六星級傷心酒店

A Visit to a Dysfunctional Friend: Die Hard 4.0

Sammy

It is really cheap to go the the movies here in Pattaya, 80-120 Baht.

So we went to see another one. This time we had the choices between Transformers and Die Hard 4.0, but really for me there is only one choice, John Mclean.

I can't remember which year Die Hard (#1) came out. But I remember going to the movies and loved the film. I liked John because he was such a DYSFUNCTIONAL hero. When he first encountered the terrirists on Christmas Eve in the office building where his successful wife worked, he did not know that he could be a hero. He was just a cop from NYPD. He was just someone who was really good at what he did.

So he is always really good at problem-solving, and he is really brave to take the task when he is the only one there to do it. You know as Toastmaster Gordon Brooks would say," Doing the right thing at the right time." But in his personal life, he had never been there for his family to do the right thing at the right time.

So we had an ordinary cop turned hero trying to save his marriage in Die Hard 1 and 2. Unfortunately, his marriage was not as hard to die after all. By the time we saw Die Hard 3, the marriage died. OK. Those movies are not about love and marriage. But I have always thought that as tough as John Mclean can get, and how naturally he can inspire people in the crisis, how come he stinks in relationships?

The Night Life in Pattaya

Sammy

I haven't had time to experience the night life of Pattaya ever since I got to Jomtien. I have been to the mall and the movie theater. It was nice to have city life when you are constantly in your backpaking clothes once in a while. Since we were in downtown for my computer emergency, Scott and I walked through the seedy area.

So we walked by a few girls getting the audience for the ping pong show, if you know what Thai ping pong show is. I happened to be walking behind some very stinky guys, so I quicky sped up my pace and ran around them. Then Scott heard those girls say,"We said ping pong show and she ran away. She didn't like ping pong show!" (Sigh!) How could they judge me that way?

And we saw a very friendly woman showing off her impressive breasts to a white guy,"Hello, you can take a photo of my boobies," while pointing to her cleavage, "100 Baht!"

We then stopped at a bar watching Thai boxing. It was the end of a good fight. It was very sweaty and violent. They kicked each other in the faces and punched hard in the stomaches too. I enjoyed watching them. Then a short fighter told me that he was about to fight, and asked me if I wanted a picture with him. I said OK. After taking the photo, he said to me, 150 Baht.

Drama Queen's Diary

Sammy

Dear Diary

Tonight my comupter broke. I don't know why.

Scott and I ran all over Pataya trying to restore what I have written for the past week. I was crying for a full hour before I could be functional to go into town. Luckily those guys working in the computer store saved my documents.

Now I have no comoputer to work on. So I have to either

1. find a computer work station for me along the beach where the tourists, retired men and  hookers hang out,  

or

Sammy Is in Pattaya

Sammy

Jomtien Beach

It is actually not Pattaya. It is a quieter beach, Jomtien Beach, just a little bit south to Pattaya. Even since I got here I have been a real good girl. I wake up around 7 and jog along the beach. Then I will wake up Scott and go get American breakfast at one of the restaurants along the beach. Then I will go back to our room to write my thesis.

Writing thesis by the window

Our room is the best room we have on this trip. Scott looked for an hour for this room, because he is determined to find a room with a desk or a table for me to work on my laptop. And he did a great job. The room is big, but the furniture is so tacky and shitty. But it doesn't matter at all. We have a sliding door to the balcony overlooking the ocean view. So I have been writing my thesis by the window looking at the ocear between paragraphs.

World's Best Thai Food Restaurant

Sammy

My Little Notebook

Sammy

I like Chiang Rai.

This is a small little relaxing town. It has been raining in the afternoon, then it makes the evening really cool and pleasant. Everything here has some kind of tranquil quality in it. Yesterday I was visiting a wat watching a school of turtles swimming and that's he best thing I have ever done in 2007.

We walked by a small Thai restaurant called NICE KITCHEN and stopped for lunch. They have the most amazing Thai food from heaven. We had lemongrass chicked soup, dry curry pork and mixed vegetable with tofu. I had a pineapple shake too. And we paid only 200 bahts for our lunch. Later Scott received email from Chris recommending good restaurant in Chiang Rai, and our NICE KITCHEN is on the list too. We all found happiness with our stomachs.

I have been taking notes on the trip, and Scott didn't like it too much. I think maybe that's because most of the time, I was jotting down foolish jokes he made. He said the whole taking notes of silly things down stuff annoying and he thought there is something Nina about it. I told him, Carol and I do this all the time, writing things down around us. Toastmasters totally do it. He shared a stories about the singer of the band Weezer that it is exactly the way he writes most of his songs. One time, he had a melody done. And he started to flip through his notebook and go through each piece of his writing and found all he words he needed. So he had a new song! It was big hit too.

Hi carol

I am in Chiang Rai, which is in Northern Thailand and very close to Chiang Mai. It is more like a border town, and it is a lot different from the scences in Bangkok.

We just got in to this little town yesterday and checked in a hotel named Laluna. So I thought about you and Luna in this hotel. First, this hotel's name sounds like Luna or her blog. And our room in a middle of a giant garden and facing a swimming pool. With all the plants and flowers that I absolutely can not name any, I am very happen that I am not studying Horticulture.

The Pizza Company

"If Tomorrow Never Comes"

Sometimes late at night
I lie awake and watch her sleeping
She's lost in peaceful dreams
So I turn out the lights and lay there in the dark

A Song For You

Sammy

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A Song For You (Elliott Yamin)

I've been so many places in my life and time
I've sung a lot of songs I've made some bad rhyme

I've Been You

Sammy

This is the dialogue from the movie, Closer, when Dan breaks up with Alice.

Well, what can you do when a relationship turns sour?

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愛情裡的自尊

Sammy

今天在小茉莉家歡唱卡拉OK。

幾乎每一首情歌都是記錄著不堪，卡拉OK流行音樂點歌集，簡直就是一本愛情自尊掃地的百科全書。

(歌曲全記錄，詳見賴卡羅稍後報導)

這一首是英文的，在90年代裡，超紅的！

在愛情裡沒自尊，古今中外，男女老少皆然。

Shoe Fetish? Shoe-foolish?

Sammy

Like every girl, my friend Nina has a Carrie in her. She has a shoe fetish. (Note: Carrie in Sex and the City) Nina has so many shoes that she has run out of shelf space for her shoes. Over the years, she has bought way too many beautiful expensive shoes that she will never get to wear, and they just sit in the shoe boxes, in the closet or on the shoe shelf. It is a familiar episode for all girls.

On the first day of the Chinese New Years Holidays, Nina decided to give away some of her boots to me. I think Nina pities the fact that I have been looking for a pair of knee-high boots all over town, and practically harrassed the shoe salesperson in George Shoe Store by pressing her to locate a certain pair of boots for me, and found my effort in vain. (My problem has been my calves that are just too big for most sexy boots. Hey! Don't feel sorry for me. I LOVE my huge calves.)

I went over to Nina's and was surprised to receive three gorgeous pairs of boots. Of them, two pairs were almost brand new. They were colored tan, red and black. Those black boots were just amazingly stunning, name brand, knee-high and totally made my calves look sensual. That was exactly what I needed, a great pair of fuck-me boots to make me look 10 years younger.

So I couldn't wait to show off my boots. I wore them to visit with Ringo and Patty. Before I got to Ringo's, the tragedy happened, MY BOOTS COMPLETELY FELL APART. It was such a shame, and I was almost in tears. Patty was smart enough to explain to me that those shoes must have been a pair of eco-friendly shoes which were being biodegraded while sitting in the shoe box. I was totally broken-hearted. After all,  my fuck-me boots fucked me over. When I left Ringo's apartment, I had to borrow a pair of cheap flip-flops to wear home.

I DON'T UNDERSTAND! What kind of fool will design a pair of boots with that kind of material? I mean, you can't wear boots all the time. They always have to sit in the closet for the summer! I hate eco-friendly shoes! I hate tree-hugger idiot shoe designers!

Here comes the message. While I was still mourning for my boots, I googled 環保鞋 and found a few similar stories. I thought to share with everybody, since every single piece of my drama has really entertained my friends.

Same Old Lang Syne

Who Is Your Soulmate

Sammy

Hi Carol

So I was story-telling a new version of "The Little Mermaid" in the meeting, and the audience loved it. Then I thought about last time when we were discussing the story of "the little mermaid", we thought it was the obssession for Mr Big and romanticism that really murdered the little mermaid.

Why does every woman love their Mr. Big? How come only the bystanders' views are clear? One of the cable channels was showing the episode that Carrie turned off Aiden's proposal and He finally decided to leave her. Time after time, he forgave her unfaithfulness and her rejection of a validation of his true love, Aiden eventually said, " I can't believe I am here again."

When I watched the episode the first time years ago, I felt for Carrie. She was freaking out and she didn't know what to do. The universe was telling her that she was not ready to settle for marriage. Then this time around, I feel for Aiden. Although he loved Carrie for who she was, there was only so much time that he could invest on someone so dysfunctional. There is no doubt that Carrie made a mistake letting go of her soulmate, but is it worthy of celebration when she finally got back with her Mr. Big? 

Before I post my last story telling project, let me share this commentary and read about this writer's disapproval of Mr. Big.

Staying at a Love Motel on New Years Eve

Sammy

On New Years Eve，託 Nina 之福，在party 的主辦人提拔之下，在一家汽車旅館安排了一間超級豪華大房。

我們這兩個北部來的鄉下老鼠，當了多年自以為很 hip 的良家婦女，出來到這種格局的 love motel 真是大開眼界。

Crying

Love is Just Complicated

Tupac Shakur

you ask me 2 communicate

what it is I feel within

I search 4 words 2 assist

but I find none 2 help me begin

I guess love is just complicated

I got this off an internet pop-up. It seems a bit cheesy, but, hey, I am Greg's reader. I guess I am happy to share his wisdom with all the sleepless princesses.  -Sammy

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Q&A with…Greg Behrendt
By Susan L. Hornik


 

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CHRISTMAS

It's Christmas today

but

what can I say.

The things of Christmas