a wonderful day with a wonderful friend!

When you live in a smog-filled city it's easy to forget that you are surrounded by stunning countryside. I spent Saturday afternoon on a scooter, driving through the mountains with a more than wonderful friend, on look-out for a giant, gold Buddha. Now I know what the saying "a picture is worth a thousand words" means.

a day off.

Last Wednesday, we were given a day off of work to enjoy the Dragon Boat Festival in Hsinchu. It was a truly traditional experience, one that I enjoyed as my time on this side of the world is winding down. The boats were beautiful, the spirit of the festival was loud and lively. I was there to cheer on the Talladega Dragons but found myself to be quite interested in cheering for the very handsome Japanese men's team, too...

confidence boost.

Yesterday, my students told me that I was smarter than 1 million books! A true compliment, even coming from 2nd graders...

a couple of palm trees on each side of my cheek...

I was in a Blind Melon kind of mood this morning. I put them on my iPod and walked. As I walked, I thought about my love for the band and my feeling of absolute heartbreak (even as a 10 year old girl), when I learned that Shannon Hoon had died. I remember watching Blind Melon perform on our VHS version of Woodstock '94 over, and over (my brother and I probably watched 'Soup' about a thousand times and memorized every bit of the performance). There is just something so raw about their music; there always will be this "something" for me. I believe Shannon Hoon to be one of the most talented songwriters and original singers to ever have lived, and if I could pick one musician (dead or alive) to spend a day with now, it would be him.

rain, rain go away!

Last week-end we went on some sort of crazy jungle hike. The scenery was beautiful, the weather... not so much. Just clouds and rain in Taiwan right now (even a bit on the "chilly" side!). I shouldn't complain though, once the humidity arrives again, I'll have real reason to do so. Excited to be home-- excited to not find cockroaches in my room anymore-- 8 weeks!

saturday night love.

I grew up watching Saturday Night Live. I loved it when it was effortlessly funny, and I still watched it when it wasn't funny at all. It's just one of those Popular Culture staples that will likely always remain a part of my life. Having said this, I must admit that this season, too, had its ups and downs. I try to have patience with the show and I know that the waiting is well worth it when I see episodes like the one with Tina Fey as the host OR when I see skits like Garth & Kim and the SNL Digital Shorts.

Personally, I think that Kristen Wiig is a genius and that everything she does is so perfectly awkward and hilarious. I am hopeful for next season if she sticks around, and if Samberg keeps starring in these ridiculous shorts (this one just made me laugh SO much. I may be sick!):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pao46T_lafk

my ears are so happy.

thanks to:

1. Janelle Monae, The ArchAndroid
2. Robyn, Body Talk Pt. 1
3. The Gaslight Anthem, American Slang
4. Delorean, Subiza
5. Sleigh Bells, Treats
6. Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings, I Learned the Hard Way
7. Smokey Robinson, Greatest Hits
8. The Tough Alliance, New Chance

Sidenote: Janelle Monae may just be as out of this world as her alter-ego suggests. It's hard to believe talent like this! I haven't heard an album this good in a long time. Monae seems to be fearless and her latest album, incredibly diverse and refreshing to listen to (Sharon Jones, you're pretty darn good, too!).

it's a boy!

It's more than surreal to think/write about this, considering I missed out on every part of the process BUT, I am proud to say that I am an Auntie again! My brother Matt and his wonderful wife Amberley had their first babe: May 12th, at around 5:40am. A sweet little man was born, and shortly after he was named Duncan! Too cute. I am just so happy and excited for the Arnold's (Pugsley included!), and I can't wait to have my first Skype date with the whole family. Just one of those times you really wish it was easy and cheap to fly from one side of the world to the other...

I love you all SO much. Congratulations!

83 days...

...left with these guys, left in Taiwan (and not that I am counting or anything!). My feelings are becoming more mixed as the days go by.

my kind of equation.

Kate Nash + apples + sunshine = love.

a superhero kind of day.

Today, we rescued a kitten! It was quite the production (also known as, a "break and enter"), to get to this little thing but once we heard her desperate meow, we knew we must do whatever we had to do to save it. In about 2 hours, this 500g, gooky-eyed, black kitten went from total distress to total bliss: bathed and beautified, named and given a home. Welcome, Coco-- just the most precious thing. A very rewarding way to spend a Sunday afternoon, to say the least. I want to find another one tomorrow and keep it for myself. Not looking likely, but a girl can dream!

In the spirit of feeling a little bit like a hero today, I wanted to (finally!) watch Kick Ass. Totally worth the wait, totally not what I was expecting, but, a highly entertaining and action-packed movie nonetheless! I have to give it two superhero thumbs up!

homeade hair cut.

On Friday, I got my hair cut. I sacked up and said "let's do this!" because I desperately wanted my curls back. Well, the salon experience was something else. Really wonderful. Massages, long hair washes, the whole bit! They really take care of you at hair salons here... before the actual hair cutting begins, that is.

This is not my first time putting the fate of my hair in an Asian hairdresser's hands. When will I learn, I wonder? Maybe now. My hairdresser was 60% fascinated about my having curly hair and 40% frightened. Really, just SO nervous about what my hair would do (being curly and all), if he cut it too short. I tried to tell him over and over again that short was fine, just layer it, but to no avail. I left the salon with a sort of shorter version of my hair beforehand... curly on the top, straight on the ends: NOT a good look.

I let it go for a couple of days then realized I had had enough. At this point, I went into my roommate's room, got some scissors, consulted briefly then realized I didn't care whatsoever and that we should likely just start cutting before I could change my mind. I wish we had taken pictures of the process. Although things like this, you don't soon forget!

It definitely could use some refining, BUT it looks cute! It's short... really short! But my curls are back, fiiiinally.

(Sidenote: Sorry hair, I will never mistreat you like this again. It's been a rough year, next year will be better!).

holy folk!

I am a Folk gal at heart. Always have been, always will be. Folk music is just so simple, so honest. Perhaps this is, and always has been the appeal? Sure, it's always offered an alternative to what's being played on the radio and listened to by the masses at the time, but I think what's more interesting is not the genre itself, but the audience of this genre. Maybe, just maybe, people like myself appreciate it because in this hectic life we all seem to lead, it's an escape; a chance to get back to the basics in a world where this is becoming harder and harder to do.

Listening to: She & Him - adorable in every way and First Aid Kit- love, love, love them.

best science class around.

a league of their own.

Since seeing them at Lollapalooza two summers ago, Dr. Dog have become an absolute favourite of mine. I put them in a category of their own-- I truly think that their sound sets them apart from any other band out there (not to mention they were phenomenal live!). Dr. Dog, you bring a smile to my face.

Shame, Shame is their lastest album and is a gem, to say the least. Favourite tracks upon my first few listens? Shadow People, Unbearable Why, and Jackie Wants a Black Eye. In my humble opinion, these guys are about as real as they come anymore. What I appreciate so much about this band is the simplicity of their music. No gimmicks, just goodness.

Kudos, dudes.

two days down south...

Perhaps it's a good thing, going into a trip with little to no expectations. We planned a 2 day trip (using our 3 day week-end to our advantage), to go south and visit Kaohsiung. I had researched very little, and went into the week-end with an open mind and an excited little heart. To say the least, Kaohsiung was beautiful. It was quiet, well manicured, easy to navigate and sunny! My question at one point was "why would anyone ever want to live in the North?". Seriously.

As we walked along the water and took boats here and there, I really was taken a back by the city's culture. Art everywhere, an overall feeling of romance, and its laid back nature (laid back, as far as Asian cities are concerned!). Kaohsiung, to me, was unlike any big city I've ever visited-- it may even be up there in the ranks with Chicago!

Just an extremely inviting city, in my opinion. Maybe next time I visit, it will be for a little bit longer. Maybe another year, sometime down the road...?

4 months...

It really is hard to believe that 7 and a 1/2 months have come and gone already. It's the beginning of April now and by the beginning of August, I will be home again! So, that's only 4 months. Crazy.

This band and song remind me of last Summer. I really cannot wait to be home (I miss bike rides... among a few other things, of course!).

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.