Ultimate... fun!

So I've been playing in an Ultimate league these last three weeks.

The first sunday (two weeks ago) was just a random hat tournament.
People showed up, signed in and we played random 30min games. The team I was on did quite well... our record was 4-1 - tied for first.

The real action started last week. Our captain and all our girls (there are three) were away at a tournament. It was the first match, we had 8 players available (you need 7 on the field all the time) and the other team had 14... We were down 3-1 but captain Fantastic turned up when we were 4-4. We finally lost the game 15-13 but such games - you don't really mind losing them... not really, no.

I'm learning a lot in this league. The action is much more serious than it was back home and even from what I see played on campus. I keep my head down, play hard and look to learn. It's all good.

Today, we won 15-3. That may not be saying much since our opponents from this week (the pink team - we're blue) got smoked 15-0 last week so since we actually let them score... that's a bad thing! :P

But it's all about having fun. Our captain is really a cool guy - someone in the mould of MS Dhoni perhaps. Calm and collected, all for wackiness and no pressure and the team does do well under him. Another team mate and I were talking about him as we were watching his antics at half time (and these includes diving full out to catch the disc, or jumping over the disc and letting someone behind him catch it - he really was half time entertainment) and we decided that he really is like a dog. Happy to play. Always up for more and no hangups...likes everyone!

This league should be fun... in fact, I think it will be ultimate!

Highlights of the Day:

1. We won! (duh)
2. One of the guys on the team pulled off a Callahan!
3. One of the league members brought their pet pygmy goat to the game. Note to self: Carry camera from next sunday!

Presenting...

Something nice and shiny and new!

Reflections on this semester...

Spring 2009... promises to be extremely busy... but in a good way.

This post will build on the last one and perhaps give you an idea about why I'm not as prolific as I used to be... it's not a case of the resolution ending with the last year... my resolution worked and it's inspired me to have a new one this year but that's another post...

So... after I came back from Canada on Jan 5 (and that's an entire other post as well...), school started again on Jan 6. Last semester I had three classes and nothing else. I did not do much beyond my coursework but I did get to talk to a few people and have them notice me... That's paid off this semester.

This semester I'm taking three more classes.

1. Inquiry and Measurement with Dr. Shute which is a basic research methods class. It covers mostly all of what I've already covered in a few stat classes previously. It does do more in the sense, though, that we're required to conduct a small scale research study as the final product for the class - so again, application of knowledge is insisted upon and I'm grateful for that. I've always been a little uneasy with the style of teaching back home... flood the students with theory and expect/hope them to come up with it later during job interviews. I always wondered whether I would be able to put what I learned into practice or not... Here, I know that I will be able to do that when I go in for a job interview and moreover, I will also have a ready portfolio of work to take with me... good deal!

I won't really go into my research question here for it might not make a lot of sense for people reading but it's good... the teacher likes it, other people are excited about it and are even going as far as saying I could get a dissertation out of it. That's definitely not a goal... I'll be happy if I get an A on the course and more still if somehow I can get the paper published. It was not a goal to start out with but the question has potential, and who wouldn't like to see their name printed in some journal? Looks damn good on a resumé. No guarantees but it's incentive for me to do a really good job...

2. Development of Computer Courseware is my other class. It's pretty easy - taught by a guy called Dr. Allan Jeong. I've always been fond of techie toys and now I get to learn a little more about them... yet nothing really hardcore. Podcasts have been fun. We've played around with Dreamweaver but I actually prefer tinkering around with the code available in ready-made templates. Captivate and PowerPoint tutorials are also due. It should be good. Might push me to look into some more in-depth techie stuff later... Let's see.

Dr. Jeong also has a tool called jMap which I may use for my Inquiry and Measurement project. Good stuff. He gets excited about it and got me a little excited about it as well... I really need to keep the Ph.D bug at bay...

Like my friend said today, "Enough school! Go get some experience. If you're not going to stay in academia, get a job!" And since I'm not... I plan to! (Maybe a post on Ph.D thoughts later as well...)

3. Evaluation of Training Programs with Dr. Darabi involves us looking for some training programs and creating a proposal for evaluation. This seems to be a pretty interesting class - I have my program now, used some contacts from last semester's classes - just need to fine tune the scope of what I'm doing... It makes me complete. I feel good about it.

Those are my official classes.

I'm also auditing two classes. This means I just go sit in on them and get ideas.

One class is Classroom Assessment... I'm trying to get an insight into methodologies of teaching and pedagogy here so I can go back and apply the better ones in India... this class is an undergrad class but holds me in decent stead since it sorta overlaps both, Inquiry and Measurement, and parts of Evaluation of Training Programs. I explained something in the Evaluation class yesterday after hearing it in the Assessment class and it was right... so that feels good!
I want to implement my research study in this class... the instructor is a former classmate from last semester also... so it was easy to get in to this class. I'll need to use her as a contact for the rest of the classes I want to audit - Classroom Management, Pedagogical Methods and Curriculum Development. Let's see...

The other class I'm auditing is a class I may teach in the Fall if everything turns out in a particular way. It's a class for teachers of English as a Second Languge. My assistantship supervisor teaches it and I'm trying to get an idea of what it's about and what to expect... so that I may be better prepared when and if I teach it...

Which brings me to my assistantship. I'm working with the School of Teacher Education as the Graduate Assistant for the ESOL Program (English as Second/Other Language) and it grants me a full waiver for up to three classes. Guess what? Minimum enrollment for me to maintain status is 3 classes... so it's a perfect fit!
I help place student teachers for their field experiences and will help with building a course in the latter part of a semester... my supervisor likes me, I get paid and I may get to go to Peru in the summer because of that... AND potentially get another GA in the Fall... things probably couldn't get any better...

In other news, I also have a part time job as a minion to a Ph.D student. I am working with my adviser on an undergrad course which will be rolled out nation-wide this Fall and may count as my internship.
I am Vice President for Distance Students on the Instructional Systems Students Association.

I am also playing Ultimate every sunday in a league and plan on going swimming plus looking at Tango lessons on thursdays....

Are you bored/exhausted by reading that list by now? Perhaps it will help you understand why my posts may be few and far this semester. I HAVE decided that saturday will be blog day - but as you can see... it's tuesday/wednesday now and I suddenly seem to have been bitten by the writing bug... so you never can say...

I know now for sure what a juggler feels like, having many balls in the air... I can't complain because I asked for all of this work myself but must learn how to prioritize, re-prioritize, manage time effectively AND remember to breathe all along...

More of a change in perspective...

As I lay in bed yesterday, trying to get to sleep, I reflected on the current status of my course, what I'm doing, where I'm going with it and so on... and I felt that I'm in a pretty good place, even if I do say so myself.

Instructional systems is about 5 major steps - ADDIE - Analyse, Design, Develop, Implement, Evaluate

Last semester I took a class which taught me about Analysis. This semester I'm taking a class on Courseware development. Also, one on evaluation of training programs.
It's coming to me very clearly now that this program (Instructional Systems) does seem to be an extremely well rounded one. Design of programs will follow this Fall and there are so many other electives that I'm taking which serve as scaffolds to the entire process. My classes may not be synchronous or linear but neither is the ISD process

It feels good, it feels useful, it makes me feel complete...

Podcasts are fun!

Well, at least playing around with them is fun.

For one of my classes on Development of Computer Courseware, we had to play around with audio editing software and put together an audio clip.

One clip does not a podcast make but well, it's one step towards a series or regular broadcasts... who knows? Maybe I will be better motivated to record in audio, rather than write... it seem to be easier to just say some stuff than sit down and find the words to write it down, eh?

No link yet though. I was working at a friend's house...managed to transport hers here for upload but not mine... waiting for email...

Placeholder template

Well, January's almost done and I didn't quite wake up, did I?

Actually, I did. I've been so busy that even though I think about posting here, I don't manage to.
I'd decided on keeping saturday as post day. I aim to keep that in place... Let's see...

This is a placeholder template. The previous one went funky... it had some images hosted from photobucket and the account seems to have exceeded its bandwidth.

Let's see how much of the old thing I can manage to get back...

Until then, I give you the Shire...

Go. As soon as it comes out.

The first day of school

So today was the first day of the new semester... Inquiry and Measurement and heading to class felt just like the first day of a new year back in Pune.

The academic year in India usually starts in the second week of June... it's around the time that the monsoon arrives in Maharashtra and life is a reflection of nature.

The tentative clouds gather together, wondering whether to rain or shine. They are not a dark mob, rumbling with fury. Yet.

The tentative students go back to school wondering. Who will be the new class teacher? How will the friends be? They haven't met at all in the last 2 months? Are they the same? Different? How were their vacations? Are there any new kids? The new kids wonder how the regular kids will accept them...
Many questions. Many uncertainties.

It is the beginning. A new beginning. Gloomy on one hand, pleasantly refreshing on the other. It might be grey, verging on dark but the sun shines through in moments and there is always a rainbow on hand.

The smell of fresh moist earth, the smell of new books and bags. The excitement, the anticipation.

One steps into class and all apprehensions disappear. Old friends meet and greet, swap vacation stories. New friends are made. The joker whom everyone likes, the shy retiring type, the jock.

Life is good.

They are not a dark mob, rumbling with discontent. Yet.

The new year brings change and new beginnings...

I came across this blog template a few months ago as I contemplated doing something new for the look of the blog. Change is the only constant and I definitely get bored with having the same sort of setup around all the time.

So here we have... the Field of Dreams... It still has some teething troubles but I hope to fix them over the next few days.

I like the cool colour scheme of the header and it now holds a deeper meaning to me as I look to widen my horizons and look to open myself up to more varied experiences, freed from attitudinal blinders.
It isn't exactly a new year's resolution... the resolution will be revealed soon. However, it is a step towards a shift in outlook...
The potential for this shift was brought to my notice on my recent Xmas trip (more on that later/soon as well) and so, the shift, this template and the effort are dedicated to JDM and CoCo, two of my cousins, whom I got to know a little better over the past three weeks.

To the rest of my readers, I take this opportunity to wish you all a happy new year... full of much joy, new experiences and pleasant surprises!

another quote

To be nobody but myself -- in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else -- means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight, and never stop fighting. - e e cummings, poet (1894-1962)

Random quote

Your life is the garden, your thoughts are the seeds, if your life isn’t awesome you’ve been watering the weeds!

Movie rec

If you've enjoyed the new Batman movies... this brings Nolan and Bale together again. If you haven't seen the Batman movies... go watch this anyway.

I'll wake up when December ends...

Hmm... it's been a long time since the last post...
Finals week just got busier than I expected.
I had only one final exam proper but had two final projects to get through. The exam was OK. I could've done better than I did but there's no way to change that anymore... In any case, doing decently in the class for the entire semester translated to a grade of A- (with A being the highest possible) for that particular subject. With both remaining classes being taught by the same teacher, they both had final project requirements. I'd finished one of them ahead of time and sent it in but kept putting the last one off till the last couple of weeks. I could've done it a little earlier... since I actually had two weeks in which I could've worked on it but then... that last minute stress seems to squeeze out decent work... I can say this fairly confidently since I got As in the classes and full points on both final projects. So yay!

Why did I put the project off? No real reason. Laziness... Thanksgiving... Just going off the boil...?
I'd say: "all of the above"

So I experienced my first traditional Thanksgiving this year. My hosts were three American students from my classes, who invited some Internationals over... for the Thanksgiving experience. It's much like my family celebrates Diwali... an excuse for family to get together and have food. Lots of it. We had a slightly non-traditional turkey - no baking (which is traditional) - we actually fried it. Putting a full turkey into a vat of hot, boiling oil? Good fun. Good times!

Laziness needs no explanation... going off the boil just occurred because we had the entire week of Thanksgiving off, where we would usually only have the week-end off. Our professors were off in Paris for a conference and we had nothing to do. Ideally... this should've meant that I worked on my final projects but... for that week and the week before, we had no assignments due, nothing to read... that has an absolutely devastating effect on the momentum of work... You're in the groove for 12 weeks... reading stuff, submitting things... time is no longer linear... it's defined by assignments, due dates and required readings. When none of these things exist, time returns to being linear and you go off the boil... bah.
Add to this the fact that most of my international classmates were yelling off their facebook mountains that they were ready for a break... and that did nothing to keep me motivated. I fought off the infection for about three weeks and then succumbed to it myself. Finally, I was like... "I'm ready for a break!" The only problem was that there were still those final three tasks in the way... Oh well...

This brings us to the title of the post...

Finals week was the first week of December. This last week, I've been on Xmas break in Canada, visiting cousins and family. I've been enjoying catching up with people and basking in familial warmth... even though it's -20 degrees outside and colder...
I suspected that I might go crazy in the break, for lack of having something to do... but that hasn't happened yet and I'm one week into it... Therefore... posts might not be as forthcoming in December... until the new year... However, I will be posting new experiences I've had in this break... already had various minor interesting moments in the last few days... but THAT... is another post...

Also in posts to come:
Reflections on the Grad school experiences in both countries
A look towards the New Year (might happen only in the new year)
A roundup/summation of the semester? With perhaps a focus on new things learned outside of the classroom

We shall see...

Perspectives

The origins of Thanksgiving are multiple -- from giving thanks for safe passage over the seas, to harvest festivals and even a helping hand from an unexpected source, when a drought threatened death...
Today, Thanksgiving is a time to get together with family and thank Man and/or God (depending on how religious/spiritual/who you are) for what you have, your blessings and to pray for peace and happiness.

As I said above... who you are may affect your perspective as to what to be thankful for...

Get Fuzzy!

Get Fuzzy is another strip I read from time to time. However today's the first time I felt like sharing one. Darby Conley, the artist of this strip is a friend of Stephen Pastis', who draws Pearls Before Swine. Perhaps Pastis is influenced by Conley in some way as we have two misanthropic animals central to each strip. Yet, where Rat can have a tender side... Bucky Katt must be almost pure evil. Satchel Pooch is simple but not a dunce like Pig.

I like the third and the last panels in today's strip...

Star Trek Trailer

The 11th star trek film comes out next year. It takes us to the beginnings of the cast of The Original Series. I came across a trailer. I approve and am excited.

Meh

For all people who may wonder what I mean when I say: Meh

Click here

--x--

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:

You can never understand one language until you understand at least two. -Ronald Searle, artist (b. 1920)

Blog roll!

If you like cricket and enjoy dry sardonic humour, click below. This writer might just be my hero!

The Confectionery Stall

Reflections on...the end of a semester

So it's been three months since I've been in Tallahassee and nearly three since classes started. My classmates have been ready for a break for the last three weeks. I wasn't quite sure about myself... however I think I am now.

Roughly three weeks ago, my classmates started praying for a swift end to the term. These are people who have taken 5 classes because they have to finish in a year. I can imagine and understand the kind of frantic manicness that they must feel round about this time... However, with three classes for me, I was being kept sufficiently busy and occupied, without wanting to jump into any nearby wells.

Then we had an entire week of no submissions and things were entirely laid back. It's like someone pulled the rug out from under my feet. Now, starting anything is slightly painful. Deadlines are cut close... but the good thing is that there's only two final projects left to submit now and I should finish a practically complete draft of one by the end of this week. That leaves me two whole weeks to steadily work on the last one. I just need to make sure that I do steadily work on it and not leave it hanging. However, finishing the one project two weeks before it's due will motivate me for the rest.
Just another four meetings left for this semester and year... next week's off and then only the last week of meetings and a test.
I think I'm ready for a break... there seem to be other symptoms of it as well... I just hope the break will be rejuvenating and then starting afresh from next year will not be a chore.

I never thought that lack of "busyness" would be so damned annoying...

Word of the Day

Today, I paste an entire entry from my A Word A Day email. It seems especially apt since I'm wondering whether the essay I'm currently writing will be adequate and to the point or prolix.
There's a good chance that it will be posted here at some point of time, so you will be in a position to comment on it then. For the time being, I'll let my teacher worry about that and share this email with you.

---x---

prolix

PRONUNCIATION:

(pro-LIKS, PRO-liks)

MEANING:

adjective: Tediously wordy.

ETYMOLOGY:

From Latin prolixus (extended, poured), from liquere (to flow), which is also the source of words such as liquid, liquor, licorice. Now you see the connection -- why consuming liquor makes people prolix.

USAGE:

"No one has ever called him prolix. At a future-war seminar that he sponsored, Mr. Andrew Marshall mumbled a few introductory words and then sat in silence, eyebrows arched, arms folded, for the remaining two days."
James Der Derian; The Illusion of a Grand Strategy; The New York Times; May 25, 2001.

A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:

Martyrdom has always been a proof of the intensity, never of the correctness of a belief. -Arthur Schnitzler, writer and doctor (1862-1931)