ocd

they say that we all have a little bit of OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) in us. some more than other of course but we all have those little quirks that make us who we are. well i've been thinking of some of my quirks lately...or more like noticing i guess.
for example, did you know that i bring a FULL glass of water with me to bed EVERY night and that i almost NEVER actually drink from it?!

i think its funny and i've never thought about it before but it happens...every night....

i've got more....but who has that kind of time?! haha! what about you??

unwritten

i am not sure what i am looking for, but i keep going into my blog to "check" it...
will some one have magically posted something?? will i have written a post that i'd forgotten about?? will entering the blog inspire me to write?? i guess technically it has cause here i am...
still having a case of "writers block" it seems. i don't like it.
i want to keep up with this as a sort of journal for myself. and i want to keep up with it for my readers. i know how anxious i get when the blogs i read are on dry spells...


think, think, think.....................

writers block!?

it seems that after our two week holiday, i am having my first real case of writers block! what to write about?! i can't think of anything witty or amusing for my readers! what will i do?!

all i can think of is how hot i was today! and how tired i am because i was so hot all day...oh ya, my camera too. i love my camera and i need to spend a lot of time learning how to use it....hopefully this weekend.

anyway, cross your fingers for some inspiration or excitement in my life! sorry friends!

this is how i feel today

some things never change. it doesn't matter where in the world you are. what can i do to make it better?

jurassic park on a plane

as we landed in Hanoi this weekend, i was thinking to myself and decided that the landing is something that definitely needs to be blogged about. it's so strange because i think it's the same in many parts of the world so i can't say it's a Vietnamese thing, but i would like to know more about why people act the way they do. anyway, to explain what i saw, i will compare the different types of people to different types of dinosaurs. you'll see what i mean...

**NB. i am not a dinosaur expert but this is how i see it...

The Velociraptor
the Velociraptors (the speedy thief) are the fastest of the dinosaurs. before the plane has landed, these creatures are up out of their seats, carry-on luggage in hand, cell phones on, and sending texts. they do not adhere to the "please remain seated until the seat belt sign is off" rule or the "please do not turn on cell phones until you are in the terminal" rule. i often laugh at the raptors because these rules are not made for the good of the airplane staff, they are intended to keep everyone safe. the raptors do not seem to care about safety. speed first. this type is also terrible at following the numerical order which is a given on an airplane. i feel like it is logical to let people off the plane in order. first row one, then two, you get the picture. raptors do not get the picture. i suppose the velociraptors could also be called the plateosaurus which was the dumbest of all the dinosaurs...

The Tyrannosaurus Rex (aka the Barney)
The t-rex or Barney is the smartest of the dinosaurs (both are ranked in the top ten smartest dinosaurs list!). This creature knows that it is best to remain seated until the seat belt sign is turned off. They know that we don't need to push each other because believe it or not, everyone WILL get off the airplane and the airport is not going anywhere! the t-rex acknowledges his or her surroundings, knows who he needs to watch out for on the descent and who the laid back crowd will consist of. however, the t-rex or barney does not let others take advantage of them. they do their best to ensure that everyone maintains their fair spot on the food chain!

The Apatosaurus
the Apatosaurus, sometimes called the Brontosaurus or Long Neck, also makes an appearance on most flights. Although fewer than the raptors, you can tell immediately which passengers take the role of the Apatosaurus. This is one of the slowest moving and easy going of the dinosaurs. If you take your memory on a little jog and recall the movie "The Land Before Time", you will remember Little Foots grandmother who is just like the Apatosaurus that can be seen on the airplane. These creatures take their time and are quite happy to be the last off the plane. they are content to sit and wait patiently while the more aggressive of the dinosaurs get off first and act a bit silly.

so, now you can decide. which dino are you?? (fingers crossed that you're no velociraptor!)

in a perfect world

According to Wikipedia, queue areas are places in which people in line (first-come, first-served) wait for goods or services. Examples include checking out groceries or other goods that have been collected in a self service shop, in a shop without self service, at an ATM, at a ticket desk, a city bus, or in a taxi stand.

So why, why, why can't I just live in a country where people know how to line up?! I am so annoyed with the fact that both in Egypt and here in Vietnam, NO ONE knows how to make a line! How is it possible?? We went to Hanoi and Halong Bay this weekend and I was losing my patience VERY quickly with the lack of lines.

It happens all the time here and soon I am going to start to freak out when it happens. I'm going to make a sign in Vietnamese to carry around with me that says GET IN LINE!!!!!!!

That's my vent for the day. I'm going to work on teaching my class to line up. Changing the country one line up at a time! :)

a little piece of "home"

we have heard talk of this lebanese restaurant in district one (downtown saigon) and kelly has been dying to check it out. well, tonight he got his chance and it made me a little "home" sick! for egypt!! it's in a quiet little back alley, the writing on the sign is in arabic, there is ramadan cloth everywhere, and the smell of apple sheesha lingers in the air.

we ate all kinds of food that reminded me of egypt, drank lemon mint juice, sat on low cushioned benches and finished the night off with a little sheesha. makes me think of all the little things that i do miss about egypt. and of course, all of the egypt gang was there and we reminisced about the "good old days".

a nice night! now if only we could have started out on a felluca....

how to feel lazy 101

live with kelly while he trains for a triathalon and a marathon. please see below for details.

• i walked home from school yesterday (about the only active thing i did all day) to find that kelly was still at the gym. put on my pj's, began to blog about healing the wounded heart.
• kelly came home from his 1.5 hours at the gym. i was blogging. we made dinner together. we ate dinner.
• kelly went to lotte mart shopping. he needed shirts for running. and stuff to make cookies with his class. i watched "life inturupted" - my newest television show.
• kelly came home from lotte mart. i got ready for bed.
• kelly went swimming. i went to bed at 8:30. and watched "brothers and sisters".

if that doesn't make you feel lazy, i don't know what will!!

the simple things

so you know how there are just those little things that make you laugh or smile? simple, silly little things that brighten your day. my friend S once shared her "simple joy" with me and to this day i remember how much we laughed in that moment. you know the pilsbury rolls that you pull and as it unwraps around the roll, all of a sudden it POPS! well that's her little moment. it's nothing special to many people but we even got the camera out to try and capture the look on her face at that second.

well today, i made banana muffins. only a few people have witnessed the banana muffin making process but my "simple joy" is definitely a part of this process. so today, as a peeled the frozen bananas and they PLOPPED out of their skin and into the bowl, i laughed out loud thinking of how many times that simple act has made me laugh.

i feel like this is the point where my dad would say "simple things amuse simple minds!" but it's so funny! you will have to try it for yourself to experience the simple joy! there are people out there who will vouch for me, i know it!

my stars

so i was sitting here thinking about some of my friends. i was thinking that the mix of people that come and go in our lives is so strange but obviously they have been sent to us for a reason. i have so many wonderful friends and i am truly thankful for that. for all of them. friends on different levels. friends for different reasons. friends for a long time or a short time. the trouble is that in this international lifestyle that i have chosen, friends come and go a lot more than i would like them to. it makes me think of that quote about having all the people we love in the same place at the same time. and its true. i wish i could have you all here. all together. being friends.


anyway, so i went to look for an image to put on this post and this one came up. how perfect is it?! it's exactly what i wanted and needed in this moment. my friends are really important to me and even though i sometimes don't stay in touch as much as i should, i want to tell you that i think of you more than you know.

now this got me thinking. when you hear the word friend, what comes to mind? i think of the friends that i cherish and hold dear to my heart. i think of "friends". that i thought were friends, but it wasn't quite so. then of course, there's the tv show. friends. what about you? what do you think of when you hear the word FRIEND?!

I'm a GLEEK and I'm proud of it!

After being on hiatus since December 11, this Tuesday (April 13) marks the return of my all time favourite show - Glee! If you haven't seen it before, you really should give it a try! I'm told that I watch a lot of TV and I definitely claim Glee as my FAVE!

Let's discuss the reasons that we should all watch Glee:

1. The music selection is awesome! I challenge you to watch Season 1 - Part 1 and NOT find a song that you love.
2. The actors and actresses all do their own singing! And they are great at it!
3. Many of the stars have previously been on Broadway and it shows! Their singing and dancing is fantastic!
4. Cory Monteith, the leading male who plays Finn, is Canadian!
5. It has really sad moments and really happy moments and really funny moments. All in the same show!
6. It really is unlike anything else on TV. A positive change in television today. (aka it's not a reality show or a hospital show).
7. I love it. And if you watch it, then we can talk about how much we love it together!

So, if you haven't watched it before and you are considering it, give it until episode four at least "all the single ladies" will have you rolling on the floor laughing! You'll probably have some tears that episode too! That is of course if you aren't hooked after "Don't Stop Believing" on episode 1!

Just trust me on this one okay?! You won't be disappointed!

two major pains.

ok so i have been thinking about this post for a while but due to the "complaint free" thing, i have resisted. until now. i can't hold back any longer!

there are two things that have been making me crazy lately. and both have to do with living in an apartment. in asia. what could possibly make me so crazy you ask? please allow me to explain.

first, is the smell. big deal right? well, yes, in fact it is a big deal! it seems that all of the vents above the stoves are connected because when someone is cooking something very fishy, we get to enjoy it too! YUCK! i hate it! at 6 in the morning when the smells of fish and sesame oil come wafting into the room, there is something to complain about, let me tell you! i'm pretty sure that at any given time of the day, someone in this building is eating fish. luckily our apartment doesn't smell like fish all day and night but when someone decides to turn on their fan, we get to enjoy the fish too. (i hope you can sense the sarcasm here because both kelly and i HATE fish!)

secondly, the man upstairs. i know that living in an apartment often comes with the perks of being able to hear the people upstairs or downstairs when they drop something or make a loud noise. in thunder bay the woman who lived about tami and i really liked to vacuum and take a bath at 3 am. i get that. however, the man who lives above me in 1-9, makes me ill! he is constantly horking and choking and coughing and gagging and spitting up and soon, i will be doing the same!!! like honestly, every morning as i am using the bathroom, showering, etc., i can hear him and today, SUNDAY, i was trying so hard to sleep in and he was all i could hear!! honestly people, it isn't right! the noises that come from this man are unnatural!!!

ok that's it. that's all i'm saying. no more complaining. i've changed the bracelet to my other arm. i'm going to go enjoy my sunday now. hopefully it will be free of smell and terrible noises!

just a thought...

this is something a wise lady once shared with me. i came across it again today and immediately wanted to share it with you too. just something to think about...

A Complaint Free World

you're going to love this. i promise!

so at our school, we have started a new initiative as part of our character education. by the end of the week, all of the students at CIS will officially be part of an attempt to make a Complaint Free World.

how it works. everyone, teachers and students, gets a purple bracelet (like the liveSTRONG bracelets), and if you complain, you have to move the bracelet to your other arm and start over. The goal is to keep the bracelet on the same arm for 21 days - that's NO COMPLAINING for 21 days!!! scientists believe that it takes 21 days to make something a habit, so after 21 days you will have established a habit of being complaint free!

i think it's a great idea and a big challenge for teachers - maybe even more than the students!! however, i've read some reviews from schools that have tried it and they all comment on what a positive change this program has made in their schools.

so, we started on monday. my bracelet has moved everyday. i'm going to keep trying though. someday i hope to blog about my 21 days of being complaint free!!! and i'm working on my SK's. "that's complaining!" we'll get there. just think of it... a complaint free classroom!

if you want more information on the program, check out http://www.acomplaintfreeworld.org/

i told you you were going to love it!

25

da...25 de ani de cand numar petale de zarzar si am atins atatea vieti...
da...m-am verificat, dar sunt la fel ca ieri. nici o schimbare vizibila. oricum...lucrez la asta. Incerc sa ma maturizez. Am si cautat pe google 'how to gow up'. Spre surpriza mea am si gasit. Pasii sunt simpli, ii puteti vedea aici. Am gasit de asemenea si articole similare foarte interesante cum ar fi 'how to grow a pumpkin' sau 'how to grow watermelons'.

Imi tot suna in cap melodia de la 4non blondes: '25years and my life is still/trying to get that great big deal oh hope/ for a destination...'

Oricum...simt ca acesta este un moment solemn si ma simt mai inteleapta asa ca voi vorbi despre viata. Viata este un lucru ciudat care trece repede, timpul nu mai are rabdare cu oamenii. Foarte important este sa valorifici la maxim lunile de martie pentru ca in martie se intampla numai lucruri bune. Trebuie sa faci dragoste cu cat mai multi oameni, sa dansezi, sa eviti avocado si inveti sa faci un lucru nou. Ca sa arat ca sunt consecventa eu am invatat sa joc Sims si am exersat treaba asta cu viata. Am aflat ca daca ai 'good mood' cand te duci la servici avansezi mai repede, ca daca vrei sa iti atingi 'life goal'-ul cat esti inca tanar trebuie sa iti sacrifici relatiile sociale si ca nici un skill nu se atinge fara mult studiu si exercitiu. Ce mai, lucruri folositoare! Anul trecut in martie am inceput blogul asta, deci inca un lucru grozav.


Mergand prin viata intalnesti cele mai diferite lucruri, trebuie sa le absorbi pe toate pentru ca sa ai la ce te gandi cand iesi la pensie. Uneori unele lucruri sunt folositoare altele nu. Ca de exemplu:

- daca ai dintii strambi, mari si apropiati iti raman coji de mere intre ei, ceea ce este un lucru teribil de enervant asa ca este foarte indicat sa porti aparat dentar in copilarie

- cel mai bine cand fierbi orez este sa dai focul foarte mic ca sa nu se lipeasca

- lacul sarat este o mare porcarie

- cand mergi pe munte sa pui toata talpa si sa nu te tii de radacini

- inainte sa o predai, e bine sa iti salvezi lucrarea de dizertatie in cel putin 5 locuri diferite

- unghiile de la picioare cresc mult mai incet decat cele de la maini

- mucegaiul se duce foarte bine cu solutie antimucegai de la Bison

- un tip si o tipa pot fi doar prieteni, apoi dupa cativa ani sexul poate fi foarte placut

- viata are gust: coca cola

- e foarte important sa fii prieten cu secretara de la facultate

- wear sunscreen

...

Asa ca, in cinstea unui nou an minunat maine o sa ma duc de-a lungul canalului sa vad daca au inflorit copacii (presimt ca da). Cel mai frumos lucru din univers sunt copacii infloriti. Urmatorul cel mai frumos lucru din univers este sa te urci intr-un copac plin cu flori, dar asta devine mai greu cu varsta. Mai ales ca in tara asta oamenii par sa aiba o preferinta pentru pomii frutiferi mici. Cica dupa ce cresc nu mai sunt la fel de roditori si ii schimba, sau asa ceva. Cand eram mica ma urcam in visin si invatasem deja sa recunosc multi copaci dupa flori.


'A thing of beauty is a joy forever...' (john keats) ... si la 25 de ani and so on...

Random Thoughts...

• Sean and Christa arrive in less than 48 hours. That's right - we're down to hours, not days! So excited to see them and it's going to be like Christmas when they arrive cause we've asked for so much stuff from home!
• I just finished writing my article for the newspaper from back home. I'll post the link when it's available.
• Lindsay and Phil got engaged! and two weeks ago Kathleen and Simon got engaged! Seems that love is in the air! Blow some of that air my way... ;)
• The Japanese dollar store - which I love - let me down tonight. I wanted something for my class, I had seen it there before, and tonight it was all gone. Why dollar store, why?! I always spoke so nicely of the dollar store!
• We are going to Hoi An this weekend. The "tailored clothing" capital of Vietnam. I should be looking in magazines and picking out stuff to get made....maybe I'll go do that now.
• Tonight we watched an episode of "The Rules of Engagement". It's hilarious. If you haven't seen it, you should watch an episode. So funny!!
• This Friday we have student led conferences with our SK kids for the first time. I'm sure they will do fine but we have a lot of work to do before then and I feel like there is never enough time! This week we are studying Australia and Korea and will go for a field trip to do Tae Kwon Do. There is no time to prepare for meetings with all this fun happening!
• We have a week long holiday in May and haven't decided where to go yet. Suggestions welcome!

All of this running through my brain. Maybe I'll just go to bed and ignore it all for now. I love my bed! Goodnight!

comments please

a shameless plea for comments. i have fixed it now so anyone can comment. just click on comment after the post and choose "name/url" and if you don't have a page, leave the url blank. simple. or at least i hope it's simple now. Oh and if it says it can't process it, press the button again and it will likely work. good luck!
hope to hear from you!

I've got a feelin'...

...that today's gonna be a good day.

that today's gonna be a good, good day.

I've got a feelin'.

Memories

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!!

Last year ELK Lodge hosted the third stop of a very fantastic-dance party- St. Patrick's Day apartment crawl. It was so much fun I think it deserves to be remembered...
I Miss all you crazy "Egyptians"!! Thanks for the memories! xo

Christa, Meghan, and Linds with Papa Cairo

Kathleen and Simon - the newly engaged couple xo

Bonnie, Me, Kelly P., Kathleen and Christa

Trina and Christa. Can I get a WOO WOO!

Ma and Pa Cairo

The girls and white Peter

ROOMMATE pajamas!

Me and Kevin

The King of Pop

Really, you can't make stuff like this up. What I am about to tell you is a true story. And you may not believe it, but it's true! So here it goes.

Anyone who knows me knows that I love Michael Jackson. I don't care who you are, he was and will always be the King of Pop. Considering my love for him, it only makes sense that my first real blog post, about the everyday stuff would be about him. But how can this be about MJ you ask?

Today I was working on getting my blog up and running so I signed into my account and this was not the only blog that came up. It said that I had another blog - made in November of 2007. And the name of this blog?? THIS IS IT. Notice anything? Ya that's right, THIS IS IT is the name of the Michael Jackson documentary and CD, both released in 2009!!! Two years AFTER I made the blog that never was. Now, as if this weren't weird enough, at the very moment that I made this discovery, I hear a conversation that is going on in my class. K says, "Hey. Do you guys like Michael Jackson?" and the response is, "Ya. His music is really good!". COME ON!! I'm telling you. This story really happened. To me. Today. So laugh all you want, but MJ is with me today. This is the day I was supposed to start blogging.