dragons and cowbells
i've added clubbing to my interests tonight. not out of nowhere though! i was sitting up in my room, snacking on cornflakes and reading a thailand guide book...when i decided to take a break and listen to some music on my CD player with my NEW HEADPHONES. well...i put in a hip hop mix that paige bought at our mini JJ a few weeks ago...and i started dancing on my bed by myself, paige mason style (=0!). okay okay, maybe not THAT crazy...but i was certainly enjoying the beat. but WOW...the music made me think of all the awwwwwwesome times at the clubs on the northern tour, and new years weekend. I LOVE CLUBBING WITH EXCHANGE STUDENTS!!! doing anything, really. i love my group of exchange students. basically, i just love. love love love.
=)
i worked out with molly for 3 hours at manee chan tonight. we had to wait till her host sister got home from bangkok. i'm not complaining though! weight rooms are like candy shops to me! there was also swimming, a sauna, and hot showers involved. it was fantastic =)
and yesterday i happened to catch a chinese new years celebration. around 8:15 pm, i decided to set down my book and go get soymilk from the vendor outside my house before the big metal shop door was locked for good. i heard music coming from down the street, and when i looked...i saw a huge dragon! about 20 guys with big sticks holding it up were zigzag skipping down the street so it looked like the dragon was moving itself. the music ended up being a loud drum, a cow bell type thing, and obnoxious symbols (heard that sort of stuff during the vegetarian festival, also chinese).
the soymilk lady insisted i go to the waterfall market (a block over) and watch the show. it lasted about an hour...and it was great! there was lots and lots of fireworks (in the sky, on the ground, and coming from the dragons mouth). meanwhile these guys kept running around making the dragon above them twist and turn, coil up, slither around. and there were two 20 foot polls with bases there too. at one point, about 8 guys climbed up one of the polls and tied themselves to the poll leaning at a 30 degree angle outwards so they could wrap the dragon around this huge poll. then on the other poll, there was weird stuff going on...sacrifices and fights with the dragon...not sure. but there was lots of fireworks still. at one point they strapped a 3 year old girl to the very top of the 2cd poll and teetered her from back and forth, like she was taunting the dragon. me and a few random thai people that i was talking to were really scared! we had our hands over our mouths, our eyes big, and we were saying "nah glooa" (scary!) over and over again.
...2 guys climbed the poll after a bit and did tricks with her (including tying a 10 foot long rope to her leg, letting her fall, and giving her some good long swings. the crowd freaked out! the girl really seemed to like it though. remember when you were little and you begged and begged people to spin you around till your feet picked off the ground, and most of the time no one had TIME to do it. well this little girl hit the jackpot! i wish i had a job like that when i was 3...) after the tricks, she waved...to show she was fine, and then the guys went down. and she shimmied down the poll on her own. she'll probably be into sky diving when she's older...
the soy milk lady came and watched a bit of the end, then we walked back to my house...holding hands. haha. i know this is a thai thing...but i wasn't really sure how to handle it at first, not being able to say anything of much importance to her...then i decided to just let it go, and hold her hand without speaking.
things can be simple and comfortable like that. i have to remind myself of that sometimes...
=)
i worked out with molly for 3 hours at manee chan tonight. we had to wait till her host sister got home from bangkok. i'm not complaining though! weight rooms are like candy shops to me! there was also swimming, a sauna, and hot showers involved. it was fantastic =)
and yesterday i happened to catch a chinese new years celebration. around 8:15 pm, i decided to set down my book and go get soymilk from the vendor outside my house before the big metal shop door was locked for good. i heard music coming from down the street, and when i looked...i saw a huge dragon! about 20 guys with big sticks holding it up were zigzag skipping down the street so it looked like the dragon was moving itself. the music ended up being a loud drum, a cow bell type thing, and obnoxious symbols (heard that sort of stuff during the vegetarian festival, also chinese).
the soymilk lady insisted i go to the waterfall market (a block over) and watch the show. it lasted about an hour...and it was great! there was lots and lots of fireworks (in the sky, on the ground, and coming from the dragons mouth). meanwhile these guys kept running around making the dragon above them twist and turn, coil up, slither around. and there were two 20 foot polls with bases there too. at one point, about 8 guys climbed up one of the polls and tied themselves to the poll leaning at a 30 degree angle outwards so they could wrap the dragon around this huge poll. then on the other poll, there was weird stuff going on...sacrifices and fights with the dragon...not sure. but there was lots of fireworks still. at one point they strapped a 3 year old girl to the very top of the 2cd poll and teetered her from back and forth, like she was taunting the dragon. me and a few random thai people that i was talking to were really scared! we had our hands over our mouths, our eyes big, and we were saying "nah glooa" (scary!) over and over again.
...2 guys climbed the poll after a bit and did tricks with her (including tying a 10 foot long rope to her leg, letting her fall, and giving her some good long swings. the crowd freaked out! the girl really seemed to like it though. remember when you were little and you begged and begged people to spin you around till your feet picked off the ground, and most of the time no one had TIME to do it. well this little girl hit the jackpot! i wish i had a job like that when i was 3...) after the tricks, she waved...to show she was fine, and then the guys went down. and she shimmied down the poll on her own. she'll probably be into sky diving when she's older...
the soy milk lady came and watched a bit of the end, then we walked back to my house...holding hands. haha. i know this is a thai thing...but i wasn't really sure how to handle it at first, not being able to say anything of much importance to her...then i decided to just let it go, and hold her hand without speaking.
things can be simple and comfortable like that. i have to remind myself of that sometimes...