lower east side tenement museum

i went to new york [again] this past weekend, with my friend fan. we had a brilliant time. the only real negative in my mind is that we didn't book ahead for this museum. my aunt told me about it and i really really really wanted to go. BUT we didn't plan and i had no idea it was going to be sold out for the entire day. sad news.

we DID check out the gift shop and watch a couple intro movies about the museum. if anyone's planning a NYC trip any time soon, please oh please go to the lower east side tenement museum. it looks truly amazing!!

[and if you want to invite me, that'd be even better :)]

if i were a boy. 2

i'd have a little chat with the intermediate english teacher and explain that i want to be in her class bc my own class is too difficult for me.

but i wouldn't tell my own [advanced] english teacher that the only reason i want to switch classes is because i think the intermediate teacher is cute.

b/c he might tell her. and by "he might", i mean he will.

engrish.com

last year i used to regularly check a website called engrish.com. it's chock-full of japanese english, aka "engrish". i forgot about it until ann sent me a link to a blog article and ever since i opened the site a few minutes ago, i've been CRACKING up. seriously, engrish is hilarious. here are some examples....

creepy sketchball manga?!?!

ohmygolly. hilarious. i miss japan so much sometimes!

random discoveries

this week i've made quite a few new discoveries about myself. it's fascinating to have been living with myself for 24 years and still, all of a sudden, realize things i never knew. for example:

for as long as i can remember, blue has been my favorite color. but now it's kelly green.

i get annoyed & offended when guys say, in a surprised voice, "do you know how to drive stick?!"

i like croutons now!

i really like going to bed by 10:30. but if melissa's not ready for bed yet, i can make myself stay awake for a wicked long time.

i'm incredibly hungry for anything related to japan. i even started reading the books on our classroom bookshelf about japan [they were printed in 1991!] and looking at the old-school photos. usually i think to myself "mmmm, yeah, japanese kids still look the same" <3

if i'm not around people who like taking pictures, my camera can stay in its case for weeks on end.

i have this idea that my blog won't catch people's eye unless it has a photo with every post. sometimes i google random images to try and find one that relates. just so people will read this.

in my dreams

i hung out with linda on friday night [hooray!] and i drove incredibly slowly down the street behind her apartment so i could check out the houses. linda's neighborhood is super rad and i always notice the old architecture and the peaceful, non-assuming landscaping.

suddently my eyes bulged and my jaw dropped.

to my right was the house of my dreams. [now, i don't consider myself one of those girls born with winsome ideas about her perfect life in her perfect house with her perfect family. in fact, i recently decided i could very happily live in a cute, old, clean apartment for my entire life. however...]

the house is incredible. it's made of stone, has a funky, asymetrical shape, and has tons of unique windows. there is a cutie porch and a random upstairs balcony. it's super close to the train station [SWEET!] AND is coincidentally, four houses down from linda's dream house. seriously, what could be more perfect?!

guess i better quit working for a non-profit organization and start saving my moolah, huh?!

overheard...

"MAMI!!! guchame! guchame!" -alan, age 2
[i finally figured out that he was saying "escuchame"... listen to me!]

"dude, i'm in second grade. i know how to tell time"-pablo, age 7

"before i got married, i wanted to go to a beautiful beach on my honeymoon. but when we arrived, the beach was disgusting" -olivia, roughly age 32

"miss kelly!!! escribe citalali!!!" -citalali, age 2

my students [and their children] are hilarious <3

love day

as we prepare to celebrate valentines day next weekend, i've begun thinking about the things i love. there are a lot of them but i've tried to condense a little bit.

so now, in no particular order, twenty-eight things i love.
1. brilliantly sunny days
2. sitting at dinner and laughing hysterically
3. playing with my students' children at work
4. indian food
5. when melissa plays her guitar
6. someone posting on my facebook wall
7. sending snail mail
8. receiving snail mail
9. friend requests on facebook
10. visitors!
11. long conversations after a long long time
12. brownies
13. new recipes that turn out wonderfully
14. target clearance racks
15. magazines, especially with a home decor theme
16. the smell of tiny babies
17. hearing the words "ahhhhhh, i understand" [!!YES!!]
18. buying a couple new songs on itunes, then listening to them over and over for the next few days
19. my japan photo book
20. hearing japanese spoken
21. understanding kids speaking spanish
22. the satisfaction of having planned a great lesson
23. the fact that my old junior high buddy is on american idol!
24. discovering that i really love foods i always thought i hated [ie: chili!!!]
25. dark chocolate m&ms
26. the fact that my dad, my brother and i are the only people i know with our hair color
27. photography blogs
28. dresses