Click here to view old videos.Jun
07
2008
Why I’ll Never Win American Idol – Take Me Out to the Ball Game
I was invited to my school to judge an English competition on my birthday. At the end several students and teachers sang songs. They asked me to sing, too. I don’t know any songs by heart, especially with out the music, so I sang Take Me Out to the Ball Game. Laugh if you will, I was just having some fun.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdTdQCchyIk[/youtube]
The Atlanta Braves just called about singing during the seventh inning stretch. They said don’t bother.
June 7, 2008 @ 1:48 PM
Hey, not bad. More guts than I’d even could muster.
June 8, 2008 @ 12:25 AM
Ni hao Gabrielle – this is a message from Darren. Well, we have something in common, since you used to reside in Fuyang – China, and I currently still reside in the little picturesque place I’m sure you fondly remember. I understand you have been corresponding with my housemate and colleague Mr Ball? He told me he discovered your website, and I was most surprised to discover that Rob and I are walking down a trail which had already been blazed by yourself, since we were under the impression – prior to finding your blog – that we had gone where no Western had gone to before when we arrived here in Fuyang. I’ve read some of the articles, glimpsed at video footage, and scoped out some of your photos; your archives are a mine of information on this small but perfectly formed little place. I am also a teacher here in Fuyang. I read about some of your experiences. My children can get a little boisterous now and then but nothing compared to the experiences you went through with your children. It sounds like your pupils gave you a torrid time at times. Your time here must have been an endurance test. Reading your blog made me appreciate what we’ve got here with our school.
Well currently the Western population of Fuyang currently stands at 9. All nine of us regularly get together for barbeques to socialize. It’s so surreal being in a city where there are only a handful of foreigners. Initially I was really enjoying the novelty of it, but lately, the lack of people to talk to has started to get to me. I’ve gone days here some weeks without speaking English – outside the classroom of course. Arrrghhh!!! I’m going a bit stir crazy!
The positives of being in China vastly outweigh the negatives though, so my time in Fuyang thus far has been the best experience of my life.
Well, like Rob, I’m also writing a blog to chronicle my experience here – see above for address. If you fancy reading about Fuyang from the eyes of another Westerner, then feel free to check out the site. Ok, it would be nice to here from you – feel free to leave me a message on the site. I have so much more to say but I think I’ll stop typing now as this is less of a message and more like another blog entry!
June 9, 2008 @ 4:40 AM
Well you’re definitely better than Tony Romo was. Not bad.
June 10, 2008 @ 1:24 AM
sorry, but my singing compared to yours is much much worse :))
I often wish i could have had a decent voice and sing all those zillion tunes roaming inside my head….
June 10, 2008 @ 4:46 PM
@ Lee – You could have a least put a JK or a smiley face at the end of that comment!
@ Dogbait – Heh, thanks. What I didn’t tell you is that I had already sung it in front of 20 other classes that week. I was a wee bit nervous but I just kept telling my self, “They probably can’t even understand me and they don’t know the song, so they can’t really know how bad I sound.” I was teaching them about baseball, but they didn’t seem a bit interested. All they cared about was basketball. Basketball this. Basketball that.
@ TOPolk – Thanks. I tried looking up the Tony Romo video, but there wasn’t a good one on youtube. So, I can’t compare.
@ Ana – Oh, you probably sing fantastic!
June 10, 2008 @ 9:11 PM