from inspiration:
came implementation:
which then went into translation:
not in kindergarten anymore…
Tag: fun
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not so long in the tooth…
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Jack-o-Lantern
my first (ever) Halloween pumpkin: before and after.
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were the world mine
one thing i absolutely adore about the Sundance Film Festival, is how it surprises you every time! i happened upon one of the 2008 features to shine at Sundance, quite by accident. to tell the truth, i’m not exactly sure how it came about… maybe the faeries had a hand in it ;0)
the film that has me glowing from within, today, is called: “were the world mine” and is directed by Tom Gustafson. i got a copy, thinking it was a basic retelling of Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream – albeit with a queer twist. we watch a lot of movies at home these days, and i was looking forward to watching something a little less shock-shock-horror-horror or skop-skiet & donder* for a change.
Literally "kick, shoot and thunder" in Afrikaans, this phrase is used by
many English speakers to describe action movies or any activity which is
lively and somewhat primitive. Clint Eastwood is always good for a skop,
skiet en donder flick.Peter, however, wasn’t interested in watching it at all. maybe he has opinions about Sundance that i don’t know about… anyhoo – that’s another post entirely.
suffice to say that i watched it by myself, this morning, while he was still sleeping off his late night session of Taiwanese talk-shows. (which, by the way, look like bucket-loads of fun – if you understand the language.)
but back to the film: it was awesome! i laughed, i cried, i held a pillow for comfort and i felt all sorts of warm and fuzzy. it might not be the best produced musical in the world – but it’s way up there in my books!
in short, it tells the story of an openly gay teenager in an all-boys school, in a conservative town – who gets cast as Puck in the school’s rendition of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. add a touch of magic and mischief – and voila! you’ve got one heck of a premise.
oh, and let me not forget the singing! the singing and the dancing… *sigh* i think it’s officially taken the place of Priscilla in my heart. sorry girls, but this time i identify. and i’m gettng the soundtrack!
*sings: o timothy… timothyyyyyyyy*
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the clouds' good friends
we had a fun lesson in kindergarten this week: cloud gazing!granted, we had to do the lesson indoors (with posters and flash cards) because it was raining, but it was still a lot of fun to see the kids’ eyes open up to a whole new world of fantasy!here are some snaps for you: -
a walk in the park
there is nothing quite like a beautiful day in the park. having lived in a conservancy in SA (i.o.w. being surrounded by nature), i pretty much took parks for granted. here in Taiwan, though, parks are embraced for the jewels they are. everybody comes out to play with the kids and each other, fly their (many, gorgeous) kites, walk the dogs and just have a gorgeous time in nature. it really is a magical experience – one that i should indulge in more often.i am fortunate enough to live right next to an amazing park – the one surrounding the Kaohsiung Museum of Modern Art :0) and today i too strolled through it’s loveliness on my way to take in the Andy Warhol “Pope of Pop” exhibition.
it was fantastic! i thank my patient parents’ indulgence of my forays into art studies at Pretoria University (where i perfected vacillating into an expensive 3-year play-date) for the background necessary to enjoy the comedy of Warhol’s genius. seeing his works up close was brilliant! i think some of my fellow exhibition-goers might’ve been concerned about my sanity, though. not only do i look funny (super big & tall, fair fur covering my exposed flesh) – but i also frequently chuckled and giggled for no apparent reason. (is the Campbell’s Soup box with Warhol’s signature on funny? crazy foreigner…)after wandering through the other exhibits, i decided to take a different route home. the main route *lol*and boy was it fun! all the vendors and local artists peddling their wares, wonderful and weird locals cycling, skating, strolling around and taking many, many photographs. i regretted not taking my camera earlier (i was going into the museum, after all). Kaohsiung City government really did an excellent job with the grounds – and the little café-setup within strolling distance from everything has turned into an oasis of flavors and vibes.i did snap this with my phone. it’s in Engrish, but in that moment it didn’t matter:
i wish Peter could’ve joined me – but i’m sure Tokyo is a blast! -
a knight in shimmering armor
y’all know this week was not the easiest I’ve had in a bit. but thanks to scheduling requirements for my a/c installation, I got to take a day’s leave from school on Friday :0)
and Peter did not let the opportunity to sweep me off my feet slip by! Friday afternoon he bundled me into his car and whisked me off past Cishan mountain, to track down the first peaches of the season. (and he says he isn’t romantic!) en route, we checked out a place called ‘Holy Mt Zion’ – this is their gate:
from the looks of it, Mt Zion is what you’d call a faith based, self reliant, semi-autonomous community. (see how i didn’t say sect? oops…) very impressive and very big – it really takes up a biggish hill. but a bit creepy, so no other photos to share.yesterday, the girls from the buxiban came ’round to “warm” our apartment. Peter had made a reservation at our favorite Japanese BBQ for all of us – no dishes for me! *lol* to top it all off, he took me to see ‘the reader’ after everyone went home.
and today he’s taking me to a mulberry farm to pick the first mulberries of the season!
every day, I thank God for Peter. is it dificult to see why?
update: on the drive home, we stopped and got some pineapples next to the road. back in Kaohsiung we stopped at a market for fresh chicken and an (as yet) unidentified vegetable. when we got home, Peter started dinner: Chicken and Pineapple soup!
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tickle me this
when do we outgrow tickles?
i don’t think i know of one adult who will admit to loving being tickled – while i know many who tickle. thank Heaven for children who love being tickled – or we’d be surrounded by sad people clasping their hands under their armpits!what brings this on? well, my kids at kindergarten – of course! they love being tickled. in fact, in learning games – they actively seek out the booby traps that involve getting tickled! even being picked up (a stern favorite) takes a second place to being tickled. and boy is it fun!
you see, i’m a tickler. even as a university student – i loved tickling my sister until she threatened to wet herself. (having a beard helped a lot to continue the madness after she’d managed to grab my hands.)
and yes, i will admit that i love being tickled! (my Mom used to give the best tickles – though we would guard and protest oh so wholeheartedly ;0) )
now that i think about it, i suspect our enjoyment of being tickled is dependent on our trust in the tickler. it is, after all, a fairly intimate exercise – both physically and emotionally. obviously you have to allow someone to get real close to you for them to tickle you *duh*
but it’s the emotional intimacy that intrigues me. based on recent observations of my students (and fond memories of home); to truly enjoy a good tickle, you have to surrender to it completely. you have to give in and relinquish control for a few seconds. be in the moment – and enjoy with reckless abandon!maybe that is part of the reason why i love tickling – to experience such complete openness and unconditional trust is a rare thing in modern societies. a very, very beautiful thing to be sure. it’s a touch of heaven for the soul.
maybe our response to tickling can be seen as a measure of o our openness to being loved unreservedly?
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Energy and Enthusiasm
… these were the two “E”s i had to work on according to my walking on sunshine list – and boy, did i ever find the keys to those!
*lol*
going back to school was exactly what the doctor ordered. the tidal wave of love from my kids just blew me away! it really is amazing how those little bodies can bottle up so much energy – and they’re eager to share the good vibrations!anyhoo – must dash. School starts in 50 minutes.
chat soon,
*mwah* -
Sunny winter days rule!
looking out from the laundry balcony a few minutes ago, I decided not to go to Kaohsiung today:
who wants to go to the beach with me?
