Kris's Birthday

Kris, this is for you. The videos and pictures of your birthday so long ago. Finally.

You know me, consistently late. Part of my curse and charm.

Transition Blog

Ok, since I am no longer in Taiwan I decided to create a
new blog.


Since I don't know where I am going next I figured the title was appropriate.

Pictures

So I just got an email from Kris with all his pictures from his year in Taiwan. I am so happy since I haven't seen most of them before (and some of them are flattering of me). He reminded me that I still haven't done anything with my photos, so this weekend will be spent working on putting them on shutterfly.

I promise.

But I thought I give you guys a look of me relaxed (since people in Taiwan never really saw that quite often). Yay for no puffy, tired eyes.
Dad and I

Flying Home

So flying is not that easy, no matter how many times you do it. I started to get worried last night when I found out there were two possible planes that I could be getting on. Anyone who flies knows that having all the information ahead time is very important because there are countless other things that could go wrong. The last thing you want is to not even know where to go in the terminal to check in.

I called the NWA reservation line twice last night. The first time I talked to the rudest helper I have ever encountered. Then I called mom and had her calmed me down. I called again and got a nice, competent helper who made m worries go away.

The next issue would be bags. Living somewhere you will obviously amass countless things. I had pottery, shoes, bags, clothes, notebooks, lesson plans, books, etc. I mailed to this date 16 boxes home. Lets just say that I got to know the postman very well. But still after all of that, I needed an extra suitcase and with the fuel prices going up, they are cutting weight from 70 pounds per bag to 50 pounds per bag. You may be saying “50 pounds is a lot.” Nope. Not at all. Take into account that the suitcase alone weighs anywhere from 5-10 pounds. You need clothes, toiletries (since you can’t take them on the plane anymore), shoes, bags, etc. All these things weigh a ton.

I had a packing party at my house last week to get everything packed. The packing party is very beneficial because while I panic, other people pack. If it was just me I would panic first, then pack (making the packing take forever). When I got the airport, I found that all but one of my bags was overweight. So I took them to the side and switched some things around while calling mom to ask what a kilo was in pounds. I switched one successfully, but the other suitcase actually gained weight after I took clothes out. Only Julia. So I moved some more clothes to my carryon. Now I have several outfits in case something happens on the plane or my luggage gets lost.

They also put me on standby for another airlines promising me an upgrade on that flight. I took it because it only left 5 minutes after my original plane. They gave me a voucher for food, but didn’t take my luggage making it impossible for me to go upstairs to get food. Instead, I went down stairs, paid with my own money, and had the best cheesecake I have ever tasted in an airport and most of Taipei. After all of that I ended up on my original flight with an exit row seat. Anyone with long legs understands the power of the exit seat.

The airport in Tokyo is beautiful. I checked in again at the NWA desk which is conveniently by the gate I departed. The first guy was confused by my EVA air receipts and tickets. I told him, in a very strong voice, NWA made me go on that flight. Then I got up to the desk and breezed right on through (I don’t think I would have kept my voice in a civilized manner if the girl at the desk acted all confused). After all of this I will never use different carriers again no matter what.

I luckily got an exit row seat for this flight. My legs were thankful for that seat. The flight itself was 11 hours and 45 minutes, but it left an hour late. I was worried when we were getting closer to Detroit that I was going to be pushing it time wise. I got through customs quickly, but my bags took almost 30 minutes to come out. I orginially had 2 1/2 hours, but now I only had an 1 1/2 hour total to do customs, pick up bags, recheck bags, security, and then get to the gate. The woman rechecking my bag said my favorite line ever, “You could possibly make your flight.” With that in mind, I ran as fast as I could to the gate. I felt like I was in a movie. I did make it , a bit out of breath, but the flight attendant gave me a glass of water (since I was sitting in first class).

My last flight was very short compared to the other flights, only 1 1/2 hours. The added bonus was that I was put in first class (ain’t no shame). The flight was smooth and worry-free. The way all flights should be. It was a nice was to end my life in Taiwan.

Home

I have finally made it home. It was a bit of an ordeal. I will write about it later. 

For anyone who knows me, knows that I can shop anywhere, anytime. So far I have a new dress (so cute), a purse, a raincoat, and new shoes. Here's a look at the new shoes.

Student Video

The boy in the video is Scott, one of my students. I taught him in G5 and G6. The song is about listening to your mother by Jay Chou.

Last Week

This is my last week in Taiwan, maybe forever. Exciting! I can't wait to be home and open a refrigerator and make a sandwich or eat eggs (you all know the only thing I make here is oatmeal). I will miss some things like shopping at all times during the day and night, getting in a taxi whenever I feel like it, traveling on the bus or MRT (makes me feel so city-like), etc. I will miss the conveniences the most.

Things I will not miss:
1. crazy bus drivers
2. girls wearing high heel shoes that are too high and big for them (really annoying since they tend to walk into you because their shoes are too high and big for them)
3. people staring at me like I have 2 heads
4. Taiwanese rain
5. people trying to run me over

I am looking forward to saying goodbye to everything and everyone. Its been an interesting two years.

As so many people say here (although I think it is weird and it reminds me of someone I don't care to see for the rest of my life), Cheers. :)

Basking in Labels

Sex and the City: The Movie has finally come out in Taiwan. YES!!!!!!!!! Christa and I pre-ordered our tickets and went on opening night. It was a great movie. Kristen Davis is a great actress. She made me cry the most. The best part of the movie besides the fashion was the girl sitting two rows behind us. She was crying the whole time.

After the movie the need to shop was overwhelming. I suggest that you not watch this movie in a city that promotes fashion and is also so close to the stores that were in the movie. Our first stop was 9 West. I bought a new bag (it was on sale for 60 usd! and these shoes:

They are FABULOUS!

After that we went to Coach (didn't buy anything, my bank account continues to thank me) and Marks and Spencer (I did buy a fab pair of sunglasses and a new shirt that is quite interesting).

X marks the spot

We were informed yesterday that the camp on the 28th of June only needs 4 foreign teachers. There are 7 of us so that means there was a good chance I could not go (meaning last minute packing time, yes!). This morning David walked in with a hat full of Xs and checks. If you got a check you had to go. If you got a X you could stay home. From the picture above, you know that I got a X.

I literally jumped for joy.

Last chance for Taiwan gifts

My time here is coming to an end. If there is something you want from Taiwan, email me or comment here. 

Foot Issues

On Thursday my foot collapsed while I was walking. Luckily I was near a chair and grabbed onto it so I didn't fall flat on my face. My foot later ballooned while at Pizza Hut and I couldn't move my toes. We were near the hospital so I decided to have it checked out. Walking was horrible. The doctor told me that I pulled/snapped something (I don't really remember, I was in pain) in my foot. I just have to keep it wrapped in a bandage, ice it, and rest it for 5 days. I had planned to go dancing this weekend, but instead I will have to watch movies. Not to bad I guess.

This is my foot wrapped. Everyone should adopt this and it can become the new trend.
My foot wrapped with ice to prevent the swelling from becoming worse.

I got my plane ticket!

I have finally purchased my plane ticket. I will be arriving at BWI at 5:20pm on July 1st.

Very excited.

Miss Julia's Tour of Taipei

Here is my video I made for Grade 4. We are doing an unit on Taipei.

Birthday and Name Meaning

I got an email from Christa with a link to What does your birthday mean? and What does your name mean? They are so fun. Here are my results. If you want a go at it here are the links:

http://www.paulsadowski.com/birthday.asp
http://www.paulsadowski.com/Numbers.asp

You entered: Julia Sterling

There are 13 letters in your name.
Those 13 letters total to 58
There are 5 vowels and 8 consonants in your name.

What your first name means:
Swedish Female Youth.
Shakespearean Female 'Two Gentlemen of Verona' A lady of Verona, beloved of Proteus.
Latin Female Young. The feminine form of Julius. A character in Shakespeare's play 'Two Gentlemen of Verona'.
Greek Female Feminine form of Julius: Downy. Hairy. Derived from the clan name of Roman dictator Gaius Julius Caesar.
French Female Youthful.

Your number is: 4

The characteristics of #4 are: A foundation, order, service, struggle against limits, steady growth.

The expression or destiny for #4:
Order, service, and management are the cornerstones of the number 4 Expression. Your destiny is to express wonderful organization skills with your ever practical, down-to-earth approach. You are the kind of person who is always willing to work those long, hard hours to push a project through to completion. A patience with detail allows you to become expert in fields such as building, engineering, and all forms of craftsmanship. Your abilities to write and teach may lean toward the more technical and detailed. In the arts, music will likely be your choice. Artistic talents may also appear in such fields as horiculture and floral arrangement, as well. Many skilled physicians and especially surgeons have the 4 Expression.

The positive attitudes of the 4 Expression yield responsibility; you are one who no doubt, fulfills obligations, and is highly systematic and orderly. You are serious and sincere, honest and faithful. It is your role to help and you are required to do a good job at everything you undertake.

If there is too much 4 energies present in your makeup, you may express some of the negative attitudes of the number 4. The obligations that you face may tend to create frustration and feelings of limitation or restriction. You may sometimes find yourself nursing negative attitudes in this regard and these can keep you in a rather low mood. Avoid becoming too rigid, stubborn, dogmatic, and fixed in your opinions. You may have a tendency to develop and hold very strong likes and dislikes, and some of these may border on the classification of prejudice. The negative side of 4 often produces dominant and bossy individuals who use disciplinarian to an excess. These tendencies must be avoided. Finally, like nearly all with 4 Expression, you must keep your eye on the big picture and not get overly wrapped up in detail and routine.

Your Soul Urge number is: 9

A Soul Urge number of 9 means:
With a 9 Soul Urge, you want to give to others, usually in a humanitarian or philanthropic manner. You are highly motivated to give friendship, affection and love. And you are generous in giving of your knowledge and experience. You have very sharing urges, and you are likely to have a great deal to share. Your concern for others makes you a very sympathetic and generous person with a sensitive and compassionate nature.

You are able to view life in very broad and intuitive terms. You often express high ideals and an inspirational approach to life. If you are able to fully realize the potential of your motivation, you will be a very self-sacrificing person who is able to give freely without being concerned about any return or reward.

As with all human beings, you are prone to sometimes express the negative attitudes inherent to your Soul Urges. You may become too sensitive and tend to express emotions strongly at times. There can be significant conflict between higher aims and personal ambitions. You may resent the idea of giving all of the time and, in fact, if there is too much 9 energy in your nature you may reject the idea. You may often be disappointed in the lack of perfection in yourself and others.

Your Inner Dream number is: 4

An Inner Dream number of 4 means:
You dream of being a very solid citizen that people can depend upon. You strive for organization and predictable order. You want to be recognized as a person with a plan and the discipline to make that plan work like clockwork.




26 November 1984

Your date of conception was on or about 5 March 1984 which was a Monday.

You were born on a Monday
under the astrological sign Sagittarius.
Your Life path number is 5.

Your fortune cookie reads:
The beginning of wisdom is to desire it.

Life Path Compatibility:
You are most compatible with those with the Life Path numbers 1, 5 & 7.
You should get along well with those with the Life Path numbers 3 & 9.
You may or may not get along well with those with the Life Path number 8.
You are least compatible with those with the Life Path numbers 2, 4, 6, 11 & 22.

The Julian calendar date of your birth is 2446030.5.
The golden number for 1984 is 9.
The epact number for 1984 is 27.
The year 1984 was a leap year.

Your birthday falls into the Chinese year beginning 2/2/1984 and ending 2/19/1985.
You were born in the Chinese year of the Rat.

Your Native American Zodiac sign is Owl; your plant is Mistletoe.

You were born in the Egyptian month of Menchir, the second month of the season of Poret (Emergence - Fertile soil).

Your date of birth on the Hebrew calendar is 3 Kislev 5745.
Or if you were born after sundown then the date is 4 Kislev 5745.

The Mayan Calendar long count date of your birthday is 12.18.11.9.6 which is
12 baktun 18 katun 11 tun 9 uinal 6 kin

The Hijra (Islamic Calendar) date of your birth is Monday, 2 Rabi'u'l-Avval 1405 (1405-3-2).

The date of Easter on your birth year was Sunday, 22 April 1984.
The date of Orthodox Easter on your birth year was Sunday, 22 April 1984.
The date of Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent) on your birth year was Wednesday 7 March 1984.
The date of Whitsun (Pentecost Sunday) in the year of your birth was Sunday 10 June 1984.
The date of Whisuntide in the year of your birth was Sunday 17 June 1984.
The date of Rosh Hashanah in the year of your birth was Tuesday, 25 September 1984.
The date of Passover in the year of your birth was Sunday, 15 April 1984.
The date of Mardi Gras on your birth year was Tuesday 6 March 1984.

As of 5/13/2008 8:25:23 PM EDT
You are 23 years old.
You are 282 months old.
You are 1,224 weeks old.
You are 8,569 days old.
You are 205,676 hours old.
You are 12,340,585 minutes old.
You are 740,435,123 seconds old.

Celebrities who share your birthday:
Lil Fizz (1985) Tina Turner (1939) Rich Little (1938)
Robert Goulet (1933) Charles Schulz (1922) Eugene Ionesco (1912)
Eric Sevareid (1912)

Top songs of 1984
Like a Virgin by Madonna When Doves Cry by Prince
Jump by Van Halen Footloose by Kenny Loggins
What's Love Got to Do with It by Tina Turner Against All Odds by Phil Collins
I Just Called to Say I Love You by Stevie Wonder Ghostbusters by Ray Parker Jr.
Karma Chameleon by Culture Club Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go by Wham!

Your age is the equivalent of a dog that is 3.35381604696673 years old. (Life's just a big chewy bone for you!)

Your lucky day is Thursday.
Your lucky number is 3.
Your ruling planet(s) is Jupiter & Neptune.
Your lucky dates are 3rd, 12th, 21st, 30th.
Your opposition sign is Gemini.
Your opposition number(s) is 5.

Today is not one of your lucky days!

There are 197 days till your next birthday
on which your cake will have 24 candles.

Those 24 candles produce 24 BTUs,
or 6,048 calories of heat (that's only 6.0480 food Calories!) .
You can boil 2.74 US ounces of water with that many candles.

In 1984 there were approximately 3.6 million births in the US.
In 1984 the US population was approximately 226,545,805 people, 64.0 persons per square mile.
In 1984 in the US there were 2,487,000 marriages (10.5%) and 1,155,000 divorces (4.9%)
In 1984 in the US there were approximately 1,990,000 deaths (8.8 per 1000)
In the US a new person is born approximately every 8 seconds.
In the US one person dies approximately every 12 seconds.

In 1984 the population of Australia was approximately 15,677,282.
In 1984 there were approximately 234,034 births in Australia.
In 1984 in Australia there were approximately 108,655 marriages and 43,124 divorces.
In 1984 in Australia there were approximately 109,914 deaths.


Your birthstone is Citrine

The Mystical properties of Citrine

Citrine is said to help one connect with Spirit.

Some lists consider these stones to be your birthstone. (Birthstone lists come from Jewelers, Tibet, Ayurvedic Indian medicine, and other sources)

Yellow Topaz, Pearl, Diamond


Your birth tree is

Ash Tree, the Ambition

Uncommonly attractive, vivacious, impulsive, demanding, does not care for criticism, ambitious, intelligent, talented, likes to play with its fate, can be egoistic, very reliable and trustworthy, faithful and prudent lover, sometimes brains rule over heart, but takes partnership very serious.


There are 226 days till Christmas 2008!
There are 239 days till Orthodox Christmas!

The moon's phase on the day you were
born was waxing crescent.

Awake

It is hour 30 and I am still awake. Pills are not helping. I am going to try again to sleep. I will let everyone know when I actually fall asleep.

Busy

So I know that I haven't been writing on this blog much. I have been busy with my Grade 4 blog (if anyone wants a laugh just click on the movie I made for them http://fuhsinggradefour.blogspot.com)

Today I went around the city with Christa to video tape a tour of Taipei for my students (that is our next section). I am making a movie for them. Good times. I will put it up on Youtube so everyone can see.

Thats about it. Blondes will be here in exactly 10 days, 8 hours, and 27 minutes. I have a countdown.

Sleeping the Weekend Away

This weekend was spent sleeping. I slept a total of 25 hours in two days. Some of you are going "why?"

Its because I don't sleep during the week more than 6 hours a night. By the weekend I am exhausted.

It was nice not to have to go anywhere on a schedule. On Friday I met Christa and Steph for a movie and dinner (we saw The Other Boleyn Girl, not very good, but the costumes were amazing). On Saturday I met Christa for shopping and dinner. I bought a shirt that I had my eye on for a long time. It was on sale, almost 1/2 price. Sunday I didn't move from my house. I just watched Flags of Our Fathers (I had dream all night about being hunted by Japanese soldiers) and worked on a powerpoint presentation. Good Times.

I have a countdown on my computer for Blondes' return to Taipei. It says 15 days are left and I am very excited. I can't wait to hear all about Australia.

Drama in the 2nd Grade

Today was one of those he said, she said moments. It took fifteen minutes out of my class to decided whose pencil it was. Yes, a pencil was the source of outright drama. I have never seen the kids so insistent about anything before. The question was and still is (we couldn't decide) "Is this Josh's pencil or Brian's pencil."

Here is what we know: 

Brian lost his pencil yesterday. 

It was blue and it didn't have an eraser. 

Josh lost his two periods ago. 

It was also blue with no eraser. 

It was on his desk during the beginning of break and gone after break. 

Tommy said that found Brian's pencil on the floor.

Thomas said that Josh's pencil was taken. 

I think that it is Josh's pencil, but can't be sure 100%. So I let the homeroom teacher handle it. Many thanks to homeroom teachers. 

 

 

My Diary

This week grade 4 is learning about diaries so I showed them this blog. This has inspired me to make a new blog dedicated to grade 4. 

If you go to FuHsing and you are in grade 4 click here: http://fuhsinggradefour.blogspot.com

Different

There are days when I don't notice that I look different here. Actually most days I forget my eyes are green, my hair is brown, and I am not stick thin. It's not because I don't look in the mirror (I do). It's because I look around me. I am surrounded with brown eyes, dark hair, and 9.9 times out of 10 thin people. You see so much of this that you forget that you don't have these characteristics.

When I first got here all I saw was a sea of brown hair (mostly because I am taller than most people). Now I don't notice that. I notice hair styles, fashion, shoes (I love shoes).

But today I was walking home and I realized that I must look so wild in a sea of Taiwanese people. I am reminded of a silver space jacket that my old roommate Heather use to wear. We would joke that you could see her from space or at least across campus.

I always wanted to ask the question "When you see me, what do you think?"

I though that I share this with you. You can never experience the feeling of being so different until you are in a place where most of the people have similar physical characteristics.

(And to clarify to the people getting angry with me right now, I do not mean that Taiwanese people look alike, because they don't. I am just saying that 99.9% have dark hair and dark eyes. Plus a good amount are shorter than me.)

Nothing much to report

There is nothing much to report. The past two days have been section test days so I have been grading like crazy.

I went on a hike this past weekend. I will post pictures later.

Next week is the school anniversary. I am taking 5 days off (they give you four) and driving with Christa down the East coast of Taiwan. Good times (I hope).

End of a long week, beginning of another

For some reason I think the long weeks this year feel even longer than last year. 

We had Sunday off which was good just for my sanity. Saturday I went dancing with Kris and Christa to Luxy. It was fun. I got my hair done, which seems a trend right now for me at least. I go every week to a place and get my hair done just to get it done. It's nice. 

It was a interesting night (I bruised the crap out of my leg) and I was glad to have Sunday to sleep in. I met Christa and Geo at Chili's and then we went to Page One. 

Monday came to quickly though. It seems that I wake up, shower, dress, and teach grade one right away. This new time (8:15) is great because the day ends earlier, but gives you no time in the morning to turn of the teacher mode. 

It's time for class. I don't know how I will be able to work in a job at home. I only have three classes today. The downtime is quite nice to have so I can catch up on work (or just right blogs and emails).

At the beginning

Today is the first day of a 6 day work week. Anyone who has to work on the weekends knows that working on a Saturday or Sunday is just wrong. We have to do this because we have a "day off" in April. They call it a day off, but it isn't. If we makeup the day then it is not truly a day off. Call it what it really is people: another con of working in Taiwan. 

 

BSB Concert

Taipei Arena where the concert was

I have to say that I was a little bit nervous about going to the concert. It could have been crap for one thing.

But it wasn't. I was great. Christa and I had fun and we could tell that they were relaxed (pros you might say) and having fun too. They sang all the songs I wanted to hear and a song each from their solo albums (Howie, Brian, and Nick's were good, but A.J.'s was a mess).

Christa and I paid an absorbent amount of money to sit 17 rows from the stage (we would pay it again). We could see their expressions and details of instruments and clothes. It was wonderful. At one point Brian was frowning and then turned to the audience and smiled and we could see him clearly go from frown to the smile without looking at the big screen. We sighed with happiness because why go to a concert if you can't see the people performing?

Christa and I waiting for the concert to start

Our seats were great because we could turn to the right and look up and have a big screen to look at if we wanted a good picture and there were enough people to hide us taking pictures and videos (you are not allowed to take videos and pictures of BSB for copyright reasons). I got a video of my favorite song ever, Show Me The Meaning of Being Lonely. It is only 25 seconds long because I almost got caught, haha.



The concert opened with a boxing ring appearing on the stage and the boys coming out in boxing robes. They then climbed into the ring and started to sing and dance in a kind of kickboxing style. Christa thought "Crap." I thought "This is so cool!" Luckily for Christa they took off the boxing ring right after the song. haha. Howie did all the talking. When he came out for his solo he asked us if we wanted to hear songs from their solo albums. I wondered what they would do if everyone in the audience said no. I didn't get to find out because people screamed yes. Howie then went on to talk about the other guys and got all their names mixed up, haha. The next song was my Show Me.... and they sitting around drinking and playing poker. Nick asks "Where is Howie?" A.J. replied "Who cares. He doesn't even know our names." Howie came out on stage after that (he was changing his clothes) and said "Hey Rico" to A.J. A.J. said "I'm A.J. That's Nick and that's Brian." Howie replied "Nice to meet you".  I almost rolled onto the floor. (You probably had to be there)

The boys brought back memories of me being a teenager dancing around my room singing along. I was still smiling and singing the next day. What a great concert!



Close up of the giant screen outside the Taipei Arena

The crowd outside.

Our blurry tickets Row 17!

Can you find Christa?

More of the crowd outside.


The concert was sold out!


Inside the arena


People just started coming in. Talk about your nose bleeding. Take a look at the seats all the way up at the top.

The stage from where we were sitting.

There were two of these on each side of the stage. The one on our side was really close to us.

The guy we had to watch because he kept telling everyone to put their cameras away.

Nick on the big screen.

A blurry picture of the boys dancing. I think it looks wild.

Howie D. He is my favorite.

Nick

All the glow sticks during the concert

BSB singing

BSB on the big screen

A.J.

Howie

Brian

A.J.

Brian

Brian and A.J,

Brian and A.J.


BSB dancing

Nick, A.J. and Howie dancing

Blurry picture of them dancing

Howie

Playing poker and singing. Talented aren't they!?

Singing in great suits