A moment to wish all of my readers a very Happy Holiday Season!

Brightest Blessings from my heart to yours.

Wishing all customers of Dandelion Lounge, all those who take the time to read this blog and follow me on Twitter a Very Merry Christmas! 
With very best wishes for 2010. 
Me, Mr L, Lil’ H & Baby G x

I find I HAVE to revisit a new favorite – the man who was the inspiration behind my photochop creation the SLUGGY    -  Mr.  Phil Spector.          

You must have heard of Mr. Spector by now, but I’ll break it down for you anyway.          

Phil  was a talented and quirky record producer – a 1960’s music legend. The originator of the “the wall of sound” production technique and a songwriter, Phil was also responsible for the success of some talented musicians who are still working today.   This quirky genius was also married to  Ronnie Spector, lead singer of the 1960’s girl group,  The Ronettes.  Ronnie was apparently terrified of her husband and stated as much in a book she wrote about her life.             

And it turns out that Phil was to get even “quirkier” over the next few decades, and in 2007 gave in to homicidal urges when he killed an actress in his Malibu home  - for what?  Well I suspect it may have been the crime of  laughing at whatever ridiculous doo he was sporting at the time he was trying to get her in his sheets.   But old Phil told the cops her death was an accident – in fact, he actually stated that the actress “slipped and kissed” the gun she was shot with, while in his bedroom.   So, do I say this to justify my need to photochop and bag on yet another defenseless pyscho?  Well of course I do. Look at  him! He obviously deserves it.     

As you may notice from the above picture  - Phil’s  ’doos have changed over the years, yet he’s never swerved from looking extremely creepy. Personally, I think he looks a lot like actor Beverly Archer of ”Mama’s Family” fame.  Ms. Archer was awesome as skinny, nervous next door neighbor Iola Boylen.  I watched that show faithfully into reruns – it was hysterical for its time!     Here’s a promo of the Mama’s Family crew in the 80’s.  Beverly Archer is the one sitting on the bottom left.  (The gal in the pink gingham dress who looks like she’s seriously regretting her decision to forgoe her usual  ”OOPS I crapped my pants” adult briefs in honor of  picture day.  Well hell – who can blame her?  They probably bulked up under her pantyhose and made her dress puff out all unfeminine-like)       

Anyway, I really notice a resemblance to Phil Spector in her face.  Especially in this next photo taken at the end of their last season:         

And just look at this next picture of him with his latest ‘doo – how could ANYONE NOT  be rivited to THAT HAIR?        

It looks like he’s either wearing a Dollar Tree bath scrubby on his head or some really hairy woman left her hooha velcroed to his dome during the performance of some unnatural act.    And I do have one more theory regarding Phil and that particular hair “don’t”, but I should stop right now.  To continue writing in detail my thoughts on the mind of Phil S. would only serve to pervert and taint a beloved childhood memory, so familiar to us all.  I really shouldn’t spoil it for the yet unborn.     

But because I’m ”inappropriate like that” I’ll do it anyway. Behold…    

Children make a wish and BLOW on the head of dandelion...

       Ok, try not to think about that sweet caption you just read when you view this next pictoral portion of my theory about Phil’s hair.  Ready?  Ok.       

Phil has always wanted to be just like a dandelion...!

Here is my theory:  Now that old age, decaying brain cells and the psychotic tendencies have come to fruition, Phil is finally taking his dandelion desire public.  I know, I know – innocent kids blowing dandelions was probably a horrible set up.  And I agree, Phil Spector is even grosser than “HEY!” child molester-rocker Gary Glitter for a number of reasons. But anti-taboo blogging is my forte…so how could I not?  And face it – the mere thought of witnessing an evil “dandelion-troll” as he throws eyeball daggers at the world from a courtroom in which he is being tried for murder, well…it’s more than funny to me.          

So, because Phil has done me the solid of making me laugh my ass off with his different ‘doos and his very persona,  I now present to you a photoshop exclusive!  A tribute to Phil and his quest to be a dandelion. And I must warn you – this is serious art and is meant to be sold at an auction and placed upon the wall of the gentry. Behold! An object d’art  – created  with an illegally used photo or two, and my fine chopping abilities applied at just the right time, of course.         

Note that I attempted to paint Phil in a softer, more humane light…       

Instead, I’m fairly positive that I’ve created a piece of art so horrific that one  shudders at the mere thought of inheriting it from an elderly relative one day. For starters, where would one hang such a monstrosity? and for what reason would you want to assault the eyes of innocent people who visit your home?  what reason indeed…Hmmm.  I’ve got it!   

My soon- to- be famous immortalization of  Phil/Dandelion could be utilized as the worst punishment a child could imagine.  The portrait would be placed INSIDE the child’s bedroom – in fact, hanging on his bedroom door as recompense for whatever the child has done.  Think of the years you could save having to deal with a spoiled brat.   

You simply force the child to his room and lock him in for the night – with the painting – and let Phil do the rest of the work.  After a night of being glared down at from a crazy human dandelion from hell, a former holy terror is now sincerely remorseful and has changed over night into an angel of helpfulness to his parents!    

The only downside is for the rest of their lives, whenever a dandelion happens to be in their range of vision, all that little Johnny or Suzy will be able to see is that ugly troll with his huge head of wiry brown pubic hair glaring at them satanically in their traumatized minds.     

 That’s so cruel, isn’t it?   But why stop there?   Why not put a permanent stop to the annual “I want…..”  Christmas list whine-fest expense that always hits you painfully in the ass like you’re being buggered for the first time by Rudolph himself.  Go ahead and be creative – ruin Christmas for the ungrateful turds too.  Phil will be happy to help – with a nice christmas rememberance just for the kiddies, like this:        

 (I know it’s lame but there’s something about the bow on the top of his pubes that always makes me smile….)

I don’t know what to do with myself anymore. It’s like a domino effect and if I don’t me… even if it’s a millimeter away, I will soon fall too.

The miseries of everyone has always been my breaking point. Knowing how helpless I am and that I can only share words is not enough. Is it wrong to want to be something else…

I wanted to be their shield, the one to protect them.  I’d always put myself aside because I didn’t want them to think that placing their problems on be would be a burden. I smiled for them. I kept myself at a pace in which they could all keep up with and a pace in which I could watch them at.

These tears that now constantly fall are for them. The endless need to cry because all I can ever do is watch is now plaguing my everyday schedule. But you know, I’m still always feeling okay. I can sigh though it’s heavily. There’s still much for us to go on to. I see past others and maybe that has always helped me feel rather light.

I say trudge on but walking slowly is fine too. I’m not in rush… not anymore. It’s only been a few months and somehow I’d forgotten to look back and wait. I’ve left a trail but there they are walking, it’s not a steady pace. I can see a few wavering paths. I guess we’ve all forgotten about each other… hmm… somehow my train of thought ends here.. I can’t quite put my finger on it but I get this heavy feeling in my heart that our problems have only started. It’s an uneasy thought and I prey that we can stand firmly against these worries.

“today i looked down at the wet grass, staring and waiting for a four leaf clover to out shine all the rest. somehow i failed to see the one just beneath my feet. today i picked up a dandelion, making sure to snap it off gently. somehow my hand crushed the flower itself. today i watched the clock tick by. somehow i missed 11:11. today i waited for the first star to come out. somehow i looked away only to realize that there aren’t any stars today.  that crosses out shooting stars too. what other ways can i make a wish?” – ureshii michi

Di sini saya ingin berbagi mengenal bunga Dandelion lewat kartun pororo   Cukup interesting dan lucu…

Jadi bunga Dandelion itu biasanya ada di negara sub-tropis dan tumbuh pada musim semi (spring). Tapi ternyata di Indonesia yang juga negara tropis ada loh… hehehe. Tapi tempat tumbuhnya di dataran tinggi… jadi di pegunungan gitu. Saya pernah menemukan di Cangar, Malang.

Bentuk bunganya kuning… dan orang-orang menyebutnya rumput. Setelah berbunga, biasanya akan tumbuh bijinya (seed) yang berupa seperti kapas dan bisa terbang. Penyebarannya dengan menggunakan angin. Tapi kadang anak-anak suka sekali meniup biji dari bunga Dandelion ini

Bisa dijadikan pengenalan tumbuh-tumbuhan untuk anak-anak kecil

Oh the curiosity of a new born pup. What a natural born killer. Ruthless, indeed.

Our liver is the main purification station for our bodies. Be we human or animal, the health of our liver is of utmost importance in keeping us well.  Both the toxic state of our environment and diets (dependant upon what you eat), can lead to liver congestion and a much greater tendency to illness overall.

Along with the toxins that humanity has created in Earth’s environment; local and global, there are many foods that in excess can bog down your liver’s function. Diary. excess sugar, peanuts, and overly spicy foods are examples.  Eating certified organic foods is a big help, but still some foods are more difficult to digest than others.

One indication of the health of your liver, is the clarity of your eyes.  Red or otherwise agitated  eyes are very often linked to a congested liver.

Here are some basics for keeping your liver healthy and operating happily:

1. Begin your day with a glass of warm water & organic lemon juice.  For an added plus, add a tablespoon of aloe vera juice.

2. Drink plenty of purified water throughout the day to keep your body hydrated. The liver cannot do its job flushing out toxins and such, if you are dehydrated.

3. An herbal infusion that is great for cleansing your liver in a mild, friendly way is: milk thistle, eye bright, chamomile, and dandelion. Note that with the exception of milk thistle, all of these herbs have yellow flowers. Yellow is an indication color for the liver, both healers and agitators. (It is also the color of jaundice, an ailment of the liver.)

4. For releasing metal & radioactive toxicity here are some possiblities: Kelp, Cilantro, Flower Essence Yarrow Special Formula made by Flower Essence Society: www.flowersociety.org.

I’m losing another comrade and this made my Wednesday sad.

One of my co-workers have decided to quit and move to another career path.

I don’t blame him. Local journalism is losing another topnotch reporter.

It’s tough to get in to journalism business these days, but it can be tougher to stay in it as well.

I’ve heard it said more than once, we’re the last breed of reporters to ever work in what others believe is a dying industry.

It may be one that has contracted a cancerous disease and to these days no one has figured out how to cure.

There’s no cure for cancer. And to likened the ill-state of journalism to the malignant disease is just plain unfortunate, but not far from the truth.

There’s no newsroom anywhere in Canada, and maybe in other parts of the world, that has been spared from being gutted.

Most information gathering agencies are working on bare skeleton staff.

We make do with what we have. 

Every day editors attempt to make wise decisions where to send one or two reporters left in most newsroom.

Some events get ignored. Some important stories are not being unearth. 

Sometimes you’ll hear, if it’s really an important story it won’t be left uncovered. 

There’s truth to that, but I also believe the definition of what’s an important story has massively shifted. I think due to pressure to produce with barely minimum staff to do the work, what’s important has come to mean what can be done in a nick of time so the reporter can move on to another one that can be bashed out before the day’s end.

Sometimes what’s important means what’s more convenient to produce, and easy to get, but not necessarily what’s substantive, what matters.

Whatever happened to social justice type of stories journalists used to champion, asked one of my colleagues, who’s been in the business longer than he cares to share.

I’m not even sure if the phrase social justice means anything to people. 

They may say, “You mean social networking?”

I think my colleague’s adeptness would actually be put to a test with that one.

“We cover stories whether dandelion should survive or die,” he said.

There are environmental underpinnings to a pesticide bylaw or the lack of it, but it also shows how shallow people’s value has become.

The dandelion huggers may say, it’s people’s health they’re concerned about, it’s people’s well-being they’re fighting for.

And I shouldn’t discount the germ of truth enshrined in it. 

There are many global problems, some of which have local manifestations. 

Picking up a cause that will make sure dandelions survive isn’t one of them.

The city just wasted resources for 2.5-year worth of work on a bylaw that may ban some pesticide use. Those who asked for it didn’t get what exactly they wanted.

They didn’t even try to salvage it.

They just said, let’s kill it.

For me what happened was just another manifestation that people in First World countries operate with a deep sense of entitlement to abundant resources, human or otherwise.

Dec. 2, 2009

One of the more difficult Grommets to pull off was TerraCycle.  Why?  Everything they make is created from garbage–and that makes the TerraCycle products inventory a bit unpredictable.  We almost cancelled the Grommet feature several times, because we were worried about frustrating people if the products were unavailable.  But in the end, we did it anyway, because it is a great story that needed to be told.

I knew they were about to open a retail store, and I tripped on it in Princeton, New Jersey last night.  (The birthplace of the company.)  The shop was closed but I took some photos to give people a sense of the location.  I look forward to returning when it is open.

It's pretty ironic that this store that sells garbage is near some of the toniest shops in Princeton. This little square is visible from the TerraCycle storefront.

The TerraCycle display window. The shop was closed at the time of my discovery, alas. It's on Palmer Square, across from the Christmas tree.

I stood in front of the TerraCycle shop to watch the tree lighting. It actually took my breath away.

TerraCycle's window displays...garbage, of course.

TerraCycle is right next door to a gorgeous shop, Spruce, that sells botanicals and artfully designed home decor. I saw many items I coveted. This braided twine was one such example.

A wonderful Spruce display. Located at 67 Palmer Square West, Princeton

I am rooting for TerraCycle and its new retail shop.  It’s definitely worth a visit.  Next door neighbor Spruce, and a very well curated jewelry store, Dandelion, nearby, make this part of Princeton a pretty dense and eye-pleasing retail experience.

Learn more about how Terracycle creates products from waste here.

complexities…

My friend asks me to make some children drawings into her business so, i try…

“Tente pensar em um elefante. Agora tente pensar em outro. Adimita: os dois eram o mesmo elefante, não eram?”

Resolvi não colocar imagens neste artigo. É melhor que você vá até o site e veja por si mesmo. Neave é um site criado pelo designer londrino Paul Neave  que dispõe de treze inusitadas, interessantes e diversificadas maneiras de se passar o tempo ocioso, se divertir ou fazer o que mais você descobrir ser possível. É provável que você se surpreenda, não só com a criatividade de Paul Neave, como também com a sua própria. A seguir um resumo do que se pode encontrar no site:

1. Flash Earth coloca à sua disposição imagens de satélite da Terra adquiridas através de múltiplas fontes, incluindo a NASA e a Microsoft.
2. Planetarium vai lhe mostrar um belo céu estrelado pelo qual você poderá rodopiar à vontade, identificar constelações e, quando tiver curiosidade, passar o mouse por cima de uma estrela para saber seu nome, sua constelação, sua magnitude e sua distância de nós.
3. Games disponibiliza remakes de jogos clássicos como Space Invaders, Tetris N-Box, Asteroids, Snake, Simon, Jogo-da-velha, Hexxagon e Frogger.
4. Imagination fará com que linhas de luz e fumaça saiam da ponta do seu mouse em um fundo preto, formando texturas e desenhos interessantes.
5. Fractal te levará em uma viagem de zoom eterno que segue os princípios de um complicado conceito matemático (sobre o qual você pode tentar saber mais aqui e aqui)
6. Television é uma televisão sem contexto. Entre color bars e chiados você assistirá a trechos randômicos de uma coisa qualquer.
7. Strobe te fará ver tudo de uma forma diferente da que você costuma ver. O Mushroom não recomenda que você dirija nem opere máqunas perigosas logo após a experiência.
8. Anaglyph dará utilidade àquele óculos 3D que você roubou de algum filme ou ganhou junto com aquela revista de dinossauros quando tinha dez anos. Com ele você poderá desenhar e escrever em três dimensões, girar e aproximar/afastar sua imagem. Se você não tem um óculos 3D, faça um: vale a pena.
9. Bounce deixa bolinhas coloridas de diferentes tamanhos na sua tela. Coloque uma música ou fale algo (requer microfone) e as bolinhas vão pular de acordo com o som.
10. Light segue o mesmo princípio de Bounce, exceto que, nele, o show é de luzes.
11. Dandelion consiste num dente-de-leão virtual que você pode soprar (requer microfone) e sacudir eternamente, pois ele sempre se renova.
12. Webcam é um conjunto de gravações interessantes feitas pelos internautas através de suas webcams com alguns efeitos que o site disponibiliza. Além de assistir, você pode se divertir com os efeitos fazendo, você mesmo, gravações (requer webcam).
13. Voting questiona e estuda o ato de votar. Nele, você se deparará com perguntas estranhas (e potencialmente engraçadas) como:

Armpit hair?

• Long and dangly
• Short and matted
• Fashioned into a small hat

que exploram fatores como a influência que a construção da pergunta exerce sobre sua resposta.

Enfim, vale muito a pena conferir o Neave, a não ser que você esteja estudando para algum vestibular ou tenha algum projeto importante para entregar no trabalho por esses dias, pois o site tomará uma parcela razoável do seu tempo. Confie no Mushroom.

]]> http://wweiseman.wordpress.com/2009/11/25/permaculture-wildcrafting-and-the-lowly-dandelion/ Wed, 25 Nov 2009 03:04:52 +0000 wweiseman http://wweiseman.wordpress.com/2009/11/25/permaculture-wildcrafting-and-the-lowly-dandelion/

The Permaculture landscape is rich and diverse. But we focus primarily only on what we have planted, little realizing that there are vast and varied resources in and beyond the boundaries of our property for the taking. With a good field guide in hand we can garner the yields that the natural world presents to us at no cost or labor. A dandelion is a supermarket of food, utility and medicine. The whole plant is edible. Fritters can be made from the blossom. The root can be roasted and eaten or used as a coffee substitute. The root, taken as a tea, balances both high and low blood sugar and acts to cleanse and strengthen the liver in all its functions. The leaf is diuretic for those that hold too much water in the body. The dandelion is multi-functional and there is not enough roundup in the world to delete as we would a word on the computer. And, we can grow it in our gardens. It is simply a matter of a slight change in perception. Dandelion is not a “weed”. Rather, it is a health giving plant.

I didn’t know that there is a song called dandelion by Rolling Stones. I found it a while ago and like the lyrics. Here are the two last verses:

Tinker, tailor, soldier, sailors lives
Rich man, poor man, beautiful, daughters wives
Dandelion don’t tell no lies. Dandelion will make you wise
Tell me if she laughs or cries
Blow away dandelion. Blow away dandelion

Little girls and boys come out and play
Bring your dandelions to blow away
Dandelion tell no lies. Dandelion will make you wise
Tell me if she laughs or cries
Blow away dandelion. Blow away dandelion

When my much loved benefit Dandelion blush ran out I decided to buy a new one from eBay after noticing they were a lot cheaper than in the shops. It arrived the next day, and on first inspection I was really pleased as it appeared to be genuine and looked pretty much identical to my original for around 1/3 of the retail price. However when I used it I noticed the powder seemed more ‘chalky’ and there was far too much on my brush (unless you are into the clown cheeks look!) I also noticed the box felt a bit light, which seemed a bit odd. After googling ‘Fake Benefit’ my suspicions were confirmed. Unbelievably benefits gorgeous packaging and products are some of the most regulary faked in the beauty market!! Luckily I have been refunded as it looks like the supplier was duped too.

Here are some top tips to spot a fake Benefit Dandelion:

1. Firstly the fake box is probably lighter. A genuine blush should weigh about 20g more when full.

2. The F in the word ‘benefit’ should be straight – if it is curved then it is fake. 

3. The fake dandelion pic has a very faint white rim around the edge- like it’s been super imposed. 

4. The ‘Peel Here’ sticker on the base should peel back and reveal the ingredients on a real blush, on the fake it is just a glued down label.

5. The genuine powder is shimmery, smooth and has a delicate scent. The fake is more chalky and has a cheaper smell.

6. The genuine brush has a slimmer black base and higher quality bristles: You probably would not be able to tell unless you had a real one to compare it to!

Please note these rules don’t necessarily apply to all of benefits products, but if in doubt have a really good look at the pics on the benefit website and compare them to the product you are going to buy. There are a lot of fakes on eBay! so ask the seller for the actual photo’s of their products rather than pics they have copied and pasted: and if the price seems too good to be true, then it probably is.

Memory #146: Someone has made art involving conkers. They have collected one conker short of a million and each one is encased in a small glass cabinet and is named: It makes me feel like it is impossible to ever collect enough conkers.

Memory #147: There is also a display of old pictures of the clouds from down below. They look so innocent. Remembering looking up at them and also travelling through them makes me feel very …

Memory #148:

Memory #149:

Memory #150:

Memory #151: Vixen McGogh is only one artist still working at this end of the spaceship and she looks after the galleries too. Her medium is smells.

Memory #152: I think my brain may still be tangled from my journey but McGogh’s smell pieces are truly amazing. She shows me seemingly endless rooms, each of which features one of her works. She blends different smells together which combine to create a picture in your head. It is truly remarkable. The smells seem to hang in the air indefinitely.

Memory #153: My favourite piece of smell art is one which somehow manages to conjour up an image of a young farmer boy staring up into a vibrant blue sky and watching his red balloon drift off as though it is the only thing he has in the world. Do not ask me how it works for I do not know, I will just tell you that I think it is beautiful.

Memory #154: I go back to the crash site and sit with Rusty. It really is a remarkable collection of crashed buses. It seems like practically everything here is art. Three days after I arrive another bus comes hurtling down and mangles itself into the landscape.

Memory #155: I am glad I brought food with me as there seems to be nothing to eat here. Engine parts have never been my favourite.

Memory #156: It is a long walk back. Even though I know that there will be no traffic for three days I still prefer to walk on the pavement. There seems little point in having pavement on this road but then it also has hedges and street lamps.

Memory #157: The long walk has eroded the soles of my shoes away so that there are big gaping holes in them. They used to have a map of the world on them but that too has gone. It was always easy to see a picture of home with them around.

Memory #158: Now they are a constant reminder that home has gone.

Memory #159: I put them in the bin and consign them to an eternity floating around the space ocean. I will have to go barefoot from now on. This place could really do with a shoeshop.

Memory #160: Instead of a shoeshop a new restaurant has opened whilst I was away. It is called Cashew’s. I am not sure who owns it but it certainly has a lot of cashews.

Memory #161: The Edward Woodward clan are gathered around a table eating thirty-one different varieties of cashew nuts from thirty-one bowls in the middle of the table.

Memory #162: From the four hundred-strong menu the clan have chosen the following types of cashew nuts: garlic, honey, rosbif, capuccino, toothpaste, earth, beer, orange, richter scale, lime, pepper, fruit pastilles, cajun, seaweed, cajun seaweed, conker, paper, cumin, thyme, peanut, pineapple, hip-hop, ink, dew, tomato, cobweb, revenge, dystopia, onion, dandelion and chocolate.

Memory #163: Thirty one? Yes, there had been a new addition to the clan – Ebjarb Joobjarb, the bouncing baby son of Ebwarb Woobwarb, father, and Ejwarj Woojwarj, mother. I congratulated them and contemplated the stitched-together name.

Memory #164: I envisage generations and generations of oddly named children until the name Edward Woodward is completely lost, the years carrying it further and further away until it is all but burnt in a huge wicker effigy.

Memory #165: Back in the here and now they all seem to be enjoying their cashew nuts so I glance quickly at the menu which also includes: mango chutney, pesto, plastic, story, vanilla essence, sweat, asparagus, old rope and absinthe but, deciding I am not in the mood for cashew nuts I leave it for another day.

Memory #166: The opening of Cashew’s has affected the trade of the the space-ship-shop-shippitity-shop-ship-shop-open-non-stop (to give it its full name) and so I go there to show my support and buy some whisky and another toblerone. Chocolate, like cheese, just seems better in triangles.

Memory #167: It is nice to see out of the window into space again. The fish peer in at me as if we had a casual relationship like perhaps we meet at bus stops and since they had not seen me for a while they had wondered where I was. They had no idea where to start enquiring about me. Of course we do not know each other but we exist on the fringes of our respective memories.

Memory #168: I curl up on my rounded plastic seat and enjoy falling asleep in it. Soon though I slide off the seat again. I think it has been polished whilst I was away.

Memory #169: Now seems like as good a time as any to try out Cashew’s. My stomach seems to be revolting at just being fed endless toblerones.

Memory #170: The food at Cashew’s is quite expensive and so I must go to a cash machine on the way. I take my bank cassette out of its plastic case and insert it into the hole. The machine fluuurrps it in. The cassette is a modern space invention which stores information on miles of magnetic tape. This space age invention is not without its problems – the tape often becomes tangled and can completely confuse your important finance details.

Memory #171: Today it is happy to give me money and so I take some out and at Cashew’s I order the autumn leaves flavoured cashews for my stomach and a portion of chewing gum flavoured cashews for me.

Memory #172: I like to think whilst I eat. I think about floating in space. Have I always been floating in space? I can’t remember. I can’t remember not floating in space and I can’t remember getting on the spaceship. But then, I have a memory of a home. Once. A long long woolly way away. Away from where I am floating in space. I must have always been floating in space.

when you blew the seeds from the dandelion

i made a wish for you.

i wished that you will never be hurt

that your heart never has to feel sad.

i wished you to love

bigger than i know how to love.

i wished the joy so innate to your being

will radiate from your dark brown eyes every day of your life.

i wished you not to ever become

hardened by the injustices of the world.

i wished to have the privilege to know and love you

for all of my numbered days.

i love you andrew lewis.

It doesn’t take a bouquet to bring joy; sometimes it’s simply taking time to enjoy the weeds. – photo copyright MyOpus

The following sight greeted us when Mr. Chiu and myself woke up at around 6.15am this morning.

No wonder it was freezing cold this morning!

And a little later:

I wouldn't want to own any of those cars!

Imagine the excitement that it stirred in our little Singapore group. squeals from various rooms, calls to one another and conversations that started with, “Did you look out of your window…?”

Of course, it would result in these:

It has only begun!

Alright, who is next?

After 20 minutes of snow experience, we proceeded to explore the rest of the Temple of Heaven.

My favourite shot for the day.

Sylvester playing with dragon's drool

Panda VS Dragon

The ICC's first graduate in 2009!

Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests

Indeed, it was a sight to behold. When considered with the exhilaration that came with the snow, such a magnificent structure and place liteally took our breaths away!

After lunch, we proceeded to visit our second school—Pu Gong Ying High School. The moment we drove into its compound, Principal Zeng welcomed us and took us into her care. Within minutes, our eyes feasted upon sights that triggered certain emotions which we could not understand at first. I will talk about these emotions a little later. Subsequently, she shared with us what Dandelion School (its English equivalent) was all about. Almost immediately we realised what those emotions were. They were a sense of familiarity, of love, care and, more conclusively, it was a sense of being at home.

Yes, I really felt as if I was back in APS. They were an equivalent school, and are perhaps even more advance than we are,  in terms of vision and mission. Our profiles are so similar that Principal Zeng and myself conversed in many bouts of excitement and passionate agreement.

You see, Dandelion School was started to become a bridge for the migrant populace from other regions of China who come to Beijing to work as labourers and other low-wage employment. As such, the students come from challenging family backgrounds. The school was converted from a factory building and exists because of the support of hundreds of volunteers and donors. Everything that made the school was sponsored and supported by someone.

As for the students, only 1% of the all the students have passed the national examinations when they enrolled in the school. However, in the last 4 years, the school has helped the passing rate at graduation to improve to an amazing percentage of 98%! Their emphasis were student motivation, character building and vocational training. What similarity!

Our students soon realised the uncanny resemblance between both our schools as we toured around the school compound. Artwork on every wall, mosaic tiles welcomed us at every turn, dormitories for about 530 boarders (there were about 680 students in the school), vocational workshops here and there, etc. Very APS, very home-like indeed!

When I shared with Principal Zeng about our Residential Programme as well as vocational skills programme, she couldn’t help but to remark our likeness with a tone of gladness.

We all proceeded to an English classroom to observe a lesson. Other than being treated as VIPs, we were amazed by the responsiveness of every student in the class. I believe you will understand more if you get to watch the videos I had recorded down.

Without going into the details, I would like to say that I really sensed the our students were impacted by this school visit. Judging by the number of students who purchased handicrafts from their store, knowing full well that the money is going to support the students there, I believe our students have learnt to empathise with others and care for them. In fact, I had to caution one of them to hold back his charity in some measure as he was being “too” supportive, which would result in an empty wallet if he had insisted.

I asked a few of the students that if they were given a chance to do a student-exchange programme for a month in Dandelion school would they be willing. The answers came in the affirmative without much hesitation.

This tells me that I was not the only one who felt at home.

Principal Zeng speaking to our students

Students keep their dorms clean and tidy!

Animated discussion ensued about both schools' vocational programmes

Mariam and her new friend working on a composition piece

The almagation of two very similar paths

Saying goodbye was very difficult

Now I hope you understand why I said that today was a amazing day. It was, for me.

My response to The Four’s challenge:  “curious, beautiful, wondersome.”  A dandelion seed head about 30 feet from part the Victory Garden, whose welcomingly rich soil lies open and fallow, sifted with bronze and gold leaves, its rich red bits exposed and ready to accept some of that windblown puff.

I couldn’t possibly pull it up, though.  I love dandelions.  They’ve been a food plant for humans for thousands of years, and are still cultivated in France — where the seed breeders develop new and improved strains, if you can believe that, with a larger leaf surface, a better taste, a texture just slightly more pleasing to the palate.  But long before I knew they were a food source, I was on their side simply because they’re the underdog that keeps winning.  The whole array of modern chemical anti-nature warfare is leveled against them every year, and they keep right on surviving, and even thriving.

As I look at this photo, I’m recalling someone I dated way back in college — and how I knew it wasn’t going to last when we went to visit his mother, and on the way to the front door, he bent over and viciously yanked a dandelion out of her lawn.  He bent to grab up another, and I cried in anguished tones, “Stop! What did it ever do to you?” and he looked at me as if he was just clearly seeing me for the first time, and discovering I was not just a delightfully free spirit, but also a slightly deranged one.  (And maybe having second thoughts about taking me home to Mama — although she thought I was lovely.  Mothers nearly always love me, and I usually love them back.)

Ah, well, somebody has to keep loving the dandelions… or else I’m sure they couldn’t have survived all this time.  I suspect there’s more than just a few of us renegades out there.  Oh, and all of the world’s children are on our side.  I’m sure of that.