aside from my new love for the Dead Weather, and indulgence in blues foundation's Eyes on Fire song (featured in Twilight - yeah, i know - i SAID it was an indulgence!)...
Currently listening to www.npr.org/music - new Cowboy Junkies, the Eels look for what must be one of Pete Seger's last performances at the Newport Jazz Festival, Aug. 3 - worried man blues ...
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Friday, August 7, 2009
shhh, it's friday! plus, raging phoenix...
Double Take: Thai Movies...
they've been airing this moving trailer on the train - and it looks amazing... Raging Phoenix - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejM7ZCEzs5A&feature=related - apparently, it follows (but not related to) a 2008 film called Chocolate - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGjUyu9c8Ng&feature=related - this one was actually released in the US, criminally dubbed, i think... but seems quite worthwhile to hunt down... from what i can gather, stunning choreography and visual effects coupled with a pretty twisted storyline (autistic girl = genius fighter)... Fascinating!
they've been airing this moving trailer on the train - and it looks amazing... Raging Phoenix - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejM7ZCEzs5A&feature=related - apparently, it follows (but not related to) a 2008 film called Chocolate - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGjUyu9c8Ng&feature=related - this one was actually released in the US, criminally dubbed, i think... but seems quite worthwhile to hunt down... from what i can gather, stunning choreography and visual effects coupled with a pretty twisted storyline (autistic girl = genius fighter)... Fascinating!
routines + steam release
another week sped by, with me trying to keep up...i suppose it was better than last week - but i'm still trying to recover from an unbelievably terrible performance in my energy tech class. On top of everything else, it's going to take some serious extra effort to pull through... not impossible, but certainly not what i wanted. Ya, my days are long...so it's marked by little things...
Grinding Halt - RCA Relief
Last saturday, felt like i needed a little mood boost, so headed to RCA with a few friends. Royal City Avenue is a govt designated "entertainment zone" - lots of bars/clubs - i like Route 66 - good dj's (Ono is apparently worth an express visit) packed with people also having a good time...drinks aren't too expensive, either... the dance floor actually has carts lined up in the middle of it, so you can put your drinks down when you dance - so CLEVER!
Routine Stuff
transport still provides cheap thrills on a daily basis - i take motorbikes more often these days, in the morning - not just because it shaves off some time in my AM commute (can make it to school in 1 hour), but because i actually enjoy it... and the bus ride after dark is also always entertaining, though i've been prone to nod off (a result of routine sleep deprivation)... last week, i ended up 22 blocks past my stop... which i ended up walking - i swear, i was still half asleep!
most days, i have lunch at the girls dormitory - it's cheap (20-30 baht), and the noodle lady knows my name, knows how spicy i like it...My kiwi pal has turned me onto Walls' "Top Ten" chocolate ice cream bar - coated in chocolate with nut bits... not too sweet, not too rich, but still creamy - and must be eaten quickly before meltdown.
Pop quick-fix...
I've now downloaded bittorrent - it works well for music (dead weather and blue foundation are mine now!), but hard to get episodes.... i was itching to get a couple of episodes of True Blood...and not only is it taking forever, but it totally stops up the rest of my internet... so maybe i'll just keep an eye out for it from the dealers... i enjoyed the 4th season of Weeds, know there's a 5th out there for me... fluffy entertainment provided by youtube - my share of "So You Think You Can Dance" and "America's Got Talent" skits...
How much has being in Asia for 3 months changed me?
Well, i'm a soymilk addict (chocolate or plain, depending on the mood...like right now, it's chocolate. This is further compounded by my inability to tolerate milk here... so i drink my iced coffee black (with sugar) now...
i've also become a menthol huffer - hey, those little sniffers (and there are dozens of kinds) not only clear the sinuses (a little relief from the damage incurred by pollution), but they also wake you up a little, AND they're useful when passing by stinky places, like the fish market...
i've become a baby powder afficionada - preferably, the one with UV filters + "whitening" (i think because of the UV filters - i hope...smells . See, moisturizers work okay at night, indoors - but with the heat and humidity, you sweat out that moisturizer and it becomes a slicky mess. POWDER, keeps you matte, at least for longer... did i mention the softiness? Arguably, maybe it's not so good to soak up microparticles on a daily basis, but it contains titanium dioxide, which actually helps break down pollutants... actually, my friend dani, a virtual Miami native, taught me the trick of using a little powder to help balance out slightly greasy/sweaty hair... you get the point - i love the powder.
A few other staples... when i have the time, my fridge is stocked with "rocket salad" (arrugula variety) and tomatoes; local yoghurt (w/ mango at the bottom)... ooh, and i love those jalapeno-stuffed spanish olives... i also eat lots of watermelon out here, and pomelo, when available...
anyway, it's pretty much time for bed now... happy weekend!!!
Grinding Halt - RCA Relief
Last saturday, felt like i needed a little mood boost, so headed to RCA with a few friends. Royal City Avenue is a govt designated "entertainment zone" - lots of bars/clubs - i like Route 66 - good dj's (Ono is apparently worth an express visit) packed with people also having a good time...drinks aren't too expensive, either... the dance floor actually has carts lined up in the middle of it, so you can put your drinks down when you dance - so CLEVER!
Routine Stuff
transport still provides cheap thrills on a daily basis - i take motorbikes more often these days, in the morning - not just because it shaves off some time in my AM commute (can make it to school in 1 hour), but because i actually enjoy it... and the bus ride after dark is also always entertaining, though i've been prone to nod off (a result of routine sleep deprivation)... last week, i ended up 22 blocks past my stop... which i ended up walking - i swear, i was still half asleep!
most days, i have lunch at the girls dormitory - it's cheap (20-30 baht), and the noodle lady knows my name, knows how spicy i like it...My kiwi pal has turned me onto Walls' "Top Ten" chocolate ice cream bar - coated in chocolate with nut bits... not too sweet, not too rich, but still creamy - and must be eaten quickly before meltdown.
Pop quick-fix...
I've now downloaded bittorrent - it works well for music (dead weather and blue foundation are mine now!), but hard to get episodes.... i was itching to get a couple of episodes of True Blood...and not only is it taking forever, but it totally stops up the rest of my internet... so maybe i'll just keep an eye out for it from the dealers... i enjoyed the 4th season of Weeds, know there's a 5th out there for me... fluffy entertainment provided by youtube - my share of "So You Think You Can Dance" and "America's Got Talent" skits...
How much has being in Asia for 3 months changed me?
Well, i'm a soymilk addict (chocolate or plain, depending on the mood...like right now, it's chocolate. This is further compounded by my inability to tolerate milk here... so i drink my iced coffee black (with sugar) now...
i've also become a menthol huffer - hey, those little sniffers (and there are dozens of kinds) not only clear the sinuses (a little relief from the damage incurred by pollution), but they also wake you up a little, AND they're useful when passing by stinky places, like the fish market...
i've become a baby powder afficionada - preferably, the one with UV filters + "whitening" (i think because of the UV filters - i hope...smells . See, moisturizers work okay at night, indoors - but with the heat and humidity, you sweat out that moisturizer and it becomes a slicky mess. POWDER, keeps you matte, at least for longer... did i mention the softiness? Arguably, maybe it's not so good to soak up microparticles on a daily basis, but it contains titanium dioxide, which actually helps break down pollutants... actually, my friend dani, a virtual Miami native, taught me the trick of using a little powder to help balance out slightly greasy/sweaty hair... you get the point - i love the powder.
A few other staples... when i have the time, my fridge is stocked with "rocket salad" (arrugula variety) and tomatoes; local yoghurt (w/ mango at the bottom)... ooh, and i love those jalapeno-stuffed spanish olives... i also eat lots of watermelon out here, and pomelo, when available...
anyway, it's pretty much time for bed now... happy weekend!!!
Monday, August 3, 2009
Thanks for the visa, but i'll have to pass on the husband...
My 3 months here is ever-so-ceremoniously marked by a trip to Immigration, where i needed only to cough up 1900 baht to apply for an extension on what is already a one-year visa. The marriage proposal was free.
What, that doesn't happen to every girl at the Migra? And how come the proponent is always so convinced that You are The One?
Yeah, yeah, i know - he saw me in a staccato exchange with a stern bureaucratte, and - don't tell me - the glow of my halo always gets brighter with any show of faintly saintly restraint...
He asks what i do here - i answer with the least possible words. But not few enough - it seems the impenetrable box of emotional isolation, irritating self-discipline and righteous ambition has been cracked open. And just like that, apparently i'd make the perfect wife... and apparently he would be a most devoted husband. and he promises to cook african soup or fried rice until my little heart's content...he had it all figured out!
it took nearly 3 blocks to "convince" him that he was very much barking up the wrong tree - unbelievable! okay, i threw in a few jabs before the final punch (i'm a nice jewish girl, i eat gefilte...) okay, so i let him pay for the before i told him i was married, and suggested he get out more. 10 baht, he insisted. Seems more than a fair price for my advice - and it was crazy hot out... !
So now that i've paid my latest round of dues, all knowledge of the royal bureaucracy of thailand and its inner mechanisms have been sworn to secrecy - forever rendered useless for future inductees...actually, i could explain it, but not without either getting sassy about it or boring myself ;) Whether or not i should have had to extend an extended visa, at least i saved myself a visa run to cambodia (less fun when you're not actually travelling!)
ufa, last exam...
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