Anastasia

Free Time is a Luxury These Days

Here I am relaxing at home after a hectic week at work. It's that time of year again when esl exams are round the corner in addition to preparing school exams and organising the new school-year 2012-2013. I was a bit under the weather today and please pray I don't get that nasty virus which has been around recently. The weather has been playing up again! We had some warm, sunny days end of April which gave way to a cloudy and rainy early May while today temps went up to 26C! Honestly, I don't know what to wear! See why I hate spring? Wearing jeans and T-shirts plus a jacket seems to be the best  option while looking forward to our long, hot summer. My summer break starts on June 23 - not that far - so I can dream of my summer holiday in July and plan it with Alkis. I dream of unspoilt beaches and lazy days in the sun, secluded coves and ....astakomakaronada  (lobster pasta) by the sea. But right now,  I'll love you and leave you and go back to marking my students' IGCSE Mock Examination.

 

October

The view from the terrace as seen through the lenses of my new Blackberry Bold 9780 Smartphone

Despite the drop in temperatures, we are still having warm sunny days and wondering whether Autumn will eventually come our way.  While our beaches are still packed with tourists enjoying summer in October, I wish I could feel the crisp autumnal air and hear the crunch and rustle of leaves with every step I make. But as I was having breakfast outside, I could only feel the cool sea breeze urging me to go for a swim. However tempting, I chased this thought away and got ready for work. Gone are the lazy summer days when I went to the beach almost every day. October  marks the beginning of first term tests and a generally hectic time at work.  Alkis and I are planning a long weekend away at the end of October, though -  hopefully a pleasant autumn break to look forward to. 

Folders, Subfolders and Other Organisational Issues

It seems that my biological clock hasn't been set to summer-break-time yet, so I got up at 6:00 this morning, as I always do on Saturdays when I work. After a hearty breakfast taken on the veranda with Alkis, Alkis went to work and I was left to decide what to do with the rest of the day.

I decided to spend the day at the beach, but I suddenly remembered my long-forgotten "Things-to-Organise" list in My Documents. I opened the file and here's what I found:

THINGS TO ORGANISE  BEFORE SEPTEMBER 2011

• My Pictures
• My Documents
• File Manager on TypePad
• Categories on TypePad
• My Videos
• My Bookcase – dvds and books
• Kitchen cupboards
• Wardrobe(s) and Shoes
• Drawers in my study
• The wires in my study
• Drawers in general
• Store  Buttons and sewing stuff in ONE box
• My printed photos (must get a new paper photo album)
• My paper-oriented electronic diary
• Store shoe polish in ONE drawer
• Store keys in a box.
• Organise my beauty stuff in categories – eye shadows / eye pencils / nail polish etc

However good I am at organisational issues at the workplace, I'm rather negligent, in this respect, when it comes to organising my home computer and the house in general. I'm not trying to make excuses, but this happens because of the bulk of work during the school year. At work, everything is in the right place and I never have to hunt for it. If you could see my computer at the office, you would be impressed by my organisational skills in file management. Often one click is enough to find in a flash specific documents, students' files, homework assignments, absentee lists, teaching material, audio and video files, test / exam results and many more - all updated without delay. I've never taken up computer lessons - I sometimes wish I had - but learned the basics by clicking on Help or by asking questions online.

I am well aware that we should never postpone for tomorrow what we can do today. So I finally abandoned my plans for the beach today, printed my list and got down to work. To begin with, I set myself the task of organising My Pictures. I have more than 10,000 photos on my computer and, although I created a folder per upload, I came up with more than 150 folders. More often than not, it took me ages to locate a certain photo - I often forgot where I had put it! Today, it took me only 2 hours to create folders and subfolders in such a way that I can now locate a photo...by the pricking of my thumbs!

Next task: My Documents. I partly organised my documents as you can see in the photo below, but I know I can do better! Any ideas are more than welcome.

Then I moved on to the File Manager on TypePad. It is in such a terrible mess that it will take me days to organise it properly. I guess most of you know perfectly well how to organise your File Manager, but assuming that some others might be new on TypePad or computer illiterate like myself, here's how to organise your File Manager efficiently as explained in TypePad for Dummies by Melanie Nelson and Shannon Lowe. This is by no means a sponsored post as I have purchased their book and found it extremely helpful.

A. To Create a Folder

• Go to the File Manager (in Library)
• Click in the textbox under Create a New Folder (in the right sidebar)
• Click the Create button.

B. To Create a Subfolder

• Click the folder you'd like to open.
• Click in the textbox under create a new folder.
• Type the name of the new folder.
• Click the Create button and you are done.

Having finished with the computer, I noticed that many of my books and dvds were lying all over the room. I had a coffee break, took a deep breath and ..tidied up the shelves of my bookcase.

Carrying my precious list, I went into the kitchen to organise my cupboards. As you can see, the cupboard with the glasses looks neat and tidy, but I made a mental note to re-arrange the glasses according to utility - a kind of ..."folders" and "subfolders" . For instance: wine glasses / red wine glasses / white wine glasses, then water glasses / juice glasses / soft drinks glasses and so on. See what I mean? I do hope I won't break any in the process!

Finally, I organised my wardrobe and one of the two places where I store my shoes. I put sandals and summer shoes on the lower shelf, so that I can reach them more easily and winter shoes on the upper shelf. But , to be honest, I envy my friend Bing's immaculate organisation of her wardrobe as described in her post Mission Organization and Surprise No2 . It was this post that reminded me of my "Things-to-Organise" list!

Most of the items of my "Things-to-Organise" list still remain unchecked. But I hope to check them all by the end of August - such as the drawers in my study  and the kitchen cupboard where I am supposed to keep pans, cake tins and various pots and dishes. I guess I'll need some kind of "folders" and "subfolders" in this area as well.

WARNING! THE FOLLOWING PHOTOS MIGHT CAUSE SEVERE SHOCK TO WELL-ORGANISED PEOPLE.

Are you organised or disorganised? Do you know where everything is in your house or do you need to hunt for it in order to locate it?

If you are in doubt take the following quiz and find out!

Are You Organized or Disorganized?

 

P.S ~  It's not like me to write such long posts. Hope you enjoyed it, anyway!

Work and Leisure

All work and no play may make Jack a dull boy but it certainly doesn't make me a dull girl! I've often shared my thoughts about my work and how much I enjoy working with children even though they are occasionally trying my patience!  It's that time of year again when work is more important than leisure as school exams are round the corner. The IGCSE Reading and Writing exam was last Thursday, the Listening test is next Friday followed by final exams at my school, FCE on June 4 and Pitman for Young Learners in mid June- enough to keep me busy at work for the next four weeks or so.

However, in my busy weekly schedule I have made room for some time online - mostly at the weekend - and some time spent outdoors on Sundays. I sometimes wish I lived in a small village where I could enjoy nature and the great outdoors every single day of the week.  What relaxes me most after a long day at work is spending some time listening to Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No2. I could listen to that hours on end.without getting bored.

 

Apart from Rachmaninoff, I also relax listening to Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon and Garfunkel:

When you are weary feeling small

When tears are in your eyes, I will dry them all

I'm on your side. When times get rough

And friends just can't be found

Like a bridge over troubled water

I will lay me down

 

Have you ever heard this song? It's been one of my favourites since I was 16! Working long hours doesn't always allow me to indulge in leisure activities, yet it is not work that kills but worry. Working hard won't kill you but worrying too much is bad for the health! Well, at least, I only worry a little.

How do you relax after a long day at work?

Being a Teacher

Since I was four or five, I've always wanted to be a teacher. I'd put my dolls in a row and teach them songs, nursery rhymes or I'd just talk to them.about my favourite things. That was back in 1963. A year or two later, when I learned to read and write, I used my dolls to teach them what I had learned at school. My mum would often tell dad: "She will be a teacher one day." My dad would laugh saying that it was too early to say what I'd be one day.

From left to right: Front row: Louisa, Maria, Eleni, Popi. Second row: Marianna, Doris, Katerina

My mum was right. I became a teacher and never regretted it. Even when I worked for others, my students were "my kids" and the school was "mine". But my big dream was to run my own language school - a dream that came true in September 1997, Some friends and family told me then that I was crazy to leave a great teaching job for something uncertain. When I turned down a post at public high schools, they thought that nobody in their right mind would ever do this. But I did. Because I wanted to hold my dream and get the moral satisfaction of running my own language school.

This wasn't always a bed of roses but my love for "my kids" has always been so strong that any other problems looked insignificant. . My kids keep me going and their progress is the best reward ever! Being a teacher is a wonderful journey and a truly amazing experience simply because kids can be so very rewarding in their own unique way.

How do you earn your living? Have you always wanted to do the job you're doing now?

Burning the midnight oil marking homework or tests and filling in 2nd term reports. This is just a quick hi to say thank you for stopping by either here on TypePad or on Facebook. Also, many thanks for your wishes on my birthday. Filakia xxxxxxx

Friday Night

For most people, Friday night marks the end of the work week and triumphantly announces the beginning of the weekend. Most of my friends plan a late night out but I can only join them on school holidays. As I come back home from work late on Friday night and go back to work early on Saturday morning, I am unable to keep my eyes open after midnight. So I spend most of my Friday nights reading my favourite books, listening to my favourite music or playing a game of chess with Alkis. If he doesn't beat me within an hour, we'll continue the game on Saturday afternoon.

How do you spend your Friday nights?

Alkis' 60th Birthday

Both workwise and socially, it's been a very busy week which started on a bright note - Valentine's Day on Monday. I know I promised to cook a special dinner - I had thought of paté of  duck liver terrine for starters and roast saddle of veal in cognac cream sauce with glazed shallots and pesto gnocchi. But due to work I didn't have time to cook, so we had an exotic meal delivered and a great greek red called "Vivlia Hora".

However, the highlight of the week was Alkis' 60th birthday - a milestone - which we celebrated just the two of us last night. A couple of weeks ago, I suggested throwing a big party, which wasn't such a great idea as we both had to get up early this morning. So, I surprised him with the traditional birthday cake which we devoured soon after a cosy and festive dinner out.

Tomorrow is the parents' evening - a cocktail party I organise for my students' parents during which we have time to talk about their children's performance and, of course, spend a pleasant evening together.

Buried in Work With Some Ice Cream

The last week of May has been particularly hectic at work with all school exams scheduled between May 25 and May 28. I'm still working on the French beginners exam paper due tomorrow. I've edited it three times so far! On Tuesday, there was a slight problem as some of my Elementary kids turned up 2 hours later - that was the second exam session - while they were scheduled for Tuesday 2:30 pm not 4:30 pm! They're ten-year-old kids who only came on the right day but at the wrong time! And they had all studied so hard! Fortunately my eighteen seats accommodated everyone ...and the exams went on uneventfully!

In between exams I had some ice cream to cool me down and while savouring my rasberry, blueberry and vanilla ice cream with chocolate chips, I googled ice cream! And here's what I found: Ice cream was invented in Italy. One theory says that the Grand Duke of Toledo was probably the first person to create and eat ice cream, something like the sort we eat now. This was meant to keep his drink cool with snow, you see, that was the only way in which they kept drinks cool in the 16th century. The Grand Duke of Toledo invented a mixture of boiling grape juice, which he poured over iced milk, and drank this in the middle of the night to get rid of his indigestion! He then tried mixing frozen milk and egg yolk, and there was the first ice cream! According to some other site (please forgive me for being too lazy or too tired to post the links), there's evidence that in England ice cream was served to the king in the year 1671.

Ice cream was a really fashionable food in 17th century England which was only fit for royalty and the very rich - something like foie gras and Dom Perignon today. Then in 1856, an Englishman called William Fuller invented an ice cream making tub and published a book on ice cream recipes. And in the 20th century, refrigerators made it possible for ordinary households in England and in the world to make and store ice cream for themselves. But no one could imagine then the evolution of ice cream in the 21st century - it's something like the evolution of technology - ipad for instance!

Nowadays, there's a trend for ....unexpected and revolutionary flavours, like cheese and onion ice cream, tomato and egg ice cream or ...tuna fish ice cream! To me that sounds rather dreadful, although I did try tomato and egg ice cream at a Japanese restaurant and hated it, of course! I'd rather stick to my all classic favourite ice cream flavour: pistachio and chocolate chips..or vanilla ice cream with Crepes Suzette! How about you?

The Transition to Work

 

Most of my friends and family think I am  workaholic and to some extent this could be true. But when you love your work so much, you simply consider it to be one of your hobbies. To me, it's my most favourite hobby. Funnily enough, at the beginning of a school break such as Christmas, Easter or Summer, I am overwhelmed by a feeling of bliss and all I can think about is the exuberantly cheerful transition to leisure.

In my leisure time, I read the books that have piled up bearing the label: "to be read before September 2010." I am a bookworm and derive so much pleasure from reading literature, poetry and occasionally best sellers. I also go shopping , hang out with friends or just with my significant other, I certainly blog more often or  try some new recipe I've dug online.

But as soon as the holiday is over and I go back to work, my online time is limited to about an hour and often much less and I know I won't have time to finish the book I started reading a day or two before I had to go back to school again.  Yet, once there, I make a happy discovery! I realise how much I missed my kids - their laughter, their jokes, their pretty faces and their willingness to participate in various class activities.

So after an agreeable interval, I am back to my kingdom, back to my classes and soon afterwards I start planning the hardest part of the school year: final exams! And when exams are over, I start dreaming of the summer break!