Life is so complicated.

well not really but it seems that way at this moment. I have a to do list a mile long, make that 2 lists one for home and one for school . Want hear about them? That was a rhetorical question so get comfy.

Work
- 32 report cards by May 20
-32 graduation hats made by May 28
- mothers day concert and tea
- graduation show to prepare - I finally got it written, now the kids have to learn it
- finish the May calendars
- deal with the disappointment of my kids whose field trip was cancelled for tomorrow due to the threat of thunderstorms. If the sun is shining I will scream.
- clean and pack my classroom
- mail packed contents of classroom back to Ontario
- work 3 Saturdays in May, picnic, graduation and carnival
- teach everyday, that means I have to plan something, although flying by the seat of pants has worked well this week.
- come up with some witty speech for graduation, one that will entertain the children and their parents.
- my personal favorite, attend a thank you party held for me by my kids families, 32 kids, 64 parents + siblings in some swanky restaurant = chaos, at least I think it will be.

My list for my own life is a little easier
- pack
- mail packing to Canada
- ship dog to my parents
- eat
-sleep
- knit
- plan trip to Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia
- pack some more
- clean my apartment and find homes for all the thing I won't be taking like the TV
- see all the things I have meant to see all year in Taipei
- vacate the apartment on June 17th so I can leave for Thailand and a month of seeing the world.

I know I can do it all but the tasks seem a tad overwhemling at the moment. On a brighter note I was RAOKed yesterday, Carrie from Southern Fried Knitting sent me a card. I so love getting mail.

Off to bed

FYI - if you asked me for a chibi it is in the mail, I sent the last batch out on Monday. If anyone one ( or more) else wants one let me know.

Here it is, me in my pj's for international PJ day, this was tough to take but I figured out the timer function on my camera. The dogs pose was all her own though, I tried to get her to lie on the couch but she wouldn't! Now your PJ day is just starting and my is over. Back to work in the morning. Please excuse the falling apart plastic couch, I rented the apartment furnished and the blanket/cover is in the wash.  

Book Meme

Q: You're stuck inside Fahrenheit 451, which book do you want to be? I haven't seen it or read it and so I am not sure, but a old classic I have always loved is Little Women.

Q: Have you ever had a crush on a fictional character? Umm no but there are characters I have wanted to be like.

Q: The last book you bought is: Lonely Planet, Southeast Asia on a Shoestring ( preparing for the upcoming trip)

Q: The last book you read: Wedding Season by Darcy Cosper - it' not actually the last one I read but I really liked it and last book I read was dumb!

Q: What are you currently reading? Southeast Asia and The Other Side of the Story by Marian Keyes

Q: Five books you would take to a desert island.1. Fried Green Tomatoes by Fannie Flag 2. Wild Swans by Jung Chang (so I could finally finish it) 3. 5 People you meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom 4. Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie 5. Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

Q: Who are you going to pass this stick to (3 persons) and why? I don't know who has had this as I have not been paying to much attention so here are 3 and if they've had it oh well...

Denise at Knitting without Needles becasue I would like to know what she is reading
Kimberli at Kimberli New York because she has great taste on broadway and I imagine it is the same for books, maybe I will find some new good books.
Lorette at The Knitting Doctor because she has been home nursing an injured hand and I think she has been reading a lot lately.

Apples and Bananas

Okay so the song goes...

I like to eat, eat, eat apples and bananas, I like to eat, eat, eat apples and bananas, I like to eat, eat, eat apples and bananas, I like to eat, eat, eat apples and bananas.

and then you change all the vowels as you go through the song to cover a, e, i, o, u, it sounds funny and is quite fun. I am not sure why I hadn't used it with my kids earlier in the year, I guess I forgot about it... ANYWAY

We sing the first verse and then get to the 2nd, change all the vowels to i so you get
I like to iat, iat, iat ipples and bininis... All seems innocent enough right, wrong Nini (said sort of like nai nai) is the kids Chinese word for breast, I guess it's like boob. My 6 year old boys lost it, they could just not get their giggles under control and I must admit it was funny. I vaguely knew the word as the boys have mentioned it before and I was not about to have a conversation with 14 boys about Chinese words for breasts, so I just ignored it and moved on with the day. Frankly I forgot all about it until today , I was certainly not listening for it in English song lyrics!
We quickly ended that song and moved on to Down by the Bay.

I signed up for another swap this week, well me and someone else are sharing the work but I don't want to give away my identity to a future secret receiver. It's called back-tack and I think it will be fun.

I have been tagged with a book meme by Rae at Live Love Laugh, go say hi. One of her munchkins is sick and I am sure she would appreciate a cheering section. Maybe I will get to the meme in the morning before I go to the dreaded annual work picnic.
Kids + teachers + no parents + Saturday morning = nightmare

I am going to bed so that at least I will be well rested for said nightmare.

BTW I remembered my camera and am looking very forward to International Pajama Day on Sunday April 24th. Pictures of me in pj's of course, the pup and maybe even a knitting project coming soon

Disappointed

I am sad and disappointed at the choice that the Catholic church has made. The last thing the world needs is more division and absolute moral purity. As I type I am listening to a right wing conservatives on the BBC. As Jackie said, I think I will go pound my head against a wall for a while. I am ( yes it is rare) speechless, I don't know what to say and so I am going to read the comments of the world t large and find comfort in the fact that I am not they only one who is devastated by this decision.

I survived

I survived the week the bad week at work, I developed a migrane on Thursday afternoon and it happily stayed until late yesterday. As I type it is contemplating rearing it's ugly head again but I have pain killers close at hand. Not to sure why I got this one, something hiding in Thurday's ice cream perhaps.

Anyway I did start feeling better yesterday afternoon and rode my bike to the LYS for some fiber therapy. I did not buy any wool although I was tempted they got more Jaeger and some other lovely things that I need to have and may not be able is find at home. I need to buy one Little People yarn from France jut because I love the name. But I am babbling now, I went out there to get some Chibi's for someone who wants them.

I had no idea they were as popular as they are and such a rip off on ebay. So if you want one, or any other cool Clover products let me know(the US and Japanese site have different products listed). I am not independently wealthy and so I can't gift them to all the people out there who want some but I am sure that we can work something out - trades or paypal. In the picture there is a pom pom maker kit and some cool stitch holders that come in variety of sizes. There are also lots of other cool things in the store although not all the things listed on the website.

I am off to work on my blanket, it's coming along. I contemplated striping it but decided not to and it will just be pink. Sine the little person is already here there is no worries about gender.

My mom said there would days like this even in Australia

Yes I am using lines from children's literature to title my posts, I can't decide if that is amusing or sad.

Yesterday was long, to long, inconsolable little girls, full oatmeal cans falling on heads, monsterish behavior and generally just a crappy day at work. Then I got a photo from Cooper, not a great picture, actually it's not even a good one but he wrote me a note on the back,

From super Cooper
to Ms. Kruz
your really good
Cooper

Ps I really love you.

moments like that make teaching worth it even if everything else is crap.

I want to ask a question to the peanut gallery about stripes or no stripes on the current WIP but I forgot the camera at school... it'll wait till tomorrow I guess.

Mark your calendars International PJ day IV is April 24th, more details tomorrow when I pay more attention and get the link.

Here are the treats

Here's the wool, I am in love with all of it. I feel some more felted bags being a part of my WIP's, buttonhole bags perhaps. My SP says she's a yarn snob, I love yarn snobs because they have such amazing taste!

This is the box along with the wool she also sent some bamboo needles, tea and....

a bone for Tai, you can't see her tail wagging as I made her sit but she could not believe her good fortune. She walked around the apartment with it in her mouth for about 20 minutes before she actually ate it, I think she was making sure I wasnt going to take it back.

Thanks again SP, you are the greatest! Sorry about the small photo size, I am playing with photobucket, but must go to work so I will have to play some more tonight.

She strikes again

More treats from my secret pal arrived yesterday( well I went to school yesterday, yes it was Sunday and they were there) , sadly I have been caught up in work and a working on a new baby blanket and thus there is not a photo yet, tomorrow I hope. I do need say that Tai loved her bone, I came home from work today and it was gone, I got a photo this morning though. I'll post it and other pictures soon. Thanks so much, your amazing.

PS the Hong Kong album is on hold, I feel the need to finish the blanket before the baby is walking and talking.

This is funny

Okay 1st I was Costa Rica and then I went back and said I prefered cool of tropical weather and this is what I got, I think I'll keep it.

I deleted the flag cause it was huge and messing up my formatting!
You're Canada!
People make fun of you a lot, but they're stupid because you've got a much better life than they do. In fact, they're probably just jealous. You believe in crazy things like human rights and health care and not dying in the streets, and you end up securing these rights for yourself and others. If it weren't for your weird affection for ice hockey, you'd be the perfect person.
Takethe Country Quiz at the Blue Pyramid

Highlights o f Hong Kong

A photo album will follow shortly, maybe tomorrow at some point but more likely Monday or Tuesday. Until then let me tease you with these (I'll delete them when I get the photo album up so the free web host doesn't kick me off for exceeding my limit)



Hong Kong has it's own Walk of Stars, I had to take a picture of Jackie Chan's just so I could say I was there. This was the end of my day of walking in which I saw most Hong Kong Island and then crosed the bay to go to Kowloon, this was the last place I went.


This is the giant buddha on Lantu Island, it was cool to see but a bit of a tourist trap.


This is Nica and I on the rocks at Stanley, about 30 minutes from the city. I met Nica and Bergen at the hostel and we had a great day together, they were on their way to Nepal to go on a trek.


This is the harbor on Hong Kong Island, I liked the boats with the skyscrapers in the back, sadly I cut them off and you can't see how big they really are. I came here to see the noon day gun but missed it by about 2 minutes because I was waiting for an elevator. On a brighter note after leaving here I found Ben and Jerry's, chocalte chunk mint ice cream makes everything better.

Tired

I'm whiny, there is no other way to say it. Yesterday was a long day and when I finally got home with the grumpy dog (she was at the kennel) my landlord was here painting the wall in my room. Prior to painting he should of used some fans to dry the cement wall but he didn't and now the paint is peeling off. I was away all week and he waited until the last possible minute to show up and get some work done, I was a little annoyed. I was up until 12 while he painted and I was tired to begin with and not feeling well because someone secretly fed me MSG, bad restaurant.

Today I am just tired, it's that post vacation, I don't want to go to work on Monday feeling. As a result I spent day mastering contintenal knitting instead of doing the many things that need doing. Oh well, laundry, floors and groceries can wait until tomorrow. Hopefully tomorrow will be a more productive day and I will get some photos and details up from my Hong Kong trip. However for an excellent synopsis of my knitting adventure go to kimberli's blog, she said everything I would of said and even put up pictures, one just of me!. Yes I broke "I am not buying any more wool until Canada promise" but let me sayin my defense, it was on sale, I needed it to finish something or it's for my secret pal. I can justify the purchases so don't give me any grief about having to move it back to Ontario.

I am taking my tired body to my bed to read my new Marian Keyes book. The Other Side of the Story (my sister got me addicted, she is really funny) and hopefully I will return in the morning less grouchy and ready to have a productive day.

On my Way

Just a short note as there are people waiting for the computer and I am on my way to the park. I just needed to say thank you for my first RAOK, I got a great gift certificate for some yummy tea. So thanks a million, I love tea. I think I will have to wait until I am in Canada to spend it again but that will be very soon.

I am off to Starbucks and the park before I head back to Taipei tonight. There will be photos and more news tomorrow when I am home. The week has flown by but it has been a lot of fun and I am really glad I came.

I am currently sitting in a coffe shop at the highest point in Hong Kong. It's called the peak and a few minutes ago I was 550 feet above sea level. To get here a rode a tram and then walked a path that led me to the actual top of Victoria Peak. It was beautiful, sadly it's foggy and so the photos won't turn out to well.

Last night I met up with a group of great women, 3 from here Marjorie (www.hkknitter.blogs.com), Siow Chin (www.yscmama.typepad.com/little_purl) and Eva(www.evashiu.typepad.com. (sadly the little link button is not here so I couldn't so the magic link trick that I learned last week, neither is the spellcheck the menu bar is MIA). The 4th person was here from New York, Kimberli (www.kimberlinewyork.blogspot.com). After a little intial confusion we found each other and went wool shopping! I got some great yarn for some baby projects that I need to get underway and some "James Dean" yarn for my SP. It was a lot of fun. After that we went for coffee and a little knitting... Sadly Siow CHina and Eva had to leave after coffee. Kimberli, Marjorie and I went out for some dinner in Times Square. It was a great evening and I am so happy that it all worked out.

This morning I wandered around the city a bit, I followed a walking tour route and saw some of the highlights. After I leave here I am heading to the Star Ferry to go across the harbour to Kowloon for an evening of more walking and sightseeing. I am hoping to make it to the beach and to see the Po Lin Monastery in the next day or two. I will let you know how it goes.

My coffee is done and my feet have stopped aching so I think I can safely move on. I'll try and post again in the next couple of days, I am back in Taipei Thursday night.

hmmm gotta go!

Just a short note because I have to finish the dishes and get out the door. I am heading to Hong Kong a day early so that I can meet up with some very cool ladies (links later) and an afternoon of my favorite thing - shopping, any shopping will do and today it is yarn.

I'll post from HK I promise and let you know how wonderful it is. By the way the link for RAOK (random acts of kindess) now works as I got into the ring yesterday. Yipee. Sadly the SP4 ring isn't working and I haven't had time to look into why.

Have a good weekend.