Sukhothai LAST DAY!!

1.01am:

So, I know I haven’t updated my tumblr in the past few days. It’s been too busy. Let me start off with the day I didn’t feel like updating on. Me and my parents went to Sukhothai Old City, Si Satchanalai (sp?), a local market :) [special request by me], and we ate lunch at the same restaurant Pee-oii took us (the dancing kids one). I was really glad to have seen them, but when they departed yesterday [or techinically two days ago], I still felt at ease. I missed them a tinge, but life went back to normal. I still had a normal day in the office, chilling, doing random things.

Today, or… was it yesterday? I don’t care, 1 hour ago: Today was just pretty much epic. In the morning, I woke up around 7am, to do some last minute packing (I hope I didn’t leave anything behind—but if I did, I really don’t mind going back to Sukhothai). After my packing, I took my camera around and shot pictures of the airport that I haven’t had a chance to do (yes, I know 25 days in Sukhothai, and haven’t taken a picture of the buildings/architecture/objects of the airport). I took pictures of the orchid farms, cassawary (google it :) ), chicken (there’s a ton), water buffalos (and cows I think), the organic farm, the Buddhist shrines, etc, etc, etc. x100. Afterwards, I head to the office (Director’s office) to say bye/hi to Ms. Chutima and Bo. Ms. Chutima left the early morning flight, and I really never got to say goodbye for she was on the phone when I was in the office. Afterwards, I headed towards the operation office, and chilled (MY LAST DAY CHILLING IN THE OFFICE, ON THE INTERNET, DOING BORING TASKS!!!). We all headed to me, and Kyle’s last lunch. SAW PEE-NAAM-PUNG!!! He arrived yesterday from Bangkok. After lunch, got our luggage with Pee-see. After that (haha, I’m not being very precise am I), me and Kyle took pictures with Pee-naan, and Pee-waan. We then headed towards the catering kitchen, because… that really hit ‘home’ (or Sukhothai home). Pee-may was sleeping on the floor, so me and Kyle took turns taking pictures with her. Took pictures with Pee-doi, and Pee-ba. Pee-ba was teary, and sad—bahhhh :(.

We head to the office again to chill, and to wait until our departure/boarding time.

Pee-ba came around 4.30pm (our flight boards at 4.55pm); she handed me and Kyle a bag each—IT WAS STUFFED WITH KAO PAD LAP CHANG (fried rice and sausages), AND COOKIES (FRESHLY BAKED)!!!!!!!!! Oh god, I really going to tear up so bad. We checked in with Pee-see and said our last goodbye to Pee-naan (too bad me and Kyle didn’t see Pee-dick one last time ;) ).

Got on the plane, took pictures with Pee-see, and finally ate the hamburger made by the catering kitchen—shit tasted mad good :). And then, I finished my fried rice as well. 

Day 23 Sukhothai The parentals

Day 23

Sukhothai

10.29pm: Today was definitely an epic day.

I woke up around 9.00am to enjoy my cup of frozen yogurt for breakfast, and that Jack N Jill chocolate wafer. Around 9.15am, I hear a truck roll by, and out pops out Joe the Plumber…after how many days he said he would arrive? It’s whatever—I finally get to see him after all the days that went by, he promised to come. We talked a little bit, and his brother Pee-wu was here too. Then we all headed out. Me and Kyle headed to the catering kitchen, and Pee-wu and Joe the Plumber headed to town for a meeting.

Catering Kitchen: I battered pork chops, releasing all my anger on those poor pigs. I read a couple of health food magazines (ironic, I know :) ), and headed to lunch. Lunch was really quiet, without Pee-see, Pee-naan, Pee-oii for sure, and Pee-naam-pung. I ate alone until Kyle strolled by 10 minutes later; I was a little pissed because I wanted some alone time, but it was okay. Ms. Chutima, Pee-bird, Bop, and a newcomer (?) were sitting at the next table; me and Pee-bird exchanged hilarious smiles.

I had Cha-nom-yen (Thai milk tea [cold]) for ‘dessert.’

I headed to the office (after slaving away in the kitchen :) ) for the first time in several days, saw Pee-ket, and Pee-wan, and Pee-dick for a few minutes. I was nervous the wholeeee day in the office, anticipating my parents arrival at 4.45pm (I didn’t even know when the hell they were supposed to arrive).

I headed to the bathroom around 4.30pm, went back to the office, and Kyle asked “Did you see Joe?” “Uh, was I supposed to in the bathroom?” I sprinted towards the arrival area, and saw a beer bellied business man, with a beautiful/elegant old lady staring at me. Oh god, I was fucking happy.

My mommy and daddy gave me gifts to give to the people I worked with; as I handed out the gifts, everyone was so happy—it made me smile a hell of a lot. There was this shrimp thing, this egg thing, and this bean thing ( I KNOW RIGHT? So descriptive). I gave Pee-waan, and Pee-dick a bean thing, and Pee-waan was like “Did you see your mom yet?” “How’d you know my mom?” “You guys look alike!!”

I don’t want to look like my mom—this is definitely for another post. [Don’t interpret wrong if you don’t have any fucking idea what I mean by this]

Joe the Plumber, Pee-wu, Kyle, Parentals, and I headed to my parents hotel (dude, it’s like 5 +1 more star, all the guests are freaking… rich). Parentals and I talked in the room for a little bit, and they asked me how I was doing without any outsider’s presence to discomfort me. It was like in the old days… 20 days ago. The happy thing my mom said to me was, “wow, you look so healthy!” Aka, I may still be fat, and haven’t lost weight…or I have lost weight, but I look healthy doing so :). We’ll see when I reweigh myself back in TW.

We all ate dinner at this resort place; everyone talked, except Pee-wu. God, I feel bad for him. Everyone knew Mandarin but him, so… everyone resorted to the language -____-; it started off in English, to make everyone feel okay…but it just slowly turned in to Mandarin the whole time -_____-. After dinner, we sent the parentals back to the hotel; me and my dad talked politics, my ‘future,’ college life, family, and such, while everyone else went elsewhere—nice bonding experience after a long while. I don’t think I can do this for a while anyways, say perhaps in another year.

Pee-wu, and Joe the Plumber headed to town to find Pee-dang with me and Kyle. Joe the Plumber, Kyle and I headed to the streets to find this egg, banana, crepe like thing, while Pee-wu waited for Pee-dang. That was a good bonding experience between us as well. The funny thing was, this was only the second time that I met Joe, and it was the first time he met Kyle.

And now, I’m back home, courtesy of Pee-dang driving 110km/ph.

I get to go out with my mom and dad tomorrow, because 1. I requested so, 2. I won’t see them for a while, 3. I want to go on vacation with them again, like I did several (5-6) years ago. Except…there’s no James involved in this vacation :(. Fuck, I miss him.

It won’t just be us though, there’s going to be Kyle, Joe, and Pee-wu… it makes me kind of sad, but I’ll know there’ll be other opportunities where it’s just the family hanging out again.

My dad said I’ve matured over the past few days…due to perhaps boredom, and tons of quiet time to think due to this boredom… have I really? Or have I just turned into a boring/impassionate person? I hope I have matured though.

DRANK BEER. And was not once a tiny bit tipsy. Pee-ed a lot. :) Just thought I’d share. Mature? I think not yet, :).

I wasn’t going to update my tumblr today/tonight because I’m really tired but hey, I do it for myself; I’ve been keeping up with this for 23 days already :)

Countdown: 3 more days to Bangkok baby!!

Day 21 Sukhothai Pee-Wu/7-11 Run

Day 22

Sukhothai

11.00pm: Tomorrow, the parentals are arriving. BAH, I don’t know how I’m going to entertain them!!

[Penises are inconsiderate, selfish, perverted, and disgusting]

Today was a long and semi-productive day. I like getting away from the office scene; I hate staring at a computer screen all day, so I headed to the catering kitchen even without Pee-ann. I bonded with Pee-may this time; we had HUGE communication barriers, but we had fun. We wrote each other’s name out in Thai, and Chinese. I got a lovely phone call while I was there from Joe the Plumber. He’s arriving tomorrow morning—same day as my parents. We’ll see what happens from there…

Pee-wu (Joe’s brother) invited me and Kyle to go eat dinner. We drove to Sukhothai new city (aka Big C Bratha lol), and drove to two similar restaurants. The restaurant we ate at was a Korean type BBQ place, buffet style. Oh dear god, so much food. It was great, fun, and delicious. We all bonded, so that was I think one of the most important part. We made another 7-11 run—I’m sure the clerks recognize my weird ass face by now, actually they have haha.

I’m going to stay in the office all day tomorrow to prepare for 3 people’s arrival, whoo-hoo. Well, the good thing is that I may be able to talk to Pee-bird (the office guy!!) and practice some English with him.

I went out for a night-time bike run. The only thing I had was my bike, my bike’s mini headlight, the moonlight, and pitch black. The power went out halfway through my night-run. It was great—burned off the buffet I had as well. Well, not so funny, but amusing at the same time, my bike suddenly had a flat tire (I realized this after I just got on the runway), so I went to the office to switch a bike. It took me like 10 fucking minutes, because 1. it was dark, 2. I had to find a bike that was my height, 3. I had to see if the headlight worked on any of the bikes. So, this security guard flashes his light, and I was like “ohhhhh, shit. I’m done for.” But, he recognized me, and helped me out. Communication barrier= sign/body language=amazing.

Count down: 4 more days till Bangkok baby!!!!

Day 21 Sukhothai Semi-Sorrow; Happiness

Day 21

Sukhothai

9.40pm: A day of semi-sorrow, and happiness.

Pee-ann and Pee-oii left me. Last few minutes together with Pee-ann, she kept assuaging me with “Mai ben rai,”—it’s okayyyy. Oh my god, thank god I didn’t tear up. I miss her already. And, I’m fucking pissed I didn’t say good-bye to Pee-oii; maybe that’s a good thing, or I really would’ve just burst in tears. NO WORRIES. I’ll be in Bangkok in 5 days, and see them there. Right? I’m going to be alright :).

Today was super productive. I went to the catering kitchen to help out, because they really needed an extra hand. Everyone today was preparing for a big event of Sukhothai, held/promoted/sponsored by Bangkok Airways. The festival was called “Mini Light and Sounds of Sukhothai.” It used to be a yearly event, that only occurred during a day in November, but now it’s a monthly event. Tickets usually cost 600baht a person during the month, but free for staff. Today, the people we invited were badminton players; some badminton coaches; and some renowned people I wouldn’t have any idea about (but, you can tell who they are from people saying ‘sawatdee (ka, krub),’ and what they’re wearing, and what purses they’re holding).

Anyways, I’ll talk about the festival later. I helped out in the kitchen. ATE JACKFRUIT FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE!!! The smell smelled so bad to me, a LOT worse than durian (of course I would say that, I love durian’s everything), but it tastes really delicious. I made pork burgers again, and I’m becoming an expert :). I watched Pee-ba(p) boil the dough we made yesterday—it came out translucent, and very very beautiful (sway jin jin).  I also cut pork chops today for the burgers. I had ‘pit-sat-nu-lok,’ this Thai noodle dish that Pee-ba(p) made for me. I love her too :); she let’s me do everything even though we all know I may cut myself sooner or later :). She prepared dessert, with the dough we boiled, this fruit type thing covered in flour, jackfruit, corn (oh yeah, I had to make separate pieces of that), jello, and coconut milk. The surprise ingredient I found that she added to this dessert was salt. O_o, who would’ve known?  

I finally met Pee-wu today, Joe the Plumber’s brother. He looks like Joe, except darker skin, and chubbier, and with braces. That was a short encounter that later turned into a night of just me, him, and Kyle.

I don’t want to go into detail about saying bye to Pee-ann, but I had to go back to see her again, because 1. I forgot my Swatch, 2. I forgot my cardigan (yes, preppy, I know). In a rush, Pee-ann, while on the phone, scribbled down her email address, and phone number, cell and home(funny thing: she didn’t know her home number and had to look it up on her cell phone -____-). I think she was about to tear up if I didn’t leave for another 10 minutes.

Pee-dang (the director of pretty much everything of Sukhothai airport) picked me and Kyle up. We sat in a car with another prominent woman, who was…the head of the tourist association of Sukhothai (I have no fucking idea; just VIP). We arrived in Sukhothai’s new city to chill in the (only governmental [?]) tourist information office. Then we all hopped in Pee-dang’s Gold Honda CR-V (represent, represent!!), to head to Sukhothai Old City (historical). We got there early because though we’re considered ‘VIP,’ we still helped out. I FINALLY HAVE TONS OF PICTURES TO SHOW EVIDENCE. I helped make this crepe thing actually made out of sticky rice pressed flatly. I TRIED/ATTEMPTED to help stir-fry Padthai. I had A LOT to eat tonight, oh dear, how the hell am I supposed to lose weight in Thailand? It’s near… fucking impossible. Anyways, Pee-wu told me and Kyle to greet the incoming guests. Cheng chim: please eat. Cheng nang: please sit. And, the all-around phrase: sawatdee (ka, krub). Me and Kyle noticed that the younger generation didn’t really show respect, or they didn’t really greet you back with sawatdee; the older generation however (at least over 20) did it back so generously even if some of them were VIP—it was semi-culture shock for me and Kyle. I guess youngsters these days are REALLY apathetic to pretty much anything. Then, me and Kyle concluded that maybe they’re egotistical fucking asshole-like badminton players; though, there were some nice guys (and girls) too.

God, some kids were so hot. But, me and Kyle asked Pee-wu around how old they were so we wouldn’t seem like pedophiles; they were in secondary school (?), which I think it would be the last year before they head into college; oh god, so young -_____-.

Oh fuck. I forgot this guy’s name who works in the office with Ms. Chutima (Pee-poo)… I know he wants to practice English with me so bad, and I’m so willing to help, but it’s so awkward for me because I always want to say Pee-something haha.

After much greeting, eating, drinking (lemongrass water, and bale fruit water, no alcohol—THANK GOD), introduction of me and Kyle for being foreigners, the real show was about to start. Everyone headed to this ruined area, where a Buddha is still on display within this mini temple (kind of hard to explain without photos). There was a broadcaster telling us the story/history of Sukhothai (it is the first city of Thailand, nice fact). Of course me and Kyle just took pictures and weren’t really listening, knowing that we have no Thai experience at all -____-. The girls were so beautiful, and the guys were very handsome. We took photos with them later. Pee-wu was like “debbie!! Go take photo!” I was like “I’LL BE EVEN MORE UGLY WHEN I TAKE A PICTURE WITH THEM!!!” But, I did it anyways :).

It was nice night, though, parts of the time I was thinking, ‘if Pee-oii was here, she’d make everything hilarious with no reason.’

10.04pm: No one-Alicia Keys

I had a long talk with Pee-ann yesterday when we just chilled until 5.30pm came around. I don’t know if I mentioned this yesterday. But, we talked about pretty much a lot of things. I told her about my drama in easy terms; she understood everything which made me happy, and I had a sigh of relief. I know a lot of people have told me this, but she said “Debbie, it’s okay. Move on. You have your future ahead of you. Don’t look back.” Just coming from her, she’s considered an outsider; she doesn’t know anyone inside my drama circle; she’s simple, she’s kind, she’s mature. I really took that advice to heart, FINALLY. Move on, what’s the point. I’ll meet new people in the future; I have a long life ahead of me (I hope so at least)—wait, is that a good or bad thing first of all? :). Oh fuck, I miss her.  :(

Day 19 Sukhothai Procrastination at Best

Day 19 

Sukhothai

8.36pm: Only a week left till Bangkok. I’m excited. Nothing really exciting happened today, and I don’t feel like typing all that much. Wow, I’m getting lazy.

My parents are coming in… 4 days. Joe the Plumber is coming in 3 days. Bangkok in 8 days. Yo, I’m so excited about going to Bangkok.

To do list:

  • Massage
  • Nightlife = clubs, bars, maybe a gay bar, strip club for gays, strip club for straights
  • Daytime Scenery= temples, cultural events, etc.
  • Beach = !!!
  • Food = duh. Or, more like, bird’s nest galore perhaps.
  • Shopping = a must. Bargaining as well.
  • Chilling with people = :)

I definitely need to do more research. I’ll have 5 days in Bangkok; we’ll see where the glories of the internet takes me these next few days for research.

8.40pm: Heartbreak Warfare- John Mayer.

I’m debating whether or not to write an abstract paragraph right now… I have time, tons of time.

Day 18 Sukhothai INCOMPETENCE

Day 18

Sukhothai

5.59pm: this was my most stressful day ever, in Sukhothai. So I’m supposed to be going to Bangkok tomorrow, on the early morning flight. Oh my god, I don’t want to go into detail. It was a lot to handle. A lot of incompetent penises played parts of the reason why :) haha, jk. It just involved a lot of incompetent people, and I, alone, by myself,  just couldn’t carry the burden/stress that was involved. CONCLUSION: I won’t be going to Bangkok tomorrow through the 21st. I’ve decided to go the end of the month, BY MYSELF (and Kyle). I really just want to go like BY MYSELF, without penises involved. NONE. NONEEEEEEEEE.

It was my day off, woke up at 9am, lazed around my bed for an hour. I was about to head to breakfast when I found a surprise hanging on my door :). Pee-oii headed to town to give monks food. But, I totally forgot she was going today, and I failed to wake up at 5.30am :(. But she left the sticky rice thing with grilled pork. Despite a lot of ants surrounding the treat, I happily devoured the inside untouched by the ants.

I headed immediately to the office after I checked my email at home. And, that’s where the stress started. I won’t go into detail, because I don’t want to think about it. This has caused a dent in my laid-back lifestyle I’ve been so used to for the past 18 days.

Anyways, it was Pee-oii’s day off, and she asked if I wanted to go to Phitsanulok, and I happily said yes. She was taking pictures of a rival airline’s advertisement on the street (Phitsanulok airport to the old  Bangkok airport for a cheaper price), for her boss. She calmed me down significantly, and the whole trip, I totally forgot what was stressing me so much. “Don’t worry, don’t think about it. It’s not your fault.” I’m so glad I’m here in Thailand with great people.

She talked about her experience in France, and I love hearing people’s stories when they’re abroad. I was so amused, and interested in what she had to say, and I’m really happy that she had fun while interning there for 4 months.

I called my parents: that was totally unfuckingsuccessful :(.

OMG, seriously. I HAVE TO HATE ON PENISES RIGHT NOW. GOD DAMN IT. SO INCOMPETENT, AND FLACCID AT THAT. AGHHHHHHHHHH. 

10.18pm: Pee-ann and Pee-oii left my condo about an hour ago. We talked about our tentative plans for meeting up in Bangkok from the 26th-30th (when I sadly leave). I’m going to start crying the 20th, when Pee-ann and Pee-oii head to Bangkok then. I’m tearing up just a little. I’m so glad to have met them. It was a rough experience in the beginning, but with such amazing people, it beats any bad experience. I think we’ll all have a long lasting relationship. I hope so at least. Yes, my previous posts seem to contradict my hope, but I can still hope, right? I really value their friendship. The reason why I think these relationships I have made in the past month will last, is because 1. They’re different from the ‘people back home.’ 2. They have great personalities, and don’t judge (or at least they don’t tell you, and are extremely good at hiding it :) ) 3. They have a laid-back life, they have an “I don’t care” attitude when it comes to materialism, superficiality, and idiocy. 4. I would do anything for them, because they have done everything they can to make me feel comfortable, safe, and not bored here. I think, or at least I hope (do you see how much confidence I have lost in friendships? It’s really my fault that I let this happen…) they value my friendship because they just like ME, nothing else. They’re not trying to use me; they’re not basing our friendship superficially, but they start deep. I know I won’t do anything to hurt them; what is there I could do to possibly hurt them even a tiny bit? Nothing. I really feel like I won’t hurt them at all. And, they’re “Deborah-mistake-prone” proof. Understand? I wish other people I knew could find amazing friends like these, so they’ll understand what true friendship is. It’s not about… I won’t go into detail.

Day 17 Sukhothai, keepin’ it real

Day 17

Sukhothai

8.30pm: I’m a little stressed out over nothing. :/

Today, I went to the catering kitchen and helped out Pee-ann by making some pork burgers (haha, this reminds me of a childhood story that I shall tell one day on tumblr). Then headed back over the office to catch up on some news; afterwards I headed to lunch, ate with Pee-naam-pung, and Pee-see, such cutie-pies [as you can see, I’m keeping this post kind of brief because, 1. I’m really stressed out, 2. I don’t know why I’m stressing, 3. I’m really tired over nothing].

After lunch, Pee-naam-pung asked if we wanted to go out of the airport, and we gladly agreed to. We headed to a rice mill—there was an old/handmade/outdated machine for the rice process, and towards the back there was this humongous new monster of a machine. It was pretty cool, pictures from Kyle later. Pee-naam-pung later took me and Kyle to Sukhothai Buddha Park; it was filled with glorious gold, beautiful architecture, and, yes, I forgot my camera (yes, I’m really pissed, just as pissed as you are), but no worries, I plan on going back with my camera this time.

Went on the runway again for a 6km bike ride this time. Note to self, and others: riding against wind going 5mph is as hard as going up a steep hill.

Yes, I am semi-stressed: Joe the Plumber will be arriving tomorrow in Bangkok, and he plans on me and Kyle meeting up with him on Sunday, aka in 2 days. 1. I haven’t bought tickets [and tickets will be pricey since the flight’s only 2 days away], 2. I don’t know where the hell am I living [if I live in a hotel, the price can be very jacked up], 3. I don’t know if Joe is competent in making decisions. :/ He’s a kind of ‘go-with-the-flow’ type of guy; sometimes that’s good, but… when it comes to important decisions, and handling people’s lives, it’s kind of important to be steady as rock, right? Or, is it just me? So, he sent me an email telling me wishy-washy details…and I don’t exactly have any idea wtf he wrote in that email—so I asked a bunch of questions in return. Let’s hope he returns my email tonight :/ I don’t think I’ve ever been so stressed out over a 4 day vacation. What The Shitty Fuck.

Did laundry; I miss my own washing machines :(.

I cried while biking on the runway today. These memories kept flashing by me… I think I had a epiphany-gone-wrong. All these memories were actually horrible; all the memories went semi-chronologically, I thought I was dying for a second because of these memories flashing in front of my eyes. I cried for at least… perhaps, 3km of my trip (?)

Day 16 Big-C my bratha

Day 16 

Sukhothai

10.52pm: Today was an extremely long, productive, and another fun-filled day. For my internship, I first visited the fuel station. There are two fuel trucks available, but one is not operating. The fuel station is actually a different/separate company that has nothing to do with the airport. The only “thing” they have to ‘negotiate’ would just be the fuel truck, and the operator of the fuel truck. They have a storage unit for the fuel; they clean it every 3 years or so, and change the pipe for fueling also in 3 years. If it was in a larger/international airport, the fuel provided is linked through an underground system, where fuel is pumped…yep, underground. There’s a storage unit for the fuel underground as well. The fuel bought is based on market price, so it actually fluctuates a lot. The company currently operating this fuel tank (BASF (?) I’m not sure) doesn’t earn a lot of money, because there’s not a lot of airplanes that comes and goes through Sukhothai airport. They operate from 6.30am to 6.00pm. We’ll go back and visit when the boss comes in.

I also went to the reservation/ticketing section of the airport today, where I got to spend 5-6 wonderful hours with Pee-see. Her job is to handle phone calls and deal with passengers. By ‘dealing’ with passengers, she has to either rebook their flight because they weren’t on time, and didn’t catch their flight. They want to stay in Sukhothai longer or shorter. Basically customer service. She handles around 20 calls a day; her busiest times are an hour before flights take off—interesting? I personally think so. Back when she worked in Bangkok, she had at least 100 calls a day—she loves it here in Sukhothai; we all know the reason :).

While in the office, I talked with Mr. Bravo, and my brother for a little bit. Did some research on where I want to go in Japan, I’m kind of excited yet hesitant from some stories I’ve heard so far. -_____-. Oh, well, whatever, I’ll finally get out of the airport haha. After lunch, I went for a bike ride, another 6km or so. Sweated, and felt damn good :). As me and Kyle were passing the security guards, one of them looked cute; I nearly fell off my bike laughing at Kyle turning his head back trying to catch one last glimpse of the guard.

I love online window shopping :)

Heads up on Joe the Plumber (Thai version :) ): he’s currently not in Thailand, and still in Taiwan trying to tie the knot on leaving the school process. He’ll be here next week or so, and asked if I wanted to go anywhere particular. I took this opportune email to write: I WANT TO GO TO= BANGKOK, CHIANG MAI, PHUKET IF POSSIBLE. Haha, yep. Let’ s see if he plans on taking me and Kyle there :). I won’t be expecting too much though; I don’t want to keep my expectations too high either. My parents are arriving next week too—shit=in a conflicting/contradictory way.

11.05pm: Avant La Haine—Le Chanson d’amour.

After a day in the reservation/ticketing office, me and Kyle head back home. After I finished my dinner, I went out for a bike ride—and met Pee-oii coming back home. She asked if I wanted to go to ‘Big-C’ (a huge supermarket), I was like “Uh, hell yeah….” [okay, not exactly :)]. You know it’s going to be an adventure whenever Pee-oii asks you out to go somewhere.

On this trip to Big-C, Pee-oii, Pee-ann, Pee-see, PEE-NAAM-PUNG, Kyle and I crammed in the truck. We [Kyle and I] headed to ANOTHER dinner. We went to this Sukhothai resort near town, and near Big-C. There were TONS, like… only, foreigners there. They were all German, heard only one American, and there were staff there. It was pretty posh, while natural, and outdoorsy. While we sat for dinner, everyone got bit by mosquitoes. Pee-oii runs to the truck to get mosquito removers (?) haha, I don’t know what its called in English. And a staff member brings out this typical Asian mosquito remover (requires fire, every Asian household knows what I be talkin’ bout :) ) and slides it under the table. The food was delicious. We had curry shrimp, shrimp salad, chicken, (please note that this is all meat, and no veggies. Thanks, Pee-oii haha), soup from shrimp paste (lol, what’s with the shrimp theme?), and an American/Western plate. HAHAHA, this made me laugh so hardcore. On this Western plate, there were french fries, boiled vegetables, and this… chicken steak thing. Pee-oii handed me the plate, and I was like “ohhhh, noooo, it’s okay, I eat this everyday. I’ll stick to the Thai dishes.”

While we were eating, there was traditional Thai music playing from this traditional xylophone, drums, and some cymbals. It was played by, I want to say, elementary, middle school kids. They were very talented, I must say. Then there were several dancers that appeared on stage (Kyle has all the photos, DAMN, I really should bring my camera out at all times no matter what :( ). All the dancers hands are gorgeous; the way they pose their hands are just words cannot describe how elegant it appears. I tried making my hand look so elegant/gorgeous. COMPLETE FAIL. “Look! My hand looks like sausages!” Laughter erupts :). Pee-oii told me that actually all Thai people have very nimble/flexible/elegant hands because in (around) first grade or so, all the children learned the Thai dances as a cultural lesson, so everyone pretty much knows how to place their hand in this elegant pose. During dinner conversation, Pee-naam-pung kept making fun of everyone. It was funny, yet mean, but everyone laughed about it. Pee-ann’s real name means: little girl. Pee-naam-pung’s hand went from small to large and sarcastically says “LITTLE girl.” I asked Pee-oii how to say mean : “je rai!!!!!!” Pee-see’s real name means moon, and Pee-naam-pung again says “FULL moon.” And, Pee-oii’s real name means “protected by the sun;” Pee-naam-pung had no taunt to add to that. [DID I MENTION: every Thai person has a nickname? Because I personally think 1. their real name is too long, 2. it’s just tradition, and it’s easier for everyone to remember.

For a period during the dancing entertainment, there were 6 children, in elementary school I assume, that came out. Omg, there was this kid in the yellow who was so enthusiastic he was off beat all the time. HAHAHAHA, soooo cute!!! Anyways, everyone clapped after each performance (previously, and the children too). The children came off stage and asked people to dance with them. Oh, god. The first set of kids (one boy, one girl) approached a 2 Germans and an American, but they didn’t understand. So, they moved on to our table, and everyone kept asking me and Kyle to go, but I was like “uh…shit, hell no. hahahaha.” then they finally grasped a lady from a long table of Germans. A second set of kids approached our table and… I succumbed, and followed them to the lawn. Oh my god, that was fun, and really cute. I tried to apply my newly learned hand-pose. Pictures to prove soon :). They were so adorable, 3 foreigners (me included) had fun doing it—at least, I know I did. I’m glad I went and followed those kids kekekeke.

After dinner for a relatively pricey price (I went to the bathroom when Pee-oii received the check :/), we headed to ‘Big-C.’ Went on a typical grocery store trip, where actually everyone split up. I passed the Pee-ann in an aisle, and hurdled over in laughter. Her cart was filled with burger buns. I was like, “WTF!!!!” it was for tomorrows catering services, and I was like”BAHAHAHA, ohhhh kayyyy.” A lot of people were staring at me… ? Am I really that fucking white? (Pee-oii said whiteness attracts a lot of people, GUH-REAT. I get stared at everywhere (?) ) Oh, whatever, they didn’t have hostile looks, and they smiled at me.

CAN I JUST SAY: 1. I get stared at in Taiwan because I’m too fat, and I like wearing short shorts to show my fattiness. 2. I get stared at in Thailand because I’m too white, and I wear glasses (no one wears glasses here because they aren’t geeks/nerds haha). 3. I get stared at in NC because I’m fucking Asian -_____-. 4. Should I keep going, and list why other countries like staring at me?

It’s currently 11.28pm, and I’m tired, and I need to get up at like 8.30am to head to the catering kitchen at 9.00am. Pee-ann’s going to making new food instead of that rice burger thing, I’m uberrrr excited.

Fridge stock-up update: Yakult!!! And Activia. I need to buy actual snacks, and I need fruit in my life!!! 

Day 15 Sukhothai JOE THE PLUMBER

Day 15

Sukhothai

8.37pm: Just got back from a 7-11 trip, and just filled my tummy with a KIT-KAT BARRRR!! Haven’t had one of those in forever :)

Today, I got to go to the control tower to see the operation, and what exactly goes on in that room. Bah, too much explanation, and I’m really tired though it’s not even 9 o’clock yet. I suppose I’m getting lazy in updating my day, which is quite depressing, but… today wasn’t all that busy/productive as my other days.

I went to visit the firefighters as well :).

Tomorrow, I’m going to visit the fuel area, and visiting the zoo :) We’ll see how that goes.

I’ve been here for at least 1/2 a month… I felt like time passed by really quick, and I honestly can’t believe I’ve been here that long. But, in the back of my head, I’m going: holy shit, another 15 days until I can get out of here. :/

Joe is supposedly SOMEWHERE in Thailand; I hope he comes rescue me and Kyle and take us to either Bangkok, Phuket, Koh Samui, or even Chiang Mai. Just out of Sukhothai for a few days. :/

I rode my bike on the runway yet again for an hour :) It was a nice ride. So, 4 kilometers in total? Yep.

Kyle and I had a talk in the office about how college induces even more drama than high school, and how sad it is that people change their personalities based on the fact that they’re getting even more materialistic, too realistic, and not very idealistic. It’s sad that people base friends off of ‘usefulness;’ it’s even sadder that people make friends… not even going to finish the damn sentence. It makes me so pissed.

What if “real life,” “life out of college,” the “real world,” the “job industry,” was naïve, and oblivious, like childhood? Would the world be so corrupt as it is now? Would being on planet earth be a happy place to be? I THINK SO. But, things aren’t so easy, as life isn’t so easy. Naïve thinking—I know. But, just imagine…

Pee-naam-pung asked if I was okay today. And, I was quite surprised when he asked me this. It’s because I wasn’t smiling at all during lunch—I was so out of it, and tired, and wishing Joe would’ve been here by now. God, I’m a bitch.

8.45pm: The Last Song Ever-Secondhand Serenade: Thanks for introducing the band…do you even know who YOU are anymore? :/

You know what song truly represents me? Obsessed-Mariah Carey, except I’m Eminem in this case. I’ve been to obsessed over certain people. GOD, I wish I wasn’t…but I feel that this feeling is so inevitable. This concept of obsession can be applied to many situations, as a friend of mine is going through a breakup, as another friend of mine is constantly thinking about whether he should make a decision…

I think photo updates are coming soon if I’m bored enough to upload my pictures onto my laptop :). 

Day 12 Day started at 5.30am Sukhothai

Day 12 5.30am productive day.

Sukhothai

Woke up at 5.30am today. It was a really fun day-off, and it was worth the morning call. Pee-ann, Pee-oii, Kyle and I headed into town to give monks food, as a way of blessing ourselves [I’ll have pictures to show soon :)]. We first headed to a 7-11 to buy their breakfast. There, Pee-oii explained to me why they gave food (and monks can eat meat too! Which I was pretty surprised about). When a person gives monk food, and water, the person receives it back when he goes through the afterlife. Does this make sense? If you, the reader, understand the ‘afterlife,’ ‘reincarnation,’ aspect of Buddhism, it’ll make a lot more sense. Pee-oii made a joke about how if you only give a monk food, aren’t you going to be thirsty and want water too? At 7-11, they bought sandwiches, Yakult (brings back good memories),  bread, and other food items.

We stood on the streets, waiting for a monk to approach I think was the point. One monk did. The ritual is this: you are supposed to take off your shoes (thank god I was wearing flip-flops today) when in the presence of them. Then, you’re supposed to hand them food with two hands into their metal bins (?), or hand it to them. Afterwards, the monks start making their blessing by chanting, and you’re supposed to squat down/sit down and pray. During the blessing, you can make a wish. Usually, you’re supposed to wish others well, such as your family, or anyone you want to see better. But, of course the self comes first in usual cases.  I didn’t squat down the first monk I saw because I didn’t know exactly what was going on; instead, I took pictures, and it was okay because I didn’t hand him food.

We then approached a second monk, where Pee-ann asked me and Kyle to touch her while she gave the monk the food. Then, we took part in the ritual and squatted down (I really wanted to take a picture of us, but obviously I couldn’t). I made a nice wish that I don’t think will ever come true, but it’s okay. I put my heart into it while squatting down.

After our blessings, and giving away of 7-11 substances, we headed into the local market of town. Pee-oii wanted to buy breakfast for her colleagues. So, we all headed to this local stand that consisted of several meats on display as well as a huge vat of sticky rice. It was delicious :). Pee-ann ran off somewhere to do what she needed to do. . Pee-ann gave me and Kyle this dessert, and that was the reason why she was gone. God, I love her. Pee-oii went to get another blessing from a monk, and went to this stand to buy some other type of food. She headed back to the truck, only to have a waft of doughnut smells following her. She gave me and Kyle a bag too. Such great hospitality.

Me and Kyle arrived back in our condo around 7am. I unlocked my door, said goodnight to Kyle, and slept till 10am.

After I woke up, I ate breakfast that we brought back from the local market this morning. It was all very delicious.

I finished up my Bangkok post, watched some more Thai T.V., and saw this Ajoo [Korean] character on air. I found it funny/nice because he needed a translator on T.V., and I wish I had one for myself. :)

Kyle headed out to eat some ‘afternoon tea,’ where I was too full from what I had in the morning, I caught up on some news. I decided to join him after 30 minutes to ride my bicycle as an excuse for exercise. I locked my room door, and realized I locked my own key in my room. I didn’t panic, because I remember watching this Taiwan news on T.V., that to open my type of door, I could use a hammer and a book to knock it open. I didn’t find a hammer, so I found a substitute glass can (Nescafe brand haha), and tried popping the door open. THAT WAS A BIG FAIL. So, I rode my bike to find Kyle heading home, and we rode to Ms. Chutima together.

I tried explaining to Ms. Chutima about how I locked myself out—God, that was embarrassing. But, we had a language barrier. So, the next best thing (I admit, I’m quick on my feet and quite smart when it comes to communication barriers) I did, was to draw a door and a key, and point. Haha, she got it. She had a bucket full of keys, and all the keys were nestled within each other. 10 minutes later she hands me an unbranded branch of keys, and I bike back in lightening speed, and the first key I tried popped open my door, and I was exuberant :). Kyle came back with me, and then I mentioned about the local market that holds on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays outside the outskirts of the airport. I asked him if he was interested in going, and so I grabbed my wallet, MY KEY, and we headed back to give the chain of keys back to Ms. Chutima.

Kyle and I headed out on a 3km journey—it really wasn’t that bad. And, my knee didn’t pop out—I think this idea is just the only thing stopping me from doing a lot of activities which is sad. But this thought needs another post in and of itself :). ANYWAYS, we head to the local market, and I didn’t get that many stares because 1. I think I didn’t have a bag/purse on me (just a wallet tucked in my shorts), 2. my shorts were just above knee length, 3. I didn’t have my camera, 4. I was with Kyle who looks a lot more Thai than I do. The people there still gave me smiles, and I felt warm and comfortable as usual. I wanted to buy fruits because I ran out of my Rambutang. I proceeded to a fruit stand that sold Pineapple with this “酸梅粉” package that seems similar to the Taiwan version. I asked “gee baht?” and the owner replied “ee sip.” I was like, shit, there’s no such number as “ee” and I know “sip” is ten. So I handed her 20baht, hoping ee sip would be less than that. She took the money and I was on my way. The whole time Kyle was like, “uh, shit, I think ee sip means 10baht.” I was like “are you SURE she didn’t say si sip because that means 40 baht.” The whole time I was thinking, shit, just because I don’t exactly look Thai, she’s going to cheat me of my money? But, I was also like, it’s only 20 baht, how much cheaper can it get in Taiwan?

As we were walking through the market, I saw a stand that sold desserts similar to the one Ms. Chutima and Bo bought the last time I was with them. I decided to buy exactly that for Pee-ann, Ms. Chutima, and Bo because 1. I owe all three of them too much, 2. Ms. Chutima had to go through the trouble of finding keys for me, 3. it was the right thing to do, and it made me happy doing so :). I was afraid I’d get cheated like the last stand I approached, so I stood nearby watching other customers handle the situation. I saw 2-3 customers grab three bags of goodies, and handed the shop owner’s daughter 20 baht. I did the same, hoping they won’t charge more for me. AND THEY DIDN’T! My heart giggled. The daughter smiled at me, which made me feel even better.

Me and Kyle headed back to our condo, and we greeted the security guards. It was a fun-filled day.  We went to visit Pee-ann to drop off my dessert for the trio. Turns out ee-sip meant 20baht, and that made my day/night. Ms. Chutima and Pee-ann are narak jin jin!!!

It’s only 6.41pm, staying up for the Worldcup tonight (?), not sure. I did wake up at 5.30am today, and I get to wake up at 8.30am tomorrow for work :), so… we’ll see in a few hours. GO SPAIN!!

I heard Joe’s coming to visit [in the middle of the month, which is around 4 days]. He can’t back out, can he? He still has Kyle’s 4000baht. If he does come however, is he going to take us to Bangkok, Chiang Mai, or even better, Koh Samui ???? :) I can’t wait till he gets here, I don’t know why.

Did a total of 6km by bike. Did around 100 sit-ups. Did a lot of eating. Did nothing to lose weight so far, I think. Haha.

6.45pm: Come Home- One Republic. :(

8.20pm: just got back from a night trip to 7-11. Pee-oii, Pee-ann, and a new person Pee-see went to buy chasers for alcohol. Soda water, and pepsi. I went to buy Yakult :) and the Koala chocolate biscuit thing. AROI!! I think I’m going to be drinking tonight…after 13-15 (?) days of soberness. This is good enough. Who’s going to stop me? If I don’t drink tonight though, I’ll be totally fine. So, apparently, Pee-oii, Pee-ann, Pee-see, Kyle and I are going to drink under the stars tonight…the  sky seems to be a little cloudy :(, but we’ll see.