Filler for the Blog and the Stomach

Posted by katemode

on Saturday, July 24, 2010

For the lack of my usual chronological updates, I thought I'd squeeze in some non-SUSI-related posts. Well, this was done w/in the SUSI time frame and in Boomer Hall. Still, not a part of the program/schedule. :p

I made/cooked Family recipes for my Filipino co-participants (and everyone else who wanted to taste or have their portions).

I won't claim the recipes as Filipino dishes for sure correctness. So far, this is my checklist:

1. Tuna Sandwich (hence the "made" word in the 2nd paragraph, as opposed to just putting "cooked")

2. Filipino style sweet spaghetti (difference: sugar and BANANA CATSUP added)

6. Munggo Guisado (Mung Beans, shrimp, beef, garlic, bitter gourd leaves, etc)

3. Pork Spareribs (my favorite slash dad's specialty)

4. Adobo sa Gata (coconut milk instead of soy sauce and other replacements/additions to original adobo)

5. Beef Tapa (Failed. Sort of.. I just used left overs for this. heehee)

I was only able to document the Pork Spareribs cooking process. :)

Props to the International Grocery and Drew for the soy sauce and the rice vinegar respectively.


Pork Spareribs from Walmart. I bought about...4 pounds of meat?

Yellow bell pepper, huge white onion, Jalapeno, Ginger (I wasn't able to photograph the garlic and green bell pepper)

Seemed more like I was chopped on my chopping block, and you'll know why in the next photo caption/background info/text.

Took more time cutting these up than the actual cooking time. Amateur mistake in food prep: I didn't thaw it hours before. :))

From these to bite size cuts in the coming pictures.

First half of the cooking process. In my opinion, this is the most exciting smell experience of cooking. All the juices and flavors of the ingredients are fresh and pouring. Ginger, onion, garlic, pork, salt, pepper, etc.

AND...dun dun dun

Finished product! :)

Inebriated Ing�nue: "Inception" fascination esp over JGL

Posted by katemode

on Friday, July 16, 2010

Inebriated Ing�nue

Diet Dinner at the Dietz's

Posted by katemode

on Wednesday, July 14, 2010

I'm glad I had a 2-hour gym trip earlier today (5:30am-8:am). The smores we made at Larry Dietz's farm was just too heavy in the stomach and on the calories. I only had one veggie hotdog (burnt skin off. Thanks Angga for cooking it "well". haha Peace) without the bun and tons of vegetables. The carrots and tomatoes were sweet, and the cherry tomatoes were so juicy. Honestly, I enjoyed munching on the vegetables.

Anyway, earlier today was our 2nd session with Ron Mason on leadership training. The whole morning was given to him. The first hour had great shares of insights and questions from him and my classmates. Honestly though, the 2nd hour I almost tuned out. Maybe 1 lecturer for 3 hours can be draggy. That's what I think.

Take note. I ALMOST tuned out. Oh what the heck, I tuned out the last 30 minutes. The first half, I squeezed in recitations because I wanted my reading of Social Change 2.0 to be of use. So, raise hand. Wait to be called. Recite, and know what you're talking about. SUCCESS!

Blog Mid-Week Updates

Posted by katemode

on

In light of the blogging critiques and updating session earlier this afternoon, I'm making this post. This is just a report of updates, add-ons and relocations of gadgets/widgets/tabs.

Cram-packed morning

Posted by katemode

on Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Tomorrow, I have to wake up mega early to:
1. Finish Chapter 3 of Social Change 2.0
2. Make packed lunch (probably eggs and veggie dogs plus my tortilla bread)
3. Stuff in these in my gym bag:
a. sets of work-out clothes (changes of underwear and socks included)
b. clothes for picnic in the evening
4. Make/eat breakfast (or skip it, yeah?)

I need 2 sets of work-out clothes 'cause I was planning on hitting the Recreation Center during lunch break and the period in between dismissal and call-time for picnic on the Dietz farm. They're only an hour of free time each, so I have to seize both opportunities. Eew I made that sound more profound than it never was nor will be.

Anyway, I've been pigging out since last week. I can't stop, so I'll just START working out. We've been out post dismissal time lately that I've skipped gym time so much.

I will not be that girl who gained SOOOO much weight after coming from the US. Please. Sorry, I have weight and self-esteem issues with my extended family. They're like ANTM panel judges, and I'm the only plus-size model waiting to be eliminated.

Let me TELL you about my recent antics

Posted by katemode

on Monday, July 12, 2010

As in, I'm literally telling you, speaking to you with sound and non-verbal cues. In short...VLOG UPDATES. :D I don't do Vlogs 'cause I feel awkward talking into a camera. Believe me, there are more of these stored in my laptop. Test vlogs that I'll never upload. I guess in these 2, I'm a little bit more comfortable. I think? Ah well, something to break the routine. :D

VLOG#1: Chester Fever
Go back a few blogs, and you'll see in Paragraph 1 lines 2-3 of my "Despedida" post what this Vlog (#1) is about.

*If you click "Despedida", it links to the post I'm referring to* ;)


VLOG#2: Carbondale Beautification
Next Volunteer Activity: Keep Carbondale Beautiful
If you want to add them on Facebook, just click this link
*Note: I said we were somewhere near "Thai Taste" and the City Hall if you didn't catch on. Sorry I speak too fast.

After this: sweaty, blistered foot (bad right footwear), sweaty and tired

The Drowsy Chaperone

Posted by katemode

on

Sunday was free day/rest day with optional activities. Some of the boys went hiking, and the rest of us (sans Deisha and Sabina) watched "The Drowsy Chaperone". You can Google it, but in a GIF, this is what I thought of the play:


Now, I won't add much more except of how timeless the targets of the man-in-chair's lines/side comments were. The sarcastic remarks about how "modern" people always force how different and "elite-minded" they must be.

I thought the man-in-chair was a personal interpretation tool of the play producers in SIU. When I googled the play though, I read that he was really part of the play. I assumed his lines were also original. If I'm right about that, boy...the history of taste is mostly just a cycle then huh?

Same groups of traditionalists, modernists and "post modernists", yeah? Then in between you have those trying hard to be modern or post modern or traditionalist.

At least, that's how I interpreted this insight (the cyclic pattern of 'tastes') I took out of the play.

Despedida

Posted by katemode

on

This, by far, has been the most exciting picnic in the SUSI program. It was at Karen, Dr. Barb Brown's sister's house. His son Jacob rode around their huge corn field about 4 times taking us on tours on their tractor.

I talked to the other host parents there, and they were refreshingly full of energy. One was the old bachelor joker who would NOT stop it with the jokes/insults/sarcastic remarks. He was quite the comedian. I don't know how Arvin and Faisal put up with him overnight though. His jokes drove me crazy. Oh and get this, he calls Faisal and Arvin "Chip" and "Dip" respectively 'cause he can't remember their names. Craaaazy!

Then, I talked to Luana and Judge Flynn (couple) about musicals, plays, Celine Dion and Chicago. I also asked about death threats, which apparently they get often. Thankfully, no one acts on the threats. Luana was so sweet and sincere. Judge Flynn was funny and light. I thought at first he was an intimidating man, given his profession. His Celine Dion fascination proved me wrong. They were such a sweet couple I loved talking to.

There's also this one mother, Joyce, who backed me up when Drew (graduate peer mentor) and Gene were picking on me (jokingly).

All in all, that was the first time I REALLY enjoyed talking to adults. Everyone was nice, warm and funny. Our farewell picnic had the happiest ambiance, which sadly was the prelude to some teary and hug-filled goodbye's.

Sabina and I didn't get our sad goodbye's because Farida and Lee had to leave as soon as they dropped us off. They had a 4pm wedding to attend even if our picnic call time was also 4pm. Farida and Lee had already sacrificed about an hour to take us to the picnic. More reason to feel closer to them even as they left us early.

July 10th was a winner for me(just look at me here -->): Good food, good playing, good people, good conversations, good jokes and emotional goodbyes.
(Candid Photo on taken by Mudrikan)

Chester is home: New, Temporary and Popeye's

Posted by katemode

on

Chester, Illinois is home to the maker of the famous Popeye cartoon series. It was also in Popeye's maker's home that we momentarily found home and family.





Wimpy and Me


Spinach Can Collectibles where I bought Popeye & Chester post cards and pencils


*This is not a paid advertisement.*

July 9, after the Radio station and Chester City Court tour with Dr. Barbara Brown (another stunning Southern darling), we were "adopted" by foster families for overnight stays.

The rule was two students of the same gender per household. I was paired with my SUSI soul-mate and co-noise-pilot, Sabina Wong. If that wasn't enough to get us giddy, Dr. Brown told us that our foster mom had only agreed to host students if she could host Sabina and I. Yes, she picked us.

NOW, how did she know us? It was during 4th of July ceremonies in Kaskaskia Island. I met her and was stunned by her age vs. how young she looked.

> 70 = actual age

> 50 = how old/young she looked

I'm not even kidding, nor was I trying to flatter her. I hate false compliments okay? Whatever praise comes from me is sincere. :)

Going back, as we were leaving Kaskaskia, Sabina and our (then) to-be foster mom were chatting it up! They were talking about the show NCIS, which Sabina and I absolutely love. As early as then, she had already made the best impression on me and Sabina.

So, we were the only pair to actually know who we were looking for during the "adoption" meet up at the cafe near the city court. Then there they were, FARIDA HOLLAWAY & LEE HOLLAWAY.

(From L-R, up: Kate Cruz, Sabina Wong; From L-R, down: Farida Hollaway and Lee Hollaway. Photo courtesy of Lee Bailleu)

Fast forwarding, basically we just pigged out in their beautiful bungalow. Lee had to leave on the first night to work at the American Legion Club Bingo night. Farida and her daughter LeeAnne took us:

1. walking around her street

2. to the Chester Memorial Hospital (to see the other Popeye statues)

3. to the American Legion Club to see the Bingo night and visit Lee

4. to the craft shop (where I bought little linen bags as souvenirs for me friends)

5. to the biggest American flag in Southern Illinois

6. to the smallest park in Southern Illinois

7. to the maximum security prison along the Mississippi river

8. to the "house with blue windows" that Mark Twain mentioned in one of his works

9. to pass by the only covered bridge left in Illinois

10. to the 4th Walmart we've been in Illinois (Carbondale, Murphysborough, Sparta, Chester)

They showed me more than the Popeye merchandise and landmarks. They showed me culture and hole-in-the-wall monuments in Chester. It just goes to show how they really familiarized themselves with their hometown. For me, it's always admirable to meet someone who KNOWS where he/she comes from.

As for Farida and Lee, it was just one day with them, but my heart stays with them. The hospitality, accommodation and thoughtfulness were just what we needed nearly halfway into this program. Temporary goodbyes to microwave dinners, take-outs, cafeteria food and fast food. I love that brief home-stay.

On local print and on local TV

Posted by katemode

on

July 8 was the day to tour the local paper, "The Southern Illinoisan" and the local TV station. There isn't much to say/type, but there is "much" to show:

I thoroughly enjoyed the green screen and watching Dr. John Jackson's interview. We here, all agree that he'd make the ultimate adorable grandpa. Actually, I asked his permission to call him "grandpa" since he doesn't have grandchildren yet. ;)

Anyway, the day after this tour, Codell Rodriguez wrote another article on us touring the Illinoisan office. Click here to view the article.

I was quoted, but incompletely if I may say so. What felt like a deadline writing (now you have to read the article to understand what I'm saying) was the tour. We only had 15 minutes to circulate the important parts of the building. Naturally, we were rushing with the explanations and walks from one room to another.

In short, deadline writing & the Illinoisan office tour = crunching everything in so little time to the last second! Since we didn't exceed the 15 minutes, we "met our deadline". Pretty cool tour pacing. ;) Nevertheless, I'm happy to be featured and quoted in the first place.

Grayscale Wednesday: Gray Hair and Gray Areas

Posted by katemode

on Saturday, July 10, 2010

Also on this day, 1 out of the 3 Volunteer work at the not-for-profit organizations had to be done. The group I'm with got assigned to the Senior Citizens Center.

Not much to say because I myself was mentally struggling for conversation topics. There are personal steps of doom imho to interacting w/ senior citizens:

1. Think of a question/topic.

2. Think of how to phrase it. Make it gender, race, chronological jargon and just generally appropriate.

3. Say it slowly and loudly.

4. Ninety percent of the time, I had to repeat myself at least twice. They either ask me to repeat or give me a totally irrelevant answer -- which would mean they heard me wrong.

5. Wait for an answer.

It was so difficult, I tell you. I remember in my Speech100 class, Dr. Patricio Lazaro opened up this emerging field of Speech Communication, Geriatrics Communication. I could've used some Geriatric Comm 101 pointers.

Well, apart from conversational gray areas for me, I did have fun from middle towards the end of that trip. I had Junior and Clyde listen to my iPod. I had some Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, Sam Cooke and Ray Charles in there thankfully. I had The Beatles too, but they're not Beatles enthusiasts.

Let me show you some photos

Junior loved to dance, and to every song I played he was tapping his feet, snapping his fingers and playing aerial imaginary drums. He called it his "boogy woogie". Adorable right? Then, I read a fable to Clarence, talked to Josie about food and asked everyone else about their family in Carbondale.

I'm happy I didn't hear some heartbreaking circumstance where the elderly aren't being helped by their kids anymore. That's especially sad for me because in Filipino culture, you will almost never hear anyone sending their parents/grandparents to retirement homes or senior citizens centers. Always, a family member stays at home with the related elderly.

Grayscale Wednesday: Gray Film

Posted by katemode

on

Grayscale: A black & white film, gray hair and gray areas

Leadership Training Discussion with Ron Mason:

Most creative lecturer so far. He used different tools in his report like video footage and games. We watched "12 Angry Men", and then we had to rank the order in which the 11 other jurors would change their verdicts to "not guilty" in the film.

First, we had to individually rank the film characters. Then, we were grouped, and as a group, we had to rank again given the input of all the members. Then, we watched the rest of the film to score our guesses. I won't explain the point system anymore.

In the end, the point Ron Mason was getting at was how our individual ranking scores almost always are lower than our group ranking scores. It didn't apply to me though. My individual ranking score was 23, and my group's was 26. Those two were still low though FYI. The highest is 1. hahaha

That exercise did prove correct my group-interaction habits. I'm more of a solo-flight flier. I guess it was all those unproductive partners and slacker group-mates in elementary and high school. They made me and 1 or 2 other responsible group-mates do all the work.

I'm not proud of being a less effective team player than I am individually. It's a useful fall-back quality when in school, but probably not for the workplace. I see more things at stake, and no one else to blame for working situations outside the classroom.

So, after that activity, I had my work cut out for me. Good morning discussion even if it started 8:30 as opposed to all the other 9:00am starter lectures. Plus now I have a new movie to watch. 12 Angry Men. :)

Drugs 101: Thrifting and Touring

Posted by katemode

on Friday, July 9, 2010

The AFTERNOON of July 6th was allotted for touring Carbondale city. I squeezed in my solo thrift shop adventure in our 2-hour break.

Background on the Title:
Thing is back in the Philippines, in about one acre (or half of it) of the area I live in, there are already 15 thrift shops. I circulate them at least once a week, bargain hunting like a mad woman. Girl interrupted? Ha ha no. My dad says I've become a thrift shop "adik" (addict). If he is right, at least I'm not a shopaholic in high end stores, yeah? I'm so fucking frugal. Ha ha

Anyway, I was aiming for Goodwill, but I just had to be "independent". I thought I had it, but my memory on landmarks = betrayal. ha ha ha.

So, without asking for directions, I walked past:

• Don Taco
• the Indian restaurant
• Thai Taste
• City Hall

Thank goodness (in its truest sense) there was actually a thrift shop on that road! It was owned by a Church. Hmmm, so go figure, maybe Jesus helped me out there. :) I would have been in the worst mood if:

• I had walked that long distance under the sun for nothing
• Came back walking that distance with nothing

So, enough about my pride failing me. I had a quick buh-laaaast at the thrift shop. I got shorts, belts and a nice hat for under 15 dollars total.

I went back to Boomer all sweaty. After my quick shower, everyone had already gone to the Student Center bus terminal. We were riding an SIU bus for the first time (instead of our 3 vans). I was still trying to look presentable for the City Hall stop. Maybe I took an extra 3 minutes of choosing the right belts. Maybe. Anyway, Farah waited for me THANK HEAVENS yet again!

Touring, well...I love-hate tours. If I'm "forced" to spend too much time in one location, that's when I start hating a tour. Taking our time in some locations is fine as long as I'm doing something fun, or there's someone "interesting" in the area. Hahahaha. I'm an ogler. TMI, but excuuuuse me. hahaha

This tour had more love in it. Here's why:

1. City Hall

- We got free stuff. I love the pins.

- Someone interesting was there the whole time.

- I personally, learned new things. *A mayor can't get fired by anyone. There were parts of Carbondale considered National Highways and State Highways, which they couldn't touch/fix even if they wanted to.*

"Team Philippines" and Mayor Brad Cole
(From L-R: Arvin, John, Sedfrey, Mayor Brad Cole, Kate Cruz, Nhel, Billy Joe, Janvic)

2. Fire Station

- LOVE.FIRE.TRUCKS.

- Sabina, one of our co-participants tried on the whole suit.

- Their beds were so comfy. Actually their room looked like a hotel room for 8/6. Really cozy.

Sabina in the firefighter suit. Photo taken by John Patrick Allanegui

3. Water Station

- Kim Cole was a very energetic tour-guide.

- I was so hooked to the faucets that just kept on running there. It's not wasted water though. Long story. Basically, they keep them running, so they can get fresh samples from every faucet if the need to. You see, every faucet is a different stage of cleansing the water for distribution. Follow me on that? ;)

- There were a lot of great photo-op backgrounds inside and outside the building.

My favorite part of the tour was the City Hall. My co-participants know why. :>

Photo from John Patrick Allanegui('s camera)

Federal System and FBI

Posted by katemode

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July 6th: US Federal System and Local Government

In Dr. John Foster's discussion on Federalism, I was most engaged when he brought up the "Railroad Killer". We were talking about federal crimes, state crimes, state courts and federal courts. As the name implies, this serial killer's MO was hopping off trains in different locations to kill more victims. He had committed crimes Kentucky, Illinois and in Texas (plus other states). He'd been apprehended in Texas. Then, the Railroad Killer was no longer tried in Illinois because for sure he'd be convicted in Texas. The punishment policies there will do him worse too (or so I think). That would also save costs on trials in Illinois. True enough, the killer was found guilty in Texas and sentenced to execution.

Please don't associate me with sadism, masochism or any freaky -isms. I just watch too much crime shows, courtroom dramas and forensic shows. Then, the thing with me is I can only watch them do it. I don't really learn how to think or do as the characters do. I'm a watcher, not so much an applier, except for HYPERVIGILANCE. I got it from Criminal Minds.

Criminal Minds is about a group of profilers working at the FBI BAU (Behavioral Analysis Unit). There was an episode where the serial killer hopped trains to get farmer jobs in different stays. Then for every location/site change, he murders a family in their home. You can see the linking of ideas now, yeah? Now, just a shameless plug as a lame goodbye. WATCH CRIMINAL MINDS you guys.

Classroom Reality Check: Boredom and Impatience

Posted by katemode

on Wednesday, July 7, 2010

July 5th: The Mass Media and Globalization (Ken Mulligan) and The Evolution of Civil Society and the "Not for Profit" Sector (Keith Snavely)

Today I confirmed I was really taking in the lecture contents or some of them at least. I'll try to make this elaboration sound as nice as possible.

Maybe for lack of sleep, skipped breakfast and a late 'last night' (You know, fireworks on 4th of July and a very delayed dinner), I was so moody and sleepy in class. It wasn't to the point of not listening though. In fact, it was 'cause of me listening (by pressure of Dr. Foster's peering eyes) that I grew so impatient.

Some parts of that day's discussions were all too familiar. Previous lectures have already covered some topics of that day. So, you should get where I'm going here right? It was a very tired reflex thinking "I'm so sleepy. I heard that already. Go on to the next topic, and finish faster."

I'm sure or I hope I'm sure that we've all had days like this. Honestly, I'm not one ball of sunshine and enthusiasm for early morning lectures everyday. I'm positive none of you crave for consecutive 9am discussions...right?

Moving on, a good thing I took from that crabby class attitude: I remembered lessons from previous lectures. It's "Listen. Learn. Retain." as opposed to "Listen. Learn. Forget." I hope they all stay in my mind until after I'm home.

Now, I learned new things today too. Cosmopolitan Communication was opened up, but I thought it needed more elaboration. It just seems to cover too many branches of communication and studies (intercultural, interpersonal, psychology, sociology, performance studies, etc.) to be understood in one seating. Fairly enough though, Prof. Ken Mulligan displayed on every slide everything one had to know or refresh knowledge on, on the topic of Cosmopolitan Communication.

As for the Civil Society and the "Not for profit sector", that showed me big differences with American and Filipino policies and corporations. Best manifestation of these divides is in health care services. In Carbondale, not-for-profit hospitals are actually, well, hospitals. As far as I know in my motherland, there are no prominent not-for-profit hospitals. Maybe clinics and practices exist, but I'd like to think people in the rural areas go old school. They call an 'albularyo', which in my interpretation, is a less scientific Filipino version of a Chinese Doctor. :)

So, I still came out feeling more learned from the two discussions. I was just worn out. It's a good thing the afternoon was set for a mild sort of Blogging 101 session with our graduate peer mentors. They gave us so many links to use for better blogging...which I haven't used yet. I'll find time and opportunity to use more blog tools here for your blog-surfing pleasure. Until then, bear with me on sloppy paragraph-writing and photos....pretty please? Haha.

Carrie Underwood's Audition Video Song

Posted by katemode

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Google it (blog post title) up, and keep up with this post. I couldn't stop singing the chorus even if I couldn't really relate to it. When the holiday (which is the title of the song. That's a clue.) pops up in a conversation (virtual or actual), the song starts playing in my head. Am I making sense? If not, you probably didn't google the Carrie Underwood song title yet. The song's called "Independence Day" by Martina McBride. ;)

Our destination for 4th of July was Kaskaskia. On the way though, we took some photos at the Chester Welcome Center first.

Chester is the home of Popeye. Yes the cartoon. All over Randolph County and the road to the welcome center were Popeye cut-outs, logos and what-nots. It was a cute sight on a mini-nostalgic drive. It was just deja vu driving down this shop called the Spinach Factory. The logo was the typical can of Spinach Popeye used to down.

Strange how a Filipina's childhood memories get excited on foreign soil. I guess I should've expected that though since I was brought up in a USA-Filipino hybrid way. Guiltily, I did watch more American cartoons than Filipino shows as a kid. Oh what the heck, even until now, I'm an avid consumer of American media. Hahaha

Back to Chester now, behind me in this photo is the Mississippi River and the bridge whose name I forget. I have a thing for bridges, so I went internally crazy when I saw this bridge.To date, this is the longest one I've seen. Somewhere along that bridge is the state line between Illinois and Missouri.

We had to get in to Missouri to get to Kaskaskia, Illinois. There was a geographical explanation that Dr. Foster gave. I just couldn't follow, so I apologize for lack of elaboration on that.

So, we came from Illinois to Missouri and back to Illinois to reach Kaskaskia. The locals were as hospitable as Filipinos back home.

As you may or may not know, Filipinos are known primarily for that quality. I'm proud of our hospitality and try to practice it as much as I can too.

Anyway, I met one veteran in particular who gave me a CB medallion and the bullet shell casings from their firing salute. My co-participants are trying to psych me out, saying I won't get past airport security carrying bullet casings. PLEASE LET ME THROUGH. PLEASE.

Beach, Bods and Barbecue

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Triple B-themed Saturday/July 3. No, that is not a bra cup size. This blog is PG-13, or so I hope it's been. Things we saw on the beach might have been a little R-18, so I'll keep the photos family-friendly. ;)


In the morning, we went to North Sandusky, Rend Lake, Illinois.


Our graduate peer mentors organized a fun and food-filled beach picnic for us. They brought drinks, a Frisbee disc, a soccer ball and some floating toys. Funny thing about those inflatable balls, baseball bats and floaters: They were blown up manually by 2 strong lungs. Thank you Drew and Ikang! Hahaha.


It was too bad the 2 balls wandered off beyond the bouys. Within 1 hour of aqua-monkey-in-the-middle, we managed to lose both our beach balls. Maybe I can pin this on the lake or the current? Can I? Haha. "Good" thing we lost it towards the end of our half day picnic. We still had a cookout at Dr. Foster's house in our schedule.


Around 6pm to 9pm, we were eating up a storm in Dr. Foster's beautiful home.


There was so much food to go around. Vegetables, Halal chicken, chicken satay, beef barbecue, chips, rice, a variety of sauces, fruits, cookies...I could go on and on.


Three different grills were set up, so everyone could eat almost simultaneously. We were waiting on tongs 'cause we're heat sissies, or at least I am. Haha. I am glad they set up the grills already 'cause I can't do that back home. I can grill, jut not start the grill.


This is just one of the beautiful plants we saw. It was a perfect place for a cookout, really. There was a performing area. You're surrounded by greens, and it's quiet. Dr. Foster's house was the only one in that area.


I mentioned performing area because these folks right here were the featured "band". They played traditional folk music and some Irish fiddle tunes. From L-R, Kathy, Toby, Kate, John. I'm missing Lou, the banjo player. Toby is like my long-lost twin only because he does wacky shots with me. Yeah, "wacky shots" isn't a very popular concept here in the USA. Back home, after a formal shot, there's almost always a wacky shot or series of it to follow. So anyway, I really clicked with this family. They're so cool. Plus, get this: They're musicians, and each of them own a sports car. O.o

RIDICULOUS. SICK. STINK-FACE. Love it.

So, that was my Triple-B, pre-independence day in general.

Hit and miss

Posted by katemode

on Monday, July 5, 2010

My first live baseball game was a let-down. We left at around the 12th inning. The score was still 0-0. We sat far from the playing area, but that's not a problem. Nothing was happening anyway. The only things that entertained me were the racing eyeballs, the stadium canteen food and the crowd.

Baseball is quite the all-American sport, and I guess I was there for the atmosphere. Exclamations of disappointment, excitement and awe were in unison. Then, we sat beside this family of very vocal Miners fans. This one man kept calling out the opponent, trying to size him up. He was saying all sorts of funny and sarcastic things. I loved listening. The jokes were a bit vulgar for all the kids there, but he was entertaining. Very.

So, the actual game was a miss, but the crowd compensated a little bit. :)

Calling the inner study buffs in everyone(?)

Posted by katemode

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I sincerely want to read assigned texts beforehand. It saves me from getting embarrassed, spares me the nerves of unpreparedness and makes me feel a tad bit smarter honestly.

Well, July 2, Professor David Wilson discussed American Foreign Policy. The week before, we were given this ridiculously long essay he wrote on the topic. I only read on the day itself, and I didn't finish. I got far enough to follow his discussion smoothly.

Then before I knew it, 1 hour was up. I can promise you this: I hate History class, and it hates me. Not for that discussion though. It was preparation, and also maybe how close I sat to David Wilson. If I fell asleep, it'd be obvious. Hahaha. No of course not. Believe me, I was willingly attentive.

This is David Wilson. Maybe I liked the discussion too 'cause he looks so warm. That's a part of ethos/speaker's credibility, your look. So, I might not be kidding on that note. :) Plus, he speaks with genuine enthusiasm too, like a big happy man. He shared 2 anecdotes like he was doing it for the first or second time. I felt like a kid in a storytelling session (sans the note-taking).

3-Way Quickies (Suitable for work)

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Of the top of my mind, I’ll list the top 3 favorite or most notable things about:
 The Welcome Reception
 Barbara Brown’s talk
 Our trip to the Communications Building
 David Yepsen’s Two-Part session with us

Welcome Reception:
1. Photo-op with Mayor Brad Cole. He’s mighty awesome and drop-dead dashing. *faints* ha ha ha

2. Nancy Jackson asking us all where we lived, and looking for our locations on her map. Quite the charming, warm and approachable lady she is.
3. Really, how nice everyone looked in semi-formal/smart-casual/corporate attire that day. There was an overload of photo-ops. Ha ha Kidding. There is no such thing as overloading on photos. ESPECIALLY FOR A NEWBIE LIKE ME!

Barbara Brown Talk
1. Principles of democracy such as Rule of Law
2. Psyching us up for 4th of July plans! Oh yeah. Haha Fireworks!!!
3. How she was always so embarrassed of talking about Randolph County compared to (as she said) our rich cultures and history. That’s what she said. Well, you can’t really compare a state’s history to a country’s. 

Communications Building:
1. Writing for web tips by AJ Turner. Up to that date, that was my favorite lecture.
2. Tour around the TV studios and control room, and the Daily Egyptian (school paper).
3. Speaking of press we were handed out photocopies of our feature article in the local news. Codell Rodriquez, a journalist, interviewed and photographed most of us at the welcome reception for the local paper. Dr. John Jackson handed us copies. We’re one-time local celebrities!!! Ha ha ha NAT.

David Yepsen:
1. In the morning, I got word of my grandmother who passed away in her sleep back in the Philippines. I was distracted the whole morning session.
2. Caving in to finally buy Starbucks green tea latte. I can’t give you the price difference now ‘cause I forget the prices for Philippine and USA Starbucks. Sorry. He he
3. Super fun, adrenaline-filled, mildly nerve-wrecking deadline writing on Gender Equality as part of the writing workshop. I had too much energy towards the end of and after writing my essay. Not a good idea since we were at Morris Library. No one reprimanded me, but I sure looked out of place. Out of character, not really. Ha ha kidding.

All of a sudden, everybody cares

Posted by katemode

on Sunday, July 4, 2010

Have you ever? Well, you probably have, so again again again. HAVE I EVER?! No. I've never gotten so many notifications on a daily basis since the SUSI program started. They're mostly spam, but it's still fun to see that red thing pop up. :)

Posted by katemode

on

This is a pending blog update.

Let's get relevant

Posted by katemode

on Saturday, July 3, 2010

Gender Equality in Thought and in Practice

Much like freedom, the abstract of gender equality which is at the core of the NY Times article “Equal Rights for Women? Survey says: Yes, but…” is widespread only in theory. People believe in and want freedom and gender equality, but they’re not making it happen. Basically, the article states that from samples of 22 nations, gender equality is wanted and pursued in thought. In reality though, men and women are both consciously and unconsciously slowing the process down. The article builds on the clash of wanting and having (or in this case, not having) gender equality. My take: The statistics back up the claim, but holes of the argument are in the process, the gray areas and the missing information.

I recognize the effort to infuse statistical information with a less black-and-white survey. Still, the two kinds of sources of information draw from categorical questions:

1. Do you want gender equality?

2. Do men deserve more of the job opportunities?

3. Do women live a better life in your country?

Yes, the interpretation of data was tedious and informative. I can’t disagree with the facts, but I’m surely not alone in raising questions. What is a better life in your standards? I wasn’t in this survey, so how many were? The answer to the latter ranges from 700 to 2000 people per urban and stable areas of each nation. Nowadays, I don’t trust sample surveys. After all, diversity of individuals’ collection of thoughts and beliefs keep growing. This case is no different in seeming significantly little, sample-wise.

Moreover, the lack of important variables such as educational attainment of the nation’s population, religious backgrounds and historical backgrounds will surely increase the discrepancy of information. To end with an example, Pakistanis believe that women deserve jobs less than men, and that is also the practice. Well, Pakistan faces family planning and population control issues. Think of this: If men were educated in such a way that they think women should stay at home, how hard is it to come up with the logic that If women had jobs to keep themselves occupied, they wouldn’t be bored at home making more babies, wouldn’t they?

*Was that out of character? My bad you guys. This is a writing workshop output. Haha In true Filipina, Kulasa, UP Student Fashion, I crammed the finish in. =)) *

Am I the Only One?

Posted by katemode

on

My Facebook photo album database is pretty SUSI-free. I don't wanna keep it that way, but I'm too lazy to upload especially on FB. Maybe it's my bad luck on FB photo upload, but when I get closer to 100%, the upload stops. I look at my Photos page, and there isn't even a draft album with incomplete pictures. Strange.

Apart from lagging on photo uploads, I'm also way behind on my blogging subjects. I was thinking of skipping some event coverages. But that's too controversial. People might think I favor this event and fell asleep on that activity... Ha ha ha I'm kidding. I won't 'cause that coverage wouldn't be complete. I hate incomplete. I hate cliffhangers. Plus, there's always something fun in every activity. Always.


...to date, at least.


Hahaha

Familiar Face at Rec Center

Posted by katemode

on Friday, July 2, 2010

It's only been a week, and I'm already seeing "acquaintances" at the gym eh? It didn't even end there, since the familiar face was GLENN POSHARD. He's the president of the entire SIU System. He's been a State Senator of Illinois and a five-time US Congressman. He gave us a brief discussion on Political Leadership and Media on June 29 (same day we got our Flip Cameras). This man (aside from being physically fit) is unspeakably humble and approachable. I personally felt welcome in that room. Maybe not equals -- and why the heck should I feel we're equals?! This isn't a chick flick you guys -- but more like we were under his guidance somehow.

Glenn Poshard talked about basic Do's and Don'ts for both politicians and members of the media. There is no secret formula to giving winner interviews all the time though. With Glenn Poshard, I guess he just is a very transparent person with not much to conceal from the public. There wasn't an air of arrogance or Machiavellianism from his end. Now this isn't me patronizing him because even when he left the room, people still spoke highly of his interactions with and impact on the people he worked with or I should say for.

I've been meeting so many interesting people lately. Oh! For anyone who cares, this is how I saw Glenn Poshard at Rec Center:

Last night before dinner, Sabina and I went for a quick work out. She was jogging above the basketball court complex, and I was using one of the equipment. Glenn Poshard was maybe on the 3rd lap since I got there before he actually saw me staring at him. He smiled and waved hi. Whether or not he remembered me as a SUSI participant, that was wonderful of him to do. :)

Kanye West and Jamie Foxx's Muses

Posted by katemode

on

Is the song coming to mind yet? Gold Digger? Yeah. Not to be literal though, I’m just a sloppily referencing to something I thought would be interesting. On to my point! I surely felt “loaded” with “resources” Day 4 of the program. We got our total allowances and FREE FLIP CAMERAS from the state of Illinois and Southern Illinois University at Carbondale! We have received so much more than we signed up for. Even until now, I can’t get over the gratefulness I feel for everything and everyone we’ve encountered in this program, intangible lecture lessons included. ;) So, if “gold” encompasses more substantial things than cash, yeah I could be a gold digger. Or the gold found me. :>

Blast through the past II

Posted by katemode

on

Blast through the past II:

Days 2 and 3 for me, were like testing-the-water days. It still didn’t feel like the USA in my mind. I was expecting cooler breeze as opposed to breeze about as hot as the sunlight. In the same way, I was still not getting chummy with all the graduate peer mentors. What more with Dr. John Foster and Dr. John Jackson right? Now don’t get me wrong. They’re very nice people. It’s not them. It’s me.

On the other hand, my co-participants were very easy to mingle with. It didn’t take long for the laughs to get going. Some were still a bit shy, yeah, but only on the 2^nd day. And well, not to sound shallow but, we had an “upper” if I may call it that. We got our notebook, books , and allowances. Next we made our way to…WALMART!

It has to be an imperative for first timers to go to Walmart and love the experience. Really. I mean especially for people like me because I personally love grocery shopping. We were in the vans going back to Boomer Hall thinking and voicing out how we wanted to go back to Walmart.

I sound like a tourist now, but hey, I am. Let me give you more tourist comments I’ve made:

Ø It’s so cold.

Ø Squirrel!!!

Ø How does this work?

Ø It’s so clean!

Ø He/she is so tall.

There are no squirrels in the Philippines. It’s mostly complaints about the heat there too. Tools are very simple and familiar. It’s not the cleanest hometown, but I love my mother country still. Plus, it’s in our genes to not be as tall as other races.

The tour of the SIUC campus was actually the first activity of Day 2, but that deserves a separate blog, or I’ll just write about Morris Library and the Recreational Center in passing. After all, I have revisited those two sites in the last 2 days. J I’ll be there again pretty soon to take pictures and use the facilities. Ha ha