Recapitulation

Hi everyone! With the move back to Canada, things have been crazy for Meg and I. New jobs, a new apartment, a new car, etc. It took us the entire month of January just to get everything sorted. We've finally got time to post on our blog, which we'll continue to do, especially for our friends in Thailand who would like insight into our lifestyle on the other side of the planet.

Let's rewind to Christmas. I went home to my parent's house for the holidays. It was an awesome time with family and friends. My sister surprised everyone with news that her and Mike are expecting their first child in August. Mom was ecstatic, to say the least. The Boxing Day dance was yet another holiday highlight...although I've been told I may have drank a tad too much (I can't quite remember). Meg flew out on New Year's day to celebrate Dad's 60th birthday and take in some skiing at Marble Mountain.



By February, our craving for Thai food was becoming too much. We'd picked up some hot chili powder (a very common condiment in Thailand) but it wasn't enough. The only place to go for Thai food in St. John's is Taste of Thai. We ordered ridiculous quantities of food, including chicken satay with peanut sauce (delicious), tom yum gai - a hot an sour chicken soup (delicious), green curry pork (nothing like the dish I loved in Thailand, though Meg enjoyed it), and pad thai - chicken and pan fried noodles (delicious). The restaurant and meal were fantastic! Unfortunately, each of those dishes would have cost about $2 in Thailand - "slightly" more expensive here.



This past Friday, we went to a Bruce Springsteen tribute concert performed by local musicians at the Rockhouse with our friend Crystal. It was a great show. A lot of talent packed onto one stage. Keith, Louise, Norma, and Wade dropped by and we all had an awesome night...although I'm not sure whose idea it was to start drinking tequila cranberry cocktails.

For Valentine's Day yesterday, Meg surprised me by signing us up for a night hike along part of the East Coast Trail. We met our guide and 10 other couples in Stiles Cove at 7pm, donned our snowshoes and headlamps, and began our trek along the cliffs overlooking the ocean. It was a perfect night, a little bit of wind to keep us cool and a cloudless sky offered a fantastic view of the night sky. Although it was too dark to see, you could hear the crash of the ocean against the cliffs below. After 2 hours of snowshoeing, we stopped for a campfire where our guides made hot chocolate and strawberries to dip in chocolate fondue. Delicious! It was definitely my kind of romantic Valentine's Day. Nicely done GF! We plan on doing the hike again in the day so we can enjoy the scenery (the ocean, ice walls, etc) - please let us know if you're interested in going!







Sean

Home At Last

I just wanted to quickly let everyone know that I made it home safe and sound. The trip from Bangkok to St.John's went very smoothly and was at times enjoyable...thanks to the executive class upgrade certificates I had. ;)

I landed in St.John's around 1am Sunday morning and managed to get a few hours of sleep. This morning, Louise made an amazing breakfast, my first hearty breakfast in over a year. Then it was off to Aunt Marion's for a Burridge dinner. Delicious! Finally, it was back to Louise's for stuffed baked salmon. I'm beginning to understand how Meaghan has been able to survive without Thai food for the last 2 months.

Sean

Homeward Bound

In a few short hours, I'll be on my way to Bangkok's International airport. For the last couple of days, I've been frantically trying to see everyone before I leave. Meg and I made some amazing friends while in Thailand and it is extremely difficult saying goodbye, especially considering I don't know when I'll see them again.

A couple of days ago, Bryan, Tui, and I went to a friend's apartment for a Christmas party. Oddly enough, her apartment overlooks Soi Cowboy, one of the infamous red light districts of Bangkok. Granted, with all the ambient neon light filling the room there was little need for any Christmas lights. Bye Serena! We'll see you in Italy. ;) Afterwards, Angus, Oh, Eumin, and I went clubbing. It was one of those 5am nights at Scratchdog. There's not much else to tell besides there was excessive drinking involved.

Yesterday, I made my way to AIS for a final farewell with all of my close AIS friends: Gwyn, Tuggy, Gor, Un, Bon, and Pui 1 (Pui 2 was no where to be found). It truly was a pleasure working (and playing) with them. I'd consider working at AIS simply for the fact that I'd enjoy the people so much. Last night, Tui, Bryan, Eumin and I went to Angus and Oh's new apartment. We started the evening with delightful food and dessert, then we watched a Thai movie called "The Letter"...sniff, so depressing.



Today, I made my final rounds. First of all, Tui, Bryan, and I went out for my last Thai lunch just before Bryan had to catch a flight to Vietnam. As usual, we enjoyed 6 of our favorite Thai dishes. Damn, have I mentioned how much I'm going to miss the food here!? Next, I met my friend Pin to go see the latest Tony Jaa movie, "Ong-Bak 2". There was no way I was leaving Thailand without seeing it, especially since it was released today. Crazy awesome martial arts - Tony Jaa is amazing! Afterwards, I met up with Tui again to drop off the remaining stuff from the apartment that they're most graciously taking off our hands (shipping everything was not an option). Tui said she's going to meet me on the street when I go to get a taxi to the airport this morning at 4am...we'll see if she's able to pull herself out of bed. :)

Finally, what's a proper departure without visiting Santica. So, off Angus, Oh, and I went, to our favorite stomping ground. Since it's the King's Birthday (and also Father's Day), there weren't many people around but it was still a great time. Now, I am putting the finishing touches on my packing and will leave for the airport in an hour. Good-bye Thailand! Until next time.

Sean

Trapped in Bangkok

At the moment, I'm not very confident that I'll be getting out of Bangkok by December 6th. A court ruling just dissolved 3 political parties, including the one in power, and banned the PM from politics for 5 years over fraud charges. So, the protesters have gotten what they wanted and will leave the airports, right? Not quite. Seems they want the ministers banned as well. Regardless, even if they did abandon the airports, it could take weeks for inspections and re-certifications to be completed. If I wait around, I may very well spend Christmas in Thailand.

My good friend Dave W emailed me to offer his support writing "something like this happens to me all the time." It's true, bad things just seem to happen to Dave. So much so that I firmly believe Murphy's law should be re-written to "if anything can go wrong, it will (happen to Dave)". He always had the most interesting adventures when he'd travel for work to the US or UK, I suppose I'm getting a taste of it.

On a brighter note, I just finished packing up my apartment. It was a daunting task, squeezing everything Meg and I had collected in the last year into 2 carry-ons and 3 checked bags but at least it's done. Now, if only I was able to go somewhere....



Sean

P.S. Aunt Marion, if I can't made it to your house for Sunday dinner, save me a plate. ;)

Change of Scenery

Life sure is funny. Just over a week ago, I called my sister Melanie to tell her I had both good and bad news. The good news? I'd just gotten a raise! The bad news. My company went under 2 days later. Oh, we laughed and we laughed. Mel and I have always had disturbed sense of humours.

I'm sure most people are aware of what happened to my company. By now, most of my co-workers have accepted positions with new companies and I'll be joining them soon enough. For the past 10 days, I've been cluing up things here in Southeast Asia, meeting with clients and partners. It is very unfortunate how everything turned out but I suppose that's the way these things go sometimes and the only thing to do is move on.

I fly home to St.John's on December 6th but I'll be spending the remaining week exploring opportunities with partners and the possibility that they may continue some of the work with our clients.

I had considered taking a vacation to Cambodia but that idea was quickly dismissed yesterday when the anti-government protesters stormed the Bangkok International Airport and brought all services to a halt. Today, they took over the domestic airport so unless I want to travel by bus or train, I'm not going anywhere. Honestly, it's not advisable as they have interrupted ground transportation in the past.

Not to worry though, I'm sure all of this will be sorted out by the time I have to leave. Until then, I have a number of friends to visit so I'll simply hang out with them and enjoy my last week in Bangkok.

Sean

Khon Kaen

This weekend past, I decided to get out of the city and check out more of rural Thailand. At the invitation of some Thai friends (Ann, Art, and Bee), I decided to meet up with them in Khon Kaen, a province in Northeastern Thailand (a.k.a. Isan). It was a great time as Khon Kaen sees few tourists. I met with my friends for a Vietnamese lunch on Saturday, going out with Art's parents who, like most Thai people, are extremely friendly. Afterwards, we visited a temple called Wat Nong Want Muang which I explored and enjoyed thoroughly. We checked out a few other lesser known sites and then went for dinner at a streetside vendor that was serving Isan food , including a delicious barbeque fish. Finally, it was off to a crowded local club called U-Bar, where I was the only foreigner. I got to meet lots of people though and my spoken Thai is gradually getting to a point where I can have basic conversations. I really want to explore more of Isan now, especially the province where Meg and my's friend Tui is from, Si Saket.







Sean

One Year Later

Gee, time sure does fly. It's hard to believe that it has been one year since Meg and I left St.John's to move to Thailand. During that time, we've been fortunate enough to travel throughout Thailand (although we still have to explore more of the beaches), Japan (Toyko is crazy awesome), Mayalsia (the jungles probably being our favorite trip to date), Laos (the most kicked back country in the world), and Vietnam (it's with good reason Halong Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage site). Every time we discuss our next trip, we find it difficult deciding where to go. I know too much history about Cambodia not to go but Meg is determined to see Tasmania. Stay tuned....

With only a month left before I head home, there is a lot to do to prepare. For one, Meg and I are desperately looking for new homes for our kitties Gahnomee and Chochie but so far we haven't had any takers. Perhaps it's time to bring them to Thailand. But who wouldn't want to take care of these cuties (picture here investigating their new kennel)!?! ;)



Yes, it does appear that Meg and I will be returning to Thailand in the New Year but not before enjoying the comforts of home with family and friends for an entire month. If anyone is looking for me, chances are you'll find me at Don Cherry's for wing night every Monday and Tuesday.

Sean

Monsoon Season

Monsoon season in Bangkok might be drawing to a close but it is going out with a bang. For the past couple of weeks, we've had torrential rainfall, resulting in streets flooded with black, oily water and bringing out the vermin from the depths of the sewers. Most often, we stay in the cozy confines of our apartment and enjoy the incredible thunder and lightning show but Tui was in an adventurous spirit today so off Tui, Bryan, and I went in search of lunch.



It only takes 15-20 minutes before the side streets start flooding. Sandals are a must as you can't expect to get anywhere without wading through some water. The deepest it got was about a foot.





Had we the appetite for it, we could have snack on the numerous cockroaches making a run for higher ground. They tend to cluster on the walls, wherever they can find a dry spot. Of course, there's no shortage of them running around your feet either but it's not so bad that you can't avoid them...almost.



Sean

Sean's Saturday

With Meg back in Canada, my "habit" of constantly working went into overdrive. Without Meg being here to gently remind me that I have to take time to relax (or eat for that matter), I rarely saw the light of day unless it was to attend meetings (which, thankfully, is quite often). After a couple of weeks, I realized I didn't fancy the idea of dying from malnutrition in front of my laptop and have since been making an effort to step away from my hermit lifestyle.

So, instead of waking up at 6am on a Saturday morning to work the daylight hours away, I've been getting out more with friends and taking time to relax by myself (ok, maybe I still work for a few hours but gimme a break, it's a gradual process). For instance, yesterday I spent my afternoon reading (just started "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini), playing guitar on my balcony (pictured below: a bit of a poser pic, I know), and then went out with friends for dinner to celebrate Tui's last day of work.



We went to the Tawandang Brew-House, a large German beer hall with great Thai food and impressive stage performers - whether its traditional Thai music and dance or an elaborate break dancing show, they have it all. For anyone coming to Bangkok for a visit, I highly recommend the place. By 10pm, people begin standing up at their tables to dance. The Thais love of relaxing and enjoying life to the fullist never ceases to amaze me. It's a good environment for me to be in.



Anyway, rest assured that I am healthy and have forsaken the vampiric existence of living in my bedroom, void of all light. :)

Sean

Halloween in Bangkok

Halloween isn't exactly a popular event in Thailand. From what I understand, it was introduced here for commercial purposes, another holiday for the malls to promote and profit from. Nonetheless, I wasn't going to let that stop me from dressing up and going out, even if I was the only person to do so.

A quick rummage through the closet didn't leave me with many options, it was a choice between being a samurai or...a samurai. So, I broke out the kimono I had bought from Tokyo last December, picked up a plastic sword from the mall, and voilà, instance samurai! (侍 in Japanese)

I ended up going to Muse, a popular Thai club. Unfortunately, very few people were dressed in costume. I would have gone to one of the more popular foreigner hangouts but Muse is just such a happenin' spot.



Sean - (a.k.a. Samurai Champloo's Jin)