Staying Connected - 2008

thank you Sappho for upholding the tradition.

2008 was one of the shortest years I remember (though it's technically one of the longer ones : 366 is a lot of days for a year).



Best moments


*teaching primary level and special needs. without a doubt - enjoyable. Special needs education is one of the most challenging things I've ever done.

• Emotionally challenging because these children (and any children really) are so vulnerable sometimes it hurts... you can't help but take that worry with you. And some of them - you know they understand just what's going on - but they can't communicate (how they feel or what they think). Lord, teach me how to listen when they do not know how to speak.


• Physically challenging because I met a little/big 5 year old (I dubbed him "sumo wrestler born on the wrong continent") he can bring almost anyone of any size to their knees with a well placed shove and a knack for finding your centre of gravity. Also stubborn children can be heavy (even when they weigh nextkin to nothin). note to self - next year - no lifting if possible - my back and my knees can't take it.


• Mentally challenging because I know they can learn and often even have a thirst to learn... but finding the way that they learn is a challenge. keeping them occupied and stimulated and out of trouble takes excessive amounts of mental energy. books, videos and traditional games are insufficient.

* learning how to live on my own and go grocery shopping and cook healthy food for my self..... I'm still learning - but I'm getting better at it. Even though I lived "on my own" for 4 years (i.e in the TO) living on my own here was like a totally new experience - complete with running out of food a couple times and eating cereal for dinner. Now I feel a sense of accomplishment with every trip to the market.

* beaching it on a regular basis. Thank you God for my sight - and allowing my to see clear blue skies and beautiful sunsets.

* entering my photos in a photo competition - sadly I didn't win anything but it was a great experience. I felt quite special.

Worst moments

Thankfully I've been healthy and safe this year and the only rough moments have been few and far between.

* my two best friends "breaking up". Now we're no longer the three musketeers. I'm still trying to find my way in this (does anyone have any suggestions?).

* not getting everything I want (I know it's part of life - we deal with it from the time we're 1 - but this year it's been hitting me hard). Lord, please help me to accept graciously and gracefully that whatever you withhold is for good reason.

Hopes and Dreams for 2009

* to spend more time with family - 2008 flew by and I only saw my aunts here a couple times. I live in Barbados for goodness sake! I should be seeing them on a regular basis. so I plan to make a concentrated effort.

* give myself enough time to write. it's not that there aren't ideas there - but I've been shortchanging myself in terms of time... so hopefully I can finagle a few more hours into my day. (If I figure out how I'll be sure to let you know how)

*be hope-free and faith-full. I know it sounds odd - I don't want to be hopeless, only hope-free... living in the real present, not the imagined (never going to happen) not too distant future. Faith is about trusting God for my future, not believing I know what's best for me (and living in a dream if/when I can't obtain it).

HAPPY NEW YEAR LOVELY LADIES

take care

love, tulip

Summer Camp

Happy Canada Day!!!!
(yesterday)

I'm currently helping out with summer camp at the school I teach at. I'm working with 5 and 6 year olds instead of the regular 7/8. I wanted to see if they were just as cute.
They generally are, and today I learned some useful lessons.

5/6 year olds are very happy playing tunnel (a game where you arrange a set of desks in a line and tell them to crawl under in a line). They love it - they love crawling on the ground. They did it for almost half an hour. Who knew it could be so much fun?
Had I suggested that game to the 7/8 year olds in my class they would have been thoroughly offended, as though I'd insulted their intelligence: Crawl on the floor?? The floor is dirty! (well, maybe not all of them would have thought this up - but you better believe if one person said it, the others would soon follow suite)

5/6 year olds play Blue-bird-blue-bird through my window until their little arms and feet are too tired to play any more.... so cute!!

5/6 year olds have difficulty playing games that involve going through the alphabet - some of them just don't remember that b comes before c.

The game "When I grow up I want to be a statue" - can provide minutes of wonderful quiet entertainment that does not involve running around. CUTE!!


So long as I can keep up my energy levels I think I'll be able to survive camp.
wish me luck!

A few random thoughts

thought while on the bus (May 9th)

• I just saw a woman with big curlers in her hair - and perfect posture.
• I wish I has the sort of posture that made a stroll up the driveway with yellow curlers in my hair look like a walk on the catwalk...

thought on June 4th (new moon)

• Today I feel decidedly under the circumstances, under the weather and under the moon. I'm blaming it on the New moon (which was yesterday) and lower than usual blood sugar (haven't eaten in hours). I'm going to go make dinner! (I can't change the moon).
• One of my students wrote a whole composition on potato wedges. Even I'd be hard pressed to write a composition about raisins (though I do recall writing a poem). And as much as I love them I flat out couldn't do marshmallows.

Two Tom thoughts

• I just opened and emptied a can of tuna - unharassed.
• I accidentally taught my class to give stink eye (it's so cute when 8 year olds do it!)
• Mid convo one student stopped and pointed out the window - cat!! (I love children)
• (ok, that was more than two)

Nuances

• The things - the - something that happens between men and women. The tiny little *things (zings) that pass between brief touches - even across the space between them. Do they exist? and to what extent?
• L, I'm in love with the language you speak. Like I'm in love with French men -ooh la la! sigh* I wish I knew all that you say. You understand me so much better than I understand you (thought to my deaf sign language instructor).

Seseme Street

• "Yeah, well, I'm a grouch - I'm not pleased to meet anyone. So SCRAM!" (oscar The grouch)

Dirty Dancing

When I watch a good movie - especially one where the guy and gal have an apparently happy ending - or better yet - beginning; I wonder what really happens next (you know - after the credits role). Like tonight, I watched Dirty Dancing - which has some HOTTTT!! dance scenes and must have really steamed up the screens when it first came out (sizzle sizzle Patrick Swayze!! ;)). And I wondered what happened with Patrick's character and 'Baby' (Jennifer Grey) afterwards...
Did they get their happy ever after? if so - for how long? for ever?
what happened when she went to University? did they do the long distance thing? Did it work? Did he get used to having one stellar woman or did the temptations of his former life prevail once he gained his confidence?
Did they do great things?
Did they do great things together?
*sigh*
I guess I'm always curious now - when things get off to a great beginning - how do they continue? and how exactly do they end?
I liked When Harry Met Sally for that, because they had (not quite) false starts - real starts - that even continued - but also finished (a couple times) and gave a glimpse of the ending (CUTE!!)

Here's to happy ever afters.

A Miny Ode to Spart

time to see a new post more reflective of my mood

current mood: slightly hungry/excited
(Kiddies are so cute!!!!!)

A Miny Ode to Spart

Spart - I miss you.

I miss being able to talk to you at the end of the day and deconstruct and analyze (and reanalyze) everything.....

I miss the way you comment about people and I know it's not just me going crazy - someone else noticed that that guy or gal was acting a bit *funny*.
Or like last week I played monopoly at my aunt's and she was in such a funny mood - oh spart - we would have had a good laugh at the end of the day. She almost told me off for serving a guy his lunch - it was great!

I miss your futon.

I miss being able to moan and groan and rant about life, the universe and everything.

I even miss your cat. the other day I was able to open a can of tuna completely un-harassed: where is Tom????

I miss telling you about my crushes and pre-crushes (the amorphous appreciation- the tingles one gets before you know you have a crush) and having you egg me on.

speaking of eggs - I miss cooking darn good meals on a whim!

I miss before dinner snacks sigh. (umm toasted pita bread and peanut butter)

I miss eating darn good meals - too good to be allowed meals (don't get me wrong - I'm eating well here - but I haven't had roast beast or baked salmon or candy squash since last year!)

I miss dessert. (chocolate chunk cookies!!!!!)

I miss in-between snacks - can we say smores???!!!!!!!????????

I miss you.

how are you?

oh - and I didn't even talk about all our shows - I miss all our shows. I miss Burke.

sigh - smile.
hope you are well.

heart, tulip

rainbow connection

"I'm wishing on a star.
to follow where you are...."

I've been thinking about that song a lot recently because I think I saw a falling star on Monday... and that song immediately came to mind. I never really knew the words but I always sang
"I wish on all the rainbows that I see
I wish on all the people we ever meet"

I like my version - because it applies to what I'm about to say.
I do wish on rainbows. I love where I live right now because in the rainy season I see soo many rainbows - one week I saw one every day for 5 days!
But this wishing on stars, or wishing on rainbows thing is something I'd like to clarify - it's not a belief in fate, or the stars. It's not a wish into the future - or even the past - it's a wish into the present. A realisation of the potential of everything around us. So much potential: in the people we meet, in the sky, in the day.
the Psalms (118:24) says

"This is the day that the Lord has made - let us rejoice and be glad in it"

We can say that of every day. It reaffirms that somewhere - in this day there is a reason to rejoice. And if we can't find one - let's rejoice because God made it!

A rainbow reminds me of this - reminds me that in a bunch of random water particles mixed with light - this thing of immense beauty is created.
Just think about the stars - millions of light-years away (in space and time), balls of fiery rock - twinkling in our night sky.
Today it's 4 days till full moon - my heart beats to think of it, and I observe the moon growing (glowing) every day until then.

The Lord has placed beauty in so many places in His creation.

Let's look for it and enjoy it.

May the 4th be with you!

hi ho
I'm so happy to have remembered that on this year :)
apparently I missed March 4th (and conquer!).
how are you all doing? I hope you are well. I haven't much to report except that I'm currently teaching fractions - exciting stuff!
(also, it's 3:20 am - so maybe my lack of things to say has to do with a lack of sleep ...a problem which I plan to fix very soon)
ok. I'm out for now.

May the 4th be with you!

:)

I felt like flossing

Two unrelated connections.

1) Ever noticed how new events can inspire the oddest feelings. Today is the start of a new term for schools .... today I felt like flossing.
I haven't felt like flossing all vacation (and so I haven't! *blush*) but now that school's officially back on apparently my old habits kick in in full force.

My gums are all the happier for it.
:)

2) Has anyone of you ever heard it said that more weddings and births take place in leap years? I'm beginning to think it's true since today I heard about the 7th wedding of my extended friends, family and co-workers taking place this year. Seven! (I'm a bridesmaid in one - I'm excited :))
Plus my next door neighbour had twins (cute!).

(don't worry - this is not an announcement of either event for me - though I hope to put in a bid for at least one of the two for the next leap year *wink*).

heart, tulip

Staying Connected - 2007 (hope dreams)

(heehee - so I did have a "staying connected" started - but never felt it really reflected much about last year. anyways - here it is with a few alterations)
started 01/01/08
-
hello folks. started this entry in January - think it's about time to complete it and post it.
thanks Sappho for remembering the tradition!

I'm grateful to be here another year. I'm happy that we've, all of us, made it through 2007.


Best and Worst moments of 2007

Graduating - mainly Best because it was time to move on from U of T. (worse because I want to go back - I miss Gospel choir so!)

Coming home has been one best moment after the next. can we say beach!!?? and family??!! and more beach?! especially after hearing about all the snow in T.O?!

Teaching - my new job - has been a series of better (not best exactly) and worst moments. - dealing with teenagers is one of the most mentally taxing things I've ever done. they try to get under your skin on purpose. They make you feel as though you're going crazy!!

One of the best moments was meeting the other teachers - esp one in particular - who had me on my toes (and on cloud nine) for a whole month (and later NEVER CALLED!!!GGGRRRRR)


One of the worst was realising that we are just a breath.

Reuniting with friends and family was one of the best - hands down. we've all changed - but the love is still there.

tulip

Books, books, lovely books ...

I started this recently - but was overwhelmed by the share volume of books that this list contained - shopgirl had a good idea - and cut it down to the first 100. Here is my list to 159 (at which point my eyes started to blur and my interest and enthusiasm waned)(this was mainly because I couldn't format it properly)(well, since you've probably seen this list at least twice already I've taken out the ones I've never heard of) perhaps one day I'll finish the list.
started 29/03/08


*bold those you've read
*add your own
*italicise those you started but never finished
*double star ones you want to read
*Put a smiley face next to the ones you watched (added by me)
*post to your blog, if desired

1. The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien :)
2. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen :)
3. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman
4. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, JK Rowling :)
6. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
7. Winnie the Pooh, AA Milne :)
8. 1984, George Orwell
9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis :)
10. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte :)
11. Catch-22, Joseph Heller **
12. Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte **
15. The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger **
16. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame :)
17. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
18. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott **
21. Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell** :)
22. Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's/Philosopher's Stone, JK Rowling :)
23. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, JK Rowling :)
24. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban, JK Rowling :)
25. The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien**
28. A Prayer For Owen Meany, John Irving **
29. The Grapes Of Wrath, John Steinbeck **
30. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll :)
34. David Copperfield, Charles Dickens
35. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl :)
36. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
38. Persuasion, Jane Austen**
39. Dune, Frank Herbert
40. Emma, Jane Austen **:) (Have you ever watched Clueless?!)
41. Anne Of Green Gables, LM Montgomery :)
42. Watership Down, Richard Adams
43. The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald :)
44. The Count Of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas **
46. Animal Farm, George Orwell
47. A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens :)
51. The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett :)
52. Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck**
53. The Stand, Stephen King :)
56. The BFG, Roald Dahl
57. Swallows And Amazons, Arthur Ransome
58. Black Beauty, Anna Sewell** :)
59. Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer
62. Memoirs Of A Geisha, Arthur Golden :)
63. A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens**
64. The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCollough :)
66. The Magic Faraway Tree, Enid Blyton
70. Lord Of The Flies, William Golding
74. Matilda, Roald Dahl :)
75. Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding**
78. Ulysses, James Joyce **
81. The Twits, Roald Dahl
83. Holes, Louis Sachar :)
85. The God Of Small Things, Arundhati Roy
91. The Godfather, Mario Puzo **
92. The Clan Of The Cave Bear, Jean M Auel :)
93. The Colour Of Magic, Terry Pratchett
94. The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
97. Love In The Time Of Cholera, Gabriel Garcia Marquez
99. The Princess Diaries, Meg Cabot** :)
104. Dracula, Bram Stoker** :)
106. The Pickwick Papers, Charles Dickens
112. The Secret Diary Of Adrian Mole Aged 13 1/2, Sue Townsend
114. Les Miserables, Victor Hugo :)
115. The Mayor Of Casterbridge, Thomas Hardy
117. Bad Girls, Jacqueline Wilson
118. The Picture Of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde
119. Shogun, James Clavell
120. The Day Of The Triffids, John Wyndham
122. Vanity Fair, William Makepeace Thackeray
128. The Hound Of The Baskervilles, Arthur Conan Doyle
129. Possession, A. S. Byatt**
131. The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood
132. Danny The Champion Of The World, Roald Dahl
134. George's Marvellous Medicine, Roald Dahl
135. Wyrd Sisters, Terry Pratchett
136. The Color Purple, Alice Walker
137. Hogfather, Terry Pratchett**
141. All Quiet On The Western Front, Erich Maria Remarque
142. Behind The Scenes At The Museum, Kate Atkinson
143. High Fidelity, Nick Hornby
144. IT, Stephen King :)
145. James And The Giant Peach, Roald Dahl :)
146. The Green Mile, Stephen King ** :)
147. Papillon, Henri Charriere
148. Men At Arms, Terry Pratchett
150. Skeleton Key, Anthony Horowitz
151. Soul Music, Terry Pratchett
152. Thief Of Time, Terry Pratchett
153. The Fifth Elephant, Terry Pratchett
154. Atonement, Ian McEwan
155. Secrets, Jacqueline Wilson
156. The Silver Sword, Ian Serraillier
157. One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, Ken Kesey**
158. Heart Of Darkness, Joseph Conrad
159. Kim, Rudyard Kipling

ps - does reading the list of 500 count as a book?

Out of the draft box

Hello dear readers.
Today as I wandered through my blogs (here, therealdeal and tomtales)I realised that there is a lot that went unfinished and unpublished. That saddened me because I have not shared a lot of good stuff. There are some blogs in my draft box that I've never gotten back to I wish I had - because

1. it was good material
2. I've now forgotten what exactly my key words meant - so now things that were probably great stories will never be remembered.
3. In some cases I may have helped someone by expressing a thought or idea.

now don't get me wrong - it's called a "draft" for a reason - sometimes the entry was not up to scratch or way too: personal/preachy/out of character - to be published.... but barring all of those things - I think, it should have been/should be - published.

So - without further ado - here are a few unpublished blogs for you to browse (on all my blogspots).

happy reading.

ps - spart - I need your help on some of the tom posts - sigh - blush - how could I have forgotten so many things about our boy??

April Fools!!! (replay)

Ok, for the record there was no snow in Barbados.
It was my April Fools joke on you, my dear readers. The coldest we've ever gotten in Barbados in my life time and the generation before me is 17 degrees C (and that was super cold for us). :) (have I mentioned recently how much I love it here?!)

So April 1st was great! because I got my sister SOOOOO good. I'd wanted to play the "it snowed" on her (even though she would never have believed it - her living here), but I could not get through with the joke.... what happened was much better.

When I heard my sister having breakfast I got up and put on as many layers as I could: over my pajamas I pulled long jeans followed by a jeans skirt. Then I bundled up in a long sleeve shirt, a sweater, another sweater and a shirt over the sweater. On my head: a head-tie, a head warming band (you know that covers your ears with fleece) and a cap. Then, since I couldn't find the other one, I put on one Black heavy duty winter mitt.
And then - I couldn't make it out the bedroom because I was laughing so hard. I tried valiantly to regain my composure and barely made it into the living room before I collapsed on the couch in giggles. At this point I was laughing so hard I was actually crying. All I could say to N was - "I'm so cold!"
(please note - it was not cold at all - about 23 degrees at the time - and she was wearing a light shirt and shorts).
N looks concerned. And amidst my laughter I manage another "I'm soo cold!"
At this point I've given up on the joke working - because I'm laughing far too hard.

And then she says - "You're cold? let me see if you have a fever..."
And then - she comes over and feels what little neck there is exposed amidst my many layers.

"No, no fever. What's wrong?" N stands, watching me convulsing on the couch - tears in my eyes and running down my cheeks and she has this look of complete concern and bafflement.
She later admitted she was worried I was delirious and she was actually afraid to touch me in case she caught it.
I couldn't hold it out any longer - I point at her "ah-h- April ---Fo--o--ols!!"

LOL
Soon she was laughing just as hard as I was and for about 2 minutes we laughed, giggled, chocked and rolled. I got her soooo good.
That went better than I could ever have imagined - you should have seen the look of concern, and fear she gave me. She told me afterwards that the one black glove is what scared her the most - she really thought I was mad, or terribly sick.

Aye me.
Brilliant!

Did you get any laughs for April fools?
heart, tulip.

Snow in Barbados?!!!!!!

So last night we had snow.....
!!!!!????!!!!!!
I mean, yeah - it can get chilly sometimes at this time of year, but I've never (ever!!) heard of snow in Barbados.
Although it was only a light sprinkling, the island is pretty much shutdown.
Let me tell you - those mitts I brought from Toronto sure came in handy.
And to think I moved all the way from Canada only to find snow in the tropics?!!!
what the heck??!!!

very disconcerted, tulip

April - Fool for love!

Happy April fools!
I just reread the first line - I'm not calling you readers fools - what I meant was - Happy April Fools' day! haha!
Anyways this past week I feel I have revisited a former location (see previous blog entry here ) and I am unashamed to pick back up the banner. (The entry was written 2 years ago around now, must be something to do with the spring). Today, of all days, I will say it loud and say it proud -

I am a fool for love!
An April fool at that!

heart, Tulip.

Learning

I found teaching to be more of a learning experience than anything else I've ever done. I hope I did some teaching as well.
This term I taught 7/8 year olds. So much cuter than teenagers. Here are some thoughts after teaching them for 2 months:
Thoughts on teaching children -

1. Stickers are like money
2. Children are like regular people, but without the inhibitions that come with age. So if he's quarrelsome, if she's got a flare for drama, you get it in its purest form. - A friend made an excellent point that working with so many people is not easy: with adults you deal with different personalities; with children, you deal with different personalities in the same child (so true!!).
3. Positive attention can be just as effective as negative attention - actually more affective because it's not as stressful to the giver.
4. Dealing with the staff (esp heads of staff) can be more trying than dealing with the children.
5. Ditto #8 previous entry.

teacher Tulip

On to our story

So I'm realising how little I've blogged since I got here. And your suspicions are not unfounded - there has been a lot of beach going on.. but the main reason is my really slow internet connection (we have dial up at my house) - it's slow enough to make me cry sometimes.
anyways - onto our story.

Currently I'm teaching.
Last term I taught at a secondary school
- TEENAGERS - ARE - STRESS.
Here are some thoughts I wrote -


In just one week of teaching I have learned (developed) an immediate understanding/sympathy ->empathy->respect for all of my past teachers: the good, the bad and the badly dressed.

1. Finding decent, inoffensive, inexpensive (breathable, washable) clothes is a lot harder than you think
2. I am not neat by nature - have never been in my life - don't expect my hair to change after 24 years of that.
3. Students are SO critical. of everything.
4. if you give an inch, they'll take a mile and quarrel, argue, reason and cajole for two more.
5. marks are like money.
6. teachers have to be SUPER organised.
7. You are not my only class/task/responsibility: I did not correct your work yet!
8. 'Dem chilren would really mek yuh feel like yuh going mad' (bajan for - those kids make you question your sanity)

Tulip

Hurricane Hunters

How cool is that???!!!!!
Check it out here (unfortunately, their website - hurricanehunters.com seems to be down).
Yesterday I got to see the inside of a plane used for Hurricane Hunting! It was the plane of the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron and I got to meet some of the men that fly in it. And I even got to see pics taken from the inside of the storm - the stadium effect.
Can you imagine - these are people that don't just see a storm - they fly into it! How I think of it:
"Oh look thunder, lightning, hurricane force winds and high pressures - let's fly into it"
These men must be (insert your word here)(my word is crazy!!!extreme!! cool!!).
In storms they can experience drops of 1000's of feet in seconds - any of you ever experience turbulence - you know a sudden drop of a few feet causes your stomach to get a little funny feeling and you feel a bit shaken - now imagine 1000's of feet. CRAZY!! they said it's like a roller coaster and everything and everyone is strapped down.
I'm getting such a rush thinking of it (can you tell??). For the first time ever I wanted to learn how to fly a plane (though, not necessarily fly it into a hurricane).
wooohoooo!

LOL

lol. so, apparently it's been soooo long since I last blogged that I actually forgot - not only my password - but my gmail account address.... lol
anywho - I've managed to recover it - and voila! I'm back on blogger. I am currently inspired to write because -
1*Shopgirl* is currently on fire and I'm reading quite freqently and now feel like writing
2 I'm on vacation (ah the joys of teaching - my favourite part so far)
3 I have lots of fun teaching stories

so I'll be back soon.
heart tulip

Dreams like water

"dreams like water is to do with hope - she is like a camel and stores dreams like water. She can live on almost nothing but dreams." (Tulip)


This sums up much of 2007 for me. Dreams and memories have been my food. Here's hoping for 2008 to be a year of action: acting on new dreams.

I hope to write a "Staying connected 2007" very soon (thanks so much Sappho for starting, and upholding the tradition!) but today, all I wish to say is
HAPPY, HEALTHY 2008 to all you readers!!
I love you! (spart, sappho, C, shopgirl, hun, N, tulip, sweets, molly!)(person that I suspect I forgot)

heart,
tulip