31 Ağustos 2010 Salı

PODCASTING...

Hi,

This new idea has struck me since I've been thinking about watching, listening, reading in English. And maybe dreaming... I've just registered to
BBC Podcasts and chosen this for you. Please, leave a comment after watching.

This is the first podcast I've published; but I've a plan: I'm planning to do an online- listening activity. (or so- called a listening lesson) I'll select a podcast each month and publish it on my blog by giving a hyperlink on the title. You can leave your comments or ask questions when you couldn't understand something. Or, simply, you can ask some basic listen& understand questions. For instance, who is speaking?, who is the story about?, what happens when...? English Language Teachers!!!! This is for you also.

Have a nice week.

24 Ağustos 2010 Salı

Dairy/Diary

HAHAA!

Mum& Dad are coming back today. I cleaned and tidied the house yesterday. Today, I'm baking a cake for my parents so that they will eat in the afternoon, when they come. I'm planning to make the cake with youghurt as there's no milk left and I've googled a bit. I'm gonna try one of mum's blogger friends receipt: Hünerli Bayanlar I'll publish the cake's photos on this post later; of course, if it will be accomplished.

Thank you for the receipt, Hünerli Bayanlar!


Here are the photos and the receipt of the cake! As I promised...
Ingredients:


1) 4 eggs
2) a pinch of salt
3) 2 cups of sugar (I used glasses, to measure each liquid ingredient, instead of cups.)*
4) a half cup of oil ( I used olive oil)
5) a cup of yoghourt
6) 3 cups of flour (the receipt says 2.5 cups but I preferred 3 cups as the yoghourt was a bit juicy, saucy or watery, whatever you call it.)
7) some lemon zest (it gives both good smell and good taste.)
8) a packet of baking powder and a packet of powdered vanilla
9) a half table spoon of nescafe (a half of it is enough. The receipt says 80 gr. bitter sweet chocolate. Yet, I also like nescafe in the cake.)


Method:


Beat the eggs with a pinch of salt and then add the sugar. Continue beating until the sugar is mixed well in the mixture. It takes 5 or 10 minutes.

(You must be sure whether it is mixed well. So, dip your index finger's tip and take a little mixture. Then rub it with the index finger and thumb. There mustn't be any crystall of sugar.)*


Add the olive oil, a little lemon zest and a half spoon of nescafe. In this step, you must take a risk: do you want a very sweet cake? Or do you prefer the sugar amount in this receipt? Just give it a try and taste the mixture. If you think it is so bitter, add a bit sugar.




After that, prepare the granulated mixture (flour, powdered vanilla and baking powder) by sifting them together. Sifted flour always puffs the cake up. Add this dry mixture to the one you make before. (eggs, sugar, oil,nescafe mixture) Pour the hole mixture into a baking pan or a cake mold.


(Mum has an old sheet iron mold which she prefers to bake cakes. I didn't give up this tradition and I used this same old sheet iron mold. I applied some butter inside of this mold before I pured the mixture into it. Butter or oil, it doesn't make any difference; but each of them prevents the mixture to stick on the mold. If you prefer to use silicone molds, then you're lucky.)*


Preheat the oven 180 Centigrate and bake the cake in 45/ 50 minutes.

(Observe whether the cake is puffed and becomes brown a bit or not. Do not open the oven before 45th minute. After this period, you can check it by sticking a knife. If the knife is clean when it comes out of the cake, it means the cake is baked.)*


Well... Bonne Appetite!



20 Ağustos 2010 Cuma

Back to seeking job!

Hi there!

I've been in Istanbul since last week and looking for some job again. :) My parents are still on vacation. I'm with my brother and my grandmother who fasts this month.

To be honest, I don't have any vacation photos. 'Cause no photos were taken! Why? Well... I'll tell why.

On my last post, I mentioned I was going to a summer vacation. There's a house which me and my big big family (including mine, grandma, my aunts, cousins atc.) have stayed in summers, for twenty years. It is old and according to my eldest aunt, it is a bit small for us. She wanted it to be restored a bit this winter. The front balcony has been enlarged, the building has been whitewashed before the vacation season. Some Turkish readers may consider what a mess to restore their houses and to deal with repairmen, especially in summer resorts, in country. It is also important in summer places to have a grand balcony or a terrace since you spend the whole day there. However, when we came (me, mum, dad and brof.) there were some additional things to do. We needed to buy a new table, some chairs and a small garden sofa set within its' armchairs to place all them in the balcony. Sure, we had to buy somethings to eat. That was why poor dad spent his worthly vacation days in supermarkets. We bought a new fridge, stopped by the bazaar and bought lots of vegetable and fruit and many things. When we were home, we went to the plage, swim in mornings and lateron we came back and clean the house. Mum searched for the towels which had been there always and it took quite long time. ( two weeks, I guess) Hahaha! I remember she was murmuring: "Oooyyy! Where are our towels gone? They aren't in their usual place. Did the cleaning women stick them another place? I can't find anything I want! Did Yüksel stick them somewhere?" (Yüksel is my eldest aunt)

Anyway... Suddenly I began to think about the days I had spent so far and realised that I had been doing all the cleaning, washing (the dishes), watering things for whole a week! Man, was I tired. Mum was tired too. A week later, dad returned to Istanbul, to his work. Things were going to be harder because mum needed a car to go to the bazaar and to come back. There were still somethings to buy and somethings to fix. If you had ever stayed in the country without a vehicle, you would have known about the difficulties of it. Or, If you ever stayed in the country without a vehicle you should know about the difficulties of it. I know these two sentences are read nearly similar and they sound similar. You'd better study on "If Clause" of your grammar books.

We hosted our guests. One of them was Serkan, our "atomic boy" from France. He and his parents are like our relatives. He is a brother to me and my brother. Brof. came with some of his school friends sometimes and mum cooked, washed and tidied up for many times. I tried to help her. By the time, I read education columns of the newspaper every day, to learn whether there were any news about KPSS exam results. Waiting was so hard to me. Meanwhile, I swam and have fun with a childhood friend. He was as funnier as Ata Demirer and thanks to him, I could enjoy going to the city center (Bodrum) one night. He took us there with his car.

Uooh! I haven't mentioned what a harder situation I was in yet. There wasn't Internet connection in the house we stayed in. I had to find a laptop first; and then I had to go to the cafe next to the market or to the cafe near to the plage. I could only manage to do this for twice under the blue sky and a brain melter sun's rays! Besides, I received a telephone call, saying they could offer me a job in Istanbul. It was from a well known SBS preparation course. I told them I was in a village in the south of Turkey where there was no Internet, no TV etc. However, they asked me to send my CV via e-mail and I did. Later on, they wanted to have a conversation with me and asked me to come back to Istanbul, twice. I couldn't ignore this offer. So, I got a bus ticket to go to Istanbul, thinking about returning to Bodrum after the application meeting.

On the August 11, I was in Istanbul. Mum stayed in Bodrum. On the 12th, I visit the course. The principle was very kind to me and he asked me to present a demo lesson on the 13th. I spent two days by going to Beşiktaş. On the 13th, after I presented my lesson I was told that I wouldn't directly teach to a class; but I would take part in remedial lectures to answer students' questions. I would work six days for 11 hours per a day. Additionally, I would get assurance and my teaching trainee session would be over. Although these additions were advantageous; it was hard for me. I wouldn't be able to study for ALES, UDS and KPSS if I started to work in that course. Besides, I couldn't be anything more than a course teacher. So, I resigned.

Well... Here I am... I've been in Istanbul since August 11 and I'm stucked in home because of humid and hot. God, it's so hot. I regret to be here earlier than I expected. Dad and my youngest aunt went back to Bodrum and my eldest aunt and my cousin are there too. They had birthday parties. On the other hand, I preferred to stay here to apply for some jobs and deal with KPSS issues. Two days ago, I checked on the Internet and found out I got a very low point and I will not be attended this year. I will give a try to "ücretli öğretmenlik" on September. Though, I can't say easily that I will work as an "ücretli öğretmen". This is why, I'm filling the online application forms, e-mailing CVs to lots of kindergardens, courses near Kadıköy. I'm thinking about writing down about my experiences in job application. I don't know whether it would be educational, but I'm sure it would make someone laugh.

I wish I published few photos within this post. Yet, I remind you that, I had none as we all had forgotten to take photo while dealing with decorating a summer house and buying many necessary things. It's 02.35 am and I don't even have a song to gift you. I'm sorry. I'm totally sorry...