oysmutshen

whew - the excitement of celebrating my very first independence day has tired me greatly...... today's post will be a simple news roundup of the week's top stories - later taters!

item 1: I always hate it when I lose my royal status.

"To prepare for her dramatic change of lifestyle, Princess Sayako has reportedly been taking driving lessons and practising shopping at the supermarket." - BBC

that happened to me about 3 weeks ago. it was rough!

item 2: first bird flu death in china! :(
(I know the numbers make it unlikely, but I'm a teensy bit glad that my buddies Susan & Paul moved back to australia with their kiddies....)

item 3: new tv show - I hope there's going to be a bare-fist competition

item 4: hey, mr. big stuff, check this out! I know you're always looking for a 'better position!' (yikes! look at that pic - I can't believe I'm distantly related to her...true story!)

item 5: news flash - holy shite!

I AM THE WINNER - THE LORIDER RULES FOR ETERNITY!!!!!!!!!!

noticed anything different about my blog lately?

it's quiet, isn't it.......

I AM HAPPY TO REPORT THAT I, THE LORIDER (WHO LIVES IN ETERNITY AS THE GREATEST BLOGGER EVER), HAS DEFEATED anonymous, the stinky, soulless wanna-be blogger!!!! HURRAY!!!!!!!!!

NOVEMBER 18 forever shall be known as:
INDEPENDENCE DAY for THE REPUBLIC OF 1209 ANARCHISTS!!!!!!!!!


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Happy Teddy Bear Day.... Chuck!


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date

alright folks-es, you have waited patiently and your patience shall now be rewarded......


presenting.......... (drumroll)

my date last night with George an unnamed fellow to protect his privacy

predate: (skip this if you only care about the date! I won't blame you)
first, I read up on Bulgaria on wikipedia.org so I wouldn't seem like a total American ignoramus (did you know that Bulgaria has 28 regions, including Plovdiv, Smolyan and..... Montana ?). on my way out the door from work, I stopped to pass the time with Colleen, our cleaning lady. I told her I was headed on this date and she said she recently joined this same internet service. she is of a slightly older generation than me and was a little concerned about the whole digital thing. I told her I'd let her know what happened: "don't worry Colleen, it didn't hurt a bit!" (wink, nudge-geddit? har)

I went home and changed and gussied up a bit, then jetted over to Sweetwaters Cafe to meet him. as I was late, luckily, so was he! (don't worry, Chuck, he called to explain and apologize) I filled the time by flirting with the guy at the next table and one of the baristas- just practicing, you know!

the actual date:

George the unnamed fellow showed up and he was way cuter than his photo, and also, a lot more lively! I took this as a good sign! we trotted off to a Japanese restaurant called Tokyo Sushi that I have mentioned before in these, my memoirs... (cue cheesy violin music.... -and cut)

macho move #1: (explanatory disclaimer: before all you retroantinouveaupostapocalyptic feminists or antifeminists reach for the comments button: I like a certain amount of macho in a guy, and no matter how much you beg me to, I will not apologize about it. so shut it.)

as we stepped off the curb, (5 min into our date) he put his hand at the small of my back (because he wants to grab me!!! yeah!!!) (this was repeated several times, so I'll just say that now)

macho move #2: as we sat down in the restaurant, he noticed that I was shivering and turned to the waitress bringing the menus and said "I think I will presume... please bring us two hot teas." how sweet!

it turned out we have several things in common, like being huge fans of hot tea, like being educated and interested in the world, like being able to discuss politics and economics (shout out to my family - thanks!), and like I used to be a gymnast and his dad was one of those kick-ass soviet block gymnasts who later became a coach. we ate fried octopus, salmon teriyaki and don katsu (fried pork-chop) and talked a lot of cock about ourselves..... (cue romantic music....)

macho move #3: he paid for dinner (but we split dessert..... he said that the first one was free, but now, the meter's running hahahaha)

macho move #4: he fed my parking meter

next, we went for cannoli and after-dinner ports at andiamo osteria.

macho move #5: he selected the port

there was live music on, but we didn't really notice... too busy gazing into each others' eyes. or at least he attempted to do some eye-gazing, but I gazed shyly at my hands, folded demurely in the prayer position..... (hahahahaha! this is good! I should write some fiction!)

I will leave the evening there, you may imagine the rest.....

overall date score: (out of 10)

octopus-10

cannoli-8.5

macho moves- 9.9

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Happy Coping With Uncertainty Day!


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KSA, yo!

okay, what is up with people?!?!? let's have a little quiz:

what do all these dishes have in common....?
sausage and peppers
steak n' eggs
roast chicken
turkey and stuffing
roast lamb
fried chicken....

that's right, 1. they all have meat in them, and 2. I eat them all! because.... (concentrate, now)..... I AM A MEAT-EATER!

I know that I practice yoga all the time, and apparently look like I practice yoga all the time, and that I have a hippy-dippy name thanks to my mom.... I do understand that all of these things seem to add up in people's minds that .... "THE LORIDER IS A VEGETARIAN." but to constantly repeat "it's okay, I eat meat," and to still constantly be asked: "should I order one veg pizza?" "will you find something to eat on this menu?" "will it gross you out if I order a big, bloody steak?"
NO!!! YES!!! NO!!! I WILL JUST GET HUNGRY FOR A STEAK!!!!!

don't get me wrong, I think about the issue of eating animals, and I do love vegetables, whole grains and all that but... I just love to have some meat in there as well.... or do I....? let's explore further....

even people who absolutely don't know me ask me if I'm a vegetarian: waiters warn me of dairy and eggs.... drunk guys on bar stools say (okay, I love bar food, too... what of it?) "oh yeah, you ordered the grilled cheese, because you're a vegetarian!" NO!!! BECAUSE I WANTED TO EAT A GRILLED CHEESE!!! DANG!!

so I started thinking.... what is the logic behind this all.....? help me out philosophy majors, because I never took a logic course. I'm starting to wonder if maybe, just maybe.... they are all right, and I am wrong. after all, I assumed that I know more about myself because, well... I am myself, but let's look at the numbers: many, many people (let's say about 125 people), who know me and do not know me, think I am a vegetarian and I (1 person) think I am not.

it's food for thought, if you'll excuse the pun. (har!) at least I can comfort myself with the knowledge that, if I continue eating meat, there will be a support group for me to join:

















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Happy Birth of the Blues Day!


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the ides of blog - Nov: (very) short stories

welcome to November's ides of blog. this month, I present a selection of truly short stories for your surfing pleasure... enjoy :)

1. TRYING TO TRANSLATE WHAT MY GIRLFRIEND IS SAYING IN SWEDISH WHILE SHE'S ON THE PHONE TO HER MOTHER
by Dan Kennedy

2. Zapped!: Love Amongst the Photocopier Machines
mr brown guest blogs on miyagi.sg

3. "the sleep-less-est night......"
by some hot chick


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Happy Shichigosan, littlest neighbor!


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success!....?..!..?

UPDATE: well, I am happy to report that I will have at least one date thanks to this personals-ad-thing:

"Wednesday it is. Royal Oak is fine. I used to go there Friday/Saturday evenings. It was either there or Birmingham.

My cell is xxx-xxx-xxxx. What's the best way to get a hold of you?" -some guy whose code name is yet to be determined

I will certainly report back to you on that... tune in Thurs for all the (hopefully mushy!) details.

meanwhile, in my ongoing quest to determine my best match, I have undergone some research into my own personality... (sorry to post a cheesy blog-quiz, but I have added my own comments to make it 'rider-ific'TM.) be aware that they determined all of this by asking me questions about different animals..... perhaps accuracy is not 100%..... I will leave it up to you, dear readers, to judge. and so I give you.....

The Keys to Your My Heart

You are attracted to good manners and elegance. (BOOYA!) In love, you feel the most alive when everything is uncertain, one moment heaven... the next moment hell. (what? cripes.) You'd like to your lover to think you are optimistic and happy. (actually, I'd like everyone to believe that, but plenty of people are not suckers) You would be forced to break up with someone who was ruthless, cold-blooded, and sarcastic. (already taken care of) Your ideal relationship is comforting. You crave a relationship where you always feel warmth and love. (true) Your risk of cheating is zero. You care about society and morality. You would never break a commitment. (true) You think of marriage as something precious. You'll treasure marriage and treat it as sacred. (good to know) In this moment, you think of love as something you don't need. You just feel like flirting around and playing right now. (TRUE!)

What Are The Keys To Your Heart?

now, how could they figure all that out just from my predilection for snakes.....?

In the green corner... BRITEW

Liliana is coming tonight to make a deposit on the room!!!!! it looks like the Epic Roommate Search of 2005 is finally over!!!!!! *cross fingers* and.......yee-haw!

now I can finally begin to bring closure to one of my most emotionally traumatic experiences of 2005 (after being terrorized by a somewhat largish and fluffy cat) .... that is, the loss of BRITEW. (aka the Best Roommate In The Entire World)

what can I say about BRITEW? she is a gorgeous red-head with a heart of gold.....

at first, I didn't know her as BRITEW, and I wasn't even certain of her continued Roommate Status. Haha, ex-roomie, remember the time we had a Halloween party and you got sooooooooo drunk?! it was only like a month after you moved in, and I seriously wondered if I should be worried about you..... but then it turned out that you weren't a total boozer!!! yay!!! (no more captain morgans for you!) shhh, that's a secret!

in time, I learned that BRITEW was indeed the perfect roomie for me. thoughtful, smart, funny and sweet. a yoga soul with a wicked mind (and I mean wicked). actually, I found out that she's a BestFriendEverITEW, too!

and then.......... in an episode that shall go down in history for its infamy and injustice, her evil and ugly boyfriend, the evil and ugly Bed-Head, found out what a great roommie she is, too, and swiped her from me!!! dammit, I forgot to call dibs!!! oh well, I suppose this might have been important to them.....

whatever.


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yeah, I ate at fressen Saturday.... you wish you were me.......


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Mixmaster, cut faster!!!

well, the show last night was very awesome. sorry to those of you who could not be there....

we started off the night at the Traffic Jam, the original brew-pub in Detroit with the most amazing food.

then we headed over to the Majestic. it was some kind of bad-ass skiing and snowboarding movie called The Tangerine Dream followed by an "after-party" with Mixmaster Mike. I don't know if it was really a party, but it was after the movie. and a bunch of little breakdancers commandeered a circle in front of the stage and did their thang, so it was fun.

and yes, Mixmaster Mike can cut faster and sweeter than you could believe. I learned, or at least was reminded (you know what they say, you don't have to teach a master anything, just remind him/her) how much I love a nasty, nasty bass.

and now, I'd bet you want to see an awesome pic from the show..................




....................



......................




well, forget you! this show is travelling all over - go see him for yourself.

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I like a nasty, nasty bass.


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EXTRA: ANONYMOUS EXPOSED!

not that I want to make this into a political blog... I just have to say that I was kind of sad when I saw this news article today. I know that Turkey is very progressive and has made so many positive strides in creating a secular society. but..... I don't know, my mom wears hijab, and in knowing her and her friends, I know how personally meaningful wearing hijab is to them.... it just makes me sad to think that people would not have the freedom to express themselves religiously..... as I said, I don't want to turn this into some big heavy political blog... so...........

in other breaking news.......


ANONYMOUS EXPOSED!!!










Not that he needs much help exposing himself. Er.
Da-dum-dum.

boyz 2 men

POST UPDATED, please scroll down

well... as I have been thinking about boys men boyfriends friends who are men ??? lately, I have been avidly reading posts that will give me advice on how to proceed in the dating world. unfortunately, all the advice given is for the males.......... hmmmmmmmmmmm.................... I WONDER WHY??????????

here are one and two posts I came across recently that sagely advise men on how to succeed with the ladies. no... wait..... at the end of the second post is one paragraph for the ladies:

"There’s no perfect man. There are many imperfect men, when rolled up together, form the perfect man. So don’t waste your time looking for a perfect man, but look for different imperfect men, each fulfilling you in different ways and…. DATE ALL OF THEM."
- Finicky Feline

okay then! I have developed my new dating strategy... now I will just have to quit my side-jobs, say good-bye to my friends, stop exercising in the evenings or traveling on the weekends..... because I'M GOING TO BE DATING THE UNIVERSE!!!!!!!

UPDATE: some freak seems to have gotten ahold of the password of my personals account and applied his decoder ring to the profiles of the guys I thought were interesting. my response: "how do I tell who the normal guys are?" and "get a blog already, freak!"

"Ad 1 - This ad is boring and nondescript. I read it twice since it is only 5 short sentences, and still feel like I know nothing about him. At least he posted 4 pictures.
Looks - 6
Ad Content - 4
Summary: "I work, and I also play. I'm nice. I'm funny. Movies are cool. So is running. If you are looking for someone who is identical to everyone else, holla at ya boy"

Ad 2 - Slightly better than the last in terms of content, but unfortunately I would guess that he likes to torture and kill small animals in between rounds of Dungeons and Dragons or Magic - The Gathering.
Looks - 4
Ad Content - 5
Summary: "I like to be the Elf in D&D. How 'bout you? Looking for a hotchick like Lieutenant Uhura from Star Trek. We can chill in my mom's basement and do some programming in the legacy languages like FORTRAN and Cobol. "

Ad 3 - This guy looks like he shares a wardrobe with my Dad. I'm also afraid that if you date him, he will arrest me.
Looks - 5
Ad Content: 8 - good effort
Summary: "I'm a Federal Agent who enjoys smashing the heads of minor drug offenders, deep conversation over coffee, locking people in cages for life, moonlit walks on the beach, electrocuting illegal immigrants with my new stun gun, and soccer. Looking for good clean wholesome fun with a woman who respects local, state, and federal laws"

sigh
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Semper Fi!


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ONE, the movie

I can't believe it's Wednesday and I'm just finally posting about ONE, the movie! I saw it this weekend with BRITEW and Bed-Head, BRITEW's ugly boyfriend, and it was cool!!

if you like that kind of thing, and I do. it's all about how different well-known spiritual leaders and unknown lay people view "THE MEANING OF LIFE." as investigated by non-spiritual-leader non-filmmakers (from Michigan-yeah!). considering these guys very obviously had no idea what they were doing or what they had gotten themselves in for, I think it was a really terrific documentary. we saw it at the detroit docs festival, and one of the producers spoke at the end of the screening. she was so life-affirming and wonderful and, really, so was the movie.

I hope you get to see it. I'm not going to say it'll change your life or anything (that tag-line is what kept me from seeing Amelie for 3 years - verdict: cute, but not life-changing.) but if you think about things like "the meaning of life," I think you'll enjoy it.

I forgot to say that some organization is so excited about the movie, they are going to make it the first one to be translated into 100 languages... that's so cool!

Edi is now....... Eddie!

I am pleased to report that Edi the cat has been doing some light chores around the house (licking, purring, stalking) and can now afford the final letters for his name!

CONGRATS, EDDIE!!!!


(read more about Eddie and his partner-
in-crime Maria in the kitty-cat diaries)
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what? I'm not wearing that.


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photos, get your red-hot photos

here's some links to updated posts:

-Marie and me at the symphony (it rhymes, yo)
-kitty-cat pix
-my flickr set! I'm adding them as you read this, so keep checking back for more! yech! do NOT go here unless you want to see a messy work-in-progress.



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Happy 3-month anniversary to my blog!


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it's all about me

I had sooooooo much fun this weekend! I went out, I had friends over, I went to The Bookstore, I got a manicure!!! woohoo! and the fun doesn't stop there! I'm going to see Mixmaster Mike at the Majestic on Thursday and back to Toronto on Friday!!!!!

in other news, my friends helped me to take a picture for my profile. (but of course, I'm having trouble loading it.) I decided that being totally anonymous is boring. so here's my photo:











hugz n' kisses to my creative team!!!!!!!!!!!
from right to left: Marie, art director
Chuck, photographer
Liza, short pers writer












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Happy Bittersweet Chocolate with Almonds Day!


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S&P.... No, not salt & pepper, it's my friends Susan and Paul with Helaine and (new!) Sandy!!! G'day, mate!

#$*&&(&%** finally! w00t

hells, yeah! I finally got at least one of my photos to publish!!!! you can see it here, it's of the guys in the kitchen at my beloved fressen.....

more photos to come!!!!!

blogger image search meme

anonymous coworker started oops, participated in a fun google image search meme. you find out what images pop up when you type in your name, your gramma's name, etc..........

so here's my pictures:

an image that popped up for the city I grew up in: Philadelphia. this is 30th Street Station, one of two main train stations. this is the famous train station where the lil' Amish kid is traumatized in the movie Witness. I always have a reaction like the kid in the movie (before he's traumatized), it is rather beautiful and impressive to be in, even if you're not Amish. something about being in a big space, I guess. there's a flower stand in one corner that has really reasonably priced bouquets, and it makes that whole side of the station smell great. plus, the food court has three awesome buffets. 4 stars to 30th Street Station.

I live in "fashionable Royal Oak, MI." this pic is pretty representative because Royal Oak is known mainly for its restaurants and nightlife (and its many city parks - I used to live within 1.5 blocks of 3 parks!) from what I hear, Royal Oak used to be relatively tame, and then the punks decided to make it their hangout. soon after, all the yuppies decided that it was "cool" in Royal Oak and tried to take over the scene. Mongolian Barbeque soon followed. all of which may explain this:

can you read this? it shows that the most common age of residents is 29 for women and 30 for men. so I'm right on target.

haha how my name comes up............... well, I am white.









how my gramma's name comes up - awwwwwwwwwwwwwww!










best dish ever - pastel de choclo con pino de carne. this is a cassarole, the closest thing I can compare it to is shepard's pie, but 1,000 times better.... the bottom layer is the "pino de carne." it's ground beef cooked with raisins and cinnamon. then on top is pieces of chicken (or rabbit - it's originally a country dish) and on top of that, a creamed corn. put sugar on the top and bake!!!!! absolutely supremely delicious! when I lived in Chile, I would get a frozen one, because it's very time consuming to make. but after writing all this, I think I will figure out how to make one!


well, I never tried this brand, but wishniak black cherry soda is da bomb. we used to drink a brand called Franks that has a lot of fruit flavors - all really delicious.








fav smell. oh god, yes. sausage and peppers.













and finally.... my favorite song - can you guess what it is?









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Happy Sandwich Day..... to me!


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never say never - really!

I know most religious traditions put an emphasis on what you say, how you say it, etc, but in these "modern times," it seems like that has gone out of vogue.

but then things happen, and it really does kind of make you (me) wonder.

I have caught myself a few times over the last years, saying "I'll never do this..." or "I'm not interested in that...", and as times goes by and I get to reflect, I've started to notice that whenever I strongly say I will not do something, I wind up doing exactly that shortly thereafter.

for example, I used to substitute teach and when teachers would ask me if I was getting certified, I'd say "oh, NO. this is just a great temporary job for me, for right now. I'm NOT INTERESTED in becoming a teacher." Hmmm..... guess what I do now. etc.

but I'm learning. I've been looking for a roommate for about 3 months, and everyone good seemed to have a cat. well, I have a cat, and I kept telling myself, "two cats is too many. I cannot live with two cats!" well, a stray cat showed up and he was really cute and I started thinking "maybe Maria would like a buddy..., but then NO ONE will want to move in here with two cats!" just then, I noticed that I had been thinking in terms of never and so forth, so I quickly brought the little stray in, to see if my luck would change. sure enough, one short week later, Liliana showed up at my door to check out the apartment. I said to her, "do you know I have a cat?" she said "great!" I said, "I'm even taking care of a second cat... and it might stay....." She said................


.................


..................


"great! I love cats!" then she spent most of our interview petting the cats. then when she left, she said "I really like this place and I want to move in"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


wow. ain't that something?

;)

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Happy Bra Day......... Chuck!

oops.

double oops.

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the lorider is defeated!!!! by a fluffy creature

(my first mobile post - greetings from Toronto!)

well, actually I'm in Mississauga at the Comfort Inn. Long story, so I'll tell it.

I stayed at my friend Ingrid's house last night, here in Mississauga. it was the first time, and it seemed like a good idea, because I'm going to be coming up to Toronto twice a month for this philosophy course.

well, it was not such a good idea to Tigger, Ingrid's fluffier half. soon after she'd left this morning, I wandered around and accidently passed by Tigger's litter box. Tigger felt we did not know each other well enough to pee in each others' litter boxes. he was quite right, but he couldn't seem to catch on that I didn't want to pee in his litter box.

I left his "area" immediately, but that was not good enough for dear Tigger, who proceeded to follow me around the house growling and spitting at me! I felt very unwanted, and so I decamped - mind you, it was 6:30 in the morning! some people (cats) have no sense of hospitality!

luckily, my spidey-senses quickly led me to a haven of comfort - the aforementioned Comfort Inn. and don't think I am being sarcastic; it is very comfortable. they let me check in at 7:00 am for tonight, so I get to lounge around and use the free internet access all day, take a hot soak, AND I get two free breakfasts - mmmmm hot chocolate, croissants, and froot loops!

now I just have to figure out my halloween costume for tonight's party!


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another upside - I've learned to spell Mississauga


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it's about to get real....

alright peoples, listen up:

I have posted onto an on-line personals site.....

and you have a front-row seat!

UPDATE: alright, just never you mind about this.... what a f***ing boring rip-off! the ones I'm interested in "don't think we're a match," and the ones who are interested are NOT MY TYPE!
yuks

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I don't want to achieve immortality through my work...
I want to achieve it through not dying. -Woody Allen


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w00t!

: ) : ) : ) : ) : ) : ) : ) : ) : ) : ) : ) : ) : ) : )


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happy boxers day (not thongs day.... Chuck!)


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rugby days.....

alert media-scanner wiredfu guy found a funny article about Jackie Chan and rugby (and, apparently, Rambo), which reminds me of when I used to play rugby.....

yes, believe it or not, yours truly, the lorider, was an inaugural member of the women's team for the Detroit Rugby Football Club. I greatly enjoyed the company of my... um... mates? (a great group of girls) and the traditional lifting of the pints and the singing of the pub songs after every practice. however, once we stopped learning to play the game and actually commenced playing the game, I learned that I can not run more than, say, 50 yards, without, say, dying.

this may be why I was assigned to play sweep on my high school JV field hockey team. or why I lasted a record three days on my high school track team.

devastated that I was fated to never play on a team whose favorite play was called "Detroit, Detroit, who's your daddy?!," I sadly accepted my fate, and bid my rugby teammates farewell. I see on the website that they chose not to adopt my suggested team slogan, "We'll lick ya'!"

...........what?



technorati tags: rugby

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take out your guns, people, and re-enact the Battle at
the OK Corral, which took place on this date in 1881!


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yay, Jackie!!!!! I'm your No.1 fan!

just in case you think this may become an all-cat blog, here's a picture of everyone's favorite
UN Goodwill Ambassador!







beeb article on the UN today.

technorati tags: Jackie Chan, United Nations

Pyramus & Thisby

well, I wish I could post pix with this latest installment, but I can't..............

the little kitty who warbled sadly at me last Wednesday is now safely in residence chez moi, whether permanently or temporarily remains to be seen. he and I have agreed that his name is Edi (pronounced like Eddie, but he's simply too poor for all the letters)*. he's orange striped, rather tall, skinny of course, and he has lovely green eyes and quite a full, fluffy tail for a shorthair. he whisks his tail about proudly; as it's his only wealth in the world, he makes the most of it.

Maria, my wonderful kitty, has taken the news with a fair amount of charity and condescension, although I do believe I heard her mutter while licking her behind: "just wait until I die! then she'll be sorry!!!"

except for some saber-rattling, they seem to get along. of course, I'm mainly keeping them separated for now, hence the title**......


* (he seems to think he's named after this Eddie, when in fact he's named after this Eddy .
**(get it, English major?!!!!)

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sour cream n'onion potato chips with gorgonzola - yum!



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GRR!

grrrrrrrrrrrr.... photo uploading problems............. grrrrrrr!

grasshopper ice cream and rachmaninoff

update: I've added some pix at the bottom! enjoyz


okay, so I actually ate green tea ice cream last night, but it made me think that grasshopper ice cream is probably pretty similar.

Marie and I ate at Tokyo Sushi ("in fashionable Royal OakTM") last night -which was awesom-u power!!! as always - and then headed downtown to the Detroit Symphony Orchestra to watch André Watts play Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto #2.

Marie hadn't been to the symphony here before, so we entertained ourselves by taking pictures of symphony hall from our seats before the concert began. did I mention the entire place was probably watching us take pix, because we were IN THE FRONT ROW!!!!! (the swag from my job really rocks!) ... I may have felt a leeettle conspicuous. at first. then I felt I had taken my rightful place in the universe. har.

they were good seats for later, but for the piano concerto, they were on the wrong side of the house - that is, the right side. but, because André Watts was SO energetic, his head often bobbed over the top of the music rack for Marie and I to see.

yes, it was quite an experience to watch him play - he really played like an angel while sweating it like the devil himself. I couldn't believe that he had such fantastic control and delicacy in his hands, while the rest of his body was apparently undergoing an epilectic fit. he was kind of like a toddler banging it out on one of those little eight key jobs. I swear, a few times, I thought he was about to pick the piano up, flip it around, and shoot for three up into the boxes!

I kind of wished I could see his fingering, but being so close, and kind of under the piano, turned out to be enjoyable in its own way. first of all, I never realized how industrial a good piano looks from underneath - they're so elegant on top. also, when he would let the strings reverberate during a pause in playing, I could hear the whole instrument hum! he was really awesom-u power.

then we had Tchaikovsky with the orchestra after. I thought the orchestra was kind of phoning it in for the piano concerto, I don't know if they thought everyone was only listening to André, or maybe they were saving it up for the second act. it was Tchaikovsky's Symphony #5, not my fav composer, but a very happy piece of music and fun to listen to. I really loved the clarinet throughout. Jerzy Semcow came to guest conduct and he's super - he really has a great touch.

ps - am I weird or does the lyric melody in the Tchaikovsky finale have more than a passing resemblance to the tune "Farewell, Amanda"..... you know, the one Spencer Tracy sings to Katherine Hepburn in Adam's Rib....?


technorati tags: detroit symphony orchestra, andré watts, rachmaninoff


two wild n' crazy gals.... at the symphony!













the ceiling at Symphony Hall. the whole building is quite lovely.











the boxes, otherwise known as "where I belong."









thanks for the pix, Marie!
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musing for the day - Jerzy is such a great name, isn't it?




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anybody want a cat?

oh my golly, what a fun night yesterday....

let's see, I had a fun workout, and then went to a French conversation group at a coffee shop in fashionable Royal Oak. it was my first time there, but I already knew Marie, from linking up over the internet around this very topic, and one guy there named Michael from a Spanish conversation group. the whole group, a small one last night, was nice people.

then, while we're sitting there, a lady named Miki walks by, I know her a little, and she says, "oh I was a French major in college some umpty-ump years ago" and she sits down and we all had a good talk. it turns out Miki's daughter lives in California near where I'm hoping to travel this December. Miki said she'd ask her daughter to try and help me find some place to crash. I was so excited (a-to be out with a group of adults) (b-to maybe have a lead on a nice place to stay in Cali) (and c-to be going to the Detroit Symphony Orchestra the next night -I WON TICKETS AT WORK!!!! I RULE!!!) that I was totally wound up. when we broke up at about 10:30, I felt like it was zero o'clock.

then I got home and some little skin and bones stray cat ran up to me as I got out of the car. orange stripy, hoarse little meow, but seemed healthy and well-mannered except for starvation. I feeded him and then started calling around looking for a shelter. that situation is still pending, but as I did feed the little guy, I'm pretty sure he'll be back tonight.......

then, I opened my mail and MY AIRPORT CARD HAD ARRIVED!!!!!!! So, I....... INSTALLED IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! okay, maybe that doesn't sounds like such a big deal (especially to those of you who have installed one and know how easy it is).... but I haven't had internet at home in a year, and now I've started this blog, and..... and...... I'm just SO EXCITED!!!!!!! now, I can put up my pix on flickr!!!!!!!!!!!!! and start to catch up on some important posts:

-my trip to Vermont this past summer
-my trips to Toronto including **my trip with my little bros**
-seeing the Tigers play from, like, 7 feet away
- and (obligatory-I promise to keep it short) my cat Maria

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Happy Shampoo Day (try some......Chuck!)


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happy driving feet

anyway, I'm finally posting about my awesome trips to Toronto.

Toronto is so great that driving four hours two days in a row seems like a great idea.

Toronto feels like a home away from home.

Toronto has lots of trees.

Toronto has many, many different neighborhoods with real night-life.

I always have crazy adventures in Toronto, like when I scored a Bruce Lee book for only $5. ($ Canadian!)

Toronto is a breath of fresh air. I always feel better after breathing some Toronto.

I prefer to shop in Toronto.

Toronto can be cold but not that cold.

Toronto has a yummy vegetarian restaurant and a yummy Indian restaurant and great pizza. I always eat well in Toronto.

I took my little brothers to Toronto and they loved it, too.

I figured out how to use my cruise control!

someday soon, you will see some awesome pix of Toronto!



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Happy Dress Like a Dork Day....... Chuck!


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The Ringmaster, baby!

the scientists at ringling bros have determined my next career!
I actually wanted to be an acrobat, but I guess I am rather entertaining (and bossy).

let's see what you're made of ... Chuck! take the test and report back to your master.

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happy brain cell reduction day....Chuck!

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ides of blog - Oct: knitting blogs

oh fuck, oh fuck, I almost forgot the ides of blog!
radio silence is so sleepy-fy-ing.

well, being as I am knitting now, and boing boing is knit-crazy, too, this month it's the ides of knitting blogs flickr sets and 1 blog.

1) first up, these win as the weirdest (& coolest) knitting evar! (via Boing Boing)

2) knitted umm...you know... (via Boing Boing)

3) awesome "woollys" and other knitted, sewed, etc'd pieces...
these are so freakin cute!

4) really impressive knits from nguyen le

5) and for those of you who just want to drool over yarn


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oooohhh.. all these flickr sets are getting me soooo excited! my airport card is coming, my airport card is coming! just you wait and see what I'll have up in the next few days!!!!!

well, what are you standing there for? go knit.....Chuck!
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fast blast from the past

I saw a girl yesterday, let's call her Stacy because that's her name. I haven't seen her in like 2 or 3 years. we work out at the same place, and yesterday, I looked up, and bam! there she was. we used to hang out, grab some food and talk a bit, then she seemed to have left Michigan in a hurry, and I always wondered how she was. as a matter of fact, I was thinking about her not too long ago. it was weird to just look up and see her; for a second it didn't process....

anyway, she's only in town for a couple of days, so we won't get to talk, but she might be moving back to the area. I wonder what's up with that?

Friday musing

I guess I woke up in a reflective, philosophical mood today....


mistakes I've made:

-thinking that wealth is richness
-thinking that external perfection is beauty
-focusing on the goal rather than enjoying the process
-driving too fast for weather conditions and totaling my car
-driving too fast for gravel and crunching my quarter panel
-driving too fast for traffic and crunching my hood and radiator
-driving too fast in winter with a bad tire and going onto a ditch


hmmmm...... I wonder if there is a lesson for me in all of these......


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splish splash splash-stopped to wash (*scrub*) my hands on my way into the building
maybe it's not a great idea to try out perfumes at Sephora when running an errand for my boss


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hahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!

link: you don't get to choose your street name...


and now I will tell you about some cute things:

-chipmunks
-my baby brother calling the computer the "mc-puter"
-my dad calling George Bush "President Dummy"


awwwwwwww!


byez, suckerz
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"and as you know, these are open forums, you're able to
come and listen to what I have to say.......Chuck!" - G W B


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I am pleased to report that my yarn shopping was a success

in only two trips, I found yarn to match my new coat!!! I bought a coat on sale at the end of the season earlier this year, and I love it, but it's a funny sort of burgandy color and has no hood. I thought it might be hard to find a hat, scarf & gloves to match or complement it, so I found gloves to complement and then... headed to the yarn stores hoping I'd find something to suit.

well, I got a Lion Brand yarn called rose garden - a swirly mix of burgandy, rose, light blue, yellow ... sounds appalling, but it's actually very soothing. it's 50% wool, 50% acrylic, and pretty thick. I'd hope to make something rather fine, but I guess I should be realistic and go chunky, so that I finish it before next spring (or summer). also I've only knitted one simple project ever and that was 14 years ago.... wish me luck! I'll post a photo when I've finished it......


technorati tag: yarn

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Happy Feast of Saint Wenceslas (check out the link, this is quite a story)
as I am proudly 1/8 Bohemian, I will be sure to celebrate this feast tonight!


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SWAG!

my administrative assistant job, while I search for a teaching post, is not the most rewarding, but....

dang the perks have been good lately!

I've been getting swag all week from an annual luncheon we throw, and today I got the gift bag! full of fun stuff... and then I got Tigers tix again for tomorrow (*yes!*)

nice start to the weekend!

(and I'm also going yarn shopping tomorrow!!!!!- erm.)


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woohoo! byez to all ma homies


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ma gizoogle pozzle!!!

click here to read my gizoogle post, mutha f***as!

hahahhahahahahahahahahahha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
that was worth every pi-zenny!

n peace out to you, Kenny Sian, cuz ah tried to Benglify the pozzle n ah couldn't!

(but peace out for real, cuz y'all malaysian bli-zzoggers iz ma homies!!!!!)


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(WTF did I just say?)


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cookies, cookies, cookies!

no, not THAT kind of cookie.

last night, I feeled like cee-rap, so I stopped at the store, bought a couple of groceries and went home, changed straight into pjs and got on the couch, under the blanket and ate cookies and hot milk and watched the Simpsons.

then I forget why I went to the basement, but I passed my downstairs neighbors' open door (at the back of the house is the kitchen) and the Poppa Neighbor had an apron on and I said, "cooking?" and he said, "I am making cookies. would you like some - what do you like in your cookies?"

so polite!!! I like this kind of neighbor. ask me what I like in my cookie. so I told him straight away what I prefer.

so he made me fresh cookies, so I ate cookies again with tea this time and read a story to the Littlest Neighbor.

then the Older Little Neighbor kindly offered to lend me his Shrek 2 dvd, so I went back up under the blanket and watched and ate a ......

......



........


.......


peach! fooled you! of course, I am so healthy with the yoga and whatnot, I must eat healthy at every meal-har. and I LMAO at the movie.


then I feeled better! take that, PMS!!!!!!!!!!



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why did I eat cookies on ice cream cone day?
what a freak!


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moral dilemma

okay, so I caught a cricket yesterday.

it was huge and cool looking and right in front of my desk. is it wrong to make a beautiful, homey, nice terrarium with lots of posh features so's I can watch it do the little cricket things? if I set it free, won't it just get eaten by a bird tomorrow? so I named it Mickey.

well, I just looked up crickets on wikipedia and learned that I do have a cricket, not a grasshopper, and the reason it hasn't been chirping is it's a girl. I also learned that it's nocturnal and that may be why it seemed to have disappeared this morning (I thought it was hibernating under the dirt cause I didn't give it the right food or accomodations - no cable, don't you know?).

anyway, I figured I would keep the cricket (now named Adrian) around for three days, enjoying it, which won't hurt it, while I wait for you kind folks to weigh in and I could decide whether to keep it or not.

so I was looking for more information on what to feed it, when I came across this website. AND I QUOTE:

"Crickets will eat anything, anything at all: cloth, silk, cotton, wallpaper, wood, anything they can get their mandibles around.

Once a female cricket makes it into your home, it's possible for her to lay hundreds of eggs. Since it takes almost a year for cricket eggs to hatch, an early detection is almost impossible. "

maybe it's time for little Adrian to go bye-bye.


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Happy Board Game Day!
now go play some board games. go!


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Arrrrr!

Wow! This weekend, I.....


....bought a filing cabinet and ..... um....


..... put it together. erm.

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HAPPY TALK LIKE A PIRATE DAY TO YE, MATIES!!!!!
ARRRRR!!!!



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my birthday is Jan 16 - hint, hint

1. AV / other nerd stuff:

I definitely love this! but even more practical would be a used G3 iPod. they are supposedly going for $30, and this will let me know how to frankenstein-ify it, so it'll hold 20Gs and do everything a new, expensive one can....

DVDs
l'homme du train
blues brothers DVD!

CDs
cesaria evora double album
life aquatic soundtrack
jarhead soundtrack

2. girl stuff

SPA!



3. or, just send me

here

grand-filial duty

hmmmm.....I'm planning my fall schedule and I'm very aware that I haven't visited my grandparents since last Thanksgiving. on that trip, my mom and little brothers and I all went together and it was a very cozy weekend. even though we're a few states apart, I was getting out to see my grandparents 2-3 times a year the last few years. I really wanted to do my grand-filial duty and show them how much I appreciate their support and encouragement.

"we won't be around forever, you know," as they like to put it....

and yet this year... I've been "busy." to be fair, I actually have been busy: I was in grad school before and had lots of breaks whereas now I have a new job with no vacation accrued yet (5 days after 1 YEAR!!!! what? sux~grumble).

but I also suppose I burnt myself out a bit, as every time I think about planning the next trip, I think 'scrabble? again?' (okay, it's really that my grandma kicks my a-double-ss in scrabble.)

then I read entwined 's post about her grandmother ("Days Gone By") , and it really hit home. my pop-pop was quite the tyrant in his day, too, and now he's feeble and distracted, too. it is hard to see him change from the person I once knew, even though I wasn't always thrilled by who he was. and it's hard not being able to communicate as readily with him. it reminded me what we all do mean to each other, in spite of the rough patches.

sigh. it's hard to visit, sometimes.

waah! now I depressed. just in time for the weekend.




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ladies, let's hear it for the USA



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"A broad smile, however nice it may be, is ... unacceptable." the German Interior Ministry

apparently, Tuesday was "Junk Drawer Day" (I didn't hear anything in the news). I really am going to celebrate this holiday - I remember on my last move, it took about a year and a half for my junk drawer to really get established. when I looked in it one day and saw all the little not-so-important items nestled in there together, I knew I had finally set down roots... Mom, you should be proud!


tonight, I'm going out to eat again with Marie in fashionable Royal Oak. we are going to bring our crocheting and knitting books and look at some projects (*fake sneeze: dorks*). in honor of the holiday, I'll be sure to bring something from the junk drawer in my purse. hmmm..... maybe the box of bendy straws....... my, I just keep growing cooler.

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I had no idea the Germans were so cheerful


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the ides of blog - Sept: art blogs

happy ides of september! I'm inaugurating a new monthly feature today:

The Ides of Blog!


This month, the focus is art blogs.....

Seonna Hong (via BoingBoing)
Curieux jardin great photos-see previous months
Eric Claridge I don't know what's up with the baby elephants, but it's ...somehow...compelling. am I weird?
Senor Duck check out his flickr set
The Adventures of Art Lad cute little kid artist!

enjoyz


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"when I paint, the sea roars. the others splash about in the bath."
Salvador Dali


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nola and "the second tsunami"

click on the title above for a link to a great article by Naomi Klein. (via Boing Boing)


if, after all the outpouring of love and support by the common people, these disasters are just used by the wealthy and powerful to strengthen their own interests..... it is many times more than doubly horrible. the natural disasters will have not only destroyed something already there, it will have created an opportunity for the (already) wealthy to scam these people out of the little they had... rabid and voracious, anyone?

can't we make People Power add up to more than Special Interest Power?
(oh well, spoken like a true kid of the 60's: born in a commune and raised around "activists." only problem: now I am mortally allergic to politics.)

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let me know what you think.....

on a lighter note: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4241958.stm

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tigers game two!

I went to the Tigers game again yesterday and saw them slam the Royals. It is so relaxing to sit there and watch the play - and it flies by! who knew? I took my two little brothers and we had lots of fun together. we enjoyed the 'VIP" treatment: the tickets I won are so good, we did get all kinds of perks, and little Leo (my youngest brother) especially loves the good life.

Only downside, my fav player Ivan Rodriguez didn't play - but he did come out onto the field for a few moments to warm up a pitcher!

best moment: 7th inning-3 of 6 7th inning runs were off an in-the-park HR!

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happy video games day!


status: sunburnt again. will I never learn to wear sunblock?
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sushi nite

I met my new e-pal, Marie, at Tokyo Sushi in Royal Oak last night. it is really good. I had an udon sobe with shrimp tempura in it that was super. Marie is a very interesting gal, she is here from France doing a graduate degree in business. she's lived all over and it turns out we share a lot of interests, including... crocheting and knitting! quel surprise. so we plan to have girls' get-togethers to work on our projects. we both share the modern crafter's ambivalent love/ embarrassment over our chosen 'grandma crafts'. anyway, I'm really looking forward to our knit-nights.

I updated her on my roommate search, as she was helping me to post over the last few weeks. my best prospect seems to be an adorable (and tall!) young gay guy who seems like lots of laughs. he's finished his undergrad and is mulling over his prospects, including grad school. I hope it'll work out between us; I think we'd get along. the unknown factor is he's kind of undirected at present, just started a new job, nothing to really tie him down or make him responsible at this point..... as with any roommie, I guess you pays your nickel and you takes your chances. I've been lucky much more than ever unlucky. remind me to post about ex-roommie sometime. sigh.... she has spoiled me for all others........

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happy hot dog day!
(yet another great day to celebrate - they're coming fast & furious)


status: psyched! I won more tickets to see the Tigers on Sunday!!!!!
I really have to get my photos up. I already got my flickr account set up, but I have no connection at home yet.......
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sad, sad world

this nola story just keeps getting sadder and sadder. unfortunately, I think as days go by, we're going to learn more disturbing facts, instead of seeing the beginnings of a resolution to the story. to me, this is all about :

1) the lack of social capital in our society. we see it every day in the statistics on mental illness, crime rates, etc. and now we see it in a time of crisis, too. since so many poor people were in the line of this crisis, it's that much more obvious how little we're prepared to join together.

2) race/classism. honestly, of course help was not sent soon enough. of course, there were not sufficient plans in place. duh. the government (at every level) seems to be saying "why rush to help those who can't scratch our backs?" way to lead.



meanwhile, my Best Friend Ever will probably be deployed there in another day or two in her capacity with the Public Health Service. this will be her first deployment; I don't know what she'll do when she gets there, but I know she'll help people out with great caring. she will leave her two kiddies in daddy's capable hands, and go take care of some business.

as I've read in others' posts, I can't think what I can do besides send what money I can spare. it's frustrating.....

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erm... happy back hair appreciation day?


status: wishing I could do more
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Happy teachersday!

(in Singapore)

I wish a very happy teachers day to all the teachers in Singapore and around the globe (especially you, dad!)


technorati tag: teachersday



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roommate?
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