Weblog Archive

.:December 2001 - January 2002:.

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01.31.02, Thursday

Happy Birthday Daddy!!! ^_^

It's my dad's birthday! ^_^ Hooray! He just gave me some cough medicine for this horrendous cough I have...what a dad, eh??? He's the best! ^_^

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01.30.02, Wednesday

Thanks for your very short but meaningful email Huy! ^_^ It made my day! And I just wanted to put it on my record, heh heh...you are too cool! Good luck on finals! (this super cool buddy of mine is in med school, and he's gonna be a famous doctor one day, heh heh!).  ^_^

That's all for today! ^_^

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01.29.02, Tuesday

Quite an eventful day today in 3rd period...! The class was good - NOone was causing any problems, except for two kids...it was just karazy! Hmm. How to start??? Okay, first of all, every now and then, I will randomly choose a student before class to write down the names of students who are not IN their seat when the bell rings. That's the rule of my class. Well today, three boys are not in their seat, and Dennise writes down their names on the board. 2 minutes into the Journal Entry, Mark (not my bro, hee hee...this is the short boy, who is even shorter than I am, that has a BIG mouth and a HOT temper) notices that his name is on the board and shouts out, "Why is my name on the board?!?" I tell him that it was because he was not in his seat when the bell rang. He starts to yell that he WAS in his seat (which he was not, as I saw him talking to his friends) and suddenly jumps up and goes to the board and erases his name from the board. I'm like, wha...? So I put his name back on without saying a word, and add an extra 10 minutes on there. He's mad of course, and suddenly, one of his friends (another attention seeking person who likes to sing in class) also notices his name on the board, says that he wasn't late, and gets up quickly and erases his name from the board. I put his name back on and add 10 minutes as well. Already, I was going to send these two kids out...they were already causing problems and more likely to cause more, aiya. But before I even say anything, the second boy, Terrence, says that he's not gonna serve no detention, and the other also quips in...so there's like the two loudest most annoying students in class declaring that they aren't gonna do nothin' about it...so I send them out to the office. 

Terrence goes to the office, but Mark continues to yell about this and that...and then it comes to him yelling that I'm not doing my job as a teacher - that I make the kids do my work, like writing names on the board, while I'm off just talking to other students. (Excuse me little boy...I was helping others at that time, and you very well know I am the one who says whose names are to be written on the board for the student to put them on the list!!!...I thought that, but didn't say it, hee hee...). I was like, Mark, come here...and proceed to take out a referral for him to take out to the office. That was just blatantly disrespectful. But he doesn't stop. He keeps ON yelling and screaming all kinds of things, and so I walk over to the phone to call his home, only noone is at home. I called the office, wanting to get the VP, burt she was on another line. At that point, when the secretary told me to hold, I was thinking, no way I'm holding...!!! Mark is still yelling and getting louder and louder and up in front of the class now, to the point that I actually yelled back in a very un-normal ANGRY Ms. Lau voice that he needs to keep his mouth absolutely SHUT. He's still going on, and I call his mother's work number, only his mom had just changed jobs and can't be reached at the number I had. The office sends over a campus supervisor who talks to me and to Mark about what happened, and takes Mark away after giving him a good yelling. 

Because I was in tears of just frustration and anger at that point, the campus supervisor takes my kids to the library, where they are to finish up on their research, while I went to blow my nose (heh heh, that just all added to my cold!). My 3rd period kids (the rest of them) were great - they knew exactly what to do, and I had given Peaches the folders for her to pass out. Meanwhile, I went to talk to the VP about what happened, and she talked to Mark. That boy is so disrespectful...I don't personally care whether he likes me or not, but to be disrespectful to that point. And I know that I'm his favorite teacher - but he has this temper that just FLARES (dude, he really needs anger management!) and a mouth that is SO big. For 2 days, he ain't gonna be in my classroom, and he's got himself a 45 minute detention as well as a lunch detention with the VP...and I'm glad about it. I love all my kids, and I do like Mark, but when they get that disrespectful when I'm totally not like that at all, and give so much to help them out...dangit, there's a line. If that was my son, if I had a son, hee hee...I'd totally slap him silly! 

During lunch, a bunch of kids from 3rd period came in to see how I was doing. They were all very mad at Mark and said that he was just plain stupid, loud, and retarded, should get a big punishment, and well, all that stuff. Kids from the other classes that found out what happened were like, "Where's Mark?!? We'll go beat him up for Ms. Lau!!!". Hee hee...how sweet huh??? I felt quite comforted, and my day was awesome after that! ^_^

What a rant huh??? 

Snow snow snow!!! There's snow on the mountains right by my house! It's so cool! I want it to snow here!!! ^_^

Check it out!!! Jason's dance ticket to Mid-Winter!!! Neato huh??? He wanted me to put it up here. Plus he's going with a very special (and might I add, lucky! hee hee) girl! (Blushing Jason??? j/k!) Heh heh...in a way, I miss those days. Dances to dress up and stuff...hee hee...but then again, I never really went to any dances. I only went to one. My 8th grade Luau. Who'd have asked me anyways??? Hee hee, j/k. =)  It's too bad there aren't any more dances now in my life. I'd go, even if I wasn't asked. It's not about being asked to go (I think that was a high school thing, hee hee), but just to go and have fun with friends and be silly. ^_^

Big thanks out to Shelton!!! ^_^ Hee hee...cuz of him, I no longer have those stupid ads on the side of my webpage!!! Props out to ya homes!!! ^_^

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01.28.02, Monday

Here is a little man that I made out of fruit one morning. His feet are coins. His eyeglasses are a paper clip and his hat is a cap off of a water bottle. I called him Jimmy.

This is one of the crazy random things you can find at Dilbert.com , besides reading a daily Dilbert comic. Hey, I don't get the newspaper except for Sundays, so this works for me. ^_^

Comics.com has one for Over The Hedge, another one of my favs. ^_^ Too bad they don't have one for Mutts. But they DOOOO have a Snoopy.com!!! And I found one for Baby Blues too! Ah...there are so few comics out there that are actually good, heh heh...like Apartment 3G, or Rex Morgan M.D, those certainly should not be in the "funnies" section....wassup wit' THAT?!? Heh heh...thanks Femdogg! Methinks I'll put these links up on the Fun list...or maybe make a separate daily comics link section, hee hee. I'm thinking about changing how the links are set up...I know...I change things a lot on this website, hee hee...but it's fun! That's what it's for anyways, right? Heh heh...

Ah....it's nice at school...I don't have to do much talking at the moment, as we're all in the library doing research and prepping for the Astronomy Presentations, hee hee...so it helps a lot with my cough! ^_^ Nothing too exciting today at all...except that I don't have TOO much work to do, hee hee, which is also nice because I really do just want to rest because of my mysterious back pain thing. The meds are doing their work though...pain is slowly getting better. But ooo! Remember how I wanted to do a night hike of some sort? Well, the top of the hill behind Fairmont Park is really just too small for a whole group of kids and their parents...My principal suggested that I ask the Riverside Astronomical Society to come to the campus, where they can host a Star Party for the kids! So right now, I've been talking to the Outreach Coordinator about the whole setup. Me and Cherie, another teacher that I'm working with on this, hope to convince our principal to provide hot cocoa for everyone that night as well...hee hee hee...it should be a really cool event! ^_^ Yay...I can't wait! There'll be telescopes out there, star charts, stories, and well, all kinds of cool things going on. Woo hoo! ^_^

Can you believe it??? My mom tonight is going to enroll in English classes at the Adult School. For those of us that know her well...Wow! Hee hee...Of course, she does have her buddy (her sister) to go with her, hee hee. I think they may even be starting classes tonight. Watch out world...first she's using MS Word, then emailing...before you know it, she'll be using her english on AIM in all da chat rooms, heh heh! ^_^

Heh heh...before I forget...BETTIS sure misses a certain someone...YOU better come back and pick up the poor thing, it's soooo lonely and sad. ^_^

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01.27.02, Sunday

Sunday

Today...another long and eventful day! After church, the college/career team practiced our chinese song again. It's actually starting to sound pretty good, hee hee...besides singing, we also have a lot of neat instruments...the piano, keyboard, chinese guitar (like from those old chinese movies!), acoustic guitar, chinese clarinet/flute thing, bass guitar, and violin. Wow huh??? After, we dropped off the Lee's (this time, Anthony was asleep, hee hee...), and went to McDonald's. Didn't they have cheeseburgers for 39 cents on Sundays??? I certainly thought so!!! Shelton said that they were 29 cents for hamburgers on Sundays, and the cheeseburgers were Wednesdays! So we made a bet...whoever loses has to buy the other a burger. But alas! When we got there...the deal they had was discontinued!!! >_< Arg...!!!! Hee hee...if anyone out there knows which day it was for cheeseburgers, let me know through AIM or email! I always thought it was Sundays, cuz I was thinking, on God's special day, you would get an extra slice of cheese, heh heh...kinda like a good thing on Sunday...ya know??? Hee hee...

Tonight, we went out for my dad's birthday! We went to another one of our favorite places...Diamond Palace in Diamond Bar!!! Mmm...we had all kinds of good things! =) Just kinda full now...hee hee...

I guess I should go practice the chinese song (I just found out today we may need to memorize it...Yikes!) and then get ready to sleep! ^_^

Saturday

I went to Shelley's bachelorette party...heh heh...for those of you wondering, I didn't stay the whole time, and pretty much left before the party "really" started, hee hee...^_^ I did get to see Shelley, Dolly, Olive, Giang, and Izzie, which was neat! ^_^ The party was down in Torrance...I didn't know it was soooo far away! I kept driving and driving and driving...wondering if I really was going the right way...till I passed a big pole that stated (now you may wanna say this gangsta' like...hee hee...) "City of Compton". I was like, WOAH, did I miss an exit, or was it really this far away??? Actually, I was heading in the right way, hee hee. I guess I never really realized how far Torrance was, even though I've been there before (like to the South Bay area). 

I had to leave the party early so that I could head to YF! ^_^ I picked up Melody, Megan, Linda and Michael, and went to fellowship at the Chiu's. Besides Bible Study, we also planned out our Fundraiser foods...mmm...we're gonna have a LOT of really good food...due to the creative minds of the Youth! ^_^

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01.25.02, Friday

It was interesting chaperoning the dance. First of all, I spent most of it in the locker room, where I helped a campus supervisor watch the girls in there to be sure they weren't loitering around. I spent the last 20 minutes going around the dance floor (gym) and it was WEIRD watching my kids dance, heh heh...but at the same time, I was bored to death because I couldn't really do anything other than scout around. I was like, dude, I wish I could bring my friends so that I could do something, but nope...I got to see a lot of my kids, and they wanted me to dance with them, but that was kinda weird too, as their teacher, I mean. So I didn't do much...boooooring...! heh heh...

...last night, because of a combo backache and cough/stuffy nose, I couldn't sleep...so I went online, and then tried to sleep again, and left this one away message on. Anyways...I never got to my computer again, and thus that one away message had been on all day today, till I got home tonight. I came home to find a message awaiting me...

sc q jayce (11:53:36 AM): Anzenchitai

Auto response from GuMMyChild (11:53:36 AM): I hope I can fall asleep this time...leave a msg! ^_^

sc q jayce (11:54:03 AM): Leeep Sleeep Peeep Meeep Sheep Reap Gleep.
sc q jayce (2:02:53 PM): Yahaa! I solved all the Plastelina puzzles!

Auto response from GuMMyChild (2:02:53 PM): I hope I can fall asleep this time...leave a msg! ^_^

sc q jayce signed off at 2:48:44 PM. 
sc q jayce signed on at 6:38:35 PM. 
sc q jayce (6:38:55 PM): Have you still been sleeping?

Auto response from GuMMyChild (6:38:55 PM): I hope I can fall asleep this time...leave a msg! ^_^

sc q jayce (6:39:06 PM): A nap, a very long nap...
sc q jayce (6:39:23 PM): One to rest your eyelids on, and allow those lashes to flutter once before a dream.
sc q jayce (6:40:09 PM): A dream of fields, maybe?
sc q jayce (6:40:45 PM): Of fields that sway with the golden sun's radiant lights.
sc q jayce (6:40:52 PM): Only to awaken to our rooms once more.
sc q jayce (6:40:57 PM): Don't we wish to sleep again?
sc q jayce (6:41:09 PM): Don't we wish again to bask in that light that shines from above?
sc q jayce (6:41:15 PM): Yet we must always return someday.
sc q jayce (6:41:37 PM): Return from those fields and back to our rooms...

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01.24.02, Thursday

The meds are working pretty well! 600 mg of Ibuprofen and 750 mg of Methocarbamol (muscle relaxant) does the trick to  pretty much relieve me of most, though definitely not all, of the pain. It still hurts if I do certain things or sit certain ways, but totally better than before! Or...maybe I'm just really drugged up and happy...^_^ 

I'm chaperoning tomorrow's after school dance...I guess I'm not well enough to give my kids a few backspins, hee hee, but it should be interesting anyways...heh heh...In class today, I started on the Stars unit. It was cool!!! Hee hee...I started it off by passing them out a snippet of the Lion King script...the part where Pumbaa and Timon are talking about what stars are.  The kids totally loved acting out the parts real quick, and it lead perfectly into the distance of the stars from us...which lead to the topic of the speed of light. They got really into it and asked all kinds of questions, and we talked about Time Dilation (Twins Effect), time lags, space communication and all kinds of stuff. They asked some really good questions, of which I'm looking for the answers right now, hee hee (since photons have no mass, they are able to travel at the speed of light. Since WE have mass, we can't ever reach the speed of light...however, how can photons have NO mass whatsoever? Don't they have to have some mass to exist? heh heh...anyone know the answer??? AIM me right away if you do!!! ^_^). I showed them a web article that they really liked...heh heh...you can read it here if you're interested! ^_^ In fact, I like this online Museum of Unnatural Mystery, so I'll put it under Science Links! ^_^ 

Mmm...me and Heidi went to a ghetto Mexican place for dinner. Yummy! It was one of those little holes in the corner...that happened to be by the pet store where I went to buy some crickets for Mushu (who ate a few up already...she just walks on over to them, and chomps them into pieces, heh heh). I had carne asada tacos...yummm, when carne asada is good, it's GOOD! ^_^ And they also had some really good super spicy salsa, the kind that lingers in your mouth and makes your nose run. Heh heh...I know, it sounds gross, but it's gooood! ^_^ 

A'ight...off I go...I think I'll just take it real easy tonight and get progress reports done. ^_^ Thanks to all of my homies out there that checked up on me and my back yesterday...it was totally cool of all of you! You all rock!!! And thanks for the prayers! ^_^ 

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01.23.02, Wednesday

Ooo...can you believe it??? SEVEN FREAKIN' HOURS at Kaiser today!!! My back has really been really bad...Please pray for me if you're reading this, cuz dude, it's excruciatingly painful...! >_< I woke up today and it was just plain bad. I could feel the weight of all of me (which is not THAT much, hee hee) on my lower back, and it was SO hard to just get up and go. My parents were still home when I got up (I kept getting up at random times last night...probably cuz i went to sleep around 9, hee hee...) so they helped me massage my back a bit...when I got to school though, oof...no way was I staying...! I called in a sub a half hour before school started, and took off to Kaiser. Kaiser has great people who work there - they were all very friendly, appropriately sympathetic to nice patients and appropriately tough with those grouchy patients who wanted everything done their way, and were all very supportive. However, getting things done by people was just incredibly slooooow...

They had me pee in a cup, and lo and behold, found blood in my urine. Great. From what I remember, when I first fell off that hammock, Ming's mother had said that if I had blood in my urine, it'd be a sign of kidney damage, as that's where I pretty much fell.  But I didn't see any and thought I was fine after a week last year. Well, come two weeks ago, the pain starts again, and gradually became magnified. Bleah. But anyways, the doctor (or PA, to be more accurate) said that the possibilities were: pregnancy, damaged kidney, kidney stones, or bladder infection. Taking out the first one, which would just be impossible, hee hee, that left me with three very unpleasant choices. They did an X-ray on my abdomen, and did a spiral CT scan as well. After THREE HOURS, I got the results...they came out negative! So I have no kidney stones. That leaves me now with two still unpleasant choices, and their method of finding out which one it is is to have me take medicine for two things: they gave me antibiotics for the possible bladder infection, and two types of big pills as a muscle relaxer. Here's the thing - if after a week (I'm supposed to go back next week), I still have blood in my urine, then the antibiotics did nada and I don't have a bladder infection. The muscle relaxer should help if it's just muscle pain...but I kinda doubt it's just that...but it's also drowsy medicine. Now you tell me...how am I going to teach 180 kids when I'm drowsy? *sigh* Maybe I should buy some Starbucks Caramel Macchiato to balance out the drowsiness...one of the very few coffee things that I do actually like. ^_^

Anyways...I think it's more likely to be the kidney damage, because of where I fell, and the coincidence of having blood in my urine when that same location on my back is hurting. But maybe I'll be lucky and it'll be a bladder infection...which doesn't sound too appealing...I mean, bacteria messing with the walls of my bladder??? Eeeewww. Either way, I'm still glad that I've never had oral herpes. ^_^

Okay...I guess I should go plan for tomorrow's lesson...I'm starting to actually feel a LITTLE drowsy now...maybe not so good when I want to plan a lesson, heh heh. ^_^

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01.22.02, Tuesday

Pictures page updated! Go see! Hee hee...

Ack, this back pain sucks...>_<

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01.21.02, Monday

Happy Birthday Fred! ^_^

Friday

The beginning of a 3 day weekend! ^_^ Friday night, my parents and I, as well as my cousin Paul and his family, Chester and his wife, and Chris, took Mrs. Leung out to dinner at Chun Ling Palace. Mmm...they have such good food there!!! Unfortunately...service is horrible and the portions are TINY...!!! If they were able to fix on those two points, it'd be an awesome place to dine at!! *sigh* Dinner was several hours long...it was a goodbye dinner of some sort, for "Leung Tai" is moving up to San Francisco to live with her youngest son. "Leung Tai", by the way, is 87 years old...she's pretty feisty and cool for her age. All the waiters at the restaurant knew her and  knew exactly what she liked. There was even a neighboring table of people that knew her. Wow, she's famous! Hee hee...actually, she is...I'm not sure what for, but my dad said that he thinks she held a government position or something. Something big. Neato! ^_^

Saturday

My back has been bothering me, and it has been worrying me. I had fallen off a hammock last October...hee hee...but my back had been okay since then. However, lately, it has been acting up. I mean, it would hurt my back if I bent it a certain way, like if I lifted my feet up to put on a sock or shoe...I mean, it was getting worse, and I was worried! I don't want some back muscle pain to affect my life! So, my mom took me off to Artesia to see a "Teeet Da" chinese doctor, which is something of a chiropractor. Dr. Wong was good, and I liked her...I never had been to a chiropractor before, but she quickly checked my back and said the bones are fine, and that it was, as I thought, a muscle injury. So then out of nowhere, she's like, "TWO NEEDLES!" I'm like...wha...??? Acupuncture??? I was scared!!! But she did it, and I have to admit it, she was good! I felt basically nothing, except for some numbness in the area that she poked the needles in. My mom said that about an inch of both needles were in my back...WOAH!!! She said that in a few days, my back should gradually get better, and within a few days, it should be fine. If not, I would just see her again and then that should be the last time, if needed, to see her! Yay! I sure hope it works...

Sunday

What a day!!! Heh heh...first I went to church, and lo and behold...I saw my long lost buddy, Jason!!! ^_^ It was good to see you again homeboy! I really hope that you can make it to Winter Camp this year...it won't be the same without you!!! ^_^ I mean, yeah, we still talk on AIM, but dude, it's different than face-to-face contact, ya know? After worship today, CCF practiced our chinese song! Heh heh...I get to sing a solo, which is scary...I mean, yeah, I usually sing solo, or at least with Edwin, for CCF Praise, but this song is in CHINESE!!! Mandarin...which is karazy, as I have no idea what I'm saying! I do have a translation in front of me, so yes, technically, I do know what I'm saying, but at the same time, I don't, cuz I really don't know what the words coming out of my mouth mean. But it's all good...it's a good song. =) We're practicing for the upcoming Chinese New Year celebration in February!

After practice, Fred, Shelton, Mark and I went to drop off the Lee's (which, by the way, are SO much fun to be in a car or anywhere with! Heh heh...they always have so much to say! Whether we are discussing intellectual things, like dreams and neuroscience, or random things like...well...just random things!) and then headed to Petsmart! During the church cleanup yesterday, my cousin Paul and his son Thomas caught a big lizard by the podium in the sanctuary! Vanessa gave me the lizard today...it's BIG! Almost a foot long!!! At Petsmart, the specialists said that it was a healthy, female Alligator Lizard! Neato...! And the cool part is this lizard has a gentle nature, and didn't bite when we picked her up. I think I will name her Mushu, as Fred suggested, heh heh. I wanted the lizard to keep as a class pet, so I got a little plastic aquarium thing and a water dish that has a branch on it for her to climb and bask on. ^_^ I will find some soil for it tomorrow! ^_^

The four of us then headed to Rowland Heights, so that Fred can get his Park Ji Yoon CD and that we can all eat! =) We headed to Garden Cafe...mmm...I got Beef with XO Sauce in Udon noodles, with hot tea...for under $5! ^_^ I haven't had Udon in a while, but I love it...and the XO Sauce, mmmm...just slightly spicy, which is perfect! ^_^ Then we headed to the HK supermarket where we all bought some Hinoichi Tofu (the best kind, by the way) and green onions. The funny part about this is that Fred actually was there and even picked out the green onion...and you'll see why it's so funny in a sec...

We got home with like half an hour before we had to leave for Fellowship. I started on the tofu right away...I cut out the letters F, R, E, D...hmm...did ya figure it out yet? Hee hee, I pan-fried them, and added in the usual (but deeelicious) green onions in oyster sauce. Ta da! Fred's bday tofu...all in honor of the AznTofu. ^_^ We got to Fellowship a bit late, but it was okay...there was still food, hee hee (not that we were TOO hungry, having just eaten a while ago). Fellowship was again really good. It was the last of the Dating Dilemma series, and the theme this time was about Waiting...hee hee, applicable to me, probably? ^_^ It was good though...we studied the story about Jacob, Leah and Rachel, but well...put a humorous twist on some of it...^_^

Ha, and you think that was the end of Sunday night? Nope...! After, Fred, Edwin, David, Eym-Soon, and Li-Yin came over. Edwin wanted to play Mah-Jong, heh heh, so him, David, Mark and Eym-Soon played a few HOURS of the game. And Fred was playing his Final Fantasy X game...while me and Li-Yin and Shelton worked on Li-Yin's narrative essay. Heh heh...let's just say there was a lot of work put into the intro hook...a dark and foreboding maiden journey used as a metaphor, hee hee... ^_^ Li-Yin and I also did get to cook more tofu, as we all started to get hungry like at 1 in the morning. ^_^ The game didn't end till 2:30 am...woah! I've passed my point of sleepiness, and so I decided to update my journal before I slept, heh heh...

Hmm...my back is a little better...I can pick up both legs and not feel any pain. And I can sit in a way that used to hurt before, but doesn't anymore. And well...I hope it keeps getting better! ^_^

What will I do after I wake up today? Heh heh...probably finish up my grading, do a bit of a Stars lesson for class...and rest and relax...! ^_^ Have fun at Magic Moutain Fred and Ed! Heh heh...normal price is too much for us, so we aren't going...besides, I don't think I'd feel like waking up and being out of the house by 7am...which is only a few hours away (it's 4am!). Sleeping in would be nicer. ^_^

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01.17.02, Thursday

I love my Malibu...simply because it's mine. ^_^ And needless to say, it has a personality of its own. For example, it will yell out at random times...for no reason, it'll honk, heh heh. Kinda embarassing, hee hee, like when it honked at these construction workers one time, and a few kids walking to school another time, heh heh...but I guess it's just expressing itself. Better than keeping it all inside, right? ^_^ But lately, it's been honking more sporadically, and at a more frequent rate. Is it just angry? Or is it trying to tell me something? ^_^

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01.16.02, Wednesday

CORRECTION: What I have is NOT a cold sore. A cold sore is a form of oral herpes. Eeeewww! Hee hee...I have a canker sore...a mouth ulcer...^_^ I'm so happy it's not a herpes thing, hee hee...that's gross...!!! ^_^ I mean, I'm sure many of us has had a kind of herpes virus before...like chicken pox! But I'm glad what I have is not oral herpes...it's just the name, hee hee...it's gross! ^_^ Oh happy day...!

Canker sores take 7 - 10 days to heal, according to my Kaiser Healthwise Handbook. Today is day #5. And so GuMMychild waits...

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01.15.02, TUESDAY (heh heh, thanks Scoobs! ^_^)

"Will you be the rock that redirects the course of the river?" 

~Claire Nuer

Our journal entry for class today...a good one, right? The kids are really getting the hang of journal entries, and their responses are so much better now than they were at the beginning of the year! Hee hee...I love these kids...! ^_^

I've been having bad luck with breakfast lately...On Saturday, at the Planning Meeting, I had this yummy blueberry bagel with cream cheese spread on it. Mmm...as I was happily munching on my bagel, I bit the inside of my lip...HARD. Ouch...! Tears were literally in my eye during the meeting...I just sat there and didn't say anything for a long time and waited for the pain to go away...*shudder* And of course, while going home, I bit my lip while singing in the car...another ouch...! (So just imagine a huge cold sore compounded with a slight cough for today...talking wasn't all too pleasant today in class, heh heh...). Then this morning, I run downstairs to heat up water for hot chocolate. After all, I still had some leftover Cool Whip (hmm...I wonder how long they last for...?) and it'd be nice on hot chocolate on a cold morning! But alas...when I poured the hot water into the cup...*crack*...the hot water cracked the glass! Cheap glass...you have lost me my morning hot chocolate...and probably cuz I didn't get my warmth from hot chocolate this morning, that allowed for this persistent cough I had for today. >_<

Many of my kids at school have been sick...such as with strep throat! Yikes...I hope I don't get it!!! The reason for my sudden fear? Cuz I woke up today with a little cough. Just a small one...but nonetheless persistent throughout the day. No no no, I will NOT get sick!!! I can't! >_<

*update: Oh my goodness...a turning point in my life...the bend in the road, you might say...! For the however many years that I have been alive in this world, I have always believed that a cold sore, in cantonese, was "bei-zee". So I was telling my homeboy Shelton about this horrible "bei-zee" I have...and he's like, "faye-zee". Huh??? After arguing for the longest time over this one word...my San Diego auntie calls the house, so I ask her, and she tells me: "It's faye zee, like faye-gei (airplane)." And not only that, "dirty" is not "Ooo chou", it's "Wooo chou"...so perhaps I don't really have an accent...it's more like I say the wrong things! =Þ Ah, I guess you could say that I now have a more enlightened mind...

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01.12.02, Saturday

This morning, I went off to the REACh Planning Meeting at SGVAC...no sleeping in for me! ^_^ The meeting was nice though, and we got a whole bunch of things planned, including stuff for summer camp! I got to see old friends, like Tako, Jeff, Jenn, Regina, Joanna, Pastor Mike Wu, Daniel, and met a new friend, Garrick! Eric...make sure you get something I gave Jeff to give you...heh heh...Afterwards, we had lunch at El Pollo Loco. While we were there, they ran out of chicken! It's El Pollo Loco...there has to be chicken! hee hee...so we had to wait like 20 minutes for our food...but the tostada was pretty yummy, except I had to pick out the beans. >_< (in case you're wondering...beans, eggplant, stinky tofu, bittermelon, and the like are not part of gummychild's list of favorite foods, heh heh...)

I can tell you about why beans make you fart...or, I mean, "flatulate"...heh heh...it's science! =) But maybe I'll save that story for another day. ^_^

Do I look like a gangsta'??? I mean, does da Gummychild present herself as a hooligan (and Lorie, you can't answer this, heh heh!)? ^_^ Because for some reason, my kids at school think that I am...like, for some reason, they believe that I'm a "Westsider" and always ask me - "Ms. Lau, have you ever gotten into any fights? Do you drive a suped up car?"...and things like that. ^_^ Ha! I drive a Malibu...! Aw, oh well...these kids are fun...lots of energy to handle them, but it's fun! ^_^ 

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01.10.02, Thursday

How cool! I just got a phone call from the lady that I'm renting the cabin for our college/career retreat in February. She was talking to me about the place (which sounds REAL nice!) and then asks if I'm a student. Heh heh...my voice pretty much doesn't sound like a teacher, I know...but thinking that she may have something up her sleeve, like more charges or whatever, I was like, "No no, I'm actually a teacher, and I teach students!". ^_^ She then told me that last year, she had some students that had made a mess of things, so she was just worried about it...and I was like, hey! No problem, we're a church group! Yeah, we may be college and young career ages...but I doubt we'd be having wild parties up there during a retreat. ^_^ She was like, "Praise God!". As it turns out, she's Christian too! And she told me that her intentions for the cabin that she has been blessed with was that she would be able to rent it out to churches that needed it for retreats and stuff, which is so neat! If I had the money, I'd do the same type of thing...it's a good idea. The price of the cabin is pretty cheap - $350 a night for a place that would normally be about $500 a night (I'd know...I did a full day of nothing but research looking for cabins, hee hee)...and it sleeps about 14 people, has a fully stocked kitchen (with dishes, utensils, placemats, appliances, antique tables, and all that stuff), a barbeque on a huge deck, and well, it's just really big and nice, and close to the slopes and runs too...snowboarding perhaps? ^_^ If anyone needs such a huge cabin for church retreats (staff, core, small groups, or fellowships)...let me know and I'll send you our renter's info, heh heh. ^_^

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01.07.02, Monday

Ooo...look what I found today? Heh heh...Mark and Shelton, you know what this is all about...^_^

Saturday - Most of the day was spent watching Street Fighter II (animated series, hee hee...) and working on pretty much nothing else, heh heh. We did have a YF meeting at TNT's place, which was cool, as it was the first meeting of the year! ^_^ After, we had our Core meeting. WOW! The Core group, I can feel, is going to do lots of things this year! ^_^ Although it existed before, I never had the time to really sit down and think about what to do with the Core group. I created it a long time ago, but pretty much, never really put it to use. I had been thinking about it for some time, and decided to make some changes...we changed the structure and organization of the functions of the group, and wow, after the first meeting, it's totally showing that it's going to make wonders...backed by God! ^_^ Ideas of all sorts flowed about...our need for a Historian, Treasurer...ideas to participate in the Riverside Orange Blossom Festival, and organizing everything onto a calendar...and well, all sorts of things! Wendy, our Secretary, is doing an awesome job organizing everything, and Thomas, the Chair, will be playing a major role leading it all. Melody has agreed to be Historian (though we still need to find a few more) and Theo has agreed to be Treasurer (Josh as Assistant Treasurer maybe) and Photographer (helps Historian). I think my experience in the Governing Board has really added to help on organizing up the Core group...see, God has a reason for everything He does and put me in! ^_^

Sunday - Li-Yin got baptized today! Yay! It was cool...and the thing was, she was SO worried about her testimony and afraid of speaking in front of everyone because of her English, but dude, she was so good up there! Not the least bit afraid (or so it seemed, hee hee) and she has awesome word choices to express herself in English. She did it all with no help whatsoever! I'm proud of her! ^_^ In the evening, we had our College/Career Fellowship at Ivan and May's. Mark, Shelton and I wore our white headgear, hee hee...87, Ducky, and Gummychild...^_^ It was another night of good food, fun, and debating over random questions, heh heh...ah, it was fun anyways, and we got some group pictures too. Will post whenever they get developed, hee hee... 

Monday (today!) - Back to school!!! ^_^ No more waking up late! Or well...not like I really slept in at all over break! I kept waking up like at 9am for some reason, no matter WHAT time I slept!!! I think only once I slept until 9:30 or 10. Bleah. But yeah...back to school...and I loved it! I know...180 of these crazy 8th graders...but they're great, I love them! ^_^ We spent half of our day going over rules and expectations, and then the other half on our lab write ups from before vacation. Since I got all my work done in school today, I can spend all day today updating my webpage...I'm working on revising the Words section...still in progress. ^_^ ARG, I hafta take out the mailform...sparklit is going to CHARGE for its use...so I have to take it down, and meanwhile, maybe look for another form (free of course)...*sigh*

*update: 10:18pm - I am done!!! Words section is all updated, and the Fun Places to Visit links are all moved to their own separate subpage! ^_^ Check the link at the bottom of the webpage to go see it...hee hee...! ^_^ Now I gotta go sleep...must get up...at...6am...before a certain somebody...ahem...hee hee...

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01.04.02, Friday

Up and out to school by 6am this morning...! I went with Mark and Shelton to get to UCI for today! ^_^ Why??? To see my friends, as well as get work done at my old friend, the Science Library. ^_^ I went to this neato little Japanese cafe for lunch, with Giang. It was part of the Ebisu Supermarket, and they had deeelicious Japanese styled spaghetti...that included bread and hot tea. They served ice cold sugar water in place of plain ol' sugar. Mmm...sooo yummy! ^_^ For dinner, Mimi and I went to Chili's for some of their crispy seasoned curly fries...mmm...and we had some fried catfish and fried shrimp as well! After, we went to Tapioca Express. Ooo, I haven't been there in a long while!!! This time, I tried something new...the Green Apple Snow Bubble Tapioca Tea. Lovely!!! It's tangy...just as green-appled things should be. So so far, I like the Peach...Mango...and now Green Apple. Heh heh, I'm slowly trying all the flavors...though at a very slow rate...^_^

Besides seeing some friends (aiya, I missed Dolly...! >_< Next time, heh heh...and Shelley was way in Torrance, and Olive still in the Phillipines...!), I also did get a LOT of work done in the inspirational Science Library...I am done with my Youth lessons and core meeting agenda, as well as having an outline for the first three weeks of the year at school...and I have seating charts almost about done. ^_^ Yay!  

Note: Do you notice this sudden use of blobs??? Heh heh...if you think I have a lot...I mean, Jason...well...he's got about a whole 400 of them or so! Now THAT'S a lot! ^_^

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01.02.02, Wednesday

This is what I did ALL day long...(besides grading lab conclusions)...washing dishes...! Heh heh...and I also won a sugar cookie bet...muah ha ha!

I just finished Esperanza Rising...it's good! Go read it too! ^_^

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01.01.02, Tuesday

Happy New Year!

Happy 2002! ^_^ Wow...two thousand and TWO...!!! Already...wow...karazy! 

Eym-Soon, Li-Yin, Shelton and I went off to the Stream of Praise Countdown Concert down in Monterey Park. I just got back from it...it's like 2:15 a.m.! Heh heh...they were such an enthusiastic, exciting group of people! Too bad I didn't understand what most of it was...it was all in mandarin, and the occasional cantonese translator mumbled alot, and his mic was low or something... However, I still had several hours of fun! ^_^ It was an interesting, and probably memorable way of celebrating the New Year in. =)

During the day yesterday, we all met up to tidy up our details for the College/Career Fellowship Retreat in February. =) We have a really cool cabin set up, and well, plans are underway! Our theme? It deals something with the second coming...that's all I'll say for now. ^_^ We also had my mom's delicious curry chicken for dinner...mmm...and came home after the countdown to a nice Crab Shiu Mai snack...yum...it's been a good day! 

*update: 11:43 pm: Most of today was spent in the kitchen...I got up and had to make a giant lunch for my relatives that were coming back from HK today..and then I had to bake cookies for my "Kai-Ma" (godmother) because she gave me a tin with cookie cutters, cookie mix, and cake decorating tips and frosting, hee hee...so I made her a bunch of cutout sugar cookies, decorated them, and put them back in the tin to be delivered back to her tomorrow. =) Fred is back! ^_^ So all of us met up with Edwin and Dorothy over at Banana Bay in Rowland Heights for dinner. Eh, the place is okay...not that great...I like the Boat better, for Thai-Chinese cuisine. Ah...back to Street Fighter on the SNES and grading papers...heh heh...latas! ^_^

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12.30.01, Sunday

Vegas was awesome! ^_^ There was a lot of eating and walking, from what I remember...heh heh...

Friday - We were planning to leave at 10am, but didn't get to until about 11:30. The reason for our delay? One of our neighbors was giving away FREE topsoil! FREE FREE FREE! hee hee...so my dad was very excited about it, and we all went to shovel and transport it over to our backyard...it took about an hour, but we did get a whole lot of dirt, and my dad was as happy as could be. ^_^ Our van setup was different than usual this time: we brought our small, portable VCR/TV and Shelton, Mark and I watched a chinese kung fu legend flick ("Yee Tin Dou Long Geem"...the "something Sky, something Dragon Swords") most of our way there, and read Harry Potter 4. Yup. When we got to Vegas, the three of us went to pick up Shelton's mom from work and met up with everyone else at the Yuen's. The three of us went to Shelton's church for Friday night fellowship. Wow, there were a LOT of people there, heh heh, but it was all good, and I picked up good things from the speaker. ^_^ Afterwards, we met up with the parents at a chinese restaurant for a deeelicious dinner...mmmm...! ^_^ Later that night, some of his friends came over so we got to meet them (heh heh, they came over because Mark and I...well...let's just say the presence of my mom looking out the upstairs window as we began to drive off to Tea Planet after my mom had said she didn't want us to go out late was pretty intimidating...heh heh...). 

Saturday - Woke up...went to dim sum for brunch, where we were stuffed with shrimp dumplings, siu mai, ngou cheung fun, fried rice, beef chow fun, chiu chow fun guo, ham shui gok, and well...all the good dim sum stuff! ^_^ After, we went touring the strip, particularly all the neat shops they have now. We went to Alladin, where we spent about 2 hours or so exploring, meandering and shopping (my dad got a GAP jacket for only $20! Super super on sale!), and we even got to watch a neat performance, which included belly dancing, gymnasts/acrobats who made all kinds of pyramids and jumped all over the place, and some people showing off some skills with swords, the  "Iron Stomach" kung fu, as well as the "Shrinking Bones" thing. It was really cool! ^_^  Paris was a little disappointing...it was small, and not as grand as it could have been. We also visited Bellagio, but did no real shopping there (I mean, Gucci? Heh heh, even if it's on sale, it's way out of my price range, heh heh). Caesar's Palace was as grand and luxurious as it always has been, and we got to see their newer shops at the Forum. We got to see the Race for Atlantis show, where we couldn't hear a word that the characters said...it was hard to hear them clearly when they're shouting but kinda mumbling at the same time. =Þ However, the good thing was that we got to pick up Tiramisu Cake from my beloved Cheesecake Factory! ^_^ After our round of touring, we went to eat dinner at the Gold Coast buffet...where there was something of a struggle to pay for the food, heh heh...but with the little arm-twisting help from my mom, I got to pay for dinner. ^_^ After, we headed to visit Venetian...wow, that place is sooooo grand and elegant...absolutely exquisite! I like it more than the Bellagio, heh heh...and then we went to Circus Circus, where we all gambled our money away at the midway arcades. We got a bunch of 2 for 1 tickets for the games, so we played a lot of games, worth more than the $10 that we each spent on games, and did win all sorts of stuffed animals. ^_^ There's even this huge bright lobster...now deemed "Red Lobster". ^_^ The night ended with a full stomach and the grand finale ending of Harry Potter 4 for Shelton and I. WOAH, the plot twist is KARAZY...!!! Hee hee..if you haven't read it yet...get to it! It's sooooo unexpected, and well...let's just say I can't wait for the 5th book to come out. ^_^

Sunday - Got up this morning, ate a bunch of dim sum leftovers for breakfast, packed...and headed home! Tonight, the three of us will probably go watch Lord of the Rings...finally! ^_^ I'm glad to be home though. ^_^ The End for now! =)

*update - 11:03pm: Lord of the Rings - it was good! Go watch it! ^_^ Lots of really good action, blood-rushingly and gut-wrenchingly intense, heh heh. Ah, but unfortunately, it didn't live up to Mark's expectations. I would ask him how and why he felt that way, heh heh. ^_^

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12.27.01, Thursday

Today, Li-Yin and I went off to Cabazon to go shopping! ^_^ I've never been there, and have heard good things about it...so why not? It was sooooo far away...and you know what? It is not THAT great! I mean, yeah, they have big brands, like DKNY, Gucci, Versace, Guess...but my goodness! Just think of their normal prices...and even it it's discounted to outlet prices, it's not that much. Arg. I was hoping Guess would have some cheap prices, hee hee. =) But oh well, no biggie. The Espirit store there though, had really REALLY good deals, and I'd say that it was totally worth it. =) I didn't get anything there, but they did have a lot of good stuff for low low prices. =) 

After that, we went to the Galleria at Tyler. Ah, much cheaper deals at the mall! =) I got a pair of pants and a top for really cheap (at Robinsons - May, almost everything was like 50% off, heh heh!). We came home to a BBQ dinner with all of us and Eym-Soon and David: skewers, steak, chicken, pork, etc...I'm glad I was really hungry! ^_^ Eym-Soon also brought over the Almond Milk thing I had at their place this morning. He had stopped by the market to get me some - mmm! See, I don't like milk. This thing is NOT milk, but looks like milk...kinda like how soy milk is. It's soy-ey like, but also has this slight almond flavor...anyways, I love it! ^_^ Thanks Eym - Soon! 

Tomorrow we are off to Vegas! We get free room and board at Shelton's, heh heh. =) It should be pretty interesting...I haven't been there in quite some time! ^_^

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12.26.01, Wednesday

Happy Birthday Jenny!!!

What a day! It was grand! We went to the California Science Center, which is across the street from USC. That place is so cool! We got to see the IMAX movie, The Human Body. Ah, I guess it was informative for lay persons...hee hee...I was like, OH OH! What about this or that?! And that?! That's IT?! Hee hee...I guess knowing and really liking the details gave me a biased opinion of it. ^_^ But it was still cool...they had a really neat bit on the diving reflex for babies, and they also had some neat computer graphics rendering of the skeleton. ^_^

Before we got there though...we had lunch at my dad's new favorite spot...Penang! This time, our choices were not as deftly chosen as last time. We chose dishes that were common to HK cuisine, like Beef Chow Fun and Won Ton Noodles. Eh, it was okay. Their Singapore Fried Rice Noodles were excellent, as well as that Malaysian pancake with curry dipping sauce! ^_^ So I think they have REALLY good Malaysian style foods...things that aren't Malay in there are only okay. But it's still a good place to eat, and still top on the list of good eats. ^_^

After all that, we drove in an hour and half of traffic to get home, and get to David's for dinner. His parents invited all of us, plus Li-Yin and Eym-Soon, as well as Kevin and his mom over for dinner. All of us (minus the parents) played Rich Man, Poor Man (wow, I haven't played that in a long while!) for some time before leaving at around 11pm. Yup, that was the day after Christmas...! No shopping today for me...hee hee...yet...wait till tomorrow! ^_^

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12.25.01, Tuesday

Merry Christmas! 

Yay! It's Christmas! What a wonderful day it is already! Merry Christmas everyone! Despite the bright lights, beautiful and shiny decorations and presents that come with Christmas, there is always the reason for Christmas...Christmas, not X-mas...there would be no Christmas without Christ. Our speaker this Sunday had an excellent point about the "X"..."X" in Algebra means...? Unknown, right! What does that tell you about how Christmas has lost its focus on Christ...?

Femi came over last night and we all watched Monsters, Inc. with him. Wow, I haven't seen him in a long while, but of all the people from high school, he is the one I keep most in touch with. I think it's cuz we both went to UCI together, plus, we're just tyte like that, heh heh. Next would be Kate, heh heh. It's weird...good friends of mine though, even though we hardly see each other because we no longer go to school together, still are good friends...it's kinda like even though time and location has put us apart, we still have that "good friends feeling", heh heh, where I don't feel like that person is a total stranger or anything. It's as if things are just the way they've always been, and that we'll always be buddies despite not physically seeing each other for some time. Heh heh, this definitely goes for my bestest friends Huy and Lorie too, who are both studying their own realms of science far away from where I am. ^_^

I have a dinner party tonight with the rest of the Lau clan...heh heh...there are a LOT of us on my dad's side...I think about 40 or more...wow huh??? But it should be fun! I like my relatives - Lau's are funny people! It's a Lau-humor type thing that is innately embedded upon birth for all Lau's...it's a Lau-like humor, heh heh...We're heading to my Uncle Peter's place. He lives down in Laguna Woods, and what's funny is that it's basically a retirement area. When he moved in with his giant speakers, DVD player, homemade surround sound system and all his gadgets, the neighbors were like, "Aiya, we have a new kid on the block now!" ^_^

Heh heh...if you're bored...go to iSKetch.com. =) My nephew Jonathan had me play on this site and it's SO fun...if you like pictionary! ^_^ Have fun! 

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12.24.01, Monday

Hmm...my whole goal for sleeping in this vacation so far has been shattered! Heh heh...Saturday morning, I had to get up early to take my car to the dealer. The main reason was that it had some problems with the brakes - a wheel cover nut was broken. But I also had them check out the random honking that goes on with my car, hee hee...for no reason, it'd just honk at people, buildings or birds. Hee hee...I guess it has personality. ^_^ Sunday morning, I got up right when I'm supposed to leave for church, so needless to say, I got there a little late...heh heh...and today, because it's so sunny, I guess I just got up at 8:15am for the heck of it. I have yet to sleep in. ^_^

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12.22.01, Saturday

Yay! I'm finally on break!!! Thanks for the phone call Melody, hee hee - I'm overly zealously excited to be on break too! ^_^ My first plan for break was to sleep in...but right now, it's like 7:40am and I obviously did not sleep in! I did go to sleep real early though, so I still did get my 8 hours plus of sleep. So for all you folks that IMed me and found that I was, as the away message proclaimed, "dinner", I really wasn't still eating dinner! Most likely, I was reading Harry Potter and falling asleep intermittently, until I decided that I should head to my bed. =)

Yesterday was food and party all day in my classes...well, not, ahem, a "party", per se, but an educational experience in which we watched our performances for the elements project on television and indulged ourselves with nutritional supplements. =) For my 3rd and 6th period, we ordered pizza - 2 flying saucers from Papa Joe's, mind you! They were like huge 28" pizzas that had over 50 slices each...yowsers! And all the classes went well, except for one...my 1st period was fine and very clean and organized - like certain people passed out the food without me telling them, getting the video set up, and they all did a good job. Same with my 2nd period. And my 3rd period did a spectacular job of cleaning up, spraying down the tables and cleaning up the floor after having a pizza and Paul's special chip dip. All of my class periods were given the chance today to write on the whiteboard, so it was one huge message board, and very colorful! And without really needing to be told, they did not write or erase over other people's messages. Come 4th period...arg...! David M. and Kaleb decided it was okay to scribble and write ALL over the whiteboard and mess up other's artwork...and someone decided it was okay to place a piece of gum on a chair, and soda was spilled all over the 7th grade portfolios, cookies and chips were smashed all over the floor (I could understand that, as there were food, but this extent was not found in the other classes...plus compounded with the rest of the mess...)...and nobody admitted to it. So I had to halt the party, basically yell at them and explain that I was disappointed that such a bright group of 8th graders could let themselves be so irresponsible and not admit nor help out when they see these things going on in the classroom. I had them quiet and put their heads down for the rest of the class period. It definitely how I didn't want to end the day before winter break - and giving them a fun day was what I wanted, but they had decided to not use it well. Thus, in January, we would not be participating in fun things, like labs (well, I'm starting to reconsider this as labs are good learning experiences, really, hee hee), until they show me they can behave better. 

As I've been working on being stricter and tougher a bit this trimester, I think that's why I started crying. Not because I was sad or thought that I wasn't good enough, but I hated yelling at them, and felt bad that I had to punish them. Of course, they deserve it, I know that...but I still felt bad. It's not in my nature to discipline them in such a manner! But I'm learning...and am getting there...I want to be tough enough so that they don't decide it's okay for them to cross the line, but yet how I usually am - to rule and, as Heidi so put it, emanate with kindness, heh heh. =) It's like a tough balancing act. See picture above. ^_^ [did I mention? hee hee...one of Heidi's new vocab word is "emanate", and putting it in a sentence for her class, she said "...kindness emanates from Ms. Lau..." Daniel M. muttered underneath his breath "not anymore! She sent me to the office!" It was not meant mean-spirited though...it was more of a joke, because he knew I was going to send  him, as I warned him right before! He's a great kid - never disrespectful! =)]

My 6th period is also going really well, and they cleaned up the place as immaculate as they could for me. We only had about 20 people today though, because a large number of students were at the AVID potluck, so when the pizzas came, we only had enough for one of them! We couldn't send it out though, so I ended up paying about $20 for the other. But it was okay, they all had some to take home, and when we still had leftovers, Matthew Fig, Brandon H and E all wanted the rest in the box. So Iet them have it and even let them out a little bit earlier to avoid the crowd...but the bell rang while they were right smack in the middle of the hallway and they were immediately swamped with people. They had to put their pizza box on the ground, open it up, and distributed it to all the people, hee hee. How fun! =) My 6th period also helped me clean up for the holidays by moving all the tables to the side and stacking my chairs up, so that my floor can be cleaned and waxed over break. Chris B. stayed to stack the chairs off the floor onto the tables! They cleaned up my whiteboard and picked up trash and dumped out things. 

You know what's unique about my 6th period though? They have the lowest GPA of all my classes, and the reason is that I have mostly ELD kids in there who have difficulty with the language. I've never put them down, but this trimester, I decided to really try and boost their morale. I mean, last trimester, they, well...just did have a really low average (after the test, their average was an F! So I decided to void that test...in the end, it was about a high D, I think). So I started off this trimester by finding out what they are good at - and they were doing okay with electron dot diagrams and valence electrons, so I really played on it. They were doing an excellent job I said (and it's true!), and really, they ended up doing it! They're one of the best class when it comes to that topic. And their lab conclusions for the lab we just did look like they could be one of the better ones! Neat huh? They're really proud of themselves, and will come in to say "OOoo, we tyte Ms. Lau!" and stuff like that, heh heh. This is working - maybe it's because of my own changing perception of them that is changing them, or that they see how I view them and are changing too because they feel more confident about things. I know that this group must have been, in the past, put down over time (not purposely, I'm sure), but I want to change that! =) At least in my class! =) I don't lie to them and tell them they're good - that would be damaging! but picking out the truth and making it great for them, it helps them out a lot! They still have the lowest GPA, but by like point-something-percent, and not by whole number percents now. =)

6th period, by the way, was the only class in which everyone (even Sergio! woah!) did their lab conclusion! The requirement for entering my class today was to have their conclusion done and turned in. In all of my classes, there were usually 2, the most 3, students that did not turn in their work, and thus were out on campus with Orronde and Yolanda cleaning up the campus. =) Perhaps the requirement got Sergio to turn it in, but he has been starting to try to do better, so maybe it was because of that. Or maybe it was his girlfriend, Heather B. - she's been making major improvements in terms of turning in work, and she could have influenced him. Sergio's really cute about Heather - he is head over heels about her and will do whatever she says, and she is the same way about him. Not disgustingly so, hee hee, but in a really cute way. They're both not the brightest and most hardworking, but neither are disrespectful and are in the mode to do better in class, so it's a good thing. =) 

It works with my other classes as well. My 3rd period was one of the classes which everyone turned in a certain assignment and I praised them for it, and they love it! Despite being in 8th grade, they're still kids, and love to have praise. =) And I don't want to praise them for them to think that they can do it - I don't want them relying on external praise. When I praise them, I always always always say that it's because of THEIR efforts and their choices. l like to praise, but at the same time, I want them to see that it's because of their own efforts and not mine. Even when they say "Thank You Ms. Lau!" for having a good grade, I get down and tell them that it's definitely not me, but all them, because of the choices they made. =)

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12.18.01, Tuesday

Goodness! Remember that one boy, Rodney, that I talked about before...? The one where I said I smile and always say Hi and Good Morning to, even though he rolls his eyes at me??? (yes, he actually rolls his eyes and sometimes says hi back now, instead of glaring and saying nothing). He was doing a little better this trimester, but then for some reason today, he just acted up. And the thing is, I run the classroom through kindness and respect...I'm a nice person, and not at all mean (though working on strict-ness, heh heh)...but with him, it doesn't work unless I'm firm, and sometimes, it ends up being something of a power struggle. Which, with him, even if other approaches are utilized, is generally what happens with all the other teachers and him anyways, because of his personality. So that happened today...and he REALLY riled me up, though I didn't show it and remained firm and in control as the teacher. He kept saying that he doesn't want to do this or that because he doesn't respect me. And that the reason he doesn't respect me is because I do not respect him. Okay, first of all...I give him more patience than necessary, and practically more than anyone else in ALL of my classes. I've been trying to work with him and help him, and am really showing him more respect than he deserves, and for him to say things like that, it does make me angry. Because of his uncooperative and really disrespectful behavior, I did still call the campus supervisors to get him...he was disrespectful to them too, and so a suspension is in pending. This boy is suspended like every two weeks. *sigh* I don't get this boy...I've done everything I could and everything possible to make the class a good experience for him, and yet he will do whatever it takes to ruin it for himself. Well, there is a special SST for him anyways on Thursday, so maybe we can all sort things out then. Aiya!

On to nicer student things though...those fire and ice roses are blooming beautifully! I also got a gift from Erin today - it was a necklace that had a cross on it and a little pendant thing with Proverbs 17:17 on it! Cute! and I also went to watch the choir sing at St. Michaels tonight, at the request of Charlene, who had a solo! Tatiana also had a solo ("Oh Holy Night"), and I also saw Chris H., Viviana, Rita, Olivia, Chrissy, and many others there. It was neat to see them all up there!  ^_^

Did I tell you? I now have a portable heater in my room! Heh heh...my room is the wackiest...the heater/a.c. doesn't work in there or something...like the air doesn't go to my room, even though I have this really nice vent on the ceiling! Grr! So in the summer, it gets way too hot in there, and like now, in the winter, it's freezing cold! (Probably why I stay out in the loft so much, hee hee...or maybe it's just cuz I have a computer here!). My parents aren't using their portable heater, so I get to use it and be somewhat toasty when I sleep at night. =) 

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12.17.01, Monday

Just got back from Dolly's! ^_^ We had a Christmas/Shelley's bday party, and it was neat! I got to see Dolly, Giang, Shelley, Olive, Mike, Noel, and the rest. Andrea too! =) Mimis, where were you??? heh heh...! I also finally got to meet Shelley's Eric. ^_^ I haven't seen them all in soooo long! We had a yummy spaghetti dinner and cake for dessert...of which some of it, heh heh...ended up on Shelley's face! And the blue coloring on the cake stains, hee hee...even on skin!

Right before I got to Dolly's, I had to go to Albertson's to go buy some ice, cups and soda, and I was looking at these Ferrero Rocher candies, except that they were coconut. They were called Raffaello. I didn't buy any, though they looked good, but hey, I am budgeting! ^_^ But then the lady behind me was like, Mmmm, those are sooo good and she was telling me about how absolutely heavenly they were, with their creamy filling and how it was fifty times better than the regular Ferrero Rocher. And she got a package and opened it up (we were in line, and she was going to pay for them, heh heh) and gave one to me! So I tried it...mmm, they're SOOOO good! Covered with coconut around the usual wafer-thin shell characteristic of Ferrero candy, this morsel of heaven contained a not too sweet but luscious cream filling, with a macadamia nut right in the middle! I like!!! Heh heh, so I bought two packs to bring it to the party! =)

I was evaluated by my principal today! Eek! I told him to come in to my rowdiest class...4th period! Heh heh, I really wanted to see what an outsider had to say of my managing that particular class. There has been a great deal of improvement in there, but I also want to see what it was that I was doing...and actually, the stuff he said to me in the post-conference were pretty much the same things I was thinking of. But it was nice to have him give me his point of view! I think that as time has gone on, I am able to be more strict now, but I still have to work on it, heh heh...it's hard to be mean, really, but I'm getting better at it, because I see the importance of getting the idea across to them that they do a have a purpose at school, no matter how much fun we have. =)

In terms of news on my students, things are going well! I got the 4th Harry Potter book from Andy today to borrow. Students are starting to come in with gifts and cards, heh heh...and Katie gave me a Christmas present already! She gave me a package, which she pleaded for me to open right away...it was a little stuffed animal St. Bernard dog! It's cute - a little chubby, hee hee, but it looks cute sitting on my desk guarding my things. =) 

Heh heh...Mr. John Smith suggested something to fill in the speech bubble below...: "Let's try to sneak one in!"

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12.16.01, Sunday

I found a funny picture...what would YOU fill in the blank speech bubble...??? Hee hee, email below and let me know! ^_^ I've also updated the weblog archiving on the webpage...am still considering the new background for the more recent archive. It's dark, but it's a neat picture cuz it's really detailed, heh heh...but then again, it probably takes a while to load up on 56k I bet (Muah ha ha, I wouldn't know anymore! hee hee!). 

What an eventful day at church today...! Or should I say after church...all initiated by a very assuming individual...for those of you there, you know how it was...! Aiya...yow mou GOW chou ah indeed! "God Bless You" lei gou tau...! I despise it when people use God's name in the wrong way...>_<

Anyways, after church, I went to the mall with my mom, so that she can find some clothes she's been looking for! She found a black turtleneck to match this beady vest thing she has, and she got me a striped shirt...it's cute, but I don't think I have anything with stripes on it, so it seemed weird to wear it, heh heh...Does that make sense??? ^_^ After, I visited Kate, who's down here from Chatsworth, and her baby Moriah. I haven't seen her in SO long! It was nice to see her, and to finally see little Moriah...who was asleep and actually sick with an ear infection. =Þ I also saw Lester again...wow! He looks different, and actually has more hair on his head then I've ever seen before, so I didn't even recognize him at first! Heh heh, and of course, Midori's like 8 now, and I got to see Kate's parents too, whom I've not seen in a long time as well! She had some of her other friends there too, and so I got to see Rick from junior high and high school, as well as Melisa N. Karazy...to see some people after so long...!

Hmm...I guess I should go detail out the rest of this week! Especially for Tuesday...tomorrow night, there's a Christmas/Birthday party at Dolly's place...Dolly, Mimi, Giang, Shelley, and Olive will all be there! Yay! ^_^ I've missed my friends dearly! ^_^  So I'll have to plan in advance for Tuesday, so that I can play all Monday night! This is the last week...then it's vacation time! ^_^ 

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12.15.01, Saturday

Happy Birthday Edwin! ^_^

Tonight was the Christmas program at church! =) We picked up Linda and Michael, Anthony and Tina and Mrs. Heng...it was fun! I love the Lee's and Mrs. Heng...they're hilarious, and we all get along perfectly! ^_^ During the play, Anthony kept buttoning and unbuttoning his bottom jacket buttons, heh heh...it was funny, and everyone noticed it...to the point that Catherine kept saying "Stop!" under her breath. =) I got to mc (moderate) the program, which was fun, and afterwards, we had the best desserts in the world. It was extremely windy there, and the little lights we use to outline our cross was blown off...and it formed the shape of a stocking, heh heh. In a way, it worked out perfectly...stockings are used to hold gifts, right? And well, our gift at this time of the year is Jesus! In fact, in the kids' Christmas Play, "C.H.R.I.S.T.M.A.S.", the word Christmas stood for: Christ Has Revealed Instruction So That Many Are Saved...through Jesus! ^_^ Our "stocking" was ready to receive His gift, the, as the saying goes, "reason for the season". =) 

Anyways, I did a lot of wrapping today...I got up at around 10am (WOW, finally getting to sleep in!) and went off to Montclair with Mark again...I can't say why, as it involves a certain person's present, heh heh...but yeah, about all of my Christmas shopping is done! ^_^ Except...does anyone know where to find one of those stuffed Hershey Kiss beanie dudes???

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12.14.01, Friday

Ah...so I dealt with first period by giving them lots of readings...and NOT a word - a peep from any one of them was an immediate Saturday School and out of my class for the day...anyways, it was THE quietest time I've ever had for that class. Wow. For the rest of the classes, we did get to run amuck in the drizzling rain...it was fun, and totally worth it! We did a Solution Simulation, where we were either water or sugar molecules, and simulated the lab we recently completed. Besides modifying it into something like elbow tag, we also learned about dissolving things, saturation, and how polar and nonpolar molecules interact. Anyways, it was fun, and the kids absolutely loved it! ^_^

I got my first Christmas presents today! Lucinda came in the morning and dropped off a beautiful, glittery Christmas card she made for me...and Andy, who is taking a computer class and learning about computers, made me a certificate for being the "Best Science Teacher at Sierra Middle School", as well as letting me have that Harry Potter book that he had let me borrow! He said that his friend had let him borrow that book (paperback), but then he never was able to give it back to his friend and it became his...but then he went and got the hardcover version, as he is collecting them. So the paperback copy was extra for him, and he just gave it to me! Neato huh? Robert S. left me two fire and ice roses on my desk and filled one of my vases with water for me...and Miesha wrote me the sweetest letter today, about how she thinks that I'm her favorite teacher, and that I take care of kids real well and for helping her out and being her friend. Sweet huh??? I feel loved! ^_^

After I got home, Mark and I headed to Montclair Plaza...only Mark was driving like 45 mph there, so it took forever!!! (j/k!) =) We started our Christmas shopping finally, and yay, my Christmas shopping is about done! Not completely...there are still some finishing touches left. =) After I got home, I found Maile here - she's my neice...half Chinese, half Hawaiin...and sooooo cute! I babysat for a while till her parents came to pick her up. She's incredibly bright and walks SO fast! She zooms everywhere!

A'ight G's...I'm off to go wrap presents! Woo hoo! ^_^

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12.13.01, Thursday

My first period today just frustrated me tons...so much so that I announced rather briskly that since it seemed that they did not want to learn the difficult concepts of chemical bonds, solutions and all that sort of stuff the interesting way, they could learn it by reading the 20 pages that I was covering in class for homework, which included a summary (minimum 2 pages..dang, I should have assigned more, hee hee) due tomorrow. I've never been so pissed in my life...and it wasn't like I was yelling at them either and being angry - it was just frustration and a little discouraged in myself, of why I couldn't just be mean and clamp them all into the office right away. But at the same time, that would have meant like me sending a good amount of them out of the class! (Hmm...but I am determined that next time, I will send them straight out upon disturbances after a warning).

I had campus security come in to take away 3 of them, and my department head even came in to yell at them for me, heh heh. It seems like one of them had brought some foil, and was quietly sticking it into the sockets on the side of the room, causing sparks to fly...which of course, distracted everyone sitting in that area, and caused others to want to try it too...anyways, let's just say that seven kids left period one with Saturday Schools lined up for them, plus lunch detention (where they pick up trash on campus).  That class is usually pretty much on top of things...except on random days when they choose to not do so well...and it's not like the WHOLE class is like that, but look at the dynamics of the class: 22 boys, and only 8 girls. And of those 22 boys, only about 4 of them do stay on task. Yikes...and besides the numbers, there are the particular boys of the rest of them that do cause problems in all their other classes (I've heard stories from other teachers, heh heh). I'm actually surprised, in a way, because compared to some of the other stories, they're not so bad in my class! ^_^ But then again, it could be due to each teacher's own individual tolerance level...I like a class that's alive with things to say, which we usually are. But sometimes, something just has to happen and it goes nuts. Arg. 

*sigh* Time for me to hit the books and figure out what I'm doing tomorrow for first period...silent reading and note-taking, or the fun Simulated Solution activity where they run amuck as water and sugar molecules in a beaker...? And perhaps I should plan a new seating chart already (only second week of the new trimester! Yow mou GOW chou ah???).

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12.12.01, Wednesday

Happy Birthday Kevin!

It's Kevin's bday! Yay! =) Happy birthday homes! 

It's been nothing but cold and windy these past few days...arg...at least it gives me an excuse to have more hot chocolate...! ^_^ Woah...only 9 more days till vacation! Since 2 of those days are weekends, that means there's really 7 more days left! Woo hoo! ^_^

I just got cable modem yesterday...I feel so...so incredibly powerful! To download anyrhing at the speed of light! To be online all the time! Wow! Heh heh...!

Ahhhh...I just finished Harry Potter 3...these books are soooo good!!! I highly recommend reading these books! They're really entertaining, and will definitely capture your imagination. I mean, I actually got scared at parts in this one! Yikes! o_o

Ooo...if you're bored, check out what cool webpage Jason has given me...also on the bottom left, under Fun Places to Visit...!

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12.10.01, Monday

Shelton has gone home to Vegas for the holidays! Ai, fare thee well for now...Do not worry...on my life, I will guard and protect your duck from harm...! ^_^

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12.09.01, Sunday

Happy Birthday Linda! & Happy Birthday Mike!

Double birthdays today! Neato! At the surprise party we had for Mike, it actually would have been for four people...Mike, Mark, Kevin, and Edwin. =) Only the latter two couldn't come...and so it was just for two of them. But it was still fun...Mike's crazy marble cake with colored funfetti with a giant boba cup and upside-down Hershey Kisses boba's...Well, it was creative anyways! =) 

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12.08.01, Saturday

Happy Birthday Mark! ^_^

Wow! It's my brother's bday...and he's 21 now! Heh heh, in a way, I feel OLD...but not really, as I know I'm not really that old in terms of the world. =) Anyways, my mom took him shopping to get clothes and so he got a whole bunch of stuff for his birthday, heh heh. 

Today, I also got my mom her Christmas gift...shoes...TWO of them! She really liked both of them, and since they were both on sale, AND a kind stranger behind me in line had extra coupons for me, I got her both. Ah, the Christmas shopping has begun...!

For lunch, we went out for Mark's bday as well as my parents' 24th anniversary! We went to the Penang (#10) Malaysian Cuisine place down in West Covina...mmm, that place is sooooo good! We had a million things to eat! Let me give you a detailed, delicious run-down of the heavenly morsels we consumed this afternoon in the neatest dining setting ever:

Penang Satay - Marinated beef on skewers, charcoal grilled to perfection. Served with peanut sauce. [Mmm, the beef was just slightly crispy and grilled with some honey on it...I definitely liked!]

Popia - Steamed Malaysian spring roll stuffed with jicama. [Smothered with this really good spicy, sticky sauce and there were some thin-sliced cooked egg in it too!]

Seafood Lemon Grass Soup (Tom Yum) [Lemon grass soup spicy enough to make my bro and dad sweat like mad! Mark's face was red and covered with sweat, heh heh...]

Penang Char Kway Teow - Penang's famous stir fried flat rice noodles with fresh shrimp, squid, bean sprouts, eggs, soy sauce, and chili paste. [Really good traditional kway teow noodles! Filling and fresh!]

Penang Char Kway Ka [Same as that scrumptious kway teow, but with noodle dumpling/clumps instead of the flat rice noodles...also good cuz you get flavorful chunks of warm rice noodles!]

Sarang Burong - Shaped fried taro stuffed with shrimp, chicken, corn, snow peas and black mushrooms topped with cashew nuts. [Might I add that these cashew nuts are honey roasted as well??? The whole thing was perfectly crispy and just absolutely melt in your mouth goodness all around!]

Bobo Cha Cha - Sweet Potato and Yam with Coconut Milk. [Mmm...really sweet and warm dessert, with chunks of goodness that I usually don't like, but loved in here!]

Pulut Hitam - Creamy black sticky rice with coconut milk. [Oooo, I REALLY liked this one...it sounded weird, and I probably would have never ordered it, but the waiter suggested it, so we decided to try it too, and WOW, it's really good! It's sweet and creamy yet light and...well, it's just wonderful!]

Coconut Drink [We got this on the fly...we just wanted to try out the cut out coconuts that everyone else seemed to have. Besides, all the coconuts came with a little umbrella, heh heh...! If you like coconut milk, you'd like it. It took me a while to get used to it, and when I did, it was fine, but at first, it was a little strange!]

Needless to say, my taste buds went on a wild adventure today! ^_^ We left quite stuffed and quite happy! (Thanks for the cartoon Kristen! ^_^)

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12.05.01, Wednesday

Random fact that I learned today: The man who studied snowflakes died of pneumonia. 

Heh heh...the strange things I learn from other middle school teachers teaching kirigami in math class...the purpose? To make hexagonal snowflakes! ^_^

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12.04.01, Tuesday

I got a neat link from King today...it's stories of the Bible, but used with Lego® toys and some computer technology, heh heh...it's cute! I've put the link up under Fun Places to Visit on the left. ^_^

The Explosive Paint Can demo worked well today! Blowing things up seem to intrigue the kids a lot, heh heh...and I even got a lot of them that usually don't write to write a full page of observations on the whole, as I called it yesterday, "Top Secret" event. ^_^

Arg...I think I'm getting sick...noooooooooo...! I go sleep now...

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12.03.01, Monday

Oh how I so love teaching! =) Today was soooo grand...I don't know, it's nice to finally have a whole week to look forward to. (Weird huh? Coming from someone who handles a giant crowd of crazy 13, 14 year olds...! hee hee!) And today started off awesome! I gave them their first trimester grades on sticky notes, and many of them were pleasantly surprised...and I commended every class on how many of them had made the choice to not keep a grade they didn't like, and to work for a higher grade, by either coming in after school or at lunch, or making up a huge amount of make-up work, and really focusing on their trimester project. Yay! And for course, they are starting off this new trimester with an A+, so if they didn't like their last trimester's grade, they can now start fresh and new with an A+, and not worry about the past grade as they can do much better now and are starting off at the top! =)

On Saturday, Mark and Shelton came with me to school to help me finish decorating my room. The room looks AWESOME!!! It's so bright and lovely, and it cheers me up to be in it! Thanks guys! ^_^ Tyler, one of my students who was in Saturday School, came by during break to help me out too! He said nice things about me, heh heh...and it was nice to hear. ^_^ Saturday afternoon, my mom took me shopping with her at Ontario Mills...wow, it was packed there! It's usually soooo empty there! But then again, Christmas is coming up! How exciting! I love this time of the year - the weather is cooler and usually the nicest, lights and presents, good feelings abound, and knowing that all this (though commercialized it is) stemmed from Jesus' birth. See, even though Christmas is all commercialized, it still brings about important things, like family and friends, that warm fuzzy feeling called love towards all, and a deeper, more reflective attitude of what our Father has done for us...

On Sunday, I was the moderator during service...I didn't feel quite to prepared this time...but then again, I didn't prepare anything at all, so that's probably why! =Þ We had College/Career and David's apt. lounge, where we had some really good food and another really good Bible Study time. We're still on Mark's "Dating Dillema" series, hee hee, so it's fun as we all kinda get to tease each other or make up stupid situations. At the same time, we still have really insightful discussions. ^_^

You know what's cool? I have regulars in my classroom!!! ^_^ Before and after school, there's usually Lucinda and Tiffany (and Tiffany is not even my student), Charlene, Chris B., Bryce and Sean, and sometimes Martin, David V., Jen, and well...others. At lunch, there's usually Andy (who brought me a bunch of whiteboard markers that are not red, blue, green or black, which are the only colors my school provides!), Viviana, Danny Z., Chuck, Brandon Esc. (who's also not my student), and Derek. Then there's that trio - Brandon H., Michael S., and Andrew, and the whole NASH team, which includes Mike A., Dustin, David T., Matthew Fig., and Brqndon H. again. It's neat, and I really enjoy working and just hanging out with them. They're fun ,and I believe most of them like me alot. Rodney, well...he's a little tougher to get to - he's been through a lot and doesn't seem like one to trust any adult of any sort, and I don't take it personally, as I know he's like that with practically all the other teachers. I still smile and say Good Morning to him when I see him out on campus, even though he ignores me every time, or just kinda glares at me. I want to know what's going on in his head, and why he's like that. I'm not mad at him...I'm sad because he could be one of the brightest people in the world, but his soul seems shattered by something to the point that he must act as though he hates people who are trying to help him out, and thus, he chooses to reject to be who he really could be. Or maybe it's just cuz he's a teenager??? I remember those years well, heh heh...=)

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