chop up a papaya!

I used a story called Fruit Salad in Science class the other day, to introduce the idea of "Changing and Mixing Matter". On each page, it read: "Chop up a ___________, and put it in the bowl". When I got to the the page with papaya on it, I realized how funny "chop up a papaya" sounded when you said it altogether, quickly. So, for the rest of the day, my students were saying "Miss Arnold, chopupapapaya..!" and giggling. It was pretty cute, and just what I needed on a Monday.

In a related story, one of my students is obsessed with eggs. I mean, obsessed-- asking if we're having them for lunch EVERY day, writing about them everyday... everything is about eggs. So, you can imagine what his answer was when I asked "Stanford, what would you want in your fruit salad?". Ewww. Eggs?! Just a funny little Science class we had...

the best.

My thoughts: Burton's Alice

Being the Burton fan that I am (and always will be), I was more than excited to see his interpretation of Alice in Wonderland on the big screen. Burton's world in 3D is something that I've never experienced before.

In a nutshell, and despite some otherwise poor reviews, for me, Burton's Alice was just as much beautiful as it was completely bizarre. It was not only its fantastical special effects, but the characters, too, that really allowed me to enjoy this film. Burton's films make me remember what it was like to be young again and to really imagine, to escape, to dream.

A+

...these guys, seriously. The Winter Of Mixed Drinks has surprised me in a big way.

two girls vs. taipei (we won!)

Beth and I finally got to Taipei, like we'd been planning to do for weeks. We were feeling ambitious and excited so we planned a lot for the day! You really do need a good 7-8 hours in this city in order to get yourself around and to all of the wonderful sights.

Stop #1: Taipei 101 (it wasn't really a clear day, but we were there so we thought 'why not!'). This was a totally Asian version of the CN Tower (without a glass floor, as my nephew was quick to point out!).



Stop # 2: The Van Gogh Exhibit (totally worth it, although the wait was silly and inside was pretty much madness).

Stop #3: Ximen (shoe shopping-- finally!).


... so by the end of the day, we were tired! With a hazy view of the city, an art history lesson and some new shoes... we had done it!

feeling tired, but it was well worth it!

It was a last minute decision to get up at 4am and invite friends over to watch "the BIG game" this morning but I'd say it was well worth it! We watched the game on the big screen and celebrated with French toast when it was over. Although I hadn't watched any other Olympic events (it wasn't an easy task here in Taiwan!), I am truly thankful that I could catch this game and enjoy it with such wonderful people (even though the majority of them were American!).

I can't wait to take a nap, but at the end of the day I am just SO proud to be Canadian!