Ricky remembers his very first field trip when he was Prep in Ateneo. He and his classmates went to watch the movie “Annie”. Watching it again now on DVD, he discovers how utterly delightful Carol Burnett was in it as the perpetually inebriated and chronically out of balance Miss Hannigan.

Well yes it is gray today but mild and as I have said in the past regardless of the day we should GET OUT! For awhile I have been out of sorts it is because of this blog!? Why I am trying to keep at it everyday and as I do I am able to see how people can spend hours on a computer so there are days I just don’t go there. As well while we all have opinions I find I like voicing mine but later am concerned I may have offended some one. That is why I have the I’m Not Sorry page! What I say there stays there and like it or not that is how I feel and think.

I want to get out and enjoy the day live my life and all it has to offer. We can’t do that at a computer. There is a lot of interesting stuff out there or in there, however you term the internet. Don’t live your life through other peoples experiences live it through yours. It is a tool like any other and you can use it to your advantage or not! Gather information,ideas whatever but don’t limit yourself to the on-line experience.

… was a great success! I’m very happy with how the event went and loved the Science Gallery as a venue. If you’ve just stopped by here today for the first time, hello and thank you!

I’m off to the ERA campaign conference today, so notes from last night won’t go up until tonight/ tomorrow, but please do feel free to leave any feedback or further comments from last night below, and do come back and let me know if I’ve summarised the discussion properly!

If you’re interested in a copy of the publication (“Demystifying Disability in the Workplace”) that was launched last night by the very entertaining Senator David Norris, please drop me an email at getahead AT ahead.ie with your contact details.

Meeting Felix Edward D’ Souza was a humbling experience. I’d two questions for him and he answered both of them without pointing out my stupidity. I learnt that Felix D’ Souza and Felix Edward are one and the same guy. And this guy indeed plays for both Indian Bank and the state of Goa. We posed with him for a pic. I just wish it had come out better. One has to meet our football players to realise what patience is.

The highlight of the day was meeting Felix, our performance on the field not withstanding. The low point of course, was our performance in the first half of the quarters.

So, I had wanted to have a dinner for thanksgiving, but I wasn’t exactly sure how I was going to work out all the little details, I didn’t know where to buy a Turkey, I didn’t have a oven, I wasn’t even sure I knew how to cook anything. As you all know, Thanksgiving is this Thursday, but several people couldn’t come, and then I found I would have to work on Thursday, so I couldn’t make it anyways. However, Monday was a National holiday in Japan, so I figured people would be more available.

We stayed out late on Sunday, and on Monday I realized I would need to get up really early in order to make it all the way into Tokyo to the import store where I would buy all the materials. I dragged Harrison along, and we made it to the store in Hiroo around 10am. As Thanksgiving was coming up, all the good foods were out, so it wasn’t hard to find. We bought a Turkey Breast that was boneless, two turkey legs, mashed potatoes, corn, cranberry sauce, stuffing, and all the fixings. I also grabbed some Carrots from the local grocery, and we were on our way home. When we got home, I got to cooking. I tossed the Turkey in the oven and then set about preparing the other foods. Another American, Jacqueline, had cooked up a bunch of food, but was going to Church, so she donated the food to our cause. My Korean friend Jang EunHye came over and helped me prepare the food, though she had a bit of trouble reading all the English instructions. =P The food was all prepared and brought to the room. 16 people showed up and we had quite the feast. Surprisingly, the food wasn’t too terrible =P I actually thought it was pretty good. The Gravy was delicious, I was so happy with how it turned out. I guess cooking isn’t too terribly hard. The Swedes brought some Swedish meatballs which I gleefully destroyed in a matter of minutes (You know how much I like Swedish Meatballs…) Afterwards we all headed up to my room to hang out, and one by one people headed out, and when only three or four of us were left, we popped in a movie and just chilled out for a while. It was such a relaxing day and totally evaporated any of the homesick feelings I had. I mean, I still miss my family (especially my beloved sister =P) but last night, I was truly appreciative of my new family I’ve found here at Saidai.

Also, Koreans with fillet knifes are really scary.

Virginity, as a concept, is weird. With a single act of a penis into a vagina, boys become men and girls become used. Gay people don’t count.

When I was a teen I was obsessed with my virginity. I wore a chain around my waist to represent my special status and planned to give it to the man who deflowered me. I imagined the perfect scenario: with my boyfriend on prom night in the back of a limo. Of course, fantasy sparkles better than reality nad few things go exactly as planned.

I lost my virginity had penetrative sex for the first time with a guy I barely knew, in a place far from home and it lasted for all of 5 minutes after I bugged him for a good 3 hours to stick his dick in me. (I felt a bit weighed down by the virginity thing after a while. And the chain was annoying.)

Afterwards I remember thinking That was dumb and feeling a weird regret because it was all over so fast. My special moment in life was highly underwhelming and I began to think that women everywhere were being bamboozled by men. For years I could not understand how any female could enjoy having sex.

Here’s why: sex itself isn’t the special moment so many people rave about. We get excited about orgasm/sexual pleasure not sticking a body part into a bodily orifice.

I propose a new virginity definition: you are a virgin until you have an orgasm. Virginity denotes inexperience and a person “loses” their virginity after having that experience.

So let’s stop thinking about virginity in terms of penis-in-the-vagina. All this paradigm creates is a world focused on heterosexual baby-making instead of allowing sexual pleasure for everyone. We need to focus on the first orgasm as that special experience that can fundamentally change you and the way you see yourself and the larger world.

In this light, the time I lost my virginity was awesome and still one of my fondest memories.

here I’d like to tell story about my first time on the debate competition.

my class already set the position of the group up, but suddenly one of my friend couldn’t come because he was sick. we were already on the set and we panicked for sure. we needed one person, just one to filled the empty space. I contacted all my classmates but no one could be there. nabila said it’d be better if we just came in first. then, we came in.

we met a group that their friends couldn’t come too. after long thought, nabila chose to mix the group to completed the empty space. there’re no big problems at first. we stood in the name of  class admin C. so, there was no group in the name of our class, account F. as the minutes passed, it became more and more complicated. I who was supposed to be an observer of account F, was asked to be the LO in the name of admin C. it was confusing gita, the one who represented as the LO for account F-class that had no representation. it was also confused the committee. so, because of we needed an even number of the LO, gita remained be the LO.

so far so good until it popped up. some of the other groups found out about the mixed team. we broke the requirements and some protested. I knew it’ll going to be like this and I actually didn’t want to pushed it. if we didn’t complete the requirements, it’s okay to stepped back. my friend was excited about the competition so we just went along as she wanted. we could get an experience, though, we thought. the committee decided to changed the name of our team, admin C, to Swing Team A, they said if we wanted to joined this competition so badly, they would allow us to participated, but it’s impossible to passed Swing Team A to the final. Swing Team A had 3 winnings that day, but had to be aside.

I personally, as the LO had to took care another team. I took care of MBTI E, and gita took care of Communication B. we were getting along with the group we worked together on. on the first round of preliminary, MBTI E matched Swing Team B. Swing Team B is the team that were made so every group would have opponent, it consisted with the seniors. MBTI E lost but it didn’t really break their heart because MBTI E lost from the seniors. on the first day, MBTI E just lost once. they made it to the next day.

on the next day, I was sick and I couldn’t attend.. but they made it to the grand final and won the second place as the runner up! our time might be too short but it was nice too met ade, ghanjar, laras and paska. MBTI E, congratulations

Barb over at funwithBarbandMary blogged about a class she took with Bill a few weeks ago. Here’s the link if you want to see some of the explorations they did.

This weekend my husband and I went to the Theatah.

Doesn’t that sound terribly decadent?

Theatah. Not Theater, or even Theatre if you’re feeling rather English, but Theatahhhh. If I’m going to the Kennedy Center for a performance of classical music, it must be Theatah, with the most highbrow of British accents. No other pronunciation will do the experience justice.

Those of you familiar with the Kennedy Center know that it is no ordinary performing arts center. All major shows come to this venue, and the Board of Trustees has a set of Honorary Chairs that is comprised of both the current and a handful of former First Ladies. Anyone who is anyone in the D.C. area has at least one toe dipped in the waters of the Kennedy Center, regardless of political affiliation. Republican, Democrat; none of that matters as long as the right ones see you supporting The Arts.

The performance I attended this weekend was a collaboration between violinist Joshua Bell and conductor Hugh Wolff. You know who Joshua Bell is – the violin soloist who was featured prominently on the soundtracks of both Angels and Demons and The Red Violin, and is as much of a pop star as a classical violinist can be. I’ve been to several other shows at the Kennedy Center, but never before has there been such a buzz in the crowd about the performer. While making our way into the hall to our seats, my husband and I overheard the name ‘Joshua Bell’ being repeated over and over again in hushed, reverent tones. “Joshua Bell is here.” “Have you heard Joshua Bell’s newest album?” “Joshua Bell won a Grammy award…” Joshua Bell is one of those lucky individuals whose name is fun to say, and makes people feel more sophisticated when they do.

This weekend the National Symphony Orchestra provided the musical backdrop to Joshua Bell (Joshua Bell, Joshua Bell, Joshua Bell); thus, the unspoken dress code was slightly more formal than for other matinee performances. Not quite at the cocktail-dress-and-tuxedo level, but black suits and subtle ties escorting subdued silk blouses and low heels were quite prevalent.

Yes, I wore my pearls. Please. Surely you know me by now.

The Kennedy Center is one of those venues that understand the importance of attention to detail. The doors and hinges in the ladies’ bathrooms are brushed metals, there are actual shelves for handbags (not the same thing as those teeny hooks on the back of the door!), and the bathrooms themselves are surely cleaned every hour on the hour, judging from their overall spotlessness. The gift shops are filled with performance-related knicknacks, in addition to an entire line of jewelry modelled after pieces worn by Jackie Kennedy – very beautiful, fairly expensive replicas. The majority of staff members are older women who give the impression of being volunteers, not employees… society matrons who are fulfilling their civic duty by graciously showing you that glinting bracelet you desperately want your husband to buy you for Christmas.

Patrons of the Kennedy Center know better than to applaud before the conductor has lowered his hands to his sides. Some of us even know not to applaud between songs in a set, though this etiquette intricacy is growing obsolete. The Center is just intimidating enough that the majority of its patrons are used to paying others to entertain them, and nearly every seat in this weekend’s performance was taken. This is especially crucial to the millionaire mindset during times of economic trouble – as a nod to the financial sufferings of others, millionaires may forgo that new imported car, they may not wear their biggest jewels, but they simply will not compromise on their entertainment. It’s culture, after all, and that falls comfortably in the category of humble self improvement. Not showing off.

We have thus circled back to that important element of millionaire lifestyles: culture. Whether perusing an exhibit of Old Masters, or paying to be serenaded by a world-renowned tenor, millionaires expect to be entertained in style. Others will save their money for a rainy day, or put it aside in case the car needs new winter tires – millionaires don’t have such concerns, and can thus spend their spare time being entertained, rather than catching up on bills. This has been the case for as long as some have money and others don’t. The upper classes of the Regency had their operas, the Renaissance had its jousts… today’s millionaires enjoy all this and more.

Even if their money is newer than the paper it is printed on, millionaires like to at least pretend that they were raised with culture and sophistication. You may have worked your way to the top of a construction empire, starting at the very bottom and slowly building your power and money – this is no reason not to appreciate the same trappings and privileges as those born to Old Money. There are very few doors that the right number of zeros can’t open, and those doors swing open all the more smoothly if the person knocking speaks the right language.

When asked how one spent the weekend, “I went into the city – the National Symphony Orchestra was performing Mendelssohn” has so much more of a ring to it than “I went to a WWE show”, doesn’t it?

Concert Hall at the Kennedy Center

~KV

I was bitten by the Twilight bug.  Yeah, call me a hopeless romantic.  SHHHH!  Don’t tell anyone!

I bought the Twilight DVD and when I watched it, I was immediately smitten with the love of Edward Cullen and Bella Swan.  I purchased all the books and caught up on what I’ve been missing out on.  Believe me this Twilight stuff pretty much occupied my time all last week before the new movie, New Moon hit theaters.  I just had to have New Moon read before the m

ovie was released.  I achieved my goal.  Needless to say, I was very impressed with how both movies have managed to stay with the story line of the books.  There’s my review.  Two Thumbs up!  

My real reason for writing this post was the love connection between Bella and Edward.  I’m seriously wondering if love between two teenagers is of such a nature as depicted in the film.  Both so enamored with one another they are willing to die for the other.  Edward being a 109-year old vampire who lost his human life at 17 and remains frozen in his immortality there and Bella, the 18-year old ingenue, who experiences deep depression and serious heartache once her love leaves her.  He didn’t die, he left.  He said goodbye, told her it would be the last time she would ever see him again, and bounced.  Well, in his case he disappeared almost instantly.    Her reaction:  she runs after him and eventually settles on the floor of a Pacific Northwest forest willing to freeze what feelings she has left and her body into oblivion.  Once she is found, her depression is so consuming she chooses not to function in her life anymore.  Yes, she attends school and does homework but she becomes almost a zombie.  Walking around with no conscious awareness of the life around her.  Barely eating.  Barely acknowledging life and what awareness she does make

is in writing email to her love’s younger immortal sister about the knowledge of Edward leaving her and not knowing what move to make next other than life can’t be decent without him and his family’s existence in a naive world.

Here’s where I am lost.  I truly can’t believe -or maybe I haven’t ever experienced it- love is so strong amongst teenagers.  I know as a child we tend to look at the world differently.  They tend to react more emotionally rather than rationally to situations of the heart and mind.  I don’t want to insult the story.  I think as a fantasy it does provide some entertainment for children growing up.  It also can be used as a teaching tool as to how boys should treat girls at such an age but there’s another post for another time.  I feel the love bond portrayed is way too strong for someone of Bella’s age to experience.  I know the feeling of meeting someone you like and then you grow to love that person with all your heart.  I’ve never experienced it to the point I’m willing to die for him which leads me to ask:

1.  Is this truly a proper story for allowing children to see and experience?

2.  Are children ready to handle the feelings of love with such an innocent upbringing?

and

3.  After watching a movie of this magnitude will it lead them to start relationships of such magnanimous proportions?

It also leads me to wonder… where – if this kind of love exists- the hell have I been?  I’ve been in two relationships that weren’t without their own angst but damn! I feel like I am missing out on something.  Did I?  Looking back on those two examples of love I had, I still don’t recall ever feeling so lost in love (New Edition), my existence becomes nonexistent.  At 33, I’m feeling this type of love portrayal to children of this day and age can be too catastrophic for their young minds to deal with.  If a 19-year old teenager was willing to commit suicide on the Internet with the whole world watching because his girlfriend dumped him, I can just imagine the horror stories if love so strong becomes too volatile for one person to handle.  I am totally aware of the fact this is fantasy.  Anything having to do with vampires is a complete work of fiction however, the parallel is there.

Maybe I’m looking to deep into this but at the same time, nothing on this earth should not be questioned.  Including the Twilight Saga.

I don’t think I am alone in saying  it can sometimes feel impossible not to long for a certain place, many years after living or visiting. It holds memories and feelings we crave.  Experiences that may be painful to remember so far away.

My place would have to be the beautiful city of the Czech Republic: Prague.

The winding cobblestone streets still weave through my dreams every once in a while. As do flashes of the castle I’d glimpse on the tram ride to school. Or my favorite secret park, tucked away behind towering walls, which tourists would unknowingly stroll right past. My favorite activity in Prague was to simply wander, with no specific destination in mind. To get lost, and find something amazing and new.

Living somewhere for three months really allows you to become an insider. I learned important Czech words, great places to eat, and different customs. For example, sniffling is considered extremely rude and aggravating to Czechs and it is rare to get a smile from a local on the tram (though once you get to know them, the people are very warm and inviting).

I was also excited as an artist to discover a new favorite: David Cerny. He has some very cool sculptures tucked away in different parts of the city, which I’d highly recommend seeing.    

Prague is a beautiful city, with an amazing collection of art, architecture, and culture.

I can’t wait to go back, and wander the beautiful streets again.

Please share any of your own travel yearnings, places you can’t wait to go back to, memories you never want to forget.

I would have loved to regale you with a colorful account of this very random trip, but the photos speak for themselves.

Here’s just a few of the hundreds I took:

Angkor Wat

Built during the early years of the 12th century by Suryavaram II, Angkor Wat honors the Hindu god Vishnu and is a symbolic representation of Hindu cosmology. It may not be on the official list, but it is considered as one of the great wonders of the world (and is +8 culture in CIV ;p)

One of the many gorgeous buildings inside the Royal Palace.  Everything was so well-maintained and the garden perfectly manicured it felt like a Khmer Disneyland.  The sky was beauuutiful that day.

The Terrace of the Elephants

There were twelve of these strewn along a huge field.  If I remember correctly they symbolize the twelve signs of the zodiac. It felt like an Asian Scotland for some reason.. (then again I’ve never BEEN to Scotland so bleh)

Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum

Found in Phnom Penh, this site was used as the notorious Security Prison 21 (S-21)  by the Khmer Rouge regime under Pol Pot from 1975 to 1979. Tuol Sleng in Khmer means “Hill of the Poisonous Trees”.  This fairly recent inhumanity was Asia’s share of the Jewish Holocaust.

And now for the random and amusing..

"The Elephant in the Room" (sorry I just haaad to)

Export WIN

A Tribute to Penny Lane: Who says you can only get good Sangria in Spain? ;p

A Tribute to Skywalker: ♬ Footprints in the saaaaand... ♬

At the airport, on the way home, I grabbed a “Cambodia: The Do’s and Dont’s” book in a store and gave it a quick read.  Here’s the gist of what caught my eye:

DO NOT, under any circumstance, use the pedestrian lane.  Cambodians do not use it for they do not know what it means. (FAIL)

K.Sol, your tribute is with me and no, it isn’t your rock. ;p

Traveling is such a humbling feat as it makes you realize how tiny a speck you are in this world.  Contrary to the song, it is NOT a small world and there is a vast number of opportunities, careers, culture, sights, smells, tastes and feelings out there waiting to be explored.  There is much ground to cover and so little time.  We just have to get off our asses, live like we know nothing and take bolder steps to learn more, see more, be more and live more every single day.  Wow, what an awesome life that would be.

So there you have it, the first of the many travels I intend to have.  I can’t wait for the next one, as well as the day when the porchers set out together for a misadventure away from home.

Gaining momentum,

Tiger Lily

]]> http://return2learning.wordpress.com/2009/11/23/brescia-university-college/ Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:59:24 +0000 creativelywiredcommunications http://return2learning.wordpress.com/2009/11/23/brescia-university-college/

I met with two representatives from Brescia’s Communications and Marketing department this morning to discuss a work placement opportunity for next term. I have to admit, I am very interested in the projects they have up coming for 2010 that I could be a part of. They are offering a variety of marketing and communications experiences: which is what any graduate student would want. I still have one more placement to consider and I am meeting with them later this afternoon. Brescia’s Communications and Marketing department’s placement offer is definitely going to be tough to beat.

So I posted the daily entry quite early today. I am just overwhelmed by my visitors in this blog. So to end this day, I’ll grant one wish of my daily visitor. That wish is to post something about my love life. HAHA. XD

So, to be honest, I haven’t had any boyfriend since I was born in this cruel world. I did have A LOT of crushes. I think about, uhm, 26? Haha. Many, right? I think MOST of them are crushes, and maybe, 4 of them are real. but all one-sided love.

Before anything else, I think I’ll make up some codenames so that it will not be confusing for you. )

This Boy – “Rain.”
Our “friend” I was talking about in the previous posts – “BoA.”
One of my 2 friends in his section who BoA and I approached – “Younha.”
The another of the 2 friends – “Bestfriend.”
My friend who noticed him staring – “Cheska”
Rain’s another friend beside Younha and Bestfriend – “Coffee”
( I kind of laugh at myself for assigning such silly codenames but I can’t help it. I can’t think of more suitable ones. ))

I thought of posting about this one since this day, I reminisced my latest one-sided real love. Yeah. To make it short, I’ll tell you the story about him, just him.

So it started in First Year High School. I can’t remember the exact date but I think that was sometime in August 2008. I first saw Rain in a Practical Test in Health, together with other sections. At first sight, I really noticed him, since he is really like an exact replica of my role model. I think you know who I mean with saying “My Role Model”. And yeah, he really looks exactly the same. Like I would imagine my role model, 7 years younger. Haha. Not only that. People who have MAGNIFICENT dancing skills also catch my attention very fast and very well. He is MAGNIFICENT in dancing. So that moment, I started thinking about my friends in the section the same as his. I have 2 friends in that section who I can ask about him. So I didn’t end up asking them, but I remembered BoA when she asked me to accompany her to the classroom of Rain to borrow a cassette player from him through Younha who is also from that section, and one of the 2 persons I was talking about a while ago. So BoA was saying like Rain’s name was common but the spelling is quite unique and more of a higher social class. BoA was explaining that to me but I didn’t focus on her while she was talking about that. And when I finally get to know Rain, I realized what BoA was telling me that time. That was August, right? So let’s move forward to October. So that was the era of the United Nations Celebration. Included in the line up was the Inter-Year Level Cultural Dancing Presentation. So as expected, Rain joined the freshmen team. Luckily for me, their trainor was my classmate’s cousin, so, frequently, they held their practices inside our classroom. So everyday, it’s like I saw *heaven*! Then I was eager to go to school in that era because I knew he would be dancing before my eyes. So, that was in October, right? Let’s move forward again to November, the era of our school’s foundation anniversary celebration. So during this time of the year, you could expect Inter-Year Level Cheering Competition. And again, as expected, Rain joined in that, too. But during that time, it was when my feelings for him hit the floor. Not until December, December 8, to be exact, the day after my role model died, I had overflowing feelings for him. Like, I don’t know what I will feel after I heard the news and suddenly the next day I would see his exact replica. So it felt like, uhh. Honestly, I really didn’t know how I felt like that. So since that incident, I started stalking Rain, but that kind of stalking wasn’t intense just yet. Until, Christmas has passed, New Year has passed and then we’re back to school. During these times, I noticed him having stolen glances at me whenever we see each other. I know, I am kind of a feeler with that. So to verify, I asked Cheska to look. Then when we went to the canteen one morning, I asked her, “Nakatingin ba siya?” (Is he staring at me?). Then, Cheska said, “Oo. Grabe, nakakatunaw yung tingin niya.”(Yes. My gosh, his stares can make you melt.) So there is still a lot of these evidences of maybe Rain has a little crush on me, but I was never sure. I once asked Bestfriend about the history of lovelife, she said something like Rain doesn’t have any experiences about these matters. So I kind of observed him for a while. Then, since my feelings for him was overflowing that time, I once felt desperate of wanting to court him. So, when the day of Valentine’s came, I gave him 2 greeting cards and you know those fancy things they sell at the stationery stores with a balloon stick and a little stuffed toy attached at the top of the balloon stick. So I gave him a total of 3 items. Until now, he doesn’t know that I sent those. To be more specific, he doesn’t know who gave those presents. You know, actually, this story is kind of long, so I’ll cut it here for a while and maybe I will continue my storytelling tomorrow. )

I recently heard a BBC Radio 4 documentary with Ed Byrne about the demise of student union bars. Apparently, despite the growth in student numbers, sales of alcohol in student unions have halved in the last decade. His downbeat (at least to me) conclusion is that hardly anyone seems in the slightest bit bothered.

In my day, students didn’t have mobile phones, and the interweb barely existed. So to meet up with friends from other parts of the campus, we’d wander up to “The Ram” (our union watering hole) to see who was around. The Student Bar was slightly grotty, but it was cheap, friendly, and it was ours. It reflected our personality, we planned and ran the events, the food, the music. That personality and ‘closeness’ helped it stay in our minds. We all still remember The Ram fondly, even if we acknowledge its griminess through the clear lenses of 20 years’ hindsight

Earlier this month I organised my brother’s Stag Do in Cardiff, although this part of our experience could have been obvious in any city in the UK: in fact, that’s my point. Cardiff has undergone a terrific transformation in recent years. The City Centre has mostly been revamped with bright and shiny shops, new pedestrian zones and swanky bars and hotels. Noone in our group was very familiar with Cardiff, but the general perception was that there would be lots of ‘chain bars’ that could be good for a drink or two. How right we were.

Around every corner there was a ha-ha, Revolution, Steam Bar, or tiger tiger nightclub. These places often boast huge glass frontages to better show the potential drinkers outside all the beautiful / trendy / smart people within; all of them glorified fishbowls. And it was obvious that in many towns and cities around the UK, the same sort of people were circulating around the same furniture, listening to the same piped playlists, in the same brands of clothes, drinking the same bottled beers or ’speciality’ cocktails served by staff in the same uniforms.

In their search to deliver ‘a consistent brand experience’, it feels to me like these bars and clubs have removed their soul. The constrictions of this branded ‘experience’ has sucked the life out of them. You can almost see the designers’ sketches of the decor and layouts, and hear the brainstorming meetings that developed Private Karaoke Rooms or theme nights.

I’m not saying I prefer the seediness of a student bar, but we did have a very good time at The Queens Vaults, a ‘proper pub’ with massive screen, pool tables and beer at barely £2/pint (compared to £3.50+ elsewhere). It’s definitely not to everyone’s tastes, and probably not even to mine. But it had a strong sense of who it wanted to be and just went out and did it, and that made it different, something I remember in a good way.

You were that girl I saw at the bar last Saturday, fumbling with your clutch.  Your long blond hair flowed so gracefully over your shoulders as you moved slightly to tuck it over one side.  I saw your two gay friends come back, and watched as you were caught up in conversation.  Lady Gaga is crooning over the speakers, as the bass caresses the mass twisting, grinding, two-stepping on the floor.  *This* is Hollywood.  My eyes stray in passing, as I gaze over the dance floor.  With every strobe and flash, the glitter on your cheeks and the luster of your lip gloss forces me back to you.

We make eye contact; I can see the light dancing deep inside your eyes before you even start smiling back at me.  Here we are, a good 50 feet away from each other, yet it feels so far away.  Still, I’m content to play these games.  In a way, I feel that attraction starts with the twinkle in the eyes, one aspect that most guys forget since we’re physically-minded brutes.  I see you smiling as you look away, and I take that as my cue.  The corner of my lips rises in a playful smirk as I make my way back to the main bar, my stride softening.

I lean my elbow up on the bar as I call over a bartender, and you look over, away, and back again.  I ask you over the music if you’re having fun tonight.  You only smile, and lean in to whisper something into my ear that makes me smile myself.  Your friends come back, and a few rounds of drinks later, we’re all singing “I’ve Got a Feeling” at the top of our lungs.  You squeeze in close to me, pop my blazer’s collar as ” … tonight’s going to be a good night…” blasts over the chorus, press the flat of your palm against my stomach, and rest your temple on my shoulder.  I can hear you smiling as you suddenly look up, grab my hand, and laugh as you lead me off, leaving your friends confused.  The music is blaring loudly, yet through it all, it’s as if it were the still of the night, and your laughter is ringing in my ears.

We move over to an abandoned cabana in the courtyard, and you whisper that we just needed some “alone” time.  I tell you to close your eyes, and you do.  I trace my fingers slowly down the curve of your jawline, across the back of your ear, to your chin.  And moving your chin up slightly, as you start to breath faster, I move in to kiss you on the forehead.  I lean back and start laughing, and I swore that your surprised pouting when you realized you weren’t going to get a real kiss came out like the fireworks do on the 4th of July.  And before long, what could we really do but smile?

***

Early the next morning, I slid out of the bed at the Standard Hotel, taking care not to disturb your soft sighing as I pulled the corner of the bedsheets over your bare shoulders.  I take the time to write you a note: “Hey, thank you for the laughs and memories.  Sorry I couldn’t stay, but I hope you had a wonderful night! Signed: J.” and stick it on the bedside table.  I quickly step out, closing the door gently behind me and make sure room service is going to be delivering breakfast.

As I leave, I guess in a way I have fallen back to my old self, but now I realize I’m on a journey to find myself.  And when I do, I’ll be ready again to give myself fully.

Though this Onion article is clearly written in jest, it raises an interesting point:

The entire office staff of Altman & Hanson Accounting remained utterly baffled as to what, if anything, should be done in response to the prominent sobbing coming from the cubicle of 36-year-old clerk Jack Underwood, sources reported today.

Leaving aside the usual jokes about pay cuts and furloughs and loss of benefits, it’s entirely possible that one of your coworkers may indeed be crying at his or her desk at some point.

What do you do?

Well, for starters, if you’re the person who needs to cry, the professional thing to do is find somewhere private to break down and then compose yourself. Bathrooms are good — especially if your floor has a semiprivate one hidden somewhere — as are conference rooms not being used at the moment or, if you can make it in time, your car.

If you are the observer of the tears, you have three options:

1. Ask what’s wrong.
2. Ignore it completely.
3. Poll your coworkers to see if anyone has an answer.

The most likely of these, of course, is item 3, which not only saves you from having to deal directly with the person in tears while satisfying your inner need to gossip and making sure that the crying coworker’s plight is communicated to as many people as possible.

Next-most-likely is item 2, ignoring it — it’s likely that the person crying can’t control himself or herself, which is why s/he is sitting at his/her desk instead of escaping to somewhere else. Depending upon how well you know the person, you probably already know if you should ask what’s wrong or just keep moving on.

And then there’s item 1, which is getting involved. For those looking to form an extracurricular relationship, this can be a great door-opener — sit down, talk, and squirrel away those brownie points. It’s a definite in. Just remember that you could be getting yourself into a huge mess — what if the problem involves your mutual boss? What if that person got fired but you didn’t? Or, worst of all, what if it’s something you don’t think is worth the tears? Can you trust yourself not to say “man up, Nancy!” and instead respond kindly?

Of course, there are times when you can’t help it. Once, a co-worker of mine got a call that his brother had suffered a stroke and it took him some time to recover. At that time, we were part of a tightly-knit department and we all offered to help out. He was fine after an hour or so and declined our offers to cover his shift. His brother is now on the road to recovery, and most of us met him on his last visit to the office.

Personally, the best option in my opinion is to ignore it. As I said, if the person can’t get out of there in time, there’s a good reason for it, and unless that person is your work-wife or work-husband, you probably shouldn’t get involved.

The same, by the way, goes for angry coworkers who can’t stop expressing how they feel. Just remember to duck.

J’organise depuis plusieurs années des formations pour les bénévoles de mon réseau. J’ai commencé par les proposer à tous (formation commune à toutes les équipes pour mieux se connaître et par groupe de 12 environ). J’ai ensuite fait les mêmes formations directement dans les bibliothèques pour les équipes qui avaient peu répondu précédemment. Je pense avoir pu toucher 70% des bénévoles du réseau. Je propose maintenant ces formations à tous les nouveaux bénévoles.

La formation classement permet d’expliquer la Dewey mais aussi le classement des albums, les gommettes sur les romans… Je leur donne le dossier pour qu’ils gardent une trace de la formation.

La formation accueilest plus délicate à mettre en place. J’ajoute à la trame beaucoup d’exemples en exagérant le trait (humour avant tout!). Je parle du comportement des bénévoles (c’est le but de la chose) mais aussi du rôle des bibliothèques, de la notion de service public, du conseil au lecteur …

Murielle