Mis-Communication Is My Middle Name

I THOUGHT I had asked for....

- A cigarette lighter (not because I smoke, but cook with gas)

- And a few boxes of matches just in case the electricity goes out...
(a girl's gotta be prepared if the electricity goes out right?)

THIS is what my housekeeper thought I said...

A light for my BBQ...I know, I can also use that for a gas stove but it was SO big....no?

And a package of candles....hmmm.

I should have learnt more Bangla, things would have been so much easier therefore....guess who has already started learning Vietnamese?

Boom.

I am slowly learning from my mistakes!

Hah.

What Gets YOU Through A BAD Day?

What gets you through a bad day......?

A good kiss?

(Morning, noon and night please!)

A dark piece of chocolate?

(Or two? Or four? Only even numbers, thanks)

A warm bath?

(I'll take mine with extra bubbles thank you. And two books

that way when I drop the first one in the tub by "accident"

I got me a back-up plan...happens every bloody time)

A strong drink?

(I'm thinking double shot espresso....what are YOU thinking?!?)

A good friend?

(Friends who make you forget anything important that 

"had" to get done and remind you of everything that is funny...

those friends are the worst)

A letter in the mail, on the way?

(In Dhaka, that can be very exciting but after four months of waiting the 

naturally starts to whined down...no matter how hard you try

to convince yourself it's sooo close~! UGGhhhh!)

Wanna know what gets ME through 

a bad, terrible, awful day?

DO YOU SEE WHAT I SEE?!?

That "thing" is not a horse, nor a donkey or a goat

(One of my students saw it and thought it looked like a goat?

For Pete's SAKES people, what are teachers teaching kids these days 

if they can't tell a GOAT from a PONY!)

Yes, I said PONY.

It's a picture of a pony that gets me through bad days.

WHY?

It's a photo-card of the FLUFFIEST pony 

from Mongolia.

MONGOLIA HAS PONIES?

(Why was I born under a rock?!?)

You can't even see it's head but that doesn't matter because

IT'S SO FLUFFY!!!

To sum up?

Find YOUR pony...

or whatever makes you smile on a real crap day.

(Amazing finds like my pony card are happy moments that are priceless

on those long, ass, crap, never-going-to-end days).

Hmmm - so fluffy.

p.s. It also helps that I leave for Mauritius in 

DAYS !!!

Nawwww....it's the pony.

Dhaka Mail From Les Maillefers'sssssssss~!

I love getting mail from Maillefer's.

Period.

Why?

Cuz supporting athletes near and far.

Friends and family.

Old and new.

THAT'S WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT!

Plus, he is their kinda DaaaaaaaaaNG good!

Dear Gut and Jéré.....

THaaaaaaaaaaNK YoooooooooU for the lovely mail.

p.s. J'ai trouver un faute d'ortographe....si jamais.

What?

Don't be mad, I'm a teacher, that is what I do!

"See there little one, you aren't perfect! hA!"

(spoken like a true HERO Ms.Wellz)

Time for a New Mug = Morning Video Message

I can't seem to find something that will

1. Keeps my coffee really hot
2. Has a safety lid for spillages 
3. Has a outside coating method that allows me to not get burnt

This is what I came up with so far...

So...yeah.

Glass jar full of piping hot coffee seem to be a
REALLY
bad idea.

(Just in case you were thinking about it)

Have a good day~!

What Song Is Making You Cry Lately?

Who doesn't love a good cry every now and then?

This is the song that has been making me cry

all week long.

WHY YOU ASK?

Take a look...or perhaps a listen?

*WARNING IF YOU ARE AN EMOTIONAL WRECK 

THAN THIS MIGHT BE WERE YOU STOP READING!!!

Sufjan Steven recently lost his mother and well, the album

is all about - just that.

It makes ME think about my family and the people that I love.

"The Only Thing"

The only thing that keeps me from driving this car
Half-light, jack knife into the canyon at night
Signs and wonders: Perseus aligned with the skull
Slain Medusa, Pegasus alight from us all

Do I care if I survive this? 

Bury the dead where they’re found
In a veil of great surprises; I wonder did you love me at all?

The only thing that keeps me from cutting my arm
Cross hatch, warm bath, Holiday Inn after dark
Signs and wonders: water stain writing the wall
Daniel’s message; blood of the moon on us all

Do I care if I despise this? 

Nothing else matters, I know
In a veil of great disguises; how do I live with your ghost?

Should I tear my eyes out now?
Everything I see returns to you somehow
Should I tear my heart out now?
Everything I feel returns to you somehow
I want to save you from your sorrow
The only reason why I continue at all
Faith in reason, I wasted my life playing dumb
Signs and wonders: sea lion caves in the dark
Blind faith, God’s grace, nothing else left to impart

Do I care if I survive this, 

bury the dead where they’re found
In a veil of great surprises; 

hold to my head till I drown
Should I tear my eyes out now, 

before I see too much?
Should I tear my arms out now, 

I wanna feel your touch
Should I tear my eyes out now?
Everything I see returns to you somehowShould I tear my heart out now?
Everything I feel returns to you somehow

*Red lines are ones that hit home for me

So...yeah.

The apartment this has been full of Sufjan Stevens musics, 

lots of tears and some

very productive time in the kitchen...

making vegan energy balls.

Just saying.

Feeling like a "tired old mare"

Thanks Sufjan~! 

I Pinch Myself Sometimes to STOP Day Dreaming About Vietnam

Ohhh the places you will go.

This picture is courtesy a wonderful little blog I follow now called

http://vietnamesexvegan.blogspot.com/

The even have YOGA studios with VEGAN restaurants.....YUM!

 Not that I will be able to find any of these places, yikes!

And ohhh the countryside that you can ACTUALLY get out and visit by train or

car of MOTOR BIKE!

Oh my word, I can't even talk about the food right now.

Too good, too good.

And these are places I will be able to visit outside the city?

REALLY!?!?!?!

And shopping there is also shopping?

But wait, let's go back to places like this...really? 

I will be able to get out of the city and see places like THIS!!?!?!?

Yes, Lauren.

Calm down, focus and get back to work.

Okay.

Fine.

OUCH

(pinching myself)

SPOT ON...kinda?

The weekend began like any other weekend,

with a fun little read...

AQUARIUS – Does It in the Water 

(January 20 to February 18)

Trustworthy. 
Attractive. 
Great kisser.
One of a kind. 
Loves being in long-term relationships. 
Tries hard. 
Will take on any project. 
Proud of themselves in whatever they do. 
Messy and unorganized. 
Procrastinators. 
Great lovers, when they’re not sleeping. 
Extreme thinkers. 
Loves their pets usually more than their family.
Can be VERY irritating to others when they try to explain or tell a story. 
Unpredictable. 
Will exceed your expectations. 
Not a fighter, but will knock your lights out. 
Ohhh is that it?

Think they might have forgotten just one MORE thing... 

BAT - SH*T - CRAZY!!!

Yes, indeed.

I just said that about myself.

You need an example?

PROVE IT YOU SAY!?!

22.5 km on a treadmill, 

In the middle of a HOT day in Dhaka 

(Air conditioner did NOT work so well for me that day)

After a rough morning tennis sesh, 

Crying while listening to Sujfan Stevens new album 

(It's all about him dealing with his mother's death - touching really)

RANDOM FACT: always get emotional at the 90" mark of any run

Decided that stretching for 40 minutes was very important after run

(More like passing out on mat for 40 minutes)

And then (of course) took a dry, salty-skin, selfie in order to celebrate..? 

Celebrate what again?

MY CRAZINESS OF COURSE!

OH FOR PETE'S Lauren! 

I rest my case.

Add bat-sh*t-crazy to the list above, please.


Sigh*
I am not sure the world is ready for the Age of Aquarius, just yet.

As a matter of fact, I KNOW the world is not ready for that...but what about just one crazy, old, bat?

Hmmm.

Perhaps. 

Best Way To Wake Up

A little morning glow....

...a nice big ROUND coffee mug full of warming, black, elixir.

(thank you Starbucks for taking over the world and my bed)

Drawing seems to be the only thing that calms me down these days.

Maybe it's the copious amount of coffee?

Nawwwww~!

(smiling)

Rookie Artist Claims She's Got Talent...Debatable.

Not sure what to call this.

Sketching?

Drawing?

Pencil shading?

Regardless, since I don't have my own

model, I gotta use what I got.

ME

Ohhhhh yeah LAUREN!

"Love it, work it, smile with those eyes Lauren..."

AWWWW pleeeeeese!

Tsk - tsk!

I am looking for angles people....I think.

Or was I looking for weird shadows?

Not sure WHAT I am looking for.

In the end, I got this...

A sketch of a man.

Ooooookay, not sure how that one happened.

But NOT a problem....it's all about starting something, right? 

RIGHT!

(except don't ask me to draw your portrait any time soon or

you might come out a different sex)

Just saying.

Too posh for ME own good.

Eating baked salmon while listening to classical music....

...in Dhaka?

Who the HECK have I become.

Sick.

;-)

When you can't do anything else? DANCE!

Stuck in an airport?

What else is there to do but...

DANCE BABY!

Or just listen to Stromea..?

Cheeky-sneaky grade 8 students...gotta love'em!

I do.

(smiling)

Night Markets in the alley...Rickshaw Alley

Need a new pair of shoes?

Best deals in town, Rickshaw Alley folks!

Pretty sure they have your size. 

Do the shoes EVER catch on fire?

Hmmm. Good question. 

NEXT!

Is there any fruit they DON'T sell there....starfruit.

NEXT!

How many goose, chicken, ducks or pigeons do you need?

SOLD - to the lady in the clown pants.

Four calling birds, three french hens, two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear treeeee!

Blurry picture but important because...?

...these are all NAME BRAND clothes sold stupid cheap

in an alley way that is well, called RICKSHAW ALLEY no less.

Can you believe it?

Yup.

I can, because I live there...well, two blocks away.

And yes, tea anyone? 

Tea stalls are always open pretty late...perfect for one little shot of caffeine and 

DELICIOUS condensed milk.

And perhaps a croissant to go with your croissant?

 Muffin? Bagel you say?

You can get anything in those plastic-baggie-type-hangy-things.

Or maybe you are more of a peanut person?

Or maybe you just wanna stop and enjoy the lights show?

You can pretty much get anything in the alley...

...except a pony of course!

Ohhh la-la-la!

One of many things they do well here in Dhaka, chandelier lights.

So...yeah

Laugh Every DANG Day = Healthy Gums

Hopefully, I am a little like this when I am older...

...here's hoping.

Laugh every dang day~!

A typical day in Ms.Wellz'ssss Class

A typical day in Humanities class with Ms.Wellz

Objective?

To identify artifacts (3 to be exact) from each case study and 

explain WHY they were important or relevant in the case?

START:

Students have 20 images pinned to white board from each of

their case study;

Ozti, Egtved Girl and Tollund Man.

There is a statement on the board that reads:

How does the image relate to my case?

#1 

Students were FIRST put in groups 

(e.g. All kids who had studied Ozti sit together, all students who studied Tollund man, etc.)

 As a group, they had to take down 

the images from the board that pertained to their case.

IMPORTANT NOTE: That in itself gave Ms.Wells an indication of who knew their case well

#2

Students were THEN asked to select THREE photos from the pile,

for their own worksheet.

The worksheet was divided in three boxes, asking students

to explain the statement that was on the board:

How does the image relate to my case?

Just a way to see what the students HAVE learnt over this last two weeks

in regards to all these specific cases;

Ozti

Tollund Man

and 

Egtved Girl

This group wanted to sit on the ground...love the students who like to be different.

She wanted to do her hair BEFORE I took the photo - pfffft...

...Oh well! She was not impressed.

Oppsieeee!

Selfie at the end of the lesson....because that was only period 1&2...still had 6 more to go.

(8 day periods are the worst...especially when you have'em back to back)

Love my life and my job.

Period.