R.I.P. Sharmin =(

The late Sharmin, a Siamese Algae Eater

I just experienced my first major pet loss today. Sharmin, my Siamese Algae Eater was found floating at the top of the fish tank when I walked into my classroom. He has been with me for a little more than 3 years. I adopted him from one of my former students' family about 3 years ago, and we've been together ever since.

He was an addition to the fish tank after my first fish (Sparkles, who is still alive) was swimming in murky water. He remained nameless for a day, and I left it up to my students to name him. Before we decided on a name, I explained to them that he's an algae eater and that he keeps our tank clean, and all the green stuff that they see will be gone because he eats it. And then I said that he needed a name, and they suggested Tony or Rudy, which are the names of our school janitors. I suppose they wanted to name it after somebody who kept things clean. Then one student suggested Sharmin (Yes, like the toilet paper), and the rest of the group loved the name, so we went with that. The tank has been squeaky clean since he's lived in it. That summer, I didn't want to leave the tank in the classroom because the fish would not be looked after, so I moved the tank into my apartment.

When I moved out of my old apartment last month, I transferred the fish tank back into the classroom. Fast forward to today. Ardon and I stopped by my classroom today just to grab something. As soon as I walked in, I noticed that the fish tank looked a tad murky. I went over to feed the fish, and noticed a discolored Sharmin floating next to the filter. Sometimes he would float around like that, but when I'd put food into the tank, he'd move around. But this time, after I had put food into the tank, he didn't even move a fin. I knew we had lost him. I called Ardon over to come and scoop him out with the net (Ardon was across the room smuggling snacks out of the cupboard). As tears welled up in my eyes, Ardon was so great and graciously put him in a plastic bag, we brought him outside, and buried him under a tree. I'll miss the little vacuum fish. Now I have to get a new one because the algae is accumulating fast!

I don't know how to break the news to the kids. Wish me luck.

The Big 2-7

Oh, yes. It's that time of the year again. . . My birthday. I turn 27 tomorrow, which means I am officially in my late 20s. I had a fabulous birthday weekend. I got to spend it with all the people that I love--mom, dad, Mar, Tin, Vince, Michael, Isaac, Mia, and of course Ardon. On Friday night, Tin and Michael came over, and we went out to dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory. After dinner we stopped by my parents' condo just across the street from the restaurant, where Isaac was also staying. Boy, did he keep us entertained. The next morning, Ardon and I went back to the condo for a hearty breakfast cooked up by Mom, and then we all took a stroll at the Sculpture Park. Later that night, Ardon and I went to a friend's house warming party on Capitol Hill. On Sunday morning, Ardon and I met my parents at the 10am mass at St. James Cathedral, and then we all had brunch together. That evening, the whole family--Mar, Mia, Isaac, Vince, Ardon, Michael, tin, Dad, and Mom--met up for dinner in Bellevue. I didn't need a big party. As long as I had them with me, I was fine. Creating wonderful moments with my family over the whole weekend was much better.

Man, I'm 27. In the grand scheme of things, I'm still pretty young. However, it's the oldest I've ever been, so I don't know any different. How do I feel about it? Eh. I still feel like I'm 24, so I guess I'm ok. Life's really great, and I have absolutely nothing to complain about. I have wonderful family and friends, a great career, and an awesome boyfriend who got me a shiny new coffee maker that I can program to make me coffee every morning. He says I need to save money. What more could I ask for?

I Like to Move it, Move it!

I had the day off on Tuesday (yesterday) because of Veterans Day. (Which meant Monday felt like another Friday and today felt like another Monday. Such a LONG week!) Ardon and I decided to take advantage of my day off and have a little movie date. We went to the new Landing Regal Cinemas in Renton. (I highly recommend this theater if you live in that area. They have huge screens and extremely comfortable seats.) We caught the matinee of Madagascar 2: Escape to Africa. YOU HAVE TO WATCH IT! We laughed the entire time!

First of all, because it was Veterans Day, school was out and all the kids had the day off too. I swear every single child in Renton came to watch this movie at this theater. As soon as we walked into the theater, you can hear all the kids talking. I felt like I was at work anyway. As we walked through the theater to find a seat, we noticed all the little squirrelly kids who couldn't stay seated, eating their popcorn, and playing with the fold-up seats and the fold-up elbow rests. The movie began and "a hush came over the crowd." The first funny thing in the movie, the kids burst into laughter. It was like that the whole movie--hush and laughter, hush and laughter. Ardon and I laughed too because the movie was absolutely hilarious AND because the reaction of the children was equally as funny.

We had such a good time. The movie was great, and we highly recommend it. The voice-over cast is awesome, including Chris Rock, Ben Stiller, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett-Smith, Cedric the Entertainer, Sascha Baren Cohen, Will.i.am, and Alec Baldwin, just to name a few. There is a lot of adult humor and tons of action for the children too. The animation in the movie is amazing. It's definitely a must-see. 4 thumbs-up from Ardon and me.

First Graders Can Vote Too

Needless to say, this was a monumental moment in American history. The school was abuzz with election fever, and there was talk about voting everywhere I turned. So, in the spirit of the election, I decided to transform our classroom into a voting community. In the classroom, right next to the door, I set up a sign-in table, and the children were to find their name on our class roster and sign next to their names before they went into the hallway to cast their ballots. Two students were sitting at the table to help the other children find their names. One student helped kids with first names starting with A-M, and the other student helped kids with names starting with N-Z. I set up 2 private voting booths in the hallway, complete with drapes to ensure privacy. At each booth was a strip of paper, a pen, and a piece of paper with the names of the presidential candidates written on it to help the children spell the candidates' names correctly. Right outside of each booth, I delegated a student helper, so if any voter needs help writing a name, they can peek their head out and ask their helper for assistance. After they've written their name on their strip, they put it in the ballot box right outside of our door. I also delegated a student ballot guard to make sure nobody tampers with the ballots. Then they were to come back into the classroom and continue their math. I had one student count the ballots and write down the results, which I transferred onto a graph to the give the children a visual. Here were our results.

Trick or Treat!

And Happy Birthday to Daddy Caesar! My father's birthday is on Halloween, so Tin invited all of us to her and Michael's home in Issaquah to celebrate my dad's birthday and Halloween. Issaquah is a very family friendly community, and a hot spot for children to go trick or treating. We all thought it would be a great time for Isaac and Mia to suit up and partake in the door to door candy hunt while showing off their great costumes. Mia wasn't feeling well, so she stayed in with the ladies while her big brother went hunting and gathering for candy with the men. Word on the street is that Isaac was a hit! I certainly would have given him the awards for best boy costume and for cutest peacock in the world. And for sure, Mia would have gotten best girl costume and most adorable mermaid. . . But, I'm biased. You can decide.

Trick or Treat! Isaac the Peacock and Mia the Mermaid. (This is my favorite picture. I love Mia's little face.)

We had one happy peacock on our hands. He was so excited. Oh, poor Mia wasn't feeling well.

Mermaid Mia and Grandma Sonia the Clown.

Mr. Peacock from the side. His tail is quite dashing.
It was such a task to get him into the costume. He was kicking and resisting, but after Auntie Tin told him how handsome he would be if he were to wear it, he slowly eased his body into it.

He got a little more comfortable as a peacock.

Then he couldn't get enough of it. Here he is laughing, jumping, and patting his peacock tummy.
Where is my basket, Mommy? I'm ready to go Trick or Treating!