the important thing about driving.

the important thing about driving is that you NEVER stop moving.

it doesn't matter if you are going miles and miles out of your way.
it doesn't matter if the traffic is just stopped at a red light.
it doesn't matter if going the long way proves to be really long AND full of traffic. 

the important thing about driving is that you NEVER stop moving.

**please note.  this is how i translate the thoughts of drivers in kuwait.  i would tend to disagree with them as it took me 45 minutes to get home from tutoring and it should take 20 minutes at the very most. **

Chúc mừng năm mới!

HAPPY LUNAR NEW YEAR!  Chúc mừng năm mới!  wishing you all a happy and healthy year of the dragon!

The year of the dragon is said to bring forth hope for a better year.  It is associated with high energy and prosperity, change and mobility. 

oi!

today it was -1.  AND i must mention that it was so cold today that we actually had to let the kids into school early AND have indoor recess.  snow? nope.  rain?  nope.  just COLD!  it was below freezing which is apparently the sign of an indoor recess!

this is me INSIDE my classroom today.  i was wearing socks and shoes, long pants, two shirts, two sweaters, and a scarf.  and drinking a tea.  it was SO cold!  i thought my feet my freeze off.  and YES i was wearing socks.  tomorrow i will wear uggs.  it's the safest decision.  fingers crossed for warmer weather!

bundle up!

houston, we have a problem!  tomorrow's weather is calling for 1 degree.  1!!  ONE!  in kuwait!!  can you believe it?!  and it gets worse. the next day - sunday - it's calling for -1!!!!!  MINUS!  below zero!!  if i wanted to freeze, i would live in canada!  this is supposed to be one of the perks of living abroad!!  so how will i cope?  bundle up, turn up the heat, and STAY INSIDE as much as possible!  wish me luck!

**disclaimer** i know that it is currently cold in ontario but i didn't sign up for this!  i don't have the proper attire and our apartments are NOT cut out for the cold!  i know i am a wimp but COME ON! 

is it back?!

before we went away for christmas it was quite cold in kuwait.  in fact some (aka lindsay and i) might say that it was FREEZING!  anyway, since we have been back it's been quite tolerable!  which is lovely.  like just a sweater outside will do, especially if the sun is shining.

until today. 

it's freezing today.  and i don't like it one bit.  i don't know what the actual temperature is and i'm not going to look it up cause you'll just make fun of me and tell me how cold it is in canada.  but you'll have to trust me on this one.  it's COLD!  tomorrow i break out the jacket again.  brrr.....

knock on wood...

my classes were so good today!  in fact, my "bad" class was even better than my "good" class today.  is it a full moon?  what's happening??  fingers crossed that this continues tomorrow!!!  i love it!

c'est la weekend!

yesterday i spent the day (almost the WHOLE DAY!) at avenues with shelly and the huffhos.  we shopped and shopped and ate a nice lunch.  i bought an external hard drive so that i can back up my computer, some candles and a blanket at ikea that were all on sale(!), some drug store stuff (like allergy pills and hair elastics), and some LOVELY hand lotion from l'occitane. 

today colleen came over YAY!  it was so great to catch up with her and let me tell you, it's been WAY too long!  we had a nice lunch together at my place and lots of chatting. 

otherwise, i have been watching shows, attempting to blog about my trip, looking at flights for future trips, and fiddling around the apartment (laundry, preparing food, etc.).

i hope you are all having a wonderful weekend too! :)

the weekend blogger

how has it happened that i've become the weekend blogger?!  getting back into the swing of things at school has been EXHAUSTING!  i'm telling ya!

so what's new this week?  let's see...

• sunday i started tutoring again.  it's nice to get into the routine again (and the money!).
• monday i tutored again.  not much happening....
• tuesday i got really angry at one of my classes.  we had the big "respect" talk (again).  i gave them the silent treatment.  i hope they get better soon....
• i've started taking an allergy pill at bed time.  i've been feeling so icky in the morning i decided i'd give it a shot.  i'll keep you posted.  all i know is that this morning i DID NOT want to get out of bed.  
• wednesday (today) my kids were a bit better.  
• i went grocery shopping at the new Lulu's.  i love it there.  i even found egg substitute!  yippee!  (eggs freak me out...)
• i hurt my back lifting a case of pop.  i'm a wimp.
• phil had his first basketball game of the season.  i couldn't attend but i hear it was a nail biter!  in the end the BBS bulldogs came out ON TOP!
• tomorrow is THURSDAY!  i love the weekend! 

GEMILY SAYS....

gemily says....

• traveling is wonderful.  see the world.  go on adventures.  take advantage of opportunities that are presented to you.
• traveling makes people sick.  bacteria, anxiety, and exhaustion make returning from traveling less enjoyable.  
• there is nothing more wonderful than your own bed.  period. 
• eating and drinking whatever you want in italy is okay as long as you keep walking! :)
• unpacking is not fun. 

bad + bad

i've been waiting to blog about this (cause tv is my life...) and now that lindsay and phil have caught up on our shows, i can finally share my feelings!

the finales of survivor and x-factor were NOT ok.  in my opinion, both shows ended with the worst possible result!  let me explain:

survivor - ozzy should have won.  hands down!  he was SO good at the game and just because he lost the last immunity challenge, they voted him out.  why did they vote him out?  because they KNEW that they couldn't beat him.  losers.  i hate that he didn't win.

i love ozzy.  i want to marry him.

x-factor - chris rene ALL THE WAY!  i have loved him from the beginning and he made it to the final three.  ok, maybe he wasn't the best singer in the competition but he definitely had the x-factor!  he puts on the best show and will make the BEST album!  and i will buy it!!  i love chris rene!  watch this video and you'll fall in love too :)

so that's that.  both shows ended badly.  on a positive note, ozzy wins the people's choice award and chris rene will be a star!! 

how could i forget?!?!?!?

oh my goodness!  i can't believe what i've done!!  well actually i can, because as i wrote my 2011 post, i KNEW i would forget something!!  and i did!  something important!!!  i will defend myself by saying that i hadn't been sleeping but i am SO sorry that i forgot about this!!!

in august, another of my WONDERFUL friends got married!  and i got to see her after WAY too long!!  my dear friend sarah was married this summer and i am so pleased that i was able to share in her special day!

sarah - i'm so sorry i forgot to write about this.  it was not intentional OF COURSE. love and miss you!  xo

baaaah

i'm so tired i can't even think straight.  i know i promised some posts, but today was our first day back at school and for the last two nights i have hardly slept and i am functioning that way.  i will get to it, i promise.  but tonight i'm taking some sleeping pills and hitting the hay early.  hopefully i'll be more productive tomorrow!

zzzzzzz................

in a word cloud...

2011 in a word cloud...inspired by my good friend cindy @ cscribbles

in a blog post...

well out with 2011 and in with 2012.  as i was thinking about what to do for my "new year" post, i kept thinking "in a nutshell".  but instead, here is 2011, in a blog post:

• i started out the year in sri lanka, finishing up a wonderful christmas vacation with colleen and the parkinsons.  
• my family went through a loss with the death of my great  uncle bud.
• we had many wonderful people come visit us in vietnam, including my MOMMA!  it was so great to share that experience with her.
• march was tough for me with the sudden death of one of my former students from egypt.  at only 7 years old, my precious salma was taken from her family much too early.  she will always be in my heart.
• april changed my life in a different way.  on april 2nd i adopted my cat, cow (who has since been named cowboy by my parents).  he was exactly what i needed and i love him SO much!
• in may i traveled to china and was able to climb on the great wall.  it is one of those "bucket list" things that everyone should experience!
• june marked the end of my time in vietnam and though it was hard to leave my wonderful friends and colleagues, it is always great to be home!  i spent the summer with my family and it went by WAY too fast!
• this summer i traveled to new york city for the first time with my aunt melissa.  it was an AMAZING trip.  i loved every minute of it and i can't wait to go back again and again! in NYC i also got my third tattoo of 2011 (holy cow!), bringing the total up to five.
• i witnessed the marriage of two wonderful friends from our time in egypt.  kathleen and simon had a gorgeous wedding and it was so great spending time with them again!
• i attended the most wonderful CISE reunion hosted by the terrific ma and pa cairo.  it was a great weekend and i wouldn't have missed it!!  
• in august, another of my WONDERFUL friends got married!  and i got to see her after WAY too long!!  my dear friend sarah was married this summer and i am so pleased that i was able to share in her special day!  
• august marked the beginning of a new adventure.  i started my job in kuwait teaching grade 5 english and so far so good.  i like my job and have made some amazing friends here in kuwait.  of course i miss home a lot but i am enjoying my time here and as we know, time flies!
• throughout the fall i had the opportunity to visit two more countries in the middle east - qatar and bahrain.  i got to visit with an old friend in qatar and straighten out passport issues in bahrain (thanks again fedex for losing my passport! lol)
• the fall also brought great news in the form of new life and new family members!  tiffany is pregnant and due in may 2012 and my aunt melissa adopted a 2 year old boy named jay!  from the sounds of things he is fitting into the family better than anyone could have expected and he is as cute as a button when i talk to him on skype!!  
• finally, december delivered a wonderful christmas trip to italy with naomi and valerie.  i visited rome, venice, florence, and pisa.  it was all magical!  more to come on that!

i'm sure there are things i have forgotten and left out, but as you can see it has been a year of mixed emotions.  ups and downs would describe 2011 well for me.  some great times and some tough times...that's for sure.  and not just for me, or my family, but for many friends as well.  so, let's hope for a happy 2012 - with more ups than downs - good health, lots of laughs, and wonderful experiences! xo

nerves.

you'd think after all the time i have spent traveling in the past few years  that i would be over the travel anxiety.  but i'm not.  every time i go somewhere i get all nervous and have a sore tummy and i can't sleep before.  it's ridiculous.  i have been through this a million times!  hopefully i can get a few minutes of sleep in the next two hours and then i'm off.  and hopefully i'll sleep on the flight. 
kelly always tells me not to worry cause there is nothing i can do and worrying won't help anything.  and i know he's right.  but i can't help it.  i'm just a worrier.  it's what i do.  i don't even know what i'm worrying about!!  i'm weird.  i know. 

YAAAAAHOOOOOOO!!!!!

tonight i FINISHED my course!!  i sat down and blasted out my last assignment.  and it looks pretty darn good if you ask me!  it's posted.  i've responded to other posts.  and that is THAT!  no i just have to get my last grade and sign off!  thank goodness!!  that was a busy one i tell you!!  what will i do with all my free time?!  HAHAHA!

i know....i will buy a treadmill.....

not my THANG

so apparently being a vegetarian wasn't my thing.  i tried it.  and i did feel good but i've also been watching what i eat so that makes a difference.  and i don't eat a lot of meat as it is.  but today, i was weak.  i had a sandwich with chicken on it.  i love sandwiches!  and there were no vegetarian options.  so i ate chicken.  but i figure it's pretty good timing since i'll be in italy in less than a week (!!!!!!!!) and i NEED to eat meat while i'm there...right?!  anyway, i'm back on meat...part time...i think i'll still try to limit it but COME ON a girl needs a sandwich every now and again!!

A.A.

aka avenue anonymous.

i'm addicted to the shopping mall.  i don't know how it happened.  but it did.  and it's weird.  i don't even need to shop, i just have a NEED to go there.  frequently. 

i just thought you should know.  admitting that you have a problem is the first step to recovery right???

today.

today was a wonderful day.  a day filled with friends and laughter and sharing and giving.  a day that makes me thankful for the friends that become my family when i am away from home. 

last night i slept over at the parkinsons because with their love-filled pleas, i didn't have much choice.  i feel so at home in their home.  this morning we had some "family" time and watch americas next top model which we all love.  then as they went off to play basketball and tutor, i headed to the huffho's to bake a birthday cake and wrap secret santa gifts with alex. we wrapped and talked and laughed and it was really great to spend some time with her.  next we were off to the pantomime at the kuwait little theatre.  the "we" in this case includes: me, shelly, lindsay, phillip, alex, ian, cathy, shahid, pat, and kelly.  it was SO funny.  we laughed o hard we cried.  highlights included the man dressed up as a woman hitting on phil throughout the entire play and when he/she put a whole bag of skittles in his mouth and then couldn't talk.  hilarious!  so much fun!!  (and if you don't know what a pantomime is, like i didn't, you should look it up and try to find one to go to- fun fun fun!)  after the panto we all went back to the parkinson's to celebrate the birthdays of ian, shahid, and lindsay (all in december) as well as christmas!  we had a secret santa which was very amusing.  i had phil and after hours of deliberating i gave him 10 cans of lays potato chips.  kinda weird, i agree but it's funny because he LOVES them and lindsay HATES when he has them.  it was perfect.  also it was wrapped in the shape of a tree.  awesome.  i got the most WONDERFUL gift, because my secret santa, cathy, got me JUST what i wanted!  it's a mug from caribou coffee with little inspirational messages all over.  it's perfect!  i also got 6 ikea glasses which are super fun and blue! 

anyway, it was a terrific day, and the reason i was writing is because many times throughout the night when we were all laughing or oohing and awing over someones gift, i thought to myself that i am really lucky to have them all.  it makes being away from home that much easier when you know you have all this love and support right here with you.  they are an amazing group of people and i don't know what i would do without them!!

so to my dear kuwait family,
thank you for everything.  for the laughs and the tears.  for the support, for your trust, for your patience. 
i love you guys. 
merry christmas and all the best in 2012.  safe travels!  i'll miss you guys!!
xoxoxoxo

all the gifts under the tree!

loving my gift!!

phil and his love from the panto

phil's gift...what could it be???

thanks santa!!!!

santa loves phil!!

the boot fiasco of 2011

i want these boots.  so bad.  i know they are funny looking, but i like them.  and they will keep my feet warm in italy.  so i want them. 

i would like to start this story by going back to october, 2010.  i was in australia with kelly, valerie, and cindy.  we were shopping around and of course, we came across an ugg store (uggs are made in australia).  i have always wanted a pair and i found a pair there that were big enough for my massive feet.  they were expensive so kelly talked some sense into me, reminding me that we lived in a tropical country and asked "when will you ever need winter boots?  unless you move back to canada?"  and since moving backwasn't my plan for now, i agreed and didn't buy the boots.  i should have bought the boots.

fat forward to present day.  kuwait city.  i can't find any boots big enough to fit my massive feet and i leave for italy in 2 weeks.  (holy moly!)  so i thought i would be clever and have the boots sent to naomi who lives in canada and then she would meet me in italy with the boots.  after finally finding a company that will shop to canada, i pres order and NOPE.  they won't ship to her address.  i have no idea why.  they will send the ugg care kit to her, but not the boots.  great.  so i ask around for people who have magic mail boxes (they call it aramex or something like that), but i didn't get much response. 

yesterday i went to tutor and i sucked it up and asked.  i know the young girl orders lots of things online so i asked the mom if they had the magic mailbox.  she said she has something even better.  i don't really understand it, but she gave me an address in florida, i typed that in, asked for overnight shipping and she said once it arrives at her address in florida she will tell "them" to send it here urgently.  i don't know what this means, or how long it will take but she is confident it will get here on time.  so thanks to this lovely lady, i will have warm feet in italy, inshallah! 

i'll let you know how it goes...