The Pre-date

The person who invented the "Pre-date" should be awarded a peace prize of some sort. Not that pre-dating is a legitimate practice...but it should be, especially if you are going into a date blindly...I guess, it's the equivalent of a "group hang" but without the entourage.

Anyhow, I had a pre-date yesterday, with Dino-boy (if you will recall, he is the 32 year old, astronomer that sleeps with stuffed dinosaurs). I guess it should be of no surprise that the man was a GEEK. The thing is, I went in with a relatively open mind, i mean I figured he's obviously quirky (my favorite type of person) and a bit geeky, but maybe he'll be interesting and amusing. But, after going off about Orion's nebula and random bits and bobbles about Math and Calculus, I found him to be too geeky even for me. Of course the final nail in the coffin proved to be the moment when I tossed Disneyland into the conversation just to see what his thoughts on it were....Well, it's obvious he is not a fan of the Magic Kingdom (the one place on earth that my true geekiness comes out without fail) and if I've learned anything from the past decade of dating, its that if a guy doesn't at least enjoy the idea of going to Disneyland then he isn't the right guy for me...and that is one of my non-negotiables.

life in colorado

You know, my new life isn't so bad. I mean, I wake up around 9:30, go for a long walk, come home, check my email, catch up on the NY Times online, eat a spot of breakfast, shower and begin my day by 11 AM. I work on design sketches, search for new inspiration, and research, research, research. If I'm really in the mood, I'll work on my novel, but honestly all of my energy is being devoted to the jewelry line. In fact today, I found a 2nd store (I got my first store last week) to sell my designs. And for those who are curious, the new catalog is coming slow and steady...but I hope to have some mock-ups soon for discerning eyes to give me feedback on.

Beyond the whole "life of an artist" thing I have going on...I do find that i just "MIGHT" have too much time on my hands...although there are plenty of books to read and TV shows and movies to catch up on, I do seem to have about 5 extra hours a day with nothing to do. I've taken up cooking...and man oh man am I coming up with some ridiculous recipes....mainly for stew, because i kind of like mixing up different combos of veggies and then letting them boil in their own juices for a couple of hours at a time...plus it makes the house smell nice.

I've also found that i am up to my old habits...mainly, I'm back to writing fake personal ads. I can't help it, i really enjoy coming up with a character and then seeing what kind of people will respond. Thing is, this time, I didn't really have to use any imagination, as when i placed the ad, i was in the midst of a serious creative block...I mean I just moved here, barely know anyone, and I have the pressure of having to come up with a mass quantity of ideas before my self-inflicted deadline hits..that's alot. So this ad, was actually a genuine ad. I asked men to tell me what inspires them in Colorado.

What I learned from this ad: Most men in Colorado that respond to personal ads fall into 2 categories: 1) single fathers, who are struggling to raise their child (DELETE!!)....2) Old men who would like to meet me to "show me some inspiration" (Yikes..creepy...DELETE!)
And 99.9% of people polled suggest the ever popular, but so not unique answer to the question of what inspires them as THE MOUNTAINS. Oh good, I'm glad I asked.

One person did answer with: suggestions for funky resturants, a school to learn trapeze, and shakespeare under the stars...I had to give this guy credit for being the only respondent who was actually creative. So I responded to his response and we've been emailing back and forth for the past week. Anyhow, we have a "late lunch" on the books for tomorrow. I have to admit that I was curious about him to begin with, as he has a PhD in astro-physics and seemed pretty cool, not too geeky. But now, I'm having 2nd thoughts...I mean he called L.A. "a sub-continent"...which I totally take offense to. And his favorite movie is an obscure movie that Philip Glass scored over a decade ago...one that I admit I saw in college when I saw Philip Glass live, but it wasn't exactly the type of movie that one would watch over and over and over again...so i kind of feel that was an uber-pretensious answer. Okay and he has time-lapse video of himself sleeping on his website....which I kind of tend to think might be a bit too much information.

Anyhow, I'll have quiche with him tomorrow, maybe play a few rounds of pinball (I marvel at the ideas men come up with for pre-dates...I'll be honest, casual drinks at a nice bar or coffee at a quaint coffeehouse are seriously the best ideas...if you do something too wacky, it's a bit more like overkill.) As of now, I'm still debating...do I ask him about the recent bit that he slipped into an email about how he sleeps with 3 stuffed dinosaurs every night (i'm sure it was meant to be endearing, but the guy is 32, and let's face it, that's just wierd.) or do I keep my mouth shut and hope that at the very least i get a new friend out of this...albeit a super quirky one?

what is home?

I've come home....sort of. Instead of returning home to L.A. I decided to spend some "down time" in Colorado, doing things like writing that novel I always planned on doing and creating a whole new jewelry-line for the winter season. These are pretty grandiose plans, but the fact that I really only know a handful of people in this area, is definately helping me to focus on the goals at hand.

Now that I am home, I marvel at things like hot water (spent too much time in South East Asia), giant food portions (run-off from my time spent in Japan), high prices (probably shouldn't have made Bali the last stop during my journey), fat people (there is no explanation, people are just really overweight in America), and the miracle of Target (possibly a store that is almost as amazing as a Japanese convient store...but with clothes that fit.)

Coming home also means that a)I am not stared at or treated differently/delicately when I enter a store, bank, cafe, or any other public gathering place. b)I am not yelled at when I don't understand what people are saying to me. c) I am literate again and do not have panic attacks before making phone calls. d)I am back to wearing a size small. e) When I walk into a resturant I usually know what I will be getting after ordering (no more surprises because I had to just point at the menu.) f)Nobody automatically thinks I am stupid, nor treats me like a child. g)The police officers are less likely to hold me in an interrogation room for hours, unless I actually do something wrong. h) I can eat decent Mexican food anytime I'd like.
i.) Most of the time I understand what is on TV.

I think it goes without saying that I am very happy to be at home. But, I will be the first to admit, that I was nervous about getting on the last flight from Bangkok that would be taking me home. Having had almost 2 months of not having any sort of permanent residence (being between places) I had come to terms with the fact that I had no clear idea in my head of what home was. It wasn't L.A. (the only home that I could picture in my mind), and it certainly wasn't Japan. And as the days grew closer to the moment that I would have to leave Southeast Asia, the more I questioned what I was doing going "home." The news of Hurricane Katrina had fully saturated most of the English newspapers that we picked up: every journalist was criticizing Pres. Bush and told stories about the atrocities that had been happening in the Superdome. I have long been aware of the imbecile we have running this country (I didn't vote for him, I don't like him, I don't think I need to go any further then that in my comments about him.) but I had forgotten about the ignorance and stupidity of my countrymen in times of trouble. I remember wondering along with AB about the kind of mess I was walking into, if the people of my country chose violence, murder, rape, and mayhem in times of trouble over helping one another out, what kind of place is the "land of the free." It's actually really sad, because ideally the U.S. should be a sort of pillar in the global community, what with all of its so-called "racial and religious" freedom...why can't we as a nation be an example of a somewhat utopic society? Why must the people of my country always resort to violence and ignorance in times of struggle. I thought a lot about this during the long journey home.

And since I'm still not very "settled" in my new place, I often wonder if there is a better, safer place for me to call home.

Random stats from my 6 week trip around South East Asia

As a final post in regards to my fabulous trip, I thought i would break it all down for you by numbers and pictures. Enjoy.

(The above photos are: Pigs on a motorcycle in Vietnam; On top of Mount Batur, Bali at sunrise; Muslim girls who wanted a photo with me in Malaysia; Buddah at Borobudor, Java; the monkey at Penang, Malaysia's botanical gardens doing a "stupid human trick"; me at Angkor Wat, Cambodia.

Number of times:

I flew instead of taking a bus or train: 15
I actually took a bus: 7
I actually took a train: 2
I took a ferry: 3
I hired a driver: 10 (not counting taxis, trishaws, rickshaws, motorcycles, tuktuks, etc.)
Rode on the back of a motorcycle with my mom: 4 very scary times (all in Vietnam)

My travelers' cheques were rejected: 5 times
My money was called dirty and therefore rejected: 3 times (it had a crease, i don't think that makes it dirty)
I was told that my small headed bills were less then the big headed bills (old and new $50): 10 times
I was told that my travelers cheques were worth less because they were not Amex (thank you Japanese banks): 4 times

My mother was almost pickpocketed: once (in Saigon, I caught the bastard and called him many names he's probably grateful he can't translate.)

I told people I was Canadian (from Windsor, Ontario): Countless (I even had a Canadian Flag luggage tag, supplied by one of my dearest Canadian friends)

AB or I told people we were married: 6 times
AB or I was propositioned by a gigolo: Countless

I was asked if I were Thai: 3 times
I was asked if I were Cambodian: 12 times (in 2 days!!)
I was asked if I were Vietnamese: 8 times (most people just stared)
I was asked if I were Balinese: (30 times)
I was asked if I were Javanese: 4 times
I was asked if I were Chinese: once
I was asked if I were "Japanese or something": once
I was asked if I were Malay: 2 times
(I think I should be the face for some ad campaign in South East Asia, as it seems everyone wants to claim me as their own.)

AB and I were almost kidnapped: (e.g. hustled & yelled at by strangers into a waiting van against our will): once (Java)
I went to MacDonalds or KFC (all with Kiwi-boy): 6 times...sadly all in one country
I ate tuna and crackers for dinner because I was sick of street food: 4 times

AB and I were offered an illegal substance on the street: 6 times
AB and I saw signs for "mushroom" soup: 4 times
I had to sleep inside my sleep sack, because I was afraid of aquiring a disease from the sheets: 6 times

AB and I were hit on while sitting on Khao San Road: 3 times (in an hour).
AB or I had to use Japanese in Bali: countless

Number of Bemos to gigolos: approx 1.18 gigolos to every Bemo (version of transportation in Bali...basically a kidnapper van with an open door.)

I was asked by a stranger to pose with them in a picture: 8 times (I must look like a S.E. Asian celebrity, because old ladies wanted to pose with me, as well as teenage girls and strange Japanese businessmen).

Lastly, number of times i was told by an Australian woman that she had, "Never seen such a beautiful Balinese girl in a western outfit before. Why don't more Balinese girls wear western style dresses?": Once (The "balinese girl was me of course)

wedding rings and other things...

I don't really have time to write about it, but next time you see me...ask me to show you my new wedding ring... It's beautiful...one whole carat of cubit zirconium!!!...the lucky guy is actually myself...and the ring was worn to keep of the gigolos that wouldn't leave AB and I alone for our trip to Java...

but since this cafe is closing now, I guess i'll just have to tell you about the rings, gigolos, and dirty money next time I see you.

Koh Sahn Road...Bangkok

Just got into bangkok....man oh man do i miss Bali....did I mention I LOVE IT THERE!!! I think leaving Bali may have been the first time in my entire life where I had to completely suppress my urge to jump up during takeoff and yell, "Stop the plane, I'm getting out now!!!"....luckily I held it in and didn't have to be escorted off the plane by the air Marshalls...

So here I am...Koh Sahn Road..the infamous backpacker strip...If you've seen The Beach...you've seen Koh Sahn road...I kind of like to think of it as Kuta on crack...or maybe Spring Break gone wrong. AB and I showed up at our hotel here ($10 including shower and breakfast for a literal hole the size of my childhood closet)...expecting to find her friend Sid, only to learn that Sid isn't showing up until tomorrow. I think there might be a bit of confusion with the international date line...oh well, these things happen. And since we were already there, we decided it was best to just leave our 200 kg bags in the room, find an internet cafe, check email...then go out and drink until we forget where we are staying... (did I mention the rats I saw coming out of the sewer drain on the street...they were bigger then the cat that was cowering from them!!!)

I guess rooms can't always be awesome...and I fear we are a bit spoiled because of our last place, which was amazing in Sanur...I think they actually have a website...google: Flashbacks bungalows Sanur Bali...that is if you get bored.

Bali

Today is my last day in Bali. I am rather sad about it and can hardly wait to get back here. For the past 2 weeks, my friend AB and I have managed to do almost everything Bali has to offer and still not get too bored.

We started our journey in Sanur and stayed there for 2 nights (the room rates got cheaper and cheaper as we traveled...as the first night cost us $35 total...and by the time we left for Java (more on that later) we had gotten the total cost for a room (with brekkie) down to $5 (that's 2.50 each!!!!)....In Sanur we found lovely beaches and fabulous shopping...but since it was the beginning of our journey we decided to hold the shopping off til later (which is what I will be doing as soon as I finish this entry.) and headed up to Ubud (the cultural center of Bali)....there we saw Kecak dancing (it's pretty interesting as there are about 75 men all sitting on the ground, behaving as if they are all in a trance...then people do differnt dances thru the group....at the end a guy walks over burning coconut shells), took Batik classes, wandered rice paddies (even had a guy offer to climb a coconut tree for us to get us some fresh fruit for juice!) and of course did a bit of shopping. The highlight of our time there was a sunrise hike (ohmigod it started at 3am I thought I was going to die!!) up Mount Batur...which is one of Bali's semi-active volcanos (it last erupted a few years ago)...the view was pretty awesome (as was the sunrise.) But I believe the highlight of that trip was feeding breakfast to the wild baby monkeys that lived up there....in fact one of them was so sweet and trusting that he held my hand for awhile....I love the monkeys. We also cooked some food in the volcanic steam that is seeping from the ground just about everywhere you step...we opted for steamed bananas over the cooked egg...but judging by all of the eggshells on the ground, most tourists must opt for eggs for breakfast.

After Ubud we headed to Lovinia (which is in Northern Bali). There isn't much to say about Lovina except that it is very quiet now and the tourist season is definatly over. We were pretty stoked to get out of there after a night....but didn't really think about our escape route.

I think both AB and I agreed that after Lovina we needed an adventure...so we boarded a local's bus to Yogyakarta Java....which meant 19 hours on a bus (not the 12 hours that was originally proclaimed)...on the plus side we got to see Java...on the negative side...we got to really see Java. Not much to say about Java, except that it is dirty, gross, unfriendly...and well it isn't the indonesian paradise that Bali is.

We stayed in Yogya (as the locals call it...pronouced Jogja) for 2 nights. At one point a local explained to me that Yogya was to Indonesia what Kyoto was to Japan...ummm,no...not even a remotely close comparison. The highlight of Yogya is Borobudor ... which we saw and thought was cool (albeit a bit commercialized compared to all the other Unesco sites I had been to over the past few weeks...they had a train ride to take you around the manicured park to the site...must be a US sponsored Unesco site) but after we finished with Borobudor, we found the dilemna of not having the slightest idea of what to do next...so we began our search for Javanese beads (there weren't any good ones) and coffee (turns out Java is actually a misnomer)...

I think both of us were never so happy as we were the moment we boarded a flight back to Denpasar....then headed to Kuta.

Kuta is gross..it is a tourist trap and literally the hell that resides in paradise...this is where the Bali bombings took place a few years ago (and unknowingly to us, we actually walked by the sights a couple of times before going to one of the clubs that had been rebuilt)...Both of us were pretty happy to leave there, as the whole thing is a bit like Spring Break....plus the day after we left the Bali paper had a front page article about how a fake bomb had been found in one of the Kuta hotels...and that the Indonesian President was basically putting the whole of Indonesia on alert (do other countries have Orange Alerts?)..this also explains the sudden appearance of a mass of police officers!!!

After Kuta, we went back to Sanur...where we will finish our days in Bali. Not much more to report...unless you want to hear about my regular manis/pedis/massages...etc. I have a facial scheduled in a few hours...then drinks and shopping. Life in Bali certainly isn't bad.

Tomorrow I head to Bangkok...I'll be finished traveling and in Colorado on Friday.