life in small shoes

Really?

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 10:35:24 -0500

This is the problem with our exam boards? Look between the lines here. Surely what this actually highlights is that even examiners, perhaps subliminally, acknowledge and accept that todays exams are based on a system of jumping through hoops.

Examiners are guiding teachers, and thus implicitly students, towards the right answers: simply because without such guidance, its beyond most exactly what these examiners want. Real intelligence,passion and flair will get you nowhere - ticking the boxes, or rather, assessment objectives as they are known amongst students and teachers, will take you straight to that A grade. Examiners giving hints such as the exact topic within a course to study is actually neither here nor there - simply because the marking styles, and in fact the expectations amongst examiners varies so widely. Indeed, it is a universal fact that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure - in lamens terms, a answer one examiner may love, another will hate. A fact undeniable in the study of English Literature: and I speak from personal experience.

As a student, it is frustrating to constantly hear that exams are being ‘dumbed down’. Whilst I do not deny that perhaps the standards have slipped, let us just for one moment also consider that maybe the examiners themselves are not quite what they used to be. Examiners used to be specialists in their fields, not teachers who often have never even studied the specific areas in which they are marking. Would an examiner discredit reasons given in a History exam, simply because they happened outside of a given date? Surely a specialist in their subject would appreciate the depth of the answer, and see too that such a question required such breadth. A more harrowing example is when an examiner actually placed Joseph Stalin and John Kennedy in power, at the same time. I wish I was joking.

Exams today, as many teachers I’m sure will agree, are a far cry from a measure of intelligence. They are a test of obedience… and a very expensive test at that.

Thank you David Cameron.

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 08:59:53 -0500

Thank you David Cameron.:

And I predict a hell of a lot more girls will be forced to turn to these measures to pay 9,000 a year just to study. The government keeps harping on about the measures it will take to support students.. I come from a distinctly middle class family and I don’t fall into any categories to obtain a scholarship, a grant, or a bursary. Once again, thank you Mr Cameron for crippling our generation.

npr: This is cool. — Tanya inothernews: WHOA-LGERS ...

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 01:10:21 -0500

npr:

This is cool. — Tanya

inothernews:

WHOA-LGERS Milwaukee-based photographer Jack Long uses high-speed photography to capture the moment splashes are made in cups of coffee. He won’t reveal exactly how his technique works, except to say that the technique employs “short-duration flash lighting.” And perhaps not using decaf. (Photo: Jack Long / Rex Features via the Telegraph)

Surviving Bangkok… Without a Guinness! Bangkok is like...

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 01:02:12 -0500

Surviving Bangkok… Without a Guinness!

Bangkok is like Marmite - you will either love it or hate it. Personally, I’m a big fan. So here are my three golden rules to make the most of your time in Bangkok.

1) Explore street food! Many westeners fear street food, viewing it as dirty, dangerous, and diarrhea inducing. In fact, it is delicious, cheap, and hygienic. As a general rule, if the condiment stand, and actually, the stand itself is clean, you will be fine. Similarly, if you can see a lot of locals eating there, the food will be good. If you are a bit wary of spices, go for pad Thai, most of the time they will make it very mild - you can then add whatever spice or sauce you want. I tend to avoid the stands that have food already out - you can’t be sure how long the food has been sat there for. A street food meal costs between 60p to 1 pound, bargain. On a side note, the fruit smoothies are fantastic! Be sure to try if you get a chance.

2) Continuing the theme of bargains … always insist the taxi uses the meter. The driver will offer you a price that tends to be at least 3x what you should actually pay. We were quoted 100 baht for a journey which turned out to be 40 on the meter. If the driver refuses, simply wait for the next taxi. You won’t be waiting long!

3) Smile! The best bargaining tool you can use is your smile. Thai people expect you to bargain - hence why they quote such ridiculous prices. Shop around so you get a rough idea of price - then haggle your way down. Remember, a friendly smile will take you much further than a frown. And finally, if they refuse to budge on price, walk away. 9 times out of 10 they will chase after you to close that deal.

Relax, enjoy and explore Bangkok. The city has so much to offer, give it the time and patience it deserves.

npr: CAT! CATTTTTT! vintageanchor: Holly Golightly’s...

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 00:45:07 -0500

npr:

CAT! CATTTTTT!

vintageanchor:

Holly Golightly’s “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” House For Sale…

The Manhattan townhouse made famous by the iconic Audrey Hepburn flick Breakfast at Tiffany’s has again come up for sale. Listed for $5.85M, the 15-foot-wide Upper East Side house served as the backdrop for the exterior shots, but, disappointingly, it seems most of the interiors were shot on a sound stage.

Read more here.

Looking back through these photos takes me straight back to...

Sat, 10 Dec 2011 07:20:33 -0500

Looking back through these photos takes me straight back to Kenya…
Now that is a face you could fall in love with a million times over.
A month ago, I visited, and lived at an orphanage in Kenya, just 40km outside of Nairobi. And my time there, was it really full of gorgeous, smiling, caring, children? Yes. Was it full of hardworking, diligent staff? Yes.

But at the same time, it was filled with the view that simply because I was white, I was rich, with money to throw at any cause. A view that tainted my time at the orphanage, and stole away from the love you felt for the children.

After already paying to volunteer at the orphanage I naively expected that would be it. No more money would change hands, as I had already paid 360 US dollars to be there. Sadly, I was wrong. In our first few days I was asked to take some of the children to the doctors, as they were unwell. Of course, I did so willingly. Not realising that would involve me spending 15 pounds on medicine for the children, one of whoms ailments was actually a scratch on her leg. Of course, fifteen pounds is neither here nor there… but a month later, and at least four more hospital visits, it all started to add up. It infuriated me that we were seen to be so so rich, when in fact, I had worked at a dead end call center for months, simply to save up to be there. I think my frustration reached a high when I asked a member of staff if there was anything the orphanage needed, as we were heading into the local town. To my suprise, she nodded, disappeared into her room, and handed me a bottle of face cream. I had no words to express my shock - and what did I do? I bought the face cream. Similarly, just before we left we were asked to buy presents for the teachers at a local school, whose classes had performed well in a test. Now, I had never visited the school, met a teacher, in fact, not one child from the orphanage even attended that school.

These are just a few examples, I think however the best example is when some fellow volunteers worked at theft orphanages farm for a few days. Now this was hard work by any standard, but couple it with the blistering heat and you have a real struggle. But, they carried on for 3 days. They noticed aswell the farm had some local workers there too, doing exactly the same work as themselves. On their last day, they said their goodbyes to the farm owner… who smiled, said thank you, and then asked them to pay all the local workers wages for the week. Point made.

Don’t get me wrong, I will look back at the orphanage with fond memories, memories of children whose faces light up from a hug, memories of children who simply love to play. But I think its worth remembering, working in an orphanage isn’t all fun, games and laughter. It’s challenging washing out of a bucket for a month, using a hole in the ground as a toilet, visiting local areas and seeing genuine poverty, but most prominently, it’s hard to beat the stereotype that because I am white, I am rich.

Scenery along the Mekong river

Sat, 10 Dec 2011 06:58:39 -0500

Scenery along the Mekong river

Laos

Sat, 10 Dec 2011 06:56:08 -0500

So, we are finally ready to depart Laos, 10 days on. My time here has been varied - my view of Laos is that it is a beautiful country, with delicious food, awful roads, and charming people. We travelled up to Laos from Chiang Khong, opting to take the 2 day slow boat along the mekong river. Now, this boat would be slow no matter which country you were in, but of course, as we were running to Laos/Thailand time, it was even slower. Our first day on the boat was 8 hours, in which the scenery fascinated, and the comfort levels were surprisingly above expected! Don’t believe the horror stories - you really don’t need to buy a pillow to sit on, as the whole boat is filled with car seats. Yes, ripped out car seats. When we finally arrived at Pakbeng, a wave of relief spread through the boat, as I think many were missing the simple pleasure of being able to walk around! After finally stumbling off the boat, we were swarmed by people shouting ‘no room, we have room!!’ who were holding up posters advertising properties. Lucky for us, as we had ‘no room’ as of yet. We settled for a room at 200baht, 4 pounds, which turned out to be rather nice! After struggling up the hill with our gear, we met up with some fellow travellers for an Indian. Well, it wasn’t so much an Indian meal, rather, extremely spicy sauces thrown onto some meat. Still, it hit the spot.

The next morning we arrived keenly at the dock, boarded the boat twenty minutes early and waited. And waited. And waited. An hour & a half later, and on a boat crammed with people, we eventually left. And 9 hours later, we arrived in Luang Prubang….