Typhoon's Coming! AHHHH

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Thailand Blog: Tumbling

So, in various places around Chiang Mai, Thailand, I decided to whip out some back handsprings. On one occasion, I threw a standing back.. unsuccessfully. Fortunately, Eric was there to capture the landing on film :) Whatevz.. I'll throw it again in April.

Celebrating finishing the 2km and 3 hours of zip lining!
In the hotel lobby: Go, Samoas! Ride the wave!
And.. the unfortunate shortcoming of a standing back..

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Thailand Blog: Model

Apparently, SOME of us thought we were Thailand's Next Top Models..

Runway! WORRRRKKKK!!!

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Thailand Blog: Around Town

To get around Thailand, there are these small motorized taxi contraptions called tuk-tuks. There are also trucks with camper-like encasements attached to the back to ride around in that are reminiscent of a paddy wagon. Below are some pics of getting around town in both.

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Smiling in the back of a tuk-tuk
Taking pics from the tuk-tuk
In the back of the "paddywagon." Brings back memories of South Florida!!
Another..

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Jeopardy!!

Below are some photos of me playing Jeopardy on my touch-screen white board with one of my classes. So fun!

"Same Same" for $300
Some of the class enjoying the game
"Separable" Phrasal Verbs for $200
Celebrating with the winners by giving them candy

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Thailand Blog: Animals

My vacation in Thailand was full of astonishment and left such an impression on me for multiple reasons: one of them being the various animals I encountered while there. This entry recognizes that special part of my travel.

Of all the critters I came across, holding a baby white tiger in my lap while feeding it milk was hands down the most memorable of all. Below are some photos of Eric, Amanda, and me with the feline on top of us. What a wonderful experience!

It lovingly hopped into our arms and immediately put its paw around my arm. So sweet.
It kept drinking and drinking and drinking. This kitty was to milk like I am to beer.
Fact: There are only 300 white tigers left in the world today.
Another cat we came across wasn't so friendly as it kept taking swipes at me through its enclosure.
Separated at birth, Mother Elephant and Son.
We went on a night safari and stumbled upon some zebras.
And the funniest spectacle of the night was when we returned to the wildlife park and took a stroll in the dark to see all the inhabitants. The pigmy horses had all been corralled into their stables for the night as it was late. Eric decided to go on a humanitarian effort and free them so he opened the gate, and out they went kicking and bucking. I managed to get a photo of one of the asses. Get it? Asses? It's a picture of an ass's ass? It's funny.

The vacation was one that I will never forget. Touching in so many ways.

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My "Not-So-Secret" Stash

So, if you've kept up with my blogs, surely you know by now that I'm always soliciting care packages abundantly stocked with Bath and Body Works products. Actually, it's not so complicated as I only ever request two things: Body Splash (any scent, any fragrance, any color, any way, any how) and the Wallflower plug-in refills (also any scent, etc.). Bath and Body Works Wallflower plug-ins are little droplets of Heaven in a glass holder that plug into an electrical outlet, subsequently heating up the liquid fragrance and distributing an explosion of various gratifying aromas throughout any room. And beyond. Truly, it's a whiff of ecstasy in a wall socket. What I especially enjoy about them is that the delicious smell lasts an astonishing thirty days and can easily be distinguished a month after being plugged in, unlike those other pesky scented plug-ins that promise you stamina but go limp after only a few days. Side note: That's television commercial material right there! Copyrighted! Moving along, I discovered these splendid creatures in 2003 when I moved back to Lake Charles (Louisiana) from Miami (Florida). My dear, dear friend, teammate, and roommate, Michelle, worked at Bath and Body Works at that time and had these devices plugged in all through the house. That house smelled like an eruption of every flower on the planet, and I soon became very fond of the pleasant odor. Long story short, these plug-ins are wondrous in that they are long-lasting, smell yummy, and I just plain LOVE THEM! The only slight drawback here in Vietnam is that we use a 220v and not a 110v like back in the states, where the plug-ins are produced. So, I dredged down deep into my white trash roots to the depth of my soul and conjured up a perfect plan! There are these Raid mosquito repellent 220v plug-in creations made here in Vietnam. So I channeled my white trash roots, rigged that Raid device up, and discovered a way to "Make It Work." By emptying that smelly Raid fluid out and replacing it with my wallflower refills scents, I brought about a masterpiece! This is why I never ask for the plug-ins with care packages as I can't use them here. So, you see, I'm actually saving YOU money by requesting only the refills and not the plug-in itself. The glass is half full. All this to say that I've amassed quite a collection of refills and plug-ins. Now, don't think for one second that because of the multitude of aromas in my arsenal that I can't use more! The 220v burns the fragrance twice as fast as the 110v so keep 'em comin'! I mean it! I guess I should point out the hypocrisy of my earlier statement declaring the scents last a full month. They do. Back home. Sadly, not here. However, one can never have too many of these things! True story.

Below are a few photos of my collection of wallflowers and refills, as well as the steps of the homemade, self-discovered transformation process - commencing with the charming Bath and Body Wallflower refill receptacle and concluding with the uninteresting, yet practical Raid mosquito killer container. You can take the boy out of the trailer park...

P.S. Body Splash Stash photo after the plug-in series.

My stash of Wallflowers - some plug ins but mostly refills. Hello, Raid Mosquito Fighter on the left and Wallflower refill on the right. Side by side in harmony, the way nature intended.
The fragrant concoction has been poured into the dismal Raid container...
Stick in the outlet and VOILA!! 15 days of heavenly fragrant bliss..

My other "must-have" - Bath and Body Works Body Splashes. Any of them. These certainly come in handy on those hot, equatorial sunny days in Vietnam. As you can imagine, it's easy to get that not-so-fresh feeling in the middle of the day. And what better way to replenish that loss of natural aroma with a splash of Pineapple Passion Fruit Orange Grove Apple Orchard scent in a bottle! Below is a photo of my Body Splash stash.

Many many MANY thanks to you wonderful people who have been so kind and generous to send me care packages to Vietnam: Tara Chaumont, Brandi Romero Clement, Yem Huynh, Angela Davila, and my dear friend, Eric, who brought me a plethora of plug-in refills AND body splash all the way to Thailand last week, even though six bottles ruptured in transit and leaked all over his clothes :(




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Thailand Blog: FOOD!!!

So, as I mentioned in a previous blog, there was lots of food to be consumed in The Land of Smiles. And I did!! I consumed it! There were so many Western restaurants that I didn't know what to do with myself. Well, actually I did know what to do with myself - EAT! When all was said and done, I gained not 11lbs as previously thought but a faboosh 15lbs!! (+7.1kg for my students who don't know lbs.) But.. I will tell you this, I enjoyed EVERY minute of it! Now back to reality and getting serious with diet and exercise. Enjoy the photos below of food, delicious food! And me indulging in it.

About to KILL these Burger King onion rings!!!!
Clearly, the look on my face tells all: GUILT!!! But I savored every minute of every one of those onion rings! With ketchup.
Dairy Queen! DAIRY QUEEN!!! In Thailand!! Who knew??!?

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And now we come to the place I visited the most, gave the most money to, and gained the most weight at drinking frappucinos and eating cappucino brownies: The One, The Only.. Starbucks!!
Would you just LOOK at this in all its magnificence!!! A Burger King AND a McDonalds RIGHT across the alley from each other. AND this photo was taken from the Starbucks right across the street from both!! This day... was Heaven.
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Distancing Myself

I've always been the type of person who surrounds myself with positivity and tries to share that energy with those around me. I am a firm believer that you are responsible for your own feelings: If you want to be happy, you will be.. and vice versa. When I encounter people who are unhappy with their lives and make a conscious choice to not benefit from an experience and fail to take the positive out of that experience, I find myself putting a wall up because I don't want to be sucked into their negativity. I don't know if it's selfishness on my part or me just trying to protect the good light around me, but I don't have much use for people who complain about their situation and offer no solution to their problems. So, yes, I'm that guy who is always friendly and happy and gravitates to the same kind of person.

So why write this blog? I guess it's because I'm trying to decifer two ideas. One: When you're young and trying to figure yourself out, of course complaining is a natural part of life. I get that. What I don't understand is people who are past that point or who should be past that point and continue such behavior. Second, I'm trying to figure out if this makes me a selfish person. I cut myself off from people who exude negativity. Do I cut them off because I simply don't have use for them because I don't want to be drawn in to their complaining, gossiping and unhappiness due to selfish reasons? These are things I have been thinking about lately. The latter being the easier one to figure out because I don't know that I'll ever understand someone past their late twenties who still complains about a situation that he or she has complete control over.

Just some things I'm thinking about today :)

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Fish Spa!

My friend, Eric, and I went to a fish spa in Thailand. This is an experience as the fish congregate around your feet and suck the fungi and bacteria off. It took some getting used to, but I enjoyed it overall. Below are some photos of the 'adventure.'

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Just getting started..
My feet. The fish didn't like my feet. Maybe they were too clean??
My feet and Eric's feet. The fish LOOOVVVED Eric's feet. Not so much mine!!

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Tidbits from Thailand

I'm often surprised about the many things I learn about life and myself while encountering new experiences. I wanted to post some things I came across during my travel:

1. I gained 11 lbs the six days I was in Thailand. Burger King, McDonalds, Starbucks, Dairy Queen! All these things I hadn't seen since I've lived in Vietnam as we don't have many franchises here. And not to mention the Thai food!! I ate and ate and ate. And ate.

2. Contributing to the 11 lb. gain was the realization that I am no longer allergic to chicken and peanuts. Something strange happened when I turned 21. I developed an allergy to chicken and peanuts. I tried a little chicken curry on the plane ride into Bangkok. I was fine. I decided to try peanuts in hopes that I'd dropped that allergy as well. And whattayaknow?? No more allergies! I ate lots and lots of Snickers bars!! I had 15 years to make up for!

3. I was only in Bangkok one night for a few hours. I spent five days in Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand near the mountains and rain forest. There weren't any good souvenirs to be found so I didn't come home with any souvenirs for my students.. except a 5 kg weight gain.

4. I was so surprised to hear some Thai people speaking Hebrew to tourists. I had no idea that Chiang Mai, Thailand, was a popular tourist destination for Israelis.

5. I held a baby white tiger and got to feed it. There are only 300 of these left in the world. I held a baby tiger!!

6. I saw my first lady boy show. It was so interesting. And there are lady boys EVERYWHERE in Thailand.. working at the mall, walking around the airport. And I never knew until I heard them talk as they had their adam's apples covered by clothing or scarves. Beautiful! They were beautiful.

7. I got an authentic Thai massage - for the first time ever. It was lovely. And happy.

8. I climbed up in tree tops, repelled down them, and zip lined over 2km for three hours through the jungle at terrifying heights. I'm terribly scared of heights. It influenced me tremendously as it was something I needed to do to face that fear.

9. I went on a night safari and saw many wild animals. Some of the animals came right up to the tram. It was intense at times. My friend, Eric, freed some horses who were caged. It was funny, liberating, and a bit scary. Mostly funny.

10. I went to a fish spa and had the fungi and bacteria sucked off my feet by fish. At first, it tickled and felt weird. I grew accustomed to it, and it was actually quite relaxing.

11. I got to see my very good friend, Bai, who I went to college with. He is back living with his family in Thailand. Very happy to see him again. He was a great friend to me my last semester of college.

12. I got to spend a lot of time with my dear friend, Eric, of 11 years who I hadn't seen since my birthday in 2006. He really took care of me on the trip, and words can't possibly express the gratitude I feel toward him for ensuring that I had a fantastic experience.

13. I was seriously debating getting Botox done while in Thailand as it is very cheap there. I will be doing it when I go back to visit in April. I'm sure of that!

14. I missed my other half. Tremendously. I knew on this trip more than ever that I want to spend the rest of my life together. I hated being apart. This is the one! This is it! Forever!

I'm sure I will remember a few more things and edit this blog entry as the thoughts come back into my head. Until then....

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Chiang Mai Tree Top Zip Lines in the Jungle

This is exactly the same thing I did! But like.. 10 of them!! So cool!

Zip lining in the jungle

I'm home from my vacation in Thailand so now it's time to post a few blogs about my awesome experiences there.

First blog: "The Flight of the Gibbon" jungle zip line and hike. Let me preface this by saying that this all took place in a rain forest. And the words "rain forest" lived up to the name. It RAINED HEAVILY the entire time we were jumping from trees, which made the experience that much scarier!

My great friend for over 11 years, Eric, and I did this jungle zip line hike thing. I thought the zip line was going to be one long zip line, and that was it. I was sooo wrong. It turned out to be a series of ten zip lines or so that was over 2km in length and lasted about three hours. There was also repelling down huge trees in the jungle that freaked me out. I was fine for the first half of the adventure but was traumatized by the repelling down the tree experience where there was nothing to hold onto. Below are some photos of the awesome experience.

All harnessed up and ready to go.
In the van on the way to the jungle.
On a rickety bridge in the treetops. Eric kept shaking the bridge. I was scared.
Eric and I repelled together down a big tree in the Thai jungle.
Eric took a pic of me from above.A photo of the group we went with. Good people.
This is Noa from Israel. We both were emotionally drained after the three-hour experience of jumping out of the jungle tree tops!!
Here I am with our guides. They were funny and helpful.
After finishing jumping out of trees, I did a back handspring for everyone.

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White Tiger

Feeding a baby white tiger at the Night Safari here in Chiang Mai, Thailand. There are only 300 of these left in the world. Such an awesome experience!

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