Exploring and Birthday

ครั้งนี้แอนดี้ไม่มีเวลาเพื่อเขียนภาษาไทยเยอะ ขอโทษนะครับ ว่าแต่ว่าช่วงนี้เพื่อนหลายคนที่มาจากอีสานอยากให้ผมเรียนภาษาอีสานด้วย ทุกวันแอนดี้เรียนรู้คำศัพท์ของหลายภาษา สนุกดีมากๆ

แอนดี้สัญญาว่าครั้งหน้าจะเขียนมากกว่า จริงๆครับ

It's been a busy few days. Lots of exploration of old and new places. I'll try to leave out a lot of the boring details and list the places and list
some thoughts.



MONDAY:

Places: Gym, Hindu Temples: Wat Khaek & Wat Vishnu, Mon Buddhist Temple, Chinese Temples: Guan Yu Shrine & Guan Im Shrine (finally, after two years of talking about going!)

Thoughts:

- I really, honestly think that planning can be too restrictive for some travel. Then again, I have the luxury of no strict timetables so aimless wanderings and getting sidetracked isn't a huge concern.

- When I am walking around and hear people obviously talking about me, I usually engage them in conversation. This is especially helpful when I am not lost, per say, but trying to hone-in on a location. Many side streets here have no names, so usually directions are based on landmarks or stores. [Note: There are about two 7-11 stores per block (not joking) so any directions involving 7-11 as a landmark may not be super helpful.]

- When I am in an area without a 7-11 for several blocks, I am actually mildly concerned. It is like going into some uncharted territory. I wonder what percentage of the job market is owned by 7-11? (Also, 7-11s here have a wide array of pre-mademeals. Many of which are vegan! I haven't tried any yet, though.)

- The two Chinese temples are located right on the river. They are really awesome. Both had music playing and were emanating heavy clouds of incense. They walked a nice line between excessive clutter and visual bliss. The Guan Im shrine took me forever to find, but was as serene and beautiful as described. I will return again on this trip, for sure.

- When you go to a Hindu temple here, they give you at least one tika on the forehead. It is usual to see people walking around with them all over the city.

- I think I walked about 10 miles, in addition to training. My dogs are pooped.

BIRTHDAY:

Places: Wat Kii Lek (local temple) & School, McDonald's (my friend who is a monk wanted to eat there, I had water), St. Louis Hospital (to visit a friend), Wat Yannawa, barbershop, gym, Wat Khaek, Shiva/Ganesha shrine, friend's restaurant.

Thoughts:

- This is the furthest away from home I've ever been on my birthday. Was nice to talk to my parents on the phone (before it was my b-day at home). This year was 11 hours shorter for me. lol

- From the first minute that I made plans on my b-day, I knew they weren't going to all happen. But...plans are overrated. No massage, no vegan restaurant for lunch. But, I wouldn't change anything! Here are a few things:

On my morning run near the temple, I saw a monk in his early 30s that I've become friends with. I told him where I was going and he was going somewhere close, so we decided to meet at 10 and share a taxi. At 10 am, however, I was invited to give snacks to a 3rd grade class at the school near the temple. I talked to the class a bit and then gave out the snacks (Which were sadly meager. Had I known, I would have brought a bunch of things.) Regardless, the students were excited and the teacher was super nice. We talked for a bit. The best part was that my monk friend told the class that it was my b-day. So, I was serenaded with the "happy birthday" song by 30 or so 3rd graders!

My friend J who I re-met on the street a few days ago and I had plans for lunch, but she was not well. So, I met her at the hospital after her acupuncture therapy and we ate there. I was able to order vegan food (which was quite good) and then she felt well enough to go to Wat Yannawa, which I went to last year but didn't fully explore. J knew a lot about the temple and it was cool just to spend time with her and talk. We made merit and wishes in the boat-shaped chedi.

I got a haircut. This was planned. I look good for a 37 y/o now. lol The barber was from NE Thailand so I tried a few Isaan language phrases that my friends taught me. He was amused by my attempts.

The gym was great. The new format is cool, because you can work with different trainers each time so you get to work different combos. Not that working with the same trainer doesn't have its benefits, but all four trainers are extremely competent and encouraging.

This was my first time sparring this trip. I sparred with an English guy who was probably about a similar level as me. We sparred 3 rounds with a good pace and not going to hard. It was really good. I have definitely improved and kept calm. the whole time. Thanks to Chris, I was able to see openings and landed some good punches. All in all, I have my sparring partner to thanks for having a good session. We joked about forgetting to breathe, because of over-thinking. Nice to know I am not alone in this club. lol

I bought some CDs, made friends with the vendor (again) and then went back to the village to meet my friends for dinner. They had bought a bunch of food for me and the professor gave me a Chip doll (from Chip N' Dale). lol

I am leaving out some details, but this is the general outline.

- It didn't necessarily seem like my b-day, but it was awesome to see/make new friends. Special thanks to J for taking me out and teaching me how to make wishes at Wat Yannawa.

- Going to temples and making merit is a really centering activity. I think it is just a good way to focus on intentions and not necessarily the outcomes of your actions. It was a nice way to spend the day.

- I see one dog with a deformed leg everyday on my run. She has to hop around instead of walking, but she is seriously so happy all the time. When I run past, she usually gets excited and follows me for a bit. At first this was sad to witness, but after thinking about it more, it made me happy that this dog is able to experience joy despite its physical limitations. Seeing this dog also makes me miss Laika.

วันพระและวันอาทิตย์

ตั้งแต่สองวันที่ผ่านมาผมต้องรอนานมากๆ ตอนแรกแอนดี้รู้สึกใจร้อนนิดหน่อยโดยเฉพาะเวลาสวดมนต์ที่วัดอยู่ แต่ว่าหลังจากนั้นทุกครั้งแอนดี้ต้องรอผมเจอกับคนที่น่าสนใจมากๆ ทั้งการคุยนี่ทำให้แอนดี้รู้ตัวหลายสิ่งเกี่ยวกับชีวิตของผมและของคนอื่น

ผมชอบอยู่ที่นี้เพราะว่าคนไทยส่วนมากใช้เวลาทุกวันเพื่อทำบุญ ปกติพวกเขาทำนี้ที่วัดหรือโบสถ์ของพระเจ้าอื่น ทำหย่างนี้จะขึ้นอารมณ์ดีทุกวัน

แต่ว่าผมคิดว่าคนทำบุญตลอดเวลาได้ ถ้าทำย่างนี้คนจะได้ความเมตตาเยอะๆ

I am going to continue with the format of my last post, because it was as random as most everything that happens here.

วันพระ ("Wan Pra") or Buddhist Holy Day:

Yesterday was a Buddhist Holy Day, which happens usually about 3-4 times a month. It involves special food offerings in the morning and chanting/meditation in the evening. Despite this seemingly routine ritual, yesterday was kind of insane. Here is a run-down of happenings/thoughts/mishaps:

- I got locked inside the condo from the outside and had to remove a screen from a window and just managed to undo the latch.

- This great escape (while awesome) made me late to meet my friends, so someone who was on the lookout for me on the alley ushered me onto a passing motorbike and I got to the temple almost on time.

- The process of arranging offerings for the monks and various subtleties of etiquette made me seem like a barbarian with 20 thumbs.

- I was feed vegan food until almost bursting and then ended up at a Home Expo in another province. At first I was kind of bummed, but it was actually cool to just see people doing normal stuff on a Saturday. Plus, the one lady with us (who's nickname translates to "Moon") knows a lot about Hinduism and Buddhism and patiently explained things to me when we were both trying to figure out why our friend had brought us there.

- We got back too late to train, so I took a solo walk to the local mall yo buy an English book with Thai writing for pronunciation to help my friends at the gym. I stopped at the Shiva/Ganesha temple on the way to pay respects.

- The evening chanting at the temple was like 2 hours. My mind melted. It was way too much. Then the abbot talked for a while and we did a 10 minute meditation in which I almost fell asleep 100 times. At this point, I truly felt the suffering of life that the Buddha taught about. However, then something awesome happened. There was a new Buddha statue in the temple and there was a quick ceremony of chanting and ritual washing by the abbot to instill the spirit and open the eyes of the image. There was a really magical feel in the air during this ritual. As corny as it sounds, there was palpable devotion in the air.

- It was pouring most of the time, so some nice lady gave us the short ride home in the covered bed of her truck. I was exhausted and fell asleep almost immediately.

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday:

Morning - running, laundry, chill time.

Early afternoon - massage, boat ride and talking to an Indonesian guy that I met on the pier (not simultaneously). Food at the vegan place near the Hindu temple.

Afternoon - Training at the gym. Got there a bit early and talked to the owner Hel. He is a great guy and remembered meeting me a few years ago. I then chilled outside and read the first chapter of the Bhagavat Gita. lol

Training session was really good. 3 rounds of jump rope, 1 round of heavy bag, and hit 3 rounds (the last was 50 kicks each side and push-ups). Then around 12-15 minutes of clinching with the pro guy with the upcoming fight. The trainers gave me good tips and I learned a few new Thai words/made some jokes that were dumb but people laughed anyway. Maybe because I was a hairy, shirtless American telling them. However, I think I did better than last time, for sure.

I talked to the owner and some trainers again for a while before leaving. Gym has great people/vibes. Different than in the past, but excellent.

Evening - I was supposed to get dinner with a friend, but she canceled so I went back to the Hindu temple to make an offering before heading home. While waiting to cross the street, I randomly saw a friend I had met at almost the same spot last year. We had hung out a few times before and had kept in touch for a while, but her texting profile had problems, so we hadn't talked in months.

As luck would have it, this was the first time she had been to the temple in months. Sadly, due to health reasons stemming from neck pain and vertigo. Apparently, the ladies at the vegan food place had told her that they saw me today, because we met there last year.

We were stoked to see each other! She took me out for coffee and we talked for about 45 minutes. We both remembered a lot about each other. So cool! Then we went to the temple together. The ladies at the vegan place were happy that we met each other (again).

She was going to take me to a night market, but with her still on-going recovery, we postponed until my birthday. We will meet at the Vishnu temple and then go to the night market. So stoked! This was one of the best surprises of the trip!!!

Later evening - Missed the (last) boat, waited for the bus, tried to hail the bus, and was passed-up by the bus (because the only other person at the stop was a Chinese tourist and the bus driver obviously sensed this). Talked with the other denied passenger and then a Thai lady who was also going to have to wait. Turns out she and I were going to basically the same place and the Chinese tourist's destination was on the way. So, I suggested we split a taxi and we did. The Chinese guy was super nice and basically paid for everything, because he refused to take change. The lady and the driver were also really nice, too. Again pretty random and awesome!

Early night - Had to call PNC because due to a farting brain and possible dumb fingers, my online account was locked earlier today. My mom tried to help, but PNC told her that I had to call. So...after a fruitless search of how to place a collect call and trying to find a Thai payphone, I just called on Skype for free. My account now works, hopefully my brain does now, too. (P.S. - Thanks, mom.)

Later night - Arrived late to see friends to eat on the way home. They tried to call me a bunch of times during the PNC debacle. Was nice to see them.

Latest night - Still typing...

Today's final thoughts:

- The ups and downs of life and seeming randomness are magnified when traveling. Maybe due to a constantly shifting point of view/reevaluation of perspective.

- Meeting someone two times in the same place randomly is not actually random. I believe in the law of karma and this is definitely a result of positive results from something.

- I am just relaxing and going with the flow and it has helped all of my speaking/listening interactions. Expectations were the problem.

- It didn't rain today. My clothes (except socks) were almost completely dry.

- Daily interactions here never cease to amaze me. I feel like there are good vibes and openness from most people. (I have also started to be barked at less from the street dogs.)

- A thought on Buddhism: I always thought that the monks' precept on giving up luxurious beds seemed a little excessive. However, after personal experience and the Home Expo, I think it is a moot point. There are no soft/luxurious beds in Thailand.

- Every time I am walking around listening to the song "Revolution Rock" by Danny Ray (as popularized by The Clash) smiles seem contagious.

- Something fell on the balcony while I was typing and I seriously think it is a ghost. I got goosebumps and everything. Oof.

ฝนตกทุกๆวัน

ที่นี้ฝนตกทุกๆวันเลย แปลกมากๆ เพราะว่าเวลาฝนตกรถติดร้ายมากและคนส่วนใหญ่ไปถึงช้ามาก ให้แอนดี้มันไม่เป็นไรนะ ไม่มีกำหนดการจริงๆ แต่ว่าเลวาแอนดี้เขียนนี้อยู่ ผมไปเจอเพื่อนช้ามากแล้ว ไม่ดี ทุกครั้งรถเมล์ไปตรงนิดหน่อยทำให้ผมรู้สึกตกใจ อิอิ หวังว่าเราจะถไปถึงก่อนวันเกิดตอนอาทิตย์หน้า 555


I am trying to keep the momentum going, so this post might be more random thoughts on the past few days than anything else. Here goes:

Language Update:
- Yesterday a good friend took me to eat at the salad bar at Sizzler. It was great to see her and talk. However, yesterday was the day I started over-thinking all of my language interactions. This happened last year, too. It will take a day or two to get-over it. Just bummed, as it tested both of our patience. Luckily, she has an excess if patience.

-When I go places and talk to other people who are speaking Thai as a non-native speaker, we can understand each other just fine. But some Thai people cannot understand me at all when I say certain words. Pretty interesting.

Gym News:
-The gym has been awesome. I am going to start teaching a few if the trainers English on the off-mornings. It should be fun and will help me use Thai to explain things.

I clinch-sparred with two pros from Belgium at the gym yesterday (who didn't know each other until then) and did ok the first few rounds, then not close to ok for the last ones. I learned a lot and the fighters were gracious, but it was humbling to say the least. Turns out the one guy has a huge fight at a swanky hotel here next month. I watched him training today and was in awe of his regimen and focus. I will try to go see his fight if I am here then.

Shirt mysteries:
-One shirt I have makes me sweat profusely for no apparent reason.

-I massively stained a t-shirt I really like within the first two minutes if wearing it and I have no clue at all how it happened.

Life Realizations:
- This morning it was raining pretty hard, but I wanted to get to the gym to train so I hoped that I might not have to wait infinitely for the bus. Today, Ganesha was definitely on my team as I waited zero seconds to get the bus. But, once on the bus, it took a while to get to Silom.

At one point, the bus was stopped and I was looking out the window at an elderly man, standing in the pouring rain adamantly trying to kick all of the water out of a puddle. I noticed a few other passengers trying to mentally process his impossible actions. This moment of shared disbelief seemed pretty unreal, until I related a mental checklist of various things in my life that might be equally as fruitless but take so much effort. Not a sad thought, but some good perspective.

Wires:
Everywhere in Bangkok is seriously a mess of wires. It is pretty insane, but awe inspiring. Two random men were just 'fixing' the elevator button console on the first floor. I saw them working on it and when the panel was open, there was just about as much electrical tape as wires. They saw me looking and then stared at me like I might help or something. None of the wires were colored, so my expertise of watching MacGyver was of no help. After they left, I took the elevator for some reason and it worked. Now, 30 minutes later it is not working at all. Maybe I should have helped.

Transportation:
- Since arriving, I have travelled by elevated train/subway, taxi*, motorbike, tuk tuk and boat. Pretty cool. (*The difference between typing 'taxi' and 'taco' on this keyboard is slim.)

Laundry:
-There are no driers in Thailand. All things air-dry outside. This is good when it is sunny, but not when it rains. My drying clothes sometimes get redampened. Socks do not dry fully, which is actually ok. I sweat so much sometimes or have to walk in puddles that there is something comforting about putting on damp socks. It cuts out the middleman and at times makes me feel like I time travel 5 minutes into the future.

People:
- I am so lazy about planning things to do other than wander around aimlessly because meeting and talking to random people is really great. I find out so much about everything that way. I went to two Hindu temples and a Burmese/Mon Buddhist temple today. Too many memorable interactions to recount.

วันที่สองของเดินทาง

อ้อๆๆๆ ตั้งแต่มาถึงเมืองไทยรู้สึกแปลกดวลาส่อนมากนะ อยากนอนหลับตลอดและฝันแปลกๆด้วย เมื่อวานนอนหลับทังบ่ายมา แต่ว่าตอนคืนนอนไม่ค่อยหลับ หวังว่าจะดีขึ้นวันนี้ มี jet lag ร้ายเกินไป 5555

ว่าแต่ว่าเมื่อวานสนุกดีนะ ตอนเช้าผมไปวิ่งมาแถวหมุ่บ้าน หลังจากนั้นอาจารย์พาแอนดี้ไปซื้อของที่ตลาดและไปกินอาหารเจด้วย อร่อยมากๆ ร้านอาหารอยู่ที่โรงพยาบาลที่มีพยาบาลหลายคนที่น่ารักดี ตอนเที่ยงเราไปโรงเรียนที่วัดเพื่อคุยภาษาอังกฤษกับสมารเณร พวกเขาทุกคนตลกมากๆ ดังนั้นการคุยกันสนุกมาก หลังจากนั้นอาจารย์พาแอนดี้และสมารเณรสองคนไปซื้อของที่ห้าง ผมซื้อ sim ใหม่ที่ร้าน tru นะ เณร 1 คนซื้อ iphone ด้วยนะ เราไปซื้อของสำเร็จจริงๆ อิอิ

I've had major jet lag since I got here, including, but not limited to, generally feeling destroyed, the inability to sleep restfully and really weird, vivid dreams. I think if I make it through today without napping, it will be a victory and put me on the right track.

Cliff's notes of the Thai language writing about yesterday: The Professor took me out yesterday to shop, eat vegan food at a food court in nursing school, to the temple school to speak English with teenage novice monks, and finally shopping at the mall with two novice monks. Just another day in life here. lol. Despite the novices not knowing anything about where I was from in America, one of them randomly told me that he really likes Whiz Khalifa. I was able to use this as a cultural connection, where geography failed.

Today, I went to the gym to train for the first time. Since I didn't sleep last night, it was easy to make it on time to the bus at 6 am. I took a motorbike taxi to the pedestrian overpass and then only had to wait less than 10 mins for the bus! So awesome. On the 35 minute trip, I started typing this post!

I got to the gym at 7 am, which was on time, but apparently early. Only one of the trainers from last year is still there, but he is super nice and we decided that I will hive him some English lessons while I'm here. He learned English really well just from being around foreigners at the gym. Impressive! People's language-learning ability never ceases to astound me!

Training was good! They only do 3 min rounds now, but after jumping a weighted rope for about 15 minutes, I did two heavy bag rounds and hit 4 hard rounds with a trainer. All double kicks. I kicked through the pads a few times with my left kicks the first round. My trainer Lut was stoked, but my shins are bruised. I feel a lot better than last year, so I think I'll make good progress this year. There was only one other person at the gym, a really friendly guy from Japan. We talked a lot and are going to go do something after training on Friday. Also, apparently the gym was sold to a guy I trained with a few years ago. Pretty cool, as he seemed like a really honest and dedicated person.

After training, I went to my favorite vegan restaurant near the Hindu temple and then to the temple. A lot of the people around the temple remembered me, which resulted in lots of conversations and answering questions about my current trip. Additionally, I ended up with a free soup and desserts :-) People were stoked about the buttons that I made to give out!

The temple was excellent, too. It was less crowded than usual, so that helped. I was about to spend a bit more time. Something about the temple is just really enchanting. I can't really explain it, but get a good feeling just from being near there. I will go back pretty much everyday!

After that, I was walking to the pier to take the boat when I randomly tan into an American couple waiting to cross a terrifying intersection. A Thai lady was instructing them to not fear and just follow her. I assured them that crossing with Thais is as safe as it gets. We ended up talking after that and it turns out that they were from Florida and happened to be going to the same place as me. I took them to the pier and we talked a lot about cool things to do in Bangkok. After getting off the boat, I showed them to the temple and got some info for them about the temple dress code. Before parting ways, I gave them my email if they had any more questions.

Next, I went to the Wat Pho massage school to get a massage. I was hoping to see the awesome massage doctor from last year, and I did see her! She remember me. I think we were both temporarily shocked, but I was given a different doctor today. The massage was excellent, because my body is a giant knot from training and travel. The hour didn't seem long enough, but I feel a lot better now. I told my doctor from last year that I will be back to see her soon. We talked a bit, too, which was good as we talked a lot last year  during my massages.

The past two days, despite the lack of mental clarity and lack of sleep have been a good reminder of how things rise, pass and are reborn. Some of these actions being good, bad or both. Storms are always brewing here, it rains hard and often. It smells like rotting wood in some places and really clean in others. Dark clouds and thunder are constantly hovering, but not necessarily in a threatening way. So many things change each minute, but in over a year since I was last here, my friendships and acquaintances haven't faltered. They aren't the same, but there is still underlying curiosity and mutual respect with a lot of my interactions. It feels good to see change, but also familiar faces, as well as many new ones.

As I type this, I can see another storm rolling in over the Bangkok skyline. It feels good to be witness to this. I am not sure why, but analyzing the cause won't enhance the feeling.

p.s. - Yesterday morning I went running around the village and stopped at the temple to pay respects to a few giant Buddha statues near the canal. When bowing near one, I hear rustling under the altar and...was happily greeted by 3 sleeping puppies waking up. A cute surprise, indeed.

กำลังเดินทางไปเมืองไทยอีก

เมื่อวานแอนดี้ออกจากบ้านไปเที่ยวเมืองไทยอีกแล้วนะ แต่ว่ายังไม่ได้ไปถึง เดินทางนี้ใช่เวลามากๆเพราะต้องรอประมาณ 12 ชั่วโมงที่ los angeles แล้ว แต่ว่าการรอปีนี้สนุกดีๆ ตอนแรกกานบินไม่ได้ทำกระเป๋าหายก่อนไปถึง l.a. นะ เก่งกว่าเมื่อก่อนจริงๆ แล้วก็ที่ l.a. แอนดี้ไปเที่ยวกับเพื่อนที่เคยเป็นเพื่อนร่อมงานที่ห้องสมุด เราไปเที่ยวร้านขายหนังสือและวัดฮินดูด้วยมา แล้วก็เราไปกินข้าวและของวันที่ thai town มาแล้ว เจอเพื่อนและคุยกันดีมากๆ หวังว่าไปหาเค้าอีกได้ ตอนนี้ผมนั่งบนเครื่องบินไปไทเปเขียนอยู่ แอนดี้กำลังจะตื่นเต้นขึ้นสำหรับเดินทางนี้ เมื่อก่อนรู้สึกเครียดนิดหน่อย เพราะว่าทุกสิ่งที่ไทยจะไม่เหมือนกับเมื่อก่อน แต่ว่าเวลาคิดเกียวกับมันทุกสิ่งทุกอย่างเปลียนตลอดเวลา ดังนั้นไม่ต้องห่วงจริงๆ ไม่ต้องมีแผนเพื่อเจอเพื่อนที่ไทยให้สนุก โชคดีมากที่แอนดี้มีอีกโอกาสไปหาเพื่อนและส้อมมวยอีกครั้งที่เมืองไทย ผมจะใจเยฟ็นก่อนและไปเที่ยวให้สนุกนะ ;-)

I am not sure what day it is now, honestly. I am currently somewhere over the Pacific on the way to Taipei. I was already in Chicago for 1 hour and LA for 12 hours. I finished an entire book, read parts of a few others and...actually slept on an airplane for about 4 hours so far (despite drinking a few too many coffees). Weird, but true. I've also managed to get some meditative moments in on both the airplanes and a temple in LA.

LA was really fun. I rented a car and met up with my friend who used to be a colleague at the library. Due to various reasons, we never really hung out in Pittsburgh outside of work. Regardless, it was great to talk and basically just drive around Hollywood. We did go to the Vedanta Society temple and bookstore, as well as Thai Town to eat dinner and desserts! It was nice to connect and honestly talk about our various life-stresses and concerns. Her perspective and attention was greatly appreciated (I hope she reflects this sentiment and also hope my dumb jokes and random observations were appreciated.) If nothing else, my friend ended up with new towels from Target :-)

I have had mixed feelings about this trip for a while. I can't necessarily pin it on one specific concern, but it has a lot to do with a snowball of general stresses and new experiences from the last year. I am not sure how they have really shaped 'me' and won't really know until I'm out of my element completely. Until talking with my friend today, I was scared this trip might be kind of an escape from some cycles and situations that aren't/weren't ideal on various levels. However, that was just a matter of mental perspective; looking through some negative (maybe 'realistic') lenses that I've prescribed and worn at times recently. I think this trip will be an invaluable opportunity to evaluate some things with a bit of detachment as a result of immersion among different friends and in a completely different context.

Growth and change are inevitable parts of life. I don't know why this is something to be feared. Maybe it has to do with clinging to some sort of static/linear vision of life or thinking a plan will yield the most desirable results. If that is the case, then I think my overall lack of planning for this trip will be a good challenge to this theory. In the last year, the least planned things in my life were some of the most rewarding (even if they seemed negative at the time) and things I put my whole effort into didn't meet expectations. Seems like those Buddha and Krishna guys knew what they were saying. Tested; agreed.

Moving on from deep thoughts at whatever time it is where ever I actually am, I want to thank my mom & dad, Chris & Steph for being great friends and watching my baby girl (miss ya, Laika) and Charisma for making this trip awesome so far. Stay tuned for more!