Friday, July 31, 2009

A Busy Week

Tired.
Half way thru Chemo.
12 weeks to go.
Starlight Express, Harry Potter, parents' evening...
Smell of chemo fading now.
Looking forward to bangers and mash.
Winning (what?)
Space around everyone.
Energy low.
Battery in need of a recharge.
Plug into power.
G.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Chemo no. 7

Gidday.
Yesterday at assessment the doctor said my cancer indicators had gone down to 620 (920 at previous assessment).
I'm not sure how these things are measured, but they are proteins in the blood containing cancerous elements.
Anyway, if this is the rate of decline, that seems like good news!
Today was pretty good - chemo at 8, Harry Potter at 1, Star Trek at 5, Boston legals at 7.30...
I am finding I need to really chill on Chemo Day.
Lois cooked a delicious dinner for us tonight!
Last night we took students to Starlight Express - pizzas, transport and show paid for by ANZ.
The equivalent of my department's annual budget gone in one evening!
I will review SE and HP in due course.

G.

Monday, July 27, 2009

ROADKILL (account...)

So last night was the global premiere of my latest show - ROADKILL.
A song cycle (15 songs) with slide show.
Thanks to all who came - hope you enjoyed it!
Thanks to Linda McG and helper again for hospitalipublicity...
And to Ian M for the great slide show (Romanian set particularly moving)...
To Alex vW for operating the slideshow effectively and smoothly...
To Michael B for wonderful sound mixing as ever...
To Aaron A for keeping an eye on the technical stuff,,,
Dave M for bass and enthusiasm...
Mike C for some subtle and some strong and always yummy guitar solos...
To Jo McG for beautiful, sensitive vocals and excellent harmonies...
If you came, what bits did you enjoy?
What recommendations do you have for future development?
The vision is to take this into any venues/situations where people would like it, but I would need someone to help co-ordinate an itinerary.
More people to help with the singing could be fun as well...
I had many favourite bits myself...enjoyed being a journalist, a doctor and a priest...

Ain't it cold???

G.

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Crossing Cultural Boundaries...

A little bit of Sufi Senegalese singing to get us going in the morning (Youssou N'Dour, "Egypt").
Followed by Jimi Hendrix asking that age old question, "Are You Experienced?"
Off to Royal Oak drycleaners (if anyone knows of a closer one to where I live, please let me know!) to a soundtrack of Split Enz "Mental Notes" (their first ever album, which is one of 2 pop albums I still have on vinyl - a gorgeous gatefold sleeve, now with an autograph of Mike Chunn on the label).
Back for lunch, then off to the dress rehearsal of "Dido and Anaeas", which Viva Voce are performing tomorrow night and Tuesday (and that's the reason I went today - tomorrow I have my own gig and on Tuesday I am off to Starlight Express with 140 students!).
Soundtrack for the car trip was Bruce Springsteen's "Nebraska" (this marked an acoustic departure for him - I like it, but my favourite album is still "Born to Run").
If you are in Auckland and not already booked in for my show or Staerlight Express, I thoroughly recommend the Viva Voce gig - the music was flowing well today, there are some lovely pieces of staging, and the soloists are aurally, and visually, gorgeous!
Also, the piece is a classic, and has to be seen/heard at least once in your lifetime (another reason for me to go!).
Real Groovy followed on and I picked up CDs by Miriam Makeba (now dead, first lady of South African pop - gorgeous voice), Liszt and Schumann songs, Jamoa Jam and a new group called the Temper Trap ( a bit Arcade Fire).
After sitting down with the usual fare of Studio 60 and Boston Legal (started on Black Books yesterday - a gift of the 3 series from my sister, Carla), coming to the blog with Beethoven serenading me with violin and orchestra.
Today's top 3 then - Purcell, Beethoven and Makeba - rock on!

G.

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Thursday's child

Funny thing.
Yesterday I saw Mike O'Donnell in school - Mike used to be a DP at school, and now works with New Era, a company that looks after our computer network.
And today I saw John Heyes, who used to be a DP and now is principal of Mangere College...
Super Twelve lunch time we worked on "Because" (Beatles), Mad World (Tears for Fears), Da Da (a German effort) and Strange Fruit (Billie Holiday).
Band after school we launched into our Abba efforts - Dancing Queen and Waterloo (to which we will add Take a Chance on Me and Thank You For the Music.
Interesting to see what the students know and what they don't know...
Sent one of my year 11 students, Joshneel, to the grand piano in the hall - the canteen ladies (canteen backs on to the Hall) gave him a free muffin for practising a Chopin Nocturne.
Sound surreal? I haven't finished yet!
Went to Alexander's school to find out about options next year...A is pretty set so far on IT, Spanish and Chemistry (he certainly doesn't get the IT or Chemistry trend from his Dad).
We have a daily sanity test in our car pool collective - if we forget who's car we are travelling home in we fail the test (we have all failed from time to time, tho I think Theo is probably the sanest in this respect)...today it was Kerry's turn to forget to come to Theo's car...tomorrow we start all over again.

Now I have finished...

G.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

"Youssou N'Dour - I Bring What I Love" (movie review)

This is a film fest film recommended to me by Peter B, Head of English at O.C.
It's about the Senegalese singer Youssou N'Dour, and deals specifically with the release of his album "Egypt", which sparked huge controversy in Senegal when released in the month of Ramadan (N'Dour is a Sufi Muslim, a sect to which 94% of Senegalese belong to).
The movie is an inspiration to musicians, particularly those working in the area of "religious music", and much of what N'Dour says about his work could as easily apply to Christian musicians (musicians of any faith in fact).
N'Dour comes across as a sincere, devout and visionary musician, albeit with a humble and humorous self-disregard (at one stage he comments that he still feels like a 15-year-old when he talks with his father!).
The footage of N'Dour visiting various concert halls, mosques and markets is filled with colour - Sufi Islam is a colourful sect, judging by the costumes we see on display!
We see clips of concerts and interviews and political events - my favourite moments were the concert in Fez (an amazing concert hall, with N'Dour bedecked in wonderful silk outfits, all very warmly lit in the colours we would expect in Morocco, plus footage of N'Dour singing in the early 80s with Peter Gabriel when-he-had-hair (yeah, look who's talking!).
But the real star of this movie IS the soundtrack.
One day I would like to find out how these Arabic orchestras work - the sound is amazing, there appears to be a combination of formality and improvisation - whatever it is, the music is transcendent, deep and uplifting.
Not for everyone, but for those wantinmg to explore "otherness", absolutely rewarding.

G.

What happened yesterday?

Hi.
Tried to blog yesterday but my Government Issue computer was playing up (no, don't get me going on the Government).
Yesterday my principal, Gil, returned from UK and USA.
He gave me a Van Morrison T-shirt (probably closest I'll get to a gig!).
Thanks, Gil!
Performed Roadkill to my home group - scary and good.
Today, school as usual.
I love school - I missed it over the hols.
I mean school with the students in it!
Taught 2 year 9 classes - body percussion lesson - terrific!
ROADKILL is this Sunday at 7pm at Mt Roskill Baptist Church.
Admission free - though I will invite donations for Westpac Rescue Helicopter.
Roadkill takes about 45 minutes.
It is based on the story of The Good Samaritan.
The performance will be followed by a Q and A session, followed by a free supper.

G.

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Comfort/discomfort

Comfort from being warm in the house.
And with a close family that loves me and each other.
And friends that mean no harm - only good.
And music that raises the spirits and speaks warmth.
And a book which encompasses many things (Lord of the Rings).

Discomfort from a "pre-nauseous" feeling....
And the taste memory of the chemo.
And the smell of the chemo.
And the weight of the pump and the pipeline.
And the cold.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Another day, another hospital visit

This time to check on Alexander.
I am getting to know my way around Auckland Hospital now.
Alex will have his left arm cast off in 2 weeks.
He is not to do PE or vigorous activities for another 8 weeks (from today).
The wrist is healing well.
The wire in his right elbow is holding well.
Needs to keep away from vigorous activity, however.
The waiting time at hospitals can be unbelievable.
At least at Starship they have TVs everywhere.
A little boy next to me had a book on ants.
When he left for his appointment I picked it up.
Did you know that carpenter and army ants don't build nests - they build bivouacs, using themselves as the walls and ceiling!
Amazing....

G.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

ABBA

Abba are groovy, funky and cool.
30 years on their music is as fresh as it was when first made.
The key to success?
Great tunes.
Sometimes the lyrics are, let's face it, on the naff side of Eurovision.
What is Fernando actually about????
Answers on the back of a postcard...
And is there anybody out there actually named Chiquitita????
I am sure that given another decade, ABBA would have found themselves failing literacy standards at NCEA level whatever....
But the TUNES...clever, catchy, sufficiently challenging...
They give Mozart's melodies a run for their money (, money, money...)

G.

half way there...nearly...

Blood test in the morning.
Meet'n'greet the American relatives (minus Wayne, who arrives next week).
Back to the homestead to pick ip homemade hummus, carrot cake and orange juice.
Over to Laingholm to play Abba Sing star.
And have a wonderful lunch with frshly baked focaccia.
Back thru the rain, home again, home again.
Then off to Ak hospital for pre-chemo check.
Doctor sees me for 5 minutes - cancer markers still going down.
No side fx.
Funny to be plunging into the toxic stuuf again tomorrow if I actually feel okay...

Ah well....

G.

Friday, July 10, 2009

Fridays

Cat curled up on my lap.
Martini soaking its way thru my system.
Reaching the bits not reached by the butter chicken.
Santoor - best butter chicken in Auckland?
Children away for the weekend.
Lois and I talking about various things.
Beautiful weather today - some outside work done.
Watched one episode each of Studio 60 and Boston Legal.
Just read some depressing correspondence between education minister and PPTA President.
Chemo pack arrived from Sarah in Wngtn today!
And so to bed...

G.

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

"Elegy" (movie review)

Ben Kingsley and Penelope Cruz are superb in this.
A French (Canadian) movie set in New York.
At least 3 people facing their mortality.
Slow paced, with close ups.
A soundtrack supervised by the director (Isabel Croixet)...worth buying!
(Bach, Vivaldi, Latin jazz, contemporary composers).
A script which hits the authenticity button.
Deborah Harry (her from Blondie) as a widow.
...something about Ben Kingsley...
you need to be wide awake to watch this movie...challenging and rewarding.

G.

"Night in the Museum" 2 (movie review).

Great imaginative ideas.
I love the art works coming to life.
And the scene between Ben Stiller and "Brundon".
And the octopus.
And the accapella Jonas brothers voicing cherubs.
And the sculpture of the Thinker coming to life!
Amy Adams is a treat to watch - full of enthusiasm and joy.
All the characters are there from Museum 1, except Dick van Dyke and Mickey Rooney.
A fun soundtrack.
Will probably spawn even more sequels...something to watch again to catch the details you missed first time.
GOOD FAMILY FARE.

G.

"Terminator Salvation" (movie review)

Action from start to finish.
A guest appearance by Arnie in a crucial moment.
For afficionadoes only.
Features time travel concepts that make "Back to the Future" look simple.
Wonderful explosions.
Matrix-type concepts of trapped human beings.
Good for the boys to see!
Very few still moments.
Soundtrack okay...corny motorbike heavy rock sequence.
Watch this only if you've seen the first 3 Terminators!

G.

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

N.C.E.A. - my views

I warned you some time in the past that I would write about N.C.E.A., so if you aren't in the mood for a political debate, feel free to skip this blog...

NCEA is a poor assessment tool.

The main reasons for this are:

1. The system was poorly implemented - when introduced, only 4 days of training were provided for teachers to come to grips with the new system through workshops - and the facilitators of these workshops seemed as lost as the teachers.

2. Internal standards are anything but "standard" - in every department of every school, teachers constructing their assessment tasks are virtually reinventing the wheel MANY times over - there are very few standards with assessment tasks that moderators have "approved" - and in many cases in the early years the standards displayed on Te Kete Ipurangi (basket of learning) were DIScredited by the moderators.
So, if teachers can't use standard tasks, and get "hit on the head" when they create their own ones, we are all in the dark, and standardisation is a figment of our imaginations - and THEN people actually try to coax STATISTICS out of "results" - go figure!

3. The system rides on the backs of the underpaid and overworked secondary teachers - not only do we teach, we now have hours and hours of paperwork to fill out to meet compliance requirements - stuff we were not trained to do, aren't paid extra to do, and are berated for not doing well by MOE, NZQA and, apparently, "the media" (and the PPTA didn't fight this workload issue nearly hard enough when it came up).

4. Why do we have assessment at a national level?
Many reasons, but officially surely it is to measure individuals against some standard criteria, and be able to compare the achievements of one to another.
NCEA fails to do this, due to its lack of standardisation.
It could be argued that we don't need national assessment at all (there are very civilised countries where it doesn't happen)...
BUT if we buy into national assessment, let's get robust exams happening, where students know what they are expected to do, teachers know what they're expected to teach (for the exam), and tertiary institutions/employers have a set of results that actually stand for something.

5. Some may say "but achievement standards facilitate flexibility of assessment". No. What they do is impose a different set of assessment criteria on the teacher's process - in fact, they clog up the system and make it very difficult for a teacher to get his/her class through a course without saying "this is towards achievement (or unit) standard so and so" - in fact, our courses have become MORE rather than LESS proscribed in these post-school c. years.

6. Communication between NZQA and the "normal" classroom teacher is appalling. Mostly we hear of things through memoes, which may or may not be passed on by our NZQA liaison officer...there are no meetings, elusive consultation/review processes, and rumours of changes to be made.

I believe more and more that we should scrap this inefficient and iniquitous system, and bring in a robust set of exams...Then teachers could get back to teaching, students to studying, and examiners to examining...and if we wanted to be REALLY liberal, we would get rid of National Assessment altogether.

Ah well, that's that off my chest, I suppose...

Thank you for reading, those of you who lasted the distance!

Gerald.

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Living Life to the Full - 10 tips

Hi.

This blog is a response to a request from a friend to give some input into a teaching session on living life to the full.

Without meaning to teach anyone how to suck eggs, here is a distillation of my wisdom so far.

Feel free to feed back with opinions/questions/criticisms/witticisms/etc.

Gerald.

5 BIG TIPS

1. Don't be scared....

The opposite of love is not hatred - it is fear (often expressed as hatred).

Don't worry!

Don't be anxious, nervous...

Fear is the Devil's weapon (a way he has of keeping us trapped and struggling).

Use the weapon of Love!

2. Love!

Love yourself.

Love God.

Love your "neighbour" (i.e. everyone else!).

Love strangers (no ref.to "stranger danger" - but a way of conquering fear).

Love your enemies...

3. Share!

Nothing in this world is exclusively yours - not even "your" self.

Not sharing creates thirst for power.

Leads to greed.

Possessiveness.

Fear of losing that which isn't ours....

4. One Day at a Time...

We cannot see beyond each day with absolute certainty.

One day you may be living in a palace.

Next day it may burn down.

One day at a time is enough to cope with (still, make good plans!).

One day at a time is enough to share and enjoy.

5. Life is a Gift.

Not a trial.

Not a punishment.

Not a test.

A yummy, delicious, special, colourful gift that comes from God.

With a purpose and an adventure and a taste.

Enjoy!

5 DAY-TO-DAY TIPS

1. Don't forget your "manners".

Enjoy saying "please", "thank you", "sorry"...

To someone.

If to God,that becomes a prayer.

If to others, a way of building relationship.

If to self, a way of accomplishing wholeness.

2. Good Food

Never eat food just because it's there.

And enjoy every mouthful.

And if you don't like the taste, why struggle with it?

Stuff that looks, smells and tastes good to you.

Whether you be vegetarian, carnivore, honey-and-locusts afficionado...

Drink comes under the same heading.

3. Good Music (and Books)

Feed the body, and feed the soul.

Music touches the parts that other delights can't.

Books kindle our imagination and sense of adventure.

Both are a way of inspiring, an avenue for the imagination, a channel for emotions.

And both offer a way of structuring our lives beyond the here and now.

4. Good Adventures

Every day offers us the chance to go exploring.

Often we want to stick with what we know.

In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit...

But sometimes even hobbits walk out through their front door.

Getting up in the morning CAN be an adventure!

5. Forgive...

Don't take anger or bitterness past the sunset...

Life is to short to carry forward the hurts of one day into the next.

Forgiveness brings wholeness to you, freedom for your "attacker" and restoration to a relationship.

Let the burden go!

As we forgive, so we are forgiven.

Well, that's a few things.

There a many more tips and stories in the Bible...I don't do these things every day, but I do aspire to live by them...

They are not written in stone, but in one's life (one hopes!).

Hope they help.

Love,

Gerald.

Thursday, July 2, 2009

From cloud 9 to cloud 8

Me panicking is not a pretty sight...

Hmm...always wondered about the letter "k" in that word.

I panicked at 6.30am this morning cos my chemo pump fell off!!!

What do you do?

Well of course I'd been told about 8 weeks ago, but I couldn't remember what to do...

I yelled to Lois (a lot)...see, when the pump falls off, the fluorourocil keeps pumping out...and it is cytotoxic which means if it touches your skin it attacks it and kills the cells...so you need to be very careful...

and try NOT TO PANIC!!!

(shades of Corporal Jones from Dad's Army?)

"Lois, get the phone number... the pump's fallen off! it's leaking!"

In one of those bizarre states of stupor, Lois attempts to remember the plumber's name/phone number...

Finally realising I am panicking about myself and not the state of our plumbing, L fetches wallet.

Contact made with oncology ward, ambulance drive in Lois's car (yes, Lois, finally an almost-justifiable reason to SPEED!)...

all sorted and back to teaching.

still in clouds...

tomorrow busy...end of term shennanigans with Dawn Chorus, staff farewell, end of term Music assembly, rehearsals, moderation prep, pump officially taken off, pub meeting, sleepover...

and the holidays are looking pretty full...still, they are MINE, ALL MINE....heeheehee....

blogs will continue as unusual...

by the way, A has his cast off his right arm (elbow fracture)...wrist cast coming off in another 4 weeks...

he is of course overjoyed at being able to go to school and write!

Love,

G.

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

...a quick one while she's away

good day.

Friendly nurses.

still buzzing from yesterday's news.

all is good, all is God.

Earth, fire, water, air....

God created them all, and speaks thru them all.

Night in the Museum 2 is GOOD FUN!

Rangiputa or not?

"Roadkill" 26th July at MRBC...cds available...

and possibly the 2nd sermon I've given in my life....

Goodnight,

G.