4/2/08 Wednesday

- Last night, I prayed, meditated, and listened to music before bed. It felt great! J
- Today was a cool, rainy, day; the breezy air feels so nice!
- I worked on my blog and watched a few slideshows from PR on my computer. I don’t know why I did that. It made me even more homesick.

- Today was a good day, I let all negative energy bounce off me as if I were a concrete wall and all of those negative thoughts or energies were those 25 cent super rubber bouncing balls from the candy machines. They are all bouncing off of me at great distances to never be found again. Just like the bouncy balls I had as a kid.
- Mom and I have been watching Indian folk-tale stories on TV. I find them interesting and extremely melodramatic; they could be easily mistaken for SNL sketches.
- My Aunt brought home the BEST Khao Phat (fried rice) today. It really pains me to say it, but it was even better than my Mom’s.
- My new favorite Thai dessert, which has always been Allan’s, is called Kanom Kok. It’s a sort of coconut custard that has a crispy edge and a gooey creamy middle, similar to a Crème Brule. They are made in little cast iron pans that have little half-moon cups that you pour the custard in. It looks like a cast-iron deviled egg holder. It is considered street food and is soooo yummy! For some reason it tastes way better here in Thailand than it does in Houston. Go figure.
- Chi Yo means cheers in Thai. It’s very fun to say aloud while pretending that you have a beer stein in your hand…Try it…Chi Yo!
- We went to dinner tonight at a place called the Green Corner, which was funny because it wasn’t green and it was in the middle of the street. My cousin P’Sang ordered the ant egg stir-fry. Yup, you read it right! I about gagged! This was something that I didn’t even want to look at. I didn’t want to be rude, and my Aunt asked me to pass her a bowl of it, and as it passed my face across the table, I think I may have puked in my mouth a little. I don’t think I could ever be brave enough to try that one. I’m sure its full of great protein, but again, umm…no thanks. I had the vegetarian soup, and a vegetarian rice noodle salad.
- I tried my first taste of Thai wine. I don’t think wine is their forte. It was very sour, almost vinegary, and fell completely flat for my taste.
- After dinner, we drove over to the Wat (temple) in town, and it was BEAUTIFUL! I have never been to a temple at night, and this place was beyond words to look at. The architecture of the structure was old, and part of it was being renovated. It still stood strong and tall, as if it was just built that morning and was ready for the whole world to enjoy its glory. There were multi-colored, ornate, mirror mosaics all over the temple, and multiple Buddha’s gilded in gold surrounding it. They all sparkled like glitter reflecting from the night sky, almost mimicking the stars and moon. It was like a small piece of heaven on earth. There was a funeral going on across the street, and you could hear the echoes of monks chanting across the whole temple. It was incredible!
- All in all, it was a great day.