observations, humor, nonsense
What a year, eh? Holy cannoli, I don’t want to do that again. I’m recapping the 2019 year of blog posts, and looking back through photos from a decade of living abroad. Whoa. January 2019 started off with taking a look at my relationship with money. I’m proud that I posted it, cause, you…
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Hello again! I’m back for another monthly photo recap hosted by Su at Zimmerbitch. Click on over for the guidelines.
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Despite my small role as a chaperone, the humidity, heat, and great fear of wild monkeys, I enjoyed our trip to Khao Yai National Park. Khao Yai is a World Heritage Site declared by UNESCO, includes rain and evergreen forests and grassland, and is home to “more than 800 fauna species, including 112 species of…
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Every day is a journey, and the journey itself is home. – Matsuo Basho I’ve done a lot of moving in my life in attempt to discover where I belong. I’ve moved from Portland, Oregon, down to Chico, California, then further still to Oceanside, California. And when we were fed up with the West Coast,…
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Do you have a kitchen? Apparently, that’s not such a strange question to ask. It’s believed that by 2030, kitchens will be either shared or smaller due to more people ordering-in.
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First of all, as an Asian American living in Asia, this is an interesting (and dare I say, amusing) topic to investigate. I’ve been trying to understand why this is entertaining for me though. I guess because I have what I consider a more balanced view of stereotypes. I understand that some stereotypes, in a…
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“Desirable views have a hint of mystery. We like to understand and enjoy what is happening around us, and to imagine that if we traveled from where we are into the unknown we would meet with pleasant surprises…” – Psychology Today When we first arrived back to Thailand, the skies were muddy and grey. They…
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There’s a Thai word “greng jai” that has always annoyed me. It’s basically used to describe a person who doesn’t want to be an inconvenience to anyone. They don’t want to be a bother, and it’s supposed to be a positive trait. We have this same idea, too, in American culture, but I feel it…
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My friend, who is somewhat newly moved to Thailand, was reflecting on what it’s like to be an expat: the culture shock, and then the struggle of not wanting to complain and feel culture shocked. As I walked to work, I thought about how much I had changed since living abroad.
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Meet Audra. An American expat living in South Korea.
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Our biggest worry when we moved into this apartment was space. Will we have enough? Where was everything going to go?
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I wonder how many gym memberships have gone dormant after a New Year’s resolution rush. I remember all too clearly when my trainer showed me how many folks had signed up for trainers + memberships and had NEVER used them – not once.
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There’s a lot more to Chiang Rai than meets the eye. Here’s a list to get you started…
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When we first moved here and I took a look at our neighborhood, I thought, “Dear God, we are going to have to go far to look for food.” But as it turned out, this was not the case. Where ever you live in Thailand, a local market or store is never too far away.…
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Updated Nov 2018 Have you missed list #1? Go here. Otherwise, read on…
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I underestimated how much my life would change. Part of this had to do with not knowing how my life would change. Nevertheless, I tried to guess. Originally, I thought my biggest adjustment would be down-shifting from busy Chiang Mai to quiet Chiang Rai, and while that is true, there is so much more to…
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My friend M and I were looking at new places to live when she whispered how she didn’t like the bars on windows. Many Thai homes have bars on the windows for security reasons.
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After about 4 years in Chiang Mai, I finally made the move. And what a move! I was so stressed out over our things making it in Kuhn Jan’s truck. I was fretting over the motorbike falling out of the truck as it seemed precariously perched on the tailgate. And I wondered how the office…
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My coworkers were getting fired up about the Mainland Chinese again. “One of them got caught defecating in the moat.” “They also got in trouble for shitting in the hallways at a kanatoke (Thai dancing show).” “I almost ran one over! They just stand there waiting to get hit!” “I was in an airplane with…
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What is trendy? What is popular? I seem forever behind in these things. My excuse is I was born and raised in Hawaii, and it was the running joke that if something was in fashion in say, late 1989, it would hit the islands a year later or maybe in 6 months. In other words,…
Read MoreOne of my colleagues, let’s call him Ben, asked me the other day if I would ever write about things I didn’t like about Chiang Mai/Thailand. I said, “No, I don’t think so.” I mean, I have written one post in particular about it already. Then he shared his top 5 things he hates about…
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The ex just told me he is thinking of moving back to Chiang Mai. Noooooooo!
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Living spaces in Thailand are so different that the US. Sometimes I peek into apartments and wonder how much space people need in order to feel happy. Apartments in Thailand, well, let’s talk about Chiang Mai since this is where I live, are tiny in comparison to the luxuriousness of the United States.
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The voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes. by Marcel Proust is my favorite quote from my youth.  And something I’ve revisited recently since I left the country for two weeks and returned to find Thailand feeling different, new and fresh.
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I can’t tell if crime is getting worse or if I’m more clued in. I heard about an increase of purse snatching on Ratchadamneon Soi 5. Apparently you know when there has been a crime committed because suddenly the police show up to patrol the area.
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My brother was surprised to hear that I consider Thailand, home base. Then he thought about it and said, “well you already did that with Ecuador”. And when I thought about it, he was right. I didn’t know how long I’d be in South America, but I knew I’d be back.
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Expats feel the vampire Kiss of Death, if a business gets into Lonely Planet‘s Thailand, any uniqueness, quality or good deal they might have discovered will become tainted or tarnished. A friend of mine wanted to take me to this really great traditional Thai restaurant but her only stipulation? Don’t mention it in your blog, Lani.…
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I’m in Chiang Mai…now what? (Ideas for Lone Rangers and Tonto’s and every Hi-ho Silver in between.)
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I wake up to the sound of Romeo scratching at the blue door or meowing from the cat room. This is around 6am, he’s an excellent alarm clock. Some days I lie there, swear and throw back the covers, other days I just accept that this is the way he is.
Read MoreI was surprised upon moving to Chiang Mai, how many missionaries live here. They work primarily with the hill tribes of Northern Thailand and I’m not sure if I like it. I’m assuming the missionaries do great charity work, perhaps bringing education, clothing, food, and shelter to the ethnic minorities and outlying communities.
Read MoreRustic Homes and Gardens: A publication for those who claim to Love the Land. Chiang Mai Edition A month ago, the relatively unknown “English” teacher Lani Cox moved out of the Old City into a quaint and therefore charming wood and brick home in the reputable area known as Farang Farm located west of Chiang…
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Living in Chiang Mai or visiting during the burning season is hell.
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Life, the Universe, and Lani 
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