Amanda Loves Internet Competitions for Beautiful Houses

So, I have been obsessed with HGTV's Dream Home Give Away for some time now. (I'm still expecting them to tell me it was all a big misunderstanding and ask me to move in to the Colorado home!) But this year, I've expanded into something called the Blog Cabin.

It is a DIY competition where people vote for features to a log cabin home online, DIY builds it according to the winning votes, and then gives it away. This is super fun and exciting for people named Amanda, but do other people think this is cool? (I secretly hope not so that I can increase my chances of winning.)

Go to Blog Cabin Central and please only vote for the things that I like (right now, it is color option A). You can help me design the perfect log cabin and then I can invite you over to my cool new house. But please do not start getting any ideas of actually voting your own opinions or trying to win this house for yourself, because it is mine, all mine!

Amanda's Favorite Video (Someone is as confused as Me!)

If you haven't seen this yet, you've gotta check it out.

David After Dentist

Love the questions:
Is this real life?
Why is this happening to me?
Is this going to be forever?

(I ask myself these things every day of my life:)

Amanda Considers Alternate Professions

Do you like the picture at the top of my page? I took it in Alaska. I was just looking at it and contemplating a new career in postcard photography. Either that or design. See the shirt I designed for our family reunion? (Click on it to see large size version:)

Amanda Works in a Funny Place

Kids can be super funny . . . you know, "Kids Say the Darndest Things?" That is my life as a teacher. Since they have no filter (sort of like yours truly:) they sometimes say things that you don't really want to hear (are you pregnant is a popular one that lots of kids seem to ask lots of teachers!) Over the past few weeks, the kids have been in rare form.

Evidence #1: Quotes from my students:

"Miss Chow, your teeth look really clean today," (hidden meaning: they looked really dirty the last time I came up here!)
"Miss Chow, you look a lot prettier with your glasses on" (when I was wearing my contacts, thanks self-esteem killer!)

Evidence #2: Situations
One day, when the kids were eating hot dogs for lunch, one of the fifth grade girls had ketchup on her right sleeve (I'm talking up close to her shoulder, almost on her back). I'm thinking, "How did you manage to get ketchup THERE?" So I was puzzling over this when I saw her turn to her left to talk with her friend and lean her shoulder right into her hot dog! Ah, ha! Mystery solved!

One more cute story: One of the teachers has a class that likes to have what I call "parades" which means, one kid gets a tissue, five kids get a tissue; one kid asks to go to the bathroom, thirteen kids want to go too; one kid has a stomach ache and, poof, three other kids have one too. Well, they were on a tissue kick, and I said, "No more tissue parades." Then one of them couldn't stop sneezing and I told him it was ok for him to use a tissue. Well, a few minutes later, I sneezed too. One kid gets up, gets a tissue and brings it to me! So cute!

My 25 Random Things

Taken from facebook (I've already done enough contemplative writing for one day!)

1. I am a serious procrastinator.

2. I read about a book a week, but can't spell to save my life.

3. I have a short attention span and don't even know if I can make it through writing one of these (I have trouble taking the time to READ one of these!)

4. Chipotle and W.G. Grinders is food from heaven.

5. I don't usually cook with meat and chicken absolutely disgusts me.

6. I am a freak of nature medically (it's OK to say this, I have made peace with it!) my latest adventure in the grand scheme of my freaky-ness? having my gallbladder removed and stents placed in my pancreatic and common blie ducts (yes, the same surgery your grandparents have had)

7. My dad is (partially) first generation American (born in Kentucky, lived in Taiwan till a teen and moved to US) and sometimes calls things funny words like "kerchief" for scarf. One time he asked, "What are those little birds called with the red breasts?" That would be a robin, dad:)

8. I love to design things on the computer, as I say, I'm spatial.

9. I have a giant fear of balloons and want to escape ASAP whenever I am near one (or start to cry, whichever comes first)

10. Sometimes I have to check behind the shower curtain to make sure no one is hiding in there.

11. I have TMJ and have to push my left jaw to open my mouth sometimes (see #6)

12. I've been a sweet adeline for 10 years (think women, barbershop singing, false eyelashes and sequins and you've got the picture)

13. I believe that I am qualified as a nurse, a detective, and a psychologist.

14. I am super-allergic to many things including trees, nuts, metal, cats, the list goes on and on (again, refer to #6)

15. I have two brothers and we all share the same humor and musical tastes (for the most part)

16. I like to sing (and actually teach singing) but only took one semester of vocal training in college. I am really an instrumentalist and can (only very basically) play every instrument (you should see my violin playing picture, I am tres professional)

17. I hate checking my mail.

18. I have a cat that can hum.

19. (Are we almost done here?) I am super competitive.

20. I played field hockey in high school (or more accurately, I was on the field hockey team!)

21. I actually filter what I say. I know this is hard to believe, but what I say on the outside is actually only half of what I am thinking on the inside.

22. I don't have a tv in my bedroom.

23. I pick at the skin by my thumbs when I am nervous. If you want to know the state of my well being, look at my thumbs!

24. I was a girl scout for 12 years and earned my Gold Award (Eagle Scout equivalent)

25. (Yea, we're finally at the end!!!) LOVE What Not To Wear but don't practice it's values in real life (who has $200 to spend on a skirt, not a music teacher that's for sure)

Amanda is . . . creating rambling facebook stati (plurl of status, right?:)

You know how much I love facebook status updates. I just like to talk about myself in the third person (but not in a self-centered sort of way;) Sometimes, though, there is not enough room to explain all I am thinking because my thought process is very convoluted and strange at times. So here are a couple of updates that I'll put on my blog since life is blessedly boring right now (not having any surgeries or traveling to any foreign countries.)

1. Amanda thinks that the bank is trying to swindle her out of money.

Yesterday I got my bank statement from the bank where I make my house payments through a checking account. I had about $120 in charges. Here's why: I made my house payment on 1/5 since we were out of the country till late night 1/3 and 1/4 was a Sunday. So, on 1/5 I made my payment leaving about $24 over the withdrawal. Same day, my withdrawal was taken out. Since only $100 of funds are made available until the next business day (which I don't know because I am a school teacher) I had a $25 overdraft fee applied on 1/6. Have you done the math? That put me $1.50 in the hole. Since that day, the bank has been charging me $6 per day that I am overdrawn. Needless to say, I was pretty mad when I saw this on my statement. So I rushed out to the bank (after talking on the phone with someone at the bank) and brought my account up to balance. I think the bank is EVIL, EVIL, EVIL. I mean, I could have not made my payment at all and been treated the same way. Stinks for $1.50 to cause so much trouble.

2. Amanda is pretty sure the rule of the road is, "Try your hardest not to hit pedestrians."

Yesterday, after the bank debacle, I was driving to chorus rehearsal and a lady (dressed in all black at night by the way) was crossing Henderson Road while I had a green light. I stopped so I didn't hit her and all lanes of traffic ended up stopping so she could cross the street. After she was across and we all started going again, the guy behind me zipped around me like he was mad at me for stopping. Sorry I didn't run over a dumb lady crossing the street, dude. You would have had a much longer wait if I hit her for sure.

3. Amanda wonders why, all of a sudden, her condo shoveled the sidewalks, and why they decided to do it at midnight.

Sunday night into Monday morning, I was awakened by this loud scraping noise outside the window. (My windows are paper thin and I can hear everything that happens out on the street, phone conversations, car doors unlocking, etc.) So I get up and look out and find the maintenance guy shoveling the sidewalks. This is the second winter I have lived here and they have NEVER shoveled for us. And why in the middle of the night? It was so loud. It kept me up. Plus, I was also worried about the guy shoveling at 12 in the night and afraid that he might be too cold because he wasn't wearing a coat:) Now, when it is supposedly the snowstorm of the year, no shoveling guys. Nope, I did it myself on my snow day where there wasn't any snow. We'll have to see what tonight brings. Maybe I'll hear the lovely sounds of metal scraping pavement at midnight tonight!

A Day With Grandpa

(Thursday, January 1, 8:18 AM)

Yesterday was a full day. We met my grandpa at lunch time and went to Taipei 101 (via subway which has a stop right outside of our hotel.) There we ate lunch at a place that I remember from last visit which has Shaghainese food. It was really good especially the mellon dumplings. Yum! Then we went to a book store in the mall there. I saw Chinese versions of books that I have read here, and I wanted to take some pictures but I wasn't allowed!

Then we went to the Peking Opera. I have heard a lot about it, and if you just listen to the music, it is pretty hard to understand what is so appealing about it. In fact, it seems like it is the biggest racket you could ever hear. But the genre has to be experienced in all aspects to understand the reason why people love it. It is more than just people screaming (which was my initial impression!) It has a lot of elements of balance and subtle facial expressions, dance and gymnastics. I really loved it. I'll have to see more when I get home!

Then we came home to eat take out (dumplings and soup) at the apartment. More singing to grandma followed and then back to the hotel to wait for the new year. It a lonely feeling to know that we were the only ones celebrating at that time and all of you were still eating lunch on New Year's eve. I think I'll count down again today at 1:00 PM here and think of all of you watching Dick Clark (or Ryan Seacrest or whoever does that now:) and the ball drop!