Adventures in Night Bazaars

Before I talk about my day, I thought I'd include some pictures of my modes of transportation in Chiang Mai. If I'm not walking, I'm most often taking a Seong Taew (Red Cab), a tuk tuk, or catching a ride on the back of a friend's motorbike (with a helmet, of course!)



Tonight, my friends and I took a Seong Taew to the Night Bazaar. We browsed through all the Thai touristy trinkets you can dream of, on a hot breezy night, surrounded by the sounds of chirping birds and geckos. In fact, I can hear a gecko now, but I'm not sure if s/he's in my apartment or on the outside of my screen door. I don't mind if s/he's inside though, since they are lovely harmless little things that eat bugs. Hooray for lizards!

Ah, I wasn't intending to type about lizards, I just got sidetracked. Back to the Bazaar: I was looking for some small table lamps to light up a dark corner of my apartment, and a skirt. (Students at the university here have to wear a uniform. Fortunately, grad students are exempt, but we are expected to wear skirts to class.) I found both...and spent a grand total of $12. I found a lot of other great things too, but I didn't buy 'em. I'm learning to shop from a list!

I'm finding it a little strange living on my own. I know that sounds odd, since I haven't had room mates for most of the last decade, but I've always had good friends close by. I spend a lot of time alone, but so far it hasn't bothered me. In some ways, it's good since it forces me to go out and do things in the community...and do my homework. I thought I would watch a lot of TV, especially before I got my computer, but the only English channels I get are Fox News and Aljazeera. So, I watch Fox for entertainment (it kind of gives me horror-movie chills), Aljazeera for news, and the French channel for documentaries (and a sitcom from Quebec that has French subtitles, so the rest of the francophone world can understand what they're saying!)

Bon Soir!

Adventures in Getting Settled

I can't believe that I'm already feeling at least slightly settled now! After my exciting arrival on the first night, the subsequent days have passed much more rationally! I'm sorry, there still aren't any pictures - but there will be soon, I promise. I did want to mention a few items of interest before I forget - or before they become normal, and therefore no longer interesting.

I've moved into my new apartment, and am starting to get settled in. It's awfully beige, but a little TLC in the decor department should help. It's also airy and bright, which is nice. My university is within walking distance, as is a Carrefour department store , so I've been there often. (Almost daily, actually, since it's where I need to go to catch transportation into the city proper.) One evening, I was shopping for a mop and bucket - so you can forget about images of me strolling through exotic markets buying teak and silk trinkets - and suddenly, things got very still. I looked up from the bucket I was examining, and realized everyone had frozen in their tracks. Then I remembered; every evening, the national anthem is played at 6pm. Everyone within earshot stops what they're doing, stands quietly while the anthem plays, then does a little bow at the end of the anthem and continues on their respective ways.

In the Carrefour complex, there is also a McDonald's...that has a Sweet Chili Sauce dispenser next to the Ketchup dispenser, AND a spinach pie on the menu instead of an apple pie. Oh, and their breakfast sandwiches come on hamburger buns, not English muffins. The tragic irony: Korea now stocks English muffins. Thailand does not. Happily, there are a ton of local eateries around, so McDonald's will never be high on my dining list. (I will get a spinach pie at some point when I have my camera with me though - purely for your benefit, dear reader). Local meals are absolutely delicious, and delightfully inexpensive (standard price for most meals is between 75 - 90 cents). The interesting thing about Thai cuisine is that it doesn't actually taste any better if you pay more for it. It's usually just ambiance and fancy decor you pay for at pricier places - the food's the same. Lately, I've taking to going to a nearby restaurant, pointing at some random item on the menu, and waiting to be surprised. Last night, I wound up with crackly pork and kale on rice: very tasty, not so healthy.

That's all for now. I'm sure there will be more later, along with some pictures.

Adventures on My First Night in Chiang Mai...

For all those who have been wondering about my first night in Chiang Mai...here are the details!

Catticus did very well on the trains and flight - I was really impressed with her. She was pretty scared, but handled herself well.

It's funny - my biggest stresses came from worrying about what problems I could face before getting to Chiang Mai (Cat freaking out, cat being too heavy to take onboard, cat not having the right vaccines) and spent the entire, turbulent, unpleasant flight telling myself, "by 1am, you'll be tucked in bed and can start fresh tomorrow". HA!!! I really don't know if you want to know what I was doing at 1am!!

Our flight was late, Catticus had to clear customs, and then the customs officer and I had to run around the airport looking for change for 1000 bhat (the import fee was 100 bhat - about $3). By this time, it was 12:45, the airport officially closes at 11:30, and there was nobody from the guest house there to meet me. Since I was so much later than the other passengers, I guessed they had figured I wasn't on the plane and left. I called and called the number for the guest house, and there was no answer, so there I was with the customs officer and 4 immigration officers trying to figure out what to do with me. We tried calling taxis, and even tried the possibility of sharing a ride with the woman from the information desk. In the end (close your eyes for this part Mom, and thank you for praying hard!) one of the immigration officers dropped me off at the guest house...on his motorbike. There I was, exactly when I told myself I'd be safely tucked into bed, with one arm around an immigraion officer, trying to keep my luggage tag from flapping in his face, the other arm clinging to the cat carrier, as he got me safely (with 2 stops at police boxes to ask for directions) to my guest house. ... which, despite the e-mail confirmations, had forgotten I was coming. So, the security guard at the guest house stood outside the managers bedroom window calling softly and repeatedly until the manager woke up and let me into a room.

Today, I was thinking about the only people who go out in the mid-day sun: mad dogs, Englishmen...and people with no toilet paper. I went for a short walk around the neighbourhood looking for necessities, and since it's Songkran, young people and children constantly approached me with buckets of water, said, "I'm sorry," then poured the water all over me, smiled broadly, and wished me a Happy Songkran. It was actually very refreshing, and lots of fun. :-) However, after that, it was the heatesty heat of the afternoon, so I went back to my room, stuck a cold cloth on my head and slept for a few hours.

I'm meeting my faculty advisor's wife tomorrow morning, and she's going to show me around the university and the surrounding area.

Remembrance Day 2009

Since it's Remembrance Day, I thought I'd share a picture with you that always makes me cry a little, if I really let myself think about it.

Canadians departing for active service in Europe during the Second World War, 1940. (National Archives of Canada C-38723)

Adventures in Cat Postage...

I took this video to share with my niece and nephew, since it's their parcel the cat has climbed into, but the file was too big to e-mail. As a result, all my remaining blog readers get to see it too. I do apologize for my very annoying high-pitched kitty voice.

Adventures in Doors and Open Windows...

I've often been bothered by the simplicity of the adage "When God closes a door, he opens a window." The well intentioned intoners of this missive usually neglect to mention that, continuing the analogy, in a house like mine, finding the window involves working ones way through the living room, kitchen and pantry, down the back stairs, over a pile of miscellaneous boxes, and through a few cobwebs before finding the window. It's not like a door gets closed in your face, and you turn around and think, "Oh, no problem, there's an open window on the other side of the room." Finding the window can be a rather arduous, messy, perilous, dusty adventure.

The real-world scenario that brought this to mind is the door I was heading for (starting my Master's degree next June) has closed (as of Monday, I'm now required to show proficiency in a 2nd language before I'm accepted, not before I graduate) and I'm not sure I'll fit through the doggy-door (I might be able to scrape together enough French before the program starts). Gracious, this analogy is getting tedious.

I'm not worried; just curious.

Adventures in Odd Couples...

Years ago, when I was in high school, one of my friends told my about a little road-side sign in Southern Ontario advertising "Taxidermy & Cheese". It made me chuckle then, it makes me chuckle now. What an odd combination. This afternoon, my Mom forwarded me an e-mail involving taxidermy. It's been over a decade now that my neurons automatically attach 'and cheese' to any 'taxidermy' that finds itself in my head. What does your average person do whilst thinking about taxidermy and cheese, and has Google at their fingertips? I don't know about most people, but this person decided to see if her friend had been telling her a falsehood, and if not, to see if she could find photographic evidence of the sign. He didn't tell a falsehood, and I did find photographic evidence...but that's not all. I also discovered that as odd as the pairing is - it's not the only one!! Yes, that's right. There are more than one taxidermy & cheese combo shops in North America!!!!

Now, when I get a pedicure kit taped to my cream cheese, or a roll of paper towel taped to my tuna in the grocery store here, or find corn and potato wedges on my pizza, I have to remind myself that Korea doesn't have the monopoly on bizarre combinations.

Adventures in Ambiliances

When I was a kid, apparently I loved a show called "Emergency!". In the interests of proper blogging research, I've just watched the opening theme on YouTube, and must admit none of it looks familiar. Nonetheless, my Mom assures me that I loved it (when I was 3). I also had trouble saying the word Ambulance and it came out more like Ambiliance. I doubt I'm the only person to have had trouble with that pesky term.

I was thinking these things today as I was actually speeding through the streets of Daegu in an ambulance today. It wasn't an emergency; the orthopaedic clinic I've been going to doesn't have it's own MRI machine, so they sent me by ambulance to the nearest radiology clinic. We were speeding because ... well, because we're in Korea. The experience was (thankfully) nothing like TV. There were no IV lines, wires, syringes, oxygen masks or people shouting "We need 4ccs of Haloperidol - STAT!" There was just a bright orange stretcher, a lingering stale cigarette odor, and the driver and I singing along to ABBA videos on the dashboard TV monitor. Yes, you read that correctly. I spent my first ambulance ride singing Karaoke to Dancing Queen. Hopefully, my loved ones and I will all remain healthy enough for this to be my one and only ambulance memory. Bizarre as it is.

As for my test results, my MCL injury has healed well; however, my MCL treatment weakened my quad muscle. This teamed up with a tilted pelvis which is causing hypertension in my thigh muscle, which is pulling my kneecap out of place, which is causing chondromalacia, which is causing pain. It'll take 3-4 months of physio to be up to snuff again, but I was thrilled that the doctor has now taken the word 'surgery' out of his assessment.

You can dance, you can jive, having the time of your life....

Adventures in Popping in to Visit Long Lost Blogs...

Crreeeeeaaaakkkk. (Rusty door hinges objecting to being called into service.)

Thumpa Thumpa Thumpa. (Summer-lovin' flip flops wading through inches of dust.)

Hello?? Anybody home? (Me, calling out in a wee whisper.)


Silence.


jsadoifneroifj pikj osossdooooo (cat, walking across the keyboard.)


Stupid, interrupting, soft, furry cutesy snookums of an annoying cat. (Me, unwilling to commit to an opinion about Catticus.)

Silence.


Hmmmm. I wonder where they went? Where did my colony of tiny typing gnomes go? Apparently, as of September 29th, 2008 they were still here making people think that I was writing this drivel on my own. I admit I haven't checked in on them for a while, but since they're not too keen on human company, and are a self-sufficient lot, I figured they were still writing away. I admit they weren't the most industrious of typing gnome colonies. My friend Melanie has some top-notch gnomes who seem to post with stunning regularity. Mine spent most of their time sleeping on dust bunnies under my desk or trying to sneak servings of kimchi out of my fridge. Nothing puts you off your lunch faster than a half-frozen typing gnome passed out in your kimchi. Especially if he still has dust bunny residue all over his beard. Gross. Nonetheless, they did ocassionally manage to produce some sort of quasi-coherent paragraphs once in a while.

Hmmm. I wonder where they went. Well dear reader(s), until I manage to find another colony willing to work for ample quantities of dust and fermented cabbage, you'll either be stuck with my own ramblings or lengthy spells of nothin' at all.

Adventures in Punctuational Pet Peeves... (Part II)

After enjoying a lovely weekend, and breathing in the brisk September air, some of my tiradical tendencies have been whisked away like an autumn leaf. Nonetheless, I'm still going to wrap up my piece on the misuse of quotation marks. I'm sure both of my readers are thrilled.

For some unfortunate reason, a remarkably large segment of the population seems to think that quotation marks aren't just for indicating reported speech or sarcasm anymore. Somewhere along the line, this unassuming, straightforward and highly functional piece of punctuation has been stripped of it's crown of coherency and assigned to take over the roles of underlining, italicizing and large print to indicate emphasis. In a fit of indignation, I did a quick Google search looking for examples of misused quotation marks.

My search took me to the website www.quotation-marks.blogspot.com which, as Jennifer pointed out in her comments on my last post, is a fantastic site dedicated to the indignities the poor quotation marks have suffered over the years and across the globe. Diving into that site, I found my way to Jocelyn Noveck's article in the Washington Post on September 21, 2007. In that article, I discovered a fabulous quote that sums up my sentiments quite succinctly:

"I have a thing against overuse of quotations, period," says [Pat] Hoy,
director of the expository writing program at New York University. "Whether
in academic or bureaucratic writing, it's giving up responsibility for what
you're writing. It's a pushing aside of the responsibility to be the major
thinker in the piece."

Bravo, Pat Hoy, Bravo!! Take note BBC correspondents! I implore you to step up and take responsibility for your writing! Throw down your useless, deceptive, misleading, annoying, random inverted commas. Cast off the chains of wishy-washy, pudding-brained, over-punctuated, wimposity!! (I can still make up my own words, since I'm not being paid to be a leader in maintaining high standards in the written word.)

Whew, have you ever noticed that when you're on a roll, it's easier to write with an impassioned indignation that you don't really feel? In my head, when I see misused quotation marks, I think "Humph, that's irritating", but when I start writing, I suddenly find a dusty old soapbox to stand on, metaphorically shaking my fist at the sky.

Adventures in punctuational pet peeves... (Part I)
~Oh yes, hold on to your seat, this is going to be a 2 Part rant on punctuation. The fun never ends!!~

For quite some time now, I have cringed every time I've scanned the BBC headlines. Yes, much of the news is certainly cringe-worthy, but that's not what's been setting my teeth on edge. The overabundance of 'quotation marks' offsetting 'information' in the headlines is driving me bonkers. When not actually used for reporting the direct speech of a someone else, quotation marks have traditionally indicated sarcasm or fallacy, or innuendo. Take the following sentence as an example: Susan 'cooked' a really 'good' dinner last night. Reading this, I would expect that Susan didn't cook a thing. The dinner was actually take-out, and it was disgusting.

Brief tirade on the role of punctuation here, including a hastily conceived simile ...skip it if you're bored already....

I admit that despite my desire to see myself as progressive, and accepting of the fact that language changes and evolves, I drag my feet at changes to punctuation use. Punctuation is, and always has been, a way to keep sentences in order. Each little jot, tittle and squiggle performs a specific function (or funtions) to make things clear and comprehensible for the reader. To paraphrase Lynne Truss, author of Eats, Shoots and Leaves, if a sentence is a busy city street, punctuation is the traffic signs. Just as city planners don't go bananas and decide that perhaps a green light could also function as a yield sign, or a red light could serve double-duty as a U-turn signal, neither should punctuation marks be arbitrarily assigned new duties.

Now, back to my point...

What was it? Ah, yes, the BBC. Keeping in mind that quotation marks serve to indicate that the statement isn't really true, take a look at the following headlines from today:

- US Congress 'agrees bail-out deal' (and by 'agrees on a bail-out deal' we really mean it was a disagreement over a Happy Meal.)
- Records 'hurt' women's athletics (Hee hee, just joking. They've really helped quite a bit.)
- Finnish massacres 'may be linked' (Or, we could just be making it up, and there's no connection whatsoever.)
- Bush still 'hopeful' on Mid-East (and by 'hopeful' we really mean he's curled up in the fetal position rocking back and forth waiting for his term to finish as soon as humanly possible.)
- Modi 'cleared' over Gujarat riots (and by 'cleared' we mean he'll probably be spending 5 years in prison.)

Do you see how tossing quotation marks about willy-nilly can cause some major traffic jams on the highway of communication!? Some may argue that the quotation marks in the headlines are there because those words were actaully said by someone quoted in the article. No doubt! I have often said 'hopeful', 'cleared' and 'hurt'. A quotation mark around a single word is utterly useless as an indication of reported speech, and all it does is make me disbelieve the headline.

Adventures in an unexpected blink...

Yesterday was Chuseok - generally referred to as the Korean Thanksgiving. Traffic is usually utter mayhem the day before and the day after, as the entire country makes their way back to parents' or grandparents' homes. To be truthful, traffic in Korea usually has a twinge of mayhem in it anyway. Drivers are skillful, but often impatient and ... well... rude, by Canadian driving standards. Imagine my surprise while I was driving to church yesterday to recieve a 'courtesy blink' from another driver! A car came barelling up on my rear bumper at an alarming speed, so I squeezed myself in between two busses in the next lane to let him pass. Once he was passed, I pulled back out into my original lane. Imediately, the speedy car gave me a 2-flash 4-way flasher blink! It was a courtesy blink - the likes of which I've never seen in Korea before!!! I felt all warm and fuzzy inside.

Adventures in Little House on the Prairie...


I'm now back in Korea after a lovely vacation, and should be back to my semi-regular musings soon. I thought I should take a moment though and wish Little House on the Prairie a happy 34th birthday! That's right - on September 11th, 1974, viewers were introduced to the TV versions of Ma, Pa, Laura and Mary Ingalls...and endured (ahem...loved) the sappy, drippy, wholesome storylines for many years.

Adventures in T-shirts

Twice a semester, I'm expected to proctor student examinations. That means that I spend 4-5 hours on a Saturday strolling around an auditorium while my students write the midterms and finals. It's a long, boring day. To amuse myself, I read what's written on my students' T-shirts. Here's a sampling of what I read last Saturday:

- I love school
- I'm a tosser
- Delicious Litmus
- Thank you for getting naked
- Happy?
- I see dead people
- A cup of my mind colors
- Mockingbird wish me luck
- The sound of a kiss is not as loud as that of a cannon but it's echo lasts a great deal longer

I would love to know who makes these shirts, and whether or not the students know what they mean...half the time, I sure don't (or wish I didn't!)

Adventures in Ssireum


Yesterday was the 33rd Gyeongsan JaIn Festival. As part of the festival, foreign women were invited to compete in a Ssireum wrestling tournament. Having never voluntarily competed in an athletic event, I don't know why I decided to sign up, but I did. I was expecting to eat sand in the first round and enjoy the rest of the festival from the benches. We had 1 hour of training/practice on Wednesday, then hopped on the bus on Saturday to go to the tournament.

In Ssireum, each match is determined by the winner of 2 out of 3 rounds. In order to win, you must throw your opponent to the ground, without your knees or hips touching the sand first. All this is done in ankle deep sand, and clutching your partner's satba or belt.

Somehow, I managed to win 2 of the 3 rounds in my first match. Apparently, I did the same in my 2nd match (time spent in the ring became increasingly blurry as I started getting tired and sore) and advanced to the semi-finals, where I was finally knocked out of the competition. I must say though, I'm glad I was beaten when I was. If I had won, the girl I'd have had to fight in the final was a bulldozer disguised as a woman.

Today, I'm sore and bruised (in places I hope to never be bruised again!!) but can admit I had a pretty good day - athletic event and all.

Adventures in Purple Party Poopers...

When my sister and I were young, we used to watch Battle of the Planets: a Japanese animated series. In one episode, I remember one of the characters calling Zoltar, the villain, a "Purple Party Pooper". Being 6 years old, I thought it was absolutely hilarious. Maybe it was because I heard someone say "poop" on TV. Still, to this day, I remember that line. (To think that that brain space could have been used to remember things like birthdays or multiplication tables.)

Even though it's painted in blue, white and red, today's "Purple Party Pooper of the Week" award goes to Montreal Mayor Gérald Tremblay. The mayor has chastised Montreal firefighters for painting their fire stations blue, white and red in support of the Canadiens as they head into the playoffs. The mayor seems to have confused team spirit, morale boosting, patriotic enthusiasm and artistic expression with vandalism and defacing public property. Now, I'm sure that according to the letter of the law, he's right. According to the same letter of the same law, he could also probably start hauling little kids in to the precinct for drawing hop-scotch boards on the sidewalks with chalk. The firemen used temporary water-based paint to show support for their home-town team playing Canada's favourite sport. Get a grip, Mr.Mayor!!

I'm not even a hockey fan, but I do recognize a giant Party Pooper when I see one!

Adventures in Fine Dining...

While taking some time to poke around the internet this afternoon, I came across an article detailing the newest trends in tableware. What possessed me to actually click on the link, I'll never know. Against my better judgment, I did find myself skimming the article, and soon discovered the six hottest things in tableware since the invention of the fork. These trends are condensed below:

- Asian influences
- Wildlife motifs
- Neutral shades
- Designer patterns
- Victorian charm

The list itself wasn't very interesting. What got me thinking was, "What's NOT on that list?" In my opinion, those 6 categories cover every plate, saucer and gravy boat in every cupboard, cottage and cabinet. It seems to me that the article could more accurately have been titled "Put anything you want on your table. It's all good." Actually, there is one category that's not on the list. The author of the article failed to mention "Ugly Things Janice Made in Pottery Class." And so, in utter rebellion, I'm going to go make a sandwich, and put it on the ugliest pottery mishap I can find. The sandwich will still taste just as good, and my unfashionable table will never know the difference.

Adventures in Astronauts...

I was watching TV last night, 60 MInutes to be exact, and the topic of space exploration and missions to Mars and new Lunar Landings were discussed. Two things surprised me. First, no-one has set foot on the moon in my lifetime. The last manned mission to the moon was back in '72. I think I has just assumed that when the astronauts were tinkering with space stations, they'd make a little stop on the moon, while they were in the neighbourhood. I don't know where I got that idea from. However, what really surprised me, (and it shouldn't have - it seems so obvious), is that there is more computer technology in my cellphone then there was on any of the Apollo missions to the Moon. I use my phone to do everything from look up words in the Korean-English dictionary, to checking the subway map to see how long it takes to get from one station to another, to taking pictures of things that amuse me. (You'll notice I rarely use it as a phone.) It was like a little lightening bolt in my brain when I realized that I had grown up considering space exploration to be the epitome of technological marvels...and that somewhere in the past 30 years, technology far surpassed the days of Apollo missions. How did Buzz and Neil manage a whole moon-walking mission without a little MP3 player and a pocket-sized access to Google?

Adventures in Fools of April...

While I don't usually do much for April Fool's Day myself, I read this morning of possibly one of the most successful and well executed pranks of all time. I'm just glad I'm not the guy that got pranked.

You can read the article here: http://www.damninteresting.com/?p=955#more-955

Adventures in Mirth...

What a day this is turning out to be. I woke up chuckling from an odd dream I had, and soon sat down with coffee and toast in hand to peruse my morning websites. I spent a few minutes on Damn Interesting which my friend Jen introduced me to. I came across an article entitled "Humoring the Gelotologists" by Alan Bellows. I spent the next 10 minutes reading all about theories of why we laugh, and the healthy benefits of laughter. By the end of the article, I was sure I had laughed enough to add a few days to my life expectancy. I wasn't finished yet. At the bottom of the article were links to various funny sites. That's when I found it. It was a little creepy, a whole lot bizarre, and frighteningly contagious. Since laughter is so good for you, and I want all my readers to be happy and healthy, I'm sharing this for your own good. Be sure to turn your speakers on, and enjoy.