There's Always Someone...

I love you iTunes. You always know what I want/need music-wise. Oh wait. That's cause I pump you full of music that I love. But tonight, you did really well. I turned you on, and hit play. This is what you gave me:

This song just makes me happy. Enjoy!

What a Wonderful Day!

Alright folks, I had a snow day today! That's right, the university actually shut down. So I got lots done today; both serious and fun.

I finished a lesson plan for my Visual Arts class. Yay!

My friend, Ms. A brought me grocery shopping. I got lots and lots of delicious food.

Then Ms. A and I came home and we had a mini supper party! We made lots of delicious food. And listened to lots of Ingrid Michaelson.

First we made a chicken stir fry thing.
Ms. A likes lots of cheese!

Whipping cream. I discovered that whipping cream by hand is harder
than mashing potatoes by hand. It definitely took a long time...

Eventually it turned into this though. Success!

And then we made Chai Tea Lattes at home. It was delicious!
We even added whipped cream on top. Yum!

Here is the dessert! Chai Latte and Strawberry
Angel Food Cake. It was fantastic if I do
say so myself!

It was a fantastic night ending with two very content friends, relaxing with mellow music. I definitely need to do it a little more often. Good friends. Good food. Good life. Who could ask for anything more?

Things on the Internet.

Okay! So I have found a few things that I absolutely love on the internet lately. And sometimes I make a full post around it, but other things are so random but don't really fit into a blog post. Yet they are too wonderful or fun not to share. So here are a few of them.

- Shakira singing Je l'aime à mourir by Francis Cabrel in Paris. The lyrics are fantastic. I get chills when I think about them.

- Discovered Pinterest. Haven't been on too much yet but it is fun already. Definitely can see myself using it lots in the near future, once I have a bit more time to spare. If anyone wants an invite to check it out, let me know!

- Found a picture of this amazing Tree House on Pinterest. I want one. Please?

- You may also have previous seen this on another blog entry but I am posting it again!

I love The Big Bang Theory!

Okay... So it was only three things plus the one I've already shared. Well, there were only three that I could find again. Not a whole bunch. But these kinds of posts will probably start happening more frequently from now on. Anyways... It is Monday. So here's to another week! Make the best of it!

Ah Memories...

I watched this a few times growing up and for some reason, this is always the scene I remember. I don't know why... From Astérix et Cléopatre, this is Le bain de Cléopatre:

Oh, and I guess this one as well. I used to sing this with dad...

Anyway, just thought I would share!

I loved this song. Now I love it even more.

I was blown away.

Here is the original for it... Still good but not half as cool.

Happy Friday!

Yay! It's Friday. My last Friday as a relatively free person. It's back to the cave (a.k.a. my room) once classes start on Monday. But let's link up to Amanda again and talk about the wonderful things we have encountered this past week.

- Playing guitar. My daddy gave me one of his guitars for Christmas so I learned two new songs. It was so much fun to get back into the musical routine. And the guitar means so much more than a new one because it's one that my dad enjoyed for years.

Ain't it purdy? It sounds awesome too! You should see
the back of it too. The pattern on the wood on the back is
pretty much perfectly symmetrical.

- I got to sit at the laundromat with my aunt for a couple hours and just talk and enjoy time together. I'm going to miss her now that I'm not around for a couple months.

- Seeing cute pictures with funny little details. For example, this picture of us walking in a park.

Notice how our feet are pretty much exactly in the same position? Awwww!

- Meeting new people: you never know what to expect and sometimes, you're lucky and you get a pleasant surprise!

- I got a card from my friend in Alberta with pictures from her wedding. It made me very happy. So many wonderful memories.

It was such a fantastic night! She was one of the most beautiful
brides I have ever seen. Ever!

- Starbucks with Amanda! Yay! I missed her. And everyone from my program. So moving back to my city of friends was a good thing.

- Goofy moments during "Family Supper/Movie Night": We had one pair of kid's 3D glasses so we wanted to see if I could wear them under my normal glasses because they can't fit on top. This is what resulted:

I think they look super classy! Much  more so than the normal way
of wearing these fabulous 3D glasses.

- Meeting my best friend's girlfriend for the first time. This guy deserves all the best things in the world. And he has definitely found someone who is wonderful for him. So maybe he found the best person in the world. I am so happy for him!

- Went to see the Muppets Movie (with above friend and girlfriend). All my students told me how much they liked it. And they had good reason to. It was so cute! I loved the music in it. I miss the Muppets.

- Bought a new calendar. And it's a Happy Calendar! I am all about trying to see the positive in situations and be the happiest person that I can be. Sometimes it can be hard work, but it's definitely worth it.

I should probably read this book as well... Actually, I should probably
get a start on my copy of The Book of Awesome as well...

- I got to see my posters again. They are the most random pair of posters but I love them and they make me smile. So there!

Adorable elephants and Doctor Who! Who could ask for anything more?
Well, poster-wise, at least.

- I put in a new scent in my Berger Lamp and it smells delicious. I'm happy to have it back in my life.

My mom always used Ocean Breeze which I loved. But I felt like something
fruity when I bought mine so I tried Pear which smelled delicious.
This time I got Cranberry which is absolutely fantastic as well.

Those are just a few of the things that made me happy. Feel free to comment or link up to share what made you happy this week. Hope the next week is filled with wonderful, joyous things!

Such. A. Nerd.

Alright folks. I am going to demonstrate to you the extent of my nerdy-ness. As I may have previously mentioned, I am a huge (majorly huge) fan of Disney movies.

I would much rather read this...

than this!

And one of my favourite parts of many of these Disney movies is the music.

You may be thinking "Sure, sure. Every kid loves Disney music." But when I say that I am obsessed, I really mean obsessed. My cousin and I used to sing the songs all throughout recess in elementary school. I consistently get yelled at by my sisters: "Stop singing along! You're so annoying!" My friend and I were once singing "Just Around the River Bend" from Pocahontas so intently while canoeing that we didn't see a rock in our way and capsized.

So I believe that it can be assumed that I know a great majority of the lyrics to many of the songs from a large amount of Disney movies.

Well tonight, while reading Facebook comments, someone continued the song "Belle" from Beauty and the Beast in this way (and I quote): "Little town, made of little people....waking up.. to... Say......" As you might imagine, I freaked. I was so bothered by the mistake that I could not read it again. Also, I desperately wanted to correct it. But I held back and opted for writing a blog post about it instead. Good plan, right?

So did any of you catch the mistake? If not, here is the video. See if you catch it now...

Hope you all found it pretty easily. Here is a hint. It's in the third line of the song.

Well, I think that is enough of my nerdy side for now!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

P.S. Also, exciting news! Beauty and the Beast is coming out in 3D very, very soon! Yay!

And there is going to be a short based on Tangled afterwards. Could we ask for anything more?

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you have a fun, exciting, and safe New Year's Eve.



Happy Friday! On Saturday...

So, I'm a day late but I'm still linking up to Amanda for a celebration of the last week. So here are some of the things that made me happy:

- Kids at school gave me so many crafts that I actually have a craft wall behind my table.

- My grandparents came to visit. It was lots of fun! We went out to dinner with my aunt and uncle.

- My school choir was participating in a Christmas Concert. My dad and René and my grandma all came to see. The kids did so well and there were so many cute elementary school things that happened. For example, one student did a crazy hip-wiggle, Beyonce dance when we went up for the first time. Another student jumped up and down and waved at her parents with both hands. Then, for the last song, one little boy had wiggled so much on his seat during the show that half his shirt was untucked and sitting at a weird angle. I loved it!

- When I got home from the Christmas concert, I had mail waiting for me. My advent calendar from my Grandma. Yay! :)

Before...

After!

- On Friday, I got to walk to the fireman station with all my students to bring turkeys to the turkey drive they were having. The kids were so cute. It was nice to have them participate in that kind of thing.

- My students also decided they were sick of the garbage in the school yard so they did a clean up. They actually started a group: The Green Guys and Girls! They were so excited when the principle told them that they would be on the announcements. 

This sat in our class for a couple hours...

- I went to work on my aunt's house. That was a blast! It's always fun to hang out with them.

- One of my friends posted this on Facebook and I just loved it! It's so funny. Thought I would share.

- René and I finished our Jillian Michaels workout this week. I gained a whole inch on each arm! CRAZY!! Guess it worked.

It was such a fun week. What made you happy this week?

Happy Friday!

Thank goodness it is Friday! It is time to link up with Amanda to talk about the things that made us happy this week. So here goes!

- I got much better at my exercise routine. I went from being able to do about two walking push-ups to doing all seven in both sets. Woohoo!

- One of my students at school asked me if I would come visit when my internship is done. It just about broke my heart but it was nice to know she would miss me as much as I will miss them.

- I listened to lots of wonderful music, appreciated it, and talked about it. It even turned one of my blog posts into a guessing game. And also getting virtually yelled at by my cousin because she thought I didn't recognize the theme from Beauty and the Beast. I also found it that this movie is coming out in 3D after Christmas! :) Thanks Chrissy!

- I got to eat so delicious soup with biscuits. This might seem kind of boring but I love biscuits. A lot. I ate five of them with my bowl. It was wonderful!

- We did a science experiment in my class and the kids loved it. We are making salt crystals and it was been working wonderfully so far. It's actually helping the kids understand the structure of crystals. Yay!

This is what they should end up looking like. Yay!

- My voice is back! I'm excited about it but my students might be a little bit less so.

- I'm taking over all of the classes next week. That's right folks. I'll be taking over a full classroom. Should be fun. I've decided I'm going to do a reading circle-type activity. I'm excited.

- I suggested Holes to a few students who didn't like reading. It has now gone viral in my classroom. Students are calling dibs on the two copies we have. It really is a great book, by the way. Check it out!

- Wednesday was a snow day! We all went to school in the morning, disappointed that it hadn't snowed and school wasn't cancelled. Then, briefly after recess, it started coming down fast and everyone was sent home at lunch. Surprise!

- We made oatmeal cookies and made ice cream sandwiches out of them and I completely forgot to write about it. They were delicious! Post to follow...

- My mom, stepdad and sister have gone to New York. You might think that it is weird for me to be happy to have been left behind from a trip but I'm happy cause I'll get to hear lots of wonderful stories when they get back. Last time they had a picture of Lucy Liu. Without them in it of course... Silly gooses!

It looked something like this. You couldn't tell it
apart from any other picture of her.

I realize that most of my happy things happened in my classroom. Well, I guess that might be because that is where I spend most of my time. But I'm hoping it has more to do with having picked the right career.

I hope all of you had a wonderful week as well. Feel free to share! :)

More Classical...

So today, I was sitting in class marking math tests and lesson planning while waiting to go home. Of course, I was listening to classical music again. Suddenly, a piece came on and it sounded, really, really familiar. Not just "I've heard it before" familiar but like, "This was kind of a big deal and it was part of something" familiar. Then I remembered where I had heard it!

It was the whale song from Fantasia 2000!

This piece was kind of a big deal because I love whales. A lot!

While I was searching for this video, I also found a re-scored version which was pretty good. Although I like the original better.

Anyways, after listening to this clip, I realized that it wasn't the same at all. I had heard it somewhere before, though.

What I was looking for was Dvorak's 9th Symphony! More specifically, the first movement, an adagio in E minor. (P.S. Sorry for the lack of accents on his name.) But then it hit me! I totally know where I heard this song before. It was in Barbie as Rapunzel which my youngest sister used to love (almost as much as I love the whale video). That's right folks, I have watched Barbie as Rapunzel often enough to recognize a piece of classical music from it.

You hear part of it in the intro during the narration of the story and other parts of the intro when the movie's theme isn't playing.

And you also hear it when she first goes to the village, which I heard it is supposed to represent (you know, since it is also called From the New World, according to Wikipedia). You can hear it if you go to about the five minute mark in this next video.

As a matter of fact, bits and pieces of the piece play pretty much throughout the whole movie. It is kind of sad that I know this movie well enough to pinpoint specific parts where the song is noticeable. Oh well! That's me. 

Either way, the piece is absolutely beautiful. So here is a more complete, not Barbie-full version of it! Enjoy!

Some Might Call It Lame, I Call It Cool!

Alright... So I have something to admit. I love instrumental music. But honestly, I had never paid much attention to it until the last year or so. I mean, I really enjoyed the beauty and intricacy of instrumental music that is often missing from the more modern/popular music with lyrics. But I didn't have much in my collection and I didn't often play it of my own accord.

But last year, I was seeing someone who was taking a classical music class at university and I started hanging out more with a friend who was a major classical piano player. Both of them started introducing me different musicians and music and I loved it!

Now, I can't seem to get enough of it. It is beautiful and can create any emotion. Today, in class, one of my favourites came on. It was Beethoven's Symphony number 3. The fourth movement started first. And after listening to the whole eleven minutes of that, I had to start it over and listen to the whole thing. Here is a part of it...

And then, a modern piece of instrumental music came onto my iTunes. I just couldn't believe it, I was loving it! It was an instrumental version of a song created by Imogen Heap, who is fabulous in general. But you guys should really check out this piece. It is fantastic! You can really listen to the music.

Anyway, hope you all enjoyed this mini musical aside. Have a great rest of the week!

Meaghan Smith = LOVE!

On this wonderful Saturday evening, I'm sitting in the basement while my daddy plays piano. I attempted to sing a song or two but goodness knows that didn't turn out so great with my "sexy" raspy voice. Anyways, he decided to play a song called I Know by Meaghan Smith, whom I was obsessed with a couple years ago.

I don't know how many of you have heard of her. She is a Canadian artist from Nova Scotia. Her sound is kind of jazzy and her songs are really interesting. I almost was able to go see her perform in a show with Sarah McLachlan but I was out of town for that weekend! Too bad cause that is pretty much a perfect show.

Because I love her so much, and I realized how much I miss her, here is I Know from Meaghan Smith.

P.S. She just put out a Christmas album. Haven't checked it out yet but I bet it is wonderful. Hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend!

My music collection is SO random!

So, whenever people ask me what kind of music I like, I always say "Pretty much everything!" and they always get upset because they think it's a cop-out. But it is really true. I have such an array of music on my iTunes that its randomness even surprises me sometimes. For example, this weekend, I set my iTunes on shuffle and this is what resulted:

Long Day - Matchbox 20

Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard - Paul Simon

Shake It Out - Florence + the Machine

Gaston (Reprise) - Beauty and the Beast

Bookends - Simon and Garfunkel

True Colors - Glee Cast

Singing in the Shower - Sandra Boynton

It's such random songs but hey! I love it! I just thought it was funny so I decided to share.

Happy Friday!

Hi everyone! Thank goodness it's Friday! Time to link up with Amanda to talk about what has made us happy this past week. So here goes!

- Halloween! So much Thriller and fun times with friends and family.

- Homemade pizza! It is so delicious and you get to make it just the way you like it.

- Discovering new, wonderful blogs thanks to my fantastic friends and their suggestions.

- Discovering exactly how hilarious my cousin is. Check out her blog! René and I actually read it every day as we are making supper/doing homework! Love it!

- Heading back to the classroom after finishing my first term. The kids were happy, I was too, and I am looking forward to the interesting and life-changing experiences I am sure I will encounter along this journey.

- Watching Grey's Anatomy with my step mom who is now getting addicted to it. New Grey's Buddy?!

- Using my sandwich container for the first time.

- Finding the delicious Greek yogurt my mom bought when I was visiting her. So good! It's almost like ice cream because it is so thick. I've been eating it out of a plate! :)

- Planning and teaching an official lesson on my own for the first time. Nerve-racking but so much awesome!

- Taking long walks in Centennial Pack with Dad and René. It's so beautiful out there.

- Florence + the Machine pre-order came in! Woohoo! :)

I know this is the albums' Dog Days but it is so good (and catchy)! 

I'll find a not-single favourite and write a post about it later!

- Seeing the "light up, I get it" look on the kids' faces.

- Having a child who seemed closed up open up and tell you a joke. It's so nice that to know you are gaining their trust.

It has been such a fantastic week! I can't wait to see how next week goes. Have a fabulous weekend!

New Girl!

Oh. My. Gosh. I just watched the newest episode of New Girl and it was absolutely hilarious! The whole episode is based on the fact that Jess accidentally saw her roommate naked. It is so awkward in that realistically embarrassed kind of way. I laughed out loud so many times!

But even better, I found out the one roommate was a basketball player from Latvia (I had a reader from there last week! Yay!) and Jess talks about the movie Fievel Goes West! What else could you ask for in a TV show? I mean, really! That is such a cute movie... With that song. You know the one?

Anyways... Back to my initial point. New Girl = Awesome! Check it out! You'll laugh. A lot.

Feist has a new album! Celebrate!

Yay! Feist finally has a new album out, Metals. I was so excited!

As people who have read my past blog entries might know, I really love music. So when my favourite artists release new albums, I pretty much freak out. I have been listening to "Metals" almost constantly. Unfortunately, I don't really have time to listen to it "sans studying"but I have still been enjoying it. I think I've already pinpointed my two favourite songs for now though (other than the single "The Bad in Each Other"). But goodness knows my favourites will probably change as I keep listening.The songs are catchy and they have cool bridges or bits that you can't help but hum along to.

The first one would be "Graveyard" which, at times, kind of reminds me of something "Florence and the Machine"-y. Here is a live version of it:

The second one would be "Undiscovered First". Slow at first but then you can't help but start bobbing along. Here is an album version of it:

If you've never listened to Feist before, check out her past albums (and her new one). She has a very unique history, voice, and style. Enjoy!

Long Weekend...

Alright folks! I am going to surprise my family back home this weekend and am flying out tonight. (Shhh! Don't tell anyone!) Having a break is going to feel amazing after over a month of intense homeworking and class-attending. Anyways, every time I fly somewhere, this song is stuck in my head for about two days beforehand. Can't help it!

Take advantage of this extra time to do things you love with the people you love. I hope all of you have a fantastic Thanksgiving weekend!

You and I

Music has been a huge part of my life; even before I was born, my dad was singing me songs accompanied by his guitar. I love music and find that I am generally a happier, better person when there is music around. Music has the power to evoke every emotion: happiness, sadness, nostalgia, excitement.

About three years ago, I discovered a wonderful singer. Ingrid Michaelson has been by my side through the good times and the bad. She has songs that make me cry and songs that make me hopeful and happy. Her song "You and I", without fail, always makes me smile and want to dance around my room (yes, I did that today). And come on, it is so cute! Who doesn't want a relationship like that?

So check it out, as well as her other songs. She is a fabulous artist and I don't think I've ever heard a song of hers that I didn't like. Enjoy!