I'm not entirely sure how the time went by so fast... up until 2 days ago, i maintained a low profile at the pattaya flat.
photo 1: view left (east)
Overall, the pattaya place is really lovely, and i've truly enjoyed the experience. One could say i've been inspired to take up a bit of "monastic rigours" - I've cut out television entirely, sweets are limited to fruits (and a little jam), and junk food is also out. And i've tried to get exercise every day. Admittedly, it is indeed a bit easier when the cooking, cleaning, and laundry is taken care of ;)
photo 1: view left (east)
Overall, the pattaya place is really lovely, and i've truly enjoyed the experience. One could say i've been inspired to take up a bit of "monastic rigours" - I've cut out television entirely, sweets are limited to fruits (and a little jam), and junk food is also out. And i've tried to get exercise every day. Admittedly, it is indeed a bit easier when the cooking, cleaning, and laundry is taken care of ;) Digging into the eco-realm has been painstakingly slow... and patience is not necessarily my best virtue. Still, I've been doing my best to prove myself helpful and reliable to my father, which at this point involves a fair amount of energy towards the family. I've been trying to play it cool...
Is it possible to be Relaxed-Out?
Another source of tension: shopping.
In support of the next generation of agriculturalists...
Down with the Instant...
Got to finally see the office and meet key team members. They're quite friendly and welcoming, which is a good start. Getting more acquainted with a spread of projects illustrating the effectiveness of free market. why rely only on regulations, most of which limit human activity by nature? of course, the financing is anything but simple - funding comes from a variety of sources, the government incentives being the most complex to decipher (seriously, those reports are verbose, at best). I continue to find the carbon currency phenomenon fascinating, and present in every project, one way or another.
Is it possible to be Relaxed-Out?
Meanwhile, "relaxing" is not so easy when i'm itching to be getting my feet wet in the world of sustainable development... even though i've been reading up on the projects, i've also found myself dropped into these thai people's lives... and there's been more than a few instances of...tension.
Chilis from the 9th realm of Hell...
Like the (very good natured) cook making things WAY too spicy. At home, i am a champion of spice - but here, there is no doubt that i am a wimp. I said i like spicy, but this was crazy. Dad and Mei were actually gone for most of the week, so sophia was my only translator, and she was in school...
Each meal, i'd wildly gesture for "nit noi phet" - a little bit LESS spicy, please - and she'd laugh and nod... but i swear, the next dish was not a wit less spicy than the last. Or maybe it was, and my taste buds were still staggering to recover from the last gunfight...
Thai school seems to lack inspiration...
Speaking of sophia and school - this 8-year-old certainly provided a less than stellar picture of the average thai education. A lack of emphasis on reasoning skills indicates a pervasive attitude that complacency is a generally preferable trait (heck, all authorities have more power if no one bucks the boat)... seems to me, sophia lags behind the average 8 year old in math, isn't exposed to kiddie lit above a kindergarten level...and doesn't seem to be the least bit inspired to learn...Or maybe she's just 8... maybe a city school would be more competitive and inspiring... i dunno... distressing indeed...
Another source of tension: shopping.
Shopping here could be equally considered both a sport as well as an addiction. And it is definitely a favorite Thai family pastime. Everywhere you turn, you're subject to new, bigger-than-the-last malls, huge outlets, outdoor markets with countless vendors, a plethora of supermarkets... from super cheap to unfathomably expensive, this place is a shopper's dream. The trips are a bit stressful, though, when you're not really keen on buying things...and mei and sophia are total purchase-pushers!
In support of the next generation of agriculturalists...
Ahighlight of this last weekend was going to the re-opening of the agricultural college across the street. Schoolkids performed regional thai dances, we bought some plants and seeds (which sophia planted in little empty yoghurt containers)... and these gummy rice sweets... we couldn't get enough of it! all sorts of flavors (including durian, which was quite yummy)...
photo 4: Rice sweets being mixed...this one was green, though i don't know the flavor...
Aside from my sweetheart, my cat, and my friends, I do miss Heroes (and Thailand does not allow streaming video online), and what i truly miss is good coffee.
Down with the Instant...
The crystals...can't express their god-awfulness. and i just don't get it - some of the best coffee comes from Asia. and the creamer - just deepens the travesty... getting a nonfat vanilla cappuccino from starbucks on the roadstop up to BKK on tuesday came damned near finding a stash of lost jazz records for me...
Back to Bangkok: Auspicious Timing for my Introduction to The Office
Dad, Mei, and I came to BKK because his new office was getting blessed by the monks. A unique experience...i'll post some photos in a subsequent post(still in my camera).
Got to finally see the office and meet key team members. They're quite friendly and welcoming, which is a good start. Getting more acquainted with a spread of projects illustrating the effectiveness of free market. why rely only on regulations, most of which limit human activity by nature? of course, the financing is anything but simple - funding comes from a variety of sources, the government incentives being the most complex to decipher (seriously, those reports are verbose, at best). I continue to find the carbon currency phenomenon fascinating, and present in every project, one way or another.
Anyway, it's way past midnight here - so in closing...
Headed for the Lao embassy to get Visas... for a few days somewhere around Feb. 18 to accompany Dad (a mining deal). Trekked to the other side of town this afternoon, only to find the embassy had closed early, since it was not busy... of course!
Headed for the Lao embassy to get Visas... for a few days somewhere around Feb. 18 to accompany Dad (a mining deal). Trekked to the other side of town this afternoon, only to find the embassy had closed early, since it was not busy... of course!
god can you imagine the outrage in the US if someone actually drove somewhere for something and it was closed due to "not being busy"
ReplyDeleteThey'd get the letter writing of a lifetime.