Happy Halloween!

Current Mood Warning: excited 

So excited. My first real Halloween, I mean, on anglosaxon land, where Halloween hasn't been copied, badly I must add, in schools and neighbourhoods. Over here, I've been seeing ads, shops decorations, costume shops more packed than the tube at peak hour, etc, since the beginning of October. 

While I'm typing this, feeling bad due to the massive cold I've been passed on -AGAIN- and fully immersed in The Nebula, I can hear the sounds of firecrackers that remind me that today, people all over London are having a ball partying in costumes, whereas I am here feeling like a rag and with a scary-looking face too, but for other reasons. 

I'll try to edit the entry because well, even though I'm not invited to any party today, I spent three hours and a half at a Halloween party for kids last Thursday. Not the same, I know, but better than nothing. 

TO BE CONTINUED ... ?

Smile, and Enjoy The Ride!

Current Mood Alert: reflective

It might not be verbatim, but that was the idea. 

I was merrily sitting in the bus today when I noticed a sign on my right, with the infamous Acid smiley. The sign kindly informed me that I was being watched and recorded by a CCTV at that precise moment, so all I had to do was smile and enjoy the ride. Ok.

I had been told about loads of cams all over London, but the thing is that I had never seen one before. If I must be honest, this fact is not a a very relevant data in itself. I'm not very good at focusing on certain details of my surroundings like, say, my parents passing by me on the street, or what colour was my aunt's dress at a wedding, or whether there are two, three or none streets between mine and the bus stop. Foggiest. 


I'm good at person-related details, though. But ask me what someone was wearing today, after spending ten hours in a row with them, and I will have no idea. Chances are I probably won't even remember what I myself was wearing. Honest. 

So, as I was saying, it's not strange that I had never seen one in all my time here. But suddenly, and after my mind was alerted by the sign in the bus, more and more cameras started to appear as if by magic. Actually seeing them, not mistaking them for birds or something. And in the strangest places ever, like on top of a statue in the middle of a park. Amazing. 

I guess that what was going on here was the Screw Theory. Ok, I've made the name up, but I did read somewhere that, if we were asked how many screws we saw today, we'd probably say none, but the next day screws would start appearing everywhere, just because we would be looking for them, unconsciously. 

So now I have questions. Are they really of any help? Are people safer because of them? I mean, unless there are two or three police officers carefully crouching inside the CCTV, ready to jump out in case I get mugged in the vicinity of said cam, do I really need them?

Well, I did some research, and I've read that they've actually helped to identify and catch many offenders and all that. And well, that's great. But I'm not sure about the costs. Not money, but privacy. I get nervous at the mere thought of being watched, silly as it may sound, because nothing more effective to look suspicious than trying to specifically show how much not suspicious you are. 

But seriously. Don't know.  

Will have to ask some native on the matter.

Of Classes, Fancies and Lovely Little Men

Current Mood Warning: pleased. Very.

Back from my second CAE class.

After a bunch of emails to and fro, on Tuesday I went to ELT and finally paid for the few weeks I'll be taking the course. She had to ask the teacher, a Will person, if he didn't mind my tardiness due to aupairness, and as apparently he said he didn't, it was ok for me to join. 

My clues were: class C4. Teacher: Will.  Upstairs.  So I went upstairs --almost breaking my neck in the process, because I was late and clumsy--, in search of class C4 and this Teacher Will. Didn't see the sign, but I peeked through one of the doors. Teresa was there, so I cleverly surmised that she couldn't be Will, so the other one it was.

General First Impression: I think I did the right thing, as I've enjoyed these two classes a lot. On Tuesday, the first thing they did was a role-play in which my day was getting worse and worse as it went on. I had to spoke to an angry driver, an angry colleague, an angry boss, an angry teacher -actual teacher-, an angry flatmate... It was good. Not the best thing for a newbie to be doing two minutes after having introduced herself, or maybe the best thing, for that same reason. 

Classmates: All girls class again. There are two Spanish, by the way, which is a first. To my right there was this one girl called E. Very nice, but I feel that she's the trying kid in the class. She looks like she could interrupt every five minutes to discuss something she's not sure about, or in disagreement with, or whatever. I'm in for fun times, I believe. I've also met the rest today. A lovely German named L., an italian-colombian called G., two As, Hungarian both I believe, and M. and R., which I think must be Romanian or something.  I was speaking to them for a while during the break, especially G. and L., who seem to be sort of friends, and then with the spanish girls, who are so different from each other. One shy and quiet, the other one strong and fun. Fun times, indeed. I really was missing attending to classes. Professional distortion anyone? :D

Teacher Will: Good stuff. I thought he was going to be someone else, but nope, I haven't seen him before at ELT. He doesn't mind my tardiness at all, which is a bonus point. And classes good so far, he seems to be an animated teacher.

It's kind of strange, though; even if he doesn't look exactly like it, I'm sure he must be younger than me. Not awfully so, but still a strange feeling for a teacher, to be taught by someone younger. He had a huge book on the table today, which is always nice to know about a teacher, that he's not scared of huge books. He also looks the debating type, seeing how he explained today the almost nonexistent differences between two adjectives; I bet he could spend hours debating semantics, or politics, or whatever, actually. And for some reason I can picture him being, if not a teacher, I don't know, a police officer, or firefighter, or being part of a rescue team, and  physically he looks kind of sporty, though not the Hulk exactly (not too tall for British standards; he actually kind of looks Scottish to me. I'll ask him someday).

All in all, I'm happy with the class. 

And well, in other unrelated news:

--> Fiendish Fancies are dangerous, DANGEROUS, because I can't stop either eating them or thinking about getting more and eat them. Do they deliver to Spain? Hmmm. Tomorrow first thing, trip to Co-Op/ASDA/Sainsbury's.

--> I am so officially in love with J.

"Would you like to sit with me and watch Fireman Sam?"
"I'd love to, J., but I'm busy making dinner."
*comes to the kitchen* "What are you cooking? Pasta?"
"Yup, it's pasta today. Pasta and tomato sauce."
"I have an idea! You put the pasta now and then you sit with me and then you check on the pasta after a small time."
"Mm..could do that, yes, but I need to give Ollie his bottle, too."
*disappointed and frowning* "Tomorrow I'm telling mumma that SHE cooks dinner so you can sit with me."
"Maybe mumma wants to sit with you while I am making dinner, J."
"But I want to sit with you. I have mumma all the time, you will be leaving one day."
"I'm going to be around for a long time still, J." *not exactly the truth, but..*
*J. takes my hand* "Sit with me, please..."

What did I do? I hugged him, kissed his unruly hair, put the pasta away and sat with him and Ollie to watch Fireman Sam, of course. I mean, what else was there to do. Lovely little man.

Ok, Ok, Advanced It Is...

Current Mood Warning: suspicious but accepting. 

Highlight of the Day:  I finally went to ELT to enquire about English classes.

My original plan was to try and take the FCE -First Certificate in English- exam in December, so I wasn't in a real hurry. I mean, I think I have level enough for the First without needing too much help. And the more classes, the more money I had to say bye to, so, in a bold move perhaps, I didn't go immediately to book a place for me in September.

So, I went there and spoke to Teresa about my plans. Teresa is the name of the woman who is always managing student issues at ELT, and the one who told me straight away that I was a very ridiculous person and a not very clever one at that for wanting to do the First. Ok, not literal perhaps, but she told me that I should definitely go for CAE instead  -Certificate of Advanced English.  

She also told me that they didn't have any places left for me in FCE groups, but still some for CAE, in the evenings, which made me suspect that the whole thing wasn't so much about my English level but about my purse...Nah, not really, but, you know. 

At this point, the Principal, the man I had always say hello and bye and never before spoke to me while in Secretary, suddenly spoke: "So, what you are trying to tell Teresa, in perfect advanced English, is that you don't see yourself as advanced, am I correct?"  What did I do? I started to laugh, out of embarrassment I guess, and partly because quite frankly, sounded ridiculous indeed.  He asked me if I had 50 minutes to do another test, I said yes, so test I did. In about 25 minutes.

And well, apparently I did well, because he told me something about highests scores and all that, and recommended me to a)trust his many years of experience and b)to take the CAE classes in the evenings. 

And here I am, kind of happy of being 'advanced', and kind of unsure about classes and evenings. I usually am busy until 7pm, and classes start at 6.30. And ELT is about 20 minutes from home. And it's dark...  

Anyway, I told them that I would think about it and tell them something tomorrow morning. And here I am, thinking about it and trying to know what I'm going to tell them tomorrow morning. I think I'll say yes. I really had fun with Sania and conversation class, I miss that.

I will also miss my Elizabeths once I give them to her, but well, I can always save more for my travels. 

Ah, decisions, decisions.

70

 Current Mood Warning: vintage

Today, in many webs here in the UK, not sure about out there too, you can see a little picture with glasses.

Shameless Beatles fangirl that I am, and despite having always been more of a Paulie girl, I've been thinking and listening to John -and the rest of the band- all day, so I thought I could come in here and talk it out. 

This video of a sixty something Ringo Starr wishing Happy Birthday to John, Ringo style of course, has made me realise that 70 and John Lennon don't go well together. Clash. As his friend says, can you believe?