Fun with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Ok- I have OCD. My wife knows it, too, she just doesn’t know what to call it. One of the ways that it manifests itself is that I collect things, most of the time things that I’ll never use. At one time it was books. I had books on all sorts of unusual arcane subjects that you weren't likely to find anywhere else but in one of my piles. Sure, I read some of them, but most of them I didn’t even look at after I bought them. So when I moved, (as I often did), I ended up dragging 16-18 milk crates full of books with me wherever I went. Believe me, it would have been much easier to get rid of a few of them than to lug them to a new place every six months or so. But then, the reasonableness of such thinking never occurred to me until just now.

I have realized that I have a problem. So now I am trying to take steps to bring things under control. Now when I get the urge to collect things, I try to collect something useful, alright, at least potentially useful. Something that won’t take up a lot of space or weigh too much when I have to move, like computer files.

Recently I bought an 80 gigabyte portable hard drive when I went to the PIKOM PC Fair in Penang with Mr. Wong. Now I can download whatever I want, and cart it with me wherever I go, in something that fits in my shirt pocket. Of course, having all that portable storage at my fingertips makes my OCD go into overdrive. I want to save stuff. I just have to control what it is that I save.

To appreciate things better, you have to know that I don’t have a computer or internet connection at home. We used to have a working computer, but one day I was playing “Worms Armageddon” during a typical Taiping thunderstorm. Despite the best efforts of our quality Malaysian made surge protector, the motherboard got fried. At least our quality Malaysian made surge protector kept me from being fried. Maybe it would have been better if it didn't because then I would have had some free electro-shock therapy. Well anyway, when we moved to our new apartment, I had to take the computer with us, despite my wife’s protestations, because I couldn’t throw it out. Who knows, maybe one day I will get the time, or the will to fix it? Or maybe I can start a new collection of broken computers?

Because of this unfortunate accident, the only place I can get an internet connection is either at school, or at the local internet café. Neither of these are very private places.

Because of my compulsion I had to go to the internet cafe, and start hoarding something of no use to me. Something that could harm my reputation, and worse, hurt my sweet wife. So what did I have a compulsion to download?

Pornographic film clips. Yup, I know, a guy like me, married, and with my religious beliefs, should be embarrassed and ashamed. Believe me, I am not proud of this, or the fact that I had to go to the internet café to do it. I wasn't comfortable doing this, but I just had to. Try doing a search on Limewire for "blowjobs" when you are sitting between some teenybopper surfing Friendster whose best friend is her cellphone, and an some officious looking Indian businessman trying to come up with a flyer for his new business venture. It's not a comfortable feeling, believe me, but still, I had to do it. I did it despite the big sign on the wall saying “Strictly No Pornography.”

The other problem was where the hell was I going to watch it? I sure as hell couldn’t watch it at the internet café, not with a bunch of people constantly moving all around me. Watching it at school? Come on, be real, would ya? What was I going to do, invite the Pastor and his family over for Hardcore Porno Night? Show them to my wife so she and her friends could have an Oprah type hugfest over whose husband is the bigger pervert? How would she feel if she found out I was doing this? What the hell was I doing?

It was then that I realized what it was- My OCD was running amok. I had to do something to control it.

Step number one, of course, was to delete the folder from my hard drive. That took me a couple of weeks to work up the will to do. It made me feel a little bit better, a bit better than the pond scum I was feeing like. Yet still, I had the compulsion to collect something.

I decided if I was going to start hoarding something, why not make it something useful, or at least potentially useful? I needed to figure out what that could that be.

My solution: I could start hoarding two things. The first was music. On my computer that I left behind in the USA, there are about four or five hundred songs that I downloaded illegally, (Ok RIAA song Nazi’s, try and get me out here in jungle land, Malaysia). I listened to them all the time, and burned cd’s, so obviously it was something useful that I take pleasure in. So I decided that instead of downloading pornography, it would be better to download music.

Trien loves music almost as much as I do, but more important than music that me or Trien likes, though, is music for our unborn daughter. So I search for Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin, Bach, and any time of soothing classical music, that will help calm her, and help her little brain to develop to genius level.

When daddy is at work, and mommy is at the house alone, she always plays music for the baby. So now I can feed my hoarding obsession, and get some good out of it. I can also listen to the music at work, or even right now as I write this. Believe me, it is not easy to write this stuff, but the Bach piano concerto (It sounds more like Brahms), I am listening to right now sure makes it a lot easier.

Ok, not everything is 100% ok. I still download music indiscriminately, looking in the libraries of the file sharing programs in the internet cafe, or searching through the folders of the computers in school. If something seems good, even if I have no idea what it is, it goes on the pocket hard drive. Does anyone know what Cliff Richard’s “Sing a Song of Freedom’, sounds like? I as hell don’t, but there it sits, in the same folder with “Iingatan Ka”, by Carol Banawa.

The second thing I am doing to beat down my hoarding obsession, (or is it a compulsion? I’m not quite sure what the difference is some times), is to download computer programs.

I’ll go to Google, and search for open source programs, and download them whether they might be useful or not. I mean hey, you never know when a 3-D vector graphics modeling program will come in handy, despite the fact I have little idea what it does, or it’s used for. Somebody might need it, and if they do, I have it all ready for them. Here comes John to the rescue at a moments notice!

My latest obsession is Linux Live cd’s. I found that I can use Download Accelerator Plus to download big files quickly, like 698 MB Linux iso’s. I can do this at the internet café, which sometimes makes them go a little cuckoo when it is crowded. If not there, then I discovered that I can do it on the instructors computer at the Komputer Lab in school, (no, I didn’t misspell it). This potentially pisses off only one person, Mr. Annuar, instead of the whole extended family of the Chinese people who run the internet café. Mr. Annuar doesn’t seem to mind too much, and it is cool with Najib, the IT guy, because he has his own collection of Linux cd’s and distros he likes to play with, even more than I have. I haven't asked Najib if he has OCD, but he does seem to show some of the signs . . .

So far I have downloaded the following live cd’s- Ubuntu, Edubuntu, Coyote Linux, Knoppix, Slax Kill-Bill, PClinuxOS, Puppy Linux, and I probably won’t stop until I have downloaded every live cd in the Linux universe.

Some of them I have already burned onto disk to play with. I haven’t burned the smaller ones, like Puppy Linux, or Slax Kill-Bill, because it seems a waste to use a full 700 MB disk for distros that only comes in at between 135-205 MB or so. Of course, my OCD will make me want to fill the disk up to the max with files that I will later be unable to find. I know I will come up with some sort of bizarre combination of files, like the Slax live cd, and the Led Zeppelin songs I downloaded, along with photos from my digital camera. If I do that, who knows what would happen when I put that Frankenstein like cd in to an unsuspecting machine. More than likely, I will end up booting into Linux, instead of being able to listen to “Kashmir”, “Rock and Roll’, or “The Immigrant Song”. (Sorry, I refuse on principle to download or listen to “Stairway to Heaven”. It’s a cool song the first 2000 times you hear it, but after that, it gets old quickly.)

If the pocket hard drive ever gets a full, and with my OCD, that is a good possibility, I can burn things onto those nice lightweight cd’s, and add to my ever growing collection. Right now, I have over 150 pirated DVD’s that I have bought in China, The Philippines, and Malaysia. They are getting a bit much to carry around, especially since Trien and I might be moving again at the end of the year, but how could I ever get rid of them? It took a lot of work to get them, and there’s some really great stuff there. Maybe I can trade them with someone else who also has OCD, for something more useful. Like money.

Now for the fun with OCD part:

(Note: For those of you who have read through this entry and have not clicked on any of the links, please do so at least once, if not several times in rapid succession. Because most of the links go to wikis, you never know when they will change. Hey, I might be changing one right now! You have to make sure you are getting the most up to date information! I don't know if this will make you feel any better, but it sure will help me!)

A Wonderous Day

Yesterday there occurred one of the most beautiful experiences of my life. I came home from school, and my wife was lying on the bed, with her blouse pulled up. No, it wasn't that type of experience. There was a twinkle in her eye as she lay there watching her tummy.

"Honey, the baby is playing," she said to me as she gave a gratified smile and went back to watching her tummy.

I knelt beside the bed and saw a ripple go across her tummy, like what happens when you drop a pebble into a puddle.

She looked up at me, and was glowing.

"Was that it?," I asked.

"Yeah! See?! She's been very active. Every day around this time she starts moving around a lot. I think she knows that now is when you come home, so she starts playing."

"You think baby is saying hello to Daddy?"

"I think so," she said with a friendly little pout.

I could see movements of different sizes and durations happening in various parts of her tummy. Some movements were big, while others were barely visible.

"Does it hurt?"

"Nooo, but it feels a little funny. Sometimes it feels like she is tickling me, especially when she starts moving her arms. "

There were all sorts of little pings and vibrations going on. I put my hand on her tummy to feel them.

"I think our baby is dancing again," I said with a happy smile.

"Yah! You know, I really think so. I think we are going to have a very active baby. Remember the first scan we had to try to determine the baby's gender?"

During that time, the baby kept twisting and turning and kicking so much that the doctor couldn't tell if we had a boy or a girl. Every part of her body seemed to be in motion at one time or another.

"Yeah, I remember. I think we are going to have a healthy active daughter."

"She really could be a dancer, the way she moves so much!"

"Yeah. The doctor already said she has her Daddy's long legs. Maybe she is getting some practice in before she is born."

After a few minutes, I went to take a "shower", because I was covered in sweat from my walk home. It hadn't rained here for a few days, so it was as hot here as it as elsewhere in Malaysia.

All this was great, but it wasn't the most beautiful part.

That happened later that night, just as we were about to go to sleep. I had finished watching my favorite show, which is the "Law & Order" reruns from 1998. Before turning in, I was watching the current season of CSI. Trien squiggled around in bed to get comfortable. She had her "hug Pillow" by her tummy, and was trying to get pillow, body, and bed into some sort of harmony.

"Honey- she's playing again!"

I reached over and put my arm around her tummy. I could feel the little hiccuping movements.

"Wow! Hey Mommy, she is really going at it!"

Trien rolled over on to her back so she could face me.

"Yah, and I am trying to get to sleep."

"Can you sleep if the baby is moving?"

"No, not reaaaally . . ."

"Is it uncomfortable? Does it hurt?"

"It doesn't hurt. It just feels funny. I can feel her moving around, and I can tell what she is moving- her legs, her hands, or her butt. It seems like she is getting big-" she made a long line across her tummy with her hand, "-from there to there."

She saw the surprised look on my face, and emphasized, "Yeah! She's getting big, Honey!"

"Well, she's only going to get bigger. You're only about six months pregnant now. Maybe if I tell her to be still, like I did last time at the doctor's office, she will stop. She did that time, so we could tell her gender."

"If you want."

I was going to, but then I had a better idea.

That idea lead to the most beautiful and meaningful things that's ever happened in my life up to now. That one event that sometimes happens, and all the clouds go away, and suddenly all those years of pain and struggle become worthwhile, and have meaning.

I put my ear against Trien's tummy. At first it was quiet. Then I heard a low gurgling/sloshing sound. It sounded like a stomach rumble, so I wasn't sure what I was hearing. Then it happened again, but louder. I lifted my head, and looked at Trien.

"Did the baby just move?"

She smiled contentedly, and lifted her eyebrows in confirmation.

"I heard her!"

"Really? You sure it wasn't just my stomach?"

"No . . . I don't think so."

I put my ear back on her tummy.

There it was again, the same gurgling/sloshing sound. Sometimes it was low, other times it was louder. When it was louder, I would lift my head and look at Trien, and she would smile and nod her head.

"I really am hearing the baby! I am!"

"What does it sound like?"

I couldn't explain all the things that were wrapped up in those sounds for me. It was more than just a physical sound. It was one that made my souls vibrate with joy. What could I say? How could I explain that to her?

It was the most beautiful sound I had ever heard in my life. There was no music, nothing in nature, nothing anyone could say, that could ever mean more to me than the sound of my daughter moving in her Mommy's womb. Nothing before that moment had ever meant more to me, nothing had reached spoken so deeply into my soul as the sound of those tiny little movements of life.

We had done it. We had created a life! Now it was living and growing and moving, and taking shape. I had felt the movements. I had heard the sounds. There was real tangible proof of life! It was a sweet song to the deepest part of my being.

"I CAN HEAR HER! I CAN HEAR HER!", was all I could say. The hugs and kisses I gave my wife seemed such a pitiful way to say thank you for something so divine.

Trien looked down upon me like a serene Madonna, and stroked my head.

Suddenly, I felt a deeper love for Trien than I ever felt before. She was bringing to fruition everything we had both hoped for.

I held her for a while, and eventually the baby stopped dancing, and Trien fell asleep.

I couldn't sleep, though, at least not right away.

Here was God's ultimate blessing on our marriage, the greatest gift he could give to us- a gift of impending life.

A new life is coming. I am to be a part of it, and it is to be a part of me.

The only thing I could do was lie back in bed, wonder at what was happening, and say:

"Thank you, God, for your Love."

Jealousy, Insecurity, and Relationships

Last night I could tell that something was bothering my wife, but she wasn't going to come straight out and tell me. That is not the Filipina way. You have to listen to what she is saying, or not saying, and then interpret what it is she is telling you.

We were lying in bed. She had to lie down on her side to get comfortable, because her tummy is getting unwieldy. We had just finished watching her can't miss tv show, "America's Next Top Model". She started twisting around in bed. I knew it wasn't just because she was physically uncomfortable.

"Honey, last night when we were by the hawker stalls, why did you smile at the Chinese girl at the stall that sells the chicken chops? The one who wears the really short shorts and tight tops all the time?"

"I was only being friendly"

"Yes, but you gave her a nice smile. Then later on when she came back, she smiled at you, and you gave her another nice smile."

"So, that's all I did. I just smiled. "

"Yes, but you smiled at her twice, and she smiled at you. Whenever you see her, you always smile at her."

"Ok, if that bothers you, I will walk around with a permanent boo-boo face, and never smile at anyone again."

I made an exaggerated pout and she laughed, then hit me on the shoulder.

"Noooooooo, don't do that! I was just wondering how come you look at her."

"So you are feeling jealous? Look. baby, I have no intention of sleeping with her or anything else."

"Yes, but she dresses very sexy, and she smiles at you. And you also smile at the girl at the claypot chicken rice stall."

"Yes, but you also smile at the girl at the claypot chicken rice stall. You have said that she is very sweet and friendly."

"Yeah, but that is different. I'm a woman . . ."

"Yeah, I noticed that. Look, Baby, I married you. When I did, I said I would love you, honor you, and forsake all others, until death do us part. I intend to keep that promise. "

"But I see you look at women sometimes."

"And that's all I do. It's what all normal guys do. Hell, even gay guys look at women and make comments to each other. What's wrong? are you feeling jealous?"

"Well, I just notice you looking."

"So you feel insecure, and think I don't find you sexy anymore because you are pregnant?"

She didn't say anything. I knew that meant I had hit the bullseye.

"Look, has our sex life changed any? Don't we still make love as much as we normally do, and do the same things we always do? Except maybe, we have to change positions because of your pregnancy?"

"Yeah..."

"So don't you think that means I still find you sexy and attractive, despite the changes in your body? Do you think that because you are pregnant, I am going to go out and find another woman? Is that what your father did?"

She didn't say anything, but I could see the answer in her face.

"Look, Baby, I'm not your father. I'm not going to do the same things he's done. Is there anything I've done that makes you think I am going to act that way?"

"No. I know you are good."

"Ok, then don't worry. I love YOU. Sure, I might look at other women, but your the one I married, and love, and come home to. So why should you all of a sudden feel that suddenly I don't love you, find you sexy, or want that I want someone else?"

"I don't know. I guess I just feel unsure of myself. My body is fat and my face is breaking out, and I don't feel sexy anymore."

"Well, I think you are still sexy. Otherwise, would I keep making love to you the way I do?"

She pursed her lips and raised her eyebrows in that way unique to Filipinas when they are thinking things over.

"I know, it's just natural that women start feeling this way when they are pregnant. But tell you what, you are going to give birth to our daughter. What can be more beautiful than that? How could anything make you more beautiful to me than that?"

Her answer was a demure smile, and a little tear in the corner of her eye. "I'm sorry for feeling like this, Honey."

"Don't be, Baby. I'm proud of you for saying something. I'm really glad you did. I rather you say something, and get it out so we can talk, than keep it all in."

"Really?"

"Of course. To have a strong relationship we need to have good communication between the two of us. Don't try to keep harmony by not saying something, only to have things grow and become a major problem later. So please, if something is bothering you, don't hold it in- just let me know. I'm not a mind reader. Sometimes I can see something is wrong, but when I ask you about it, you don't say anything. Or you say you are ok, even if I know you are not. There's no way I can change things unless you tell me what is wrong. Then we can talk about it, and it won't become a problem."

"Yeah, you are right. I do that."

"I know, because of what you saw happen in your parents relationship. I saw the same thing happen in my family.That's not the type of relationship that I want to have, and I know you don't want the same thing either. Let's not do the same things we saw them do."

"You're right Honey. We aren't our parents. I shouldn't expect things to be the same as it was with them."

With that, she gave me a little kiss.

"Thanks for caring, Honey."

"No, thank you for being honest me me, Baby. Thanks for having the courage to say something. I really appreciate that."

She hugged me, and we stayed in each others arms and kissed for a while.

There was nothing I saw that day that was more beautiful than the smile I saw on her face just before we turned off the light and fell asleep.

Saturday in the Park with Trien

The day started with Trien and I going to the roti stand, for our usual Saturday breakfast. Afterwards, I asked her if she wanted to take a walk through the Lake Gardens, and she agreed. she wanted to go to the playground, and pose for pictures.


When she saw the pictures on the cameras LCD screen, her first remark was that her face looked really fat, but the background looked nice. Then she asked me to forward the pictures to her e-mail, so she could send them to her friends.

We were going to walk back, but something was happening ahead. It looked like the bi-monthly orchid show, and so it was. That was definitely something we had to check out.

Delicate Orchids Hosted on Zooomr

Orange and White Orchids Hosted on Zooomr

The guy who runs the nursery near our place was selling some of the orchids we'd seen the other day, along with other plants. There were a couple of other vendors selling orchids, charcoal, and fertilizer. We didn't buy anything, though, because Trien said she wanted to see how the ones we have do first. Fair enough. So while she sat down taking a rest, I went around taking pictures of some of the orchids entered in the competition.

More Orchids Hosted on Zooomr

Pitcher Type Orchids Hosted on Zooomr

I would have liked to buy a couple of them, if they were for sale. At first I thought they were, mistaking the entry number for the price. It wasn't until I saw numbers in the single digits that I finally realized they couldn't be selling them that cheap! If they were, then I was going to quit teaching and immediately go into the orchid exporting business!

Taiping Orchids Hosted on Zooomr

White Orchids Hosted on Zooomr

After I had finished taking all the pictures I wanted, we headed over to the swings. Trien was able to fit into the swing, but these things were obviously made only for kids, or Asian women. I got up after having my testicles squashed. Trien wanted me to take some more pictures of her pregnant self. This is the one I forwarded to her:



I like the picture. Again, she made all sorts of sounds of disapproval, said she looks fat, and look at how her face has broken out, look at her tummy, etc. The next day she emailed it, and the others, to her friends and family.

After that, we walked past all the guys playing Takraw. There must have been a competition going on. I didn't take any pictures of them standing in circles kicking it around like a bamboo hackysack, because, well, sometimes you just have to respect peoples privacy.

After that, we decided to start back. We started walking toward the fountain. There is a little island in the one of the lakes near the fountain. I suggested we go there to get out of the sun, and get a little hug time in. She said that this was Malaysia, and that we couldn't hug in public. I replied that we weren't going to start screwing and putting on a show, we were just going to hug a little bit. So we went to the island, and sat and talked.



This is the bridge to the island.



We discovered that it's the perfect place for a group picnic. There's parking close by, It's large enough to hold a group of about a dozen people, and there's plenty of tree roots and crumbling masonry to sit on. It's near enough to the playground that the kids can go play, but small enough that you can watch them if you don't want them running away.

The time went quickly, and we spent who knows how long talking about things.

We had a couple of visitors while we were there. The first visitor was a woodpecker. This was the first time I had ever seen a woodpecker in the tropics. I didn't even know there were woodpeckers in the tropics, but sure enough, there he was, with a crested head, pecking away at the wood. Unfortunately, he seemed to be expert at hiding just as I clicked the shutter, so I couldn't get a clear shot.

Another visitor was a bright blue kingfisher, which is pretty common around here.



Being the curious sort, I decided to take a trip around the island. I found a little landing with a bench. Trien and I were sitting there when we heard a large splash.

Sure enough, it was a large monitor lizard going for a swim.

Before, Trien would have been terrified, and would have gotten as far away as possible from it as her legs could take her. Now, though, we just sat there and watched it as it took a nice leisurely swim beneath the brush overhanging the lake.


(You can't see him here, as he is hidden underneath the brush. He is there, though)

After that, It was time for lunch. We headed to the hawker stalls across from the Lake Gardens. I took pictures of things I found beautiful, but that Trien was too hungry to notice, or care about.



Because of her impatience, she ended up walking ahead of me. I saw her standing at the edge of a different lake, watching something. When I got closer, she said, "Look Honey, it's a big monitor lizard." And so it was. It was swimming close to her, it's head held high out of the water, proudly exhibiting itself to her. That was, until I got close enough to see it, and answered her. Then it dove down in a panic, and disappeared. People from out of town see large monitor lizards swimming in the lake, and they think that they are crocodiles. They are harmless though, and very shy. They usually run away, or dive out of sight, at the first sign of humanity. That's why it was so unusual to see one swimming so near to Trien. I guess it knew that she's just a sweet woman who would never do it any harm.



Then we went around the main lake, past the grandfathers waiting on the bridge, and to the hawker stalls in the picture above. We had the Nasi Ekonomi, literally, "economy rice", which is a plate of rice, and a buffet of different food to choose from. For drinks, we both had iced tea, from leaves that are grown nearby in the Cameron Highlands.

When we walked back home, Trien looked so tired that I thought I was going to have to carry her back. I had been asking her during our time in the Lake Gardens if she was ok, and she kept saying yes. Now she explained that it wasn't the exercise that was bothering her, it was the heat. The next time we went, it would either have to be earlier in the morning, or later in the afternoon. After taking our "showers", which means pouring scoops of water over our body from a concrete catchbasin, it was time for our afternoon hug and nap.

It was the perfect ending.

Life in 1973 vs. Life in 2007

I found this post at insane.com, and reprint it here in full. It's one of those things where you don't know whether to laugh at it or not, because everything in it is so true. It's the sort of thing that would be good fodder for a Michael Moore film:

Scenario: Jack pulls into school parking lot with rifle in gun rack of his truck.

1973: Vice Principal comes over, takes a look at Jack’s rifle, goes to his truck and gets his to show Jack.

2007: School goes into lockdown, FBI called, Jack hauled off to jail and never sees his truck or gun again. Counselors called in for traumatized students and teachers.

Scenario: Johnny and Mark get into a fist fight after school.

1973: Crowd gathers. Mark wins. Johnny and Mark shake hands and end up best friends.

2007: Police called, SWAT team arrives, arrests Johnny and Mark. Charge them with assault, both expelled even though Johnny started it.

Scenario: Jeffrey won’t be still in class, disrupts other students.

1973: Jeffrey sent to office and given a good paddling by Principal. Sits still in class.

2007: Jeffrey given huge doses of Ritalin. Becomes a zombie. School gets extra money from state because Jeffrey has a disability.

Scenario: Billy breaks a window in his father’s car and his Dad gives him a whipping.

1973: Billy is more careful next time, grows up normal, goes to college, and becomes a successful businessman.

2007: Billy’s Dad is arrested for child abuse. Billy removed to foster care and joins a gang. Billy’s sister is told by state psychologist that she remembers being abused herself and their Dad goes to prison. Billy’s mom has affair with psychologist.

Scenario: Mark gets a headache and takes some headache medicine to school.

1973: Mark shares headache medicine with Principal out on the smoking dock.

2007: Police called, Mark expelled from school for drug violations. Car searched for drugs and weapons.

Scenario: Pedro fails high school English.

1973: Pedro goes to summer school, passes English, goes to college.

2007: Pedro’s cause is taken up by state democratic party. Newspaper articles appear nationally explaining that teaching English as a requirement for graduation is racist. ACLU files class action lawsuit against state school system and Pedro’s English teacher. English banned from core curriculum. Pedro given diploma anyway but ends up mowing lawns for a living because he can’t speak English.

Scenario: Johnny takes apart leftover firecrackers from the 4th of July, puts them in a model airplane paint bottle, blows up a red ant bed.

1973: Ants die.

2007: BATF, Homeland Security, FBI called. Johnny charged with domestic terrorism, FBI investigates parents, siblings removed from home, computers confiscated, Johnny’s Dad goes on a terror watch list and is never allowed to fly again.

Scenario: Johnny falls while running during recess and scrapes his knee. He is found crying by his teacher, Mary. Mary, hugs him to comfort him.

1973: In a short time Johnny feels better and goes on playing.

2007: Mary is accused of being a sexual predator and loses her job. She faces 3 years in State Prison.

The Best Roti in Taiping

This is for Nic and Krista from the Redbox studio, and anyone else who'd like to sample the food in Taiping. If you want to have the best roti in town for breakfast, then head over to this stall at the Circus Grounds Hawker Stalls. They are only open for breakfast, so if you get there after 12, then you are out of luck. If you click on the map below, the red "X" will show you exactly where to go.

Trien usually goes there for breakfast after she and Ate Hermi take their morning walk around the Lake Gardens. Sometimes a few of the other Filipinas in town join them, and they spend the rest of the morning doing what women usually do when they get together over breakfast.



As for me, I usually go there with her on Saturdays. The owner of the stall introduced us to a couple from the USA who eats there every day. He took my phone number so that we could get in contact. Jesse is from New Jersey, and Mei Ling was born and raised here before she emigrated. They are retired now, and are staying here for a couple years to look after her mother, who has not been well. Saturdays are when we usually meet there, and bitch about the idiots who run both countries. That means that Trien is not the only one who can spend some time chatting with her fellow country people.

I like their roti pisang, while Trien goes for the roti gareng. They serve it with different sauces, usually dhal, a red curry sauce, and/or some spicy sardine sauce. Top it off with some Teh Tarik, and you've got yourself a good breakfast for cheap.

Today, we both had our usual, plus Tri had behoon goreng, and we bought five pieces of what the owner called apa manis, which seems to be a pancake made from glutinous rice flour. Add on the drinks and what was the total cost for our feast? 7.35 Ringgit ($2.15 US).

Like I said, if you want a good cheap breakfast, you can't beat this place!





The blue dot? Well, that's the approximate location of our apartment complex. #17 is where I work, at SERATAS, right across from the zoo. As you can see, our apartment is in a great location!

The Introspective Ape

I was between classes last week. I had a break, so I called up Rod Deering, who works for the same outfit I do, but in the District Education Office. Mr. Wong and I hadn't heard anything from him since he got back from Japan, to look after some business, and visit his wife.
She stays in Japan, and looks after the tuition centers they own, while he does his thing elsewhere. Rod says that he and his wife love each other, they just can't live with each other.

Rod said he was doing okay, but he did seem a little depressed, which meant he only used two curse words in every sentence, instead of every other word. After a couple of minutes he got back to normal, and started on one of his rants about life, and the way things suck. There's nothing wrong with that. I do it myself sometimes, except that I am a lot more careful with my language.

While talking to Rod, I looked over at the school watertower, and saw something strange up there. It was some sort of animal. I couldn't tell what it was, but I could tell that whatever it was, it was big. From where I stood it looked like feathers blowing in the wind. SInce I could.t see any feet, my first impression was that it was some kind of big bird, like an owl or an eagle. That meant I had to go and investigate, and get some pictures.

When I got close enough to see what it was, I was surprised. It wasn't a bird, It was an alpha male macaque. He was sitting on the edge of the tower, looking over the Lake Gardens, and seemingly deep in thought. It was like I had come upon simian Hamlet. He didn't notice me as I got out my camera, and played with the settings to try to get the perfect picture before he moved and I lost my chance.

I took one picture, and then he noticed me. He turned away. The first shot was out of focus, so I took another. I tried moving to the front to get another shot, but he kept turning away. Without a doubt, I was annoying him. The last thing I wanted to do was to disturb his ruminations. So I quietly slipped away, and let him get back to pondering things I could only wonder about.

From his perch he could see everything his life revolved around. The king was looked over his kingdom, and seemingly wondered if it was all worth it. He had stepped away from his problems. He knew a place where he could get away from it all, and get a different view of things. A place where no one would bother him, except for an inquisitive teacher with a camera.
Instead of raging and complaining, he took a step back to get an objective view of things.

I knew that this was an object lesson, telling me instead of raging and complaining, and feeling trapped, I should be like that alpha male, and find that quiet spot where I can get away from it all, and find my peace.

It just goes to show you, we can learn a lot from the animals.

Happy Birthday to Me

Today is my 46th Birthday. Trien called me up in the middle of one of my classes, to ask me if I wanted to eat out, or have her cook me a special dinner. Of course, I chose the special dinner. It will be good to have some nice home cooked Filipino food. She has become quite a good cook, and really enjoys cooking. When we first got married, she only knew how to cook three dishes. So our weekly meals were like a dance- dish one, dish two, dish three- TAKEOUT! Dish one, dish two, dish three, TAKEOUT!

After her call, my class sang "Happy Birthday", to me. So did all my other classes. As it turns out, Thursday is my busiest day. I had six classes today, including three in a row. What a way to celebrate! We had a five day holiday, the first day back is my birthday, and I have six classes! But all is well. Now it's back home to see what Tri has cooked up for me!

Lost at the Food Fair

Yesterday our landlord showed up on our doorstep around 11am to collect the rent. Normally that's not a problem, but yesterday was Labor Day, and Trien and I were just getting ready to go out. It was a little disconcerting, but luckily I had withdrawn the money the day before. I've learned that he expects to be paid the first of the month, no matter what's going on. He is not an ogre about it, though. If we don't have the money on that day, he understands. He is a nice guy, very friendly and helpful. After I paid him, he offered us a ride into town.

We went downtown, over by the Prince Edward School, to find the charity food fair. Our landlord can speak English pretty decently, but his understanding of it leaves something to be desired. So while we kept trying to tell him to stop, he kept on going and turning through all the side streets. Eventually he got the idea that we were where we wanted to be, and let us out.

We got out near this interesting looking building. Trien said that it was abandoned. I said it couldn't be, because it was nicely painted and maintained. Besides, there was an old guy sitting at the window, watching me take the picture!

Anyhow, Trien insisted she knew where the food fair was. I knew that meant she thought she knew where it was, but in reality, had no idea. There was a map on the flier she had with her, but she was looking at it upsidedown. That meant we ended up walking in the opposite direction to where we should be going.

After a few minutes of walking around and getting nowhere, she decided to do what she should have done before we started, which was to phone someone and ask for directions. After she did, we started walking in the right direction. We met a couple of the other Filipinas coming back, and they told us how to get there.

I was a bit pissed at having to walk around in the heat not knowing where we were going, instead of going right to where it was. Once we got there, though, I was eager to see the results of all the work she had done yesterday. She and Ate Hermi, and Ate Karing, and others had worked hard the day before to make Laksa, and I was eager to try it.

Note: Ate (pronounced AH-tay) is the polite term that Filipinos use to refer to an older woman. It literally means "older sister". If it an elderly woman, then you refer to her as Nanay (pronounced NAHN-neye), or Nay for short, which means "Mommy". Filipinos would never think of referring to someone older than them by their first name alone. They also would never refer to someone in a position of authority by their first name, or by using Mr. or Mrs. For a woman in authority, they call her Ma'am, like Ma'am Betty. For a man, they call him Sir. When I worked as the Academic Director of an English school in Cebu, I was always referred to as "Sir John". That made me feel uncomfortable, like I should be coming to work on a horse wearing a suit of armor, ready to slay dragons. Which, in a manner of speaking, was what I did. Maybe someday I will tell you about it.

As I said in my previous post, all the effort was worth it, because it was the best Laksa I ever had, made from all fresh ingredients, with no short cuts taken. Because of that, all was forgiven. Not that I could stay mad at my wife for long anyway. She is too sweet for me to do that. Besides, the person I would be hurting the most if I did that would only be myself!

Here's a picture of two of the cooks at the food fair, Ate Hermi, (the senior Filipina in Taiping. She's been married and living here for twenty six years) on the left, and Trien on the right.



Finally, I leave you with a picture of this colorful little insect. It looks like a butterfly, and flies like one, but the head doesn't look like one. With the wings folded, it looks more like a beetle. If anyone out there knows what it is, please leave me a comment and let me know!

Happy Labor Day!

Happy Labor Day to all of you around the world, except for those of you in the USA. You guys have to wait another five months or so. In Taiping right now, there are all sorts of gatherings and events going on. My wife and I just got back from one, a foodfair sponsored by the local churches and charities to raise money for the local home for the handicapped. Trien spent about six hours yesterday with some of the other Filipinas, chopping veggies, flaking fish and pulling out all the bones to make Laksa. It was worth it, because it was the best Laksa I've ever had.

In case you are wondering, May Day here has no communist connections. Not after the Malaysians spent the better part of forty years fighting against a communist insurrection.

To Americans, our Labor Day marks the end of the summer season. It's when the kids go back to school, and the vacations and barbecues stop. It's the time when things get back to normal after the madness of summer, and things fall back into the usual routine.

So we'll enjoy our Labor Day now, and all of you in the USA, I wish you a happy advance Labor Day.

(I forgot to bring the cable to download the pictures I took today, so I will leave you with this nice little picture of the monkeys playing in the drainage canal in front of our apartment complex).

The Kids at the Competition

Here's a couple pictures of the students that took part in the Drama Competition in Kangar, Perlis. I took these right after we finished the presentation, when everyone was unwinding and feeling good about what we had done. We didn't win, but non-biased observers felt we were one of the best there, and should have at least placed.

The winners? MCKK of course. It seems that they are supposed to win everything by default, while everyone else is in a race for second and third.

The rules were that the dramas had to be no more than twenty minutes in length, with five minutes for setup, and five minutes for take down. The whole thing should therefore take no more than a half hour, max.

Well, MCKK came in and gave a presentation that ran more than 47 minutes, not including setup and take down. It was supposed to be an English drama presentation, but theirs had a large dose of Malay and Manglish throughout it. Different people who saw their presentation, (I wasn't there, as me and Mr. Wong got bored, and decided to take a drive around Perlis), said that they should have been disqualified, or at least placed last. But hey, They are MCKK, the most prestigious secondary school in the country, so you can't do that. In Malaysia, reputation and status count more than actual merit.

There were two sessions: the morning session of six schools, of which we were third, and the afternoon session of five schools. The Judges gave the first three places to the schools in the afternoon session. Fourth place went to STAR, which is unbelievable. Their drama was so bad it was almost unwatchable. No wonder they had to take the third best school bus. Their drama was so bad, they were lucky they didn't have to walk home! As for us, we took fifth place. Needless to say, the students were very disappointed and frustrated, especially since they sat through all the other dramas and saw what they were up against. If nothing else, they learned a valuable lesson that life is not fair, and things don't always go by the rules.

The girl on the right wearing the bow tie and vest did all the props and backdrops, and did a fantastic job. If she was with us last year, when we were part of the local competition at St. Georges College, we would have won. Last year, we had a good script, (adapted by me, of course), good actors, and a good presentation, but horrible props and costumes. Our students spoke loud enough so that you could hear them clearly all the way in the back of the auditorium, and their English was clear. Which was more than could be said for the others, most of whom looked like they were doing mimes. Plus, we kept the audience's interest throughout the play, and got a really good reaction. Our costumes and props were horrible, though.

So of course who did the judges give the prizes to? The ones with the nicest costumes and props, who you couldn't hear, and if you could, you couldn't understand them, or wished you couldn't!

But that's the way things are here- it's always form over substance. "Appearance is Everything" should be the Malaysian national motto!

Our Newest Addition - The Orchids

While at the English Drama competition in Perlis, I took a trip up to Padang Besar, at the Thai border, with Mr. Wong. Pandang Besar used to be the western gateway from Malaysia into Thailand, until the government built a new facility at Bukit Kayu Hitam in Kedah. Now Padang Besar has seen better days, and most of the car and truck traffic going into Thailand goes through the newer facility. The trains, though, can only pass through Padang Besar.

There is a market there, where you can get clothes and sundry items for cheap without having to go into Thailand. I went there with Mr. Wong, to see if I could get some memento of the trip for my wife. He said that they have good mangoes there for cheap. Trien likes mangoes, so I figured I would get some for her (and the baby).

Well, when we got there, the mangoes didn't look too good, but the clothes were a different story. There were some very nice blouses and dresses that Trien would look really good in, if she wasn't pregnant. I know better than to buy clothes for her, rather than with her, so I had to look for something else.

At the very end of the one market area, nestled by some hawkers stalls, was a guy selling plants. He had a few miniature roses, some strange cactus like plants, but what really caught my eye was the orchids.

That, I figured, would be a good gift for her.

There are lots of orchids in Cebu. You see them everywhere, even in the poorer sections. If I bought her some orchids, I figured, maybe it would make her feel at home.

So I started looking through the selection. There was nice selection of orchids in different sizes, shapes, and colors. The stall owner came around, even though he was on crutches. He spoke pretty decent English, and started explaining about the different orchids he had for sale. This one came from Viet Nam, this one came from Thailand, this one came from the jungle, he sends these down to Putrajaya to be sold, and so on.

I asked Mr. Wong for his opinion, but he didn't say much. The owner showed me some fragrant orchids. I had never heard of fragrant orchids before, and obviously Mr. Wong hadn't either, as he told me to make sure they really were fragrant, and not that the owner had sprayed something on them.


When all was said and done, I bought the orchids pictured here, both "fragrant" orchids.


I liked the purple color of the first one. (This picture is taken a few days after I brought it back, and doesn't really do it justice). I had never seen tiny orchids like the ones in the second picture, so that's why I bought them. They sure smelled nice on the bus ride back to Taiping.

The next day, we took the students up to Padang Besar to get something to eat, (other than school food) and so they could get some souvenirs. Most of them didn't have any money, so I went and asked Mr. Annuar if there was any expense money. (Mr. Wong had driven back home early in the morning.) He took care of them, and afterwards I ate lunch with Mr. Annuar and the bus driver.
Then I went back to the flower stall, and bought this orchid, because I liked the golden orange color.


I called Trien on the bus on the way home (cellphones are such a great invention), and let her know that I was bringing her a surprise. Being a Filipina, she wanted to know what it was. Being an American, of course I wasn't going to tell her.

When I got home she wasn't there. She was out with the other Filipinas after church. So I went and hung up her surprise.

When she got home, we kissed and hugged, and almost immediately she started searching around the apartment looking for her gift. Everywhere, that is, except where I hung them, in the unused bedroom.

It turns out that orchids are her favorite flowers. I always thought that roses were here favorite flowers, because she cried the first time I gave her some. Then again, by doing so, I had broken two of the cardinal rules for a successful relationship with a woman:

1. Never assume anything
2. Never take anything for granted

It seems that she tried to keep orchids in her parents house in Buaya. Since she was making barely enough money to live, that was quite a luxury for her. Buaya backs on to a mangrove swamp, and the well water is extremely salty. So when she watered her orchids, they didn't fare too well.

The small ones I bought, she called "dancing ladies". In Cebu they are very expensive. Plus, they really are fragrant. She liked these the best, because it was something she always liked, but could never ever afford.

Trien got a few tips on orchid care, and ours are doing fine. They are hanging in the front balcony. That way, when Trien has her breakfast, she can open the sliding door, hear the birds sing and watch them fly, and look at her pretty orchids. That makes her very happy. That makes me very happy, too.

The STAR Mariachi Van

We were on our way to Perlis for the SBP School Northern Zone English Drama Competition. We were heading north up the North-South Highway, following the bus from Malay College Kuala Kangsar (MCKK), which is only about 25 kilometers from our school.

Each SBP school usually has three school buses: A small van for getting sick students to the clinic or going to town, an older bus to get more students around, and a traveling bus. The traveling school buses for the SBP schools are not your normal yellow school buses. They are comfortable, with air conditioning, captain chair type seats, and a TV and dvd player. They are more like the overnight buses that go to Singapore or Thailand, than a school bus. Here in Malaysia, appearance is everything, and you want to make a good impression when going to a sister school.

One of the kids brought along a DVD of "Ghost Rider", and everyone settled in to watch it. Me? I was more interested in reading the Malaysian Star newspaper, and doing the Sudoku on the comics page. I did see enough of the movie to see that it wasn't worth the six Ringgit ($1.75) the student paid for it.

When we got up around the tollbooths near Butterworth, I put down my paper, and noticed a strange little vehicle between us and the bus from MCKK. We seemed to be in a convoy. It looked to be a van from another SBP school, but I couldn't really be sure. If it was, it was barely big enough to hold the fifteen students that would be taking part. There was absolutely no room for any props or backdrops. Hell, if they had any luggage, they would have to be holding it on their laps.

The paint was worn and faded, and the windows were open because there was no air conditioning. I was surprised that the back tires weren't wobbling like drunken belly dancers, or that there wasn't thick black smoke pouring out of the back.

In the back of the vehicle were a couple of signs: One saying, "Go Pablo", and the other, "Wowee" or something like that. One of the guys in the backseat was playing a guitar, and either had a big curly hairdo, or was wearing a wig. The others were dressed in colorful shirts. It gave the rather startling impression that we were following a destitute itinerant Mexican Mariachi band up to the Thai border.

We pulled up next to the poor little van during a rest stop, and it was from another SBP school- STAR (Sekolah Tuanku Abdul Rahman), in Ipoh. This is a picture of it after we reached our destination.



STAR is an all boys school, like MCKK. That luckless group had to endure a four hour ride through tropical heat in a bumpy little van, with no air conditioning.

Once we got into Kangar, the driver from MCKK got lost, and we had to travel around on some dusty dirt roads while finding our way, and the poor guys from STAR had dust pouring in their windows. By the time we pulled into the school in Kangar, those poor guys really needed a nice long shower, and maybe a nice long hug from their Mommy.




Just to give you an idea of how small the van was, here is a picture of it sitting between the traveling bus, and the everyday school bus from the school in Kangar.

It was only after saying something to Mr. Wong, that I found out that we very well could have been doing the same thing. I didn't know that we had to sign up to use the school buses. Luckily, Mr. Wong has been at SERATAS for twenty three years, and knows how everything works. He reserved the nice traveling bus as soon as he knew when the competition was taking place. Otherwise, there would have been two van loads of dirty, sweaty students pulling into the competition, not one.

All I can say is:

Thank God for Mr. Wong!

He saves the day once again.

Hornbill in Flight

Trien and had finished napping, and were getting ready to go into town when I heard a familiar "laughing" sound outside our window. She didn't know what was wrong, and why I suddenly shot out of bed. I grabbed my camera, and ran to the balcony to try to get some pictures. It was the call of a hornbill.

Sure enough, it was sitting on the roof of the house across from our apartment. It seemed to be calling for its mate, and waiting for an answer. There was no answer coming, and I wondered if something had happened to its mate.

When she was presentable, Trien came out and we watched the hornbill for a couple of minutes. Then we had to leave, because she was hungry, and you don't want to keep a hungry Mommy-to-be waiting.

When we got outside, the hornbill was still sitting on the roof of the house, calling out for its mate and preening itself. (That's just what Trien had been doing only a couple of minutes before. It's amazing how much like humans animals can be!) So I walked over carefully in order not to frighten it, and took a few more pictures, two of which are shown here. Trien waited for me for about 30 seconds, then started waddling her way toward the Lake Gardens, and into town.



After a couple of minutes of moving around beneath it snappin pictures and trying to capture the right pose, I must have moved in to closely, or moved too quickly, and the hornbill flew away into one of the trees behind the house. In that moment, I took a quick reflex shot, trying to catch its flight. I wasn't even sure if I got anything but blank sky. When I reviewed the picture, this is the shot I had taken. I think it is a really nice shot. It looks like it could be used as a logo for something. For me, it was one of those perfect Zen moments of "don't think, just do", that bring out the best results in art.

My Saturday Workshop

Here is a picture of the students for the workshop I had to teach today. I had to teach "Communication English". At least that was what was written in the meeting room when we had the ceremonial pre-class meeting. I didn't know that was what I was supposed to teach. Lucky I didn't know, because what the heck is "Communication English" anyway? I think they meant was "English Communication". It's hard to break the Manglish habit.

The two Indian guys are technicians, and the rest are office staff. There were supposed to be 21 in my workshop, but these 8 brave souls were the ones that showed up. The gardeners, cooks, and other workers were supposed to be there, but they stayed away in droves. They were obviously very self-conscious about their level of English. One of the gardeners did show up for five minutes, but obviously understood nothing that was going on. He discretely slipped out while my back was turned.

The level of the students varied. The Indian guys English was very good. The rest ranged from okay, to "I can understand most of what you say if you talk slow", to "I can't understand almost anything but I have to be here anyway because the boss says so".


I spent all week getting ready for it. Since I was busy getting ready for the English drama competition since the beginning of April, that was all the time I had. Now that it's over, I wish I had more time to get ready for it. It was kind of fun, and the students seemed to enjoy it, but I know if I had more time, it could have been even better.

I did some work on pronunciation, using a Powerpoint presentation I spent days working on. It explained the sounds of English, and had tongue twisters and jazz chants, and poems for us to read out loud together. After that, we did a running dictation, and some mime activities, which everyone enjoyed.

So what did I get out of it? An envelope with a nice ribbon on it. Inside? 100 Ringgit! (About $30), which was nice. All I expected was a fancy certificate of appreciation. I have about six or seven of those sitting in my desk drawer. I would rather have 100 Ringgit for each one of them instead of the certificates. The money is alot more useful!



(I gave him the award as the best student in the class.
He also got a fancy little envelope with a nice ribbon on it,
but I don't know what, or how much was inside.)

Latest Baby News- Our Baby's Gender

We went to the doctor yesterday for our monthly check up. Trien felt that it was a girl, because she was into her girly things, like making sure she was dressed perfectly before stepping outside, wearing makeup, worrrying about her complexion, and things like that. She also felt like she had a connection with the baby inside of her, and that the baby was telling her she was a girl.

Me? I really wanted a boy. I figured there was no way my wife could tell what the sex the baby was. It was just one of those female superstitions, was my thinking.

We were excited about finding out what sex the baby was. Last time we had a sonogram, the baby was so active that the doctor couldn't tell. So the night before we went to the doctor, I talked to the baby and asked if baby could hold still while the doctor took the sonogram, so we could tell if we had a boy or a girl.

We have a good baby, because baby listened and did just what I asked.

When the doctor started the sonogram, baby was moving around. I explained to baby that we were in the doctors office now, and wanted to see if we had a boy or a girl. Sure enough, baby stopped moving, spread its legs a little, and put its hands under it's chin. After the doctor was finished, I told baby it was okay, and baby started moving around again.

Now we know that we knew that we have:

A GIRL!

I have to admit that I was disappointed and upset at first, because I really wanted a boy. So did Trien, so did my Dad, (so that there would be a child to carry on the family name), and my Mom. I was hoping for a boy, so I could teach him things, he could carry on the family name, and I could name him after my grandfather, who I was close to and who was good to me.

After a while, I was okay with it. Because now, we are having a beautiful little mestiza. That's what I keep saying to my wife- we are having a beautiful baby girl!

Daddy is very, very happy, and can't wait to hold his sweet little daughter in his arms!

Asian English

Living in Asia, I come across some unusual uses of the English language. Here is one I found when we were at the English drama competition up in Kangar, Perlis.

Mr. Wong, Mr. Annuar, and I went into town to buy some snacks for the students. I picked out a container of cookies in a nice plastic container, that my wife could use after the students had emptied it.

It wasn't until after I took it out of the plastic wrapping that I saw what it said on the top of the container:

Munchy's (Which is the name of the company that makes the cookies)

bite me

Now to an American, if you tell someone to "bite you", you better be ready to fight them!
Either there are some really disgruntled employees at Munchy's, or these are the most ill-tempered cookies I've ever seen.

If you want to see more examples of English abuse in Asia, particularly in Japan, then go to engrish.com for more howlers.

Why No Posts?

Okay, I haven't posted for a few days because I have been very busy. The students and I were preparing for the English Drama Competition for the Northern Zone of the SBP Schools (government boarding schools) up in Kangar, Perlis. I will write about that and post some photos when I can.

Next up I have to prepare a 3 hour workshop for the staff of the school, who have very limited English skills, and have it ready to go by Saturday. I haven't had time to even think about that yet. That's in addition to planning classes and teaching. And working on the blogging project with my 2k class. Plus there is my wife's pregnancy. So if you don't see many posts, it's not because I have given up. It's because my brain is giving out. There's too many things to think about, to think about things to write about.

After that, we have a vacation!

Rugby Soccer Basketball

I like to try to get my students thinking outside the box, and think and do things in new and creative ways, and have fun doing it.

Today I had a relief class. I had to fill in for the Physical Education teacher. He was here, but he was sharing his expertise in Hoki (Boy's Field Hockey) with the coach and players from another school.

I didn't know what to do, so I asked the kids what they wanted to do, which can be dangerous. The girls said they wanted to go to the library or stay in class and study. The boys said they wanted to go outside and play either rugby, soccer, or basketball. Some of the boys said they didn't want to do anything. So I allowed the girls to go upstairs to the library, and I took the boys to the lockerroom by the field, so they could change and run around.

Most of them changed, but some of them didn't. Since today was "club day", when they have club activites, all the students and teachers were dressed up in their club uniforms. Clubs meaning Boy and Girl Scouts, Red Crescent, Firefighting, Army, and other things.

After they changed, I took them to the gymnasium to see if there were any rugby balls, soccer balls, or basketballs we could use. You have to go up to the balcony of the gymnasium to get them, and the balcony is full of bird guano from the Swift's that make the gymnasium their permanent home. The rooms upstairs looked like they had been ransacked by monkeys. There were balls there, but they were all partially deflated.

So they threw down whatever they found that was halfway decent, and we had a fullcourt game of Rugby Soccer Basketball.


We made up the rules as we went along. As you can see from the picture above, one of the rules was that you had to try to make a basket with whatever type of ball you had, while some guys with Hoki sticks tried to block your shot.

So there were students running around with a rugby ball, trying to get to the basket to make a shot, while others were shooting baskets with deflated basketballs, which then doubled a soccer balls, and the soccer balls doubled for everything.

Even the students who hadn't changed were running around in their uniforms getting all sweaty, and everyone had a great time, including me.

Just a bunch of kids having fun and being kids, which they have very little opportunity to do here.