DREAM BEDROOM #1

I think people who know me well would probably know that I really love sleeping. I usually find myself very recharged emotionally after I sleep. A born-perfectionist, I get anal about a lot of stuff in my private life and at work…sometimes I’d go to bed upset but after I sleep, man…things are just put in much better perspective. This is why I think when I have my own place (you know like next life), I’d be spending a lot of time and money on it.

Granted, I’ll never have this much money to decorate my bedroom like this but I went online to see what things are out there. After all, I’ve always been an avid IKEA fan. So…here are some things that I found and thought I might like in my room.

FOCAL POINTS:

I read up on a few basic articles about room decorating…since I don’t have money to buy anything and I am one of those people who are too impatient to read up on any instructional manuals anyway…I only read the stuff and took out the basic headers as a template for myself.

I imagine that I would have two focal points in the room and build things around it. So far, I’d say the ‘bed’ and ‘gigantic designer bathtub’ would be the focal points in the room.

I found a LOT of awesome bedrooms and I think my room would be super relaxing…that’s a duh-factor, I know. I have seen lots of rooms which are really cool but too bright…it excites more than say “you’ve gotta sleep and relax!”. So, the primary colours would be dark brown, blue, and white.

I like all of these beds that I found (see picture) but I would definitely vote for a dark cherry wood bed frame with a beautiful and yet functional headboard. I’ve placed checkmarks on the pictures that I really love. A headboard with sunken nooks to put some books and decorative pieces would be great idea…with soft, yellow or white lights. I totally vote for the transquility theme here.

Fabrics and textures/lustre:

I’m really into modern styles in interior design and would prefer really clean lines in my rooms. I am not a big fan of synthetic fabrics though…I know they can function very well and can be cheaper but for my lovely bed, I much prefer 100% Egyptian cotton sheets and probably some silk decorative pillows.

It was always a princess-like fantasy of mine to have a mosquito net or some sheer type of fabric curtain hanging over my bed...I think it’d be a cool feeling to wake up and see that…it would fit my blurry vision in the mornings. And yes…I am a romantic at heart…what can I say.

Flooring and technology:

Staying warm and toasty is a must for my bedroom. I can see myself cuddling up and staying in bed for many hours reading a book, listening to jazz, or watching TV…so I’m hesitant to vote for hardwood flooring; however, I think that’d be alright if I can find some nice big carpets.

The biggest technology piece in this room would be the superduper wide-screen HDTV…which I can see would serve as a functional-divider between my bed and the other side, where I would love to have an open-plan type of bathroom (okay, I think I’d be too chicken to put the toilet right there in full view and the ew-factor but definitely, the huge designer tub I’d have if I was a billionaire). This will definitely blog-worthy, I think..and the bathroom would deserve my full attention on a future blog.

But yes...I can see myself putting the HDTV onto a swivel stand where I can flip it so I can watch movies in bed or surf the net. Of course,  I can see myself soaking in the tub and watching TV too…or better yet…playing some video of the Carribean or something and pretending I’m soaking in a tub there.

Can I say ‘drool’?

That’s all I have for now…I think looking at this stuff is totally fun though I haven’t bothered to check any of the décor companies that are famous or anything or the real prices for these for that matter.

But yes…this has totally motivated me to save money…not to buy a house but to buy more lottery tickets!

Interior decorating…anyone?

As I sit here, in the comfortable of my home...with one of our seven computers and the HDTV on. It really wouldn't take me long to realise that I have been pretty lucky all my life. My parents gave me the best they could...I gave it my best to get a good education and now have a full time job. In the summer, I will even travel to England myself and take a course (for fun) at Oxford.

As if hard work is all you need in life.

My fortune becomes even more apparently after watching  the “Up the Yangtze” documentary tonight at the Garneau.When did I have to worry about leaving my home because the government said we have to, without compensation....to give way to a massive national project? When did I have to worry about not having enough to eat....to sacrifice my hope for a good education so my family don't starve? And to be thrown into the work world without any previous contact, where my illiterate parents couldn't even tell me what it's really like because they've never experienced it either?

These were the problems that Yu Shui, a girl who's just finished middle school, had to face. Born to a very poor family in the country by the Yangtze, it was her dream to go onto high school and then to university to become a scientist. She dreams that one day, she could contribute to her great nation. It was really unfortunate that when she said this, I was snorting because I felt really sarcastic and sad...that such a young girl had such great inspirations and will...to contribute to the people...to some people who were trying to take away her home...to take away her education and her future. Her parents explained to her that she simply couldn't go because they were about to be forced off the land by the Three Gorges Dam project. Since they were illiterate and she was the oldest child, it was up to her to graduate from middle school and start working right away on one of the river cruise ships. 

Ironically, she began work with a cruise ship company that offered “Farewell Tours“ to the “old, soon-to-be-transformed“ Yangtze. The documentary follows her through her journey to maturation and her family's coping with their very dim prospects. During the filming, she continued to learn more about the world around her and got accustomed to her situation, She even made some kind hearted coworkers who tried to show her the “ways of life“. I marvel at how this girl's innocence was being taken away by the Chinese government. She had to learn to put on make up, to look better for the tourists...to learn new ways..to fit into a world that wasn't her own...a world that gobbled up her own life. I can't say that her life isn't actually better on the ship (as she had peers to hang out with...a seemingly caring manager...and ate well)....but the fact that she didn't choose to do it bothered me. The good news is that she's young and there may be hope for her yet....if she wanted to continue her education sometime down the road.

It was said that over 2.3 million people would have to be relocated due to this project. With the rapid industrilisation of China, I am amazed at the great disparity there is. I mourn the loss of culture..of the lives of common people that would have to be sacrificed for this 'modernisation,' really, a large part Mao's dream. Not saying industrialisation is bad bad bad...but how much have people been informed before they were told to dig for coal to fuel the factories, to taken down villages to give away to roads, railways, and shopping malls? I know that a lot of people would say they are benefitting from the prosperity but the reality is, most of the government officials and businessmen are not willing to share their prosperity, which is a great shame. If there really WAS a true communist state, I guess I wouldn't have to complain at all.

On the other hand, watching these families working hard with what they have...I really come to realise I have inherited some of this “Chinese” gene of determination, not to say other people are not... I just really respect and admire how they still have hope about the future...the belief that 'modern China' will be the answer... they truly believe that their sacrifices would benefit others, even if projects such as the Three Gorges wouldn't help them. I get angry just thinking about how the common people work hard for this so called “Chinese dream” and they work so hard and become so hopeful...and when I watch from afar....and hear the news about the ongoing poverty, lack of sanitation, basic education, severe pollution and uprooting of families/livelihoods...I wonder if asking the Chinese government for greater civil liberties is the key at the moment. 

It's such a massive problem that my head threatens to burst...I guess even the Chinese government itself cannot control all of what's going on with the rapid industrilisation but one thing is for sure, I really hope that things will get better soon....even if they are baby steps. 

And I don't even want to start with the Olympics because it's just the same thing..it's like another Three Gorges project...with it, the people have hope even if they may not all benefit, without it, the sacrifices they have already made will just go down the drain.

URGH!

Okay. I will stop my rant.

I highly recommend that you guys catch this documentary on the CBC tomorrow (Sunday). It's supposed to be a series and it was done by a Chinese-Canadian.

Over and out.  

So, I was talking to my best friend, Irene, and she was talking about closing her blog. When I looked at it, I was really thrown by how great the writing was. I grew up with her but never really realised how great of a writer she is until I read some of this stuff. So, with her permission, I have republished this here. Worth a read, written “by her dog, Elvis,” about how to drive people nuts :) Enjoy! Leave her a msg on her site if you think is good...maybe she won't close it down!

Elvis's how-to guide

Elvis’s how-to-be-a-funky-dog guide

How to…..display your carpet artwork

1. Find an area that nobody will overlook. Personally, I prefer the nice patch of carpet right outside Irene’s door.
2. Chew a hole as fast as you can before you get caught. Here’s a tip: concentrating on one spot not only increases the diameter of the hole, but also draws more attention from humans than chewing multiple small holes
3. The artwork is completed once the hole is too large for the human to conceal.
4. If the human tries to disrupt your masterpiece by spraying dog repellent, outsmart them by pretending to be angelic for a few days and avoid the area. Return to complete your artwork once the human has run out of dog repellent.
5. Finally, eat the little pieces of carpet you dug out. Hard work deserves a little reward and recognition after all.

How to….get the attention of your human’s neighbor if you live in a condo

1. This task is not your typical “look-cute-and-make-little-girls-squeal” task. This task goes beyond relying on our irresistibly handsome looks as the neighbors typically can’t see our cuteness (those poor unfortunate folks). Always start with excessive barking.
2. If your building is not ultra soundproof, choose the loudest squeaky toy available after 12am. Not only will the neighbors hear what a fun and happy dog you are at night, you can even show off some musical talent. I will share with you a song I wrote with my Mr. Frog squeaky toy. I present to you, “Midnight Sonata in F Sharp”:
“squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak *growl* squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak*ruff ruff* squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak*scratch scratch* squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak*growl growl* squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak.
3. Getting the neighbors attention in the day time is a little trickier. You’ll have to overcome the traffic noises, tv noises, and talking noises. The best method I’ve discovered is to irritate Irene to the point of her screaming her head off at me. As an added bonus, this method will help gain some sympathy points from the neighbors as they’ll likely believe that you’re a victim of animal cruelty.

How to….distract your human for studying or doing other important work

1. jump on their leg every five minutes to show that you want to play
2. If your human is studying in one room and ignoring you, run into another room and make a lot of funny suspicious noises. This will make your human get off their fat asses to check on you. Here’s another tip: The most effective noises are the ones that sound like you’re destroying something valuable.
3. Sometimes humans are very stubborn and the noises might not send them running if they have an important deadline to deal with. In these cases, I recommend reverse psychology. Go to another room and stay extremely quiet (and you might as well take this opportunity to take a nap). Sooner or later, your human will come running to see why you’re so suspiciously quiet.
4. Once your human checks on you, remember to act guilty and sad…like you’ve been up to something REALLY bad. This will drive them crazy as they search around the house to see what you’ve destroyed.
5. When all else fails, drag your own excretions, or the soiled puppy pads around the human. This will guarantee a fun game of chasing around the house. 

It was Sweetie's birthday today and we had a good time hanging out and having Japanese food last evening. After stuffing ourselves with sushi and sashimi, we walked it off by going wine shopping and browsing the aisles of The Italian Centre. We had a great time and I finally found my red chili pepper flakes so I can try to make the awesome pasta (to die for!) that I had in Rome.

The cold weather must have gotten to my head as I forgot to take in my olive oil, Chilean wine, Orangina, and apple cider last night and needless to say, they were all @#$@ frozen. My $10 bottle of olive oil now looks like a bottle of very expensive LARD.

In addition, Sweetie decided to explore the wonderful Canadian phenomenon called the “blizzard” and we ended up in Dawson Park. It was kind of fun...I have never went out in -32 C wind chill weather just to take pictures and to check out Mother
Nature. I gained a really red face, red sausage legs, frozen jeans...and a couple very cool pictures...my brain is also very frozen so I may not sound so coherent.

In any case, it's freaking cold, the roads are icy. Stay warm and drive safe. (SO not want to go to work tomorrow!)

I am currently teaching New Year Resolutions in class and I am happy to announce that for once, I am teaching the ''talk'', if you will... When you are telling your kids to eat healthy and then they come up to you and ask you, “Miss, do you eat instant noodles everyday?” you know you've turned into that hypocritical teacher you hated in high school (can't give the name, but you should have an inkling...).

So...all this talk about de-hypocritating...so what have I done? For the first time in my life, I enrolled myself in fitness class in the form of the almighty YOGA. Yep. I learned lots already and I've just come back from my first class.

Here are some random notes:

- I learned ''animal'' positions...like ''the cobra,'' ''the cranky cat and the happy dog”'...I am sure as the classes continue, I'll be bragging about perfecting my “crouching tiger, hidden dragon” moves

- It's official: I have begun to breathe “down my spine” and also, “outward from my toes” (I didn't know my toes breathed but okay...)

- It's hard to balance yourself on one hand and one knee (stop it, sickos, I am serious!)..and try doing that when you need to pee! (Must be beans' blog that's making me talk about pee...)

- Oh, yes, and the mats stink....anybody know where I can get a nice but cheap yoga mat? 

1. Oh, my God....I am done in two sleeps.

2. Midterms before X'mas? HUH?

3. I am still coping with the shock that I actually have luck sometimes, though rarely. Bought $2 of raffle tickets (3 in total) and won a new iPod Nano. When a kid spends $40 bucks and doesn't get it, it must be pure luck. But it was ALL FOR CHARITY, so...

4. I have a sore throat and I hate it.

5. I wonder where Santa is. I only have 2 presents so far. Grumble.

6. How do I deal with crazy people?

7. If someone wants to wash my car, ring me. Thanks.

Hmmmm....

I am turning 25 in January and yet, today at school, a 9th grader thought I was a 7th grader and tried to tell me I can't go to the dance (I was trying to get there to supervise).

Didn't help that I was dressed up as a butterfly carrying a star wand from China.

And then, one of the student teachers told me I can't eat while walking (b/c this was a school rule). Actually, that was pretty funny and she was nice.

Which gets me thinking? When am I going to stop getting ID-ed at the bar and at what point in time will I starting MISSING getting ID-ed?

As some of you know, Mr. Rice  is running to be a public school trustee in the upcoming civic election. A whole bunch of us went out to deliver pamphlets in the voting ward yesterday. Beautiful day...just a hint of a breeze and lots of sunshine. Normally, I'd never exercise, let alone go for a long 2 hour walk by myself. Two hours of walking and one bloody blister later (don't ask...sigh, my Clarks shoes failed me), I emerged satisifed with my job as a first time flyer deliverer and disappointed I didn't get a few more to finish my designated delivery zone... But it was very enjoyable and I got to help someone who was great to us.

Now, teachers have to complete a thing called "Professional Growth Plans" every year and we are to make well, plans that help us grow, um, professionally...hmm...and as one of my goals, I decided to put in paper that I would try to exercise at least once or twice each week. Ideally, I'd do 3 times but hey, let's start small and see if I can keep this promise. For this week, because of the walk, I did for sure.

But what about next week?

Well, it just occurred to me at the rate that I am spending money when I shouldn't and the way that my health is going right now...it won't be a bad idea to just take up a part-time job as a flyer deliverer. I get to exercise AND I get extra MONEY. But then...what if they ask me to deliver 3 times a week....I don't have time for sure. AND winter's coming...I am not doing it in the winter...it's cold, it's icy, I can slip on ice and crack my head open.

But what do you guys think about me taking up this part-time job in the spring? And if that goes kaput, I want to take up some exercise classes...if you had to choose between yoga, pilates, self-defense, and swimming...which one would you choose as a relaxing after-work activity? I am leaning toward self-defense or yoga myself...but I don't look good in LuLu clothes yet because of my flab....hmm...

Anyway, as a side note, I encourage you to vote in this upcoming civic election. Contrary to what people think, that civic elections are not important and only provincial/federal ones are, change starts at home. Doesn't matter who you vote for....exercise your rights :)

Bush to the Pope at meeting this week at the Vatican:

“I've got a very strong AIDS initiative...”

I am sure he met “AIDS prevention/cure initiative”. It does sound funny doesn't it.

I remember getting dinged by my peers in Gr. 11 at a biology presentation in IB. I said “people should spend more time with promoting AIDS...” Well! I learned from my mistake! Haha.

Mr. Bush, get a speech therapist.

From Overhead In N.Y.:

(Dickson's favourite...probably...)

I Got Pictures, I Got Candy, I'm a Lovable Man

Student: If child predators really wanted to find information about a kid, they don't even need to use MySpace. All they'd have to do is go to the local public library and open last year's elementary school year book...
Professor: Or they could just drive by a school and pick some kid up. You know, the old fashioned way.

--Columbia University

Yikes:

For a person who teaches...and who tries to get herself educated...I can still say there's much to learn about life...

But mostly...I am learning how to be careful with power tools.

I am not talking about drills and chainsaws...I am talking about how I canstop being stupid so I will put on the trimming adaptor on my eyebrow trimmer in properly next time, instead of what bloodly happened last night...

My failure to check if the thing was on properly was the first stupid thing I did...

--> which resulted in my shaving a great chunk of my eyebrow off

--> which resulted in me looking myself at the mirror....first, surprised, horrified, then went crazy because damn, it was pretty hiliarious

--> which resulted in me calling the only person who I know can fix this little problem: my mother

--> which resulted in me finding out that my mom is very good with fixing eyebrows...

--> which resulted in my growing appreciation of a thing called: eyebrow pencil

Damn, I should learn how to put on make up properly!

In other news...go get yourself Happy Meals! I got my talking Shrek last week and today, I got my lovely talking Donkey! I lub Donkey! My next targets are no doubt, Puss-in-Boots and Gingy :)

“Not the gumdrop buttons!”

Nuff said.

I have been itching to do some serious biking this past week and I never found the time to do it during the weekends. My routine was to ride around many of the neighbourhoods around Millwoods and it's usually done in 1 to 1.5 hours. I wanted to do that but I thought I would kick of the biking season by biking Downtown.

I've done this many times before but almost always ending at Rafter's Landing but this time, I had to go onto Jasper Ave/109 St... I spent a while on the net trying to figure out how to get there (since I've seldom went over the river on the other side)...anyway, it was windy out but the ride was pretty enjoyable...until I got lost. The last time I went to the Ledge, it was when I was in Grade 6 on the trip to the Bennett Centre. Hmmm...and oh, the roads have changed. Detour after detour prevented me on getting to my destination on time.

By the time I got to the Glenora, I was SICK of detours...no way in hell I was going to go up the road to the Ledge! So...I did the what seemed to be the smartest thing possible: I decided to go up the steep stairs right by the club.

#$@#$@#$@#$. It was a long way up...the incline was sharper than 45 degrees...but once I started pushing my bike up, I couldn't stop...I could fall! Anyway, never again, will I go up that hill with a bike!

Needless to say, I survived the trip and came home. I am going to stop complaining about how much my muscles will be sore tomorrow...I would just like to point out that Bike Month is next month..so you guys should go out and enjoy the River Valley. And if you are ever planning to bike around Downtown and come back to the south side...go on the High Level Bridge and onto Sask Drive.. BEAUTIFUL and then go down Scona Rd into the Mill Creek Ravine...despite being tired from my ride in the morning, the ride back was much more enjoyable AND instead of taking 1 hour and 50 min...it only took a bit over an hour! :)

Whoopee...I am a biking champion, not. But I think you guys can hold me to my word that I'll do this again...just not that hill....I am going to have nightmares :)

You know, when you are in my professional...sometimes you have such bad times with disciplining kids that you don't understand what the parents have been teaching them at home. There are friends whom I hate sometimes too (go here to find out whom I hate the most at the moment); at times, you just want to ask them “are you sure you weren't adopted?“

But now, my friends, you can say even catchier, meaningful things! Yes, thanks to our Japanese friends!

Next time you want to diss somebody, tell them their mother/father should have considered putting them in the hatch...

In Japan, apparently, some hospitals are using “baby hatches” so that parents who don't want their children can dump them off  “safely and annoymously”.

There are many abortions in Japan and it says in the article that many are abandoned on the streets, etc through the years. Saving lives through this method is good...but of course, there are tons of potential problems with system abuse here.

I am going to Japan myself in August...it shall be very interesting, learning about these intelligent, artistic, and yet, sometimes very strange and conservative people.

But hey, I still want a Wii!

Wii wants to play, I want to play!

A few detailed notes about this past week...

As luck would have it, I was battling a flu last week that began as a mere sniffle and then turned into an ugly sore throat thing followed by the much loathed “stuffy nose”. I ended up not being able to teach for a few days...

Here is something to think about next time you or someone younger you know recall what fun they did to their “subs”. Being a sub before I got my full time job...I can tell everyone it isn't an easy job...you can get a call at 6 a.m. and you may be required to go to another end of the city... depending on your luck, the traffic can be ugly and the teacher that's left you with plans, you'll find, may not be much of a plan at all but 6 lines telling you what the students should do for the next 3 days. Trust me, those plans were NOT helpful. Not appreciated either...if I wasn't desperate for a job, I would have complained to someone.

Most teachers, however, even if they should be sick in bed, would come crawling back to school the day before or early morning (as I did this past Monday...got to school at 7)...to photocopy and write out detailed plans for the supply teacher. Because of my experience as a sub, I vowed I would never leave a sub hanging in midair with lack of info...but I should apologise that my plans are now an average of 6 typed pages...

Anyway, my main message is...don't take it for granted that there are supply teachers around to take care of you and your kids...AND the fact that the teachers who are away spent many many more hours than usual, preparing for a lesson you think it's a joke because of your “it's only a sub” mentality...

In other news...

- As luck would have it, I am now recovering from my flu but I am also battling freaking allergies to my dog. Yes...I am allergic to my dog...go figure. I never was when I had my collie but this German Shephard will be the end of me...he sheds so much! Thank God for Aerius.

- As luck would have it, I went on a long cruise yesterday. Donkey (my bf) and I drove around Edmonton for about 5 hours in a rented car. Don't ask...his boss asked him to take care of very important people from the Spanish ministries and instead of being in the office...he's now a guide and chauffeur.

Being responsible and since he didn't drive usually..he went out of his way to rent a car and practise the route that he'll take these people around on (yes, we've all asked why they couldn't just hire a taxi or limo). '

Anyhoo...I've never rented a car before so imagine my surprise when the guy at Thrifty said, “here are the keys to your PT cruiser...” I was like...WHOA! 5 minutes later, I was in the shiny red cruiser....I don't like American cars...but the design of the PT is pretty neat...the real adventure began when Donkey decided he didn't have to shoulder check when turning right..and he seemed to think the when the light is green...he can turn whenever he wants. He says that “in Spain and Europe in general, green does mean GO“. I am sure the snow we had for months is helping him realise he's in Canada and not on continental Europe. Took a lot of explaining and nagging...but we went around our destinations in one piece...and finally, when we settled at IKEA for a late lunch, I turned to him and said, “wow, congrats...you survived!”

He sorta beams and says, “of course, who do you think you are talking to?” Then, immediately, the car started honking and honking and honking..and he couldn't figure out what was wrong.

The Donkey had accidentally set off the alarms by sitting on the “Panic” button.

I was too busy laughing to be of help as he scrabbled to push every button on the dashboard.

Who knew where and what the dashboard buttons did? Who turned off the alarm?

A WOMAN.

NUFF SAID.

;) I feel better despite the flu and allergies already!

Yesterday, I enjoyed lots of fun @ Jane's Cranium/Wii Party and caught up with many friends. I do care about my buddies but the most important piece of news that I got from the party yesterday wasn't who got what new job or this and that....but the fact that Buffy's come out with a comics series ...Buffy Season 8!

Where the hell have I been!

Ah!

I really need to rewatch those seasons now...if you guys are interested, those things aren't that expensive...$2.96 US or something...

Last night, I went to watch TMNT with my friend at WEM. After a long day of shopping, I expected to be entertained. So...I had some expectations for the movie...nothing deep...but entertaining. I am not going to give a lot of the plot away because Dickson may get a few of you together to do pack in some “Kallabunga” action. Basically, the movie starts with a 3000 year old myth and the turtles sort of  have disbanded while Leo went to Central America to train...and stuff happened and it brought them together. They fought the big evil and New York City was saved.

That's sort of expected but TMNT was very entertaining...the punchlines were funny (wait till you get to the last line!) and the animation was VERY excellent. I am not sure but the “big bad” guy looks exactly like the big guy in “The Incredibles”....perhaps it's by the same animator. The music was great...being an ex-band geek...the drums and the trombones made me all hypey. Sarah Michelle Gellar was the voice for April and my not so favourite Zhang Zi Yi was that evil ninja lady...

Anyway...it's worth a look :) I'd give it 3.4 to 4 stars out of 5 because it was funny, action-packed, and nostalgic :)

KALLABUNGA!

Many of you know that I have been an Andy Lau fan for over 16 years (ever since I was around 5 or 6 and saw his MTV in HK). Who's Andy Lau? He's a famous movie star and singer in Southeast Asia. You may have seen him in “The House of Flying Daggers“ and HK's ORIGINAL version of “The Departed“ called “Infernal Affairs“. Anyway, I digress...

Yesterday, my Uncle sent me a piece of very disturbing news from HK related to Andy. There was a family from mainalnd China that came from very far away to HK to see Andy Lau in person. Nothing wrong with that, right?

WRONG.

This girl became obsessed with Andy at the age of 16 when she saw Andy on a poster. And then, she became so obsessed that she cut of all of her relations with friends and quit school to watch Andy's concert MTVs and make newspaper clippings everyday. She claims that fans like us are not devout enough because we have school and work but for her, Andy IS her full time job.

Her parents, seeing that their only child was becoming very obsessed (did we say ''obsessed”?), were not pleased with her behaviour but after much begging and pleading, she continued this craze. Their parents had no choice but to join her and assist her in fulfilling her dream to see Andy Lau in person.

Years pass, and with a family who's living on the father's TEACHER RETIREMENT fund (yes, a TEACHER, for @#$# sake) of $1900 yuan (which isn't a lot AT ALL)...the parents went to borrow money from friends/relatives, loan sharks....sold other property...and the father even considered selling part of his kidneys so their daughter can see Andy Lau in person. Yes, she did see him a few times but it wasn't close enough for her liking. So, finally, they sold their house and borrowed $10 000 yuan to travel to HK this last Sunday to meet Andy Lau.

The story goes that the parents went to hand in a pleading letter to Andy's fan club in HK, telling him of their story and Andy and the crew ensured that at a fan club gathering, that the daughter would be able to take a picture with him and to chat with him for 10 minutes. He made a promise and he did it. Yet, the father was NOT satisfied because his daughter's “spent 13 years of her youth” on Andy Lau. Oh, I forgot to mention that this “girl” is now 29...who's quit school for so long and haven't worked at all during these years. Anyway, the father was so furious that he wrote a 12 page letter saying how ''cold-blooded and socially irresponsible'' Andy Lau was and then, he jumped into the sea and DIED!

HELLO!!!!

As if this isn't disturbing and SAD enough...the daughter and her sickly mother have refused to pick up the father's body at the morgue because they didn't have any more money. They are currently at Immigration HK, trying to get their travel pass* extended so they can stay longer and possibly see Andy Lau again.

If you were Andy Lau, would YOU want to continue fueling her obsesesion?

This story was reported by mainland Chinese media last year and Andy didn't react to it much. He deemed this girl's behaviour to be “incorrect, abnormal, unhealthy, and unfilial“. Having filial piety means to be good, respecful, considerate of one's parents well-being in Chinese culture. Well, “unfilial” would mean the opposite.

Anyway...this is very tragic and yet, as an educator, I can only say that there should have been more parental intervention. Now, not everything is that simple because in China, there is a One Child Policy and that's created a whole lot of social issues. Because of the traditional Chinese's preference of boys, for example, many girls were left in orphanages or worse, killed so the family can try for another boy. And now, there are too many men and too few women who can get married. Nasty business. Worse of all is the over doting by the parents and grandparents of their only (grand)children...this is one of the big reasons, I suspect, that the parents of this story allowed their daughter to indulge in such fantasies.

My views have not changed. The culture of mass media reporting on megastars' every move is only fueling many social problems. But in the end, it is the reader's choice to take a piece of news, digest it, comment on it, and leave it as is.

Like what I will do now...

...as soon as I stop feeling how stupid and tragic this is...

(*For those of you who are not famililar, HK used to be a British colony and now have been ''returned'' to China but it is still a Special Adminstrative Region and thus, the people in the mainland can't just come and go and need special passes.)

Today marks the 15th anniversary of my family's arrival in Canada. I really can't believe it has been that long. I was a kid when I came to Canada....with little knowledge of English (I soon found out how useful “may I go to the toilet?” can be). The interesting thing is that we just had our Parent-Teacher Interviews today and now, I am talking to my students' parents about what it was like to be new in Canada. It was traumatising to be here and yet, I think it was a gift because now I feel I can understand what my students go through better than other teachers.

As I look into the past, I realise how scary the whole experience was for me, being an ESL learner. I think when you are thrust into it, you don't have time to feel...you are just reacting.  If you think that there is no racism going on on the playgrounds at school, you are entirely wrong. I was forced to fend off bullies by myself. I remember being called a “Chink” and some very nice kids told me to go back to China. Being such a loyalist to Hong Kong, I told them off and laughed at their ignorance that HK was a crown colony of Britain. I was a very, very serious child. 

As a kid, you really don't know how much politics affect you but it affects you SO much. I cannot count how many of the students I know have been displaced because of political turmoil and violence in their home countries. Now, this is a bleak picture I paint. But when one speaks to these students....when you make the time to talk about their home countries...you can get a better, more colourful sense of their countries' beauty. Unfortunately, there are also many that have spent most of their lives in refugee camps, having never really seen outside of the fences. Sometimes...we have to get past that...the feeling of sadness and overprotectiveness, and just show them the world in Canada. And I mean the good and the bad. If they don't see the bad side, they won't learn that they will need to chip in and help Canada improve. 

What IS Canada like? After fifteen years here, I can safely say that I love this country and its people. (I still get goosebumps when I sing “O, Canada“.) I like how people are funny...how helpful they are...how beautiful the landscape is (I am NOT talking about the brown snowpiles.)

Do I miss Hong Kong? Yes...I miss the food...the shopping...the skyscrapers....the sea...my family. Some of you know that I complain a lot about HK and the crowdedness and rudeness and yet, I have never lost being proud of the people's work ethic and determination there.

In Canada, it's a whole different story. I believe one of the words I used to here the most in Downtown is: “coffee break”. Does that mean Canadians are not hardworking? No. I have learned much about working and trying to stay sane. And I think urban people struggle with this all over the world anyway. But I do think it's important to carry the tradition of working like mad cows....it's built in my genes....but why can't I have a bellini too?

The next fifteen years of my life will certainly turn out to be very interesting. Here are some of my predictions....

a) I will remain four eyed.

b) I will become fatter (unless I exercise or get a liposuction...did you guys hear about the new technolgy where you stick in needles and the chemicals melt the fat away. Very tempting.)

c) I will still love Andy Lau and other older men.

d) I will still be nagged by my parents.

e) With any luck, I will own my Acura TL like I've always planned.

Now, that's not much ambition but hey, my biggest ambition in life was to master English and become a teacher (two ambitions, actually) and I have achieved them already!

I am ready to win the lottery!

I am ready to go to mars!

I am ready for retirement!

Dang, I am ready for Spring Break!

Come already!

~ andymaniac

It has been SUCH a stressful week...with certain students driving me and other staff up the wall...but I've learned a lot...this is to share my findings and to vent. This list is in NO particular order:

1. I care a lot about my kids...I don't care if I have to spend hours after school talking to them about their problems and trying to help them solve it.

2. Kids can get so annoying.

3. Kids can lie.

4. But I am still empathetic because many of them have had a hard life (can you imagine surviving in a refugee camp? Lying is a necessity. The sweet and sheltered me forget this at times...)

5. There are other people who can be annoying too...and if you talk to others about it....you'll find that your vibes were correct...that you were not being biased or subjective.

6. The success comes when these things won't bother me anymore.

7. You can finish so much work when you don't go out on Saturday.

8. Dogs can't drag you across the sidewalk when the sidewalk is so icy that they too, slip and slide!

9. I love walking my dog. He loves me when I walk him!

10. Crafts are relaxing and some of you will be receiving gifts from me some time...I am making “Dammit Dolls“ which deserve a post of its own.

11. Sharon can say the darnest things...something to do with virgins and dying and the use of mouths. You can ask her, Mack and Dickson!

IT HAS BEEN AN OVERALL CRAPPY WEEK...THOUGH I LEARNED LOTS...I AM GLAD IT'S OVER IN 2 HOURS.

MAKE SURE YOU REMEMBER TO FAST FWD YOUR CLOCKS.

Oh, that reminds me,

12. Dammit, I am losing an hour's sleep this weekend! W#@#$

Some kids are driving me nuts this week...and yet, they have taught me to be more patient...and that I must really care because no matter how much they misbehave, I still want them in my class.

Have I gone soft?