Ko Samet & The Other Weekend

So this weekend I spent Friday night hanging out on the pier in Angsila and Saturday night on Ko Samet drinking Red Bull & vodka out of a plastic beach pail at a dance club. Sunday I spent 6 or 7 hours moving about 40 feet between my reading spot, swimming in the Gulf, and eating. My biggest problem all weekend was keeping sand out of my bikini bottoms. Awesome.

But just for good measure Ill share with you my weekend from two weeks ago. This is for those of you who think that Im always doing something interesting. Its simply not true.

The weekend began with me doing absolutely nothing and ended much the same way. Most of it was spent in my room.


I ate super spicy kill-the-baby style green curry for lunch. Consequently I spent the rest of the afternoon in traction. This is me *suffering* and my puckered burnt lips. GRACIOUS!


Then I had nothing to do so I knit a hat and ate Sugus. Oh look, Im trying on the hat and its not really fitting...
Dont I look hot & sweaty? Its about a million degrees outside and I dont want to use the air conditioning because it doesnt make my hands stop sweating, it just makes the rest of me cold.

Then I read a book about Thai art. And fell asleep about 14 times while doing that.
Then I thought about Mr A for a little bit. Unfortunately, I didnt come up with any spectacular ideas or revelations. I came to terms with the neon yellow picture frame and decided to take another trip to the Oregon coast when I get back.
I subsequently wrote six or seven letters (but they werent all for him).
The night grew dark and since I was sitting at my desk anyway, it was time to study some Thai. That week was body parts.
FYI: The word for nipple is "boob head".

I think the fact that I was so bored I began taking pictures of everything I was doing should speak for itself. Sunday was a little easier because I finished the hat and that was exciting.

Working Girl

I like my job.

Theres a dog on our street who likes to stand in a bucket. Ive been trying to get a picture of him for the last couple days. Our paths will cross eventually and then this blog will really get exciting.

Ive been cyber stalking people from high school. The wildest part is that everyone else seems to have stayed in touch, as if that were the logical course of events. Tori's wedding album was my high school lunch table sans myself. I really wanted to drop a note to several of these people but that would have required signing up for MySpace.
I predict that eventually, Ruth will get around to bothering me about joining that as well (to add to the long list of online things Im already a part of because of her relentless nagging; Friendster, blogger, facebook, etc.) but for now, Ill just wait for the reunion.

I thought about writing a book last night. Usually when I daydream about these sorts of things, I see myself in the process of completing it rather than enjoying the final outcome. I am toiling over a laptop with an ashtray erupting in cigarette butts on one side and a cup of cold coffee on the other (sort of looks like finals week in Japan, actually) rather than squinting at flashbulbs during a book signing.
The process of writing a novella (as opposed to research) appeals to me because of the motions one goes through in order to write something from nothing. The catharsis of getting all those ideas out of my head and onto paper, the insanity of not sleeping and being self concious about people who arent me but are my creations, its all very mysterious. I like constructing reality around me and at least when one is writing a story they can get away with exaggerations and lies, whereas in actual life thats just fancy justification for being a jerk.
The end result is always so disappointing though and I feel as though there is enough terrible writing in the world. I should not contribute to the problem. I feel the same way about all art really. Is that post modernity or just complaining?

and now for something you're sure to enjoy

After Kids Day celebration on Friday Emporn stops us to ask what we will do on Monday. "We're going to work." Why would you go to work Monday, stupid foriegn teachers, its Teacher Day! Oh another crazy national holiday where Im not expected to go to my job. Fun times for everyone!
In that case, I think Ill sleep and knit a hat.

Heres the deal. www.headhuggers.org Lets all make hats!

Everyone tries to make the charity blanket because it seems like the most obvious choice. Guess what, lameass? Blankets, like bad and/or boring relationships; take time, committment, and a good chunk of your sanity. Unless said blanket is for a premature baby. But usually its not.

***I ran across a charity that was for people who had lost a child to a miscarriage or a still birth and the charitable part of it was making baby clothes...why? Isnt the point to elliviate some of their suffering?***

Back to the point - making hats is a really great charity project. Making a hat takes about zero talent. In fact, a hat was the first thing I ever crocheted during that cold, lonely month of just me & host mom in Shimane, Japan.
It was sent with great joy to Ronica and Im sure she filed it somewhere between the turtlenecks and the socks with holes.
Hats, like myself, are very fast pieces of work. Even a super complicated hat should only take about a week. Instant gratification. Isnt that what charity is all about?

And the greatest thing is that even if I screw up the size, which I do without fail (usually twice), I dont have to rip it out. Case in point - the green bucket hat that only fits my shower bucket. Somewhere, some kid, with the smallest head ever, is wanting this hat real bad. Only its not up to me to find him. I just have to make the hat.

My parents called this morning and I was pleased, for now. My dad read poetry to me, isnt that sweet? It was actually composed by myself (circa 15 years ago) and had resurfaced during the annual flooding of the basement. Apparently Seattle is currently bending under the pressure of the northwest monsoon season.

Here's an except from one composition about being a pious daughter under my parent's loving care & ever watchful eyes:

"...and there is no way to escape the terror/ of living with them forever and ever..."

"I Bring My A-Game to the Puzzle Table"

Ask and you shall receive.

"Your dad says that it was originally a British song that they used to make fun of the Continental soldiers during the Revolutionary War. Then the Continental Soldiers starting singing it because it actually reflected their situation during the war. When the British had to surrender at Yorktown, the Continental army played Yankee Doodle while they were surrending, that is when it became a patriotric song .. the underdog beat the professionals"

Thanks Mom

So heres the knitting situation right now. Urban Rustics are completed. Heres Corinne posing with the happy campers now. Yay! Good times, good times.



Right now Im lost in a seemingly endless abyss of garter & seed stitch (the very definition of cumbersome). Although the speedy Yankee Doodle response from my mother is doing wonders for my motivation. Its always nice to feel the love.

Yankee Doodle

Sunday morning I woke up and laid in bed for about 25 minutes singing Yankee Doodle to myself. What is that song about?
I really hope that any member of my American history fanatical family reads this post and responds to it with some enlightening information.
From what I gather its about meterosexuals in the Union. I imagine it was written by someone in the South because it seems really sarcastic. Why is this song associated with patriotic feelings? Why did I learn this song in fourth grade? Is it one of those "reclaiming the identity", tongue in cheek, we-won-the-war-so-ha! type deals? When was this song even written?
Today its Nancy Sinatra.

On the knitting front, Ive finally finished those gloves for my older sister. They will go out in the mail shortly and I will try posting a picture of them soon.
I broke down and began arranging a package to send to my little sister as well. I got an Xmas stocking from my sisters and my mother on Saturday and it was fun to open so I feel like she deserves to be rewarded now.

This is English

So Corinne assigned a project that included an oral presenation where everyone was expected to say at least one sentence. She ran the project past the Thai teacher and asked if the M3 kids (14-15 yrs old) could, in fact, understand this. Yes, they certainly can. The project was about weather in a country. Any country. Saying anything about the weather.

The M3 kids have been working on the Weather unit about half as long as my P6 kids have been working on the My Family unit. Which means they've been studying meteorological English for an eternity. Clearly it wouldnt be so difficult to come up with any five sentences about the weather in any country in the world. "Thailand is hot" comes to mind today...

The culmination of this disaster is when the kids doing Thailand get up in front of the class and start their presentation.

STUDENT #1: "Good afternoon, today we will be talking about the weather in Thailand"
(OK this is going to be better than Switzerland, which was 75% in German)

STUDENT #2: "Thailand has three seasons; hot, rainy, and cool"
(so far so good)

STUDENT #3: "Although the Thai people would joke that it is; hot, hotter, and unbearable."
(hmm...being funny, that is suspicious)

STUDENT #4: "If you are viewing these pages from the America's, all times are local. For more information visit www.... or click here."

sawatdiibpiimai

Oh man, I just got back from up north at 630am this morning. I feel like a zombie.
Emporn wasnt lying - its pretty damn cold up there in the mornings. Its amazing to me when I think about how much time I spent in the back of a van this weekend. We played endless MadLibs and slept for hours (although Im still tired). Its also weird to think that less than 24 hours ago I was staring over into Burma. Which is consequently going to be the title of my new CD.

We went to Doi Tung up by Chiang Rai and saw the most awesome garden. Awesome as in - the garden inspired awe from within my soul. I cant keep plants alive for some reason. Im guessing that the nations top scientists work there, and why wouldnt they? Does anything make sense in Thailand? We ate a caramel flavored like Durian.

Then we saw this place. Its a temple designed by one of Thailands top artists (seen in this picture lounging on a bench in front of his masterpiece). Its BEAUTIFUL! It was like an ice castle. The mural on the inside of the wat was breathtaking. He used what I would assume to be a type of colored pencil so that the shading/blending looked almost oily but not as blocky as painting. Oh my god, that didnt make any sense... Ive been out of school too long.
Point being, dude's design was unreal and I bought two prints of his work for my house in the states. Sick!

I also watched the Miss World pagent at the temple. I was transfixed on the television even though it was all dubbed over in Thai. It was some sort of coma from travelling in that van or maybe the altitude - I dont know. Corinne said in a very flat voice as we stared at the contestants with our eyes glazing over - "...being a beauty queen would be so weird."