All Saints' Day in Surrey

November 1, 2004, Monday:
...raining kittens and puppies...brrr! Jenny checked the weather channel: -1 degC. That's why!

Mike went to work, the kids to school. What? Ah, November 1 and 2 are nonholidays here. Hmm.

I got up earlier than usual--around 8, chiefly because of the Daylight Saving Time which took effect yesterday; time was backwarded for one hour.

CLICK! First song for the day...

Someone's Calling
by Modern English
After the Snow, 1982, 4AD

Turning 'round as if in flight
I sense your breath cut like a knife
A thousand shadows all in pain
What they feel must be the same
The tension's mounting with the tide

I see the heat rise to the sky
I search the faces for a clue a thousand hate
Some laughter too the flames were dancing
As the people shouted in the streets they were alive
As the stage was mounted a thousand cries of jubilation
From the throes of this great people's nation
And as our bridges burned to dust
A useless theme was quite enough
I felt as you, one with the night
Someone's calling in the night

I start to think, I start to cry
The choice is always mine
But I'm too scared to dance
But I'm too scared to dance
But I'm too scared to dance
But I'm too scared to dance

Turning 'round as if in flight
I sense your breath cut like a knife
A thousand shadows all in pain
What they feel must be the same

Someone's calling in the night
Someone's calling in the night
Someone's calling in the night
Someone's calling in the night


Breakfast: oatmeal, milk, and leftover pizza
Past nine: folded and put in the closet the clothes I laundered the other day; labeled the books I bought yesterday
Past ten: went to my sleeping place, in the living room, and continued reading The History of Writing by Steven Roger Fischer while listening to Modern English songs. By the time I decided to log on to check my e-mails, the track playing was "I Melt with You."

Jenny's cousin Elena arrived. I helped her in finalizing her school project, "Albert Bandura's Social Learning Theory." (http://www.criminology.fsu.edu/crimtheory/bandura.htm) I always delight in helping others with their projects and stuff, for in the process I also get to learn or relearn many interesting things. As I said in an article I recently wrote, "A Challenge to Our Intelligence and Ability to Choose from What": I am a sucker of knowledge.

Albert Bandura
A contemporary Canadian psychologist, Albert Bandura (1925–present) is renowned for his research on personality theories, among which his concept called reciprocal determinism is what I found very interesting:

"Environment causes behavior, and behavior causes environment as well. The world and a person’s behavior cause each other."

It's like simply saying: the environment molds a person's behavior as well as the collective behavior of a group of people, in turn, defines the society in which they live.

I find Bandura's concept a continuation of a line from Lawrence Durrell's Justine:

"We are the children of our landscape;
it dictates behavior and even thought
in the measure that we are responsive to it."

Lunch: leftover pizza, garlic bread, and lettuce with caesar dressing

I spent the afternoon indulging in Internet articles about Albert Bandura and his books Adolescent Aggression (1959) and Social Learning Theory (1977).

Bandura believed that "individuals do not inherit violent tendencies [and agressive behavior]." He argued that "individuals, especially children, learn agressive responses from observing others either personally or through the media and the environment."

Dinner: Marivic with Amber and Julie will pick up Mike at work, then they'll proceed to Elena's house. Only my grandfather and I will be left in the house.

I'm cooking mechado for the both of us. I just cooked the rice.

Mechado
While defrosting the beef in the microwave oven, I did the following:

peeled and cubed two pieces of medium-size potato
cut the green bell pepper into strips
cut the mini carrots into halves
cut two tomatoes into small pieces
got three laurel leafs
opened a can of tomato paste

I put the beef in a casserole and let it boil in water.
When the meat was soft enough, I added the tomato paste and the tomatoes. I let it boil further, and then I added the rest of the ingredients. I added salt and vinegar to taste. There! Delicious. Ready to eat with the newly cooked rice.

Okay, time to end this entry. I got to feed my grandfather, and besides I'm also hungry already. Then, I've got to get back to be with my Charlotte on the chat messenger.

aLfie