I Want to Tell U That...

Good morning Alberta! Or, as the unenlightened might say, good afternoon! Its a cloudy, dreary, drizzly day; the kind of day I used to love. But these days I don't mind a bit of sunshine through my window. As long as it's not in my eyes. Which is why a hat is good. I left my 2 bucket hats in Thailand. The Leech Lake hat, I don't have a clue where that one ended up or who's wearing it now. The Mark's Work Warehouse hat is underneath a seat on flight CI 066, somewhere between Bangkok and Taipei. So if anyone has a nice bucket (AKA fisherman's) hat that they would like to give me as a welcome home present, no complaints here. Anyways, I was going through my Thai literature and I found this cute little book entitled "I Want to Tell U That...". It's written in Thai and translated into English. I thought I'd share it with you all, in English of course because I'm sure your Thai reading skills are much worse than mine (girls only want guys with skills). It's actually a picture book, so if you wanna see the pictures you're gonna have to come over.
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"I Want to Tell U That..." ~ Author unknown, English version

How could I ever tell you
Or when did I ever feel so special
by your side
It may be the very first day we met

But deep down in my feeling
It's telling me that somehow
it is not the same
From that day until today
It's those feelings
that have piled up day by day
As the time that passes by...

I think...
It must be the good old feelings we share
Sometimes...I keep asking myself
That those people that are passing
by into my life
Someone who treat me fair,
or sometime I treat them well
It's not that it has never happen before

But as I sit down and start to ponder
The great feelings that we use to share
It's not exactly the feeling
that I've for you right now
Or of all the time
that we used to be together

Life is somehow strange...
Sometimes it's just by chance
Someone passing my path

And I've never imagine that we would meet
And when we actually did
I've never thought you'll be that special one
...in my heart

Sometimes
I wonder and said to myself
Why did I let you in and rule my heart
So much so like the way it is

Now, let me be frank with you...
every time we met
You make me so happy
And I'm feeling the whole world
is smiling brightly
But every time we part
All I ever think about is you,
and care for you

Everything that you do,
everything that you dream of
I feel like they're my dream too
I'm watching you, and sending my support
Hoping that you'd find that dream
and be whatever you wish to be

Your smile
Make my little heart grows
with happiness and joy
And every step we move along together
Seems like the whole world belong to us

But you've sometimes caused me to worry
And that the problem seems inside unclear
And you won't speak your mind

Or sometimes
you don't seem to understand me
And never speak a word
You make we worry sick and confused
And the night seems so long...
I can't sleep
Because my head is thinking all about you
Don't you know you can be so mean to me

'Understanding'
Means a lot and worth a million more
What do you say

How funny
That sometimes
I try to tell myself that I 'understand'
In the way you choose to do
But deep down inside
I don't understand at all

'Understanding'
in my meaning I believe
Is all about trust
I believe that you would always be you
The one I'll always love
and give the best I could to
And be the one
I completely trust on
If you still see me as important as before

It might not seem that easy
To put two person together on a journey
Without any conflict between each other

So sometime I let you be
Sometimes you let me be
I remember reading a book saying
Whenever you're in dire strait
of your relationship
If one of them dare to move back a step
And that would make the two
go on moving

But I don't think
you would want me to retreat
Step by step and so on and on
Me the same
Then the one who have no place to stand
Is the one who keep stepping backward

Do you ever look at the mirror
and think about me
I do
It make me realize what it is like to be
smiling to oneself

Just thinking about you
and I'm all smile
Especially how happiness show up
in your eyes
How I wish you'd turn and look at me

I could still remember the pass old days
when we first met
How funny
That we're just two lonely strangers
But look at us now...
How I miss you every minute

You make my life fill with hope
And power up my strength
You make this old world
look so bright and joyful

It's not very often that I look up on
to the starry night sky
Except those old childish memory,
But right now I'm looking at
the same old night sky and oh,
How pretty it greets me
Till I met you

How wonderful it is
To know someone who cares is waiting
And someone that I long to be
with every moment

When your phone rang
It wakes me up and my heart beating faster
then ever
Your SMS always make me smile

Today
I'm still in the same old world
But whenever you're here
It seems like a brand new freshness
of colorful dream added into my life

Thank you
That you didn't put me in the box
and have me change myself too much
Same for me too
That I don't think I've made you feel uncomfortable
That restrict your action
and lost your soul

So be happy
I want you to feel relax
as we become friends

So be glad...
I feel the same in our relationship

Life is not a bundle of problems
Only if we don't put too many rules into it
Just let the day walks by,
we all have great feelings for each other
Just let today be the day of understanding
Just let it be...
the world is so much more beautiful now

I love your loving smile
I love your cheerful personality
Because it makes me feel so free
I love your look
That always shines with happiness
And it brings much happiness

My feelings for you
And your feelings for me
Will it last forever....I wonder
As for me...
I don't think it would last that long though

Because that long road ahead
How could ever know how far or where
it might end
And that the most important thing is
Could it be the truth
I'm not so sure

All I ask for is to have you with me today
And that tomorrow
we would still be the same
Our good old feelings that we used to share
will never fade away
This should be enough
What do you say to this

Let me tell you something
Till now that I've you here
I've done many things
I've never dream of doing before

Sometimes
I think of you the whole part of the night
And as I wake up....
you're still right there in my mind
And whichever way I look
Your image comes up in layers of thoughts

Whenever I talk about you
It make my heart grows like no any other
feeling I could imagine
Just when I call your name
My eyes are brighten up

Just the same for time
Though the day is only 24 hours
And it has always been

But till today
I wish the day would grow longer
and more minutes in an hour
So I can talk and see you as long as I wish
I could be so close to you more than ever
Which sometimes....
I think it's kind of selfish and greedy

But let me be
For just as it is I'm more than happy in life
No matter the day is longer or lesser,
For my good feelings for you will always be the same

If the world is so magical
I wish our relationship
Will last and last, don't you agree

Um....or may be we should make it much better
Well....I'm still smiling right now

Honestly
Those magical wishes
is not that important any more
I wish everything will be
According to our heart's desire

And I do believe......
that great things will always happen to us
Why shoud it be so
Well....because we always share that
good feelings together

And all that I've mentioned
Is more than enough to tell you my deep
feeling inside to you

I wish to tell you
how I feel in the day I have you with me
It is the most happiest day of my life
You make me discover the best things
in life does exist........

I love you
______________________

There's a lot more where that came from, if you go to the dance with me.

Unchained Melody...

I've had this song stuck in my head.
______________________
"Unchained Melody" ~ William Stirrat

Oh, my love, my darling
I've hungered for your touch a long, lonely time
Time goes by so slowly and time can do so much
Are you still mine?
I need your love, I need your love, God speed your love to me

Lonely rivers flow to the sea, to the sea
To the open arms of the sea
Lonely rivers sigh, 'Wait for me, wait for me'
'I'll be coming home, wait for me!'

Are you still mine?
I need your love, I need your love, God speed your love to me
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Obladi...

It's me again. Different location, same person. Same same but different. Thailand is behind me now, exisiting as memories and digital photographs. But if I dwell too much on the past I'll miss the present. Flight home went very smoothly. Had the chance to stay in Edmonton for a week. Good opportunity to say hello to friends and acquaintances. Chris, thanks for letting me crash at your place. Great to see you again. All the best this summer as you get married in Sri Lanka. And don't worry, I won't tell anyone that you kissed my cheek during your bachelor party. Rhys, my former 2-year roommate, thanks for introducing me to magic and letting me play golf with you in the soccer field. I hope to buy cards soon and I bought a few used clubs a couple days ago. Rachel, your enthusiasm and postive attitude is contagious! Happy travels to Ontario, B.C., and Colorado. Jason, thanks for lunch. Next time you're in Lethbridge give me a holler so we can talk chemistry. Jamie, you're beautiful. It was good to see you again after so long. Hopefully we'll see a lot of eachother this summer.

So I moved in here on Monday. I'm living at:

120 Lakhota Crescent West
Lethbridge AB T1K 6H6
(403) 327-2455

I pretty much have the basement to myself except for the laundry room. I've got a bedroom, a bathroom, and a small living area with my computers, fridge, and couch. On Monday when I was moving in, we noticed that a neighbor had a couch in the alley waiting to get picked up by the garbage truck, so we took it. There is a tight corner getting into the basement and I thought we were gonna get stuck buy my dad and I managed to get it in here. But I think it's gonna stay down here. :) On Tuesday I bought my dad's '93 Chevy Lumina. Got my insurance and registered the car the same day; it's the first vehicle I have owned. Spent probably 3 hours going to the grocery store and back. Wednesday afternoon Shaw came to install cable Internet, hence my ability to update my blog.

Anyways, welcome to my new blog.

What should I eat for supper?

Albertan Always ...

My bags aren't packed, I'm not ready to go, the taxi's not waiting blowing his horn. Instead I'm sitting here playing a poker tournament. I hate packing. This tournament started with 4636 and now 87 remain, one of them being me. This will be the last post of the Thailand Times. The blog will stay of course, but the name and look need to channge. Thank you for sharing this adventure me. But the adventure doesn't end here. I like to think that the adventure is always about to start. No matter where I am, I am Albertan Always...

Sawatdee cup!

This is Mr. Sammy in Thailand, signing off.

It Ends With One Thing...

Just thought I'd repost the original post for old time's sake.

Hey all,

Welcome to my blog! What is a blog, you may ask? A blog is a web log. Its like an online diary where I can say whatever feels right at the moment. I hope to add a posting at least every other day, so you'll know what I'm up to despite the distance between us.

So, I was at a Rez worship service last February/March (I usually didn't go) and their was a lady trying to recruit students to teach at this school in Nonthaburi, Thailand called Global English School. I let her words percolate through my brain for half a year or so, contacted her for an interview....so I'm leaving in May. On a jet plane. Looks like I'll probably be teaching junior high math and computers.

So Sammy, you may ask, do you like the sun and hot weather? No, sun gives me headache and heat makes me fell blah...guess I'll have to get used to it. So Sammy, I hear you ask, do you like Thai food? Prob not, not really into spices, but I’ll get used to it. Sammy learn Thai? I spent 9 years learning French in school and still suck at it, but I plan to put more effort into learning Thai and hopefully will be more exposed to it. So Sammy, why are you going to Thailand? I like to experience new things. I wanna overload my senses with new sights, sounds, and smells. I wanna see if I’m cut out to be a teacher before spending 2 years and $$ on an ed degree. I want a bit of a break between my undergrad degree and my next educational venture. I wanna experience and learn about a different culture. I wanna be a Christian rolemodel to non-Christian kids. Do I feel called by God to go to Thailand? No, I never feel called to do anything, but afterwards when I’m looking back I feel like God has been nudging me.

I hope to keep y’all updated on my whereabouts and doings. Feel free to respond to my posts or just say hey by adding a comment to a post or by emailing me. I have a companion site at Flickr where I post photos, so check it out here.

So…I hope you’ll join me in my travels….

Closing Remarks...

An incomplete list of various things:

Things I've Done Which I Didn't Expect I'd Do One Year and 2 Days Ago:

-see Oasis in concert, 50 Cent, and most importantly Fort Minor
-go barefoot (socks were my style)
-wear shorts (pants were my style)
-get pedicures (I wrongly assumed that pedicures were for gays)
-get massages (I wrongly assumed that massages were for gays)
-give 3 half-hour chapel messages
-exit the top of a tall tower via a zipline
-swim in freshwater (travel clinic told me not to)
-get stitches in a Thai hospital (nice nurses I must admit)
-100s of kms on scooter
-get a sonogram (not just for pregant woman)
-dance in da club till the break of dawn (I had a no-dance policy which may be reinstated up arrival on Canadian soil)

Things I'll Miss About Thailand

-the pink salmon (you have to have been here to know what this secret dance / inverted dive move is)
-movies (the three C's: comfy, cheap, cool)
-having enough money to do whatever I feel like (back to peanut butter / jelly sandwiches)
-easy, accesible transportation (taxis, samlors, songthaeuws, tuk-tuks, skytrain, subway, busses, trains, water taxis, motorcycle taxis; no need for a car)
-almost nightly Sombat's with Craig & Michelle (a roi ma)
-good, cheap food, half a walk away
-tuk tuk rides
-Mike's frequent tilts
-7-11 on almost every block
-friendly service at non tourist locations (sometimes 20 employees at an icecream shop, sometime 6+ employees at a 7-11 the size of a closet, an employeed or two in almost every little aisle at big C offering useless help such as constantly handing you random cards when you are looking at the cards section)
-no actual need for motorcycle license (theoretical need however)
-texas hold 'em with the gang
-my speakers (enjoy Mr. Nathan)
-students
-Craig throwing rocks with at my window to get my attention
-partying with the gang
-crazy rain
-sleeping 10 people in a room on occasion
-standing in the middle of the busy street waiting to cross the 2nd half
-having my laundry washed for me
-seeing an elephant walking down a busy street
-eating out every meal
-nice malls everywhere

Things I Won't Miss About Thailand

-soi dogs everywhere, in various states of disrepair
-transvestites every where you go
-grade 8 students (some exceptions)
-not being able to talk to almost every person I see
-walking ankle deep in gross water when it rains
-being dripped on the head by mystery liquid coming from drains walking down the sidewalk
-dodging soi dog poop
-smacking my head often
-mosquito bites
-taxi drivers that rip you off
-entire family on motorcycle (having two adults, a child, and an infant on a small scooter, all without helmets seems unsafe to me)
-people people everywhere
-sitting stuck in traffic
-bathrooms often without auto flushing, toilet paper, soap, or paper towel / blow dryer
-having to drink water out of bottles all of the time
-bus still moving when trying to get on/off
-photocopy jams
-stain on clothes after being washed at Snow White's Laudromat

Commenly Used Phrases With Mike/Craig
-mai supahp: means not polite but used excessively in various sometimes non-applicable situations; Example: This rain is mai supahp.
-what you don't realize is that if ______________, he/she/you/me/we/they/us/etc. will die; Example: What you don't realize is that if Mr. Tim and Mr. Nathan break every bone in my body twice, I will die.
-chooch: goofball, annoying person, cheap person, loser, or any other undesirable; Example: Why did you check raise before the flop, ya chooch?
-turkey: see chooch, less used since chooch was introduced by Mr. Mike
-true: use to affirm a statement made by yourself or another; Example: Mr. Craig: Mr. Mike's gonna go on a tilt if this taxi driver pulls a U-turn instead of a leo quoi. Mr. Sammy: True.
-ruthless: a term used to describe Mr. Sammy's poker playing; used by Mr. Mike on April 2, 2006.
-brutal: very not good; Example: You guys are brutal! (Mr. Mike to some junior high students while on a tilt)
-tilt: originally found while reading poker jargon on wikepedia to indicate poor playing resulting in frustration, used in situation where some is getting annoyed and could potentially have a flare in temper; Example: see above

Thai Politics Pt. II

After a meeting with King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Thaksin has decided to step down as prime minister. His Deputy Prime Minister Chidchai Vanasatidya will take over until a new leader is chosen. CNN article here.

Thai Politics...

The current prime minister of Thailand is Thaksin Shinawatra of the Thai Rak Thai (Thais love Thais) party, which he started in in 1998. He became prime minister in January 2001. That same year he came close to being convicted for concealing financial assets which would have banned him from office for 5 years. Some say he avoided conviction by bribing the judges. In February 2005 he was re-elected, where his party took 374 out of 500 seats in Parliament. He has been accused of various forms of corruption including restricting freedom of the press. In January he made a reality show. Things started heating up in January when his family sold their stake in Shin Corporation for US$1.88 billion and used a loophole which made it tax-free. Since then there have been many anti-Thaksin and pro-Thaksin rallies and protests (some with over 100 000 people) and pressure from many big names to resign. There have also been several impeachment attempts. In February, he dissolved Parliament and called for another election on April 2. The opposition parties boycotted the election and did not field candiates and encouraged their supporters to check the "no vote" box when voting. His party received an estimated 57% of the overall vote in this election. However, in about 38 districts, the Thai Rak Thai candidates did not receive the minimum of 20% of cast ballots, so there will be empty seats in Parliament. So the protests will probably continue and Thaksin does not seem ready to resign anytime soon. The People's Alliance for Democracy is trying to get the results of the election suspended on the grounds that the Election Commision failed to ensure voting secrecy. Part of the reason we cashed out our Thai Baht, in case protests turn violent and the Baht drops. Anyways, just a layman's view on the current situation.

Sources:

http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/04/03/thailand.polls/index.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thaksin
http://www.bangkokpost.com/

One Last Trip...

XII
Originally uploaded by Shaggy Z.

On Friday, Mike and Vicky proposed a last 1-day trip to Kanchanaburi. We left on Sunday at about 2 in the afternoon and arrived in Kanchanaburi at about 5. We dropped our stuff off at the Blue Star Guesthouse and rented motorcycles. We drove for a couple of hours until it was dark. The next morning we headed out of Kanchanaburi towards Erawan falls, which are about 60 km north of Kanchanaburi. We didn't want to pay the entrance fee for the falls so decided to check out some caves, but didn't want to pay that entrance fee either so just biked around on random roads. Down one gravel road we saw a picture of Jesus, so went over a fallen-down barbed wire fence to check it out. It ended up being the 14th station of the cross. The last thing we were expecting to come across after a 2 hour bus ride and an hour motorcycle ride away were the stations of the cross. The stations were part of the Tabor prayer center. It looked pretty deserted and a little run down. On our way back to Kanchanaburi, about 40 km from the city, Mike got a flat tire on his motorcycle so he had to call the rental company to come pick him up. Got back home at about 7 Monday night. Played our last game of poker with the gang. Probably one of the first times that Mike and Vicky walked away with winnings. Went to the grand palace downtown the morning with Craig, Michelle, and her dad. In the afternoon cashed out my bank account for a Canadian dollars check, which took like 2 hours to do. Had to say goodbye to Erin, Jordan, Mike, and Vicky as they are headed south to Koh Taruotau, the island where survivor was filmed. I hope to see Erin and Jordan at their Edmonton wedding in August and hopefully Mike and Vicky will be able to go to the wedding also.

Slip Out the Back...

Another killer track from Fort Minor. Note the poker allusion.
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"Slip Out the Back" ~Fort Minor

You know me, I used to get caught up in everyday life
Tried to make it through my day so I could sleep at night
Tried to figure out my way through the maze
Of rights and wrongs, but like you used to say
Nothing feels like it's really worth it
Forget perfect, I'm trying not to be worthless
Since I last saw you I've been lookin for a purpose
Well I met this kid who thought like I did
He had a weird way of lookin at it
This is what he said

Slip out the back before they know you were there
And at the worst you'll see nobody cares
'Cause you don't wanna be around when it all goes down
Even heroes know when to be scared
Slip out the back before they know you were there
And at the worst you'll see nobody cares
Cause you don't wanna be around when it all goes down
Even heroes know when to be scared

Now I don't remember where I met him or remember his name
But he walked funny like he was too big for his frame
Just over five foot but he weighed a buck fifty
And what he said seemed so right it stuck with me
Listen its like poker you can play your best
But you got to know when to fold your cards and take a rest
And know when to hold your cards and hold your breath
And hope that nobody else is stacking the deck because
I don't need to tell you that life isn't fair, it doesnt care
It arbitrarily cuts off your air, and like you I want someone to say its okay
But in the truest parts of our hearts everybody's afraid
We're just underappreciated and overwhelmed
Fighting so hard to hide our fear that we're scaring ourselves
You understand when I'm saying 'cause you always did
But its different in the words of a cowardly kid

Slip out the back before they know you were there
And at the worst you'll see nobody cares
'Cause you don't wanna be around when it all goes down
Even heroes know when to be scared
Slip out the back before they know you were there
And at the worst you'll see nobody cares
Cause you don't wanna be around when it all goes down
Even heroes know when to be scared

And I'm no hero, you remember how I was, you know
All I ever did was worry, feeling out of control
To the point where everything was going end over end
I'm spinning around in circles again
This is where you come in
All of this to explain to you why
I had to separate myself away from yesterday's life
Please remember this isn't how I hoped it would be
But I had to protect you from me
That's why I slipped out the back before you knew I was there
I know you felt unprepared
But every single time I was around I just bring you down
And I could tell that it was time to be scared
That's why I slipped out the back before you knew I was there
And I know the way I left wasn't fair
I didn't want to be around just to bring you down
I'm not a hero but don't think I didn't care
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