This year I started following the Stargate Saga after I finished Battlestar Galactica, which I will also review soon. It's a really cool adventure series, with an added touch of Indiana Jones to space travel.

Because of the orientation of this blog, I think I'll start my review of this epic francise with the last spin off, Stargate Universe.

Following its predecessors, Stargate Universe is action-packed and full of wonders. In this series the resident scientist, a thin, bearded, sinister scottish guy,who was hell-bent on dialing the 9th chevron, finally got his chance amid a massive crisis. They enlisted a math wiz who was able to solve a very complex ancient math problem that was embedded in an online game.The cast is significantly younger, possibly averaging at 27 years old. By this time, Gen. O'neill's idea of an off world base was already in operation but due to some unforseen volcanic activity in the planet, they were forced to evacuate. Instead of going back to earth, the mad scientist dialed the 9th chevron and they found themselves in a starship as big as a city, in an unknown region of the universe with dwindling supplies and low power.

This would have been a good premise except that it looks so much like the storyline of... Battlestar Galactica! The whole being in an old starship, in the middle of the universe and the prospect of having to find a planet to live in and populate, really feels like deja vu. This series only lasted for a season and was abruptly ended. There are a lot more holes in this show and I felt like they were trying to ride on the Lost phenomenon as well and our obsession with youth. I'm not sure about other people but the whole finding themselves in the middle of the universe, in a middle of conspiracies and not knowing who to trust is a tiring to me.

The young people who were supposed to carry the story lines were dissapointing not because of lack of acting skills, but their inexperience goes against what Stargate culture. From watching Stargate SG-1 and Atlantis, I believe that Stargate values expertise and knowledge that can only be accumulated by people who immersed themselves in study for a long time. I suspect each SG teams have at least 1 person with a PhD. In this case recent graduates of Yale and an MIT drop out (due to financial difficulties) cannot arouse the sympathy of a regular Stargate Otaku. In SG-1 we are so sure that we can trust the main core characters: Gen Hammond, Col. O'neill, Maj. Carter, Dr. Jackson and even Teal'c, there is no questioning their allegiance after the first episodes. I this series, almost everyone is suspicious! Their resident scientist seemed to be sabotaging the survivors and is always quarelling with the ranking military officer, who in turn is also under scruitiny of the HR person looking out for the regular folks.The other Stargate shows hinted on sexual tensions and attractions, but now this group are acting out on their desires on every episode.
To wrap it up, I am dissapointed with the show, that seem to insult its viewers by lowering their standards and even the scientific soundness of their situations. I mean, a starship the fuels by going through a star? OK it's pretty innovative, I admit, but what about heat conduction? That was a really thin energy shield separating the ship from total annihilation. Where does the ship collect it's power? Is there a battery? Maybe I don't understand now because it's a space story and one day, half of the physics law will become theories as it would not work on every planet.

Anyway, I still watched most of the episodes and for the most part I enjoyed watching David Blue and Lou Diamond Philips.

--

School Made Pizza

The drink that keeps you coming back for more.

Just when I thought thirst came to an end, a came across a drink that made me more thirsty with every gulp.

Don't forget the muffins, ha!

Fill in the blank muffins. In this case, it's blueberry and chocolate.

Spinach Artichoke Risotto

I used to have a vegetarian cookbook and for the life of me I can't find it. It was there that I found a delicious recipe of Spinach Artichoke Risotto so now I'll just have to rely on my memory in making this dish. I checked online for a recipe but I can't find the one the required table cream:-)


Ingredients:
1 onion chopped
Seasoned Artichoke
2 cups of chopped spinach
1 can of table cream
Risotto


Prepare risotto as indicated in the package.

Saute the onion for up to 10 mins, add the artichoke.

Add table cream after 3 minutes, let it boil then add the spinach.

Season to taste.

Stuffed Peppers for Two

This week I decided to make some Kibbeh/Kofte using the recipe I found online. It was easier than I expected and I expect to make more in the future. There were some leftover beef and so I took it as an opportunity to make stuffed peppers. I modified the recipe below to make it easier. I am using an oven toaster, so instead of baking for 45 mins at 350 degrees temperature, I increased it to 450 degrees and I am done in a little less than 30 minutes.


Ingredients:
2 medium bell peppers (green, red, orange, yellow)
1/2 pound ground beef
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce, divided
1/2 cup cooked rice
3 tablespoons shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
1 tablespoon chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper


Cut tops off peppers and discard; remove seeds.
Blanch peppers in boiling water for 5 minutes.
Drain and rinse in cold water; set aside.
Saute the onions in a frying pan for about 5 minutes. Add the beef. Wait for it to brown a little and then add the tomato sauce, rice, 2 tablespoon of cheese, salt, and black pepper.
If you are using leftover kofte/kibbeh filling, you won't need to saute the beef. Mix the beef and the tomato sauce, rice, cheese, salt and black pepper in a skillet on low heat to warm it up before stuffing the peppers.
Stuff the peppers; place in an ungreased 1-1/2-qt. baking dish. Pour the remaining tomato sauce over peppers. Cover and bake at 450 degrees F for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining cheese; return to the oven for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Delicious Strawberry Bread

Ingredients

3 1/2 c flour
1 c brown sugar
2 c white sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 c canola
4 eggs or 1 cup applesauce
2/3 c water
2 cups strawberries

Grease and flour 2 loaf pans.
Mix ingredients in order given and pour into the pans
Bake at 350* for 1 1/2 hours

Amazing vegan cupcakes

Ingredients

3 c flour
2 c sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

3/4 c canola oil
2 tsp vanilla
1 Tblsp cinnamon
2 c water
2 Tbslp white vinegar

Preheat over to 350. Mix all ingredients (the batter will be pretty soupy). Put into muffin tins and bake for about 25 minutes, or until they look done.

Fill in the Blank Muffin

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
■2/3 cup brown sugar
■1/2 teaspoon salt
■2 teaspoons baking powder

■1/3 cup vegetable oil
■1 egg
■1/3 cup milk (I use soy milk)

■1 cup fresh blueberries. chocolate chips, sliced strawberries, cranberries or blackberries. Any combination of these.
■1/2 cup brown sugar
■1/3 cup all-purpose flour
■1/4 cup butter, cubed
■1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Preheat oven 450 degrees celcius.

Combine the first 4 ingredients.

Combine the next 3 ingredients

Combine the last 4 ingredients.

Put all three concoctions together and mix. Prepare muffin tray. Put on muffin tray. Cook in oven for 15 minutes. Makes 10 muffins.

Friendship will not stand the train of very much good advice for very long.
- Robert Lynd, The Peal of Bells.

4: Apple, blue cheese salad on crackers

Ingredients
1 large apple
3 oz. blue cheese
1/4 finely chopped celery
3 tbsp. mayonnaise
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Kosher Salt
1 box of saltine crackers
1/2 cup hazelnuts toasted and coarsely chopped

Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, combine apple, celery, lemon juice.
2. Add mayonnaise and blue cheese. Stir gently to combine. season with salt to taste
3. sprinkle with the hazelnuts
4. To assemble, mound small scoops of onto pieces of crackers.

Notes:
1. Blue Cheese can be replaced by Feta Cheese.
2. Mayonnaise can be replaced by yogurt.
3. Hazelnuts can be replaced by crushed almonds
4. You may use any kind of apples: 1 large, 2 medium or 3 small ones.
5. Endives are replaced by saltine crackers.

3: Egg Salad with Smoked Salmon

Ingredients:

6 Large Eggs
6 oz. cold-smoked salmon, cut into small dice (1 scant cup)
6 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 small red onion, cut into small dice (about 2/3 cup)
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
1. Put the eggs in a medium saucepan with enough water to cover, cover the pan and bring the water to boil over medium-high heat. As soon as the water boils, remove the pan from the heat and let stand, covered, until the eggs are hard-cooked, 10 mins. Put the eggs in ice water to cool.

2. Peel the eggs, chop finely and put them in medium bowl. Add the Salmon oil, onion lemon juice and lemon zest. Season with salt and petter to tast. Toss gently but well and serve with pita chips.

2: Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients

■1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
■3/4 cup white sugar
■1/2 teaspoon salt
■2 teaspoons baking powder
■1/3 cup vegetable oil
■1 egg
■1/3 cup milk
■1 cup fresh blueberries
■1/2 cup white sugar
■1/3 cup all-purpose flour
■1/4 cup butter, cubed
■1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Directions

1.Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners.
2.Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt and baking powder. Place vegetable oil into a 1 cup measuring cup; add the egg and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups right to the top, and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture.
3.To Make Crumb Topping: Mix together 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup butter, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon. Mix with fork, and sprinkle over muffins before baking.
4.Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until done.
.

1: Sushi Bake

1 cup raw Japanese rice (Calrose)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 lb. frozen, raw baby shrimp (chopped)
1 container of Furikake seasoning
10 pkgs of Japanese Nori seaweed
one 9X13″ pan or glass baking dish
Directions:
1. Cook rice.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Boil raw baby shrimp for a few minutes, until the shrimp color turns pink.
3. Turn off the heat and remove cooked shrimp from water with a slotted spoon, leaving the hot water in the pot.
4. Chop baby shrimp into small pieces.
5. Combine, baby shrimp, mayonnaise together in a bowl and mix well.
6. Spread cooked rice onto 9X13″ pan.
7. Spread shrimp, mayonnaise mixture over the cooked rice.
8.  sprinkle Furikake over the dish.
9. Bake at 375 degrees (about 15 to 20 minutes).
 
Serve with Korean style nori or Japanese nori (sushi seaweed). Cut seaweed sheets in four. Add a spoonful of baked sushi on each seaweed, fold it into a roll and enjoy.

What's eating Gilbert Grape?

I've seen this film years ago but I never forget it. It's a bit bizzare that it wasn't a fantastical story of triumph like Forrest Gump, yet its simplicity spoke to me.

This is a story about life and what we are dealt with. We can feel bad and blame others for our misfortumes, and we can also be hopeful and fix our own future. There is a reason why we are this way, and this movie encourages us to view our fellow human beings with more empathy, desire to understand and compassion because that is waht everyone needs.

Sushi Bake Receipe

RICA - Reading Instruction Competence Assessment

Why?

I think it's because the state wants to know if an aspiring teacher knows how to teach reading. Reading is a skill, in contrast with listening and speaking, it's not organic to learn it, as a contrast to crawling, standing up, and walking. Yet eventually most people learn how to read and write. Reading has to be taught explicitly as well as implicitly and the methods vary by culture and age level of the students.

The RICA is nothing like CBEST (California Basic Educational Skills Test) or CSET (California Subject Examinations for Teachers), because it doesn't ask questions that would yield definite, hard-fact answers. For example, You know that there is a specific and definite answer to the question, "What do you call a note whose length is typically equal to four beats?", the answer is a whole note. Now a RICA question could be something like this: A boy is reading at a second grade level. What do you do if you are his fifth grade teacher? That is of course on top of my head and not a RICA question but you can imagine that there are several ways to answer this and there might be times when all of the four possible answers, when properly implemented, might help a student reach the desired reading level.

What would be helpful is to think about what kind of answers are expected. One's answers should be conservative and balanced. You, as the aspiring teacher, are expected to know that reading instruction depends on both the teacher and the student. Like, you give 50 percent and the kid gives his half. You already know how to give your half, the trick is to persuade the students to put effort in learning to read. There may be times when you feel strongly about a certain way of teaching, but please reserve it for when you get your own classroom and a set of borrowed children ;-)

The RICA tests in five domains:

1.      Assessment

2.      Phonemic Awareness

3.      Fluency

4.      Vocabulary

5.      Comprehension

These five domains are what you would need to focus on. I suggest you forget the whole thing about the content areas, because they are under these domains anyway and on the test results these are what they focus on.

IF- Then

Remember that the format of the questions is always If-Then. IF the child is like this, THEN I will do this. In this review session I will go by domains starting with Domain 2, Phonemic Awareness. I will try to discuss the activities that promote each domain. The format will be as follows:

·         Definition of Domain focus

·         Tasks

·         Assessment

·         Instruction

o   Teach Explicitly

o   Teach Implicitly

·         Notes

 

Please comment and let me know what you think of this type of review. I would really like to know if this is helpful or not.

Lizzie McGuire

 

Lizzie: Ronnie broke up with me.

Gordo: He's a loser.

Lizzie: No Gordo, I'm the loser. Okay? He likes another girl. She's probably prettier than me and she's probably smarter than me and she's probably a lot more fun than I am.

Gordo: No, she's not.

Lizzie: How do you know?

Gordo: Because there's nobody prettier than you, or more fun to be with.

Lizzie: You forgot smarter.

Gordo: Yeah, well, I was including myself in that one.

Lizzie: You're such a good friend, Gordo. 

Jellyfish

LOVE. LONGING. MAGIC

Etgar Keret and Shira Geffen’s 2007 entry to the Cannes Film festival proved to be worthy of its Camera D’ Or. In fact, I think it should have won an Oscar too. I am not kidding. I so love this film that I entreat everyone who can read subtitles or at least speak Hebrew to watch this film, especially if you are a Filipino.
We first see the newly single Batya in an akward goodbye scene with her ex-boyfriend. She looked sad but she wasn’t crying and she didn’t ask him to stay. In this film the stories of three women intersect at a Tel Aviv Wedding. Batya worked as a waitress; Joy, a Filipina a caregiver for an elderly woman; and the bride who sprained her ankle, ruining her dream honeymoon.
The actress who played Batya hardly spoke but her eyes and movements say it all. I am thankful that the role of Joy was given to a relatively . Keren the bride is the character I liked least because she seemed so demanding and spoiled by her dotting husband.
I was intrigued at first as to why they would include a story about a Filipino OCW in their film. I transcribed an interview of Shira Geffen and Etgar Keret which surprised me and made me admire them even more:

“Because of the harsh political reality in Israel, most of the social issues have been forgotten. Both in the representation in art but also in everyday life, and there is something about the Filipino people that in a sense they are almost invisible. You see many of them walking down streets taking care of the elderly but basically when people go in the street, they look through them; they do not exist. Shira was fascinated with the story because there was something ironic with the fact that the Filipinos leave their children behind to come and take care of some elderly person instead of their children. So it’s like a circle; you neglect your own child so you can take care of somebody else’s parent because his child doesn’t want to take care of him. And because she experience such a relationship between her grandmother and a Filipino woman took care of her became good friends with her and also changed the grandmother’s attitude to life it was very natural for Shira to chose this story and I felt was an important story to tell.” (Etgar Keret)

Oh and the kid, of course! Batya found a child by the beach wearing a lifesaver around her waist. I thought it was amusing, seeing that the kid had red hair and doesn't speak, maybe she is Irish and doesn't understand Hebrew, funny how the other people didn't ask her in English. Lost in translation once again. On another hand, I may just be generalizing and that is not good either. The kid seem to be a guide for Batya, and led her to Malka who somehow helped her get in touch with her childhood memories.

One criticsm though: I just thought it was impractical of Joy to bring the giant ship back home to the Philippines as a carry on luggage, but that's just me.

Obviously I really love this film and I give it a grade of 93. See the trailer below.

Lesson Plan: Math- Multiplication

Enduring understanding:
Students will learn that two factors will always yield the same product even when they are in different order.
Content Standards that are the target of Student Learning
(List the complete text of the relevant parts of each standard)
2.2 Solve Problems involving simple number patterns.
3.1 Use repeated addition, arrays and counting by multiples to do multiplication.

English Language development (ELD) standards (if applicable)
Make oneself understood when speaking by using consistent Standard English grammatical forms and sounds.
Learning Objectives (both content and language)
By the end of this lesson students will be able to identify that the products are the same even when the factors are written in a different order.
Formal and Informal Assessments:

Students will be called to recall their prior knowledge on repeated addition and multiplication.

Instructional Strategies and learning tasks to support Student learning (what you and the students will be doing)

Phase I: Structured Practice.
I will state the California Content Standards we will be reaching today.

We will work on the problem of the day. Before we start, there will be pair names from now on. The taller person will be red and the other one yellow. Our pair names are red and yellow.

Write the Problem of the Day in the board:

314 – 79 = ; 139 + 478 = ; 410 - 386


Work on these problems by yourselves. (10 minutes)
(Rationale of the Problem of the Day: The students learned about subtracting and adding three-digit numbers. I want my students to always line up the numbers when adding and subtracting three-digit numbers because I believe this skill will help them when they multiply and divide bigger numbers.)

Phase II: Guided practice:

You have learned how to build and use arrays to write multiplication sentences. Today we will explore how to write multiplication sentences with the same numbers but in different order.

We will be using counters.

Yellow, make sure your counters are showing the yellow side.

Red, make sure your counters are showing the red side.

We learned about making arrays. Arrays have equal rows. Can someone show me the row in this array? (Show the fish array)
When we do our activity, remember
______ x _____ = ____
Rows #/row product

Yellow, make an array that shows 3 x 2
Red help yellow count all the counters.
How many do you have? Write it on the handout
Red, make an array that shows 2 x3
Yellow help red count all the counters.
How many do you have? Are they the same? Write it on the handout.

Lets try another one:
Yellow: 3x 4
Red: 4x 3

What did you notice? Talk to your partners. Yellow tell first. If you have the same idea, Red should say “I agree with you”.



Phase III: Independent Practice:

The students will answer the exercises on p.536 - 538. Students need to work with partners.

Assessment:

I will know that they have learned when I see that they are writing the products correctly and they are not confused about changing the order.

Rubric

3 – The student is able to understand that in multiplication, the order of the factors are irrelevant and correctly answer most of the questions in the handouts.
2 – The student is able to see the pattern yet some answers were not correct.
1 - The student did not see the pattern and did not attempt the exercises.