A place to hang up my umbrella

3 months since my last post? For shame! Unfortunately all of my most harrowing and blog-worthy adventures go on the work related blog. That leaves little time to talk about the mundane areas of my life, like the banana flower curry I made for dinner or the eating contest that I cheered at last month. If you'd like me to hook you up with that much more awesome blog, you can e-mail me! (Not like I really have to sell it, but sometimes I give life-saving breath or bench press boulders on that blog. Well, at least I'm going to bench press a boulder. Soon. It's on the schedule)

But I have News! From The Other Side Of The Pond 

For the last 7 months I have been bumping around a lot. I left the dorm, stayed with friends, have traveled to several different countries, and have not fully unpacked my bags. Until two weeks ago.

My darling Australian flatmate (who fights international injustice as a job then moonlights slaying dragons and saving babies for fun) and I moved in to our new apartment, and we're settling in nicely.

I've hardly scratched the surface on Design Sponging the entire house, but the front room is done, sans stuff on the wall (waiting for a drill that can tackle the concrete walls).

My decorating budget is nearly non-existent (notice the use of my ladder and broken toaster in the decorating scheme), but I did invest in paint and this amazing traditional Thai chair/bench/couch.

More pictures to come (like a Do-It-Yourself Folded Book Bookshelf that I invented!), and I'll keep you updated as I move across the house. This might turn into a home decorating/cooking blog (banana flower curry anyone? And black garlic simmering in the rice maker).

Yes, I think I'm home!

The Power of a Film

I've been told that as a young child I was extremely sensitive to movies. Even as a preteen I would get really upset at any violence or if an animal even got hurt in a film. Then as I grew older I think I came to understand that while the emotions invoked by art are real, the stories are just that; stories. Film lost the power to universally invoke the pits or heights of emotion that it previously had.

I'm still extremely moved, however, by stories that are real. This week it is 'The Lady,' a movie that came out last summer about Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. The story is at once moving, tragic, beautiful, and true. It's not history, but current in the unchanged situation in Burma. 

I think that good art encourages us to see the emotions and complexities of life in the extreme. We feel pain, or love, or whatever it is, in the Platonic ideal of what that emotion can be. Art is a beautiful and powerful way to express life.

Snow on the Other Side Of The Pond

There's snow on the pond! (The infamous pond of 'News From The Other Side Of The Pond) Check my brother's twitter account for a video of me 'tweeting' about the snow.

Last night, nostalgic and missing Chiang Mai, I ordered dinner from one of Boise's Thai restaurant, Chiang Mai House. 

The didn't have cow soi (and didn't even know what it was because none of them were Thai). The pad see euw was not delicious, and the som tham, which was supposed to be a little bit spicy, was so spicy that I couldn't even eat it. But the satay was delicious. Also, American Thai portions are HUGE!

And, the accomplishment of the week, I installed a motion sensor light in the hallway.   3 trips to the hardware store, 1 to the neighbor for a voltmeter, 40 trips to the circuit breaker, and it works!

See the video.

In other news, my dad bought a 55in TV so that "Grandma can watch 'youtubes' of kittens jumping in and out of baskets." - Mom

My Week: In Animals

Last week I ate frogs. They are delicious.

You can't really tell from this photo, but this spider is about the size of a face. A really, really big face. But not dangerous, I was assured.

And saw a cute monkey.

This week I played with a cute monkey.

And got attacked by a cobra.

Let me be clear. I was not antagonizing the snake. I was far away, peacefully observing it in its natural habitat. I was walking carefully and well aware of him from far away (I also didn't know it was a cobra until after the video or I might not have stuck around). That being said, from now on I will obey when Thais urge me not to go places where there are snakes. In fact I've promised to obey everything that my Thai sister says from now on.

But it was a little bit the most exciting thing that happened this weekend (probably just because I slept through the earthquake Sunday. Or that would have been exciting too!)

Penang

I don't really have an interesting/funny/catching intro, and let's face it, y'all really just read the intro to get to the pictures, right? So here are the pictures.

The top of Penang Hill gives you a beautiful panoramic view of the island.

Like this!

But I got tired of the tourist spots and so I wandered off on my own. Good thing I did, 'cuz I discovered this adorable little cottage (completely overgrown) and a few families of monkeys!

I also found this Thai food stall across from my hotel. 24 hours out of Thailand and I was really missing Thai food and speaking Thai, so it was nice to chat with the little family here while they made my fried rice (a Thai friend has offered to teach me to make Thai fried rice so that I have a little bit of Thailand to take with me when I visit the States).

It started with a fish...

...a fish in the fridge. A live fish in the fridge at my friends' workplace.

Friend A: Friend B, there's a live fish in our fridge. It's moving around.
Friend B: Huh. That's interesting. You should ask the boys.
Friend A (to the boys): There's a live fish in our fridge. Where did it come from?
The Boys: We caught it in the creek outside.
Friend A: Wow. How did you catch it?
The Boys: With a spear gun. We're going to eat it later.
Friend A: That's so awesome! I want to go fishing!

And so our Saturday plans were made.

I anticipated. I prepared. I learned the Thai word for spear gun and how to say 'that bait is disgusting.' I used my Thai skills, but no spear gun skills. Just rods. And the bait wasn't disgusting. It was bread.

Fishing is hard work! It actually takes muscles and you get, like, tired and stuff.

We caught a bunch of these big guys. Apparently they aren't good for eating, but they're very fun to catch!

Disney lied. It didn't turn into a prince.

And we saw this beautiful little beetle.

It was a wonderful afternoon of relaxing, enjoying each other's company, and getting a bit of a bicep workout. I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

I'm Like Okra

The constant comings and goings in Chiang Mai give one opportunity for reflective pause on how one says 'hello' and 'goodbye.' You may have already read my post on goodbyes, this is the post where I explain how I am similar to a vegetable. Stick with me here...

My boss has heard a theory that if you try a food 6 times in a short stretch of time you will come to love it. I've often mused that I am an acquired taste. In new or unfamiliar surroundings I don't usually give the best impression. Usually I say something snarky (not cute snarky, just inappropriate snarky), or offensive, or just rude. In my head I want to be warm, inviting, and put the other person at ease, but the nasty monster of anxiety keeps rearing its ugly head. 

Probably 90% of people don't like okra. But to the other 10% it's either naturally delightful or at least it grows on them. The friends who stick it out with me through the awkward, gangely stage (which in Thailand lasted until about 3 months ago) end up being enduring, loyal, and true friends.

Michelle* naturally loves okra and frequently cooks it. She's pretty naturally full of love for everyone. Becca* and Deb* get into stitches over my stories, despite my narrow and biased knowledge of Greenland*. Mary*, who is about the most honest and sweet person I know, will patiently hear me out on any subject. Jessie* lets me sit and talk for hours and shows a supportiveness for my hobbies that rivals my mom's.

These and many others. I am truly blessed to have such wonderful friends; people who not only support me but allow me to support them; people who push me to strive for Truth and Virtue above anything else, and certainly above myself.

Want some?

*All names of people and countries have been changed to protect the identity of those involved. They might love okra, but they probably wouldn't be thrilled if okra posted a million pictures of Julius the Monkey on Facebook and then tagged them. This blog post is kind of like that.