Hi,
We got an email today from the shipping company telling us to send our passports a quickly as possible. The container is due to arrive on the 23rd. We're not holding our breath, but we did send the books via courier. We just continue to wait, thinking, 'where are we going to put all that stuff'. I'm thinking we'll have a grand yard sale of 'Stuff From America' on the front lawn. If we tell Et (the store lady across the street) and a few drivers, everybody will know. It's a fantasy I have to avoid putting everything away. Half of it we probably won't wear, now that we've become acclimated. But I ramble.
Lots of response to the song. Seems I hit a popular chord. I should amend the rules though. I don't think the writer actually recorded the song, but he should have. A few folks got the extra points and a couple are still in the car.
"...Problem is you ain't been loved like you should. What I got to give will sure 'nuff do you good. __ __ __ __ ..."
Clue: If you can't tell me something about this song, well....
I've been compiling pictures of things that go on with the two wheel set. The small motorbikes are such a part of the landscape, that I forget sometimes, that they were an oddity in the States. There is no age, social strata, or gender that does not participate in this mode of transportation. They are also a major part of commerce. While we're used to seeing two-wheeled rockets careening through traffic, here, they just hum along avoiding cars and Tuk-Tuks. Three and four on a bike is not uncommon, and sometimes helmets are worn, sometimes not.
Another thing we've been made aware of is the seeming lack of competitive jealousy when it comes to small business. On our walk from the house this morning, to the business district, we noticed about three or four home-operated beauty shops. There are tiny stores on almost every block, and at the main intersection, there were convenience stores across the street from each other. There is also no shortage of food. As I've mentioned, all you need is a pot of something to eat, a table, a few chairs and you're in business. Actually, the chairs are optional. So is the table. You can roll the food around and still do business, right next to a restaurant. Try that in L.A.
Well, time to go. See you tomorrow.
Peace,
Danny
"When they think that they know the answers,
people are difficult to guide.
When they know that they don't know,
People can find their own way."
~Tao Te Ching, Translated by Stephen Mitchell
Gettin' Funky, Thai Style
www.flickr.com/photos/gratidudepics
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Happiness
Hi,
First the song thing. Brenda, Linda and Lisa got it. It was "Wrapped Around Your Finger" by The Police. And now:
"You ain't got no kind of feeling inside. I got something that will sure 'nuff set your stuff on fire." Clue: This time I'm thinking of the 1974 cover of this song, by a group with a man's name, fronted by a woman. Tell me the correct answer and you get bonus points. Tell me the original artist as well and get a gold star. Tell me just the original artist and you can stay in the car. (Ha)
Today Pat took us out into the world. We started southwest of the city, just taking in the sights. We saw some real nice land, some of it rather expensive. Then we went to the top of Buffalo Hill. We were just a few minutes from the center of town, riding in the woods. We went to the top and found ourselves at Wat Doi Kow Kwai. There is a mirror covered spire that is breathtaking. At the base, is a statue of a legendary/mythical creature named "Sii Hoo, Ha Dtah" which translates as 'four ears, five eyes'. Kind of a canine body with this very busy head. There's a picture on the Flickr site. The legend is that it would eat hot coals and the end result would be gold. We walked around a bit and then Pat grabbed a mallet and hit this giant black gong. The sound was incredible. Not only did it make the expected 'gong' sound, but there were these additional thumping sounds underneath. It rang through the quiet of the mountain-top, causing all the dogs at the Wat to howl. Very eerie.
Down off the hill, we saw some beautiful houses, more vacant lots and a real slick new hotel that just about to open. We'll venture into other quadrants of the city as the days go on. Pat is on the same wavelength as us, as far as taking our time and finding the right piece of land. So far, it's all been too far from town. Some people like the isolation, but we prefer to have access to civilization without a road trip.
Tonight we went to the NB and did some shopping. I got a T-shirt made by this woman who writes on shirts, in Thai script. I came up with my own text: "I'm not a tourist, I live here." It's kind of a 'let's set the record' kind of thing. People keep asking: 'How long you stay?'. Hence, the shirt. The woman laughed when I handed her the paper with what I wanted. She got it. Oh, I didn't write it, Ploy did that for me. You can see the shirt at Flickr.
Well, time to go put some of the new pics on the web. Have a Happy Day.
Peace,
Danny
"To seek happiness outside of ourselves,
Is like trying to lasso a cloud.
Happiness is not a thing,
It is a state of mind."
~Omar Khayyam
Gettin' Funky, Thai Style
www.flickr.com/photos/gratidudepics
First the song thing. Brenda, Linda and Lisa got it. It was "Wrapped Around Your Finger" by The Police. And now:
"You ain't got no kind of feeling inside. I got something that will sure 'nuff set your stuff on fire." Clue: This time I'm thinking of the 1974 cover of this song, by a group with a man's name, fronted by a woman. Tell me the correct answer and you get bonus points. Tell me the original artist as well and get a gold star. Tell me just the original artist and you can stay in the car. (Ha)
Today Pat took us out into the world. We started southwest of the city, just taking in the sights. We saw some real nice land, some of it rather expensive. Then we went to the top of Buffalo Hill. We were just a few minutes from the center of town, riding in the woods. We went to the top and found ourselves at Wat Doi Kow Kwai. There is a mirror covered spire that is breathtaking. At the base, is a statue of a legendary/mythical creature named "Sii Hoo, Ha Dtah" which translates as 'four ears, five eyes'. Kind of a canine body with this very busy head. There's a picture on the Flickr site. The legend is that it would eat hot coals and the end result would be gold. We walked around a bit and then Pat grabbed a mallet and hit this giant black gong. The sound was incredible. Not only did it make the expected 'gong' sound, but there were these additional thumping sounds underneath. It rang through the quiet of the mountain-top, causing all the dogs at the Wat to howl. Very eerie.
Down off the hill, we saw some beautiful houses, more vacant lots and a real slick new hotel that just about to open. We'll venture into other quadrants of the city as the days go on. Pat is on the same wavelength as us, as far as taking our time and finding the right piece of land. So far, it's all been too far from town. Some people like the isolation, but we prefer to have access to civilization without a road trip.
Tonight we went to the NB and did some shopping. I got a T-shirt made by this woman who writes on shirts, in Thai script. I came up with my own text: "I'm not a tourist, I live here." It's kind of a 'let's set the record' kind of thing. People keep asking: 'How long you stay?'. Hence, the shirt. The woman laughed when I handed her the paper with what I wanted. She got it. Oh, I didn't write it, Ploy did that for me. You can see the shirt at Flickr.
Well, time to go put some of the new pics on the web. Have a Happy Day.
Peace,
Danny
"To seek happiness outside of ourselves,
Is like trying to lasso a cloud.
Happiness is not a thing,
It is a state of mind."
~Omar Khayyam
Gettin' Funky, Thai Style
www.flickr.com/photos/gratidudepics
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Failure
Hi,
We're still being dazed and confused and grateful by/for the generosity of the Thai people. We're becoming 'regulars' around town and we're greeted with big smiles. There's a man who sells and repairs watches that we'd see everyday while we lived at the hotel. We call him 'The Watch Guy'. We've run into him a few times away from his shop and he always has a big grin and a greeting. As I've mentioned before, the Tuk-Tuk drivers are getting the idea and they're very pleased that we love Thailand. That seems to be the sentiment: if you love our country well enough to stay, then we love you.
"You consider me the young apprentice, caught between the scylla and charybidis. Hypnotized by you if I should linger. Staring at the ring around your finger......__ __ __ __ __ __,(repeat)" Clues: I know, baffling lines, but it was a hit by a trio, in the mid 80s.
Yesterday, among the errands that I mentioned, was a little excursion with Nut, to a store we'd heard about that had art paper. We had look in most of the stationary stores we'd seen, but without success. She showed us three stores with a variety of art supplies and lots of other things for sale. I couldn't resist taking a picture of the guitars and soccer balls, or the store with conga drums next to the dumbells. These are truly variety stores.
Today we got the final shipment of furniture. The teak is in the house. It's more amazing than we remembered. I'll post the pics so you can see for yourself. We were at our language lesson when the stuff arrived, so it was a nice surprise. A little later, Jen and the boys came over and brought a vegetarian dinner to share with us. There has been a ten day vegetarian festival going on and they wanted us to have an 'experience', I guess. I was able to eat one of the dishes plus some rice. I couldn't have the glass noodles because they were hot (can't eat hot) and the other dish was tofu (can't do soy). Poor thing. During dinner, as always, the subject turned to language and we ended up teaching them some English words and working past some pronunciation problems. In LOS, 'v' usually sounds like 'w', as in 'tee-wee' for T.V.
Tomorrow Pat is taking us out to look at land. We're going to check out various parts of town and also see just how big one rai looks. Two and a half rai equals one acre. Add to that the fact that everything is referred to in meters or kilometers and I'm totally lost. Show me what it looks like. I'll let you know.
One last thing. I went to the DVD store and discovered they had a whole row of Roswell, one of our favs. We got to the counter, all ready for a marathon only to find out that there was no English on the disc. Now that's just wrong.
Have a Tasty Tuesday.
Peace,
Danny
PS Check out the Flickr site.
"If you have made mistakes, even serious mistakes, you may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing we call "failure" is not the falling down, but the staying down."
~Mary Pickford
Gettin' Funky, Thai Style
www.flickr.com/photos/gratidudepics
We're still being dazed and confused and grateful by/for the generosity of the Thai people. We're becoming 'regulars' around town and we're greeted with big smiles. There's a man who sells and repairs watches that we'd see everyday while we lived at the hotel. We call him 'The Watch Guy'. We've run into him a few times away from his shop and he always has a big grin and a greeting. As I've mentioned before, the Tuk-Tuk drivers are getting the idea and they're very pleased that we love Thailand. That seems to be the sentiment: if you love our country well enough to stay, then we love you.
"You consider me the young apprentice, caught between the scylla and charybidis. Hypnotized by you if I should linger. Staring at the ring around your finger......__ __ __ __ __ __,(repeat)" Clues: I know, baffling lines, but it was a hit by a trio, in the mid 80s.
Yesterday, among the errands that I mentioned, was a little excursion with Nut, to a store we'd heard about that had art paper. We had look in most of the stationary stores we'd seen, but without success. She showed us three stores with a variety of art supplies and lots of other things for sale. I couldn't resist taking a picture of the guitars and soccer balls, or the store with conga drums next to the dumbells. These are truly variety stores.
Today we got the final shipment of furniture. The teak is in the house. It's more amazing than we remembered. I'll post the pics so you can see for yourself. We were at our language lesson when the stuff arrived, so it was a nice surprise. A little later, Jen and the boys came over and brought a vegetarian dinner to share with us. There has been a ten day vegetarian festival going on and they wanted us to have an 'experience', I guess. I was able to eat one of the dishes plus some rice. I couldn't have the glass noodles because they were hot (can't eat hot) and the other dish was tofu (can't do soy). Poor thing. During dinner, as always, the subject turned to language and we ended up teaching them some English words and working past some pronunciation problems. In LOS, 'v' usually sounds like 'w', as in 'tee-wee' for T.V.
Tomorrow Pat is taking us out to look at land. We're going to check out various parts of town and also see just how big one rai looks. Two and a half rai equals one acre. Add to that the fact that everything is referred to in meters or kilometers and I'm totally lost. Show me what it looks like. I'll let you know.
One last thing. I went to the DVD store and discovered they had a whole row of Roswell, one of our favs. We got to the counter, all ready for a marathon only to find out that there was no English on the disc. Now that's just wrong.
Have a Tasty Tuesday.
Peace,
Danny
PS Check out the Flickr site.
"If you have made mistakes, even serious mistakes, you may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing we call "failure" is not the falling down, but the staying down."
~Mary Pickford
Gettin' Funky, Thai Style
www.flickr.com/photos/gratidudepics
Monday, October 15, 2007
Dance
Hi,
How was your weekend? We've been having quite a time. Friday night we went to dinner with Nukhun, Gai and Blue. They took us to a Chinese spot that they love. We ate in a little air/con room in the rear. As expected, lots of food was ordered. Some of it we ate, some we just couldn't handle. Specifically, Duck Feet. Nukhun, being a jovial guy, plopped one on my plate. I immediately put it back on the platter. He totally understood and we all had a big laugh. Frankly, it was gross. Later they brought out chicken. We thought it was going to be some typical Chinese chicken dish. Wrong. It was basically deep-fried chicken skin with legs thrown in for good measure, plus the head. Oh my. More playfulness and more laughter. We tried the skin and a leg, but it was not taste I could get into. Before dinner, we went out to their house to see 'Grandma'. The house is set on a large piece of property with a man-made pond. A big pond, stocked with fish. Pretty amazing sight. We couldn't see the fish, so Nukhun brought out some fish food and all of a sudden the water was churning. Reminded me of the time I was on the Amazon, watching the Pirana. (Ha)
The song most of you didn't know was "Broken Wings" by Mr. Mister, from the mid 80s. Here's another from the same period. This line is from the middle of the song and I love the way the writer threw in such a non musical name.
"Mephistopheles is not your name, I know what you're up to just the same. I will listen hard to your intuition. You will see it come to it's fruition. __ __ __ __ __ __" Hint: If you can wrap you mind around this one, you're doing good.
Today Blue left for the States. We went with him to the airport, early, and after he boarded, we bought a ton of the treats we can only find there. Later in the morning we met another Supat. (fortunately, he goes by Pat, pronounced Pot) This is a man we met through Boot, to be out driver when we want to travel by car. (Tuk-Tuks can get a little tired) Very nice man who works for an insurance agency and offered to be our 'friend' and help us. He took us on some errands, waited, helped us buy a desk and then came to the house and waited for the delivery. We had some really interesting conversations with him. He's going to be a nice addition to our 'family'.
The weather was beautiful all day and then tonight it just dumped. The rain is supposed to be over at the end of the month, though I don't know how people can be so exact about a thing like that.
I'm posting more pictures on the Flickr site. There's some orchids and some random shots of Thailand. Enjoy.
Peace,
Danny
"Opportunity dances with those who are already on the dance floor."
~H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
Gettin' Funky, Thai Style
www.flickr.com/photos/gratidudepics
How was your weekend? We've been having quite a time. Friday night we went to dinner with Nukhun, Gai and Blue. They took us to a Chinese spot that they love. We ate in a little air/con room in the rear. As expected, lots of food was ordered. Some of it we ate, some we just couldn't handle. Specifically, Duck Feet. Nukhun, being a jovial guy, plopped one on my plate. I immediately put it back on the platter. He totally understood and we all had a big laugh. Frankly, it was gross. Later they brought out chicken. We thought it was going to be some typical Chinese chicken dish. Wrong. It was basically deep-fried chicken skin with legs thrown in for good measure, plus the head. Oh my. More playfulness and more laughter. We tried the skin and a leg, but it was not taste I could get into. Before dinner, we went out to their house to see 'Grandma'. The house is set on a large piece of property with a man-made pond. A big pond, stocked with fish. Pretty amazing sight. We couldn't see the fish, so Nukhun brought out some fish food and all of a sudden the water was churning. Reminded me of the time I was on the Amazon, watching the Pirana. (Ha)
The song most of you didn't know was "Broken Wings" by Mr. Mister, from the mid 80s. Here's another from the same period. This line is from the middle of the song and I love the way the writer threw in such a non musical name.
"Mephistopheles is not your name, I know what you're up to just the same. I will listen hard to your intuition. You will see it come to it's fruition. __ __ __ __ __ __" Hint: If you can wrap you mind around this one, you're doing good.
Today Blue left for the States. We went with him to the airport, early, and after he boarded, we bought a ton of the treats we can only find there. Later in the morning we met another Supat. (fortunately, he goes by Pat, pronounced Pot) This is a man we met through Boot, to be out driver when we want to travel by car. (Tuk-Tuks can get a little tired) Very nice man who works for an insurance agency and offered to be our 'friend' and help us. He took us on some errands, waited, helped us buy a desk and then came to the house and waited for the delivery. We had some really interesting conversations with him. He's going to be a nice addition to our 'family'.
The weather was beautiful all day and then tonight it just dumped. The rain is supposed to be over at the end of the month, though I don't know how people can be so exact about a thing like that.
I'm posting more pictures on the Flickr site. There's some orchids and some random shots of Thailand. Enjoy.
Peace,
Danny
"Opportunity dances with those who are already on the dance floor."
~H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
Gettin' Funky, Thai Style
www.flickr.com/photos/gratidudepics
Friday, October 12, 2007
Friday Funnies
Hi,
We had a pretty mellow day today. We had our Thai lesson today and learned more about food, and how to order certain things. After that we met Blue at Doi Chaang Coffee and had, what else, some good coffee. We strolled down to Tops for a few things and it struck me, no grocery store runs.
During our class, Ploy asked us if we went to the market. (meaning fresh food market) We told her that Boot did the shopping, but that we did go to other stores. She was trying to find out if we spoke Thai in our lives and in what situations. We assured her that we were forced to deal with the language, since our landlord people don't speak English, and most of the Tuk-Tuk guys don't either. We'd be a bit lost without Boot and Blue.
Blue leaves early Monday morning. We'll go to the airport with him and see him off. It will also be an opportunity to pick up more of the rice treats that we've only found there. It's been great having him here with us. It's a big house and it's nice to have it full of laughter and craziness (which is what happens when we get together).
We just got back from the NB (you know what that is). Blue got a few more things to take back for the Holiday Sale at his restaurant (you should get out there for that) and I picked up a full size bow for my Salor.
After the NB we went over to the Wiang Inn to see Freddie play. Blue wanted to see him one more time before he left. We stayed until Freddie's break and hung out. If you come to town before April, we'll take you to see him sing and play.
Tomorrow the teak is supposed to arrive. This is going to be interesting because the place where we want to put the bookshelf will require moving the picture of The King. Everyone has at least one picture of His Majesty in their house. I'll have to see how it's hung and then try and duplicate the process in another spot. Boon Serm and his wife are out of town for a month, to see a new grand-daughter, so we're on our own.
Oh, I'll bet you thought I was going to forget about the song. No way. A few of you got it, including Denny. It was "This Diamond Ring" by Gary Lewis and the Playboys. He was Jerry Lewis' son and the group had a hit, but didn't play their instruments. When they played the Hollywood Bowl, the real players were backstage. And the beat goes on...
"Take these __ __, and learn to fly again, and learn to live so free. And when we hear the voices sing, The book of love will open up and set us free...." Clues: 1985, clever named group, you just read the chorus. Pretty simple.
Gotta go. You're just in time for the 'Funnies', sent to me by my good friend Lee. Some of you may have seen this, too bad. Have a Big WeekEnd.
Peace,
Danny
The following was published by an insurance company for internal distribution. These reports were submitted when policy holders were asked for a brief statement describing their particular accident:
The other car collided with mine without giving warning of its intention.
I thought my window was down but found it was up when I put my hand through it.
A pedestrian hit me and went under my car.
The guy was all over the place. I had to swerve a number of times before I hit him.
I pulled away from the side of the road, glanced at my mother-in-law and headed over the embankment.
The accident occurred when I was attempting to bring my car out of a skid by steering it into the other vehicle.
I was driving my car out of the driveway in the usual manner, when it was struck by the other car in the same place it had been struck several times before.
I was on my way to the doctor’s with rear-end trouble when my universal joint gave way, causing me to have an accident.
As I approached the intersection, a stop sign suddenly appeared in a place where no stop sign had ever appeared before. I was unable to stop in time to avoid the accident.
The telephone phone pole was approaching fast. I was attempting to swerve out of its path when it struck my front bumper.
To avoid hitting the bumper of the car in front, I struck the pedestrian.
My car was legally-parked as it backed into the other vehicle.
An invisible car came out of nowhere, struck my vehicle and vanished.
When I saw I could not avoid a collision, I stepped on the gas and crashed into the other car.
The pedestrian had no idea which direction to go, so I ran over him.
I saw the sad-faced old gentleman as he bounced off the hood of my car.
Coming home, I drove into the wrong house and collided with a tree I don’t have.
The indirect cause of this accident was a little guy in a small car with a big mouth.
Gettin' Funky, Thai Style
www.flickr.com/photos/gratidudepics
We had a pretty mellow day today. We had our Thai lesson today and learned more about food, and how to order certain things. After that we met Blue at Doi Chaang Coffee and had, what else, some good coffee. We strolled down to Tops for a few things and it struck me, no grocery store runs.
During our class, Ploy asked us if we went to the market. (meaning fresh food market) We told her that Boot did the shopping, but that we did go to other stores. She was trying to find out if we spoke Thai in our lives and in what situations. We assured her that we were forced to deal with the language, since our landlord people don't speak English, and most of the Tuk-Tuk guys don't either. We'd be a bit lost without Boot and Blue.
Blue leaves early Monday morning. We'll go to the airport with him and see him off. It will also be an opportunity to pick up more of the rice treats that we've only found there. It's been great having him here with us. It's a big house and it's nice to have it full of laughter and craziness (which is what happens when we get together).
We just got back from the NB (you know what that is). Blue got a few more things to take back for the Holiday Sale at his restaurant (you should get out there for that) and I picked up a full size bow for my Salor.
After the NB we went over to the Wiang Inn to see Freddie play. Blue wanted to see him one more time before he left. We stayed until Freddie's break and hung out. If you come to town before April, we'll take you to see him sing and play.
Tomorrow the teak is supposed to arrive. This is going to be interesting because the place where we want to put the bookshelf will require moving the picture of The King. Everyone has at least one picture of His Majesty in their house. I'll have to see how it's hung and then try and duplicate the process in another spot. Boon Serm and his wife are out of town for a month, to see a new grand-daughter, so we're on our own.
Oh, I'll bet you thought I was going to forget about the song. No way. A few of you got it, including Denny. It was "This Diamond Ring" by Gary Lewis and the Playboys. He was Jerry Lewis' son and the group had a hit, but didn't play their instruments. When they played the Hollywood Bowl, the real players were backstage. And the beat goes on...
"Take these __ __, and learn to fly again, and learn to live so free. And when we hear the voices sing, The book of love will open up and set us free...." Clues: 1985, clever named group, you just read the chorus. Pretty simple.
Gotta go. You're just in time for the 'Funnies', sent to me by my good friend Lee. Some of you may have seen this, too bad. Have a Big WeekEnd.
Peace,
Danny
The following was published by an insurance company for internal distribution. These reports were submitted when policy holders were asked for a brief statement describing their particular accident:
The other car collided with mine without giving warning of its intention.
I thought my window was down but found it was up when I put my hand through it.
A pedestrian hit me and went under my car.
The guy was all over the place. I had to swerve a number of times before I hit him.
I pulled away from the side of the road, glanced at my mother-in-law and headed over the embankment.
The accident occurred when I was attempting to bring my car out of a skid by steering it into the other vehicle.
I was driving my car out of the driveway in the usual manner, when it was struck by the other car in the same place it had been struck several times before.
I was on my way to the doctor’s with rear-end trouble when my universal joint gave way, causing me to have an accident.
As I approached the intersection, a stop sign suddenly appeared in a place where no stop sign had ever appeared before. I was unable to stop in time to avoid the accident.
The telephone phone pole was approaching fast. I was attempting to swerve out of its path when it struck my front bumper.
To avoid hitting the bumper of the car in front, I struck the pedestrian.
My car was legally-parked as it backed into the other vehicle.
An invisible car came out of nowhere, struck my vehicle and vanished.
When I saw I could not avoid a collision, I stepped on the gas and crashed into the other car.
The pedestrian had no idea which direction to go, so I ran over him.
I saw the sad-faced old gentleman as he bounced off the hood of my car.
Coming home, I drove into the wrong house and collided with a tree I don’t have.
The indirect cause of this accident was a little guy in a small car with a big mouth.
Gettin' Funky, Thai Style
www.flickr.com/photos/gratidudepics
Thursday, October 11, 2007
World
Hi,
We had a rainy morning. Really rainy. We all just hung around the house. After lunch the sun came out and Blue went into 'town'. We stayed and set up the new printer and did some tests. We made some great color photos for our start. Gave Boon Serm a pic of him and his wife. We gave another one we took of Ploy, that we'll give her tomorrow.
I've had a few answers to the song. Some got it half right. Here's the opening line, and a dead giveaway:
"Who wants to buy __ __ __? She took it off her finger now, it doesn't mean a thing..." What? You're looking for clues?
Tonight we had NuKhun and his wife Gai over for dinner (He's Joyce's uncle). We met him when we first came to LOS. He arranged for us to have a (government) van and driver for the time we were in Chiang Rai. They asked if they could bring anything and we told them no, but they showed up with bags of food. Fruit, crackers, chips desserts, of various kinds. There is fruit in LOS that you can't get anywhere else in the world. We're slowly trying different things. Boot brings us food to try and doesn't let us not try it. It's cute how she's making sure we learn to eat all Thai food. We keep telling here we love her cooking, but sometimes there's just too much to finish it all. (I sort of lost my place just then) The point I was making is, we had a good time and I think it was an important dinner. Turns out he knows Boon Serm and they had a conversation. Hmm.
Observation: 'L' and 'R' may be interchanged in certain Thai words. They may also be confused, or left out, in various English words. For instance, Blue is often called Boo. In a conversation about a song, Lazy River became Razy Liver. After some very focused pronunciation, I managed to coax the word River from a very confused mouth. Foreigners are referred to as 'falang'. It's often written as 'farang' but always spoken with the 'L'. And lastly, Elvis is big over here, still.
Well, that's about it. Have a Thrilling Thursday.
Peace,
Danny
"The world is round and the place which may seem like the end may also be only the beginning."
~Ivy Baker Priest
Gettin' Funky, Thai Style
www.flickr.com/photos/gratidudepics
We had a rainy morning. Really rainy. We all just hung around the house. After lunch the sun came out and Blue went into 'town'. We stayed and set up the new printer and did some tests. We made some great color photos for our start. Gave Boon Serm a pic of him and his wife. We gave another one we took of Ploy, that we'll give her tomorrow.
I've had a few answers to the song. Some got it half right. Here's the opening line, and a dead giveaway:
"Who wants to buy __ __ __? She took it off her finger now, it doesn't mean a thing..." What? You're looking for clues?
Tonight we had NuKhun and his wife Gai over for dinner (He's Joyce's uncle). We met him when we first came to LOS. He arranged for us to have a (government) van and driver for the time we were in Chiang Rai. They asked if they could bring anything and we told them no, but they showed up with bags of food. Fruit, crackers, chips desserts, of various kinds. There is fruit in LOS that you can't get anywhere else in the world. We're slowly trying different things. Boot brings us food to try and doesn't let us not try it. It's cute how she's making sure we learn to eat all Thai food. We keep telling here we love her cooking, but sometimes there's just too much to finish it all. (I sort of lost my place just then) The point I was making is, we had a good time and I think it was an important dinner. Turns out he knows Boon Serm and they had a conversation. Hmm.
Observation: 'L' and 'R' may be interchanged in certain Thai words. They may also be confused, or left out, in various English words. For instance, Blue is often called Boo. In a conversation about a song, Lazy River became Razy Liver. After some very focused pronunciation, I managed to coax the word River from a very confused mouth. Foreigners are referred to as 'falang'. It's often written as 'farang' but always spoken with the 'L'. And lastly, Elvis is big over here, still.
Well, that's about it. Have a Thrilling Thursday.
Peace,
Danny
"The world is round and the place which may seem like the end may also be only the beginning."
~Ivy Baker Priest
Gettin' Funky, Thai Style
www.flickr.com/photos/gratidudepics
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Life
Hi,
Well, let's get this over with. The song was "These Eyes" by The Guess Who. If you remember, I gave you the group name. I've been very loose with the clues lately. Maybe I'll just shut down and not tell you anything. Naw, I wouldn't do that. I might just give you some harder songs though. Like this one: "This stone is genuine, like love should be.
And if your baby's truer than my baby was to me. __ __ __ can be something beautiful...." Clues: '65 hit by offspring of celebs, lyric is from second verse.
My day started with a 'visit' with five dear friends back in the States. We hadn't hung out like that in quite a while. Using Skype video, it's amazing. I think we were on line for about one hour and fifteen minutes. It just flew. Ain't technology grand?
We did manage to get a dose of drama today. The shop where we got the teak pieces got real crazy about the shipping. After about 4 phone calls and an email, we got a message that our two pieces would be delivered Sunday at a reduced rate. Well, I guess that's better than us having to hire a truck to go and get our stuff. Sunday? Amazing Thailand.
We just got back from the Night Bazaar and a massage. We met a woman at the bazzar who's shop we'd seen before, but we'd never really gone in. Tonight Blue was looking for things to take back so we went in with him. We now have a new friend in town. I also noticed that tonight, the guys that play the traditional instruments were doing some different sounding songs. Upon closer inspection, I discovered that the Suengs they were playing were really guitars in disguise. They had tuning pegs on the back of the neck and were actually six-string guitars on the body of a Sueng. Very clever. I want one. One of them was a double-neck model. Whew. After the Bazaar, we went to the place where we had the foot massage. Blue and I had our feet 'done', while Lisa went for the oil massage. I'm trying that one next time.
We've been here 40 days. It's hard to believe. There are locals who are starting to get it, that we're not tourists. Several Tuk-Tuk drivers know the way to our house without us telling them. Some will come and get us at the house. A guy picked me up the other night and just said 'big house' and smiled.
It's getting late here, so I'll sign off. Have a Wacky Wednesday.
Peace,
Danny
"The basic principle of spiritual life is that our problems become the
very place to discover wisdom and love."
~Jack Kornfield, A Path With Heart
Gettin' Funky, Thai Style
www.flickr.com/photos/gratidudepics
Well, let's get this over with. The song was "These Eyes" by The Guess Who. If you remember, I gave you the group name. I've been very loose with the clues lately. Maybe I'll just shut down and not tell you anything. Naw, I wouldn't do that. I might just give you some harder songs though. Like this one: "This stone is genuine, like love should be.
And if your baby's truer than my baby was to me. __ __ __ can be something beautiful...." Clues: '65 hit by offspring of celebs, lyric is from second verse.
My day started with a 'visit' with five dear friends back in the States. We hadn't hung out like that in quite a while. Using Skype video, it's amazing. I think we were on line for about one hour and fifteen minutes. It just flew. Ain't technology grand?
We did manage to get a dose of drama today. The shop where we got the teak pieces got real crazy about the shipping. After about 4 phone calls and an email, we got a message that our two pieces would be delivered Sunday at a reduced rate. Well, I guess that's better than us having to hire a truck to go and get our stuff. Sunday? Amazing Thailand.
We just got back from the Night Bazaar and a massage. We met a woman at the bazzar who's shop we'd seen before, but we'd never really gone in. Tonight Blue was looking for things to take back so we went in with him. We now have a new friend in town. I also noticed that tonight, the guys that play the traditional instruments were doing some different sounding songs. Upon closer inspection, I discovered that the Suengs they were playing were really guitars in disguise. They had tuning pegs on the back of the neck and were actually six-string guitars on the body of a Sueng. Very clever. I want one. One of them was a double-neck model. Whew. After the Bazaar, we went to the place where we had the foot massage. Blue and I had our feet 'done', while Lisa went for the oil massage. I'm trying that one next time.
We've been here 40 days. It's hard to believe. There are locals who are starting to get it, that we're not tourists. Several Tuk-Tuk drivers know the way to our house without us telling them. Some will come and get us at the house. A guy picked me up the other night and just said 'big house' and smiled.
It's getting late here, so I'll sign off. Have a Wacky Wednesday.
Peace,
Danny
"The basic principle of spiritual life is that our problems become the
very place to discover wisdom and love."
~Jack Kornfield, A Path With Heart
Gettin' Funky, Thai Style
www.flickr.com/photos/gratidudepics
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