don't act so distant, autumn.
you're one of a family of four, you're not a guest.
we shouldn't have to say goodbye so
soon; we shouldn't have to say please
pleaseplease make an appearance
next year.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Response: Blue bird
I know why the caged bird sings
Maya Angelou
A free bird leaps on the back
Of the wind and floats downstream
Till the current ends and dips his wing
In the orange sun's rays
And dares to claim the sky.
But a bird that stalks down his narrow cage
Can seldom see through his bars of rage
His wings are clipped and his feet are tied
So he opens his throat to sing.
The caged bird sings with a fearful trill
Of things unknown but longed for still
And his tune is heard on the distant hill for
The caged bird sings of freedom.
The free bird thinks of another breeze
And the trade winds soft through
The sighing trees
And the fat worms waiting on a dawn-bright
Lawn and he names the sky his own.
But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams
His shadow shouts on a nightmare scream
His wings are clipped and his feet are tied
So he opens his throat to sing.
The caged bird sings with
A fearful trill of things unknown
But longed for still and his
Tune is heard on the distant hill
For the caged bird sings of freedom.
I also really like this poem, having only read it once (twicethrice) on Winnie's blog.
I guess it's true what they say:
though the typical response to "poetry" is, "bleurgh" or "do we have to" or "i won't understand it",
Everyone likes poetry.
It's true, it's true, it's true.
Dolls House allusions aside, here's my response, which is not actually an unfamiliar close reading because
1) I googled the author,
2) (Amongst other things) Weezor's already covered contrast, which is basically THE biggest language technique in this poem. Anyhow
First thing that struck me about stanza 1 is that there is not just imagery of the sky. Consider the phrases, "floats downstream", "dips his wing". It's more evocative of the sea/water, as if the bird has the sea as well as the sky.
Plus he has the land... he has memories of 'trees' and access to 'lawn'; that's all three points of the land of the living, pretty snazzy. And the caged bird? Nothing. He can barely see.
So why does he sing?
The author/poet, Maya Angelou (1928-), wrote a series of autobiographies, the first of which (and the most highly acclaimed of which) is ... three guesses "I know why the caged bird sings."
And she uses this idea of a caged bird throughout. But not a passive bird, a struggling bird, one who wants its voice to be heard. Hence the singing. The entire poem, in fact, is an extended metaphor
with the singing representing the fight against the racism and the oppression which the author had to cope with as she grew up.
The contrast? Her society was black and white in more ways than one. There was very little 'social ambiguity' - not just between the blacks and the whites, but between the men and the women. (I guess this also relates to Grace Nichols celebrating that which is most disparaged in her fat black women poems, ne?)
Although,
I think here the focus is only on the racial difference, since both the birds are 'he', and since we get those contrasting images of light/dark.
Another thing:
Angelou was inspired by Paul Laurence Dunbar, esp. this third stanza of Sympathy:
I know why the caged bird sings, ah me,
When his wing is bruised and his bosom sore,--
When he beats his bars and he would be free;
It is not a carol of joy or glee,
But a prayer that he sends from his heart's deep core,
But a plea, that upward to Heaven he flings--
I know why the caged bird sings!
Aaaand
This is a poem written by Tui Boyle, who was 11 at the time
(This was my favourite poem in the whole 100 poems collection. What is it about birds in cages? Even the pioneer girls made paper illusions to do with them.)
Like a bird in a cage
Got nowhere to fly,
Nothing to do
Just sit there and cry.
Like a prisoner in his cell
Just sits there and waits,
Hoping that someone
Will open the gates.
Nothing to do
Not a thing.
Feeling quite sad
And got no song to sing.
Looking outside
It's a bright sunny day.
The door has been open
So I can fly away.
which seems to also relate to oppressed humans in the wider world, especially with that first person "I" and the use of the simile "like a bird in a cage" at the start, both of which clearly show that we're not actually talking about a bird here.
Most probably a person
not defiant like the original caged birds
an opportunist, this one.
Funny how it can still be analyzed a bit. Like that "nothing to do/not a thing." Read it and you get that expectant 'I thought there was another syllable coming' uncomfortable pause.
Silencenothing.
"Then both were silent once more."
Maya Angelou
A free bird leaps on the back
Of the wind and floats downstream
Till the current ends and dips his wing
In the orange sun's rays
And dares to claim the sky.
But a bird that stalks down his narrow cage
Can seldom see through his bars of rage
His wings are clipped and his feet are tied
So he opens his throat to sing.
The caged bird sings with a fearful trill
Of things unknown but longed for still
And his tune is heard on the distant hill for
The caged bird sings of freedom.
The free bird thinks of another breeze
And the trade winds soft through
The sighing trees
And the fat worms waiting on a dawn-bright
Lawn and he names the sky his own.
But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams
His shadow shouts on a nightmare scream
His wings are clipped and his feet are tied
So he opens his throat to sing.
The caged bird sings with
A fearful trill of things unknown
But longed for still and his
Tune is heard on the distant hill
For the caged bird sings of freedom.
I also really like this poem, having only read it once (twicethrice) on Winnie's blog.
I guess it's true what they say:
though the typical response to "poetry" is, "bleurgh" or "do we have to" or "i won't understand it",
Everyone likes poetry.
It's true, it's true, it's true.
Dolls House allusions aside, here's my response, which is not actually an unfamiliar close reading because
1) I googled the author,
2) (Amongst other things) Weezor's already covered contrast, which is basically THE biggest language technique in this poem. Anyhow
First thing that struck me about stanza 1 is that there is not just imagery of the sky. Consider the phrases, "floats downstream", "dips his wing". It's more evocative of the sea/water, as if the bird has the sea as well as the sky.
Plus he has the land... he has memories of 'trees' and access to 'lawn'; that's all three points of the land of the living, pretty snazzy. And the caged bird? Nothing. He can barely see.
So why does he sing?
The author/poet, Maya Angelou (1928-), wrote a series of autobiographies, the first of which (and the most highly acclaimed of which) is ... three guesses "I know why the caged bird sings."
And she uses this idea of a caged bird throughout. But not a passive bird, a struggling bird, one who wants its voice to be heard. Hence the singing. The entire poem, in fact, is an extended metaphor
with the singing representing the fight against the racism and the oppression which the author had to cope with as she grew up.
The contrast? Her society was black and white in more ways than one. There was very little 'social ambiguity' - not just between the blacks and the whites, but between the men and the women. (I guess this also relates to Grace Nichols celebrating that which is most disparaged in her fat black women poems, ne?)
Although,
I think here the focus is only on the racial difference, since both the birds are 'he', and since we get those contrasting images of light/dark.
Another thing:
Angelou was inspired by Paul Laurence Dunbar, esp. this third stanza of Sympathy:
I know why the caged bird sings, ah me,
When his wing is bruised and his bosom sore,--
When he beats his bars and he would be free;
It is not a carol of joy or glee,
But a prayer that he sends from his heart's deep core,
But a plea, that upward to Heaven he flings--
I know why the caged bird sings!
Aaaand
This is a poem written by Tui Boyle, who was 11 at the time
(This was my favourite poem in the whole 100 poems collection. What is it about birds in cages? Even the pioneer girls made paper illusions to do with them.)
Like a bird in a cage
Got nowhere to fly,
Nothing to do
Just sit there and cry.
Like a prisoner in his cell
Just sits there and waits,
Hoping that someone
Will open the gates.
Nothing to do
Not a thing.
Feeling quite sad
And got no song to sing.
Looking outside
It's a bright sunny day.
The door has been open
So I can fly away.
which seems to also relate to oppressed humans in the wider world, especially with that first person "I" and the use of the simile "like a bird in a cage" at the start, both of which clearly show that we're not actually talking about a bird here.
Most probably a person
not defiant like the original caged birds
an opportunist, this one.
Funny how it can still be analyzed a bit. Like that "nothing to do/not a thing." Read it and you get that expectant 'I thought there was another syllable coming' uncomfortable pause.
Silencenothing.
"Then both were silent once more."
Sunday, April 11, 2010
u been SHEEPEd
Time started: 7.21
Name: Kim
Single or Taken: Single
Sex: Female
Birthday: July 24th
Sign: Leo
Eye colour: Dark brown
What are you wearing: pyjamas - "refill theme" pants + handmedowns ^^
Where do you live: Akl
Righty or lefty: Lefty
FAVORITE
_______________________________________
Where is your favorite place to shop: Malaysia
Color: Blue/green
Number: 6, 342
Boys Name: ... Pierrot haha
Girls Name: idk
Animal: atm, snow leopard, Japanese serow, and just cats in general
Month: depends on what happens during that month =)
Movie: I Not Stupid 2 comes to mind... I have others though
Juice: Apple or grape
Breakfast: pancakes/waffles/really eggy French toast
Favorite cartoon character: Tino from the Weekenders
HAVE YOU EVER
_______________________________________
Given anyone a bath: Yes
Smoked: No
Bungee Jumped: No
Gone skinny dipping: No
Eaten a dog: No
Put your tongue on a frozen pole: I put my tongue on an icecube. Then I ate it.
Loved someone so much it made you cry: ...because I missed them?
Broken a bone: No
Played truth or dare: Yes
Been in a physical fight: Not a serious one
Been in a police car: No
Been in a hot tub: Yes
Swam in the ocean: Yes
Fallen asleep in school: Yes
Ran away: No
Broken someone’s heart: Not as far as I know
Cried when someone died: Yes
Cried in school: No
Fell off your chair: Yes
Sat by the phone all night waiting for someone to call: No, I've waited for a few hours during the day though
Saved AIM/MSN conversation: Yes
WHAT IS
_______________________________________
Your good luck charm: Don't have one
Best song you ever heard: -
What’s your room like: Very neat, with 60+ toys slouching around
What kind of shampoo do you use: A mixture, still experimenting =)
Do you believe in karma: No
HAVE YOU HAD
_______________________________________
Chicken pox: Yes
Sore Throat: Yes
Stitches: What kind of stitch =P
Broken nose: No
DO YOU
_______________________________________
Believe in love at first sight: Nope
Like picnics: Yes
Like school: Yes, except when there's something to dread
What schools have you gone to: Halsey Drive, KTS, ANI, STCC
Would you eat a live hamster for $1,000,000 dollars: No
Who was the last person that called you: Mum
What makes you laugh the most: Lots of different people.. brother?
LAST PERSON
_______________________________________
You yelled at: I dunno, it was ages ago. Someone in my family
Who broke your heart: heart's pretty untouched
Who is your loudest friend: Everyone's loud when they want to be. Beware the quiet ones =D
DO YOU/ARE YOU
_______________________________________
Do you like filling these out: Yeah, I like it better when they're original though. Lot of recycleds in this one
Do you wear contacts or glasses: Yes
Do you like yourself: Sometimes
Do you get along with your family: Mostly
Obsessive: Only over some things
Compulsive: No
Anorexic: No
FINAL QUESTIONS
_______________________________________
What are you listening to right now: The Simpsons
What did you do yesterday: SPCA/bowls match/went out for dinner (they ran out of their specialty dish hahaha fail)
Hate someone in your family: definitely not
What car do you wish you had: -oblivious about cars-
Where do you want to get married: somewhere pretty
If you could change anything about yourself, what would it be: lots of things
How many remote controls are in your house: 6, including lots of unnecessary ones to operate the dvd etc
Are you double jointed: I have a hitchhiker's thumb? lol
Last time you took a bath: not since I was about 4
The last movie you saw at the cinemas: Valentines Day.
Do you like scary or happy movies: Usually happy, but depends how happy. If it's "The life of the cheerful elf in the sunshine" sort of happy, I prefer scary.
Black or white: Both
Root Beer or Dr.Pepper: Root beer!!!
Vanilla or chocolate: chocolate (but vanilla's good too =))
Silver or Gold: Silver
Diamond or Pearl: Diamonds
Sunset or Sunrise: both
Sprite or 7up: meh
Cats or Dogs: Cats
Coffee or Tea: Tea
Phone or in person: In person.
Are you the oldest, middle, youngest or only child: youngest
Indoor or outdoor: Depends on where exactly
One week to go! My brother left this morning (I wrote this yesterday haha). We saw him off at 6.45am. I went back to sleep afterwards, which as it turns out was not such a good move, because now it seems like the whole past week was unreal. It went fasst.
I never thought that I would have need of so many of Winnie's DO bookmarks, but I'm now using about 7 of them at once for conceptual physics haha I keep switching between chapters and marking things I want to look up.
lol Mum just rang me purely to tell me that her colleague has a plant which attracts monarch caterpillars (because they like to eat it), "It's like they're harvesting butterflies!"
*cough* completely unrelated topics in the same post again..
Name: Kim
Single or Taken: Single
Sex: Female
Birthday: July 24th
Sign: Leo
Eye colour: Dark brown
What are you wearing: pyjamas - "refill theme" pants + handmedowns ^^
Where do you live: Akl
Righty or lefty: Lefty
FAVORITE
_______________________________________
Where is your favorite place to shop: Malaysia
Color: Blue/green
Number: 6, 342
Boys Name: ... Pierrot haha
Girls Name: idk
Animal: atm, snow leopard, Japanese serow, and just cats in general
Month: depends on what happens during that month =)
Movie: I Not Stupid 2 comes to mind... I have others though
Juice: Apple or grape
Breakfast: pancakes/waffles/really eggy French toast
Favorite cartoon character: Tino from the Weekenders
HAVE YOU EVER
_______________________________________
Given anyone a bath: Yes
Smoked: No
Bungee Jumped: No
Gone skinny dipping: No
Eaten a dog: No
Put your tongue on a frozen pole: I put my tongue on an icecube. Then I ate it.
Loved someone so much it made you cry: ...because I missed them?
Broken a bone: No
Played truth or dare: Yes
Been in a physical fight: Not a serious one
Been in a police car: No
Been in a hot tub: Yes
Swam in the ocean: Yes
Fallen asleep in school: Yes
Ran away: No
Broken someone’s heart: Not as far as I know
Cried when someone died: Yes
Cried in school: No
Fell off your chair: Yes
Sat by the phone all night waiting for someone to call: No, I've waited for a few hours during the day though
Saved AIM/MSN conversation: Yes
WHAT IS
_______________________________________
Your good luck charm: Don't have one
Best song you ever heard: -
What’s your room like: Very neat, with 60+ toys slouching around
What kind of shampoo do you use: A mixture, still experimenting =)
Do you believe in karma: No
HAVE YOU HAD
_______________________________________
Chicken pox: Yes
Sore Throat: Yes
Stitches: What kind of stitch =P
Broken nose: No
DO YOU
_______________________________________
Believe in love at first sight: Nope
Like picnics: Yes
Like school: Yes, except when there's something to dread
What schools have you gone to: Halsey Drive, KTS, ANI, STCC
Would you eat a live hamster for $1,000,000 dollars: No
Who was the last person that called you: Mum
What makes you laugh the most: Lots of different people.. brother?
LAST PERSON
_______________________________________
You yelled at: I dunno, it was ages ago. Someone in my family
Who broke your heart: heart's pretty untouched
Who is your loudest friend: Everyone's loud when they want to be. Beware the quiet ones =D
DO YOU/ARE YOU
_______________________________________
Do you like filling these out: Yeah, I like it better when they're original though. Lot of recycleds in this one
Do you wear contacts or glasses: Yes
Do you like yourself: Sometimes
Do you get along with your family: Mostly
Obsessive: Only over some things
Compulsive: No
Anorexic: No
FINAL QUESTIONS
_______________________________________
What are you listening to right now: The Simpsons
What did you do yesterday: SPCA/bowls match/went out for dinner (they ran out of their specialty dish hahaha fail)
Hate someone in your family: definitely not
What car do you wish you had: -oblivious about cars-
Where do you want to get married: somewhere pretty
If you could change anything about yourself, what would it be: lots of things
How many remote controls are in your house: 6, including lots of unnecessary ones to operate the dvd etc
Are you double jointed: I have a hitchhiker's thumb? lol
Last time you took a bath: not since I was about 4
The last movie you saw at the cinemas: Valentines Day.
Do you like scary or happy movies: Usually happy, but depends how happy. If it's "The life of the cheerful elf in the sunshine" sort of happy, I prefer scary.
Black or white: Both
Root Beer or Dr.Pepper: Root beer!!!
Vanilla or chocolate: chocolate (but vanilla's good too =))
Silver or Gold: Silver
Diamond or Pearl: Diamonds
Sunset or Sunrise: both
Sprite or 7up: meh
Cats or Dogs: Cats
Coffee or Tea: Tea
Phone or in person: In person.
Are you the oldest, middle, youngest or only child: youngest
Indoor or outdoor: Depends on where exactly
One week to go! My brother left this morning (I wrote this yesterday haha). We saw him off at 6.45am. I went back to sleep afterwards, which as it turns out was not such a good move, because now it seems like the whole past week was unreal. It went fasst.
I never thought that I would have need of so many of Winnie's DO bookmarks, but I'm now using about 7 of them at once for conceptual physics haha I keep switching between chapters and marking things I want to look up.
lol Mum just rang me purely to tell me that her colleague has a plant which attracts monarch caterpillars (because they like to eat it), "It's like they're harvesting butterflies!"
*cough* completely unrelated topics in the same post again..
Saturday, April 3, 2010
yo.
Hello, blog.
I've been neglecting you.
Good thing you're non-living, otherwise you would not be living.
Well,
as we all know,
tis' holidays.
I actually feel like I could've coped with another week of school. This term felt really short.
-that's because it *was* short-
But I'm glad for the break,
glad because of the extra sleep
and because there are no consecutive internals
andandand because my brother is back =D
I learned how to play mah jong on Friday.
It's interesting. I want a mah jong set now =P
pity it can't really be made, unless you have some random chunks of plastic.
lol if I made mah jong cards out of actual card...hmmm
ooooh and I just checked the external timetable (shush lol)
Mine's sooo much better than last year
Stats and English are over and done with first
and everything is nicely spaced, yay
wow this was a really jumpy post
then again, I'm not in a blogging mood.
I've been neglecting you.
Good thing you're non-living, otherwise you would not be living.
Well,
as we all know,
tis' holidays.
I actually feel like I could've coped with another week of school. This term felt really short.
-that's because it *was* short-
But I'm glad for the break,
glad because of the extra sleep
and because there are no consecutive internals
andandand because my brother is back =D
I learned how to play mah jong on Friday.
It's interesting. I want a mah jong set now =P
pity it can't really be made, unless you have some random chunks of plastic.
lol if I made mah jong cards out of actual card...hmmm
ooooh and I just checked the external timetable (shush lol)
Mine's sooo much better than last year
Stats and English are over and done with first
and everything is nicely spaced, yay
wow this was a really jumpy post
then again, I'm not in a blogging mood.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Reflect\/tcelfeR
It's coming.
The end.
The beginning.
And what have I done these holidays?
I don't feel that I have changed at all in terms of personal growth. Everything I've done has been pretty tangible..
1) Learner's licence
I probably over-studied for this, but actually, I was learning for the sake of learning as much as to pass the test. E.g. now I know that park lights are compulsory in many European countries, but are mostly illegal over here. Also I got better at recognising car brands this summer (still really n00b though), mainly through the help of my dad and brother, who randomly said, "What's that car?" every once in a while.
2) Bowls
Joined one club and withdrew from another.. it was actually a good decision though; I've met heaps of new people who are all friendly and interesting, although I wish there was someone there around my age.. Been going to practices every Wednesday since I signed up. The most recent one was funny =) there were eight of us playing noughts and crosses (four per team) and we each had four bowls.. we were supposed to bowl so that the bowl would stop on the squares in the grid which was at the other side. By the end of the game, only three people had managed to get a bowl on the grid XD it was so fail.
3) Calculus
Can this even be counted as an accomplishment? lol well we did work very hard. I'm happy with what we did, and I'd definitely do it again if I went back in time. LUB says I'm a good teacher, well, she's worth teaching =) But it was challenging. I never realised what it would be like to tutor someone completely on your own, without a pre-made syllabus (except my notes) and the support of other (better) teachers nearby, like in Abacus. I'm definitely not going to think twice when random people ask me to tutor them anymore.
(hope this isn't making you feel bad, btw, cos' I really did like having you over =])
4) Met lots of people
Yeah I don't think I made any friends this summer, but I did make a lot of acquaintances, and not just in those last day of the year bbq things etc. Everyone seems very nice =) looking forward to maybe getting to know some of them better. Also caught up with a couple of good friends =)
5) Rabbits
Yesterday was the first time that I had to make use of my rabbit training at the SPCA, and go work in the Rabbitry (lol steph: ohhh, looking after rabbits, i thought you meant making rabbits jump through hoops or something)
After about 10.30, nobody was available to help me, but I survived =) Collecting grass is fun. Still can't pick up the rabbits though. Cats are like, "yeahhhhh, HIIIII" but rabbits look at me like, "OMG is she gonna try and kill me?" Hopefully I'll get better with more experience lol.
Mentally, I'm ready for school now =)
Physically (is that what you call it? lol) I have to find my sandals xD and take care of some other stuff.
"Today is the start of the new semester. I'm gonna give it my all!" - Tenma-chan =)
The end.
The beginning.
And what have I done these holidays?
I don't feel that I have changed at all in terms of personal growth. Everything I've done has been pretty tangible..
1) Learner's licence
I probably over-studied for this, but actually, I was learning for the sake of learning as much as to pass the test. E.g. now I know that park lights are compulsory in many European countries, but are mostly illegal over here. Also I got better at recognising car brands this summer (still really n00b though), mainly through the help of my dad and brother, who randomly said, "What's that car?" every once in a while.
2) Bowls
Joined one club and withdrew from another.. it was actually a good decision though; I've met heaps of new people who are all friendly and interesting, although I wish there was someone there around my age.. Been going to practices every Wednesday since I signed up. The most recent one was funny =) there were eight of us playing noughts and crosses (four per team) and we each had four bowls.. we were supposed to bowl so that the bowl would stop on the squares in the grid which was at the other side. By the end of the game, only three people had managed to get a bowl on the grid XD it was so fail.
3) Calculus
Can this even be counted as an accomplishment? lol well we did work very hard. I'm happy with what we did, and I'd definitely do it again if I went back in time. LUB says I'm a good teacher, well, she's worth teaching =) But it was challenging. I never realised what it would be like to tutor someone completely on your own, without a pre-made syllabus (except my notes) and the support of other (better) teachers nearby, like in Abacus. I'm definitely not going to think twice when random people ask me to tutor them anymore.
(hope this isn't making you feel bad, btw, cos' I really did like having you over =])
4) Met lots of people
Yeah I don't think I made any friends this summer, but I did make a lot of acquaintances, and not just in those last day of the year bbq things etc. Everyone seems very nice =) looking forward to maybe getting to know some of them better. Also caught up with a couple of good friends =)
5) Rabbits
Yesterday was the first time that I had to make use of my rabbit training at the SPCA, and go work in the Rabbitry (lol steph: ohhh, looking after rabbits, i thought you meant making rabbits jump through hoops or something)
After about 10.30, nobody was available to help me, but I survived =) Collecting grass is fun. Still can't pick up the rabbits though. Cats are like, "yeahhhhh, HIIIII" but rabbits look at me like, "OMG is she gonna try and kill me?" Hopefully I'll get better with more experience lol.
Mentally, I'm ready for school now =)
Physically (is that what you call it? lol) I have to find my sandals xD and take care of some other stuff.
"Today is the start of the new semester. I'm gonna give it my all!" - Tenma-chan =)
Thursday, January 7, 2010
We're going to the
edit: just noticed the white rhino photo didn't turn up. it's there now =D
I went to the zoo with my dad on Sunday =) it was really cool, and I was meaning to blog it with a photo bomb but the photo uploading took so long that it put me off
so
I'm just gonna put my favourites here, and ramble about the rest haha
We got there at opening time, 9.30 (nobody ask am or pm =P) because last time, we arrived at about midday, and all the animals were going blearrrrrgggh *snooze* Even so, the closer it got to midday, the sleepier the animals became.
I was thinking, do any of the animals realise that people love them just because they exist. Anywho
In chronological order, this is where we went:
Kiwis (they were very active and chasing each other around), red pandas
Tigers: they made a new enclosure, and all the tigers (there are three) were walking back and forth in front of the glass.
Birds: they're so pretty =) there were heaps of different species, including some that are becoming popular as pets now e.g. the lovebird, sun conure, white cockatoo, macaw (google the sun conures) but my favourite was the congo African grey parrot haha cos' he/she made really random expressions, which I always missed =.=
Giant tortoise
Lizards: These three, I can't remember their species names, have pro camouflaging skills.
Primates trail: gah it's so hard to take pictures of monkeys. They have so much balance 0_0 just casually walking across the ropes. One of the siamangs was sitting right next to the glass, and he/she (probably he?) was squatting on a thin rope. He's really muscular haha but his arms were wrapped around him like he was cold and he seemed kind of sad. He looked at us when we said "salamat pagi"
Sealions: Two of them were doing laps around the pool, one of them was sunbathing and also looking at the fourth one, which was turning over and over on the spot.. strange.
Meekats: so cute! For some reason, the meerkats were lazing around in the porcupine enclosure as well as their own.. Winnie told me she saw them in the tiger exhibit once.
Pridelands: We went to the giraffes for the feeding encounter, and as always there was a massive queue, because it's the only encounter where you can feed the animals rather than watch the keeper feed them. But the giraffes didn't come (playing "hard to get" lol) so in the end, we were allowed to take a carrot/apple piece and chuck it over the sides to the zebras and ostrich.
By the time we went to the white rhinos, it was almost midday, bleearrrgh time.. haha
The lions and the cheetah were also asleep, so we waited for the elephant encounter, which was cool. The keeper explained how elephants can't sweat so they need to regulate their body temperature with their environment *cue Burma throwing mud and dirt over herself immediately after her bath*
We left to see the orangutan encounter, and then we went home. It was a good day =)
I went to the zoo with my dad on Sunday =) it was really cool, and I was meaning to blog it with a photo bomb but the photo uploading took so long that it put me off
so
I'm just gonna put my favourites here, and ramble about the rest haha
We got there at opening time, 9.30 (nobody ask am or pm =P) because last time, we arrived at about midday, and all the animals were going blearrrrrgggh *snooze* Even so, the closer it got to midday, the sleepier the animals became.
I was thinking, do any of the animals realise that people love them just because they exist. Anywho
In chronological order, this is where we went:
Kiwis (they were very active and chasing each other around), red pandas
Tigers: they made a new enclosure, and all the tigers (there are three) were walking back and forth in front of the glass.
Birds: they're so pretty =) there were heaps of different species, including some that are becoming popular as pets now e.g. the lovebird, sun conure, white cockatoo, macaw (google the sun conures) but my favourite was the congo African grey parrot haha cos' he/she made really random expressions, which I always missed =.=
Giant tortoise
Lizards: These three, I can't remember their species names, have pro camouflaging skills.
Primates trail: gah it's so hard to take pictures of monkeys. They have so much balance 0_0 just casually walking across the ropes. One of the siamangs was sitting right next to the glass, and he/she (probably he?) was squatting on a thin rope. He's really muscular haha but his arms were wrapped around him like he was cold and he seemed kind of sad. He looked at us when we said "salamat pagi"
Sealions: Two of them were doing laps around the pool, one of them was sunbathing and also looking at the fourth one, which was turning over and over on the spot.. strange.
Meekats: so cute! For some reason, the meerkats were lazing around in the porcupine enclosure as well as their own.. Winnie told me she saw them in the tiger exhibit once.
Pridelands: We went to the giraffes for the feeding encounter, and as always there was a massive queue, because it's the only encounter where you can feed the animals rather than watch the keeper feed them. But the giraffes didn't come (playing "hard to get" lol) so in the end, we were allowed to take a carrot/apple piece and chuck it over the sides to the zebras and ostrich.
By the time we went to the white rhinos, it was almost midday, bleearrrgh time.. haha
The lions and the cheetah were also asleep, so we waited for the elephant encounter, which was cool. The keeper explained how elephants can't sweat so they need to regulate their body temperature with their environment *cue Burma throwing mud and dirt over herself immediately after her bath*
We left to see the orangutan encounter, and then we went home. It was a good day =)
Friday, January 1, 2010
Beginning
Today is the second of January.
- sarcastic applause -
The holidays have been really fun recently. I hardly ever go out this often, so I'm gonna enjoy it while I can =)
Last day of the year bbq was good, even though I was only there for the actual bbq thingy. Me and my parents were going to go celebrate New Year's at Sky City with some family friends, but it turned out that they were making the entire building R20 at 8.30pm, so we had to leave.
Also, even though it was only 7.30-ish, once me and my brother went out the doors, we wouldn't be allowed back in (so many security guards 0.0) so we ended up having to have dinner inside the building, which left us with a grand total of two restaurants to choose from, one of which was full and had a queue of people waiting to get in.
yes.
The restaurant we ended up going to was "white food with soy sauce on top" style as Alex put it haha
My brother drove me home, and then went to his friend's New Year party
so,
I celebrated New Year's with Jason Gunn's countdown variety show.
haha
Mum called me regularly and told me to go to sleep, but I stayed up out of habit/tradition anyway.
And today, I went to the SPCA
we got 10 kittens and 2 cats adopted out this morning, which is really good
There were five pure white, deaf cats there - one cat and two pairs of kittens, and three of the kittens have one green eye and one blue eye; it was so striking.
Then we went to a family friend's 50th birthday party
Her husband had spent six months organising all her relatives to come from around the world *cough Malaysia*. There were so many people there, it must have taken some crazy skill for all her closest friends and relatives to keep the secret. She said in her speech something like, "I'm so overwhelmed... I talked to my brother just two days ago and he said, 'I'll put aside five cents a day and come visit you at the end of next year'"
Since nearly everyone was Malaysian, they were all happily speaking in a mixture of English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Hakka and Malay
*nods politely*
lol
look at the general trend of my posting numbers.
New Year's Resolution:
"Grab opportunities by the throat and don't let go."
- sarcastic applause -
The holidays have been really fun recently. I hardly ever go out this often, so I'm gonna enjoy it while I can =)
Last day of the year bbq was good, even though I was only there for the actual bbq thingy. Me and my parents were going to go celebrate New Year's at Sky City with some family friends, but it turned out that they were making the entire building R20 at 8.30pm, so we had to leave.
Also, even though it was only 7.30-ish, once me and my brother went out the doors, we wouldn't be allowed back in (so many security guards 0.0) so we ended up having to have dinner inside the building, which left us with a grand total of two restaurants to choose from, one of which was full and had a queue of people waiting to get in.
yes.
The restaurant we ended up going to was "white food with soy sauce on top" style as Alex put it haha
My brother drove me home, and then went to his friend's New Year party
so,
I celebrated New Year's with Jason Gunn's countdown variety show.
haha
Mum called me regularly and told me to go to sleep, but I stayed up out of habit/tradition anyway.
And today, I went to the SPCA
we got 10 kittens and 2 cats adopted out this morning, which is really good
There were five pure white, deaf cats there - one cat and two pairs of kittens, and three of the kittens have one green eye and one blue eye; it was so striking.
Then we went to a family friend's 50th birthday party
Her husband had spent six months organising all her relatives to come from around the world *cough Malaysia*. There were so many people there, it must have taken some crazy skill for all her closest friends and relatives to keep the secret. She said in her speech something like, "I'm so overwhelmed... I talked to my brother just two days ago and he said, 'I'll put aside five cents a day and come visit you at the end of next year'"
Since nearly everyone was Malaysian, they were all happily speaking in a mixture of English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Hakka and Malay
*nods politely*
lol
look at the general trend of my posting numbers.
New Year's Resolution:
"Grab opportunities by the throat and don't let go."
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