and it's basically a test people can take to credit high school (obtaining the High school diploma without taking a class), or any kind of bachelors degree. The test is not an easy task and many people who enroll into taking the test opt for taking a prep class for it. They also are the sole providers for the entrance exams for all the public universities and that's when we come in. The school wants to provide all the high school graduates a prep course so they can pass (or at least have a fair chance at passing) the CENI-II test. It ain't easy but it's a great chance for students to get the URN experience. We hope to get more students into our university this way.

Let's see what comes up with this brew.

PS: Didn't get shirt but got something BETTER --- Mr Teacher @ Learn Me Good send me a copy of his book. THANK YOU!!! XD
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Live, from the CompuRent, it's the Saturday Edition!

It's Saturday night and I am at CompuRent trying to update this blog as often as I can. I can now tell with out a shadow of a doubt that these computers don't look as cool as they did about three years ago. I love my laptop.

Today was a TKT meeting I had to do. Next week I have to pay for the test, but the teachers are gonna take it 'till May. I thought it might be a little more professional of me to tell them the news up close and personal. I was right. They were grateful. So now we have a study date from this saturday to the next and I need to get my mojo back on track. There is a good cahnce that the ITCJ is going to pay their teachers for the module (and we're talking about 20 teachers probably more) which means more work, hence, a pay raise.

Ca-ching!

But I can look ahead and look forward to a three day weekend. No class on Monday.

I wanted to go to this candle place today but I sort of rather go and tend to Angie. She's all bummed out that she has to move back to her parent's because she doesn't have a job and cannot pay for the rent in her place. It's a set back, I tell her, but if she looks at it in a positive perspective, she doesn't have to worry about the bills for a while and she can focus all her energy on to getting a job and continuing with her Master's.

So, it's Saturday... let's see what's on the Playlist!!

THE PANDA'S PLAYLIST




Today's playlist is brought to you by the fine people who invented mixed drinks in a can... you can now hammer yourself silly while driving without having to go to a bar and have the bartender take your keys... yeey...

1. Bad Girlfriend -- Theory of a DeadmanMy sister says this song is completely HER... which would be so awesome if she wasn't already MARRIED...

2. Possum Kingdom --- The Toadies
This is a sexy vampire song... I love the I would treat you well, my sweet angel... PLUS, I have a lust-on-going relationship with this man's voice...

3. Lost in Emotion -- Lisa Lisa
Because sometimes a panda needs her shot of cheesy 80's music...

4. The Blower's Daughter -- Demien Rice
If you're suffering from a heartbreak, please don't listen to this song because it will only depress you more. This song touches the fibers.. I like it.

5. If You Seek Amy -- Britney Spears
A stroke of genius from miss Spears. I love this song... love me, hate me, say what you want about me but all of the boys and all of the girls are begging to if you seek amy... hahahaha!!! I love it!

6. I kissed a Girl -- Katie Perry
I KISSED A GIRL AND I LIKED IT! THE TASTE OF HER CHERRY CHOPSTICK!! YESSSSSS!!!!

7. Miles Away -- Madonna
Miss Madonna has encapsulated my current situation with a dear friend... He'll always love me more, miles away... This song rocks, I don't care what others say.

8. Ticket to Ride -- The Beatles
I think that The Beatles need no explanation. The BEST rock/pop band there EVER WAS and EVER WILL BE.

9. I hate my Life -- Theory of a Deadman
I hate them hobos too...

10. I'll Fly Away -- Jars of Clay
I know, hum? Quite the shockign turn of events. This song is very inspiring to me. In fact, Jars of Clay is probably my favorite group to get inspired by.

Check 'em out! Tell me what you think... and tell me if you have a favorite song too...

Cheerios!!
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Asaderos Villa Ahumada....

Oh My God!! Cheese is good only in Villa Ahumada!!!

Today, since we're bored, we decided to go to Villa Ahumada. It's a town about 1 and a half hours away from Juarez where it is known to be the Cheese Capital of the World (really, if you leave the state and you did not stop to eat burritos or quesadillas in Villa Ahumada, you were never in Chihuahua). To here is Miss Suky, Mr. David, and me, on my baby car... driving to our destiny.

The road: I thought it was going to be more dangerous. There are all these ugly tales about the Federal highway in Mexico. The only difference is that in the US you have bathrooms and all... and here there is nothing but the Sierra and the desert.

The Booths: Military booths all over... ok, not. There is one when you go out of Juarez and since my car is National (that's what we call it when the car has National Plates instead of the State ones) then we can go through with no problems. At the Aduana one they stopped us because they wanted to see my car's papers. First of all, I have not paid for it so I have no papers but the ones where I proof that I'm paying for my car... so, after seeing that we weren't gonna give him any money, the State Trooper let us go. Then, there is the Military Base. That one was on our way back. They told us to stop for checking... and the only thing they checked was "where are you going?" (To Juarez) "why?" (we live there) "Oh yeah? What do you do?" (we're all teachers) "Really?! You look like... well you look like doctors!"

The Quesadillas: Oh my GOD!!!! GOOD!!!! We had 6 quesadillas EACH (well, not Suky. She had 5) that's like having 12 quesadillas (regulars, here in Juarez) and they were so yummy! and-And the BEST part is that we got to buy cheese!! I got 3 small wheels of cheese and requeson and I got my mom some ate de membrillo. It was good.

An adventure to remember. The truth is that we are planning to go to Casas Grandes on our spring break. Let's see if we can. I'm happy because I got to spend time with my friends outside the school and because now I know that my car can hold on to a long drive on a Mexican Highway. Oh! And to top it? We saw the arrival of the new 5 000 soldiers that are going to be stationed here in Juarez. We even took pictures. Suky took pictures of me and David as we munched down on the quesadillas.



Corrido de Chihuahua


Yo soy del mero Chihuahua,
del mineral de Parral,
y escuchen este corrido
que alegre voy a cantar,
¡Que bonito es Chihuahua!

Eres mi tierra norteña,
india vestida de sol,
brava como un león herido
dulce como una canción.
¡Que bonito es Chihuahua!

Lindas las noches de luna
arrulladas con sotol,
que por alla por "La Junta"
me paseaba con mi amor.
¡Que bonito es Chihuahua!

Las fiestas de Santa Rita
del noble y viejo real,
que tienen sabor añejo
y alegria tradicional.
¡Que bonito es Chihuahua!

La cascada Basiasiachic
es como lluvia de plata,
donde me iba por tarde
a pasearme con mi chata
¡Que bonito es Chihuahua!

Para valientes mi tierra,
para manzanas el valle,
asaderos Villa Ahumada
y de la sierra la carne.
¡Que bonito es Chihuahua!

Esas liebres orejeras
y los pinos de Majalca
y el gran ganado llamado
cara blanca de Chihuahua.
¡Que bonito es Chihuahua!

Las ferias de Santa Rosa
plata y oro del Parral
las grullas y los venados
esa es mi tierra natal.
¡Que bonito es Chihuahua!

Ya me voy, ya me despido
no se les vaya a olvidar,
pa' gente buena Chihuahua
que es valiente, noble y leal.
-- Felipe Bermejo/De Lille
0

La Fuerza del Destino (The Force of Destiny)


Today I had it. It's been in and off, but today I just had it.

I quit being a site's administrator.

The reasons are many. Mostly because apparently I didn't had the "tough love" bone that it's required for the gig. I had told the owner of the site that if she felt that I wasn't cutting it for it, then that she should just "release me from my duties" but apparently the message did not get through. And it's one thing to bash me for my lousy administrative stunts (I admit, I am lousy at being a bossy figure since I don't have a mean boss bone in my body) but to question the true nature of my actions, be called a "so-called buddy" and to say things like "I question the nature of your friendship" (I'm quoting here, cannot recall what was the exact message) then that's just psychological/emotional torture. I do not take it from my sister, surely I will not take it from anyone else. Not even from the squirrel. So, screw this, I said... and this panda opted for the release of the duties. It was tough. It was painful. But in the end it's like removing a band-aid. The first few days the wound will be painful and the words will be hurtful, but I did what I did because I didn't want to take that kind of stress anymore.

At the same time I wasn't going to go just like that. I had done a lot for that page, and hence I took all my material from it (e books, articles, images, etc). For that, I shall be known as a bitch. I just know it. And I savor it. Because I know that what I did was right for me.

Bless them and their page and I hope that they turn out to be fine.

In other news...

Tomorrow is the big trip to Villa Ahumada. Miss Suky, David and myself are going to go to eat quesadillas. Yeah, that's the whole business of the trip -- to go eat quesadillas. All the way to Villa Ahumada. Just like that. I just hope that the car makes it hahaha... It will. I have faith in my angels and in my baby. So quesadillas it will be.

Miss the good old days... but I'm gonna make NEW good old days! :D

Y hoy
me siento vivo -wo-ho-ho ho!!!

Let it be, let it be.... let it be.
0

Reboot, Reload... It's like The MATRIX!!!!



And as did Jesus walked amongst the living on the third day, my computer gets all better on the third day as well.


---- TOPICS OF THE DAY----
(And the toopics for the day
will embrace your brain today
and the suuuun won't set for youuuuu)


Topic No. 1: Monday -- I hate blue Mondays. But today was gray --- it was cloudy.

Topic No. 2: English VII students in the afternoon have an on and off love relationship with their teacher. The guy gets here late, and granted, they have things to do and he shouldn't be here late, but when he calls and tells them that he's on his way and then he gets here and the students are not, then how in the world am I supposed to defend them. I mean, what would you do? What would Jesus' dog do?

Topic No. 3: The books are here. I managed to get the book distributor to send us some books. The student body has one week to get them. They are going to use these books next module too. I have down price them from 300 pesos to 240. Are they taking it seriously? Of course not!

Topic No. 4: Cake
. I wanted Mr David's cake today. It's his B-Day (happee B day David!) He's OLD AS DIRT!!! (34 in Panda years). On Saturday (David's non-official birthday party), a topic came into mind as we were playing spin the bottle in which the idea of having Nietzsche and Marx tattooed on ass and then moving ass to make them kiss was somewhat disturbing.

Topic No. 5: Pandas still ROCK!!! (better than chickens and kick koalas ass any day)

Topic No. 6: Almost burned house down while lighting a candle yesterday
. Mother was upset because of it. Next time, I'll just let the flame burn my hand and fingers to a crisp, MOM!

Topic No. 7: Dad does not want to go to Doctor
. We are tying him up and DRAGGING him... by his nuts if necessary.

Topic No. 8: Miguel Bose is NOT GAY
... and even if he is, he's still DAMN HOT.

Topic No. 9: Cuaresma food sucks
! (No wonder it's a penance)

Topic No. 10: Several cantinas closed during the weekend
. The Chamucos and the Ole are the most popular ones in the list. They closed because of minors inside the premises. Meanwhile, the skank-ass hole called El Gallito is still open for business and showing 89-year-old strippers hunch down using a nail...


oh yeah... and on saturday? Mr David had another cake and we used an ELMO candle... it was funny to see his eyes melt...

"BURN! You USELESS CUTE MUPPET!" -- Paul's quote as Elmo began to cry
0

Crashing down


Holy Mother----!! My computer crashed yesterday afternoon. Most of the files I had were recovered... but my pandas and the programs I had on this computer were goooone... Yeah, I know - I should get an external drive. I _know_ but I am such a klutz that I will lose it. I just know it.

So today, at coffee shop, downloading what I can.

School has been okay. Oh! On Friday, we had the meeting with the High School district. It went superb... The funny moment came when one of the teachers recognized me from ye old high school days. I think that in part this was one of the main reasons why they got so charmingly open -- he was very proud of me having being one of his students. Actually, three of my old teachers were there. No longer teachers, they all are now directives. Good for them! So now, the university has open doors to the Colegio de Bachilleres schools. I think this is very good indeed. Then, as we got back to school grounds, the Graphic Design class had organized a hamburger broil-out to welcome the new students on to the campus. It was fun to be around them, listening to all their hopes and aspirations as they embark on this new adventure in their lives. I sure hope that they continue with those high spirits all the way through.

A brand-new week is upon us. I think it will be rather interesting to see it. It's the last week of the evening class.
0

Poker Panda

Yes. It was a Saturday evening and this Panda got an invite to go and learn how to play Vegas-style poker. This Panda never knew she could be such an evil poker player. Pandas can be evil and good poker players and thus, make the dealer suffer with their keen bluffs. Then, the goat jokes were not absent. My friend Suky has this scarf that looks more like a half-burka than anything else. As I put it on, I suddenly became the Afghan Panda (no offense to Afghan people or to Afghan anything, it's just the way it is)... and I wanted to trade anything for goats... and then the lucky goat came into play and to make a long story short and witty, it ended-up being a hell of a good evening that ended with Suky asking me for condoms.

Yes, I have a box of condoms on the back of my car.

At three o' clock in the morning, it looked as if I was dealing drugs in the middle of the street.

That same day, but in the morning, my mother wanted to go to El Paso. To go to El Paso is programming yourself to be stuck in border-town traffic bridge for an hour, three tops. The purpose of going to El Paso was to go and see if they had good shoes. Because my mother is a woman, thus, cannot live without shoes. I dunno what happened that I became such a panda. Anywho, I took the opportunity to see if the mail room had, indeed, delivered my friend Paula's box and to deliver a letter to my friend Andrew, in prison. Paula's package was still there only God knows why (I didn't wanna go into details, but needless to say that I growled like I haven't growled before) and then I send the letter. Sunday morning, I found out that the letter I send was nothing more than an empty envelope and that the letter that I was to send was in my car... I just hope that the Jester 3 pen doesn't think I send over some Anthrax or anything like that. The least that Andrew needs is the suspicion that he's been receiving viruses across the border.

Plus, the way the economy is right now, I don't have the money to buy viruses on the black market, now do I?

(And even if I did, I have bigger fish to fry)

So --- where was I? Oh yes... Letter. So Now I'm thinking that there must be something wrong with this letter because this is my third attempt to send it and it goes astray.

Students from my two English classes had their presentations today. The morning group had the assignment to research about cultures. See, the book says "ask the people from another country about their culture" and since, well, we're in Mexico, we're all MEXICANS, and hence that activity would be kind of dull if everyone says "well... it's the same thing" (because they are all from this city. It would be cool if they were from another part of Mexico). Their presentations were of Thailand, North Korea, Japan, South Africa, Canada, France, India, Egypt, and China. I sort of expected images and cool presentations, but today I realized that these people have been deprived of their "let's make it pretty" factor... I cannot believe the lack of creativity they displayed! It was like --- ok, I'm gonna read from the screen and then I'm gonna ask if there are any questions and if you say no, I'll say no when you're presenting. I was pissed at them because they had two weeks to prepare it and they come up with dog do-do.

The evening class, on the other hand, had to present food. They're in their third level (the morning class is in their fifth level) so their English is poor -- they have a better disposition to learn than the morning class. Their presentations had less time to prepare (I gave them three days) and they did a great job. Plus, they got me and the rest hungry. V good kids -- V good!

Ay si! "Kids" The youngest amongst these people is 35.. (in the morning their ages range from 17 -- 25... could it be that their lack of enthusiasm to the classes they are taking is because they're young or is it because they're lazy or just because God wants it like this?)
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