Fun with Writing

This is the most fun I’ve had with an article in years (probably three). It blends my nerdtastic love of videogames and comics. To top this one, I’ll have to throw wrestling in the mix somehow. Then I’d have the triple crown of dorkdom.

Binary Blog (Return from Thailand Edition)!

So I’ve been back for a little over a week. I’ve actually been pretty busy working thanks to Kit. I’m mostly settled in, so I thought it would be a good time for a binary blog, reflesting on my latest adventure in the Land of Smiles.

Good: This was clearly one of the best months of my life. I had such a good time seeing friends and hanging out with a really lovely girl.

Bad: I had the worst work experience in my professional life. The people I had to deal with were disorganized, dishonest, and inconsiderate. They also shafted me on pay by 66 percent. If their office building was bombarded with anthrax-filled envelopes, I’d have to think about clapping.

Good: Learning about and learning with Noot was amazing. There were a few bumps in the road, but it was an incredible trip with far more precious moments than little spats.

Bad: I got way more attached than I wanted to. I went there with the intention of hanging out with her and just having fun. I didn’t think I’d get so involved emotionally. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I’m sure none of you believed this was possible, knowing that I am the way I am.

Good: I know that I’m fully capable of working over there. Broadband, fax machines, and VOIP make it really easy.

Good: Since I’ve had the worst work experience ever, anything more would be an improvement.

Bad: The publisher will not want to work with me anymore, effectively cutting 50 percent of the strong work possibilities (that I know of) that would let me live out there.

Good: Catching up with friends out there was pretty cool. There are some really excellent people out there and I’d have a good support system.

Bad: One guy I was really close with earlier this year went a little crazy. I really don’t know what to make of it. Some people have been saying that he’s doing all kinds of drugs now and he’s really whacked out. That’s too bad. He’s a good guy and I liked him.

Good: Noot and I communicate really well. Even though she’s not as educated and isn’t as fluent in English as Tuk, we’re just more compatiable. It helps that things just happened naturally. We started out as friends and let things takes us where they took us.

Good: My dad really likes her. She’s charming and speaks some Tagalog (big help). He already told her that he thinks we should get married.

Bad: If things progressed, I’d totally marry her, but really, I can’t even take care of myself right now. How would I be able to take care of someone else?

Good: My skin got better and I lost a little weight while I was out there. The hot weather, spicy food, and lots of walking really helped me feel good.

Bad: My skins already worse and I’ve probably gained weight since I’ve been back.

Bad: I’m not sure I can find a way to live out there for a year. There are lots of work opps for me if I stay in the country. I’d love to live out there more than anything, but I don’t know how realisitc that is.

Good: I’ve never done well with reality and I’m still trying to make it happen. Even if I can’t live out there, maybe I can convince someone to keep me on contract or work eight months out of the year. I still believe I can do it.

Good: I have more fodder for my dreams. I love dreaming and conjuring up awesome possibilities in my head. Life is too ridiculous otherwise. Now I have a person, place, and thing as my heart’s desire.

That’s Just Wrong

The first comment in this post just killed me. It’s not right and I feel even not right-er for laughing at it so much.

J.Lag

Eep. I was doing so well too!

I got home around 10:00AM. Did some email stuff. Did some eBay stuff. Walked to my mailbox and picked up some packages. It was all going according to plan. I was going to meet up with Rannie, Ben, and Ted at Farley’s around 8:00PM. Unfortunately my bed looked awfull appealing around 4:00PM. Then I woke up at 1:00AM. Oddly enough, that was my normal sleeping schedule if I got drunk with Noot in Thailand.

So I woke up with nothing to do…nothing to work on…and nobody online to talk to. Thankfully Ted came back from drinking with Billy and we chatted for a few minutes.

Then Noot called at 2:48AM and we talked for a bit. That made everything feel so much better.

She’s being quite domestic at her parents’ house. She’s picked up tons of groceries, two kilos of beef (I think that’s a lot), and cleaned the entire house today. Tomorrow she’s going to help farm rice, which she hasn’t done in like seven years. She’s worried about getting too dark, but she knows it’s inevitable. She’s also struggling to adjust to her parents’ sleep schedules. Today she woke up at 6:00AM…which was two hours after her mom woke up.

Overall, she’s really happy–surprisingly so. She loves seeing lots of green again, breathing fresh air, and being with her family. I’m so happy she’s doing well.

She actually made a joke about an incident we had at the airport. There was this large revolving door at the entrance. She’s never seen one before and she was too scared to walk through it. She made us walk through the regular doors. Today she said, “I not superstar like you. I never see before.” I adore her.

Like Sands in the Hourglass

So I’ve around 32 hours left with Noot. She’s coming to the airport with me so I get some more precious time with her. That’s very sweet, especially considering the car is picking me up around 3:00AM. This has been one of the best times of my life, but like any part of life there was some hardship too–all of it coming from the US. I’ll definitely have to make a binary list when I get home or maybe even during my layover in Narita.

Well, I guess I feel really blessed for the everything I’ve experienced during the last four weeks. I really hope I can call this place home some time next year (early, I hope). It’s going to be tough to pull off, but with a little luck, some well wishes, and plenty of hustle, it will work itself out if it’s meant to be.

Anyway, here are four recent sets of photos.

One

Two

Three

Four

Side Note

Anacondas is pretty entertaining in Thai with English subtitles.

Three Down…

…one to go. This trip has been going crazy fast. Life is mostly as it should be out here. As in, I’m having a really wonderful time with Nuch. Today we spent most of the day at Jomtien. We had lunch right on the beach and just sat there for hours. It was really relaxing. I didn’t take any pictures because I don’t have a water-proof casing for my camera. Hopefully next time though. It really is beautiful sitting at the beach, watching the water, and looking at the nearby islands.

For now, here are some random pictures.

So yeah! Only another week left out here. I’m getting a little sad thinking of being without her. It’s going to be a tough adjustment. As much as I love being with her, I love watching her as well. Watching her eat with her friends and gossip, watching her dance to music from her region, etc.–she’s just perfect that way. Speaking of which, I better get back to her!

Two Weeks and Two Days

So I’ve been here for sixteen days now. Most things are going so well. Life with the girl is fantastic and I’m enjoying myself a great deal most of the time. Work has been a little rocky, but it will sort itself out. I experienced my first Thai karaoke session, went to Xzyte (possibly the most uninentionally ghey experience of my life), and my dad popped by to see me and the lady. Each of these events were really fun and went really well. My dad really liked Nuch and started pestering her with marriage questions. She carried herself well the whole time and was so charming.

My friend Kenny leaves for home tomorrow. Andy and Tony already left. That’ll just leave me with my local pals. I’m going to miss have touristy friends around, but I really need catch up with some locals. There’s one in particular that feels snubbed and he’s my regular walking buddy. Last night Nuch started talking about long-term possibilities. It’s the first time she’s mentioned it and I’m really glad she did. I wasn’t sure if there was a future there or not, but I’m happy she’s considering me as keeper material. I guess we’ll see where that goes, hey?