NYE event in Boston

Those of you who are waiting for a last min deal on our biggest NYEevent. We now have 2 General Admin + 5 Drink Tix (Save $20) for only$175.



http://www.SYNERGYNYE.com ...prices will go up soon.

Burma PR

In January of 1962, Burma's democratic state ended and was violently replaced by a military regime that is rightfully compared to Hitler's Army.  The years following have granted Burma with another title: home of the longest civil war in world's history.

Through five decades of bloodshed, fear, and horrendous disregard for human rights, Burma's military junta, the SPDC(State Peace and Development Counsel), has forced nearly four million citizens to seek refuge in surrounding countries and their border camps.  Those who did flee are considered the lucky ones; many are burned, scalped, tortured or forced into vicious unpaid labor for the government.  Women are raped and stripped of their unborn babies; children are sold into sex trafficking or placed as soldiers along with nearly 70,000 other kids resulting in the largest number of child soldiers in the world.  Any resistance is seen as anti-governmental and rarely results in a sound answer; often protestors are met with violent attacks from the military.  The infamous 1988 uprising against the government resulted in thousands of civilian fatalities--students, teachers, and even monks were gunned down for opposing political and economic management.

All this may seem like something out of a history book, but Burma's ethnic cleansing and vicious military rule is increasing annually with the financial backing of several countries.  Investors have thrown billions of dollars into the laps of the military generals, who in turn, spend 40% of their national budget on military--spending 200 times more on military than on health or education--and their only enemy is their very own people.

Those Burmese who oppose the regime still somehow remain positive and peaceful people, although some could say that they are simply helpless; even trying to assemble a militia to defend themselves from the SPDC they are out-numbered- 10:1- and hugely out-financed.  To them, peace without justice is pointless, but they can not fight this battle alone.  International aid is not enough to free these desperate people; it is time that the international community enforced tighter sanctions and puts their heads together to turn this hopeless country into a Democratic Republic once again.  The 2010 elections will be watched closely all over the world, hopefully this monumental year will put an end to the struggle of these oppressed individuals.

Last 40 Days

The last 40-50 days or so have been busy; from jetsetting to entertaining guests, I have had little time to respond to emails or be even a half-way decent friend. I will use this post the best I can to give an update of my recent travels and probably wont have much energy, or desire, to throw in many of the stories. Please understand that when traveling, especially in 3rd world countries or far off lands with entirely different cultures and ways-of-life, stories are made by the hour and rare sites are seen far too often; so spending time to even try to justify which stories are worthy enough of furthering my carpal tunnel while typing is tough to do.

In brief:

In Mid August I had a lovely guest touchdown in the scorching heat of SouthEast Asia. It was her first time in Thailand and her first time in Asia, also our firs time seeing each other in 4 months or so. My wonderful girlfriend made the around the world visit to come see me and show her love and support during my travels, and, more importantly, to eat some damn good food. We spent our first day, from the hour she got off the plane, with a bit of pampering--massage/pedicure/manicure, the likes. Only a portion of what is needed/deserved for a 26 hour flight-taker! After that we took 6 of my lucky students/friends out to dinner and a movie and let them all meet. THey are learning english and are from Burma, the country at the center of Human Rights abuse and under serious civil conflict. THeir stories are amazing, sad, or just plane funny; they loved meeting a foreigner and someone they could practice their English with. We saw an action movie and ate dinner and then some dessert. THey all wanted to take pictures with her for their scrap books, they took turns with different patterns, then switched for the 1 on 1 photo op with the "vewy beautifl giwrl". THe next day, me and the beautiful girl went to an island about 5 hrs out of the city, called KOH CHANG- Translated: Elephant Island...where elephants are sometimes caught roaming free and the water/atmosphere trumps any beach I've seen in America/Hawaii. We got a Bungalo on the water and enjoyed eachother's company for 3 days. On the 4th day, we returned to central Thailand to pick up my next special package arriving from the west: MOMMA!

She arrived early as well, around 10am. I did my best to get her a good massage, finding out that it was her first massage dissapointed me a bit, but also excited me to know I was going to be at the hands of fixing her up with her newest addiction. Two months later I can already picture the meetings, "Hello my name is Nick's Mom, and I'm a massage addict". Funny cuz when I was younger, my mom's name literally was Nick's mom...atleast I thought. Who knew mom's had names?....

We first did a tour of the local temples, and of the grand palace where the reigning king once lived. These are, at the least, breathtaking. Beautiful in all ways that the overcrowded city would allow. Crap, I shouldnt have used the word "breathtaking" yet cuz now I may over use it and I wanted to save it for the next leg of our journey:

Cambodia.

Probably one of the few people who visited Cambodia and fell in love right away. But I have never been awed much by the man-made craziness of modern cities, I prefer rich culture and seeing life in its' purest form. I opted to take the misses and the mother on this trip because of the experience, the culture shock, and the 7th wonder of the world: Angkor Wat. Ill get to that in a minute. So I wanted them to understand/experience the full marvels/immersion of the trip, so I steered away from flights or vip buses and went with the gold ol' 50 cent, 6 hour, train ride down the Thai Coast and onto the border of Thailand/Cambodia. We were approached atleast 6-8 times each, all with some different scam or trick, sometimes by one of the 30+ children begging in the street. It break their hearts to see all the abandoned kids living/eating/working on the streets, whether it be in the sex trade business, begging, or pickpocketing...the kids take A LOT out of you when visiting 3rd worlds. We were then scammed a few times with some visa-tricks and fake consulates; from the 6 hr train ride we took a 3 hr shared taxi(aka guy's car we just met) to the city of many of my thoughts the past few months: Siem Reap, the city that holds the coveted Angkor Wat. Everything about Cambodia screams Angkor Wat, from the countries flag to the national Beer, this monument impressed us already and we hadnt even seen it yet. On the ride over, I tried to give my guests a crash course on Cambodia, the Khmer Regime(one of the deadliest bloodsheds of its time, basically Cambodia's Holocaust), and also of the temple systems and of Angkor Wat. I was learning a lot, but sometimes it is possible to enjoy a site even if nothing is known about it at all.

The next morning we wake at 4 am, again, to catch the sunrise over the Angkor Wat temple. As we pull in and park, I am floored. 7th Wonder of the World. The Monument dating back over a thousand years, was right in front of me as the sun was just starting to light up the surroundings. I took a few minutes to catch myself, then immediately started taking pictures and getting mad at them for not having already ran through a roll of film already. We missed the sunrise because of the clouds, but even a monsoon couldn't make this site un-inspiring.

We walked the grounds for about 2 hrs, it was early and a "low-season", so very few tourists were there. Much like most of Cambodia, the only foreigners there were either in Phnom Penn, the capital, or working in the human rights field. Cambodia also has some great beaches I hear, but we didnt have the chance to see them. As we walked the grounds, I loved the amount of freedom we had, there were no guards or workes controlling where you could or couldnt go and what you could or couldnt do; and for a guy with curiosity and a camera, this spelled disaster. I creeped into old temples and we crawled up and down very impressive stairs and around the buildings. It was incredible, and so well set. In the front the lake was set perfectly to reflect the entire Temple, and then it was built almost like a fortress with grass and palm trees seperating different sections. And the king had built a 200-300+ yard walkway up to the entrance that was made so that he could enjoy the view when atop his elephant walking towards his thrown. Impressive. Id imagine something like that of the pyramids in Egypt; just in terms of the scale of work and creativity that went into the project...over 1000 years old! I have met many grandparents and I thought they were ancient when I found out they were 90....but 1000+ years old...

Anyway, Ill save the enthusiasm-energy for the next few sentences. After a full day of temple-viewing and sunset/sunrise chasing, we ate at the local market, my mom got extreme food poisining and we canceled our next leg of the trip which took as six hours east t Phnom Penh and to the Vietname border. We instead hung with mom and made sure the Magic Mango Shake wouldnt have us end up with a microphone under us saying, "She was such a good woman......it was only a mango shake, how could we have known?" THe funny part of the whole thing was that me and my girlfriend had 4 the same night, and felt better than ever. We felt bad for her, but luckily it was just a 24 hr thing and we were able to get back on the road back to bangkok.

Once in Bangkok I took them around toa few more sites and pamperings. Nothign extravagent, but it doesnt take much in a foreign city to "shock" someone who has never been. We visited Jakujak, the world's largest outdoor market; a few other markets and went on a short safari.

Next step: Hong Kong.

We stayed here and also went to the neighboring country, Macau, for a few days. I had already been but wanted them to see a bit of China. My girlfriend flew out of Hong Kong and me and my mother hten went back to THailand. Hong Kong is amazing, but I dont want to write about it since I already have in early blogs...

Next stop: Chiang Mai. Chiang mai is many visitors/locals favorite city of Thailand. It is one of the northernmost of Thailand, rich with culture and even better massages. "Hello my name is Ann's Son, and Im a massage addict." We had a nice time here and did a cooking course where we learned how to cook some of my favorite dishes; it was from 9am-4pm and we were ready to explode by the time 10am hit.

From there we checked to see if my mother could extend her 3 week vacation onto another 3 days so that we could hit the beach prior to her departure. Its always a good relaxing ending to a go-go-go nick-lead-country-hoping freeforall. We went to Koh Chang, and as Im writing this, we just got back. Here we just relaxed and soaked up the sun. Avoided a rainstorm by staying inside to read, but still had a chance to relax and really enjoy our last few days together.

Now, in about 15 hours and 38 minutes(not that Im counting it down or anything), my mother leaves to return to the states after over 3 weeks of traveling.

-------

I have more than enjoyed my guests and it was nice to speak non-broken english for a few weeks. Hopefully my next blog will give more than just a itinerary, but hopefully this will steer away some of the "what have you been up to??"s

I love you all and appreciate your reading.

Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand

From Chinese women pushing me into bins of clothes to monkeys begging me for money, I just got back from the first leg of an incredible trip. Started off in the afternoon a few weeks back and took a plane straight to Hong Kong. As soon as I got off I realized what kind of visit it was going to be: crazy. Not "I am 23 and get drunk and call everyone 'dude' " kind of crazy, but crazy just because its China. Hong Kong is best described as a simple comparison to Chinatown, very similar...ha, who knew? The swarms of people and scammers and coldness(of the people) brings it all together to make it so uninviting at first. I was constantly pushed and reached over and yelled at by the locals, but apparently this is something to "not take personally". So instead of buying a pocket knife to fight back, I decided to try to get the most out of this overwhelming city. I met a few tourists and one guy, a Chinese tourist from Shanghai, who helped me get around for a day and actually enjoyed one of the best days together...did an incredible hike and saw the best view in all of Hong Kong...at a location called "The Peak". It overlooks the entire city/island and is breathtaking..literally, you are high atop a mountain and the fog/pollution are a danger. We hiked to the very top, past the tourist viewpoint, and snuck into a village area where we found an even more incredible view...took pictures then we were chased out. Besides this, I met a few more people...some who took me to Karaoke some who took me to eat bad food. Also did another hike to a place called "10,000 Buddahs"...where there are 12,800 different buddah statues dedicated to a special temple, another great hike and a nice day for another nice view. Hong Kong started off as overwhelming and I couldn't deal with the heat and people, but after I left I wanted to go back right away, it was a great experience and I loved the city.

From Hong Kong I hopped on a boat to go to a different country, far more interesting than flying....sometimes the trip there is more interesting than the destination. Especially around here where trains and dingy boats can take you to every nook and cranny of the continent...for near nothing! So I arrived in Macau, a country once owned by Portugal---VERY interesting to see a European influence in an Asian Country. It was great to see signs in Chinese, Portugese, and English....so interesting. And to hear Chinese people try to speak this Latin based language was a riot....to hear Chinese people speak is a riot anyway. I didnt spend long in this country, saw a few of the main attractions and met a few scammers who constantly approached me with some new inventive story or scam. The best part of the country was the Ruins of St Pauls Cathedral...you walk towards it thinking its a giant catherdral, but as you look it is only the front of it which remains.. a giant Facade. It was beautiful and this 500 year old piece of history really brought me a sense of appreciation towards those who fight/fought so hard for their country and for a better future/history.

After Macau I flew to Malaysia. Gosh I am getting tired of writing....okay lets make it easy. Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur. Another interesting country for reasons besides landmarks and historical sites. Who cares?, anyway this is a Muslim Country! The first I have been to so far so it was very interesting..and in some of the more rural areas, Im sure I was very interesting to them too. As for things to see, it didnt have much....but as for FOOD(the best part of traveling), it had MUCHO(not a Malaysian word)! Indian/Halal food is one of my favorite, Hommos and Naan bread has kept my figure in the outstanding shape it is today. This country is Muslim, meaning there is plenty of vegetarian food...im not a big fan of bad food, but my brother Phil loves it! I toured the city and met an Aussie who ended up spending a day with me and we did some of the tourist-y things...saw the once-world's tallest buildings-The Petronas Towers-, saw some amazing mosques, and saw the KL Tower, World's Tallest Cement Structure(where do they come up with these titles?)

From there I wake up at 4am to hop on a plane to Vietnam...really long story short(ya right), I ended up getting taken to the wrong airport, miss my flight, meet a guy who brags to me about Phuket, Thailand...and I join him. He wasssssssss right! WOW! This is where one of the James Bond's was filmed, it is rated in many magazines as the World's Most beautiful island..ect, ect. So I spent 4 days, which were supposed to be spent in Viet Nam, in Phuket. Went to Phi Phi Island, saw Monkeys swimming in the ocean, and got my hair braided on the beach while getting a massage under the sunset. Rented a motorcycle and toured the island for a day...and just enjoyed my remaining days after a long 2 week outing.

Now I am back in Bangkok, as I write this I am boarding a train to Chaing Mai. It is the Northern area of Bangkok and is known for its hikes and more relaxing/outdoorsy feel. I signed up for a Meditation class, a cooking class and some other stufffffffff. Then heading through Laos and through Burma,,,down back to Bangkok and down through Cambodia and up through Vietnam! Stoked! Hope it works out well...if not I will just google "cool travel story" and post it as my own.

Anyway. If anyone is still reading, I thank you. If anyone is not, I do not blame you.

xo

Life

Its hard to understand things sometimes; maybe because you are not involved in that situation or because you are too far involved in that situation. But at times we are able to pull ourselves out of the daily-routine and tiresome thoughts, and just clear our minds. It is unusual that having this clear mind sometimes allows things to make more sense than when we try to make sense of them...it helps us to realize two things: either everything is one, or everything is nothing. Neither is more pessimistic or optimistic than the other, just different ways of viewing the same things.

I have spent a lot of time in trains and planes and buses recently and giving myself a chance to think..I have meditated with monks and done yoga with tribes-people. I have done many things to dig deeper into myself and dig deeper into the trials of our mind and of our thought-processes. Desire, needs, sensations, satisfaction, happiness, fulfilment. All feelings that we feel need to be quenched in one way or another. These generally come about with some sort of attraction or attachment to a particular person, feeling or thing...loosing this attachment helps us clear our minds to gain a better understanding of why we think the way we do. Gaining knowledge of ourselves and knowledge of nature brings us closer to a knowledge of life...I will not dig deep enough to ask of goals or ambitions, ambitions create depression and egotistical longings. Gaining control over our mind and our body is the key to feeling better...or atleast this is the case for myself.

I feel that the most powerful and meaningful sensation and desire is that of significance. To whom or what are we important? Love and other emotions can become tainted and egos constanltly get in the way of what we really will feel fulfilled with. I constantly, annoyingly, ask my friends and people I meet if they would truly, truly, feel fulfilled if they got to that point that they are shooting for...if that is the place where they see themselves looking back and forward with a smile. Of course accomplishments are great, but thats living in the past moreso than the present. It is difficult to find our true happiness, but we certainly have the right and ability to pursue it. I hope only the best for everyone in this pursute.

Airborne

Heading out on a short trip now. Been enjoying the time in BKK a whole bunch, meeting so many people and really enjoying the benefits of the people I am meeting and the work I am taking part in.

I hope to come back with a new knowledge of the world as I know it; also with some great experiences, new friends/contacts, and maybe a few presentable pictures. We shall see...for now, here are a few pictures from an appreciatory-dinner that some of my students put on for all the teachers.

Goodbye, (English), Zai Jain(Chinese), Sain yavaarai(Mangolian), Xin chào ông (Vietnamese), Selamat tingga(Malaysian)..and of course, Sawasdee Khrap! (Thai).

Quick update

It is Thursday, a weekday, and I am home! Its been a while since I was able to just sit back and relax for a day...but I was allowed a day off and I have certainly made the most of it! Just had some people over to swim and now heading out to grab some food and then go out later on in the evening with some work friends.

Have been meeting some great people lately, people from all over the place and it really allows me an inside scoop on where to, and not to, visit on my upcoming travels. Its nice to know I can ask them [too many] questions and have a couch to crash on if I end up hitting their country in the coming months.

On the same note, this month will be a traveling month. School is out and I am free for a while--well Ill have to take a few days off from work, but no big deal. I am finally relatively fluent in the language and have found it incredible to conversate with people that I could not before; its also nice to hear what strangers are saying about me while I am there("Why does boy wear pink shorts?"). I have a few friends who are also traveling a bit this month---so Viet Nam, Hong Kong, Indonesia, and a few other countries are most likely on the itinerary.

In some of these countries it is very difficult to bring in a computer and other electronics, so I am not sure if I will have much chance to keep in touch with everyone. My most desired destination is Myanmar! More than anywhere in the world. It is so appealing because it is so undeveloped and so mysterious. Many people are denied access to this Diplomatic Country, and once you get in it is still not 100% guaranteed. Being an American has many advantages, but also some downfalls when it comes to traveling. No complaints though, I will give it a shot and see if I can get into this country that doesn't even have visa, atms, computers, or cell phones.

Other than this nonsense, all is great. Spending a lot of time with the friends I have out here and also working on a few big projects... The government shut down EVERY school in Bangkok due to the Flu, so we all have a nice long Holiday.

Hopefully the Flu isn't taking over out there...lets let Obama have another term before the Flu Apocalypse

July 4 outside of America

America gained its independence from British rule after brave men went against there government in order to find a new nation...BAM! July 1776 we are a nation of our own. 2009 we are still fighting for equal rights amongst our citizens. Lets stand up for what we believe in and be thankful that there are so many reasons we are one of the greatest nations on the planet.

July 4, 2009: While you were spending the day celebrating the day you gained independence, I was at the scene of Thailand's first Capitol: Ayyuthaya. Long before Bangkok was the Metropolis Capitol of Thailand(much like DC is our capitol), this city was a hustling town full of several huge temples and revrent dedications towards the king of the land. It was at this site where the Burmese army destroyed the independence of a developing nation, sending it south to what is now Bangkok. Thailand is the only country of SouthEast Asia to never be under foreign rule...wowzers. However, the Burmese did go into each temple and cut off the heads of the Buddahs and destroyed the temples as much as they could. In that time, a temple represented a city's life, showing that it was properous and long living. (Crazy, there were buddah heads all over...one we saw was on the ground for hundreds of years, too big too move, and the tree roots started to grow around it...)

ANyway, I cant articulate anythign too well right now,,,,but it was an amazing day. Walking around and seeing the temples and hearing the stories of the land. I took a train out there with a friend and it was a real nice ride, cost 45 cents for a 2 hour train ride. The trains were very hot and uncomfortable, but it was a really cool experience. The train is free to some, so they are not well maintained, free to roam it as you please...you can even get up on top of the train cars and ride it on the roof of the train or ride outside of the train if you.....at some points we jumped off the train and ran along side of it trying to race it...haha, pretty cool. Ya, it was a nice day getting out of the fastmoving city and getting a nice peaceful getaway and just enjoyign the sites and fresh air.

Now hoping on a plane to an island in a few hrs, rated in many magazines/sites as the NUMBER 1 BEACH IN THE WORLD....Jeez. So it will be a nice getaway, no phone, no email, no nothing. Just the people and nature.

http://www.mapsofworld.com/travel-maps/world-top-ten-beaches.html

I will post some more updates soon....sorry this post is junk, I was in a hurry and couldnt think.

Open your own freaking door!

Was out for about 10 hrs today and finally made it back home after working on a few reports at the local hospital. I was coming in late and my favorite doorman was going to be on duty, so I figured Id grab him a coffee to help his night shift breeze by a bit easier. I wait in this long line, end up leaving, then feel bad so I go back in the line and buy him the coffee and walk it back to my condo. I get to the condo and have a little speech planned, in Thai, about how I appreciate him and that it is hot outside...I was also even ready with a few responses depending upon his response, kind of like those children's books---if you want the red monster to die, turn to page 35; if you want him to kill your partner, turn to page 71. Anyway, I was ready for any response and I start gliding into the parking lot. I see him across the way and smile and say the few lines in Thai and he welcomes me back with one of my few predicted responses; then I see, right behind him, the other doorman that I forgot was going to be on duty tonight. Now I look like a complete jackass and I don't even know how to apologize in the damn language. I use sorry more than anyone and I forgot to learn the damn word, I know "sorry, i accidently bumped into you", but I dont know a sorry approriate for "I didnt know you were working tonight". Anyway, trying to be a hero now I am just some rude punk who they probably think has a crush on one of the doormen.

Somebody somwhere

Every imagine what else is going on in the world? Maybe, probably...but it is funny to open your mind to think of all the things that may happen every minute, somewhere in the world. As we speak somebody just bought a new computer, stepped on a nail, found a bug in their food, shaved for the first time, lifted weights then looked at their self in the mirror, told a bad joke, found out their child died, popped a bubble, posted a picture of their ultrasound online, found money on the ground, ate sushi, found out they had a deadly disease, ignored a phone call, spilled wine on someone, told another bad joke, broke an ikea desk after having trouble putting it together, got a text from a boyfriend breaking up with them, changed the channel, or maybe just woke up to go get married today. So many things are going on in the world around us and we know of only what we choose to know. Lets open our minds, open our hearts, and gain awareness of the troubles and joys of our communities and the communities afar.

Ask questions and make the most of our daily lives.

:)

Letters from the Cave

Deep inside the dungeon of Sukhumvit Soi, I write sprawled out in the spread eagle-position...

Life is good, learning a bit of the language and some of the traditional cooking as well. It is nice learning the language because I got a jump start knowing that "motorcycle" is the same in both english and Thai. There are only about 4 words that are the same in the comparing languages, but its fair to say that I know those four really well. I have tried to make complete sentences out of the 4 nouns with no luck. Its funny when speaking with some of the models who are working out here, they have all gathered the essentials of the language(thank you, hi, how much) and don't care to much to venture past that. Then, like a typical well-versed model, amaze me with "Its soo hard" when asked why they don't learn the language. They always say it as if its some kind of position that no one has ever taken before. Its real nice to be in the class after not being in school for over 5 years, 5 years!! It's been a while since having to wake up early, call someone teacher, or text in my pocket..its certainly a fun challenge learning the peculiar language. It is far more advanced than English, in many ways...but then decades behind in other ways. It is a tonal language, there are 5 tones(mid, low, falling, high, rising). Each word has one of the 5 tones, if you say high instead of rising it may mean calling your grandma a horse. It is incredibly difficult to learn this portion of it since it has hundreds of sounds that are not in any of the westernized languages...but the grammar of the language is amazingly simple, far more than that of English or Spanish. No past tense or present tense or real sentence structure.

So now I am here, I had to run home for an hour while the maid handles business and cleans up all my hair off the tile floor of the condo...now that I have a white tile floor I realize how much hair I lose on a daily basis, I am constantly sweeping hair into the garbage(under the fridge) and wondering why I never noticed this loss of hair. They say the average person loses about 80 strands per week...thats a lot of hair! I suppose we have millions of hair follicles and I have never taken the time to actually count the hair on the tile, but I am guessing that I am well above the average human. I am now 23 and my mother and her father lost hair at an early age, so I suppose it is now aroundabout my time to start losing my hair...so like a convict ordering steak on his last meal, I am letting it grow out real long for my remaining years of follicle stardum. Its hard for a man to face such a fact, even harder when you are sweeping up yesterday's treasures as you are losing them...no sooner have they been swept away under the stove then they are falling from your head. Maybe something about the heat and humidity makes them fall faster, or maybe grow faster too? I figure vegetation and fruits grow faster and healthier in humid climates, why not my hair follicles? Well maybe because they are already dead when they come out of my skull...could be one hypothesis...that or maybe tile increases the speed of hair loss in men. Regardless of what it is, its an exciting part of my day to see the hair on the ground, lets me know that another day has passed. I would take the rogaines or hair loss serums, but its a bit more fun to have something to wake up and be bitter about. Kind of like when you offer something to someone and they suggest their choice, and you dont like it...but then feel bad when you express that you dont like it and give them the chance to pursue their choice, but they are now even more bitter and immature than you so refuse your chance.
"Where would you rather go eat, Taco Bell or Wendys?"...
"Id love to go to Wendys!" ...
"Oh man, well I was hoping youd say Taco Bell....can we go there instead" ...
"You gave me the choice! Whyd you even ask!? Fine, Taco Bell...UGH!" ...
"OK OK OK we can go to Wendys,,sorry!" ..
"Nope, thats fine....Taco Bell"

What do I do out here?

I have averaged that question one time per day for the past 2 weeks and many more times before leaving. It is a very simple, and completely un-irritating, question that I would probably ask any one who packed up and went 15,000 miles away. So, all anger aside, I will do my best to answer the question without making myself sound like too much of a snob.

Most of my time during my first week here were full of Basic Operating Procedures for anyone who settles down into a new city. Now I have moved quite a few times, and a few times to different cities/states, but never out of country...so that adds an interesting twist and inconvenience to the whole settling-in phase. So initially I was spending my days doing the tedious duties: opening a bank account; searching for a place to live; activating a phone service; meeting with clients NGOs lawyers and a few friends; getting a monthly pass for railway(BTS); and doing random things in between there to keep my sanity(massages, manicures, facials, good food, lying on blogs). From my experiences of moving, I know that it is stressful and tiresome for the initial part of the move. Especially when moving to a new city, there are always those times where you may spend wondering what to do or may spend a meal alone, but this is such a great displeasure because it forces us into finding out more about oursevles and jump out of our comfort zone.

Now since my first week is clearly over, I have been fortunate to settle in and starting to feel like somewhat of a native--besides of course the white skin, facial hair, US passport, completely different language, lack of knowledge of the city, lack of knowledge of etiquette(you cant point ur toes at anyone here!), 6'1" frame that towers over many(pronounced mini)-people, and so many other very noticeable differences. I have been very warmly accepted by the locals and by the migrants. Thailand is known as "The Land of Smiles"; at a very young age the individuals are taught to smile at all times when talking with someone, no matter the level of anger or uncomfort. Now some people would try to get them to break that smile, like tourists tease the British gaurds at the gate of Royal quarters, but many tourists often find themselves smiling right along with them. It is exciting to see so much love and positive energy in a country flooded with poverty, curruption and crime. It is certainly an inspriing time for myself, to give up a sense of time and greed and money, and fall into the locals' way of life.

I have been fortunate to meet some great people here. Several international models have been kind enough to take me around with them on trips to eat, beach, yoga, nightlife or just tell me stories about other parts of the world. Thailand is the hub of SE Asia, so hundreds of Euros and Russian models flock to here each year to get a piece of the rice cake. Also, I have teamed up with a very kind and knowledgable group of lawyers, which I met during my last visit and have worked with several times a week during my time away from the country. We are currently working on a highly public case regarding a migrant from communist china who has lost his migrant status and is being deported next friday unless our appeal is strong enough. I was very fortunate to write the draft appeal, because of my knowledge of English writing and arguementive capabilities, and we are also releasing press for his case to gain even more public attention this week. The case has been published in the NY Times, Washington Post and of course every major medium out here.

I have started teaching English to the refugees who are here seeking a better way of life, free from oppression and violence in their home country. It is one of the nicer things I have done for myself and for others, giving them a chance to compete in a struggling economy and difficult market--English is the second language in many places, so having the ability to conversate in English makes them more marketbale...aka more MONEY HONEY. No money, No honey.

I am also volunteering at an orphanage. I will be going on a somewhat regular basis and so far it is exciting working with these children who have been kicked to the curb by their families. Whether it be because of death, poverty, rape, or pure chance...these kids have an unusually positive attitude towards there horrible living conditions.

Modeling out here is very different, in so many ways. Where I used to get MAYBE 2 castings a week, I am now getting 3-5 per day. Jobs are abbundant here; however, they are all low paying. Simliar to how NY clients would travel to surrounding states to find cheaper models, Asian clients seek models from Thailand because of the low wages that most models are paid down here. Now low wages, in the modeling world, is still by no means untolerable, but it is interesting to see the way that economy affects so many things in this industry. It is positive for myself, I am given the opportunity to get paid to go to amazing cities like Hong Kong, Singapore, Vietnam and Korea on a regular basis. I hope that the clients have the same enthusiasm towards me as I do towards them though, haha.

Other than that, I am still finding time to learn the language, work out, yoga and enjoy the great people I have met thus far. I will not go on such a bragging/talking streak in future blogs, but I suppose this was my one chance. Howd I do? haha (losing followers as we speak).

I wish you all well and appreciate you all for reading.

Checkmate

Arent you lonely? Arent you bored?

Let me rant for a second. I have called home, to friends or family, and keep getting asked the damn question: Arent you lonely? Are you Bored out there all alone? Man, I LIVE IN A CITY OF 15 million people. Why you so damn worried about me being lonely? I have never once, not once, said I was lonely...or bored. So why would I now, during the biggest time of my life when I am happier than ever...you think I am going to bored? I am not going to write, or call home, and tell you "hey a friend took me to yoga today" or "hey I just had lunch with someone...yay!" I am not even going to write on my blog about many things I do or who I am with.Man. Yall are on my nerves. Alright, sorry for getting Kanye on you guys. Hahaaaaaaa. I love yall

Aquarium Coffee Table

I have had an interesting past 24 hrs, and I finally have a bit of sanity back in my head, well enough to write this meaningless blog at least. Late last night during one of my cleaning parades, I decided to put good use to my wonderful investment: the aquarium coffee table. For those who dont know what these are, it is simply-but beautifuly- a large aquarium with a glass top and a wooden base that is used as a coffee table. It is about 20 Gallons and has fluorescent lights and beautiful stones that rest on it's ocean-floor ;) So I fill the bad boy up with water which takes about 30 minutes, 20 to fill it up and 10 to clean up the water I dropped while carrying the bucket to the tank(why not carry the tank to the fountain you ask: cuz it would be too damn heavy! dont question me on my blog). After filling it up I decide to go shopping for fish. Now understand I am in a country where very few people speak English, and those who do know about 80 english nouns and thats it, and unfortunately, aquarium is not one of them. So to describe to them that I want to buy fish, I move my hand in a wacw like you do when you put it out of the window of a moving car. Long story short, I end up in the deli section of a giant super market staring down at an assortment of poultry, meats, and....fish. I give up and head back to base, upon opening the door I am welcome with "squooosh, sqoooosh". My shoes are now soaking wet and Im walking in a puddle of before-aquarium water. The aquarium glass shattered and sent water all throughout my apartment and my tile flooring, huge puddles are soaking wooden furniture, bags of food, my bed, clothes, ect. The puddle is only made larger by the fact that I do NOT have towels or mops or anything that would be ready for an aquarium-spill. So Im quickly ripping off clothes from the hangers and sheets from my bed to control the tsunami, it looked like an episode of I Love Lucy and I couldnt help but think about the day that one day this will all be funny.

So after things start drying and a few hrs of soaking shirts and draining them, I realize that the wetness of everythign will certainly allow for bugs to come in..maybe even the common Thai cockroach. So I run off to the store, which again has nothing in english.....except oreos. I am in the hunt for insect bait, and some insect spray. I have trouble finding it but come across both and head back to install them so I am bug ready. I plug in the insense to deter bugs then I pop open the bait. It is bigger than I would have thought, but I figured it would just last longer. So I follow the picture instructions and throw the large manual(written in Thai) in the garbage. There are three pictures: 1-open, 2-fill with water, 3-put behind fridge. I mastermind the images and the container is behind the fridge in no time. I go take a breather in the shower and wash myself off and realize I may finally be able to relax...wrong! I come out of the shower to what looks like a fire, I can barely see in front of me and I can feel my lunges giving way immediately. I grab a shirt and run out into the hallway of the building coughing and having no idea what is going on..thinking I just fled a fire it hits me: it wasnt bug bait, it was a fumagator.

How not to get a massage, by Nick Lozito

The definition of "massage" miraculously changes after 10pm. Careful, you may have to run. "Mista mista, wait!"

Almost all the way unpacked out here, still a couple of nicknacs to put away and some minor tweaking. Maybe I will hit the street and find a street vendor turned interior decorator to fill the void in this "bachelor pad". I went and did some more shopping today, opened a bank account, bought a bunch of pillows, swam in the pool, and went to 4 fitness centers to find my preference.

Salespeople can really get on your nerves sometimes; now I understand how people fe;t when I would try to sell them anything/everything. I would walk in each gym and just ask for the prices; then I would be brought water, handed a seat and paperwork and giving the vulnerablewhitepersonwholooksrichfromoutoftown-tour. Needless to say, I am now a member at four gyms and am afraid to see the faces on the salesgirl once I say I changed my mind. haha, no . Other than that I am goign to hit the World's Largest Outdoor Market tomorrow, Jatujak. This place is incredible. It is kind of like a giant wal mart, but with all really nice stuff and no H&R Block. It has over 10,000 stalls and is broken into sections: home goods, furniture, clothing...hell you could probably buy someone if you look hard enough. The joy of the market, like most things here in Thailand, is that the vendor you are speaking with most likely made the item you are inquiring about...so there is always room to bargain and they are as desperate for money as you are for a 6 foot wood elephant with blue eyes and a smile(that means they need money really bad). The rule is to ask for HALF of whatever their initial offer is...its tough but its fun, and it doesnt offend the seller. I have been offered an item for 80 dollars, ended up buying it for 15. These are quality items too, go to Pier One and you will see "Made in Thailand" on a lot of the items. Plus oriental design is great in itself anyway.

Being monsoon season, today there was a crazy flashflood. It was very nice and sunny one minute, then two minutes later you could not see in front of you face because of the craziness of the rain. Its very common around this year they say, but it still certainly takes you by surprise...especially when on a motorcyle drinking tangerine juice. damn.

Other than that, my jetlag is starting to wear off and things are starting to settle themselves out, so come Monday I will hit the streets and get to work. Hopefully everything out in Obamaland is good and well.

Checkmate

Settled in

Ahhhhhhhh. I am finally moved into my new place out here in Bangkok, Thailand...and what a place it is. Living in a crazy city without a moment to breath, I decided to splurge a bit and treat myself to a nice place with some nice amenities. Being comfortable with your home is very important, especially when that is your getaway from everything else. I will post a few pictures once I learn how to, but the view is incredible and the apartment is very comfortable- had to upgrade and get the aquarium-coffee table, haha. Its nice to be out here and among the people, I have tried to be friendly to an australian neighbor I have and that has been rewarding thus far. He showed me around a bit and got me a free month at his gym, pretty nice because I was thinking about working out, and paying, for the membership at the apartment's gym but it is pretty lousy compared to the one I he introduced me to.

Everthing else of the trip is completely new. Lost in Translation, if you will. The things we forever take for granit are now absent and can be frustrating. The difficulty of finding things in huge stores without being able to ask or read signs, the silence of taxi rides because of lack of a common language, every few minutes a child pulling at your shirt begging for money...it is all eye opening and certainly different from what we are used to. This is not what freedom sounds like, or is it? It is hard to say one is suffering or unhappy when they have very little to compare it to, this is life for so many, so out here I am a bit of an outcast and certainly a minority.

I ate lunch in the Bumrungrad Hospital Foodcourt today...wow! It has been rated by newsweek and cbs and nbc as one of the top hospitals in the world--and is HUGE in the world of Medical Tourism(where people travel around the world to get inexpensive surgeries). There are Saudi's everywhere, getting major operations done at a fraction of the cost it is in their country....all spending our oil money to buy their wives a new nose. Fill er up!

Life is good, it will certainly take a while to make myself more comfortable here, it is nice to be uncomfortable and lost though, certainly a change..... I know I will never fit in, but hopefully I learn to be more acceptable and stay safe in the villages of this beautiful country.

BLOGGING

WELCOME TO 2009, where we don't make phone calls, mail anyone or "drop by" anymore...this is now how you will follow me and this blog will be OUR relationship from here on! Haha no, I will be on here from time to time to update y'all with what I am up to and use it as a personal blog/journal for myself as well. Its always fun to see what others are doing, especially those that we love and care about...so any comments or emails with your friendly updates are greatly accepted as well.

I wish you all well and its time to add this to your bookmarks!! Mom, a bookmark is a way of saving a internet website on this world wide web..so that on future dates you can access it without having to remember. Google: "Bookmark" or simply call my brother :)