Australian Idol Thursday Semis

When will the Idol entries STOP??

Okay, after tonight, I’m having a break. Until Sunday. Heeee.

I picked it again – Lisa and Lavina. (I think I should be getting some sort of prize for this.)

Boo to dragged out Idol shows. I thought we’d gotten rid of that this year, but no apparently not. I wandered away during the backstage crap, Guy crap (sorry Jess) and Anthony Callea crap (sorry any Anthony lovers), Dan England crap (not sorry to any Dan fans, he was a snob last year and refused to come and meet the fans waiting outside, so boo on you and your stupid song DAN) but blah blah blah, whatever, cut to the wildcards please so I can go blog.

Brother Chris - No surprises there. Anyone think he looks just like that Courtney dude? (insert sarcasm here.)
Boner Boy - Ewww. What the hell? I can’t even remember what freaking song he sung in his semi-final, what would they bring him back for? And he wears stupid lame hats and has caterpillars for eyebrows.
Nathaniel aka Stool Boy – He wasn’t too bad, so that’s an alright choice. And a cutie too, though not as cute as HOT FLUSH INDUCING DEAN, OMG, SO HOT.
Rocker Momma Amanda - Yay! That’s all! Grrroooowwwl.
Saggy Boob Klancie – Heee, I’m all happy for her. AND her boobs seemed perkier tonight. Found a good bra perhaps? I may have to change her title!
Mutto – Bleurrrrgh. Another what the.. Sucked.
Wobble Boy (Chris) – I hated this guy. He wobbled too much. And he sang badly. And wobbled. And danced badly. Did I mention he wobbled?
Pretty Boy Ricky – Glad he got in, he deserved it. I’m surprised the girlies didn’t vote for him the first time over the Talking Mullet, heee, but I’m glad that Bobby got in. Hoorah!

I think that Lydia girl was expecting to be picked, she looked pretty cut up while the rest of the -cough- losers were sitting down there. I don’t know, I thought she was alright but not spectacular – I just can’t wait for the actual Top 12 performances to start, they’re so much more interesting than the auditioning part. Although I’ve enjoyed it so far this year..

Now I’m in the mood to go to be in the audience again! Minus the ‘blah blah blah let’s see how much time we can eat up’ part of the show.

What better way to finish this post than with some Dean hotness!? Phew. I’m off to have a cold shower.

Australian Idol Wednesday Semis

Does the "G" in Andrew G stand for GREASE? Because that? Was the most horrid hair I’ve seen on him in a long time. Gack.

Yay for weirdo Bobby! I was right, heh. He’s still so damn strange. I think I shall now call him the Talking Mullet; he had no eyes today. And little Joseph! Those eyelashes, ohemgee! Good picks. That means I’m predicting Ricky for the Wildcard show.

Is it just me, or is this year’s top 24 not that brilliant overall? The first group of boys were the best, and now I’m having trouble listening to some of these other semi-finalists. Tonight was kind of weird like that too.

1. The Girl Who Looks Like Sally From Home and Away (Rachel).
I’ve Done All The Dumb Things – Paul Kelly

The whole Aussie slang thing sort of irks me, I think Missy Higgins is the only one that can pull it off (oh, and little Lisa, but more on her later). So she bugged me today. Love that song but for Idol? She’s such a gorgeous girl, her outfit was just horrid – tell me, who really wears cropped black shiny tights with Docs these days?

Not my cup of tea.

2. Sister Lavina (Teehee, She Fell Over!)
Natural Woman – Aretha Franklin.

Is it bad that I sort of dislike this chick already, because I disliked Emily? And why am I bothering to be a critic of her because EVERYONE knows that she’ll get in the damn Top 12 because they’ve shown so much freaking footage of her already? Blech. Aside from my whinging, I actually liked her singing tonight. Can someone please tell me though, was she wearing parachute pants?

She’ll get through.

3. Dumbass Who Should’ve Stuck With Topless Dancing (aka Rebecca).
Show Me Heaven – Maria Pearce

I’ve never had quite so many "cringe moments" before in a performance. You know the notes that just make you go "ohh" (and not in a good voice, think "ohh – my ears will explode".) She looked like an over-excited dog, everytime they showed back to her audition tapes, spinning around like a terrier everytime she got excited. Irky. Her singing sucked ass. Does she think she is Jessica Simpson? Because she aint. No. Jessica Simpson.

Blecccccch.

4. That Girl’s a Weirdo! (Jess)
Fighter – Christina Aguilera

No.
That’s all.
Just no.

She looked like a crack whore, must have definately been on something before that show. Yeah man, seriously, man, it was the lights, yeah, whoa, hee. What the fuck? I couldn’t even understand what the hell she was singing. Complete wacko.

5. The First Gal Tonight Who Doesn’t Make Me Want To Throw The TV Out The Window (aka Baby Girl Lisa).
Diamonds on the Inside – Ben Harper

Love this song. Suited her voice. She’s so cute and innocent, I love her I love her I love her. She is one of the few "Aussie-slang" voices I can even bear to listen to! Really liked it. She’s definately a keeper!

I kept thinking she was only sitting on the stool because otherwise she would have just run away terrified. Hee. Vote for Lisa!

6. Lydia – Who Has Left Me Confused And Not Quite Sure What to Say.
A Moment In Time – Whitney Houston

I can’t decide if I love her or hate her. That song was dead boring, what in the world possessed her to choose it? I don’t know. I just don’t know. She has a good voice but that song was as interesting as watching grass grow. Except for the high note at the end, that was killer. Hmm. Still confused and not sure.

The verdict?

I’ve decided that Lavina and Lisa were my favourites who should go through — possibly Lydia as a wildcard? I’m still not sure though. All too much. So much singing (haha, and that’s not even including mum and I on the Playstation, think yourselves lucky!) and not enough time (or sleep).

Tonight’s tool points were generously sponsored by mum, who gives 10,000 points to the idiots in the McDonalds ads. The stupid cowboy talking to yoghurt? And the complete dipshit being chased by a lettuce? What the hell? If those ads are supposed to make me want to eat their Deli Choices shit, their marketing directors should be shot. Hell, no! (Oh, and I’m also supposed to tell you that Channel 10 are all tools for actually having a show where MeerKats are the main characters. I think that’s it now.)

Australian Idol Tuesday Semis

Back by not-so-popular demand..

And wow! I think I picked it again – Jessica and Reagan. Ha! Maybe Amanda will be a WildCard later this week..

Let’s just jump straight into tonight’s rundown, shall we?

I had already decided who I wanted to go through – cute little Joseph and the fuzzy haired dude with the soothing voice; Bobby. Anyway, they were my picks before tonight.

After their singing? Let’s find out!

1. Ricky Who is a Bit of a Pretty Boy.
So Sick – Neyo

I love this song. The girls will love this song. The girls will vote for him. Therefore he will probably get through. He actually did a good job of it, I liked it. But it wasn’t THAT eventful, because I have nothing more to say about him.

The end.

2. The Dude Who is So Up Himself That I May Just Puke (aka James).
Kryptonite – Three Doors Down

Everytime someone sings one of the songs I have on my playlist, I’m usually a horrible critic because they spoil it. This was another one of those moments. He makes me cringe. How the hell they let this loser into the Top 24 is beyond me. Ruined that song. He’s not very tv-genic, and I could not STAND the way he was singing in an American accent. Bugged the crap out of me.

Intense, my ass.

3. Chris the Goony Mover.
I Don’t Wanna Be – Gavin DeGraw

See? Another song that I loved. Sort of spoiled. I had small seizures just watching this guy prance around on stage. What the hell was up with his moving? It’s just too much! He kind of wobbles around while he sings. Didn’t really like it. Seems a bit full of himself, as well.

Pass.

4. Sideshow Bobby Who Has a Voice Like An Angel.
Under the Milky Way – The Church

Can I just say that I had written down my oh-so-witty title (the Sideshow Bobby part) BEFORE Kyle came out with that comment? I swear! Mum says I’m channeling the judges. Anyway.

I LOVE THIS GUY! He’s off the planet, so insanely weird but I love weird! Fabulous. Ever since his first audition, I’ve been hoping he’d get through, and he did an awesome job. I hope he gets through, I want to see him and his hair make the finals. It’s funny how I could never stand Guy Sebastian’s haircut, but I think Bobby is endearing? I’m weird. Only thing is about tonight that I don’t know that the kids will even know that song, so he might not get votes. Wildcard maybe?

I’d vote for him.

5. Joseph The Nice Young Schoolboy Cutiepie.
Let Me Love You – Mario

I feel like I know this kid, even though I don’t – one of the girls at work knows him (sort of) so maybe that’s where it comes from. He’s just so shy and quiet and cute. And very sweet, that song about mothers he sang? Awww! He was so damn nervous, I felt a bit sorry for him, you could tell the judges were going easy on him. He’ll probably get the girly vote, I hope he gets through.

He’s better off with his guitar, I think.

6. Mutto With The Boil and Mouldy Haircut.
Meant To Live – Switchfoot

Do I dare mention that this is another of the songs on my Itunes? And I hated him singing it too. Get off the floor, moron! I was counting how many times he did a little squat in his 2 whole minutes; it was about 7 times. No-one cares. That’s not a song to serenade the audience too!? Bleh! He looked stupid. Don’t like him. He’s actually a teacher? Wow!

But still no.

Verdict:

Ricky and Joseph will get through – and Bobby as a Wildcard? I thought the others weren’t even in the same league as these guys. If it were my choice I’d go number 1 with kooky Bobby. I’m still intrigued by his weirdness.

Edit:

I forgot to give out my tool points for this evening. I’ve decided to award them to the producers of David Tench. What the fuck were they thinking? That cartoon thing haunts me in my dreams, blech. And the latest ad? I swear Claudia Karvan looks like she just woke up from a very long night out, if you know what I mean. Watch it and see!

Australian Idol Monday Semis

I really, really need to stop using SingStar.

Mum busted me this afternoon belting out Delta Goodrem (insert the groans here) when she got home. Guilty as charged! And I am officially a Material Girl diva.

Can I just say, damn I’m good? Yay for Mr-Sex-On-Legs Dean and Cute-Leprechaun Damien. Hoorah! Now we just need Brother-Chris to get on the Wildcard show, and I’ll have the hat trick.

On to the girls.

1. That LynDELLE (not LynDAL) Chick Who Needs to Put Some Clothes On.
Would I Lie To You? – Eurythmics

Er. I like the Eurythmics, but her version wasn’t anything too flash. I could listen without scratching my eyes out, but I hated that stupid thing she kept doing with her hand. I can’t even describe it but it sucked.

Average.

2. Klancie Of The Saggy Boobage.
I’m Not Ready to Make Nice – Dixie Chicks

This girl is gorgeous but needs to invest in a decent bra. (Maybe she should buy one of those stupid pink bras from the annoying ad that keeps showing in the Australian Idol time spot; the one with the annoying naked lady twirling around on the floor? Yeah. That one. ANNOYING.) Don’t tell mum I said this, but I really like that Dixie Chicks song. She did a pretty good job. I think I like her!

A little less lame.

3. Little Whitn— Jessica.
I Wanna Dance with Somebody – Whitney Houston

I should be a judge on Australian Idol. I said what Mark said. Deary me.  A 40 year old voice in a 17 year olds body. That said, I think she’s gorgeous and I love her hair, didn’t like what she was wearing though. I don’t know. (Random SingStar moment; Yes, we covered this song yesterday.. and we rocked.)

dontchawannadance
sayyouwannaadance
withmebaby..

4. I Am NOT a Transvestite (Also Known as Atlanta) (wtf?)
My Immortal – Evanescence

What sort of a name is Atlanta? Anyway. Two words. Fuck No. Why do people bother trying to sing to Evanescence? No-one can sing like Amy Lee. Trust me people, I’ve seen her live TWICE! Ew. She’s weird looking. And was her dress leather? Like, all leather?

Ew.

5. The Rocker Momma.
Trouble – Pink

I am all out of witty titles. Damnit. I hated the first part, but her raspy shouting was good! Made me a bit dizzy the way she was twirling around that circle though. I like Amanda! She’s cool, if not a bit full of herself. Go the mommy!

6. What the Hell is She Wearing? (aka Reagan).
I Wish I was a Punk Rocker? – No idea.

I think Reagan is absolutely gorgeous, her hair and her smile – she’s beautiful! But that outfit, noooo. The boots? What is with those boots? Nope. Didn’t like it. And I’m apparently going to get yelled at for saying this (Sorry Belinda, mum did warn me) but I HATE THAT SONG. With a PASSION. It did nothing for her voice, and she irritated me every time she touched her hair. We KNOW you have nice hair, bitch, you don’t have to rub it in.

The verdict?

Hmmm. I think Amanda will get through, and Reagan too? Either that or Jessica. But I sort of liked Klancie. (Hee, I almost typed Klarice…. mwahaha.) I don’t know with this one. No hat tricks tonight.

Extra tool points tonight go to Axel Whitehead. (That annoying loser that didn’t get anywhere a couple of years ago because, well, he sucked ass, and is now promoting that stupid Telstra commercial piece of crap.)

I meant to give him the tool points last night but I got sidetracked, because he was just SO DAMN IRRITATING; the way he took over the couch and made even Andrew G look less of a tool, and let’s face it, Andrew G is also a bit of a tool. Hmm. How many times can one say tool in a sentence and still have people reading? His stubble irritates me. His voice irritates me. The way he sits on that lounge irritates me. HE JUST IRRITATES ME. Tool.

The Right to Brag

I am a VERY proud teacher today.

The school where I am teaching uses a levels system for teaching the kids to read. Starts at 1, and ends up in novels.

That’s all the background you need.

J. was reading really well in my literacy group this morning; at a level 18. This is pretty good for a Year 1 student, but he was reading with ease and looked really bored. I took him aside and did some individual reading, and he could read a level 20 (!) book with ease as well.

I was pretty impressed, needless to say. I went and checked with my supervisor (who is also the reading recovery teacher, specialises in working with kids and their reading) and asked if she could read with him just to get his level sorted out, because he would need to be placed in a higher literacy group where the work is more at his level. She agreed.

J is reading at a level 26. This puts him as nearly the top student in both 1/2 classes, equal to and better than the brightest Year 2 students.

I am the proudest teacher ever. Heeeeeeeee! He’s going to be reading novels IN YEAR 1. Oh my gosh! This is why I love teaching. 

Australian Idol Sunday Semis

Because I am a dork, who is addicted to Australian Idol. Yep.

Mum and I spent the afternoon in preparation for Idol tonight (ha!) by playing with our new SingStar games, we’ve got Anthems, Pop and 80s so far. We were just going to sample a few of them – and mum was going to show me how to use it, since she’s had a couple of drunken rampages with the game in the last few weeks. MLC, you know?

Anyway. We were there for over two hours. I am now croaky. But oh man, I have not had so much fun in a looooong time! Good times. Must get the rest!

So, Idol. Lots of good boys in tonights round. Let me name them.

1. The Brother of That Other Guy who was in Idol Last Year.

I’m a bit love-hate with this guy, Chris I think? He’s better than his brother Courtney, but he’s also older. And scruffy looking. I like his voice, don’t like the fact that we already KNOW he’ll be in the Top 12 just because of who he is. Yep.

2. Curly Haired Dude with Nice Teeth (aka Stool Boy).

Nope. I was bored. Mum liked him though.

3. The Tool That Spoiled one of my Favourite Lifehouse Songs.

I thought he was arrogant. And he completely slaughtered Hanging By A Moment and NOBODY MESSES WITH THE LIFEHOUSE. Nobody! He looked like a tool, he sang like a tool, and that is all.

4. Cute Leprechaun Damien Whom I Adore.

I would buy a CD of his right now. His folky voice is brilliant, so mellow. Love him! And he’s so cute! And short! And Irish! And Leprechauny! What’s not to love? (P.S. Vote for him.)

5. Boner Boy Whom I Dislike.

I was so glad to see him stuff up. I love Stevie Wonder but he sucked at that song; couldn’t even hear him over the band. Byebye Boner!

6. Hot Dean Who Is So Hot and Makes Me Have Hot Flushes because the Hotness is Just Too Much.

If this boy does not win Idol, there is something wrong with this country. I fell in love with him from the first auditions show. That song he wrote himself with just his acoustic guitar, phew. Think Brandon Boyd aka Sexy Incubus lead singer with beautiful voice? Dean is like that. And he sang Tonic tonight. And didn’t fuck it up aka The Tool with Lifehouse.

So after that very fulfilling rundown, my verdict?

Dean and Damien to go through; although Chris (aka the Brother) will go through because the show is somewhat rigged. That is all. More tomorrow night.

My Weakness

I am officially addicted to buying DVDS.

EzyDVD is a place I check all the time, to see what new specials they have – I’ve never really been a big fan of online shopping before (with the exception of concert tickets and the like) but I think I’ve found my weakness.

Those who know me well, know I like my boxsets. At the moment I’m getting my way through ER Season 3 (nearly there!) and then I still have Charmed Season 7 to get through as well; I’m rather tempted to buy this really neat Buffy bag, with the complete series included except I would feel bad splurging $250 all at once.

Why is it that it seems so much more reasonable to spend the same amount of money, but spread across a few weeks/purchases? Is it because I’m being tricked into thinking I’m receiving more for my money? I don’t know.

But I’m not going to buy it. I have a car loan to pay off.

Although I DID purchase City of Angels last week. I found it rather sad that my all-time favourite movie (that and Braveheart, anyway) was the one I didn’t actually own on DVD. I own it now. And I still cry. Sucker.

I also pre-purchased the Firefly series, because I’d heard it was good. And it was on special. Man, you could stick a SPECIAL sign on anything and I think I’d buy it. If it were cheap enough. I am sort of cheap. A primary teacher on a budget.

Now I’m off to bum away my Sunday with the box.

The Dental Blog (Part 2)

What better way to spend ones Saturday than sitting in an uncomfortable chair hearing the serenading whir of a dental drill?

Ha!

I may have been brave and conquered the dentist as you can read about here to refresh your memory. But that doesn’t mean I have to enjoy it!

My brain had decided that today would be even scarier than last fortnight – because THIS time, there would be fillings involved. And drills. And weird UV light things. And needles. And did I mention drills? Therefore, as per usual Alyndabear-style, I had worked myself up into a minor panic this morning.

(I would like to point out here that Jason sucks, for having the empathy of a fly during this whole process. That is all.)

My worst fears were confirmed after having a seat in the chair, rinsing with yummy minty water stuff (don’t ask me what that actually does, hah, but it tastes pretty good though!) and opening my mouth; My Dentist uttered seven dreadful words.

"You won’t be needing any needles today!"

Pause right there.

No needles? I nearly turned into a quivering mess right there in the chair.

Not that I’m real keen on needles either, but when it comes to dentistry? I’ll be brave, jab me with a couple of those babies and I’m all calm. Relatively, anyway. But NO NEEDLES? Panic. Panic. Panic.

"Are you sure?" I mumbled, trying to talk without my tongue licking his fingers which were still probing my teeth. "Because I am, er, a bit paranoid?"
"Nope. They’re only small. Won’t feel a thing." He replied, then starting talking in dentist-language to the assistant.

Great. I felt completely reassured. Ha.

He got the drill ready, and I started having worst case pain scenarios running through my mind. I’d convinced myself it was going to be terrible. Why the hell wouldn’t Jason come with me? Bastard! I needed him! Too old for hand-holding, my ass…

"Ok, I’ll just drill a bit and we’ll see if it hurts." Said Mr Dentist.
"Wait – so it’s going to hurt?"
"Well, no. But just in case, I’ll stop if it does and give you the needle."
"So I do need a needle?"
"No. You shouldn’t need one." He started drilling here.

After a few seconds he stopped and looked at me strangely, and asked if it was hurting. I stammered something along the lines of "Yes, No, Maybe, Should it, I don’t know?" and he told me that everytime he drilled, I was pulling squinty faces and moving away from him. I didn’t even realise I was doing it.

Feeling rather shamed, I told him that no, it wasn’t hurting, I’m just a wimp, please continue. Yes, I really said that. And he actually laughed! A dentist with a sense of humour. I like!

End of story? I have two teeny fillings, one of which does not feel filed down properly seeing as I keep grinding my teeth together and it feels funny. I also have an appointment next Saturday (DENTISTRY ON SATURDAY SUCKS) for the mother of all fillings. Well no, not exactly – but I will definitely be needing a needle for this one. I’m going to suggest that he gives me the "supposed two needles" from today as well. Just in case, you know?

Sunday Scribblings: The Monster…

It’s been a long week; so I figured my take on this weeks prompt would be a light hearted one, inspired by my stressful-yet-funny class.

The Monster Chronicles by 1/2S

These are all excerpts derived from the workbooks of my students. My class is a Year 1/2 composite, so the kids range from 6-7-8 years of age, mostly 6 or 7 though. For anonymity (as per usual) I will just include the kids initials, but the words are always more important than their names, anyway!

This weeks Sunday Scribblings fit right in with our creative writing; we’ve been using the topic of M O N S T E R S to get our thinking caps on. These are just a smidgen of the stories I jotted down to share with you.

The Strongest Monster (by C. & J.)
Once there was a monster. He was the strongest monster on Earth. All his monster friends were strong too. They eat people for dinner when they are hungry. They drink people for dinner too. The monster is going to the church.

The Monster and the Bear (by P. & A.)
There was a monster that lived in a cage. The bear was friends with the monster. The monster was friendly. The bear was playing with the monster. He liked playing with the monster. The next day the bear was hungry so it went to find them food in the water.

The Strange Monster (by D. and E.)
There once was a very strange monster that lived under D. and E.’s bed. He had blue fur and he had purple eyes. And it had a pink tail.

The Hairy Monster (by K. and S.)
The hairy monster went into a cave and found another monster. He got scared in the cave because he looked so ugly.

The Scary Monsters (by S. & S.)
Once there were 5 monsters who loved to play with other monster friends. They liked to be scary. They went to go find food for everyone to eat. They played with balls.

So there you have it! I am rearing literary geniuses, no? Maybe if you check back here tomorrow, I will take a photo of the Purple People Eater Monster Mask my class used for their now famous assembly item. Heeee.

For more Sunday Scribblings visit here, and enjoy!

Spanglish

Warning: This post may contain poor attempts of speaking a language other than my native tongue (and possibly also incorrect spellings) so please bear with me.

I spent my afternoon having a talk with the lady who cleans my classroom at the school. I realised that after all of our little chats of an afternoon, I actually didn’t know her name and I doubted she knew mine either. So, I thought I’d get that courtesy out of the way because I hate not knowing who I’m actually talking to. And because she’s a really nice woman, too.

Her name is Naisa, by the way. She’s from Bolivia, and English is her second language. She does really well though, just struggles for the occasional one. She has a daughter who is 12, and is multi-lingual, and also really nice – she comes to help her mum clean some afternoons.

Anyway.

I was telling her that I’d love to learn Spanish, because I haven’t really ever had the chance to do any languages (other than the mandatory crappy chinese in high school – Jess may remember Mr Wang?). I took Italian for a term, but I don’t remember any of it, which is a shame because I’d really love to learn that too.

So she sat down with me and started telling me some random sayings that I should take home and learn. It was so fun, I can’t believe I wasted an hour of her time (ack!) but she seemed to enjoy teaching me as well, which was awesome. I came home and was able to greet my dad in Spanish, to which he just laughed. I typed in Spanish to Jase on MSN, and he just gave me a blank face. Well, a blank smiley emoticon, anyway. I’m going to spring it all on mum after she finishes work, teehee.

Hola! — Hello (Ha! I knew this one already, I am clever!)
Buenos Dias — Good morning (I knew this too!)
Buenas Tardes/Noches — Good afternoon/good night.
Como Estas — How are you? (I sort of knew this one as well.)
Me Llamo Alynda — My name is Alynda. Heeee. This is fun.
Hola Mi Amor — Hello my love.
Te Quiero Mucho — I love you so much.
Que tengas un lindo sueno — Have a good (beautiful) dream.
Dame un Beso, Mi Amor — Give me a kiss, my love.
Muchas Gracias — Thank You! (Yep, knew this too!)

I had a ball today. And I’ve decided I’d like to learn Spanish. I need one of those cds that I can listen to, to teach me the words. Yep. Spanish. And after that, French and Italian. Yep Yep.

Adios!