On my recent visit to Thailand I visited Pattaya, against the recommendation of many of my Thai friends. After checking into my hotel, I decided to take a walk and have a drink. As I was sitting there, among bargirls, ladyboys, and others of uncertain gender, I had the same initial feelings that most people probably have on their visit to Pattaya - this is really sleezy. But during my second drink I started to think. In many ways, isn't this more honest than some other relationships? We a
So I am back in Thailand for the second time and checking into my hotel. I am a bit tired from the flight and it is late. I ask the receptionist where the business center is, because I want to send a couple of emails. She gets this big smile on her face and tells me that the business center is closed fo a few weeks so they can renovate it. But because I am not listening carefully, and from her smile and body language, it is as if she is saying "we have the best business center in all of Bangkok!
As some of you may know, this is the anniversary of the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center. I normally don't go into these things on the Internet, but for us Yanks, we always think back. I was living in Sydney, Australia at the time, and I remember my sister calling me and telling me to turn on the TV. After seeing what happened, I wnet down to the American Embassy in Sydney and saw all the flowers that had been put there by the Aussies - what dan incredible sight. The lesson from this, I bel
Since most of us here spend more time on a computer than any responsible adult should, I want to pass this on:
A language instructor was explaining to her class that French nouns, unlike
their English counterparts, are grammatically designated as masculine or
feminine.
"House," in French, is feminine - "la maison",
but "pencil," in French, is masculine - "le crayon".
One puzzled student asked, "What gender is computer?"
The teacher didn't know, and the word wasn't in her French dictionary
As we celbrate the 4th of July in the US, I think it is important to remember those people who are important to us. Besides my friends and family, I want to pay tribute to Chrissie Martenstein, who sadly passed away recently. This is from the San Francisco Chronicle newspaper:
"Chrissie Martenstein was known to friends for her style, elegance and wit - and to the rest of the world for having survived the great earthquake and fire of 1906. She was born June 9, 1897, and was 8 years old
We hear alot about poor children in Thaliand and other countries without great wealth. But I cannot understand why my rich country (America) produces so many lost children. I help out at a guardianship clinic where we assist people who are willing to become guardians fill out all the legal paperwork. You can write a script - father is gone/unknown, mother is in rehab, and there is no one to take care of the children. The flip side is that there is someone (often a grandmother) who is willin
