� A mansion and a temple | Main | Day off �
October 12, 2002
Massive update
I've been very busy with everything now that I'm back in town. To recap some things:
After the 23rd of Sept., we took a trip (family, Kris, and I) to an island in southern Thailand. It was gorgeous. We had to sleep in a "hotel" that Friday night because the island was a 3hr ferry ride away. My dad was nice enough to get Kris and I rooms at both places. The room at the "hotel" had someone waiting to greet us at the door, a cockroach. I think at that point, it hit home that we were in a developing country. We went snorkeling the first day there on our own and then went out on a day long snorkeling adventure with a guide. The water was clear and blue, fish were all around. The second night there, we got traditional Thai massages. Half of the massage was painful and the other half pleasurable. Not even like scratching a mosquito bite, more like stubbing your toe vs. a bite of chocolate silk pie. The weather was very good to us all throughout despite it being monsoon season.
The downside was that Kris and I developed colds at the tail end of our trip to the island. I got better pretty quickly after having a runny nose all day the first day we were on the island. Kris got it on the day we were leaving and had a runny nose almost up until a few days after we got back.
It's nice to be back home but I realized how much I miss "home" there. My dad is building a new house which is very nice. Not one of those traditional (well no houses except those built in the 20s-60s are traditional) but something very architectually interesting. So anyway, I must say there is nothing like being in Thailand and I can honestly say that I would be happy in either country.
The days before we left on our trip, we did a bit of shopping and Kris got to see firsthand how police in Thailand will let you out of a traffic ticket (running red lights, turning when it's not your turn, or crossing lanes too quickly) for $2.50. They don't get paid enough to live and so taking money on the side is the route they choose. Not to mention how corrupt the political system is. Democracy at it's BEST.
After we got back from our little mini-vacation, we had dinner with a large group of my family. They all liked Kris pretty well. I think they surprise me sometimes, but their hospitality and generosity really shines when it counts. The day before we left Thailand, I got to hang out with my cousin (who has been somewhat of a mentor) for the better part of the day. I think that time to me is right up there with spending time with my immediate family.
Unfortunately this trip, I don't think I got to spend enough time there even though Kris was ready to come home. Life seems so much simpler in many respects. Quitting work and moving there ALMOST seems plausible if it weren't for all the other things here that I love.
We bought a painting. It's an oil painting of a Thai market done by an art student there who had their work on display at a small stall that was a pseudo-art-gallery. These kinds of touches will help bring parts of "home", home.
Life at work has also changed. On Monday after I got there, my boss and the director of IT asked me if I'd like to take on getting support and general IT elements reigned in at our off-site press facility. My previous boss who led the IT effort on the project got promoted into "corporate" and kinda left before we got a chance to get everything tied down. A lot of this effort will be working with people and it's an opportunity for me to develop my people skills. It may seem boring but it's what keeps me interested.
So anyway gallery 3 has been posted without captions @ http://www.twentybelow.com/galleries/
Enjoy.
Posted by beamz at October 12, 2002 2:17 PM