Now, I can't exactly explain what is going on in all of these pictures, but they are comical nonetheless. Most of the people are teachers at my school, except for the pretty boys. I chose to dress up as an art student in NYC circa 1987 just because I had to wear the purple wig (I've been having dreams lately in which I have long hair again, sigh). My favorite costumes by far were the Power Puff Girls. Very cool. The LA gang member made quite an impression on me (but he would no matter what I think). I couldn't quite guess the girl's getup in the checkered chirt and pigtails--I thought she was going for Wendy as in Dave Thomas' daughter. I was wrong. She was going for a blonde version of Marianne on Giligan's Island. And the pretty gay boys just came as themselves.
Sunday, November 4, 2007
Halloween Party
Now, I can't exactly explain what is going on in all of these pictures, but they are comical nonetheless. Most of the people are teachers at my school, except for the pretty boys. I chose to dress up as an art student in NYC circa 1987 just because I had to wear the purple wig (I've been having dreams lately in which I have long hair again, sigh). My favorite costumes by far were the Power Puff Girls. Very cool. The LA gang member made quite an impression on me (but he would no matter what I think). I couldn't quite guess the girl's getup in the checkered chirt and pigtails--I thought she was going for Wendy as in Dave Thomas' daughter. I was wrong. She was going for a blonde version of Marianne on Giligan's Island. And the pretty gay boys just came as themselves.
Laos
You know you are depressed when you lose interest in things you normally enjoy doing. Since I spent most of October swimming in the doldrums of my psyche, I did not take the opportunity to plan a trip for October break. I was more or less ready to just sit in my apartment for the week, but my friends decided that would not be the best course of action for me at the time. So, I tagged along with Sunny and Daylin, as well as Sunny’s mom and cousin who are visiting from Canada.
Sunny had planned a trip up to Chaing Mai and then to Laos to attend the Gibbon Experience, which consists of a couple days in the jungle living in a treehouse and spying on Gibbon monkeys. Since I was a slacker, I didn’t make a reservation soon enough and didn’t go on that part of the trip. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise because when they returned, they told me about the five hour trek up and into the jungle as well as the leeches that plagued everyone. Yes, leeches. But I did enjoy traveling up north again where it is slightly cooler and definitely less congested than Bangkok. In Chaing Mai, we went to the Sunday market on the way up and the night market on the way back.
The pick up point for the Gibbon Experience is in Bokeo, Laos. Really, there isn’t much there; it’s just a sleepy little town on the Mekong River. Beautiful, relaxing, and slow. Once the others departed for their jungle trek, I just spent quiet days reading and writing. Since Laos was colonized by the French, wine is everywhere. Needless to say, this made me happy. I even saw boxed wine for sale which I never see in Thailand. The people in Laos are nice, but not as friendly as Thais are with foreigners. I ate most of my meals at the same little restaurant (they had chicken tenders and French fries) and the ladies who worked there were nice to me.
Bokeo was gearing up for a festival during the few days I was there. People were making paper lanterns and folding banana leaves into little cones for flower offerings at the local temple. In the morning I would wake up to hear the monks singing. People were practicing for the upcoming boat race. It looked something like crew, long skinny boats and lots of men lined up with short oars. The last morning we were there, Sunny and I went up to the temple and watched everyone bring their offerings to the monks.
The highlight of my holiday was that I read three books, A Thousand Splendid Suns, Water for Elephants, and Possible Side Effects. And I did find my mind in a better place after taking a break from the daily grind. Sleeping late and napping daily may have had something to do with that.
The Rats Won
My move downtown wasn’t a hasty decision by any means, but that didn’t mean that I would like the change any better just because I thought about it for a long time. I must say that living in the midst of everything was rather lonely. I found that I missed the green spaces, wanted to see familiar faces smiling back at me, missed being able to walk a few paces and find myself in the company of good friends. And then there was that whole rat issue.
For whatever reason, October greeted me with strange and disconsolate feelings. I don’t know if the new apartment was the cause or if it just contributed to the pervading melancholy. I do know that my bedroom getting flooded after a particularly heavy monsoon rain didn’t help matters. Note to self: don’t leave the vibrator plugged in next to the bed (wouldn’t that be the shock of the lifetime?).
So I have moved back into my old neighborhood on the outskirts of the city, closer to my school. It is a thirteen building apartment complex with a big open green field and a pond at the center. Lots of children and tons of new babies this year. My apartment overlooks all the green, not like my apartment last year that looked straight into another building. The best part is Courtney is two floors up and Sunny is two buildings over. Life is good.
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