June 12, 2008: (I know, I'm just a little late!)
4 years married, and 7-1/2 years together.

Time flies.

I was fast asleep and I must've rolled onto my side or squirmed the wrong way, but my cat Ratso who sleeps in bed with me bit down hard on my thigh, hissed, and ran off.

All this happened at 2 in the morning, so I really have no idea what happened. Other than the fact that I was awakened by a cat biting me, which is a frightening experience. I hope none of you are ever awoken by someone biting you!

I turned on my bed lamp, and there's quite a bit of blood. I wanted to run and find her and punish her, but I know it's not her fault. She was probably sleeping too and I rolled onto her and that's a frightening experience too!

Damn cat, she's as bitchy as I am!

Almond cupcakes with buttercream icing that I made today.

Last weekend my sister came to visit. I really needed the break from all that has been going on....

We went shopping for shoes, tried out some restaurants near our condo, painted the walls (got more paint on ourselves), and took the dog for long walks! Kade loves her, she's like the awesome aunt that spoils him rotten (she brought over 50 tennis balls for him).

My sister said, "Next time I'm going to just come over, take your dog for walks, and not even visit you." I said, "yeah, take him! I need a break!!!"

Photos from last weekend...



( +2 photos )

This poll is in honor of Brian and I recently celebrating our fourth wedding anniversary last Thursday.

Our story:
Brian did. Brian probably doesn't even remember the incident, but I do vividly because I was so embarrassed.

We had been seeing each other for only about a month, and not very seriously at that, and he was driving me home at night, north on the Henry Hudson Parkway back to the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The radio was playing and I was looking out the window in the passenger seat, when he clears his throat, looks at me, and blurts out: "I love you".

How do I react? I burst into laughter. I threw my head back, slapped my thigh, and laughed. Till this day, I have no idea why it struck me as funny.

Perhaps it was a combination of the fact that we didn't know each other very well, that it seemed like he had said it because we hadn't been talking in the car and he wanted to fill the silence, that I was distracted looking out the window, and that he just had this strange look in his eyes that made me find the moment very comical. Brian looked away. The laughter dies on my lips and a long awkward silence permeated the car.

Then, very quietly, he says "You know-- I meant it... I meant it like I can picture us together, in a house with a yard and a white picket fence, and having kids, and growing old together."

I wasn't sure if some witty retort or something romantically sentimental was appropriate; I started to say something but the words froze on my lips. I think after that, we sort of pretended that it had never happened. I chalked it up to him having a little too much to drink. After all, who says stuff like that to someone after dating for a month. He never mentioned it again, so I never thought of it again. We talked about the song on the radio, and the moment sort of passed. Neither of us brought it up again. I didn't remember it until a few years later, after he had proposed, when in some innocuous conversation, he mentioned the phrase "white picket fence, and having kids, and growing old" and the words came back to me again.

It's been about seven years and six months since that fateful night in the car when he first said the words "I love you". We now say it every day when he calls before leaving work and every night before falling asleep.


Okay, your turn! Who said it first, and tell me your story!

A dead mouse last week, legs hanging in the air but head and organs missing.

A mole this morning, with bloody guts smeared all over our newly cleaned hardwood floors.

.....CATS!!


There are 11 school days till finals. I told my students that today.

Today is the last day of new material. My first period class cheered when I said that. My second period class said "NNNNOOOOOO!! We want to learn more!! Can we learn more during lunch!?"


We close on the condo on June 10th. Wish us luck.

Photo snapped by a student after we spent a day on the boat, collecting various animals including red hake (ling), windowpane, summer flounder, window flounder, horseshoe crab, blue crab, calico crab, rock crab, northern kingfish, and more.

They pay me to do this as a teacher..!? Life is good.

Just got our stimulus check-- which promptly went to paying for half the cost of repairs on our BMW-- rear brake lights, wheel bearings, power-steering U-joint, odometer light... oh, the list goes on. And just two months ago, I had the clutch replaced (at a 140,000 miles). This car better work for the next year without repairs!

The Pontiac is on its last leg, probably another 2 months or so before it just dies completely. So we're looking into a new car. So here's some information:

1. No trucks or SUVs, please
I'm not interested in a pick-up truck or large SUV. For environmental reasons, I just don't see the benefit of owning one in my life. (We rarely move large items, I don't work in construction, and I don't have a big family)

2. 4-doors would be nice, but I like them compact
I would like a 4-door sedan (the BMW is a 2-door) for child-seat reasons (I can't fathom trying to wrench a writhing baby from the backseat of a 2-door. I picture lots of bumps on head.) But I don't like the 7-feet long Cadillac cars that have the worst turn ratios and stick out in parking lots.

3. Needs to be durable in wet conditions
It needs to be fairly "waterproof" because the road I drive to floods quite a lot (seawater at high tide = not good for some cars). I was looking heavily at the Volkwagen Jetta till I found out that it's electrical wiring tends to konk out easily when driven through even 6 inches of water.

4. $20,000 price range
Give or take. So far, all 5 cars we've owned have been either free (inherited from family) or we paid less than $3,000. So this is a big step and I'm nervous.

5. Short, around-town driving
Unlike the BMW, which I currently drive 130 miles daily for my work commute, I won't need a car for highway miles or comfort in driving. Honestly, the long work commute is made so much better with the Ultimate Driving Machine. It's comfortable, it handles well, and it's compact. However, for my next car I will be 8 miles from work, and will use the car for just local errands.

So, several options on the table already..
- I like the Honda Civic Hybrid a lot. Any reviews or experiences out there to share?
- I'm still not sure I'm ruling the Jetta out, but I'm wary now.
- I really, really, REALLY love our BMW (318is), but it's so out of our price range unless we go used, and we would like to get a new car for a change.
- I'm open to any suggestions, so please share!

One of my students has a photo that includes me in his profile pic, and I'm dying to see the pic but I don't want to make a Facebook account!

POLL: What is one thing you believe every person should experience or do before they turn 30 years old? (Explain)

Poll #1165965 Work attitudes
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: Friends

When it comes to going “above and beyond” at work:

When your boss asks you to do something beyond your job description that you don’t mind doing:

When it comes to a promotion, a boss should base it on:

How do coworkers and your boss know what you do at work?

When a conflict begins to arise with a coworker:

Of these coworkers, who do you detest the most?

Sun, March 23, 2008 - Sat, March 29, 2008

For Spring Break, we booked a five-day vacation with my brother-in-law to Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands, BWI. We stayed in the remote East End, where there are only two hotels. We stayed in a one-bedroom condo/timeshare apartment, complete with an oversized jacuzzi, kitchenette, and a king-size four-post bed, with sliding doors that opened directly onto the beach in 20 feet. Every morning, I woke up to the gentle ocean breeze, ran out at sunrise to the beach with my snorkel gear, and dived right into 70 degree waters surrounded with a multitude of fish species, including tarpon, parrotfish, trumpetfish, hamlets, sargaent majors, goatfishes, damselfishes, angelfishes, gars, puffers, and so many more.

As I mentioned in a previous post, two of my students (siblings; one freshman and one senior) were staying in the only other hotel on the East End. They are literally next door to each other-- I found out our rooms were less than a 2 minute walk from one another. Their mom called me and left a mesage on our hotel room answering machine. I went over to their condo on our last day in Cayman Islands to say "hi". I later found out today that they had seen me several times during the week-- which is now making me self-conscious (did they see me in a tank top? A bikini? Snorkelling? Being goofy?)

We got our PADI Open Water certification and did four dives. We went to the botanical gardens. We barbequed hamburgers and hotdogs, and ate out at fancy restaurants. Our plane got cancelled because the windshield in the cockpit cracked on the way to Grand Cayman, and we spent five hours at the airport, standing in line, waiting to hear what was next. They finally put us up in a hotel for an additional night and comped us dinner; but the point of being in paradise is hardly to spend 5 pm to 4 am--- so all we really did was check-in, eat dinner, go to bed, and wake up at the crack of dawn. All in all, a relaxing vacation and going back to work today was tough!

Here are some photos--

Scenic Rum Point:



This is where we stayed, the Reef Resort:



Underwater photography:



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ACCOMODATION
REEF RESORT (800-232-0541; www.royalreef.com)
A timeshare/condo complex in the remote East End, each unit is beachfront and faces Colliers Bay. You definitely need a car as the hotel is 45 minutes away from the airport. We stayed here for five nights, and we had a first floor Deluxe Ocean View Studio unit that was approximately 500 square feet that had a king-size four-post bed, two bathroom sinks, bathroom standing shower, and a separate Jacuzzi tub. We also had a kitchen sink, TV, microwave, safe, fridge, and all the dishes/silverware necessary to prepare our own meals. Foster’s Grocery Store is located across the street and we were able to purchase ground meat, hotdogs, chips, bread, ice cream, milk, cereal, etc.

Full housekeeping cleaning occurs on Wednesdays and Saturdays, whereby they change the linens, sweep the floor, etc. If you want extra cleaning, you simply have to call the Front Desk to schedule it. The maid service changes the bath towels and replaces the soap/shampoo daily, though. On site, they have a tennis court that is heavily utilized by children between 10 – 15 years old, BBQ grills (which we utilized quite a lot), three swimming pools, a bar Castro’s Hideaway, and a restaurant Castaway’s which has good food but is terribly overpriced. The legendary Barefoot Man performs here live every Tuesday and Thursday from 7 – 10 p.m. and many people from all over Grand Cayman come to his performances. We noticed that it was very popular with families with young children and teenagers, I think due to the spaciousness of the rooms and the idyllic quiet setting (you really escape from the hustle/bustle of town life!).

There are many daily activities, such as stargazing, yoga, water aerobics, diving instruction, and more. The best part of it all is being able to snorkel right next to the dock in Colliers Bay and seeing some of the best snorkeling at Grand Cayman. It really gives you an idea of how pristine and untouched the East End of the island really is. $270 per night per room.


COURTYARD MARRIOTT (345-946-4433; www.marriott.com)
Due to flight cancellation, Continental Airlines put us up at this location for one night. We had a first floor unit facing the parking lot, and the room had a king-size bed, TV, fridge, one bathroom sink, and a bathtub. Courtyard offers free internet access to all guests, and also features a gym and a swimming pool. I think most water activities are done through Red Sail Sports, which is featured very prominently in the hotel lobby. The one thing about this hotel that I immediately missed about The Reef Resort is not being able to open sliding doors to the ocean and enjoy the ocean breeze! Located along Seven Mile Beach, the hotel is actually not beachfront—West Bay Rd separates their beachfront facilities (bathroom, bar/restaurant, and towel services) from the hotel accommodations itself. The road can be fairly busy, and I felt it was a slight inconvenience. We absolutely loved the restaurant, Mangrove Grill—we recommend the Thai chicken spring rolls, French onion soup, and fried calamari for appetizers, and the sirloin skirt steak and Tandoori chicken as main courses. Dessert is not their specialty and the selection is very limited.

RENTAL CAR
AVIS (800-331-1212; www.avis.com)
Daihatsu Sirion $51 per day. We had no problems and it got great gas mileage. We drove every day for five days, averaging 20-50 miles, and at the end of it all, it was only 6 gallons!!!

RESTAURANTS
Lighthouse Restaurant at Breakers (Caribbean/Italian/Seafood)
This restaurant is located along the south shore, about 25 minutes from Georgetown. We ordered the Greek chicken in pita pocket and fries, the red snapper fillet with Creole sauce (bell peppers, tomato, scallions and herbs), and the Caribbean conch burger with fries. The chicken pita was good—chicken was moist and vegetables were very fresh, but the raw red onion was a little too strong and overwhelmed the dish. The red snapper filet was excellent and we highly recommend it, though it’s on the spicy side. The conch burger was just OK, a little too much filling and not enough conch. The Lighthouse Restaurant has a gift shop when you enter this establishment, featuring shell jewelry, lighthouse souveniers, and several knick-knacks that are frankly, overpriced. Cost was $24 per person for lunch.

Over The Edge (Carribean/International)
This remote restaurant on the North Side is a popular hang-out for locals is in stark contrast to the glitzy venues of downtown Georgetown restaurant. They have an inside dining room and an outdoor terrace area that overlooks the ocean. Lunch specials include Carribean chicken stew, fried chicken, Cayman-styled fish, and conch fritters. This is a great site for some photographic opportunities, so bring your camera. We ordered Carribean chicken stew, and the chicken was a little tough (needed to be stewed a little longer), but the fried chicken with fries was good. Cost was $17 per person for lunch.

Portofino’s Wreckview Restaurant (Italian/International)
This restaurant is located in the East End, about 35 minutes from Georgetown. Wall murals and blue/white tiles provide a southern Italy atmosphere. There is a terrace that overlooks the water. Nice dark blue tablecloths with candles on each table. Free bruschetta from the chef was a nice touch. We ordered the lobster chef’s way that came in a cream port blanc sauce, which was the best dish we had during our entire stay at Grand Cayman and highly recommend this dish. We also ordered turtle steak in tomato sauce (not our taste, tastes kind of like veal but stronger flavor), and mahi-mahi picatta with sautéed vegetables and potato fingerlings. Cayman lime pie had the right texture but little lime flavor. Tiramisu was delicious. Cost was $48 per person for dinner.

Gateway of India (Indian)
This is the only purely Indian restaurant in the Cayman Islands. The walls are covered with traditional Indian décor. We ate here for lunch buffet and is an excellent value. They offered saffron rice, chapatti bread, curry chicken, curry beef, potatoes, fish, and vegetable medley. The food was very authentic in flavor. Cost was $16 per person for lunch.

Castaways Restaurant at the Reef Resort (Carribean/International)
We ate at Castaways twice during our stay at the Reef Resort—once on their Italian Night which features all-you-can-eat buffet which included made-to-order pasta and sauce by a chef, pot roast, snapper piccata, and chicken with bell peppers. For desert, we got a chocolate fondue that was brought out in a little bucket filled with chocolate, a candle that heated it from beneath, and a plate assortment of cake, strawberries, grapes, oranges, and pineapple. Cost was $50 per person for dinner. We also ate here for the Barefoot Man performance, which featured two choices for an appetizer (conch bisque or blue cheese salad), two choices for a main dish (chicken cordon bleu or red snapper with rice), and two choices for a dessert (peanut butter ice cream or cheesecake). Overall, felt that it was very overpriced, but I hear that is typical of resort restaurants. Cost was $60 per person for dinner.

David’s at Morritt’s Tortuga Club (Asian/International)
For appetizers, we ordered crab cake, conch fritters, and the Greek salad. For main dishes, we ordered seared grouper with soy and ginger mix with rice, the grilled yellow-fin tuna with rice, and the lobster with black king shrimp in cream sauce. For dessert, we ordered the key lime pie that had the right flavor but the texture was too crumbly. Cost was $50 per person for dinner.

Castro’s Hideaway at the Reef Resort (Carribean/International)
Beach bar located at the resort. Service was extremely slow, to the point that after 15 minutes, we went up to a staff member to ask for the menu, then had to go back to the staff 15 minutes later to place our order. We ordered conch fritters which was excellent, French fries with gravy that was soggy, and fried Calamari. Cost was $10 per person for lunch.

ACTIVITIES
SCUBA Diving -- Ocean Frontiers (345-947-7500; www.oceanfrontiers.com)
Ocean Frontiers specialize on East End scuba diving and snorkeling and are reputed to be the best outfitter for divers as they insist on only taking out small groups and they avoid the crows along Seven Mile Beach. The course program includes five classes, five confined pool modules, and four open ocean dives. The course takes two-and-a-half days and there is work to be done ahead of time while you are still back home. We highly recommend our instructor, Mark Landman, who was simply phenomenal. $399.00 per person.

Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Park (345-947-3558; www.botanic-park.ky)
On 24 hectares (60 acres) of rugged wooded land off Frank Sound Road in the North Side region of Grand Cayman, this park offers visitors a walk through swampy wetlands, a view of colorful flowers, a heritage garden that features a traditional Caymanian house, and patches of orchids and bromeliads. Also they feature a Blue Iguana exhibit, the rarest iguana with only about 200 left in the wild. Cost was $10 per person.

Funny conversation this morning...

One of my students tethers between being a thorn in my side by being a class distraction (he's a football/wrestling jock that's 6-foot tall 9th grader and has a very charming smile that distracts all the girls) and being very helpful (he'll tell the whole class to "SHUT UP" and they listen). Yesterday as a class, they were being very rowdy, making a drum beat with their hands, and just chatting about Spring Break which starts on Friday.

So this morning before school started, he came in with his friend to apologize for being such an ass yesterday. Then he donned his most charming, serious face, and said: "Ms. Ng, you know I'd die for you, right?"



The first thought that came to my mind flew out of my mouth before the filter kicked in, and I said: "You'd jump in front of a freight train for me!?!"



There was a moment of silence, his friend started to laugh, and we all broke into hysterical laughter. "I think he meant, like, in front of a bullet or something..." his friend added, helpfully.

"I think she knows," he said mournfully, "but I can't believe she'd rather see me dead."

I'm not making this up. A few weeks ago, I was home watching TV and reading the ticker that scrolls across the bottom during the news, and it read:

"Man stabs psychiatrist to death with kitchen cleaver. Ordered to undergo psychiatric evaluation."

Congratulations to my cousin, Lydia, on her engagement!

Everything happened last Thursday on February 21, 2008, which is also the Chinese Valentine's Day (Chap Goh Mei).

Which, incidentally, is five years to the date, of when Brian and I got engaged-- February 21, 2003. Ah, how time flies!

They are a really, really cute couple. I can't wait for the wedding!! (Hopefully in July or August when I can attend?? LOL.)

Growing up, in our extended family, we three girls (Lydia, my sister Carol, and I) were very close in age-- so here are a couple of photos of us from the early 1980s, and then from 2004 & 2007.

Again, CONGRATULATIONS, LYDIA!!!

This week has possibly been the worst and best week ever. All rolled into one. Not sure.

I had gotten some bloodwork done the previous Wednesday, and when she inserted the needle, I felt a twinge of pain. It wasn't till later that I found out you're supposed to tell the phlebotomist because it means you either touched or nicked (or damaged!) a nerve. At the time, it wasn't like my arm was on fire, which is the most serious type. What I felt was the pain of the needle insertion continue throughout the duration of taking the blood (normally it's a second of pain at point of insertion, then it doesn't hurt as much).

By Friday, I had this weird sensation of having a Band-Aid ripped off the nook of my arm every time I extended my arm. (Feeling of my skin on reverse side of elbow being stretched). It was a strange, low-grade pain feeling (more an annoyance).

Monday was President's Day, so there was no school. This was great because I had plenty of time to catch up on some paperwork and lesson planning that I had to do.

Tuesday I started to have acute pain in my arm. Sometimes when I reached for something very quickly, flexed my fingers a certain way, or lifted something a little heavy, a sharp shooting pain shot through my forearm. Same feeling like when your leg falls asleep on you and you get jolts of shooting pain.

Wednesday, had to get the clutch in my BMW replaced--- $1800! UGH. That's half-a-month's salary!! It was at 130,000 miles and it's 11 years old, so it was about time.

That pain got progressively worse until yesterday (Thursday), when my entire left arm was a dull throbbing aching pain, and moving it to touch the stering wheel would hurt. So I swore I would see the doctor today.

Today, Friday, is a snow day! Which is totally awesome, a three-day school week! No school! No school! Which is perfect, so I don't even have to miss school to try and get an emergency appointment with my doc. And now it hurts much less. I "Googled" this and I feel like a hypochondriac, but they say nerve damage is a really SERIOUS irrepairable damage that can occur when a needle is inserted incorrectly in your arm.

But what can my doctor do? Isn't she just going to send me home with some painkiller, tell me to rest my arm, and call her if it gets worse again? What do you think? Opinions needed.

I think this next anecdote is really indicative of the fact that I teach in a county that makes the list of top 10 richest counties in the United States (for populations over 250,000), and 95% of my students are Caucasian.

On Thursday, I prepared my students for my Friday's absence by telling them I was going to the doctor on Friday and that this was the list of things they were going to do while I was gone.

A student raised his hand and asked, "Ms. Ng, why are you going to the doctor's? Are you sick?"

"No," I said.

"Oh!" a female student then exclaimed, "is it for a nose job?"



Seriously? That's the first thought you have when a teacher says she's going to the doctor and she's not feeling sick?

Ugh, baby fever SUCKS.

Everybody everywhere seems to be pregnant or have toddlers with them, and it's making me insanely envious.

(If you want in on the TTC* filter, let me know)

* TTC = Trying to Conceive

P.S. If you see the post below about my experiences at the gyno, it means you're already on the filter.

Spent 14 hours on Saturday with 7 of my high school students and 1 other teacher.

By the end, I gave up being polite and "teacher-like" and words like "shit" and "fuck" somehow just came out my mouth, followed, of course, quickly by "Ooops. Sorry. Erase that from your heads."

I don't know why we continue with the farce. It's not like we believe that 16-year old and 18-year old boys don't curse like dirty sailors! Yet they similarly say "Shit-- Oops. Sorry, Ms. Ng."

As if we are offending one another by such words.

Then I spent all of Sunday (1) writing my lesson plan, (2) making my PowerPoint lecture for the week, (3) creating the handout that accompanies the handout, (4) grading their homework from previous Thursday, and (5) making the chapter quiz for Tuesday. WHICH TOOK ANOTHER 5 HOURS on Sunday!!

(And this week? I'm staying after school on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday for an extra-curricular club-- for an additional 6 hours to my work-week! Hurrah!)