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