Susie's Blog

We went to this fancy popular Japanese eatery place in Chinatown on the weekend. Quite a nice setting...reasonable price too. The most fancy thing is that they don't need to send waiters to take orders. You just order from the computer screen. You do everything from the computer screen. order, pay, complain...etc. The waiters just come and send you the food. Smart idea. I like that.

This is what happened when everyone joins a new health club. You have to pay once fornight regularly so the best thing to do is to go everyday to get your money worth. Lucky my working hour is very different to normal people. And my friends too. So our weekdays are sometimes like weekends. In order to get rid of all the fat, so far we have been going everyday. Monday aero bliz (gee this class makes my body so sore) Tuesday Pilates, wednesday belly dancing (we have belly dancing in the gym too...very cool), Thursday Hatha yoga Friday power plate saturday Lyrical Jazz sunday meditation. I taught students early in the morning first. Then drove straight to the health club. After that I took a shower there and brought back the free sydney morning herald from there everyday. I am sure i got my money worth so far. 2 kgs fat are off now. 3 more to go.

Have you ever seen this movie "Thorn Birds"? This was shot in 1983. I never watched old movies and never into the good old classics. But this one is probably the best movie I have ever seen in my life. Such incredible powerful story. In 1990 when we were moving to Australia, I got lots of cards from my classmates in Wesley Girls high school. I remembered at the time a few of my friends wrote "you are so lucky to go to the country of that Thorn birds movie!" I didnt' know what they were talking about. 19 years later! I finanlly understand!!
I just happened to go to the libruary to get a Warren Buffet biogaphy to have a read. Then I saw this DVD. The background of this movie is in outback Australia. At first I have no idea what's about. I thought "Forbidden love between a priest and a young girl. Gee that's very erotic. I like that. Priests and monks are the two kinds of men that you can never get. I found that idea very exciting. I love what i can't get big time. So i just borrowed it. The story is way beyond that!! The whole movie lasts for 7 hours (so there goes my sunday afternoon). The story also covers three generations. On top of that the scenery and acting are  extraordinary. Love story is intense but the power of the movie is beyondhuman desire, religion and choices. It's incredible. A movie that lasts in your mind for a long time. You have to see this one.

I taught Natasha how to sing and play even before she got pregnant. Then she got pregnant so our repertoire at one stage was lots of music therapy songs for unborn babies. After her baby girl Meja was born last Sep Natasha stopped lessons for a while. Yesterday she came back again (Meja is 5 months). Gee don't you think she is keen. If I am the new mother I probably don't feel like doing anything for a while (or I should say "can't do anything for a while?"). Anyway so I got to meet Meja for the very first time. Amazing. Hopefully by the time Meja has kids I hope I am not still teaching. Not the usual "time flies comment or sense of contribution of achievement in education that sort of comment. The moral of the story is..... I want to retire rich and early. HAHA
 

Another first time in life experience. Little Maddy starts her piano lesson. She already learns singing and flamenco dance with me on the weekend class. Now she starts private piano lesson too. I think she looks rather gorgeous.

I have been having very good lunch lately. Because of the teaching gap during noon time i can always do lots of luxury things that normal people can't do. This week nearly every single day I have been eating at different friend's places. Obviously their job is very flexible like mine. Either they come to my balcony to enjoy lunch or today I went to her apartment looking over the opera house view with homemade thursday lunch like this. Very lucky indeed.

I went to see Briedie for piano lesson this morning. Haven't seen her for nearly two months. She teaches me lots of new Jazz and blues repertoire and its really great to have a mentor constantly guiding me. But I think I am better than her in business part of things because she has no single clue about money. Not that I have a lot of sense. At least better than her. She is a real jazz musician. So free spirit, so brilliant at improvisation.
Today she told me that this year she is so busy. She has 82 students a week. I though I have a lot with my good business this year running 7 days a week. She has 82. she charges me $72 ($1800 taiwanese dollars) for one hour lesson. Another violin teacher friend of mine charges $88 ($2200) per hour and have more students than Briedie. They must be working so hard like a dog!! They don't earn too badly though considering they have so much spare time too. Maybe I should work harder.

I always take photos of kid who gets on piano lesson for first time in his life. I knew Harry since he was 2 because he is Samuel's little brother. This year Harry is 5 so he can play now. We will play this on slideshow at his wedding.

Carmen was with  me since she was in year 1. I have never seen her coming in with skin like normal people. She has very severe skin allergic. At one stage she can only eat potatos. Throughout her life she went to lots and lots of specialists. She even went to China and Hongkong and hopes that Chinese medicine can help her. Guess what? yesterday she came in after 2 months holidays. She came in with clear skin. "OH MY GOD" I asked her mother" What's going on? did she grow out of allergy because she is growing up (she is in year 7 now)? "No!!! It's the magic juice formula!!" Her mum said. Carmen's dad has lung cancer and is in chemo therapy. The mother saw an e mail from friends regarding how this magic juice can be very good for cancer patient. The whole family drinks for a month and every one has good skin. Her dad seems to be ok (not cured of course but energetic). The formula is
Everymorning before breakfast on empty stomach.
Make fresh juice of 1. one potato (peel the skin) 2. one carrot 2. one apple
Thats for one person. Drink that on empty stomach every morning. Try for a month. Let me know if your skin gets better and you get healthier.

Do you think Neko is depressed? She bumped her head into my computer screen all day that day. She must have done something very wrong. I shall forgive her.