ALWAYS A PROM QUEEN

THIS IS NOT A LOVE STORY. . .

. . .in theaters July 17, 2009, 500 Days of Summer.

MOONWALK. . .FIRST TIME EVER. . .

. . .Motown 25th Anniversary show.  So intense, so cool, so classic, so smooth.  Enjoy!

STILL TIRED. . .STILL CLEANING. . .STILL HAPPY

. . .from my retirement party.  I thought it was going to be different, more about the kids getting together again, and less about my retirement from teaching.  But it wasn't like that at all.

Students from as far back as the Class of 1997 came and each one made me remember the good old days.  I know there were many difficult times in my 31 years of teaching, but they have been forgotten, and only the good memories are clear as a bell.  It was amazing to see so many kids that have thrived, and are successful, and for that I am blessed to still have them in my life.

I got small gifts from kids that I never expected would think to buy me a present.  I got cards of gratitude that let me know that I had truly made a different in their lives.  I got lots of hugs and warm wishes.  I got a book from Maribel, by Shel Silverstein, that was colored in, with a note that made me smile and brought tears to my eyes.  And then there were gifts that were given with much for-thought, that expressed the real meaning of gift giving.  And through it all, I was loved, and who can ask for more than that.

Thank you to everyone that came and offered congratulations for a job well done.  To my students, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.  To my friends, all who enriched my life, and helped me find myself, THANK YOU, for making the evening very special.

STILL ROCKING. . .BUT REELING. . .

. . .over the untimely death of Michael Jackson.  Too young, too talented, too early gone.  Thank God for YouTube, because we can return to his videos and remember his greatness.

The Jackson 5, "Dancing Machine," on the Carol Burnett Show.

HAPPILY RETIRED. . .

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MICHAEL JACKSON. . .DEAD AT THE AGE OF 50. . .

. . .The self-proclaimed King of Pop died today from cardiac arrest.  I am not only in shock, but also stunned, and in mourning.  Setting aside his strange life-style, his drastic plastic surgery, and his transformed skin color, Jackson was a uniquely talented performer that changed the music industry in more ways than one can imagine.

Michael was the seventh of nine children, and at the age of 6, he and his four brothers, Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, and Marlon, entered a talent show, and won first place.  Thus, The Jackson 5 began their rise to fame.  Eventually Michael went solo, and in 1982, his amazing album Thriller earned him 7 top-10 singles.  This album sold 21 million copies in the U.S., and another 27 million copies worldwide.

The following year Michael performed Billy Jean on NBC TV, and the world was mesmerized by his dance moves, and for the first time saw his "moonwalk," which ultimately became his signature dance move.  Michael's music video for his song Thriller, which first appeared on MTV, changed the course of all music videos forever. 

Jackson was in Los Angeles preparing for his 50 concerts at London's O2 Arena, that were to begin on July 13, when he collapsed, and died.  Michael leaves behind three children, Michael, Jr., Paris, and Prince, and a legion of fans across the globe.  I, for one, had hoped that Michael would eventually have a comeback, but that will never happen now.

As a side note, when I was in my early 20's, I was lucky enough to see The Jackson 5, in Las Vegas.  The show was great, and even young Janet Jackson, who was only 5 years old at the time,  performed on stage.  After the concert, I was in the casino, and the Jackson's were escorted out, too young to gamble or remain in the casino area of the hotel.  I have been a Michael Jackson fan for as long as I can remember, and despite all his craziness, his talent was incredible, and his voice will live on for eternity.

TIM BURTON'S ALICE IN WONDERLAND. . .

. . .to be released in March 2010.

Mia Wasikowska as Alice

Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter

Anne Hathaway as the White Queen

Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen

Matt Lucas as Tweedledee and Tweedledum

ADVICE TO THE FRESHMEN. . .FROM THE CLASS OF 2004. . .

. . .From the Class of 2004?????  Yes, that's correct. 

I didn't have time to clean out and clear away all of my old files before I retired, so I threw the more interesting files into a box, actually several boxes, and for some reason decided to go through the box tonight.  One particular file was from  a 9th grade Cluster English class, and the assignment was to write a letter to next year's freshmen.  The letter had to be five paragraphs, and the fourth paragraph was to give advice to the Class of 2005.

For some reason there weren't too many letters in the folder, but it was interesting that I still remember each student, and how they looked back when the letters were dated, June 13, 2001.  This students were lively, bright, and very interesting, and it's surprising that some of them are still in my life today.  As a matter of fact, a few of them are planning to attend my retirement party on Saturday night, and I'm going to give them their letters as a reminder of what they had to say when they were young, innocent, and freshmen.

As for their advice, it was also very interesting, perceptive, and informative.  I thought it might be interesting to read what they had to say back in the day. . .

Michael Pham:  Now that my freshman year is over, I believe that high school is really the best time of your life.  You have the dances, lunch, and the unforgettable pep rallies.  There are also those great teachers, and that special someone in your life.  My advice to you is how to make your freshman year as great as mine is; live life day by day.  If you have one horrible day, don't worry, there is always tomorrow, next week, and even next month.  You should keep your focus on school , and not too much with you social life.  Make high school an experience you won't forget.

Momtaz Gelle:  Everyone says that your high school years are the best years in your life, well I don't know right now because sophomore summer is starting for me.  You freshmen are the spirit of the school so have the time of your life.  You may be headed for some hard times and hard tests, but don't let that get in your way.  Don't get too comfortable with the seniors because they are going to leave, and you are going to be crying.  Most important of all, don't let anyone tease you about being a freshman, because they know darn well they were freshmen at one time in their life.  So to all the freshmen of 2005, remember. . .Hey Freshmen.  Yeah!  Hey Freshmen.  Yeah!  Do you have a year?  0-5, 0-5, 0-0-0-5!!!!!!

Cindy Munoz:  I hope that your class has a better year than '04.  Honestly, the ASB didn't do their best job to make our first year totally exciting.  But overall, I enjoyed attending Crawford High School.  My advice to you is to involved in all the clubs and sports.  You will really have a nice time, and trust me, school popularity does does not matter.  Also, do you homework and try to keep up because before you know it the year will be over.

Hung Nguyen:  To make high school a positive experience, you should do all your assignments, earn good grades, have fun, and the results will be positive for you in the future.  You should also join clubs and athletic teams so it will look good on your profile.

Somalie Oeurn:  It might seem that the first week is hard, but it's fun, and when you get into an activity, you will be surprised by how time flies, as it did this year.  I urge you, the Class of 2005, to participate in clubs, meetings, and events the first year because when you do, you can brag about the cool things you did to the next in-coming freshmen.  One more thing, the Class of 2004 rules, and what I mean is, have class spirit and support our school, Crawford High School Colts.

Van Huynh:  You know, high school isn't so bad now that I have finished my first year.  You may have had a counselor tell you that "high school will be the hardest years of your life."  And maybe he is right.  But you don't have to make it as hard as he says it will be.  Trust me, there will be HARDER things that lie ahead.  High school is just an obstacle, or more like a "test."  Freshmen year is always hard, you're in a new environment, just like 6th grade was hard.  People make it sound like hell, but it's just another experience.  DON'T PROCRASTINATE.  You can't hear this advice too many times because you know you're going to ProCraStiNaTe again and again.  I hope the Class of 2005 has a great freshman year, just as much as I did.  I've met new friends and it feels good to have now passed my 9th grade with no problems at all.

TO MARK THE BEGINNING OF SUMMER. . .SAND SCULPTURES. . .

NO FORTUNE TODAY. . .

. . .Went to the mall today to pick up a gift for my father for Father's Day.  Afterwards, I stopped at the food court and had my favorite, broccoli beef with white rice, from Panda Express.  Finished my meal and then turned to my fortune cookie for dessert.  Broke it open. . .and nothing inside.

I'm not sure if not having a fortune inside my cookie is bad luck. . .or no luck.

Then came home and started reading some of my favorite blogs on-line.  Found this. . .which says it all!