I saw a man on the MTR (subway) today that had on pants that were so small on him that he had the most gruesome man camel toe (aka moose knuckle) ever to be seen...
And it had to be me standing across from him.
I do not, for the record, look at every one's "area". You had to be there to understand. It could not be avoided no matter how you divert your eyes.
Ewww and seriously, that so cannot be comfortable!
21 May, 2007
20 May, 2007
Final Destination....Paradise!!
We did it! We found Paradise and we booked a trip there!
Literally...we are going to The Paradise Koh Yao, check it out at http://www.theparadise.biz/.
We will be staying in a Pool Villa that is on the beach with our own private pool, private jacuzzi and a private access to the sea. Now this is what we were looking for all along, although it doesn't have the water villas like Maldives, it is still everything we could ever imagine. And it is about half the price or less. And we are staying 6 NIGHTS! Wooo hooo!
Literally...we are going to The Paradise Koh Yao, check it out at http://www.theparadise.biz/.
We will be staying in a Pool Villa that is on the beach with our own private pool, private jacuzzi and a private access to the sea. Now this is what we were looking for all along, although it doesn't have the water villas like Maldives, it is still everything we could ever imagine. And it is about half the price or less. And we are staying 6 NIGHTS! Wooo hooo!
I was flipping through all the channels when I saw an advertisement for this place, which is apparently a newer resort, so I googled it and the rest is history.
It is an island near Phuket, Thailand. There are so many things to do. We can snorkel, rock climb, hike, bicycle, and kayak to explore places like this:
This is so right up our alley... and I know Cybr's favorite thing is NOT beaches but he loves me so much that we are going to a beach!!
I AM SOOOOO EXCITED!!!
19 May, 2007
Romantic Honeymoon/1st Anniversary Getaway
When I returned to Hong Kong after visiting back home for three weeks, my sweet husband surprised me with the news that he has been looking at places for us to take a belated honeymoon. Or a First Anniversary getaway, whichever you prefer to refer to it as. We are sticking with Honeymoon in hopes of getting free stuff. Not to mention, we haven't actually had a Honeymoon.
We have been doing a lot of research on finding a private, romantic beach resort to stay for several weeks (probably a month by now!)...
Anyway, the big hold up is this...Cybr found this great place that has "water villas". It is in Maldives. It is gorgeous. All the resorts there look cool and most of them have "water villas", too.
Check out just one of the resorts here: http://www.clubrannalhi.com/pre_index.htm
They are all gorgeous, each one is nicer than the next. Some have glass bottom villas, some have a private jacuzzi, and they all walk out off a small private deck into the ocean. Holy crap!
So, what is the problem, eh? All the packages are 5 day, 3 night. This makes no sense until you delve into it a bit and then you find out that two+ days are spent in transit. I know we were going for remote, but DAMN! I still want to enjoy the time, not just commute. These packages for 5 days, 3 nights are all very expensive. All vacation packages are pricey, we get that, but we just cannot seem to get past the sense of really getting screwed on these packages. We pay out the ass and we get to relax for two nights and go to bed early the third night so we can travel at the butt-crack of dawn.
Ummm...this is starting to not sound relaxing! So, meanwhile, we are still trying to see what else is out there. The problem so far has been that after looking at Maldives and the "water villas", everything else has been about the same price but disappointing in comparison. The only thing we are finding is that for the same money we will get a full 5 day, 4 night package and actually be there the whole time. Nothing we have seen thus far offers the seclusion, romance and total coolness of Maldives...
Things could be worse! I realize this problem is so very much not a REAL problem...but it is my duty to share what is happening here.
So that is the story so far, when we figure something out, I will post.
We have been doing a lot of research on finding a private, romantic beach resort to stay for several weeks (probably a month by now!)...
Anyway, the big hold up is this...Cybr found this great place that has "water villas". It is in Maldives. It is gorgeous. All the resorts there look cool and most of them have "water villas", too.
Check out just one of the resorts here: http://www.clubrannalhi.com/pre_index.htm
They are all gorgeous, each one is nicer than the next. Some have glass bottom villas, some have a private jacuzzi, and they all walk out off a small private deck into the ocean. Holy crap!
So, what is the problem, eh? All the packages are 5 day, 3 night. This makes no sense until you delve into it a bit and then you find out that two+ days are spent in transit. I know we were going for remote, but DAMN! I still want to enjoy the time, not just commute. These packages for 5 days, 3 nights are all very expensive. All vacation packages are pricey, we get that, but we just cannot seem to get past the sense of really getting screwed on these packages. We pay out the ass and we get to relax for two nights and go to bed early the third night so we can travel at the butt-crack of dawn.
Ummm...this is starting to not sound relaxing! So, meanwhile, we are still trying to see what else is out there. The problem so far has been that after looking at Maldives and the "water villas", everything else has been about the same price but disappointing in comparison. The only thing we are finding is that for the same money we will get a full 5 day, 4 night package and actually be there the whole time. Nothing we have seen thus far offers the seclusion, romance and total coolness of Maldives...
Things could be worse! I realize this problem is so very much not a REAL problem...but it is my duty to share what is happening here.
So that is the story so far, when we figure something out, I will post.
14 May, 2007
Q8 - How do the "locals" treat you & Cybr? Specifically Americans?
Another good question, Heather!
Cybr and I read some customs and etiquette books before we ever came here. One of the things we read is that Chinese people are quite often misconceived as being rude. This is often a perception based on behavior. Westerners tend to perceive many behaviors of this eastern culture as being rude.
When we first visited here last year, I did not stay long enough to encounter this "rudeness". I was only here ten days, during which I found most everyone to be pleasant and extremely accommodating. We received a few stares when we would enter "local" restaurants and be the only white faces amidst a sea of Asian faces, but these were not uncomfortable stares nor did they last more than a moment.
During our visit I spoke to a native Australian that had been living here for a decade and she asked where we had been during our visit and the "local" dining came up in conversation. She was shocked and appalled! She said "We just don't do that", meaning that if you are not "local" then you don't dine with "locals".
This struck me as odd and rude. Beyond rude, really. I mean, the food was good. The people were nice. So why not? The only answer I have is...we just aren't like the "everybody else" that she lumped into "we".
What I learned from this is that "locals" are mostly very considerate and accommodating. I have seen some "non-locals" behave in rude and appalling ways. Mostly Europeans, Americans and Australians to be specific.
During our initial visit, I did not experience any "local" rudeness; however, since living here on a day to day basis, I can honestly say that there have been moments that it was made clear that my presence was nothing but an annoyance. But mostly, there is just the realization that it is okay to butt in line if there is a gap between people and it is okay to sit at an already occupied table in a restaurant and it is okay to push your way down a crowded street if you are from here. It is not rudeness, just the way things are done here.
These have really been few and far between, though. Overall I would say that strangers in St. Louis have been more rude to me than anyone here. Hell, I have had so-called friends and family treat me worse than any of the locals here have!
More than likely, after adapting to life here, we will ourselves be considered rude upon returning to the U.S. and butting in line or pushing through a crowd. But we won't see it that way any longer, hehe! Our horizons have definitely been broadened in this area.
Cybr and I read some customs and etiquette books before we ever came here. One of the things we read is that Chinese people are quite often misconceived as being rude. This is often a perception based on behavior. Westerners tend to perceive many behaviors of this eastern culture as being rude.
When we first visited here last year, I did not stay long enough to encounter this "rudeness". I was only here ten days, during which I found most everyone to be pleasant and extremely accommodating. We received a few stares when we would enter "local" restaurants and be the only white faces amidst a sea of Asian faces, but these were not uncomfortable stares nor did they last more than a moment.
During our visit I spoke to a native Australian that had been living here for a decade and she asked where we had been during our visit and the "local" dining came up in conversation. She was shocked and appalled! She said "We just don't do that", meaning that if you are not "local" then you don't dine with "locals".
This struck me as odd and rude. Beyond rude, really. I mean, the food was good. The people were nice. So why not? The only answer I have is...we just aren't like the "everybody else" that she lumped into "we".
What I learned from this is that "locals" are mostly very considerate and accommodating. I have seen some "non-locals" behave in rude and appalling ways. Mostly Europeans, Americans and Australians to be specific.
During our initial visit, I did not experience any "local" rudeness; however, since living here on a day to day basis, I can honestly say that there have been moments that it was made clear that my presence was nothing but an annoyance. But mostly, there is just the realization that it is okay to butt in line if there is a gap between people and it is okay to sit at an already occupied table in a restaurant and it is okay to push your way down a crowded street if you are from here. It is not rudeness, just the way things are done here.
These have really been few and far between, though. Overall I would say that strangers in St. Louis have been more rude to me than anyone here. Hell, I have had so-called friends and family treat me worse than any of the locals here have!
More than likely, after adapting to life here, we will ourselves be considered rude upon returning to the U.S. and butting in line or pushing through a crowd. But we won't see it that way any longer, hehe! Our horizons have definitely been broadened in this area.
Insight gained from living abroad...
No matter what race, religion, language barriers or other differences, ALL children really do laugh, cry, and play exactly the same. In a manner consistent with being children that transcends all those things that separate them by their unique characteristics, they are all learning, laughing, loving, hurting, crying and ultimately experiencing the same things. Even if they express these things verbally in many different languages, which happens frequently here in Discovery Bay, it is very easy to understand.
I find great comfort in this.
I have thought this was true all my life, that people are all the same inside, and now I find that my experience here has given me the gift of seeing it first hand. We may all look different, speak different, act different, believe different...but ultimately our humanness binds us as one.
Maybe to some this all sounds stupid or naive, but it makes me smile every time I find myself in a position to be seeing it first hand and on such a grand scale of diversity.
I find great comfort in this.
I have thought this was true all my life, that people are all the same inside, and now I find that my experience here has given me the gift of seeing it first hand. We may all look different, speak different, act different, believe different...but ultimately our humanness binds us as one.
Maybe to some this all sounds stupid or naive, but it makes me smile every time I find myself in a position to be seeing it first hand and on such a grand scale of diversity.
12 May, 2007
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