Stripping and shredded hands

Fings what did happen lately:

(1) Last night a bar was playing O Brother Where Are Thou as part of a series of moustache-related films in aid of Movember. What a film, what a soundtrack.




(2) I had to have a health check this morning, for my work permit, for my visa. It was lengthy and occasionally traumatic. The first check involved being stripped completely topless, shoved against a wall, and having my arm twisted back by an doctor shouting angrily in Vietnamese, in a completely open and busy room. I also had to wander around the hospital for an extended period carrying a vial of my blood and a vial of my friend Jason's blood. It was AIDStastic. The hospital had a charming 'indoor-outdoor' vibe; I believe that it's called al fresco, or perhaps just unsanitary. Oh, and I wasn't allowed to eat any breakfast. Anyone who knows me knows that a hypoglycemic Rej is friend to no one.

(3) I think my class this afternoon was a massive improvement on the ones that have gone before. The kids in this class are about 13 years old, but some of them don't know much English at all, and the textbook I'm supposed to be teaching them from is ridunculously hard. As in, they are still not properly forming the present simple (e.g. "he has..."), and the book is asking them to analyse literary devices in Shakespeare and write formal letters to the UN. I listened to the CD that goes with the book and the first track was fucking Chaucer. But I've been trying to break it down loads, so we'll do a whole double lesson on one exercise, and I've been making worksheets with sub-tasks, also with pretty pictures. I like making worksheets. I think it's helping, because they're getting through the work now, and some of the kids who always messed around before are producing really good work - I guess they just zoned out when they didn't know what was going on, but now they think they can actually do it, they want to try.
Ok teacher chat/brag over now.

this is not me

(4) This evening my friend took me to an indoor climbing wall in some guy's house, it was so much fun. It is just in a little room on the top floor, and not very high - maybe 8 feet - but that was definitely adequate for my current level of nodule-grabbing. All the other people there were super-skillful and muscular and swinging around all over the place, and I felt like I was getting in the way by just going up and down, but my friend Jesse was teaching me the techniques, and everyone else was giving me tips as well, and when I could do a little bit I felt quite strong. While I was recovering, I could listen to reggae and watch men use their muscles, so it was very enjoyable. My hands are in bits now though, I need to get me some calluses.

this would be more accurate

I think my lesson tomorrow afternoon is cancelled, so I might have time to find a new camera cable, and then you can enjoy an enriched blog-reading experience once again.