I’ve been incredibly neglectful of my blog lately, and quite a bit has happened. If you’ve followed me on twitter, you probably know the majority of my past few months. If you haven’t followed me on Twitter, here’s the gist:
A kiitten fell into my lap! No, really, it did. A friend of mine had a litter of kittens, and needed a home, so Mike, the stray roommate we took in, said he’d take one. When I moved, he came with, because Mike wasn’t around the apartment with Utt and Futt all that much to care for him. Originally, his name was Gabriel (not my choice, and he isn’t that much of an angel), but I’ve since changed his name to Bolt. He tries to bolt out doors, and is VERY quick. Isn’t he precious? He LOVES this laundry basket!
June 27th – Went to see Legally Blonde, the musical, with my friend, Jennifer, who had 2 tickets, and her hubby isn’t so much of a fan of musicals, she thought to invite me. It was hilarious, I really enjoyed it! I had no idea musicals could be so good, or funny even.
June 28th – Jeremy and I got into an argument, over the ratio of dirty dishes to clean dishes in the kitchen…the kitchen was ALWAYS a mess, and hardly had any clean dishes, and were lucky if we could even use the faucet, they’d be piled so high. If they were mine, they’d been cleaned, but I didn’t cook in that kitchen much because it was always in a disarray. Basically, I asked if the kitchen was ever going to be clean, and he said he was “fixin’ to do it”….he’s ALWAYS “fixin'” to do something, but never gets done. He then told me he wanted me out by the end of the month, and I calmly said “no” which ticked him off, and so he called the cops telling them I was trespassing! At this point, I’d already lived there over 2 months, and it’s not like I just snuck in the house and have lived there undetected. I went in my room, waiting for the county sherrif to show up, and prove that I’d established residency. He then comes in my room, yelling at me, telling me that if I’d asked nicely, maybe he’d do the dishes. I asked him if he, at the age of 23, really needed to be told to clean up after himself. He then proceded to grab my duffel bag of dirty clothes, and throw them out the front door. I, of course, went running after it. As I was picking up my clothes, I made the comment to Chris, Jeremy’s boyfriend about how he’s got a real winner, which set Jeremy off, and he then began shoving me out the door. My buddy, James, was outside the door as well, and he and Chris told him to stop, as I’m yelling. Jeremy stopped, then ran back to my room, and smashed my floor lamp in his rage. I, then, feeling unsafe, called the cops, myself. Cops came, and asked me if I wanted them to arrest him. I felt, ONLY because he didn’t actually hit me, that it wasn’t necessary, but the officers advised I leave for the night, which I did. Jeremy, being the liar he is, told the cops my lamp was broken from the door swinging open, which was never the case. Jeremy tried changing the locks previously, and I asked the officers tell him not to change them on me, and they warned him. The officers stayed until I left, which I was grateful for. I stayed the night at my good friend, Jennifer’s house, and was grateful she took me in.
June 29th – As if I hadn’t already had a rough weekend, it only got worst when i was pulled over by a cop, for expired tags…I passed him only because he was on his cell phone, and figured a man can’t multi-task, and pay attention to my tags at the same time! He’s an exception, I suppose. He got me, and decided to mark me down for 2 infractions, instead of just expired tags, which cost me an additional $12.
June 30th – found me a new place to move, thought it would be great, living with a couple of girls, back in Bellevue, and pretty cheap. Put down first months rent that day, needing to get away from the messy living situation I was in. I was grateful for her taking me in. The downside was it was only 3 months, because the one girl was getting married, and her and her husband were going to live there. I didn’t care, just needed to feel safe.
July 2nd – MOVING DAY! Was SO glad to be done with the drama. Didn’t unpack half of my stuff, knowing it was only a short term lease. The first weekend there, I thought I was in heaven…the sink was void of any dirty dishes, AND I could hear the vacuum being used! NEVER would’ve happened at the old place! Continue reading →
October is . . . . Adopt-A-Dog Month, Computer Learning Month, National Apple Jack Month, National Car Care Month, National Clock Month, National Cosmetology Month, National Dessert Month, National Pickled Pepper Month, National Popcorn Poppin’ Month, National Pretzel Month, National Sarcastics Month, National Seafood Month, National Kitchen and Bath Month, and Vegetarian Awareness Month
October 1 is . . . . . World Vegetarian Day and Magic Circles Day
October 2 is . . . . . Name Your Car Day
October 3 is . . . . . Virus Appreciation Day
October 4 is . . . . . National Golf Day
October 5 is . . . . . National Storytelling Festival
October 6 is . . . . . German-American Day and Come and Take It Day
October 7 is . . . . . National Frappe Day
October 8 is . . . . . American Tag Day
October 9 is . . . . . Moldy Cheese Day
October 10 is . . . . National Angel Food Cake Day
October 11 is . . . . It’s My Party Day
October 12 is . . . . International Moment Of Frustration Scream Day
October 13 is . . . . National Peanut Festival
October 14 is . . . . Be Bald and Free Day and National Dessert Day
October 15 is . . . . White Cane Safety Day
October 16 is . . . . Dictionary Day
October 17 is . . . . Gaudy Day
October 18 is . . . . No Beard Day
October 19 is . . . . Evaluate Your Life Day
October 20 is . . . . National Brandied Fruit Day
October 21 is . . . . Babbling Day
October 22 is . . . . National Nut Day
October 23 is . . . . National Mole Day
October 24 is . . . . National Bologna Day
October 25 is . . . . Punk For A Day Day
October 26 is . . . . Mule Day
October 27 is . . . . Sylvia Plath Day
October 28 is . . . . Plush Animal Lover’s Day and National Chocolate Day
October 29 is . . . . Hermit Day
October 30 is . . . . National Candy Corn Day
October 31 is . . . . National Magic Day and Increase Your Pyschic Powers Day
I’ve written about my experiences in Egypt, now, on to Thailand, the Land of Smiles! While we were still in Egypt, my parents went over on a look-see to find out where we’d be living and even if we really wanted to move there. My mom brought me back Bubble Yum bubble gum, and that was all I needed to know I’d love it over there! My dad’s company also sent them to Sao Paulo, Brazil, after this trip, and after being told of the crimes (usually aimed at ex-pats) and living behind bars on windows and doors, my parents quickly made up their minds!
In August of 1997, we arrived at the Bangkok International Airport, it was around midnight, and we were exhausted after 20 hours of travel! When you get off the plane, one of the first things you see is a banner that displays “Welcome to the Land of Smiles” and you see all the cute little Thais. We still had a two hour drive still ahead of us, just to get to the hotel where we’d be staying, what a LONG day that was!
We drove to Pattaya, which is south of Bangkok, the nearest city to where we’d be living. The hotel we stayed at was called the Royal Garden, and it had a MALL attached to it! I had never seen such a thing, and thought it was SO cool! As a 14 year-old girl, I was in heaven! The hotel was GORGEOUS, and the next day, I went to check out the mall, with no money of course, I forgot to ask for some Baht (Thai currency). I found this one store that, apparently, is big over in the UK, Boots, an odd name for a drugstore type of store, but they had a lot of American and British beauty products (although you’d pay the price for ’em), which was great! The mall also had a Benihana’s, so it was a MAJOR improvement from Cairo.
When we went to see our new home, we were in disbelief that it was as beautiful as it was. We lived ON a golf course, so my parents and brother were ecstatic, HOWEVER, I tried taking golf lessons in Egypt, and decided I could care less. The 2nd mode of transportation was a golf cart, everyone had at least one.
I can’t tell you how SPOILED ROTTEN we were over there, it’s so cheap to live there, we are fortunate enough to afford a maid and a driver!!! Our maid and driver were married, and the lived with us, in the outside quarters. They really became part of our family, they had a beautiful little girl whose nickname was Ploy, which means pearl in Thai, isn’t that sweet? To give you an idea of how cheap it is, we paid the maid the equivalent to $200, and she was one of the highest paid maids in the area! She felt so blessed we were able to give her a job, she gave up beef in return, completely on her own, and stuck to it!!! The Thais are willing to bend over backwards to please, and they really LOVE to smile, which makes me miss Thailand.
Because the primary religion is Buddhism, they have a different new year, their version is known as Songkran, which is celebrated April 13th – 15th, and it’s just a big HUMONGOUS water fight! They do have a white powder they mix with water, and that is supposed to ward off evil, and they will nail you with that, as well, and can sting your eyes. If you think you can go out, and still stay dry, FORGET IT!!!!! Watch the clip below and see it’s all in good fun:
School was different, we had uniforms, and I was not happy with that in the beginning. I’d never been to a school with uniforms, and the thought of wearing the same thing day in and day out was appalling! The school, the International School of the Eastern Seaboard (ISE) was SO small, even compared to my old school, CAC, there were less than 20 kids in the WHOLE 9th grade! We all had the same classes together, and there weren’t choices in what you could take, except you had the option of learning French of Spanish. I couldn’t even learn Thai in school, because there supposedly wasn’t enough interest to have a class, the majority of the students were Thai. Unfortunately, I never had the opportunity to learn it, besides the basic 1-10 and hello, good-bye, thank you, etc… In the 10th grade, we went on a Biology trip, we called the “Barge Trip” where we were on a boat, and went around to different sights, and had a good time. I remember feeling tired throughout that trip, just the fresh air and the heat got to me, and maybe just gross from the fact we literally had timed showers, you had 3 minutes once you got in the bathroom area, to jump in and out, and get dressed again…that was rough! I do remember everyone taking turns in groups cooking, and that was fun! That was my first experience with okra, turned out I kinda liked it.
Here’s a picture of the high school, that was newly built when I was there. If you can see the stairs have a covering, it’s because there’s no roof over the center of the building. One teeny tiny tidbit they may have overlooked, during the design process, was that there’s monsoon season!
the inside of the high school
The good thing I learned is, when it’s a small school, you get a chance to get to know everyone there, and I appreciated that, we had people from all corners of the world, and I can’t tell you how NEAT it is to interact with people from such different backgrounds! I feel so blessed to have met EVERYONE there, the good, the bad and the ugly. It’s interesting how you look back, and you realize the ways people shaped your life.
My good friend, Guillermo & I
In Thailand, drinking was legal, so long as you paid, and the same went with prostitution. The typical stereotype if you saw a foreigner with a Thai girl, usually much younger, is she was getting paid for her company, and that was something you saw EVERYDAY! Even the next door neighbor would have parties with a few Thai women when his wife left. Everyone knew everyone else’s business, MUCH more so than should’ve. I guess that’s what happens when wives (of ex-pats) can’t work (weren’t allowed work permits), and have nothing better to do. Anytime one of the their kids screwed up, and we ALL did, EVERYONE knew about it, and that was really annoying. My bad experience was with our golf cart. One day, I was screwing around on the golf cart paths, going up and down the hills for cheap thrills, and missed a turn, I tried to compensate by turning sharply, which resulted in me falling out, and the cart kept going…right into the pond!!!!!! I was so upset, one of the neighbors happened to be driving by, and they gave me a lift back home. All I remember was I was grounded after that, and told I could NEVER drive it again! I was able to drive it again, they trusted me, and that was the last time I went up and down hills for excitement! I think it was about $100 or so just to dry it out. My mom jokingly told me to tell people I went looking for my dad’s old golf balls, sadly, that excuse didn’t fly!
My golf cart fared a little better than this one, but not by much
Thailand has some Amazing beaches, in Pattaya, Phuket, and the small islands. Our family traveled to Phuket a few times, and stayed at Le Meridian Resort, which was recked in the tsunami, but has since been restored. We LOVED that place, there was always something to do, and everyday, they had this fantastic mongolian barbecue (I’m such a foodie), definitely one of the things I looked forward to. The only thing i hated was the pain from my “pasty-white-girl-tan”, otherwise known as a sunburn, from being in the sun all day. Another place we visited was Chiang Mai, and on that trip, this Aussie boyband, Human Nature, performed in the lobby lounge of the hotel, and I remember thinking they were some FINE lookin’ men LOL, but my tastes have changed since then, but a couple of them are still cute LOL. They ended up having some songs on the Asian and Aussie music charts, but nothing too big. What can I say, I was a sucker for any cute boy!!!!
Earlier, I mentioned how I’m kind of a foodie, and I love Thai food. I’m not one for a lot of spice, like most of their dishes, but it’s worth the sacrifice, and if you think you’re eating Thai food, but your nose isn’t running, and eyes aren’t watering, then it may not be authentic. I did learn how to make Thai fried rice, from our maid, sesame beef. I do have a recipe for chicken cashew, just have never made it myself, but it’s awesome! Chicken satay and pad thai are my favorites!
Pad Thai
Durians are a fruit that is native to southeast Asia, and you would KNOW if you were ever within a half a mile of one, the smell is unforgettable, to say the least! Remember how I said the high school was all open-aired??? Well, one day, someone brought 2 durians to school, and left them at the bottom of the stairs, and the smell was just AWFUL!!! One writer describes it as “overripe cheese. Rotting fish. Unwashed socks. A city dump on a hot summer’s day”, and I couldn’t agree more!! Apparently, the public buses, which are all open-aired as well, wouldn’t allow anyone with one of these supposedly tasty fruits on board due to the pungent odor. I never tried it, the smell was enough to turn me off. Pomelo was another fruit that is native to SE Asia, and it is SO good! It tastes like a sweet, mild grapefruit.
Pomelo
Durian
See this picture…
Gorgeous, huh??? Well, these are what the Thais refer to as Katoys, which means “ladyboys”, and they have Mr. Miss beauty pageants!! So, if you go there, you may not always get what you see, As you can see, many of them are more beautiful than real women! My parents took us to a cabaret show when we were on vacation, and later, we met some of the stars of the show, and my mother broke it to us that they were men, I just couldn’t believe it, they were SO beautiful, but then I noticed the adam’s apple!
While I was in Thailand, I had the opportunity to travel Vietnam, Bali and Australia. I think we loved Phuket so much, we didn’t do as much traveling to other places, but I really don’t have any places on my must see list, that I haven’t already seen. I really loved the people, the culture, and the land, I would move back there in a heartbeat, if given the opportunity! There is a woman’s blog I’ve been reading, who just moved there, and it brings back memories to read about her daily life, although, she lives in a different part of the country. I’m sure I missed things, but this gives you an insight into my life, as well as the things the average tourist might not experience.
August is . . . . National Catfish Month, National Golf Month, National Eye Exam Month, National Water Quality Month, Romance Awareness Month, Peach Month, and Foot Health Month
August 1 is . . . . . Friendship Day and National Raspberry Cream Pie Day (My mother’s birthday too!)
August 2 is . . . . . National Ice Cream Sandwich Day
August 3 is . . . . . National Watermelon Day
August 4 is . . . . . Twins Day Festival
August 5 is . . . . . National Mustard Day
August 6 is . . . . . Wiggle Your Toes Day
August 7 is . . . . . Sea Serpent Day
August 8 is . . . . . Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor’s Porch Night
August 9 is . . . . . National Polka Festival
August 10 is . . . . Lazy Day
August 11 is . . . . Presidential Joke Day
August 12 is . . . . Middle Child’s Day
August 13 is . . . . Blame Someone Else Day
August 14 is . . . . National Creamsicle Day
August 15 is . . . . National Relaxation Day and National Failures Day
August 16 is . . . . Bratwurst Festival
August 17 is . . . . National Thriftshop Day
August 18 is . . . . Bad Poetry Day
August 19 is . . . . Potato Day
August 20 is . . . . National Radio Day
August 21 is . . . . National Spumoni Day
August 22 is . . . . Be An Angel Day
August 23 is . . . . National Spongecake Day
August 24 is . . . . Knife Day
August 25 is . . . . Kiss-And-Make-Up Day
August 26 is . . . . National Cherry Popsicle Day
August 27 is . . . . Petroleum Day
August 28 is . . . . World Sauntering Day
August 29 is . . . . More Herbs, Less Salt Day
August 30 is . . . . National Toasted Marshmallow Day
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October 1 is . . . . . World Vegetarian Day and Magic Circles Day
Durian
Schmidt Happens 
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