Living in a Foreign Language

Elephants, Children and Demons all in one Night

Sounds like a NIGHTMARE!  But, alas, it wasn't, just a night out...the nightmares came later!

We decided we would go to see a "show" and dinner while in Phuket.  The highly recommended shows were 1) Lady-boys (and this means just what you think it does, it IS Thailand or 2) Siam Niramit.  When I asked Mr.Ken his preference, 2 won hands down.  So, we booked tickets for the dinner and the show on Saturday night.  Siam Niramit was to be about the history of Thailand...so here I am thinking it will be one big The King and I production.

First of all upon entering the "theatre" and I use this term loosely...it was more like a convention center!  It was huge.  It was clearly built for this performance.  Anyway, upon entering there was an elephant you could feed, ride, take photos of.  I'm a sucker for all things elephant!  I don't much like the picture of me but I love the elephant, looks like he (she) is smiling.

After I fed the elephant (and washed my hands) we went to the dinner.  It was this massive buffet.  Have I mentioned just HOW much the Asians seem to LOVE a buffet??  They do.  What I found most interesting about the buffet was not the food itself (which turned out to be delicious) but the children.  Yes, me, (OP) children, and interesting  ~ but never would you think all in one sentence.  Here they are surrounding one particular area:

You are thinking there is nothing interesting about this!  Well, this was the sushi area of the buffet and when I say these kids went MAD for it, I am not kidding.  Later, when I was walking around I saw their plates - piled high with sushi and FRENCH FRIES.  LOL.  How funny is that?  Culture meets MickeyD.

Then we saw this guy making fruit/vegetable sculptures - crazy amazing they were!

This entire display is all fruit or vegetables!

Anyway, after dinner we went to a pre-performance which we figure was held basically so all the tourists (because let's face it, only tourists go to these kinds of things) could get some pictures as during the show, no pictures.

We got seated and looked around and the theatre was practically empty.  We were all grouped together on these two rows in our area (there were other people in the seating area below us) but no one on the row in front of us at all.  Once the lights dimmed we jumped down to the row below, because, why not? There was no late seating and no one there! Our butts had only just touched the seats and this prissy little girl came up to me (in the dark I might add) and hissed "You CANNOT sit here!"  I said "Why not, the theatre is practically empty and you've got us all crammed into one row?"  She said, very indignantly "these seats are RESERVED for VIP's!"  I looked around and said, very sarcastically, "REALLY?"  (At this point Mr. Ken leaned over and said "tell her we ARE VIP's!")  I said "I see no reason we cannot sit here."  She said "these seats cost WAY MORE than what you paid."  I said "REALLY?"  She hissed "Yes, 200 Baht more, 400 for both."  Okay, guys and dolls, this is about $12 USD, total for both.  I said "Okay, but I don't like your tone."  She said "Ma'am, if you are going to stay in these seats you MUST pay 400 Baht."  I said, "Ok, but I don't like your tone."  I grabbed my purse and took out money (in the dark), I handed her what I thought was 1,000 Baht.  She hissed at me "This is only 100 Baht."  I said "Again, I DON'T like your tone."  I then handed her threw at her the 1,000 Baht and gratefully she went away with a GLARE at me as she turned.  Later a very sweet and seemingly abashed and embarrassed young man brought us back our change of 600 Baht!  Can you spell e-x-t-o-r-t-i-o-n?  I can!

Then, the show!  First we went through more or less the traders and others coming to Thailand to make money, some of that The King and I sort of Siam...then some of the small villages and living in a small village.  What was really cool was they had an entire river for the village that flowed through the theatre!  Serious!  And, then a huge storm with real rain!  (Mainly this rained upon the already wet area of the river).  I've been to ALOT of performances and never have I seen a REAL river running through it!  They also had real elephants (as you saw above) and real chickens, goats and crops that looked amazingly real as they grew!  So, then there comes a brief, shall we say intermission (though you cannot leave) where there is a magician of sorts entertaining the crowd.  Okay.  

Then Act II.  Which started with --- Fiery HELL.  Progressed to a Forest and ended with Celestial Heaven.  Or, a representation of the three worlds (each consisting of a number of planes you can find yourself in before going to your next life) ~ none of the planes are permanent and you exist in one or the other based on your past karma and your karma at moment of death.  Or at least that is as much as I understood about it anyway.

What?  I thought it was the history of Thailand?  Mr. Ken kept saying to me "yes, but Buddhism is part of the history."  Okay, then I guess I go with I SO didn't expect to see Fiery Hell complete with demons and all the punishments you will receive once you arrive ~ beat your children; you will be beaten by demons (and they are not nice, nor are their tools they beat you with) ~ steal from the Temple; have your hands chopped off ~ commit adultery; climb a tree of thorns.  And so on...I guess I expected a lot more The King and I ~ call me a romantic!  I'll answer.  Hahaha.

Sometime during the Celestial Heaven part these beautiful celestial maidens came to where we were sitting and poured water over our hands which they held over a fragrant dish of orchids.  Mr. Ken and I decided THIS is what the VIP seating is all about!  You've got to be a VIP (or pay 400 Baht) to have your hands rinsed off by a celestial maiden.  Such a well spent $12!!!

And, then it was over and we were whisked back by our driver to our hotel to dream have nightmares of Elephants, Children and Demons...I didn't once dream of the $12 celestial maidens.  

Love, spajunkie

 P.S.  On the advice of my attorney, my friends, my psychic, and the DES, none of the aforementioned is in any way an attempt to deningrate any religion, belief or thought.  It was simply an experience that happened one night at a show in Phuket!  I believe with all my heart in the freedom to choose whatever religion or belief works for you personally .  

More Phuket in the next one...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Peek at Phuket!

Hello guys and dolls!

Well we arrived on Thursday, not a bit of an issue with the passport and I'm pretty sure I can squeek by with just enough room on the right there for the outgoing Thai stamp and the entry stamp in De-Laysia

There will be a lot of pictures next - first, the villa:

He doesn't ALWAYS work, it just seems that way!  Today we are being lazy and playing on the computers, reading, napping while it rains...which is a terrific way to spend a day!

The requisite mirror photo!  

 The best part of the villa:

And the VERY best part - the view FROM the bathtub!

The resort and the views!  Spectacular!

At the very top of this mountain you can barely see "The Big Buddha", we are going in person tomorrow...that and pictures of Phuket Town will be a later post.

These Koi fish were mocking me!  "...your fish are grey, your fish are grey..."

This guy lives at our villa, we see him as we come and go!  Cute!

Dinner - and a night view!

Coming soon - The Big Buddha, Phuket Town, and the largest jewelry store in the world (or so they say!)...

Oh, and of course, a spa day!  Love, spajunkie

 

 

Clipped Wings

I don't like to be told No.  I never have.  I seriously am not appreciative to have my "wings clipped" as it were.  But this is really something I didn't know…now that I do know, I shall never have it happen again but that doesn't really make me feel any better.

Back last month when we went to Perth as we were standing in line at immigration; (in Perth to come back home) I noticed that my passport had but ONE and 1/2 pages left for visas or stamps or whatever you want to call what immigration in every country does to your passport.  I was astounded by this and recounted several times just to be sure I had it right.  After all, I got a new passport (since the old passport, while still perfectly good, was packed by our movers and sent by slow boat to Malaysia when we moved), anyway, I got this current passport in May 2010…in fact, it doesn't expire until May 2020.  This means I've had the current passport for only two years.  I've had other passports for ten years and I never ran out of pages.  So, while I'd like to say I've been SO many places, and truthfully I've been a lot of places, but in reality here is why I am out of pages.

Malaysia.  We simply refer to you as DE-laysia.  See, when I got here I received a "temporary" non-work visa (which I might add takes up two pages of my passport) to be in the country until June 2012.  Then, sometime last year there was some thing with the company changing its DBA name in Malaysia and our passports were updated and viola my non-work visa is good through June 2013 now (yet another page in the passport).  

What should happen if you are an expat (or an expat spouse in this case) in this country is that the immigration department gives you a  "temporary" residence visa card.  It is a little white card you carry around with you, Mr. Ken has one.  By having this each and every time you leave or come back into the country you show it at immigration and they say to you "stamp or no stamp?" and you choose "no stamp" because otherwise, if you travel like we do, your passport fills up with exit and entry stamps from Malaysia.

You might say - "spajunkie, why don't you have one of these cards?"  Well, here is where the  DE-laysia part comes in!  I don't have one because for the TWO years I have lived here the printer that prints these cards has been on the fritz.  Really?  REALLY!

Now, you might think, in the modern world, this seems improbable, but NO!  This is the country that prior to February 2012 required ALL visitors and temporary visa holders (EXCEPT those with the above mentioned temporary residence visa card) to complete an immigration form upon entry, and to give back the other part of the card upon departure from the country.  Again, with the little white card Mr. Ken has, you are exempt from the immigration cards.  Meaning every time I come into this country (sans little white card), I was required to complete one of these immigration cards AND keep the second part of it for my next departure.   Until I came home in February from Texas.  I asked Singapore Airlines for a card at the gate in Houston.  They didn't have one.   I asked for one in Singapore boarding the plane to Malaysia.  They didn't have one.  At this point I asked "what's up?"  I didn't want to get to KL and be sans card in the immigration line.  I was told…are you ready for this?  NO ONE HAD ORDERED THE CARDS SO FOR NOW, YOU DON'T HAVE TO COMPLETE ONE.  Enough said.  Nothing I can say makes it any funnier…or really, any less ARE YOU KIDDING ME crazy.  Did they change the immigration policies OR did they seriously just forget to order the cards?  I could go on and on...

To-date, still NO immigration cards when you land here and hence, none when you leave.  Oh, and STILL no printer for the little white "temporary" residence visa card.

Fast forward and I have ONE page left in my passport for visas and immigration stamps.  What this means, in a practical sense, is I am going to Thailand on a wing and a promise and after that - my WINGS ARE CLIPPED.  To this you might wonder - "why would you be unable to travel with one page left?"  I am not sure that you can't, all I DO know is a close friend of ours was delayed in Australia for an hour and given a lecture on how you cannot come into their country with only one page left in your passport, two is the minimum.  You just can't make this stuff up kids.  Why?  I have NO idea why…maybe they think you will seek political asylum sans any more pages.  I don't know.  I also don't pretend to know why my 1 and 1/2 pages worked except to say that upon entry into Australia it was, in fact, two pages still open.

You might say - "spajunkie, why didn't you get this taken care of since Perth?"  That is a good question.  The American Embassy indicates it will take 14 business days to process this for me.  They also do not guarantee this AND it is sent to the US to process, it cannot be done here.  The first day I could take my passport in was May 3.  With 14 BUSINESS days involved, best case scenario I would have received it back May 23rd and our flight leaves May 24 for Thailand.  I don't so much trust all that and I just refuse to give up Thailand, AGAIN, for the third time...actually the fifth time if you count giving up Bangkok somewhere along the way...but third time for Phuket!

So, after Thailand the passport gets surrendered to the American Embassy for more pages.  While not a huge deal to anyone but me, it does mean I cannot travel in early June to London and Ireland as planned.  So, sad :( Sandra and Hazel)!

I really don't like having my wings clipped.  I really, really don't.

Wish me luck and that the immigration Gods smile upon me both in DE-laysia and Thailand…and back again!

Love, spajunkie

 

Hello New Week!

Hello Monday! Might I say you have started out WAY better than last Monday.  This weekend was all about movies! Some new, some old (thanks Mel!), some at the movies, some at home. We saw What to Expect When You Are Expecting, which was just okay and frankly, made me depressed but that would be another story entirely. I do love our theatre though! Super comfy lounge chairs complete with pillows and blankets and waiters!  (Picture courtesy of Mr. Ken's cell phone and is not the best.)

At home we watched several movies but the one that stood out (mainly I think because we had not seen it before) was Moneyball. There are a few baseball movies that I love…Field of Dreams, A League of Their Own, and my most favorite of all time, Bull Durham. How could you not love a movie where a relatively washed up minor league player (the always sexy Kevin Costner) paints the toenails of his current paramour (the beautiful Susan Sarandon). It is a funny, sexy movie moment not to be forgotten…anyway, I am adding Moneyball to my list of favorite baseball movies. It is based on a true story, in fact, you can google all the names involved and they really were all there at the time. Brad Pitt does a great job as does Philip Seymour Hoffman (a character actor who I think is terrific).

Speaking of movies, I think I failed to mention sometime back we finally watched The Iron Lady on the plane back from Perth. I love Meryl Streep anyway, she is always fantastic but this movie was SO well done. It deserved every single award it received, and more. Every single thing about it was so well thought out and the attention to detail and history was exquisite.

I had a surprise in my mailbox this weekend! The cheesecloth I had lamented about in one of the blog posts! Thank you to my dear friend! It was a lovely surprise and can I just say how much I love to get mail, in the mailbox! It is such a treat. I mean you just know people went to a lot of trouble to make it happen as you can't just stick a stamp on it and put it in the mail. Made my whole weekend!

Today, I went to do errands as I usually do on Mondays. Here, because of the parking garage scenario, there are a lot of "escalators" that honestly are more like conveyor belts as some of them are made to accommodate your grocery baskets going up or down to get to the parking areas. So, imagine a sort of wide conveyor belt conveying people and their grocery carts up and down, no stairs involved. I am, at the time, on the up side, coming in from the parking garage, no basket yet. I was fiddling with my sunglasses (on my head…no, I don't consider it an addition to my fashion statement…today it was a necessity because I went to bed with my hair wet and well, not a pretty sight…yes, I could have redone it before I went out in public, but that just isn't how it rolled this morning.) Okay, so fiddling with my sunglasses on my head, hit my earring (should I add it is a David Yurman earring I for sure don't want to lose) and off it came. I tried to catch it but…next thing I know, physics being what they are, my earring is bouncing back down the escalator/conveyor belt I am riding up on. You know going backwards back down takes almost double the number of steps as just walking up it…you lose a lot of real estate since it is still moving up while you try to back track. All the while, of course, I'm saying out loud, MY EARRING! Yeah. I'm thinking it was pretty funny to witness. I'm just glad it was a big earring and didn't get stuck in the grooves!  And, was solid and didn't disintegrate with the many, many bounces along its downward trajectory.

Which brings me to a really funny story!! Many, many, many years ago I went to Dallas for a wedding. After a lot of champagne my friend and I went to the Hyatt (I think that's right) to go to the observation deck and view the city. Well, the escalator to get up there was VERY, VERY steep. Somehow, I was looking up, up, up and maybe so much so I was leaning back and….well, I ended up falling backwards as it was going up. I'm still not sure how…all I know is those little groove things ate my gorgeous dress (which actually was my best friend's dress but that's another story) and it was touch and go if I would make it up and unstick my dress before we got to the top and the escalator basically ends. It didn't help that I fell on my friend who quite possibly was the only person around who could help me up. Never a dull moment I say! I'm beginning to really think champagne is not my friend.

So. OPC. Other People's Children. Which in my world constitutes just about all children except those in some way related to me by marriage, family or friends.   Anyway, I was checking out at the grocery today and first off, the woman behind me totally crowded into my space as I was checking out which irritates me. Like stay back where the belt is and you load your groceries until I have paid and left the little pay counter in the middle, because really, your stuff hasn't even been rung up yet. Along with her crowding me was her little brat, boy. He was really crowding me and at some point started swinging this metal gate (used when the lane is closed), as he swung it hit my kneecap, over and over. Finally, with not a word or look to either one I reached down and grabbed the gate and held it where he couldn't move it. He began to pitch a fit and his mother GLARED at ME. REALLY? Seriously. She did not tell him NO, she did not even say oops sorry, NOTHING. Like how did that become my fault? I've got a dang bruise on my kneecap. And, I said nothing and I didn't even look your way with a look that would have told you exactly what I was thinking. Honestly, keep your OPC to yourself.

This afternoon I am starting to get together some things for….THAILAND. We leave Thursday for six days, five nights. Pure vaca on the beach. I actually bought some real books to take (I don't find the IPad user friendly out by water or sun). I've been looking through my travel guide and the info the hotel sent for excursions and night life...sounds like some fun stuff but also a lot of the same things we did in Bali, just in Thailand instead of Indonesia.  But,  I'm excited to finally go after it being postponed for two years now.

I got some really different stuff for reading this time...we will see if I can make it for the duration with NO thriller mysteries since I've half decided the IPad stays home (sorry WWF pals, I will be AWOL for six or seven days) and the Air goes with.  I think.  Maybe.  

Until then...

Randomness on Thursday

Did you know if you actually start writing a book it makes you far less likely to think of anything to say on a blog?  Yes, it is true!  Peeps, I've got the prologue, and three chapters under my belt.  Now, the only problem with them is they are BO-RING.  I'm not sure how to fix this unless I just write about someone else's fictious life.  Maybe they are BO-RING because I've already blogged about them, told people about them, basically exhausted all of the fun out of the stories.  Hmmm.  I have to think more about this conundrum.  Plus I REALLY need to think twice about sharing every little thing here because you are likely the ONLY people who might read my book, if I gave it to you as a gift, so by saying it is BO-RING doesn't do much for readership in the future.  Yet another conundrum.  Word of the day:  conundrum!  Definition by Merriam Webster:  (noun) 1)  a riddle whose answer is or involves a pun; 2)  a question or problem having only a conjectural answer; 3)  an intricate and difficult problem.  Yep, that about sums it up!

Since I was without blog materail I considered taking my camera around with me today just to get a look at the day to day life here.  Then as I was getting ready to go I realized I had to have DES because today was his grooming day, so then I needed a leash, I needed more iced tea really, I had to stop for gas and pick up dry cleaning before delivering him and darn!  I'm late!  No camera made it for the day to day life of today.  Sorry!

I've found that if you want to feel better when your week is sucky,  just post a new profile picture on FB!  I love every single one of you who commented this past week.  Totally made my entire week.  You see you never know what a nice comment here or there will do for someone else!  Practice random kindness as often as you can!

On a more serious note...not that this blog has one serious bone in its body but...I have realized that brunch on Sunday with shell fish and mass quantities of champagne just makes me regret ever doing it come Monday.  Then the entire week gets off to a bad start and well, I'm useless.  I normally make my menu and my grocery list for the week on Sunday, shop on Monday.  That all got pushed out to Tuesday.  Then I felt so bad all I put on the menu was Comfort food with a big capital C (as you can see) and healthy flew right out the window.   Now, Mr. Ken was loving this menu (because anything that gets him REAL food as opposed to the healthy version is a step in the right direction according to him ):

Tuesday:  Smothered Pork Chops, rice and green beans

Wednesday:  BLAT's with french fries

Thursday:  Fried Shrimp, hush puppies and cole slaw

Friday:  Grilled steak, ceasar salad, mushrooms and crusty bread

Saturday:  King Ranch casserole

Sunday:  Pot roast, mashed potatoes, gravy (for someone, not me!) and peas

See what I mean?  Not a healthy thing in the bunch.  However, it is but one week and most every other week I am all about the healthy and nutritious.  Just let it go is all I can say (to myself, loudly as I get another hush puppy).  Not to mention - come on, frying stuff in this heat??  I'm on my third shower of the day at this point.  Oh well, sweat helps carry away all the bad stuff, right?  Oh my, did I just say sweat?  Forgive me dear readers, glisten!  The glistening helps carry away all the bad stuff.  Jeez, you'd think this was a guy's blog or something.

Let's talk about shellfish for a minute shall we?  I have still not forgotten the whole crab debacle in December in  Singapore rendering me unable to eat for more than a week.  Now, again Sunday, I had shellfish (but NO crab - muscles, clams, and something which still remains undetermined but I was assured was a Chinese delicacy once it was steamed).  Monday and Tuesday were not good days for me.  The only shellfish I seem able to ... stomach, as it were... are shrimp, or prawns, you say potato I say potatoe...whatever you prefer to call them.  I find it odd none of this previously bothered me (the undetermined Chinese delicacy when steamed notwithstanding)...so, do you chalk that up to OLD or foreign travel.  Ding, ding, ding, ding, b) foreign travel it is Alex!  You are only as old as you feel..yes, but get sick on enough shellfish and you will feel ancient.

The thing I love most about the random blogs is you can flit from thing to thing because well, it's random!  I bought a "mosquito" plant at the nursery.  The guy assured me that when the "breeze" blows the scent of the plant perfumes the area and the mosquitoes leave.  Breeze?  Really.  What was I thinking?  Speaking of breeze - has anyone ever noticed that if you wear a particularly frilly or billowy or well, anything that isn't a pencil skirt, frankly - skirt, that is the day it decides to be breezy?  You could have rocked along for weeks with no breeze but sure enough!  Particularly I find this phenomenon to occur when I have to ride an outdoor escalator.  Yes, of course, this did happen today on my way for a facial...see, when DES goes to the groomer, I get a facial.  Works out nice, they are in the same shopping complex and then I don't have to come back and, dread of all dreads, find yet another parking space somewhere in the vicinity of the groomer.  Because walking with DES and a bunch of people, NOT good!  Especially men people who may or may not be of another ethic group than I.  Big SHUDDER.  Anywhoo - where was I?  Oh, yes.  Escalator, skirt.  Hello world!  No it appears I did not listen to my mother on the whole "you never know you might get in a car wreck and then what" discussion and perhaps I should have rethought the undergarments.  Enough said.  And, very politely, I might add!

At any rate, I am sitting with my feet propped up in another chair and the "mosquito" plant under my legs.  At last count I had twenty one bites.  Yeah, a breeze is definitely in order, particularly since I've changed clothes and the skirt is hung up now.  I sure wouldn't want to be showing my business here on my private patio, after all!  

 I DEFINITELY need to think twice about sharing everything here!  What a conundrum!

Love, spajunkie

The Pickled Spajunkie

Isn't that catchy?

My VBFF (Hi Shar!) coined that phrase recently and I'm thinking more and more it will be the working title to my book.  Oh, have I not mentioned?  I've finally decided to start writing a book.  I have a rough outline in my head...I even actually have the first chapter just about written (in my head).  I'm thinking it needs a further tagline..."The Pickled Spajunkie:  An Expat Wives' Tale".  What do you think?  That is all I am at liberty to give away at the moment but I would be open to any suggestions!

I got these amazing shoes for Mother's Day!  LOVE Them!

So, to celebrate we went to Brunch at Shook and met up with some friends...

Brunch should have ended at 3 pm....at 7 pm we poured ourselves into a taxi and went home!  A very, very fun time was had by all! Pickled spajunkie, INDEED!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Mother's Day!

To the always stylish and lovely...my mommy!  You were always the youngest and prettiest Mom at school...thanks for all that reading you did with me, you know it is my most favorite hobby of all.  I love you and miss you!  Enjoy the day.  And, ...

 Happy Mother's Day to my wonderful and sweet mother-in-law, Janie!  We miss you and love you too!  Hope that you have a lovely day!

Love, Mr. Ken and spajunkie

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Make Tiramisu

Tomorrow night we are having a dinner party...I've gone with an easy menu...kind of an Italian theme, more or less. So, when I asked Mr. Ken what he would like for dessert his first response was "the raspberry brownie from Panera".  His second response was "Tiramisu"?  His third response was " ...I don't know, fresh fruit with cream or something"?   Which means he went from what he really wanted, to something else he really wanted, to what he knows I usually do since I don't like to make dessert.  I said "Tiramisu it is".

Have I ever made it? No.  But I thought it would be one of those super easy recipes you just throw together and refrigerate until ready for consumption.

As it turns out I was right!  It is super easy...as long as you have lady fingers and espresso and marscapone cheese.  I found pound cake instead of the lady fingers (which Giada assures will work just as well), everything else good to go and so I figured it would be easy to just stop by Starbucks and get a giant espresso to go.

Okay.  I admit I don't really drink much coffee, don't really like it. If I were on a game show and the million dollar question was "what is the difference between espresso and any other coffee"?  My answer would be they serve espresso in a tiny little cup.  Truth is I have no freaking clue except the one and only time I drank it I was kept awake until four in the morning with my heart pounding and I drank it at four in the afternoon.  For the longest time, I didn't know there was any difference in a cappuccino and an espresso except for the size of the cup... and the foam on top...which apparently you could get on an espresso if you really wanted it but that is just even more confusing to this coffee novice.

But I digress, I left the store with ingredients in hand and swung by Starbucks on my way out.  I very confidently sauntered up to the counter and said " I need an espresso for take away in one of the Venti size cups please".  The very nice young Asian man behind the counter said "....um, are you sure ma'am that would be like five shots of espresso".  I said "no, no, no shots" (thinking he meant some kind of those extra things people are always adding...a caramel mochiato with a shot of raspberry ... or something) I continued..."just the espresso please but I need a lot of it, 3/4 of a cup to be exact".  He said "oh, I understand, 3/4 of this"?  He held up one of those thimble sized espresso cups.  "No, no," I said, and picked up what I thought to be a Venti cup, "this".  Now, I will just go back to the million $  ? Above but ask instead for a million dollars "name what Starbucks calls these size cups"...I have never understood the whole tall, grande, Venti, what have you scenario and am super glad I order iced tea which is small or large.   

But back to the espresso.  At this point my erstwhile barista  (is it baristo if male?) asked a fellow barista (a female) to come help me.  So I repeated my request and added to the end of it "I'm making tiramisu".   "Oh" says the male barist(o)a as if that explained everything!  I further went on to explain "yes, and the recipe calls for 3/4 of a cup of espresso, so I was going to take this (holding aloft the Venti cup) and let it cool, then dip the lady fingers in it" (making dipping motions with the invisible lady fingers knowing I was really lying because I couldn't get lady fingers, just pound cake, but at that point it seemed like admitting this would just confuse the issue further).    

So, now the first male barist(o)a, the new female barista both shake their heads as if totally understanding this dessert making scenario and start making me espresso...all the while speaking to yet a third barist(o)a in Bahasa what it is I'm trying to do.  So, now everyone seems to be on the same page.  Everyone is mumuring "tiramisu..." and shaking their heads yes.  So, while I'm waiting the first barist(o)a says to me " Tiramisu, huh"?   I brightly, but inanely, say "yes, Giada's recipe".  He says " I don't know Giada's but I like tiramisu!". I admit I came very close to explaining Giada but thankfully for him and for me thought better of it.

While I continued to wait on my FIVE shots of espresso the lady barista motioned for me to come back...to the super secret Starbucks pantry.  I was a little confused but I followed her.  Here she hands me some small miniature packets of coffee and says "next time you want espresso for a recipe use these, I give them to you as a gift - you just bought 35 Ringott of espresso"!   By the look on her face I could tell this was a ridiculous amount of espresso to have purchased...a whole $11.50 worth.  Nonetheless, I thanked her profusely and said "if the tiramisu turns out good I will bring you a piece".  She smiled and said "okay, it's a deal".  Then my first barist(o)a said "me too".  

So, I paid my 35 Ringott, tipped a considerable amount and took my incredibly hot, full cup of espresso and went on my way.  All the while wondering to myself how I possibly just agreed to bring dessert to the waitstaff at my favorite Starbucks?!  I know, I don't drink coffee but I have a favorite Starbucks...they make a great iced tea, with a little coaching...

Back to the dinner party - the menu:

Romaine lettuce with an avocado, green onion, lemon and olive oil dressing (I refer to this as an upside down salad because you mix all the dressing components on the bottom of your salad bowl, put the cut up romaine on top, refrigerate for several hours, then toss.  It is sublimely good, tart, creamy yet crunchy).

Real Meatballs and Spaghetti by the Contessa herself, here is the link:   http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/real-meatballs-and-spaghetti-recipe/index.html

(If this still isn't showing as a link you can click on, my apologies, I'm STILL learning this laptop.)

Garlic bread

And The soon to be Famous - Tiramisu

I did a very casual, little bit rustic, little bit elegant,table scape:

Buon appetito!  Arrivederci!  

Amore, spajunkie

Crashing Down to Earth

I was thinking today, a month away from the two year anniversary of moving here, that I needed to find something to do...I looked into some photography classes and some volunteer options, nothing really lit me up yet.  Then I started wondering???  Hmm, what was I doing before now?  It seems like I was holding on by my fingernails while people, places and things just whirled around me at a frenetic pace. The I really realized all that had taken place in the almost two years since I arrived here...

The first six months beginning June 2010...how delightful, crazy, and scary they were.  Lauren and I flew here, we met Ken and picked up the DES and went to our new home.  I continued working, albeit long distance but still had my hand in the work world I'd left.  Six weeks later Lauren went back to Houston, our shipment arrived and unpacking fun was had by all.  We quickly realized what a mistake we had made in the house of our choosing.   A few weeks later Rogielyn came to live with us.  We subsequently traveled to Bali, Miri, Singapore and Perth.  That was all in the three months before October...then the dreaded "C" word entered our life and we flew to Houston for 10 LONG weeks of doctors, radiation, and of all things, a broken ankle.

We brought Mr. Ken with the broken ankle back to KL in mid December, to the house with 3 sets of stairs, Cobra snakes, chemo treatments, and more travel.  In early 2011, we went to Singapore many times, back to Perth in February.  Everything seemed to rock along.  I finally officially "retired" and ended my consulting agreement with my former company in February.  Then there were trips to London, Italy and Switzerland in March.  In April the storm that is named Lauren came to town with all of its various 18 year old things, some good, some not so good.  Sometime in May we started having security issues with every other night attempted break ins...Ken always traveling somewhere...Seemed like there would never be any sleep.  Chemo rocked along until June... then no more and gratefully went to a pill everyday and Mr. Ken's health seemed on the upswing.  Some trips were made to Singapore, Perth and Malaka. In July I broke MY ankle and did physical therapy all the way up to December.  Some trips were cancelled but some trips were taken..Cherating, Genting and Langkawi.  In November Lauren went back to Houston, and we found out we had to move houses (yeah!).  We searched for a house, found one, made a quick trip to Perth before the movers came and we all, Mr. Ken, Rogielyn, Desi and I, happily moved in by Christmas.  

In January we went to Houston.  We saw, we met, we drove, we saw, we met...we did alot in a short amount of time.  In February we were back home in KL.  Then we went to Perth, Singapore, and back to Perth.  In between we had an out of town visitor, our first!  Throughout all of the three months we bought fish, killed fish, kept fish, bred fish; bought turtles, kept turtles, bred turtles.  I worried incessantly over the pond...Mr. Ken traveled even more, as he always does, and came back from Vietnam sick.  A few tests and a lot of prayers and breath holding later, all results were excellent and he was as good as 18 months ago.

In between all of the above there were many spas visited, restaurants eaten at, friends made, and blogs posted marking each and every event...a new Ipad to learn, and a new MacBook to hate somewhere in the mix....

And, then here we are in May of 2012.

All I can say is - ALOT can happen in two years!!  

Why am I just today reminiscing over the last two years?  Well, because since we've been back from Perth for a week, I've been at loose ends.  I keep thinking I must have more things to do.  Though, honestly, everything I can think of to do...finally organize all the photos from the last three years, print them, scrapbook or put them in albums, take a class, find a hobby, volunteer...go to cooking school, book a trip. ..I just can't seem to muster up the energy required to do any of them.   I told Mr. Ken after Perth I wanted to stay home for awhile...until Phukett at the end of May.  So, suddenly, what was making me itch to do something when all I REALLY wanted to do was....nothing.

I realized.  I had come crashing down to Earth.  I was finally actually just living here, day to day, minus the next crisis or shoe to drop, minus the next bag to pack or unpack...minus work, minus worry, minus stress.  In other words - if I am not the stressed out, worried woman I once was or the globe trotting, packing a bag every other week, spajunkie I thought I'd become, who was I?

Here is the conclusion I came to...  I've come crashing down to Earth.  I like Earth, it's a good place to be.  I like no worry and no stress.  I even like having nothing to do in a day but make dinner, post a blog, feed the turtles and fish or, God help me, read ANOTHER book.  Oh, I know I need to do something...sometime...but...for now, I've decided to enjoy this time of laziness.  This season, as it were. This being, and having a relaxed, slow, lazy life. 

You never know when you might need all the energy you are saving up being lazy for the NEXT two years of frenzy.

Living life in the SLOW lane, FINALLY.   Two years after retirement, a year and three months after "official" retirement.  

Love, spajunkie

Who's on First?

And the WINNER is - Kim (From Perth)!  Congratulations Kim, look for your gift certificate in your email inbox listed on your FB page.  

Okay, it seems there is some issue with subscribing to my blog feed - MY BAD.  I am trying my best to sort this out and as soon as I do I promise another giveaway...but in the mean time, what's up with about 80 people reading the blog and two commenting???  Are my friends all shy or what?  

Maybe next time!  New blogs coming soon.  Have a good weekend guys!  Love, spajunkie

 

 

Or, maybe, more aptly, What's On First?  

I was looking at my last googles.  Yes, I am sort of fascinated by the things that get googled, I admit it.  What the heck did we do prior to this?  I can tell you one thing for sure - I winged it!   

Quick off the top of your head, no google, what is a paradigm?  Are turtles born with a shell?  Who had the most home runs  in baseball history?  Who WAS the other Traveling Wilbury...(somehow most people can name four but not five???)  Who wrote "Hey Jude" and ... More importantly, what is it about?  When will the Olympics be in London?  How many ounces in a cup?  How many kilograms in a pound?  Why is the US the only country in the world not on the metric system?  Why is the metric system so hard?  What is farhenheit to celius?  Why can I not make my mind stop???  Be quiet!  Shush!

So, I guess the point is I love to go back and look at a week and see who, or what was "on first" on my google bar.  It is always good for some laughs plus I like to think I'm keeping the OLD mind supple and busy!  

Now, down to it!  If you made it this far, congrats!  You have the ability to read mindless crap and....You have the opportunity to be entered into the first ever spajunkie give away!  The prize will be a $40  Gift Certificate to Amazon.  All you have to do to enter is 1) subscribe to this blog's feed or 2) leave me a comment telling me what is the first thing that pops up if you drop down your google bar!  I will assign numbers to each subscription or comment in the order received and use a random number generator (Random.com) to choose the winner.  You have until Friday, midnight, CST to enter. 

I will announce the winner on Saturday afternoon (KL time).  I will post the winner both on the blog comments and on FB so be sure to come back and see if you won!

Have fun guys!  Good Luck!

The answers to the previous listed items I googled this past week.

A typical pattern of something, a model.
Yes, but they may not harden until later.
Barry Bonds
All of them are:  Roy Orbison, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne (the ELO guy), Bob Dylan and Tom Petty.  Oh my, what a group of musicians.  Oh my.
Paul McCartney.  He wrote it to Julian Lennon during his parents divorce to cheer him up.  He renamed it Hey Jude because it was easier to sing.
2012 Summer Olympics in London July 27 to August 12
8 oz in a cup
.45359237 kilograms to a pound
Who the heck knows?
Who the heck knows?
http://www.metric-conversions.org/temperature/fahrenheit-to-celsius.htm
Who the heck knows?

What's on YOUR google bar?

Love, spajunkie

Back From Perth

It was a short trip but we sure did have a good time!  It's funny...turn us loose in Western Australia and we manage to make half the dinners there all about Mexican food!!  

Friday night we met our good friends, Debbie and Jack, for dinner at the Swan Brewery.  The food is always, always good and the company even better!  On Saturday we went out to the Cottesloe area and just messed around, stopped in for lunch at a (relatively) new place called "the Dish Cottesloe".  

And, were we glad we did!  We ordered the fish tacos  They quite possibly were the best fish tacos I've ever tasted.  Plus, the place is very nice.  

 We met one of the owners, Sally, and chatted with her for quite some time...she is from Arizona!  It is crazy how small the world really is.  Anyway, I mentioned to her that I would blog about the restaurant and give it a review!  Well, I'm no restaurant critic but the food was delicious!  If you are in and around the Perth area I highly recommend you drop in...and tell her the spajunkie sent you!  

Nice outdoor seating too!  Perfect for enjoying the gorgeous Perth weather.

Speaking of weather...wow!  It stormed like crazy Saturday night!  We went to a party that evening...in fact, it is the entire reason we flew to Perth!  I always wanted to say "I flew to....for a party..."  Now I can!  Some friends of ours we've known a long, long time are being transferred from Perth back to Houston so we went down for the going away party.  We had a really good time...and the food was really good!  Gumbo, spicy boiled shrimp and fried calamari.  Yum!  We met some new friends (Hi Kim!) and said goodbye to some old friends.  Nice time.

On Sunday we got up and headed to Freemantle to visit the market, have some brunch and just mess around.  We went to a shop called "the Pickled Fairy" which was just precious.  It was for little girls but this old girl enjoyed it all the same, very much!  I just simply LOVE the name as well...

That evening on the recommendation of our hotel concierge we tried a new restaurant called Los Cholitos.  It was mexican-ish...we enjoyed it though it was admittedly very trendy, loud and different than our usual style but we had a fun time and ................they had HOMEMADE FLOUR TORTILLAS.  Enough said.  They even gave me some to take away!  While we were there we chatted with a young man at the bar who was in Perth on business.  We talked a lot about travel and funny travel stories.  He had quite a few!  Very entertaining evening all the way around.

So, go to Perth, have some mexican!  You really wouldn't think you would say that in the same sentence!

Speaking of which...today at the grocery they had real, honest to goodness JALAPENO PEPPERS!  Our menu for the week quickly changed to how many things can I make that need pico de gallo!  Yummy, yum, yum.  

Adios for now spajunkies!