le quatorze

It's been close to two-and-a-half weeks since the new school term started, and not a moment too soon, i think i'm finally starting to get used to the pace of things. However, considering that due to all the measures put in place against H1N1, things have hardly been going along at the rate in which they are rightly supposed to, perhaps once all this is over and done with, there'll be more to adjust to.

Thus far i've been having pretty mixed reactions to this whole H1N1 business. On the one hand, there are a lot of directives given by the people up there that my cynical layman self cannot help but roll my eyes at. Perhaps the cherry on this overfluffed cake is the seven-step handwashing theory and practical test that was conducted for all students. While admittedly until this moment i don't recall ever having used soap from any public washroom soap dispensers (even the fancy ones in hotels), and now i use them fairly infrequently due to all the handwashing hype - which is a step up in any case), to spend minutes on end scrubbing my hands and wrists in every possible configuration known to man just doesn't do it for me. It's not as if i'm about to perform surgery rite...

However, on the plus side, i couldn't have thought of a better time for CCAs to stand down, and oh what a pity that they start again next week. Ah well, three weeks off is already three weeks longer than i thought i'd have ya... But this still means that from next week onwards, once CCAs come into the picture, and i step up the pace of my lessons, things are going to get a whole lot more interesting for me. It certainly has been a lesson in itself for me in terms of being adequately prepared beforehand for lessons, especially since i think my teaching load is pretty much close to doubled since practicum. And i'm trying to get away from the counting-down-to-the-end-of-the-week mood that i've perpetually found myself in since the beginning of term (and for the record, half my load for the week is over :p), just cos i think my underlying attitude towards it is wrong.

It being the fourteenth though, i can't help thinking of holidays again. And since i belatedly realized that part of my long-forgotten travel wish-list was partially (and unknowingly) fulfilled through my past two trips since writing it, i wonder where i should head to next. Now here's hoping that H1N1 doesn't pull a SARS and lead to an extension of the school term into the holidays. At least on my part, i'm willing to wash my hands till kingdom come if that's what it'll take...