Game of Thrones Season Six The Door Spoiler Ahead

So, I'm a HUGE fan of Game of Thrones and have been watching it since it started and read the first three books - I know, I need to pick up the last two....I will.

Well, if you haven't watched the newest Game of Thrones episode released today, then don't read this...or if you do, don't blame me as I've warned you in the title that there are spoilers.

While we were watching this episode, our friend that comes over to watch it with us mentioned that FB was up in arms about this episode and naturally, I think, "Oh, Someone just died."

The last time someone died and everyone was pissed when they revealed that Shaggy Dog was killed by the Karstarks.  Well, my first thought was, "It must be a direwolf".  There are only two left so that narrowed it down.

The episode goes on and then the ending scene starts - there's been a trend of having something shocking, both good and bad events to end the episode.  Well, fighting ensues and then, the white walkers surround and kill Summer.  I was nonchalant about that death, as I figured that was what all the hub-bub was all about.

Boy, was I wrong.

I understand. In death, a member of House of Stark has a name. His name is Wylis/Hodor

I can't even say his name around my husband because he's so sad about his beloved mascot of GoT dying.  I think about chanting, "his name is Wylis" just to lessen the blow but the damage is done.

I'd have to say, the death of Hodor is the most heartbreaking to since Ned's untimely/timely demise.  In fact, I'll go so far as to say that his death is more traumatizing if you'll allow a girl her musings on this episode - is it sad I also made gifs and memes about this?

So, Hodor is a lovable character that you instantly like, if not for his simple way of life, then his iconic and at times sage usage of the word, "Hodor".  He's like a lovable Pokemon that is human (or maybe vise versa according to Game Theory :P).  You can't help but smile when he's on screen and feel bad for him when he's scared.  In the beginning of the series, you just assumed that he was born that way and he was just this great fun loving character that helps Bran but as season six progresses, you realize the truth.

I made this gif and a meme just for this episode

Yup, I'm going to go on a limb and say everything is Bran Starks fault.  It's an overall blanketed statement but honestly, we can stem it all back to him from the time he was pushed off the tower after catching Jaime and Cersei.  I can also say that Catelyn made a lot of mistakes that cost her her own life as well as those of her eldest son, Robb, but I'm not going into that.

So, let's get back to Bran.  So he fell off the tower and boo-hoo, he's crippled.  Who takes him around and listens to him and does his bidding like a Pokemon...um, slave.

Hodor.

Hodor is Bran's legs, muscle, his physical everything because he can't do anything for himself except for being a warg.  Everyone says that Bran has a big destiny and whatnot but honestly, so do many others in this show/book.  Pick a number Bran, you're not that special!

You're Special?  GASP!  Big whoop!  So is everyone else that think their cause is important.

The sixth season gave us a revelation about Hodor and his past.  He wasn't always, "Hodor" and went by the name Wylis.  Wylis was just a normal boy that grew up with Eddard and Benjen Stark and so we're left hanging until episode five, "The Door."

Willful Bran, not heeding his instruction about staying too long in the past and his lot in life ends up endangering EVERYONE, and by everyone, I mean everyone but Meera.  He honestly is like a Blackwidow.  Anyone who sticks around him ends up getting killed in the end and none was as sad as the story of Hodor.

So, at first, you think Hodor's servitude to Bran only started when he fell form the tower but we were wrong.  He sacrificed just about EVERYTHING for the chosen one only to meet his demise and in tragic twist of fate dealt to him by...you guessed it.

Bran Stark

Earlier in the season, it was revealed that he can affect the past through his greensight when he called to his father but in this episode things got real.  He ventured into the past and was touched by the White Walker King because he didn't listen about staying in the past too long.  Bran was then told to leave immediately because he can now be traced.  What does he do though?  He stays and watches his dad and uncle in the past!

I've seen a few theories about how it was probably orchestrated by the Bloodraven but honestly, if the little shit just did as he was told - especially after he realized they could see him and find him in the past - he should have hightailed it and left.  If he had left and not been stuck in the past, there would have been more than enough time and a head start to get away.  Does that happen?

No.  So we're left with this sad image of Hodor's demise.

 The saddest part of this whole episode is the realization that Hodor not only sacrificed himself for this moment to save Bran, to serve but he sacrified himself even before Bran was BORN!

Think about it!  Bran's just watching Wylis as a child, probably his age or younger and Meera is trying to wake him and tell him to get Hodor.  He doesn't wake from his dream induced state until just about everyone does and poor Summer is now Direwolf chow.  Bran sorta jailbreaks into Wylis' mind and controls him to take him out of the cave.  Hodor acts as a vessel pretty much doing Bran's bidding but towards the end of the episode, he's haunted by Meera's voice saying, "Hold the door!", over and over again.  Young Wylis is already being controlled by Bran in the present but now his past psyche is being damaged beyond control by the connect that Bran has to him and Meera's order to "Hold the Door" as the run off into the snow storm.

The sad thing about this is that Wylis' whole life and sole purpose was bent and shaped because of Bran and had all boiled down to this moment where he's holding the door for them to escape and he ends up sacrificing himself for that lot in life.  It was a lot he didn't choose and was forced upon him even when Ned was a child himself.

Now, every time you rewatch an episode, hear someone quote, "Hodor" or even see an image of Hodor, I want you to think about how that phrase, "Hodor" he started to chant as a pre-teen, in the first episode all the way to season six episode five, I hope you realize that he was brainwashed.  He didn't have a childhood, a normal adulthood or was even pushed out of a tower because he was at the wrong place at the wrong time.  No, he was brainwashed and mentally enslaved from that moment on for the sole purpose of holding a door so two freakin' kids can get away from danger as he stood by the door as was predetermined by Bran and Meera.

Bravo Kid!  What you did was uberly fucked up.

Hodor was a tragic character that went through a messed up version of Stockholm syndrome through no fault of his own and led a very sad life all for the whims of a 'special' kid.  It just goes to show how if someone has more power than others around them, they can and usually would use it to their advantage while others get hurt.

Rest in Peace, Wylis.  Hodor.

Getting Documents Authenticated for your Chinese Visa in Thailand: DAY 2

So, I recently got a job offer for China and one of the new regulations for a Chinese Visa is to have your diplomas authenticated.  It's a similar process as when I went to authenticate my marriage certificate for our visa in Thailand - I'll talk about this in another post.

I decided to write about this process because I didn't really know what to expect and didn't find the information on the website and when I called, the girl didn't understand me and thought I was calling about the visa process.  I went to the Chinese Visa Office to get my degrees authenticated, and they said it cannot be done without doing these other things first (Hence why it's Day 2 rather than Day 1 of the post).  Just so you know, this is what I spent 7 hours of running around to do today (*this information is pertinent to the date it was published so be sure to call and double check that no one moved buildings since this date)

It's okay, you live and learn.  Let me just preface this with, this is what I experience and I am in no way responsible for anything that may vary or differ from your own experience of doing this same process.

In my situation, I'm here on my husband's work visa in Thailand but my degree was granted in the US and I need it to be authenticated for China.  There are three places you need to go to three different offices:
1. U.S. Embassy office - book a day in advanced because it does fill us fast
2. Ministry of Foreign Affairs BUT through The Department of Consular Affairs
     (02 572 8442) there are two offices so be sure to go to this office [ 123 chaengwattana road Lak Si Bangkok - by Don Mueang Airport]
3. Chinese Visa Office on the 5th floor of the building

You need to visit those offices in that order otherwise you'll just be running around like I did my first day (it took me three days to get it all right)

1. Make an appointment at the U.S. Embassy to notarize/authenticate your document(s) or in my case my degree (you can make the appointment via the website or possibly calling)

DO Bring

• Passport
• 1800 Baht (that's how much it cost today, may change but I paid in cash not sure if you can with Credit Card)
• Documents needed for Authentication 
• Printed Appointment (might be able to get away with taking a picture of it but I'm not sure)
• When in doubt, call them

I was also notarizing my husband's diploma so make sure you fill out the forms accordingly.  The workers at the U.S. Embassy have always been helpful and will remind you to fill in as much information as possible and if you're doing more than one document and not just for yourself, be sure to put their information as well.  They recommend this way better because

You get your forms in the Embassy so fill it out and DO NOT SIGN IT.  You will only be able to sign it when you are under oath and in front of an Embassy employee.

Made my appointment for 9:15 - one of the earliest - I was also hopeful I can get it done in one day -- NOOOOOPE~

Go in, get the form, fill it out and grab a number at counter 3.  They'll look over your documents, may as you about them but they'll tell you to pay (1800 Baht PER DOCUMENT notarized - hence why they recommend combining all documents on one form).  Go back, swear on it and then get it stamped!

Moving on!

     2.  Ministry of Foreign Affairs (make sure you have the right office)
 
Bring with you:

• U.S. Embassy Affidavit/Notary form 
• Original Documents
• Passport
• copy of 1st page of passport (the one with the info and picture of you)
• 200 baht (express = 400 baht)

Go in the building and go up stairs (if you're lost there is an information booth)

Go upstairs again and stand in line for information by the Legalization area and grab a number.  You'll be given a form and you just fill it out and then give it back to the info desk.

Wait for your number to be called (it'll be in Thai so be sure to look up every so often)

When they call your number, you give them your documents, may need to show them your passport but you'll pay there an then so you can choose express services that take 3-4 hours (hence why I couldn't finish everything in one day) or come back at a later date.

I opted for Express at 11:00 am and went to lunch at Sizzlers and killed time there before heading back to the ministry.  When I went back, it was very fast, you can either go to information on the 3rd flood and they'll tell you what window you need to go to or just go to Windows 7 or 8.  There, you'll show them your receipt and they'll look for you document and you're done.

With that I was done for the day and I still have tomorrow.  Yay!

I will continue my journey tomorrow!

***

So it's the next day, and I get in line and though we got there at 10, the line was not bad for a Wednesday morning.  I gave them my documents, the workers at the front desk look it over and put everything together for me in the order they like, gave me a ticket number and then sent me to wait for my number on the left waiting room.

I only waited about 20-30 minutes until they called my number, but as soon as I got to the window, I was greeted by a nice English speaking Thai guy that took my documents, looked it over for a bit and just handed me a receipt that told me what date and time to pick it up and pay.

I was given a brochure with the pay rates depending on how fast you needed everything processed but seeing as I wasn't in quite that much of a rush, I went the regular route of a four day wait and will be picking it up the following Tuesday.

I'll just need to bring my receipt and passport and 1050 in Baht.

***

Note to self, don't leave your passport at the front desk.  I was in such a hurry to get out of there that I didn't realize that I left my passport with the receptionist when I was handing them my documents and though they didn't need to hold on to my passport, I forgot to ask for it back.

It was no incident to get it back but I'm glad it was left there and not lost on the street.  I called as soon as I got home, asked for my passport and gave them all my information and they said I could come back and pick it up the next day.

I went the next day and made a day trip of traveling around Bangkok since I was making yet another trip this week to that building - three days in one week - YEESH!  Went with my copies of my passport and other stuff proving who I was and I got my stuff back in no time.

Thank goodness that's all that was!

I'll update and let you all know how it went.  TTFN!

***

It all worked out!  I brought in my receipt (and passport, though I didn't need it), checked in at the counter and they redirected me to counter 16 on the left side to wait for my documents.  I gave the receptionist my receipt, paid my 1050 Baht (I did the regular service and waited 4 days rather than the rushed service for double the price) and got my stuff!

I will say, I was nervous that it wouldn't go through AND while I was waiting, I read the back of the receipt, I saw the disclaimer saying that whether or not your paperwork went through, you still had to pay (WTF?!).  Who knows?  I may have just been fortunate but I'm glad it all worked out.

I read a REALLY good article on Physics

If you know me, you'd know there is something absolutely wrong with that title.

I don't read anything about physics.

...At ALL!

I'm not that kind of sciencey person and I have a bare minimal understanding of it but this article made me feel like I was a champ at life because it was like the ABC's to physics regarding a black hole.

It was written for not just the layman, but for someone like ME to understand!

Kudos for Joseph Polchinsky and Scientific America because if I ever wanted to learn physics, I want to learn it from that dude!

I really wish I could find the whole article but here's an excerpt instead.  This article - and this blog post - was written a few years back and I never got around to posting it but I feel like with how many discoveries we've been making in the past year or so, theories like theses become more relevant.

Now, I've not been keeping up on the more recent findings but I think they were able to find some more evidence on Einstein's prediction that was mentioned.  Also there was more evidence towards the speculation on the information coming out of the black hole rather than the original thought that all information is destroyed once it hits that singularity.

Actually, I don't know anything because I see article and glance at it, not really checking to see if it's authentic so feel free to correct me on the above paragraph because, as I said, I've not been keeping up since I've not been receiving my SA prescription in Salaya :P

One thing I really liked about this article and I didn't know they did was pose thinking pieces of speculation.  I don't know, I always thought they just wrote speculation in books, but this article in SA was using evidence and proposed a hypothesis on what may actually come out of a black hole.  It's kind of interesting since there is so much we don't know about our universe and after a certain point, everything is just speculation until it is proven but it's an interesting frontier.

It's nice to know that we know nothing until there is absolute proof and in this manner, you can say this is a field that science can definite use their imagination.

Now you may 'phishaw' me for saying science and imagination in the same sentence, but without imagination - with strict scientific parameters, of course - how can you try and discover new things.  There will always be speculation on the next step or progressive of whatever they're researching but I think the major innovations and discoveries happen because of imagination.

Anyhoo, I know nothing other than I really liked this article and the writer needs to teach physics on YouTube or something.  If you can somehow get this article online, it's worth a read.


Excerpt:

Black Hole “Firewalls” Could Change Physics Forever

“Firewalls” of particles may border black holes, confounding both general relativity and quantum mechanics

By Joseph Polchinski

Falling into a black hole was never going to be fun. As soon as physicists realized that black holes exist, we knew that getting too close to one spelled certain death. But we used to think that an astronaut falling past the point of no return—the so-called event horizon—would not feel anything special. According to Einstein's general theory of relativity, no signposts would mark the spot where the chance of escape dropped to zero. Anyone journeying past the horizon would just seem to fall down, down, down into a pit of blackness.

Recently, however, my colleagues and I have recast that picture in light of some new information about the effects of quantum mechanics on black holes. It now seems that our astronaut would have an experience very different from Albert Einstein's prediction. Rather than falling seamlessly into the interior, the astronaut would encounter a “firewall” of high-energy particles at the horizon that would be instantly lethal. The wall might even mark the end of space.

Someone later comments:

The article ‘Burning Rings of Fire’ restates the quantum mechanical position that information can never be destroyed, that in principle the information in a book when burned remains encoded in its ashes. I have only the most superficial understanding of the broad outlines of quantum theory, but this example does raise some questions.

Information, of course, has many forms. Consider this book, prior to its being encoded into ashes. The text was in a particular language. The words combine into expressions that have unique shades if meaning in that language. This information is important to its ability to convey meaning. The illustrations, their rich use of color and detail or, perhaps, their elegant simplicity, provide information. The font, point size and spacing of text provide information to the typesetter. A bookbinder would be interested in the method used to join the pages to the spine. One who is interested in the strength of materials finds information in the interweaving of fibers in the paper used.

A botanist could identify the plant fibers used to make the paper. A physicist could date the book by ratios of various radioisotopes. Is this a rare book, a limited edition? Its order of publication confers information that affects its value. Its antiquity, its place in history are informative to the historian. The listing of the varied forms of information contained in this single book could continue indefinitely.

Is all of this rich, multilayered information conserved when it is handed into the fire? Does it remain intact as we ‘encode’ that information in successive steps, first by burning, then by reducing the ashes to atoms? Is there not some measure of degradation with each successive ‘encoding’? If we continue to encode this assemblage of information by rendering the atoms into their constituent protons, neutrons and electrons, each of which is indistinguishable from any other, what has happened to the information? Is there any claim that, someone could re-create every aspect of the numerous forms of information previously contained in this one small, unique physical system?

By accepting the principle that information is not destroyed, does it not follow that there must exist a theoretical principle by which some hypothetical agent armed with sufficient knowledge and equipment could recover that information? If not, the statement that ‘the information is not recoverable’ is unambiguously equivalent to the statement that ‘the information was destroyed’.

If information, encoded in its dispersed and degraded ashes, cannot even in principle be recovered by a suitably knowledgeable and equipped agent, by what criterion can it be termed ‘information’?

3D Printing

May I start out by saying, I LOVE 3D printing!
You can do so many cool and creative things with it and save money especially for mass production:
Furniture:

It brings up questions like, 'What if you had a company that can challenge places like IKEA with only a 3D printer."  Opendesk is one example of a company doing just that with their unique designs created by various artist and contributors.

What may have started as an innovation for aesthetics has turned into an invention of "Anything Goes".  People have started to see the potential that 3D printing is not just for simple items but for useful, life quality and life changing innovations as well.

HOUSES:

Organs:

Now, with my new found interest in Biopunk culture, I'm very interested in open source lab equipment because normally, it ain't cheap.  I worked for a cancer research lab and stupid little shitty plastic equipment that looks like stuff you can buy at Toys R Us were ungodly expensive.  Scientist are constantly searching for grants for funding and sometimes it's a substantial amount but a good portion of their budget goes towards lab equipment and its upkeep and that in itself can take up most of the grant.

Scientist have found ways to keep their research costs down by creating their own equipment via 3D printing.  If it were 3D printed, it may not be top of the line equipment according to the industry, but sometimes, science is conducted in bare-bones types of labs mainly because of funding issues.  Now, all you need is blue prints, which are readily available online and open sourced for all to use, and finding a 3D printer which is now becoming very common placed in different communities.

I love innovation and collaboration!

Things that would be time and money consuming have now become more and more accessible thanks to the 3D printer and the imagination seems to be the limit.  Granted, there are still many innovations and testing/trials that needs to be completed with the bio-printer and other printing but maybe someday in the near future, that scene in Star War where Luke gets a new hand will not be much of a fantasy.  People can customize their own houses down to the most minute detail and have back up organs at a touch of a button but that'll be a very distant future.  It's still fun to think about and imagine, though.

For your enjoyment:  FOOD PRINTING

BioPunk Intrigues Me

I get inspiration from random things I come across and the it thing for so many years has been SteamPunk.  Now, I'm still exploring all the different nuances and trying to figure out what is what, but here are some images of what mainstream or what popular ideas of steampunk can look like.  Just on a glance, it looks like it's heavily influenced by Victorian era ideas and innovations but on crack.  I absolutely love the fashion!

For full Slideshow, click here!

I find this subculture very interesting as well as CyberPunk, BUT my main reason for bringing this up is to talk about BioPunk.  Now, I'm just starting to scratch the surface of this genre/subgenre but from what I gather, biopunk is using biological knowledge and technology to rebel against an establishment in a good or bad way...or something along those lines.  Like I said, I get the gist of it but I'm still at the entrance of a deep deep cavern that needs to be explored.

Examples of movies that are biopunk are like Gattaca - LOVE this movie - and the Island of Dr. Moreaux and I consider anime like Akira - I think it's actually a mixture of CyberPunk as well - or even Dexter's Laboratory.  The main commonality of all these movies/shows is how science is used mainly to modify life for better or for worst.

Actually, let's talk about Dexter's Laboratory because that's actually an awesome example of biopunk!  In fact, now that I think about it, it's one of my first and lasting impressions of the biopunk genre even before I knew what it was.

Many of you who have lived through the mid 90's - early 2000's know or may have heard about this show.  It was definitely part of my childhood as well as Powerpuff - lite biopunk, 'sugar and spice' - and other stuff on Cartoon Network.  So, you may be asking why I'm talking about a kids show at this point but if you're not familiar with the show, it's about a brilliant - probably autistic - boy named Dexter and his various creations in a secret lab under his house.

"You may be thinking, Why is that Biopunk?"  The fact that he's so discontented with the world around him that he has to escape into a secret lab to invent and create/discover things on his own to make his life better than what is already know in the everyday world seems to fit the bill of biopunk.  Granted, his inventions and intentions are at times dastardly at best, but his actions to rise above what is the 'norm' and create a better world - mainly for himself - via science encapsulates that whole mindset well, in my opinion.

Why am I so taken by Biopunk?

Well, recently I watched an amazing video on TedTalks (yeah, I know...) but the speaker, Antony Evans didn't just talk about his project - which, I REALLY think you should look at on KickStarter because the concept and the packaging is absolutely brilliant! - and innovation, but about the Biopunk community as a whole.

I've heard about how people have hobby labs and are science enthusiast since I was in college but this concept of open source science and innovation has me salivating on so many levels.

1) I love science and though I may not be the most proficient - ask some of my mentors - but I respect and love what we can learn through it.

2) I am not anti-establishment or anti-capitalism but I don't like this elitist attitude that you have to be party of both in order to do "real" science.  I firmly believe that people can conduct their own - responsible - experiments without either and this biopunk movement embodies that.

Check out this site that was recommended by the speaker in the above TedTalk - I actually messaged Antony Evans via KickStarter and is very helpful:

DIYBIO

3) Sometimes you don't want to wait for others to do the experiments that you have questions for and I like that aspect of take the initiative and find answers for yourself.

Actually, there are more things that I love about the biopunk movement but it's 1:20am and I'm getting delirious so I'll leave so I'll wrap it up.

Yes, there are many out there that may say, "Well, that's why you have so many quacks making ostentatious claims", but really, what many - outside of the quacks' - are doing is putting forth a hypothesis and testing it out to yield results.  What makes it science is the ability to take that hypothesis and test out the exact same method to yield the same result, over and over again by various people/parties to prove that there may be some basis in the initial finding ....not something that is only tested a handful of times, with no peer review or references as to how they made these claims in the first place.

Anyhoo, I think I may have found a hobby or movement that I can stand by, but I definitely am getting some great ideas from these quote/unquote basement lab rats and found another thing to write about.

Win/Win if you as me.

ProgressTH: DIY Gene Therapy: A True Biopunk Story

ProgressTH: DIY Gene Therapy: A True Biopunk Story: May 2, 2016 | ProgressTH It is inevitable that the technology currently controlled by large monopolies ends up democratized and in the hand...



Such an interesting read!

Top of Wat Tham Suea, Krabi

This is the Wat at the top of a mountain side, 1,200 steps up.  The climb is brutal but you're rewarded with a beautiful sight.  Totally worth it!

Shock of the Day: Sonkran is like a water Fire Fight

Songkran is the time of year for Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries to celebrate New Years on the Buddhist Calendar.

It's 12:29 (after midnight) April 13 (now) and people are starting the cleansing of the new year.

From what I gather, they target Farangs or Foreigners, with icy cold water and aiming for specific parts of your body to get a reaction.  They usually try and get girls more and aim for their breasts and bum, but guys have their junk as the main target.  Not really my idea of fun, but our friends wanted to see it so we're down here for their benefit.

I've seen footage and video of how crazy it can get for Songkran, but my husband left to hotel earlier today, officially a day before festivities and apparently they already started.  He described it as, "Boondock Saint's Fire Fight!"

I tend to think he exagerates but seeing as I've seen his start up footage of it as well as various youtube videos, I think he made a great comparison.  I see it as a Cancun meets water fight on crack and nationwide.
The crazy thing is that this celbration last for a few days from the 13-15 this year and the most car accidents occure duing this time of year.  Accidents are 9x worse this time of year than any other and they offer special Songkran accident insurance for that purpose.  Not only that, nothing is open during Songkran so good luck getting to stores and getting food or necessities before hand if you haven't already and live in a small area - like we do.

Oh, and they tend to like to get buckets and tubs of icy cold water and dump it on bystanders like a ALS Challenge on meth.

I'll let you know what my shocks are as I've holed myself in the hotel until it's officially April 13 and I'm well and prepared for the water war going on outside.

Shock of the Day: Sick and Stairs do NOT mix well...and Monkeys are still Assholes!

Sorry folks, I've been out of commission for the past few days because I've had a nasty stomach bug and I'm finally starting to feel better.  This Shock of the Day is a bit of a rant, so like previous rants, if you don't want to read my swearing for no reason, stop reading now.

Yesterday, I felt better than I have since I contracted the stomach bug but...it was probably too soon to tackle something like Tham Seua.  Just to give you an idea of how many steps there are to get up there, there is the sign.

So the trek starts behind the sign and it goes up....and Up....and UP!  Well, I probably shouldn't have gone and done those stairs to say the least but another shock of the day came in the form of monkeys - another bane of my existance.  (rant starts here)

Not this guy or his band of furry friends but up top, there are some mean mother fuckers as my next shock of the day: Uberly agressive monkeys.  We met a very nice Indian couple and their young daughter towards the top.  Then went on ahead of us but we then heard some shouts and the little girl crying and so we ran to see if everything was alright.  We arrive at the scene with the dominant male on the father's backpack clawing and scratching.  Both mother and father were trying to protect their daughter from the monkey and so we grabbed sticks and banged on the blue railing to get the attention away from them and scare them off.

We asked if they were okay and if anyone was hurt but the father had aquired a few new scratches from the male monkey - hope he got that cleaned and checked out.  They said they were only walking by them when the monkeys came and pulled at their bags trying to steal shit, and a water bottle got lost in the mix of everything but for no apprent reason, the dominant male monkey started to pull on the little girls arm.

She, nor her parents did nothing to provoke that action and so they swarmed around her to try and protect her from the male monkey but he was being a little demon.  We were warned that the monkeys on top stole stuff but this is unreal.  We've encountered monkeys at Batu Caves in Malaysia and at other spots of Thailand but nothing this agressive!  Well, we had scared off the very teritorial and agressive male and escorted the family to the top and it seems they made it down fine, otherwise we would have heard them from the top.  This whole experience just solidified that I hate monkeys and self rightous hippies - some dumbass decided to add his two cents of "you're just making them angry".

No, dipshit, they were already fuckin' angry and I could careless if they are angry because they are attacking a fucking little girl!  If it was just an adult putting up with an asshole monkey, fine!  But she was defenseless and her parents were at a loss as to what should be done other than protect their child, so yeah, I'll fuckin' wave a stick at fuckin' monkey because fuck them once they start attacking, I'll fight back!

Fuck you, monkey and Fuck you ignorant hippie!

This was our view and very much worth it.  I'm feeling it in my quads and some parts of my calves but after all those steps, I'm shocked I'm not in more pain.

At the TOP! 

Yeah, it was pretty high up, but for me, this climb was pretty intense with my lack of energy from being sick all those days and also the heat was miserable!  The first time I climed Tham Seau, I was 21 and arrived two hours before sunset, rather than 9:00am.  It took me 1.5 hours to get up to the top and it was a struggle as my heartrate became rapid easily with the combination of me being sick, too much heat, sweating all my electrolytes and just plain exhaustion.  Yeah, I probably should have sat this one out but this was something I wanted to do again and experience with my husband so I was determined.

When those monkeys went apeshit - HA! - adrenaline quickly masqued my exhaustion and once I was on top of the mountain again, I was able to rest for another hour before making that trek down.



I can honestly say the trek down was a lot easier but still difficult with my exhaustion but we made it down in 40 mins including all my rest stops to catch my breath.  I don't think I want to do that anytime soon, but I can't believe there are monks that climb this bitch of a hill everyday!

Kudos to them!

And if you doubt how nasty these little shits can be when they decide to be territorial, just watch this video.  I'm not gonna lie, I laughed my ass watching this because in the back of my mind, I knew that monkey on the stairs could have been this crazy too, except we'd be falling down a fuckin' mountain if it decided to attack.  I'll just leave you with this footage, good or bad.

 

Shock of the Day: Laundry & 10 Baht Coins

Short one today because another day of transit but we were making our way back from Chiang Rai to Chiang Mai after accomplishing our goal there.

I really wanted to feed a Giraffe!

So now it's been a week and we have to find a laundromat.  Well, we didn't have one near our hotel and the hotel would have charged us 40 baht per item!  That's roughly $1.35 USD for one sock or underwear.

NOOOOOOOPE!

So we went to a coin laundromat and guess what they take?  Only stupid 10 baht coins!  Now, 10 Baht coins have been the bane of our existence even back at home to do laundry because it's so hard to come by for some reason.  When I go to the laundry worker with my change and ask her to exchange coins, she give me stink eye and all I can think is, "Bitch, PLEASE! I know you have a key to get into the machine that take ONLY 10 Baht coins so go and exchange my coins because you'll just get it back anyway!"

Well, that same issue arose today trying to get our stuff clean and worse yet, we forget to bring our own laundry soap.  Luckily some other person doing their laundry took pity on us, exchanged our coins for 10 Baht and offered us some of her soap for free.

Goes to show that Laundry is a pain in the ass no matter where you are and there are nice people everywhere.

Peace!

Shock of the Day: Giraffes have Tongues like Cats

Today, we started early to get to a temple I've been wanting to see for years now and boy did we get there early!  Well, I looked on the website and it said the temple opens at 6:30.  Well, we get there at 6:30 and the sign says 8.  Shock of the Day, not really.  It's Thailand.

We actually ended up taking tons of pictures of the place before it was swarming with people and I actually noticed that some of the hands in the sculpture were creative additions like Wolverine and others.

Have a look:

Shock of the day, Wolverine's hand is in there

We then went to Singha Park, we not only rode bikes to get around the park but we went to the petting zoo and fed giraffes, zebras and long horn steer.  Giraffes have tongues that are rough like cats but if I remember correctly, it's also rough so they can eat the thorny acacia leaves.

Shock of the Day: Bugs are like beer food...ish

Short one today since we were mainly in transit.

We getting a ticket to catch an early bus to Chiang Rai but unfortunately it was sold out.  Well, it turns out that was the best thing to happen because we ended up going to a temple that I missed the first time I was in Chiang Mai and it was absolutely gorgeous.  (I'll add pictures on the next blog)

So I didn't know you can get blessings at these temples and I just watched two families kowtow into the temple and kneel at the monk to bless them.  He only blessed males and young girls because they aren't allowed to touch women otherwise they have to go through a long cleansing process for a month.  Needless to say, I stood behind as everyone else got a blessing and went to get my blessed bracelet from his assistant.

Cool Experience.

So my shock of the day is Chiang Rai has a nice night bizarre with many things you can buy.  Well, it turns out you can buy at the food court fried buggies. Yuuuummy~

So we ate bugs.  Yup, they were like triple fried or whatnot.  It was extra crispy and honestly tasted a bit like chips.  The one I could stomach the most was silkworms, then grasshoppers but not a huge fan of the fat grubs mainly because of the texture.

Would I eat it again....sure, but let me just say, it's not my first go to as far as bar food or munchies.

At least I can say I tried it.

Shock of the Day: Reflex Test

Today brought us to a lovely canyon in Pha Chor but our shock of the day is brought to you, ladies and gentlemen, by Tiger Kingdom.

We also visited PooPooPaper, which I love.

Now, before you harp into me for going to see Tigers in captivity, let me just point out that A) Tigers are going extinct at an alarming rate and if it weren't for establishments like these, they would have all died out by now. B) they were NOT drugged or sedated - that was the mother fuckin' heat of Thailand making them drowsy because let me tell you they are alert - which brings up to the topic. C) They were hand reared and are used to human.  Yes it's not the most ideal of situations but until the outside world can get their shit together and stop kill and illegally trading Tigers, Elephants, Rhinos and other creatures, establishments like these and the like are these animals only hope for survival.

(getting off my soapbox)

SO, as I was saying, we go and pet tigers and discover 3 things about them (and us in the process)

1.  They are SOFT! ...or at least the 18 month - 3 year tigers were.  Not only that, they LOVE belly rubs!

 2) They have cute paws...even though they can maul you like confetti...and these big guys were only the medium sized tigers.  After seeing the X-LG cats, I can now see how they can easily take down a man.

3) I now know my reflexes are still pretty good.

So, we are petting Andy, our buddy here when he decides to stir up shit with his sleeping buddy see above.

Sleeping buddy DID NOT like Andy biting his ass and told his so in this pic.  You've never seen me and my husband get up so fast as soon as his buddy woke up, sat up and growled at Andy with a FU look as seen above and blow.

That's me saying YIKES as I see the tiger getting annoyed at Andy.

...And we're up while Andy is still being annoying to his bud.

Thanks Andy for the mild heart attack.  At least we know that our sympathetic response of fight or flight still has its edge to it.

Shock of the Day: Fish Manicure

Well, day three of traveling didn't bring as many delights as day two.  Speaking of which, I forgot to mention one event for day two.  So we were talking the water boat taxi and it's on a very polluted river: really disgusting.  We sat in the front so there would be less motion sickness and that logic worked pretty well.  Unfortunately, sitting in the front also means you are susceptible to river mist all over.

River Mist.
"Don't breathe that in."

Today was mainly a day of transit from BKK to Chiang Mai.  Not much to really go and write home about but we did see fish-manicure places.  If anyone of you read my husband's blog, you'll know how much he HATED doing that because it felt funny but because his best friend wanted to try it they did.  The first five minutes, there wasn't much action going on there but they then moved to a bigger tank where the fishes were HANGRY!

Both guys were laughing aloud at the weird sensation but it was definitely worth the try!

Shock of the Day: Raining?

So, if you've been reading, you know that we have guest at the house at the moment experiencing Thailand for the first time.

First we go to Buddhamonthon to check out the huge Buddha and when we get to the top of the stairs, to be respectful, we took off our shoes.

It was mutha fuckin' HOT!

Trying to light our candles but epically failing.

Like, we would have gotten blisters hot as we stood there, but a worker came up to use and said that shoes were okay.

You didn't have to tell us twice.

We then grabbed the wrong amount of offerings and the same worker went back down and got two more incense for use - you need three total - for offering.

We watched as a lady lit her candel on a huge flame, dripped wax on a the platform and stuck her candle on the wax and proceeded to light her incense.

Well, we tried to do that but as soon as we stuck our candle, it blew out with the strong wind - someone was having a good laugh - and we tried to light them again but the wind was not liking us today.

Okay, so we opted to light our incense and light our candle that way and...that worked out just fine.  We kneeled and then waied and prayed and was on our way.

Our next shock of the day was feeding the catfish.  Okay, sure there isn't that much to the fish feed but they love bread....like really LOVE it!

Posted by Richard Tumin on Sunday, April 3, 2016

Not only that, they are pretty fearless.  Not that they are brave or anything, it's more like they don't know any better.  It's a Buddhist park so no killing of fish means no fishing.  So, when I hold out bread for them to eat, with a bit of it in the water, they just open their huge mouths and grab it.  We were essentially hand feeding the fish!  It was fun and absolutely cute.

You eat that good merit, you dirty, dirty fish!

So we take them to Yaowarat and have a fun time exploring but then we go into a dingy alleyway and to say it looks 'sketch as hell' is a bit of an understatement.  It felt like I had to hold on to my kidneys and liver in fear that I may wake up in a dingy room to find that I've newly stitched and without one or all of the aforementioned organs.  It was pretty bad.  Well, halfway down the alley there were 'raindrops' that sprinkled on us.

Lived to tell the tale with all organs intact...?
Achievement! 

'Why is it raining...?' was on my mind instantly as I knew that day to be hot and clear but the defense mechanism of my mind was kicked and said, 'NOPE!  Don't think about it." and we moved on.  Apparently, my friend and I missed a rat the size of a cat that scurried down the alley and into a styrofoam cooler that probably had food to be served at the connecting restaurant to unsuspecting tourist.

Just sayin'.

On the bright side, we ended up in a street that we were looking for and found the food place that we were sure we wouldn't find.  Happy times, right?

Oh, and we came home and asked one another about the "rain" and had a good laugh about what we thought it was.  Answers ranged from "gutter water", to "pee", "poop", you name it.  I'll maintain it was gutter water and leave it at that because that 'gutter water' sprayed on my head!

Delights of Being a Host

I've been hosting people for a long time, whether it be family and friends visiting Hawaii for the first time or our guest from all over the world Couch Surfing at our place.

Flying in a Helicopter over Hilo.  LOL, you can actually see our old house on Derby Lane

One of the delightful things to see is how they react to new things.  It's almost like watching kid's open up a gift for Christmas.  There's suspense, shock, glee and excitement...or disappointment.

Yap, those are goats from the other side.  Don't know the name of the place so I dubbed it "Goatyville"

Most of our hosting experience happened to be in Hawaii, and because it's a tourist destination, we know what our guests were expecting out of our hometown.  We also threw in the added bonus of making recommendations based on our guests interest and likes.  As very proud residents of Hilo, we knew almost every nook and cranny, every hole in the wall and most every secret swimming hole.  We delighted in seeing our guest enjoy our recommendations, often times going with them to our secret spots because we enjoyed them as well.

Now that we are living abroad in Thailand, it's a whole new ballpark and we get to be the ones experiencing things for the first time and finding delight and joy in simple things, like cheap fruits and delicious food made in a food stall before you.  I've had four months for acclimation but my husband has been here for almost a year and he enjoys taking me to new things that I haven't seen yet and we have fun exploring different parts of Thailand together.  Living in a bigger city - or, at least having access to it besides getting on a flight - opens up a whole new experience of art and amenities that we didn't get living in a small town.  Now we can see concerts or shows, go to special art displays/exhibits and enjoy the city life is we so choose.  Granted we do live in a smaller more remote part of Thailand just outside of Bangkok, but a 45 min taxi drive and 20 min train ride takes us to the heart of Bangkok.

Our first guest from home arrived yesterday and I'm excited to see how they react to Bangkok.  We live in a small, one bedroom apartment with a living room and fold-out couch and one bath.  It'll be interesting living in such close quarters again with someone else for the next three weeks as we've not had a roomie since our last roomie left in May and we moved out of our Hilo house.

When asked about the taxi drive, their expressions were rather amusing because let's face it, the rules of driving here are way different compared to the US.  Rules are like cautionary notes or guidelines and not really set in stone and speed limit.

Pbtt!  Don't make me laugh! What speed limit?

Cost of living is so much less here and one of the appeals of living in a country like this.  We had fruits aplenty waiting for our guest's consumption and though we lived in Hawaii, where fruits were abundant, they were not cheap.  Over here, you can get a huge bowl with a variety of fruits for less than $5 USD.

I can't wait to see what their reaction would be to all the new experiences they are going to have here in Thailand!

Panda-monium taking Bangkok by storm!

If you haven't heard, there is a touring flash mob of pandas touring Thailand and its attracting people from all over the world!

From the 1600 Pandas+TH Facebook page:

"1600 Pandas+" is the follow-up to “1600 Pandas", a collaboration that began in 2008 between WWF-France and artist Paulo Grangeon, who handcrafted 1600 paper mache panda sculptures. The sculptures, made from recycled materials, represented the number of existing giant pandas in the wild at that time.

The new tour, "1600 Pandas+" refers not only to the nearly 17% increase in the population of wild giant pandas to over 1800 in the past decade, according to a survey conducted by the Chinese government in early 2015, but also to increased public awareness of ongoing wild giant panda conservation and an always symbolic reminder of the importance of sustainability in our natural environment. Specially designed paper mache “Mom and cub” pandas have been created to commemorate this occasion, as we celebrate a growing wild giant panda population and continue to support China’s efforts to tackle the threats and challenges faced by this fragile species.

Following the original “1600 Pandas" tour through France, the Netherlands, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, South Korea and nearly 100 exhibitions around the world, this year's "1600 Pandas+" tour featuring “Mom and cub” pandas will make its debut in Thailand in 2016. This unique and breathtaking exhibition will be showcased at national landmarks and outdoor spaces throughout the country, in an effort to raise awareness of both the success and the challenges faced by the wild giant panda, while emphasizing the importance of creating a world where humans live in harmony with nature. "

Aren't they CUTE!

Elephant Polo

Yes, I did say, Elephant Polo.

Don't believe me, check out the 2016 Tournament Booklet.

Before you get all judgy about it exploiting elephants and whatnot, why not read the booklet and find out what they're all about because this event is held by the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation.

Now, I've never seen a polo game in my life but this is the best introduction to polo EVER!

These gentle giants were great to watch prance around the field, at times chasing the ball but some of the best parts were when the ball would land between their legs, they didn't know if they wanted to step on it, move out of the way or even pick it up.  I guess the funnier parts were watching the mahouts and players struggle to decide what to do in this highly indecisive moment for the elephants because they couldn't tell what to do best to get the ball and then when a crowd of elephants came by that particular elephants, it was a party of WTF.

Great shit, that.

I think one of the best highlights for the event was the commentator or announcer for Saturdays first two games.  He sounded like an old retired British colonial sipping his gin and tonic on an overly large pillow seat, making jovial comment about nothing and everything all at once.

"Wow this has to be the most exciting match of the day, well, seeing as it is the only match, the first match of the day"
"It's like watching ballet on a stick"
"This is world class elephant polo, only found here in Bangkok"

That man is my hero and I strive to be as eloquent and amusing as him one day.

Oh, and during the breaks, they mahouts come out with their elephants for a photo op and you can pet and say, "Hi!" to the elephants.

I would recommend, if you get a chance to watch Elephant Polo in Bangkok, you won't regret it!