3.21.2006 People who seriously rock my world Pt.2 - Raf the friend and designer

Well awhile back after I tore down all the coding I'd done for my asp based page and moved to using all this premade stuff like blogger and minigal I started whining about the design of my page.

I love to code. I'm totally a geek.... but design. Ugh it's painful. I'm so fussy and I'm not a good enough designer to accommodate my own fussiness. So Rafael picked up my cry for help left on my website at one point (see excessive whining... I can't believe the results I get with my whining). He asked me what I wanted. I said "Something sexy, simple, and functional". Then like a week later he pops out this current design based on a recent picture I'd taken. Just like that. 3 words and he gives me a design I'm drooling over. That's impressive. He even picked up on my current obsession with oranges and implemented it nicely.

Anyway after that he's put up with my fussiness and given me endless patience about all the little changes I wanted made here or there. Things taken out, things put in. And I have to say he's done a pretty good job. Don't you think????

All of the blood, sweat and tears (ok maybe I'm being dramatic) that went into this site were just a labour of friendship. That's right. I got this design free. Now how awesome is he?

Rafael was my travel buddy in Thailand and is now living as a volunteer in Thailand working for the Tsunami Volunteer Center. He's helping to build and repair houses for displaced Tsunami victims and other people in need. He's currently doing this without any financial funding from any organization so all of his expenses (like food and lodging) are coming out of his own pocket. If you'd like to do something really nice send Rafael a donation to support him in his volunteer work. He's also started writing a blog about his volunteer work which is updated when his net connection isn't being dodgy.

Thanks Rafael! You seriously rock!

Labels: relationships, Thailand

3.06.2006 Thailand: sand ball rolling crabs

Let's call them that for lack of a better term. I've tried to search the net using a variety of queries but having the keyword "ball" in there seems to bring up "other kinds" of results. Actually even more detailed queries including the words "sand" "balls" and "Thailand" still returned some interesting results. Ahhh amateur erotica. Moving on...

The beach near our resort was a "rock" beach but it was pretty cool because of the amount of shells and natural sea critters around.

One of the things we noticed immediately where these strange formations in the sand. Almost like sand crop circles!



They were everywhere and as we went to the beach at different times of the day the patterns seemed to grow and become more extreme. Most of the balls were teeny weeny little balls perfectly shaped. About half the size of a pea. in the middle of any pattern would be a small hole in the sand and a clear straight line through the patterns from it.



In some areas there were really bigger mishapen sand balls, really shoddy work. Near these were bigger holes in the sand.



Once I stood still for a bit I saw the whole thing come to life and all the crabs that I'd scared into their holes came out and started creeping around the designs.



The bigger the crab, the bigger the sand balls, and the more shoddy.



I amused myself for awhile by standing really super still and then making an exaggerated jerking motion just to watch them scurry back into their holes at lightning speed. I like to toy with nature.

And I have the video to prove it!

Can you let me know whether or not this video will play for you and what browser you're using? I'm still figuring out this streaming video stuff. Secondly, if anyone knows the actual scientific name for these little sand ball rolling guys I'd love to know. I'm sure I've seen a National Geographic documentary on them before.

Labels: Thailand, Video

2.27.2006 My Photography: Thailand

I've posted the best of my Thailand photos from an artistic perspective. I still have more stories to share and related pictures but these are the pieces that I consider "photographs".... not snapshots. Please feel free to leave your comments! Click the buddha to be taken to the gallery.

Labels: Photography, Thailand

2.26.2006 Thailand - One-Two-Go airplane: Safety instructions

Labels: Chingrish or Engrish, Thailand

Thailand - Bangkok: A motto to live by.

Labels: Chingrish or Engrish, Thailand

2.24.2006 Thailand - Khao Lak: Tsunami Elephant story

Of course being in Thailand I couldn't escape without a mandatory elephant ride. The part of Thailand I made home is called Khao Lak. Khao Lak sustained 78% of Thailand's damage from the tsunami.

During our elephant ride in the hills we stopped at a spot to swim under a waterfall. Our guide told us a story about how at 3am the morning of the tsunami the elephants (the 3 of them) in the elephant camp started screaming. And they screamed and screamed and screamed and screamed... by 6am the local villagers started complaining. When they went to check on the elephants they were desperately trying to climb up the mountain.

Even though the area is primarily inhabited with tourists it hit me at points in my vacation that probably every single local I was coming in contact with lost at least a friend, a co-worker or family member. Swimming in the ocean we found bits of clothing and random debris.

My friend Rafael, who was my travel companion, is now volunteering to build houses for displaced tsunami victims. Please check out his site and make sure to donate if you can. [Rafael's site]

Labels: Thailand

2.14.2006 photo: Similian Islands (Thailand) panoramic

Too stressed at the moment to up do a proper update about my Thailand vacation but I'm back and alive in one piece. For now enjoy this panoramic of one of the islands where I went snorkeling. Click on the thumbnail to view a larger size image:

Labels: Photography, Thailand

2.06.2006 bonjour Thailand!!!!!!

Well this will probably be my last post for a week unless I can somehow find a way to pull myself away from the beaches of Phuket and find my way to a net cafe.

Sorry to say, but it is less than likely.

I will be flying to Bangkok tomorrow evening, flying to Phuket the afternoon after, and then spending some serious time relaxing... seriously.

Just because I like rubbing in how I'm going somewhere warm check out my Phuket home away from home:

http://khaolaklovers.com/baankrating.htm

mwa haha

:)

Guess which city Catherine would rather be in?


I've had a really great week in Taipei and got the chance to do a lot of things I've been putting off. With Thailand it's a whole new mixed excitement. Part of the reason I made the big dive to abandon my world home was the opportunity to see the world and travel like crazy. I have been to quite a few spots all over Taiwan but I haven't been anywhere else yet. Thailand will be my second Asian country.

Aside from that, being able to finish something that I wasn't able to before... it's powerful and I know dad would be proud.

I am going to come home to Taipei so rested, brown, and happy, and with armloads of film. Promise.

Expect plenty of "ooo look where I've been" pictures when I get home.

Lots of love,
Catherine

Labels: Thailand

1.28.2006 Mission: Chinese New Year

Week One

Location: Taipei, Taiwan
Dates: now - February 6th
Accomplice: Meghan
Goals:

• take at least 10 rolls of film
• see Guandu temple again
• find the teabaths in Xindian
• visit the tea houses on the mountain in Muzha
• find a way to climb the mountain in Jingmei that has the temple at the top (used to have a view of this from our old apartment)
• go to the hotsprings in Beitou
• go to hotpot with Taiwan mom and dad (Hal and Jane)
• beat Meg at chess again over a bottle of wine
• go roaming around the backstreets and little alleys for some crazy pictures
• going scavenging for random stuff
• buy a sassy outfit and go out to a nice club to dance my booty off
• get caught up on responding to e-mails
• start work on my first short stop-motion animation films

personal goals:

• not care if people stare at me weirdly as I setup cool shots to take or if I'm engrossed in taking a picture
• get up in the mornings (ie not sleeping in until noon, or past noon)
• feel absolutely satisfied with how little, or how much I got done at the end of each day.

Week Two

Location: Bangkok and Phuket, Thailand
Dates: February 6th - February 12th
Goals:

Bangkok:

• cool city shots
• a cool restaurant
• not getting too lost

Phuket:

• taking at least 20 rolls of film :)
• swimming
• sleeping on a beach
• swimming
• riding an elephant
• swimming
• sleeping on a beach
• go to a temple with a reclining buddha
• swimming
• sleeping on a beach
• buy some cool jewelry
• swimming
• sleeping on a beach
• get lost
• swimming
• sleeping on a beach
• Thai massage (specifically by a blind massuse, I guess this is a specialty in Thailand)
• swimming
• sleeping on a beach
• kayaking and or canoeing
• swimming
• sleeping on a beach
• boat tour of the cool nearby islands
• swimming
• sleeping on a beach
• and eat lots and lots of yummy food

This is all really exciting for me because this will be my first vacation in Asia, and my first time in a country outside of Taiwan in Asia. Hopefully the first of many trips to come.

Labels: taiwan, Thailand