61 is not so bad!

Museum Pasifika

Besides European artists that resided in Bali, there are a great deal of sculptures from other Asian Pacific countries. 

A  new museum (3 years old ) this was an enjoyable way to spend a couple of hours away from the brutal heat.

Great Birthday Present

Tasha got some family members to send pics- which she had framed and surprised me with them this morning (3:00 am coffee time).  These are but two of the very precious gift!  What a wonderful wonderful surprise!

Chinese New Year Celebration at School

Acrobats, Dragons and Wushu (Chinese martial arts) were all part of the Chinese New Year Celebration.  The Wushi is the class that I am taking - can't imagine why they didn't want me to show my "skills" during the performance!

Happy Chinese New Year!

Today (Friday) is the  Chinese New Year, Lunar New Year, or Spring Festival and is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. Yesterday at school we had the traditional dragon dance Chinese dragons are a symbol of China, and they are believed to bring good luck to people, therefore the longer the dragon in the dance, the more luck it will bring to the community. The dragons are believed to possess qualities that include great power, dignity, fertility, wisdom and auspiciousness.

Chinese Project Runway

As part of the intramurals competition the students created from paper and plastic Chinese costumes.  These were the three finalists!  The artwork on the red jackets of the two young men was created by the students.  The winning outfits - the couple on the right!

Intramurals- Haka Dance

This past week students from grades 7-12 competed in various activities for a chance to win the trophy!  I got to judge this competition. The first hakas were created and performed by different Māori tribes as a war dance. It is an ancestral war cry. It was performed on the battlefields for two reasons. Firstly, it was done to scare their opponents; the warriors would use aggressive facial expressions such as bulging eyes and poking of their tongues. They would grunt and cry in an intimidating way, while beating and waving their weapons. The second reason they did this was for their own morale; they believed that they were calling upon the god of war to help them win the battle. They were heavily choreographed and performed in time. It gave them courage and strength.

The competition was between three groups.  They don't look fierce - but they did chant and stomp their feet.

Infinity Mirrored Room – The Souls of Millions of Light Years Away

Now 87, Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama has chosen to live in a mental health facility near since 1977, due to hallucinations and nervous disorders that she has had since childhood.. Yet it hasn’t stopped her from achieving remarkable popularity.  In 2014 alone, she drew over 2 million people to see her work, earning her the title of the world’s most popular artist based on museum attendance.
Infinity Mirrored Room – The Souls of Millions of Light Years Away is a mirror-lined chamber that houses an apparently endless LED light display. It’s a unique experience and it’s meant to be experienced a unique way: one patron at a time.

Field Trip to Museum Macan

4:30 in the morning we are getting ready to leave the school - Andrew's dad owns a pizza place!

First time most of these students have been inside an art museum

Looking out from our school

Hard to believe that the military has a shooting range right beyond the school complex.  Every month I hear the pop-pop-pop of the soldiers' handguns. Very disconcerting.