tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76326826458321568772024-03-21T22:14:46.844+05:30Holy Mackerel!Holy Mackerelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02730371190312162258noreply@blogger.comBlogger121125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7632682645832156877.post-31881863468138334932019-01-01T17:35:00.001+05:302019-01-15T14:00:18.874+05:30Why We Need to Stop Buying Souvenirs - Receiver's POV<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Presents are nice. Or at least they have the potential to be nice. Some of the worst presents I got were souvenirs from other countries. Of course, many people have brought me lovely things from their travels, but more often than not, people buy junk. The problem is they usually do this with the best of intentions.<br />
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"Here's a piece of crap from another continent to remind you of the time I went to Paris and you didn't" -Demetri Martin (possibly paraphrased) on souvenirs<br />
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Giving people souvenirs can be a pain for many reasons, <a href="https://oholymackerel.blogspot.com/2018/05/why-we-need-to-stop-buying-souvenirs.html" target="_blank">some of which I've mentioned before</a>. We may not like to admit it, but sometimes, receiving them can also be inconvenient. A lot of gifts are one or many of the following: large, heavy, ugly, useless.<br />
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Here's my rating of some commonly gifted souvenirs:</div>
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Let's break it down. To keep things objective, I'm assuming all these things are aesthetically pleasing.<br />
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<b>- Keychains</b><br />
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This is nice at first. A keychain is not too big (hopefully) and it sure is useful. But how many does the average person use? Two? Maybe three, at the most. The keychains that follow become awkwardly-shaped items which take up precious storage space - a big box or even a small shelf.<br />
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<b>- Trinkets/ lockets/ earrings/ charms</b><br />
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Very hit-or-miss depending on how well the buyer knows you. On the plus side, if you think something doesn't suit you, you can always gift it to someone else who is more likely to use it.<br />
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<b>- Chocolates</b><br />
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If you're the kind of person who thinks all chocolate-like items are delicious, then hurray, you'll never be disappointed. But you'll probably be a terrible chocolate gifter who genuinely believes people like Bounty.<br />
I've had a couple of people bring me amazing chocolates, but I've also had enough Hershey's Kisses and Ooty chocolates for life. And if I never see a Bounty bar again, it'll be too soon.<br />
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<b>- Magnets</b><br />
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Unimaginative, but safe, neutral, and not bad at all. You don't have to worry about storage space, and you can use them to hold up notes on your fridge. The best ones are also functional as bottle openers, tape dispensers, thermometers, hooks, and other things. Also, if you're a parent with kids who announce before bedtime that they need a magnet for an experiment in school the next day, you just yank one off the fridge.<br />
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<b>- T-shirts</b><br />
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Unless you've bought it at a proper store (and sometimes even if you have), a souvenir T-shirt is, most likely, made of the worst kind of material. But let's assume it's good material and the right size for me. I'm still left thinking, "I've never been to Los Angeles. Do I really <3 LA? What if I don't? <i>You</i> <3 LA because you went there and saw what it's like, and maybe I would <3 it too if I were in your shoes, but I don't really know, do I?" <br />
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<b>- Models and showpieces</b> - the worst kind of souvenir<br />
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All they do is take up space and prolong your dusting routine. And the ones that are made of plastic or metal won't even 'accidentally' break.<br />
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<b>- Something you supposedly asked for</b> - the most disappointing kind of souvenir<br />
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I believe people should enjoy their holidays without worrying about what to bring back for everyone. But when they keep asking you what you want and say they'll get you something anyway, you might as well try to ensure they bring something you like. So you tell them to bring you XYZ if they happen to see it but to not bother hunting for it because you really don't need more stuff.<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span> <span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><br />
Then they bring you PQRS because it happens to vaguely resemble XYZ. And PQRS will be something generic that's easily available everywhere around you at half the price they bought it for.<br />
And you have to pretend you're excited and grateful when all you're thinking is, "Oh, you poor dumb fools... I hate it!"<br />
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<b><i>Related story</i>: </b><br />
On a visit to someone's house, the host had bought coffee and made me some because she knew how much I love it. Problem was, she was a tea drinker with no idea of how coffee works. I took a sip from the mug she'd given me and all I could taste was weirdly tainted water with a grainy texture.<br />
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Extremely puzzled but curious to solve the mystery of the suspicious liquid, I took a couple more sips before realising that she'd put coffee grounds into the mug and mixed it with water the way you'd make instant coffee.<br />
I then tried, at various points through the evening, to leave the mug in an obscure corner of the house, but she'd always find it and say, "You forgot your coffee. Here it is."<br />
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<b>- Postcards</b><br />
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Please don't give me a new set of postcards even if I stare at them and keep talking about how pretty they are. I may love looking at them, but they take up space because I don't know enough people who will truly appreciate getting a handwritten postcard in the mail.<br />
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If you find a pretty one while you're travelling, write on it and post it to my address. It'll be the best souvenir you can get me.<br />
Or you could simply come back and share your stories with me. Just please, please, <i>please</i> do not bring me Bounty bars.<br />
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Holy Mackerelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02730371190312162258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7632682645832156877.post-78368548656469804212018-07-05T23:17:00.000+05:302018-07-06T20:03:44.975+05:308 Days in Bangkok on a Budget (Sort of)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11.0000pt;">During our trip, I'd made little notes of where we went and what we ate so I could fill in the details later. This is more of a travel journal than a guide but I figured that if I put it up here, there's a chance that it may be useful to other people. Failing that, it should at least make for a good read, hopefully. </span></div>
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<b style="text-indent: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Pre-</span></b><b style="text-indent: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Bangkok</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">After weeks of packing, moving, and unpacking, we finally moved into our new house. </span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">The very next day, m</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">y father </span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">left</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"> for two weeks </span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">on work. M</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">y mother and I </span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">had </span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">decided </span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">we wouldn’t </span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">be left behind to do all the unpacking while he was away</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Bangkok </span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">seemed </span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">like the ideal place for a quick holiday - </span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">dad didn't want to go again, mom was happy to, and I'd never been before. Also, visa on arrival. </span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Perfect</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">, right? Well... yes, except for the </span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">painful process of figuring out how to get a visa processed after landing at the airport</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><b>Note</b></span></i><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><b>:</b> </span><i><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Don Mueang </span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">airport </span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">has "Visa on Arrival" boards at 5 different counters, but only one of them actually </span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">processes your visa (and of course it’s the one with the longest, slowest line)</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">. </span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">N</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">o one tells you this.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"> </span></i><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><b>Tips</b></span></i><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">:</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><i>-</i> The line for people who<i> apply for a visa before arriving </i>was a lot shorter. It might be worth paying a little over the standard 2000 baht </span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;">charge.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><i>- </i>If you haven’t booked tickets yet, <i>booking a flight to Suvarnabhumi airport might be a good idea. </i>Mom said (based on her previous Bangkok trip) that it’s way more organised.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><i>- Carry some glue (to stick your photo on the application form) but guard it closely. </i>The one person in our line who did have a glue stick lent it to a few others who promptly passed it around like it was public property. Poor guy looked worried, and I don’t think he ever saw his glue stick again.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">The whole visa process took 2-3 hours but felt like half a day. However, with the worst behind us, we were all set to have a great trip.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="text-indent: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">DAY 1 (Friday, March 23)</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Sawadeeka, Bangkok!</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"> </span></b><b><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="text-indent: 0pt;"><i><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Places: Wongwian Yai, Taksin Intersection</span></i></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Transport</span></b><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">:</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;">Getting to our hotel was easier than </span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;">expected</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;">. </span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;">Online maps had given us a string of complicated directions, but the guy at the airport’s information desk told us to just take a bus and then the BTS (Skytrain).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">One could also take a taxi, but that’s a lot more expensive. Besides, the two of us only had a small backpack each and were in no rush.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Buses from Terminal 1 go to Victory Monument (every 30 minutes, if I remember right) and to Mo Chit (every 5 minutes) for 30 <span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: x-small;">฿</span> per head.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">We </span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">went to Victory Monument, got a passion fruit bubble jelly drink from Coco, and </span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">then took the BTS from there to Wongwian Yai.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Victory Monument</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">The Hotel</span></b><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">: </span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;">We stayed at </span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;">W Station</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;">,</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;"> round the corner from the </span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;">Wongwian Yai BTS</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;">.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;"> Just off the main road, this lovely little hotel is easily accessible, with restaurants, food stalls, a convenience store, etc. just a few steps away.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;">W Station</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Since it’s not in a touristy area, it’s peaceful and quiet, and other places of interest are just a few minutes away thanks to the proximity to the BTS and bus stops close by. The warm, friendly staff made us feel at home and ensured that we really enjoyed our stay. Also, their breakfast is delicious, especially the Pad Thai.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Food</span></b><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">:</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Thanks to a sleepless night and visa-related exhaustion, we wanted to take it slow that day, so after a nap in our room, we strolled around the neighbourhood. Got some splendid summer rolls nearby and then walked to Taksin Intersection (on the other side of the BTS station). King Taksin’s statue stands within a small park-like circle in the centre of a very busy area with a fascinating market on one side, which means plenty of great food.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Statue of King Taksin the Great in Thonburi, which became the capital of Siam when he was King</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">We loved the summer rolls but decided not to eat too much of one thing so as to leave room to try an assortment of food. Then we saw a lady grilling pork on sticks, tried one, and loved it so much that we immediately got three more. She was very amused. Oh, and they were just 5 <span style="font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: x-small;">฿</span> </span>each! Coated with a sweet-spicy marinate and cooked perfectly with the meat tender and the fat a little chewy and caramelised, it’s easily the best pork starter I’ve ever had (and I’ve eaten a lot of delicious pork).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Mom then insisted we get some pineapple, and I’m so glad we did! I’m used to eating hard pineapple that’s either sweet but flat-tasting or too sour to enjoy, but this was sweet and juicy with a little bit of tang - just what we needed after walking around for a bit.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;">We also looked around an amazing supermarket that had fascinating Thai sauces and coconut milk and such but didn’t get anything (except, on my insistence, a pack of seaweed to snack on) because thanks to the move, we’d discovered how much stuff we have and had resolved to not get more stuff.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">As we walked back, it began to get dark, so we had dinner at a little restaurant near the hotel and then headed back.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">DAY 2 </span></b><b><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b><b style="text-indent: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">(Saturday, March 24)</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">(Window) Shopping</span></b></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Places: </span></i></b><b style="text-indent: 0pt;"><i><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Chatuchak Market, Ikea, BACC</span></i></b></div>
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<b style="text-indent: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Transport</span></b><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;">: </span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;">We each bought a BTS day pass, which allows you to ride the BTS as much as you like all day for only 140 </span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: x-small;">฿</span>. Our first stop was to Mo Chit to see Chatuchak market.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Chatuchak Weekend Market</span></b><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">:</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Apparently the largest market in Asia, Chatuchak is open for business on Saturdays and Sundays and is bustling with locals and tourists alike. With different sections of the market selling a range of products from food and clothes to art and penis-shaped soaps, there’s probably nothing you won’t find here. Even if you’re not planning to buy anything, it’s an interesting space that lends itself well to photography. There's also a </span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;">big, beautiful park </span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.6667px; text-indent: 0pt;">to one side of the market.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.6667px; text-indent: 0pt;">Scenes from Chatuchak</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Food</span></b><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">:</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Had a couple of popsicles while wandering around Chatuchak. Also tried the famous coconut ice cream, which I’d been looking forward to ever since I saw Ishai eat it on Street Food around the World. For 50 <span style="background-color: white; color: #6a6a6a; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">฿</span>, most of the stalls there give you two scoops in a coconut shell with some tender coconut shavings and a few toppings you can ladle on as you like. It’s fun, and while I wouldn’t call the ice cream exceptional, it’s pretty good. Overall, it makes for a worthwhile experience.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Then we took the BTS to On Nut, where one of the exits leads directly to the vast and wonderful food court at Tesco Lotus. We had braised duck and rice (good, not great) and a rice combo with fish and bambooshoot (incredible). </span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Ikea</span></b><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">:</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">The bus stop outside one of the On Nut BTS exits is a pick-up and drop point for the free shuttle to Ikea which is part of the gigantic Mega Bangna. We reached one end of the mall after a 20-minute ride in a rather packed bus, got an ‘espresso’ (it was regular coffee with milk and sugar) and a lemon tea for the walk to Ikea, and then spent a good amount of time there but, as planned, didn’t buy anything.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><b><i>Note</i>:</b> If you’re at Mega Bangna and want to take the shuttle back, step out before looking for the bus stop.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">We walked along the inside to stay cool but ended up circling back to our starting point because the Exit boards keep pointing straight ahead. Unless you look in all directions, it’s easy to miss the right door.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">A Dash of Culture</span></b><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">:</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">We were a little tired, but I wanted to go someplace that wasn’t a shop stop. So we took the BTS to National Stadium and stepped into the Bangkok Art and Cultural Centre (BACC). It was almost closing time, but we saw some exhibits on display and agreed that this was a place worth coming back to.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;">Inside and outside BACC by night</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">A concert was going on right outside the building, and the area was all lit up and full of people (in a nice way - not too crowded). Across the street, at the ground level of the MBK Centre, was a market and a beautiful food section. But since it was mostly seafood at very high prices, we figured we’d go back and eat near our hotel.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Dinner</span></b><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">:</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Unfortunately, we’d lost track of time, and the little places serving meals were closing. We had some pork sticks and squid sticks before realising that our best option at that point was to go get something from the 7/11 store. So that’s what we did: picked up a couple of packaged meals (which they heated for us) and ate in our room. The food was salty and average tasting, as you can expect a packaged meal to be.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">DAY 3 </span></b><b><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b><b style="text-indent: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">(Sunday, March 25)</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Lots of Walking</span></b></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Places: </span></i></b><b style="text-indent: 0pt;"><i><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">BACC, Jim Thompson house, Wat Pathum Wanaram, Lumpini Park</span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;">After breakfast at the hotel, we went to National Stadium again to spend more time at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;">Graffiti above the BACC entrance by five famous artists in honour of their late king</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;">The man on the side of the building and a man inside the building</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;">The Jim Thompson house is a few steps away, down one of the narrow lanes off the main road. It’s listed as a hidden gem on many websites, but it seemed a little more touristy than I’d expected. Then again, we're originally from Assam, a place that’s famous for its silk. So it might be a worthwhile destination for people who haven't seen how silk is woven and all.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;">At Jim Thompson House</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">We left JTH to walk down the main road, darting in and out of malls to avoid the heat by walking in air-conditioned spaces as much as possible. We discovered a Jamie’s Italian which was very exciting (but didn’t eat there because it wasn’t nearly lunchtime yet).</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Wat Pathum Wanaram</span></b><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">:</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">You know how sometimes, when a place is easily accessible, you end up not going because you know it’s there and you can go any time you want? Well, it was our third day in Bangkok and we hadn’t been to a Wat yet, so when I spotted one nearby, we went in to explore even though it’s not among the city’s famous temples. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Beautiful carvings on the outer face of the Wat's wall as seen from the pavement</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Serenity</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><span style="text-align: left;">Outside and inside</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">And what a great move that turned out to be! Wat Pathum Wanaram is a (not-so-)hidden gem - an open, uncrowded, serene space in the midst of several mall blocks. We spent a lot more time there than we’d planned to and absolutely enjoyed it.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="text-indent: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Lumpini Park</span></b><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;">:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Then we came out to the main road again and I saw a sign that said Lumpini park was about a kilometre ahead (spoiler alert: lies!) So we walked and walked and walked. At one point, we found our stomachs rumbling and noticed that it was well past lunchtime, and that we had walked past all the places with food.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Assuming we’d find something up ahead because it’s Bangkok, we trudged on until we found a man with a BBQ pork cart. To two hungry people, it was a most welcome sight, and we quickly demolished a few strips before continuing on our quest for Lumpini park.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><b>Note</b></span></i><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><b>:</b> Lumpini park supposedly has street food, but all we saw were pineapple carts, so I’m guessing these stalls were either in a part of the park we didn’t go to or set up at an earlier or later time of the day.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">If you’re wondering why I wanted to go to this park so badly, it’s because I’d read that it has lots of monitor lizards and that the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra holds concerts there on Sundays ‘in the cool season’.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">We reached at last and slumped onto a bench next to the water. We sat there awhile just taking in the sights and enjoying the chance to rest our legs.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">With people walking and jogging around us, we figured we ought to see what the place had to offer. Lumpini park is beautiful. It’s also a lot bigger than it appears at a glance. So as we walked on and on, we soon began wondering when we’d see our starting point again.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;">Scenes from Lumpini Park</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">If Mega Bangna had taught us anything, it was to exit and then find our bearings. In this case, however, it just resulted in us making a bigger circuit back to our starting point. Then it was yet another long walk to the closest BTS (Ratchadamri) because the only tuk-tuks there refused to go to Wongwian Yai.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Back by the hotel, we had a dinner of pork noodle soup with raw papaya salad at a streetside restaurant, followed by some pineapple.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="text-indent: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">DAY 4 </span></b><b style="text-indent: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">(Monday, March 26)</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">A Fruitful Day</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Places: </span></i></b><b style="text-indent: 0pt;"><i><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Wat Arun, Khao San Road, Asiatique</span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;">If you thought we were done walking because of the previous day, you’re wrong. We set out on foot to Wat Arun and took a slight detour on the way to see the Santa Cruz church. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;">Santa Cruz church</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;">This was right by the water, and Wat Arun was already visible from a distance, so we walked along the Chao Phraya river, passing by another Wat that was being renovated and feeling extremely confident about arriving at our destination in no time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;">"There's the spire! We'll reach in a few minutes."</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Lost, Hydrated, and Recentred</span></b><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">:</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Then the path by the river ended, forcing us inwards, and we promptly got lost. We walked through many little lanes hoping we were going in the right direction when I saw a tiny stall where someone was getting a packet of neon-coloured liquid. Normally, I wouldn’t dream of drinking strange fluorescent red soda out of a plastic bag, but I was thirsty.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;"> Lost (but in a pretty place)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Gesturing and pointing, I tried to indicate to the old couple at the stall that I wanted the alien red soda. The man pointed to two big vats of mysterious liquids boiling away while the lady showed me a tray of ice. Well, it’ll be fun to try something new, I thought, randomly pointing at one of the two boiling vats.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">The man poured some of the liquid into a large cup and proceeded to add to it a variety of condiments, including condensed milk, with the utmost care. It turned out to be Thai iced tea, and it was delicious. Getting lost was turning out pretty well. Also, minutes later, we discovered that we weren’t lost any more.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;">The beautiful couple</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;">It’s true what they say about how it's the journey, not the destination, that really matters. That being said, Wat Arun is spectacular. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.6667px;">Climbing the few knee-high steps of the central </span><i style="font-family: calibri; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;">prang </i><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;">is well worth the effort, but even if you don’t want to do that, you can see most of it up close just by walking around the spires.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Khao San Road - F&B</span></b><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">:</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Our next stop was Khao San road for lunch. We caught a ferry from the Wat Arun pier to Phra Arthit and walked the short distance to what we assumed was Khao San road.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">We ordered tom kha soup and flat vegetable noodles at a place called A&A Guest House. Both were lovely, especially the tom kha. I’d had tom kha soup at oriental restaurants back home, and I’d quite enjoyed those, but they had nothing on this one. Light despite the coconut milk and extremely flavourful, this soup at a random little restaurant was far better than anything I’d had at any of the fancier places before.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<b style="font-family: calibri; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;"><i>Quote of the day: “chicken, pork - small, can eat. Beef - very big, not eat.”</i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;">The lady at this restaurant spoke a little English and talked a lot, telling us how much she liked India. Initially, she said the tom kha was unavailable, and when we looked disappointed, she explained that they were out of chicken and only had pork. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;">She’d asked if we were Hindus and had assumed we didn’t eat pork. </span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;">When we assured her we did, she asked if we ate beef. </span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;">Not wanting to scandalise her, we shook our heads. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;">She didn't eat beef either, she said. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;">Why? </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;">Her explanation (with gestures to illustrate the differences in size): “chicken, pork - small, can eat. Beef - very big, not eat.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;">Stepping into another place nearby, we got a foot ma</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;">ssage, the perfect way to relax after our meal. Rejuvenated, we felt like getting some dessert. So we finally tried mango and sticky rice (they have this pretty much everywhere but we hadn't tried it yet). Salty sticky rice with pieces of mango and a little coconut milk - exactly what I’d expected; nothing less, nothing more.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">We then strolled about, exploring the area until the passing of an acceptable amount of time before the next F&B stop. This time it was for nitro coffee at Starbucks. I don’t normally seek out familiar chains in a new place, but nitro coffee is something I’d been dreaming about for almost two years, and we don’t get it where I live. It was, I must admit, not quite as great as I’d expected. Not saying it was bad, but I was expecting something magical and potentially life-changing, and it wasn’t.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;">Imagine you’re expecting to see a unicorn, and you’ve been embelleshing the image in your head for almost two years, and when you finally see it, you realise it’s a horse. Slightly different from the horses you’ve seen before, true, but just a horse nevertheless.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><b>The long way back</b></span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">After taking a ferry to Saphan Taksin, we decided to wait there for the free shuttle boat to Asiatique which, as it turns out, is basically a glitzy touristy market with a bit of a carnival-like atmosphere. Then again, the lights make for some good photographs, and it’s a nice ferry ride, so I’m not complaining.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.6667px; text-indent: 0pt;">Wat Arun by night as seen from the ferry</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Asiatique scenes</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">There’s a shuttle to Saphan Taksin every hour, so we took the next one and continued via BTS back to Wongwian Yai. After some bubble tea at OChaya, we had a great dinner at a little restaurant: amazing seaweed and pork dumplings, green curry fried rice, and dry noodles with chicken, followed by pineapple.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">DAY 5 </span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b><b style="text-indent: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">(Tuesday, March 27)</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">The Great Food Market</span></b></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Places: </span></i></b><i style="text-indent: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><b>Baan Silapin(/</b></span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.6667px; text-indent: 0pt;"><b>Artist House, Khlong Bang Luang)</b></span><b style="font-family: calibri; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;">, Wongwien Yai market</b></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;">The plan was to take the BTS to Bang Wa, walk along the canal and spend some time at Baan Silapin, which looked very interesting from the online descriptions and reviews.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Due to the lack of a data plan, we got lost (again, yes). When we asked for directions at a little repair shop on the way, the man looked a little worried and gestured to me to keep my camera close. Not wanting to get robbed, we hailed a taxi and were taken to Baan Silapin in under five minutes. Just in time to watch the puppet show.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;">The puppeteers put on a show every day at 2 PM with traditional Thai puppets. On that day, they performed a story with two characters: Hanuman and a mermaid. The performance was quite impressive, but I’d have been happier if they’d spent a little less time asking for tips. Not that I don’t care about preserving traditional art forms, but tapping bags of audience members one at a time until they get as much money as they’re expecting feels a tad unseemly.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Once the show was over, we walked back in the direction we came from (since we realised during our taxi ride that it was a very simple route) in search of food. Every step made us a little hungrier, and it was late afternoon, so again, restaurants were either completely closed or beginning their prep for dinner/ evening snacks. Plus we were dismayed because the Artist House didn't feel all that worthwhile, though it certainly is very pretty.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;">Lovely vegetable garden at Ban Silapin</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;">Gorgeous river views and interesting sculptures</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">I’m glad we went, though. If I’m looking forward to something, it's always better to experience it and find it hasn’t matched up to your expectations than to not experience it and spend the rest of your life wondering what great things you missed out on.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Also, if we hadn’t gone to Baan Silapin, we wouldn’t have accidentally stumbled upon the most glorious food market on the way back to the BTS.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Food! Beautiful, Wonderful, Glorious Food!</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">So we were trudging along, hoping to find anything edible no matter how small or weird, and suddenly, we discovered a market. A food market, no less. One with lots of food at different stages: cooked, being cooked, and waiting to be cooked.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Don't know the name of the market, but maybe these photos will help</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">We got some fried pork. Then we got a whole lot of sushi. Then we got a plate filled with so many mussels we had quite a job eating them all. With a bubble tea (from Ducky Tea) to finish it off, we headed back, full and extremely happy with the overall outcome of the expedition.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">It was already early evening by the time we returned to the hotel, so after a short nap, we set out for the Wongwian Yai market again. Had the delicious BBQ pork from the same lady we’d bought them from on day one. For our main course, we had some fish and rice in the market (also delicious), terrible ‘lemon soda’ from Cha Payom, and pineapple for dessert.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">DAY 6 </span></b><b><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b><b style="text-indent: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">(Wednesday, March 28)</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">We Discover the Bus </span></b></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Places: </span></i></b><i style="font-family: calibri; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;"><b>Wat Pho</b></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Since Wat Pho isn’t close to a BTS station, we turned our attention to the bus routes. We made sure to consult not only the internet but also the good people of our hotel. So after breakfast, we took bus no. 82 from near Taksin Intersection to Wat Pho. We saw many interesting sights along the way, including an expansive flower market near the Wat.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">A Heavenly Experience</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">We’d set out a little earlier than usual that day so we wouldn’t have to wait too long for a massage. Wat Pho opens at 10 AM, and their massage centre (and massage school) is highly reputed. Turned out we didn’t have to wait at all, though even if we’d had to, it would have been worth the wait, because their foot massage is heavenly. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;">Top: The building on the left is the massage centre </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.6667px; text-align: left;">Bottom: Things they do to you if you get a full body massage</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt; text-align: left; text-indent: 0pt;">Wat Pho is extremely pretty, and there’s a lot to see before you get to the reclining Buddha, which </span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt; text-align: left; text-indent: 0pt;">is massive (and very difficult to photograph within one frame, especially with the pillars in front). </span></div>
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<b style="font-family: calibri; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;"><i>Note:</i></b><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;"> Near the main attraction, there’s a counter where you can get a small bottle of drinking water when you show your entry ticket. This comes as quite a blessing after you’ve walked around in the premises (especially so, I imagine, if you haven’t gotten a massage first, because they give you some cold herbal tea at the end of it).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><b>Shopping:</b> I bought a pair of very nice sunglasses from a guy outside the temple for 59 <span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: x-small;">฿</span>.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">F&B</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">We got some pineapple from a vendor in front of the market opposite the Wat. At 20 <span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: x-small;">฿</span>, it was less money for more pineapple than what we'd been getting all these days (although they later told us at the hotel that the small pineapples are more expensive than the regular-sized ones). Anyway, we were very pleased and made sure to let the guy know we were happy. We had lunch at a small street restaurant. I forget exactly what it was, but it had noodles with meat and vegetables in broth and was quite good.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Wish I'd taken a better picture of the pineapple man</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">We then took the same bus to return to the hotel and then relaxed for a bit with some TV and Singha beer from the minifridge.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">A Plan and a Cancellation</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Having got a taste of the bus, which is cheap and allows you to see the city properly, we decided to take one to Victory Monument and try the famous boat noodles. Bus 529 is supposed to be the one that goes there, but we waited quite a while and it didn’t show up. A sweet old man waited with us after we asked him if there was another bus to our destination. He didn’t know but he actually stopped a lot of people who got off at our stop to ask if they knew. Some people shook their heads and we gathered there wasn’t a bus to VM from our stop. The man told us we could take the BTS and asked us to go soon because it was already getting quite dark. I have a feeling he was waiting for a regular bus on that route and may have missed a couple of his buses while asking around for us.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Since it was later than we’d realised, we figured it would be a better idea to do boat noodles the next day. So we went back to the dumpling restaurant near the hotel - this time our dinner was green curry and rice and iced tea. We also picked up ice cream from 7-11 and it was unexpectedly lovely (Nana Extreme Chocolate or something). We also picked up instant noodles and promptly got hungry soon after since we had food just sitting there waiting to be eaten, so we ate it back in our room while watching some Thai soap on telly.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<b style="text-indent: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">DAY 7 (Thursday, March 29)</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">End of the Line</span></b><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Places: </span></i></b><i style="font-family: calibri; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;"><b>Perception, Jamie’s Italian, Wat Saket, Wat Suthat, Victory Monument</b></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">We had some loose plans for the day, but everything else was slightly moved back at the mention of another massage. At breakfast, we met another guest at the hotel whom we’d bumped into the previous morning. Despite my general disdain for bright energy and loud voices in the morning, this guy seemed interesting and listening to him talk was actually quite fun. We (read: mom) talked about places we’d been in Bangkok so far and raved about the Wat Pho massage, and he said that if we liked massages, we HAD to go to this place with blind masseurs/ses. He spoke so highly of it with so much excitement that we decided to make it our first stop for the day.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><b>Perception</b></span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">We got day passes and took the BTS to Chong Nonsi. Perception is a stone’s throw from the station, so it’s easy to find. We’d had foot massages already and weren’t keen on full body massages because we didn’t feel adventurous enough to have our bodies bent and twisted several ways so soon after breakfast, so we settled on head-shoulder-back massages.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">The lady at the counter speaks English and gives you a short form to fill out with a welcome drink (we asked for ours post massage). Then you’re taken upstairs to your masseur/se in a room with different sections divided by dark curtains and asked to change (into a very comfortable top and pyjamas) and lie down the way your masseur/se instructs you to.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Then it begins.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">At first, I was very impressed with the strength of this tiny girl. Her skill was impressive too, and I suppose being blind makes one more attuned to the sense of touch.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Next, I was in pain. I’d heard about Thai massages before and had already got a slight taste of the pressure used thanks to the foot massages, but this was something else. And it was supposed to be <i>medium</i> pressure! There were times when she pressed along the back of my neck and I had to fight the urge to simultaneously scream, burst into tears, and die from how much it hurt.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Then, somehow, the pain started to melt away, and by the time the massage was over, my body was nice and loose and relaxed. I hadn’t realised how tense parts of me had been. It was lovely.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><b>Lunch</b></span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">There were lots of scrumptious-looking things out for lunch by the streetside, but all we did was drool over them from a distance because we were to eat at Jamie’s Italian, and we weren’t hungry enough to eat two lunches. We weren’t too hungry for even one lunch, to be honest, but after the late meals during our first couple of days, we weren’t about to postpone one when it was there for the taking at present. Besides, Jamie! See, it was very exciting for us because mom and I absolutely love Jamie Oliver and had never seen one of his restaurants before. India does have a couple, but in cities that lie far, far away from where we are.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">A pizza seemed like a reasonable thing to order, although even that turned out to be quite a bit more than we needed. Not that it stopped us from polishing off every last crumb of our Truffle Shuffle.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><b>Wat, Wat, Banbat?</b></span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">After eating way more than we should have, we felt it was only right that we walk a little. To Wat Saket. This, according to a couple of people we asked, was a Very Bad Plan. A policewoman appeared concerned when we mentioned walking, said it was “very far” and urged us to take bus 47. The bus came in no time and, as it took us to our stop, we realised the lady was right. It would’ve been a difficult walk in the middle of the afternoon.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Wat Saket is not nearly as impressive as Pho or Arun, but it does give you a great view of the city. Yes, you do have to climb some stairs to get to the top of the Temple of the Golden Mount, as it is alternately called. There are also little halls around the main chedi with different Buddhas for different things, like fortune, health, and so on.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.6667px; text-indent: 0pt;">On the way up</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">The next stop on our list was Wat Suthat. It’s not too far from Saket, but it was a hot afternoon and we were very dehydrated. Most of the shops along the way were closed, and the ones that weren’t were souvenir shops. Nowhere that sold water. Where was a 7-11 when you needed one? (You usually see one every few steps.) Also, the frame of the Giant Swing is visible from quite a distance. It doesn’t seem too far, but it stays at almost that same deceptive distance for a really long time.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Banbat is on the way, so before reaching the Suthat swing, we thought we’d drop in and see the alms bowls being made. Apparently banbat was closed, but we did come across a man making those bowls. It was very interesting to see the strips of metal being beaten, bent, fused, and polished by hand. There were also a few completed ones for sale.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Then we continued on to Wat Suthat, and when we finally got close to the swing, we found that it wasn’t nearly as giant as we'd thought it would be. Big, sure, but not giant. It's like a big arch, more or less.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">We didn’t feel like going into the Wat, so when we saw a 7-11 close by, we made a beeline for it and bought a Thai cola, most of which we put away very fast before remembering why we don't like colas (but it really was a lifesaver at that point). </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Dinner</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">We then walked quite a bit until a bus stop on the route to Siam (same no 47) appeared. From there, we took the BTS to Victory Monument in search of boat noodles. I’m not sure we found THE alley, but we walked into a restaurant which did have boat noodles. So we tried some, and it was really, really good. They’re smaller than your usual bowls of noodle soup, but at 12 </span></span><span style="font-size: x-small;">฿</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"> each, they’re also a lot cheaper, so it’s perfect if you want to try out an assortment of things. We also had a jelly dessert which was very sweet but not bad.</span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Also, I had pea flower lemonade, which is one of the most delicious drinks I’ve ever had. I’d seen it at a couple of places before, so I assumed it would be easy to get whenever I wanted, but I later found that it wasn’t. My point is, if you see that a place has pea flower lemonade, try one right away.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">We then rode the BTS to Samron (the end of the line) just for fun, although it wasn’t very fun because it was crazy crowded. The ride back, however, was good. After my pea flower lemonade, I wanted more of it, or at least more of some good drink. Since On Nut was on the same line and the Tesco there had a Coco (and was way easier to get to than our dinner restaurant), we decided on bubble tea. After passion fruit juice with bubbles and jelly, we took the BTS back to Wongwian Yai and went to our hotel. </span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">DAY 8 </span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b><b style="text-indent: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">(Friday, March 30)</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Khop Khun Kha, Bangkok</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Places: </span></i></b><b style="font-family: calibri; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;"><i>Grand Palace(ish), BACC, Don Mueang</i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">We had a slow, late breakfast and checked out of the hotel by afternoon. They often had interesting snacks in the lobby, and on that day, they asked us to try what was a mixture of sticky rice and banana steamed in banana leaf. We took a couple with us to eat later (while being bored at the airport).</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Our flight was at night, but since we only had a backpack each, moving around wasn’t a problem. The hotel staff said we could leave our bags in lockers and pick them up later but we didn't want to have to come back again to get our stuff.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">We stepped out and got some yakisoba and pork seaweed dumplings from the restaurant we’d eaten dinner at before. Also, we’d seen some interesting-looking food in the carts around the place but since we'd always set out after breakfast, we'd never tried any of it, and they were always gone before evening, replaced with other carts selling snacks. Since this was our last day and this lady had a cart with delicious-looking mushrooms, I asked for some. She gave me a generous portion of mushroom curry with rice, a lot more than I needed to be eating not long after our late and hearty breakfast. But it was so delectable that I lapped up every last bit. Oh, and it was only 20 <span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: x-small;">฿</span> (for a portion that could well be a full meal).</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">We were overdoing it anyway, so we got ice cream and then washed everything down with Big Bubble plum green tea. Then we took a bus (82) to Wat Pho to see the Grand Palace (the two places are just across the road from each other). Didn’t end up actually going in because it was hot, we had backpacks, and I wasn’t that keen on it anyway due to my high satisfaction with Wat Pho and the other grand sights we’d seen.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Since we were there, we went to get some pineapple from the same vendor again. The man recognised us and was so happy he pulled out a bowl which he was cutting pineapple into (before putting them in packets) and urged us to have some more. It was incredibly sweet and we felt bad about taking extra when we already had so much, but he kept holding out the bowl, so we took a small piece and then slowly walked away.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">The Last Bit of Bangkok</span></b><b><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">We then took bus 47 to Siam, spent some time at BACC, then took the BTS to Mo Chit from where we got the A1 bus to Don Mueang. The AirAsia check-in line was very long and very messy, but after a little bit of asking around, since we only had handbags, we were sent to a much, much shorter line.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">With everything done, we had our packed dinner and the snack from the hotel along with some fabulous hazelnut popcorn at the airport. And, well, we eventually got on the plane and were off.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><br /><br /><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; text-indent: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">THOUGHTS</span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">This may not be everyone's ideal vacation since we're neither the sort to lounge around in a fancy hotel all day nor the kind of people who try to pack 39 places of interest into 12 hours. We went to Bangkok to get a feel of the place at a comfortable pace. We had tentative plans every morning but were quite happy to change them if something else came along. Of course, there were more things we'd have liked to see, but not visiting all the places on your list is a good reason to go back.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><b>Highs:</b></span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">-<i><b>Packaged drinking water</b></i>. It’s sooooo good. It’s soft and slightly sweet, almost like coconut water, and feels like a hug in your mouth. At our hotel, we got two bottles of Crystaal every day, and the water at Wat Pho was a different brand but had the some lovely taste.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">-<i><b>The people</b></i> - I wish I could tell people to go get Thai iced tea from the adorable old couple near Wat Arun, but since we only found them because we got lost, I can’t give directions. Maybe if you’re walking to Wat Arun from the church and are forced inland, away from the water, you might just find them in a shop under the bridge. To anyone who finds them and can speak Thai, tell them hello from India.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Someone I <i>can </i>direct you to is the pineapple man near Wat Pho. He has a stall outside the market on the side that lies directly opposite one of Wat Pho’s exits.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">Others who made our trip more memorable were the man who waited with us at the bus stop, the lovely people at the hotel (Patti, Pheow, and the rest), and the staff at the Wongwian Yai BTS station who helped out when I got stuck at a turnstile.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">It helped that our hotel was cute, convenient, and reasonably priced. This is the restaurant where we ate breakfast every morning and a little arrangement in our room.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">-<i><b>Food</b></i> - especially pork sticks, tom kha, mushroom rice, Bang Wa market sushi and mussels, Nana ice cream, and pineapple. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">The pea flower lemonade was divine. We had bubble tea from different brands, and Coco was our favourite. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">And they have loyalty cards, so for every ten drinks you have there, you get one free (something we only found out the day before leaving).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">-<i><b>Massages</b></i> - Wat Pho and Perception were both extraordinary, though I must say the massages in non-fancy places are also very good considering how cheap they are.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">-<i><b>Bucket list food</b></i><b><i>s</i></b>: Meal at Jamie's, nitro coffee, boat noodles</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">-<i><b>Sights/experiences</b></i> - BACC, Wat Arun, Wat Pho, the markets, ferry rides</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">-<b><i>Some interesting signs</i></b></span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="font-family: calibri; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;">Lows:</b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">We did end up getting lost and walking around a lot more than necessary, but to someone who can still get lost in the city she’s grown up in, it’s no big deal. Besides, all our walking in unfamiliar places was during the day, so it may have been hot, but we never felt unsafe. And we always found our way back.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><b>General tips</b>:</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">-If something looks good, eat it when you find it. It may not be available when/ where you expect it to be. Actually, this applies to all food in general, unless you’re sure about where to find what. </span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">-Get mobile data so you can avoid getting lost</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">-Try out different modes of transport. They’re all fun, but some ways are better than others depending on where you are and where you’re going. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">The ferry is perfect for places close to the river and costs 15 <span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: x-small;">฿</span> to wherever you're going, if I'm not mistaken. These are the regular ferries with orange flags, not the blue and white flags (which are tourist boats).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: 0pt;">The bus is great if you're not in a rush and want to get a proper feel of the city. It's also the cheapest form of public transport.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.6667px;">The BTS is a little more expensive than the other two but is extremely convenient since it's fast and saves a lot of time. Also, air-conditioned trains are nice when you've been out and about in the heat of the city.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.6667px;">-A surprising number of people won't do this, but seriously, try the local food! A trip to Bangkok without Thai food is absolute bollocks. Being blessed with a strong stomach and the will to try anything edible, I had the luxury of simply pointing at anything that looked good. If you have restrictions and don't speak the language, that's somewhat understandable, although I do think that it can easily be fixed by learning a few Thai words and phrases. But i</span><span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.6667px; text-indent: 0pt;">f you're simply a picky eater who won't try anything new, mend your ways.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 14.6667px; text-indent: 0pt;">-Stay hydrated. It's easy when cold drinks like bubble tea are easily available and the packaged drinking water tastes so good.</span><br />
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Holy Mackerelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02730371190312162258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7632682645832156877.post-88744678947104835942018-05-05T22:41:00.000+05:302019-01-01T17:50:53.568+05:30Why We Need To Stop Buying Souvenirs - Giver’s POV<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0pt;">So you're on holiday and you want to pick up a few things for your folks back home. If you <b>want </b>to, that's perfectly fine, but it’s not something you <b>have </b>to do. Here's why:</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0pt;"><b>- People are not entitled to presents because you went travelling. </b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;">Especially those who don’t even tell you what they want but still expect something, because then you're saddled with the additional task of magically guessing what they might want.</span></div>
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<span style="text-indent: 0pt;">(Also, unless you're a little kid or someone I'm very close to, it's not cool to ask me what I've brought for you. In fact, being greeted with that question makes me want to give your gift away to someone else.</span><span style="text-indent: 0pt;">)</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0pt;"><b>- The actual process of buying souvenirs is a headache</b></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0pt;">So, you see a souvenir store and decide on buying everything in one place. Should make things easy, right? Ha ha, you wish. Here are a few of the multiple muddling questions you'll have to consider:</span></div>
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<li>W<span style="letter-spacing: 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;">hat kind of gift do you buy? </span></li>
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<li><span style="letter-spacing: 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;">Something useful? </span></li>
<li><span style="letter-spacing: 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;">Something nice-looking? </span></li>
<li><span style="letter-spacing: 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;">Something thoughtful? </span></li>
<li><span style="letter-spacing: 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;">Something unique? </span></li>
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<li>How much money are you willing to spend?</li>
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<li>Should you bargain?</li>
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<li>Whom do you buy for?</li>
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<li><span style="letter-spacing: 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;">People you like the most?</span></li>
<li><span style="letter-spacing: 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;">People who will appreciate your gift? </span></li>
<li><span style="letter-spacing: 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;">People you interact with a lot? </span></li>
<li><span style="letter-spacing: 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;">People who give you lots of things? </span></li>
<li><span style="letter-spacing: 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;">People who will sulk if you don’t bring them something?</span></li>
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<li>How much space and weight allowance do you have?</li>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0pt;">Even after all this careful consideration, it's possible you might leave out someone you really wanted to buy something for.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLWWtukuWYZXYrk9_T8o3JEX1Q4ivKCOdSU-dZeO7dzqYr3kqemJQN-C1LEVKd1y3ur4U_cEkW5NpgIZwTKC06eH5Au9f1OPuE5B4qHjUbepdJ_WMO1AnvDcF4rNun0-wpYhR8vjAi03k/s1600/Souvenir+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="874" data-original-width="1268" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLWWtukuWYZXYrk9_T8o3JEX1Q4ivKCOdSU-dZeO7dzqYr3kqemJQN-C1LEVKd1y3ur4U_cEkW5NpgIZwTKC06eH5Au9f1OPuE5B4qHjUbepdJ_WMO1AnvDcF4rNun0-wpYhR8vjAi03k/s400/Souvenir+2.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;">Where does it end? (Rhetorical question. It doesn't.) In the spirit of keeping it simple, I suggest you don’t even start.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0pt;"><b>- You’re there to enjoy <u>your</u> holiday</b></span><span style="letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Yes, it's too bad your friend couldn't join you on your holiday. Yes, it helps that you know exactly what they'll like from [place you're going to]. This doesn't mean you should feel compelled to go out of your way to buy it, even if it has been specifically requested.</div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0pt;">Sure, you’d love to make someone happy by bringing them what they want, but it shouldn't be at the cost of your peace of mind. By all means, ask where one gets [requested object] and look for it wherever you go, but don't plan a trip to someplace miles away or to a shady neighbourhood just to obtain it. </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0pt;">If you completely forget or simply don’t want to bother, that’s fine too. If s/he if a true friend, s/he will understand. You've most likely spent a lot of time, effort, and money on your holiday. You deserve to enjoy it.</span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0pt; text-indent: 0pt;">Receiving souvenirs can also be messy business, but that is a matter for <a href="https://oholymackerel.blogspot.com/2019/01/why-we-need-to-stop-buying-souvenirs.html" target="_blank">another post</a>. </span></div>
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Holy Mackerelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02730371190312162258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7632682645832156877.post-51470444367968355802018-02-14T16:36:00.001+05:302018-02-14T16:40:25.494+05:30It's Freddie Highmore's Birthday!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I don’t relish the idea of watching medical dramas. The thought of all the blood and slicing and focus on gore-covered organs is nauseating and instantly off-putting. Nobody is literally beautiful on the inside, in my opinion. This is the main reason I chose to stay ignorant rather than submit to the mass hysteria that spread like the plague with series like House and Grey’s Anatomy. Medical dramas were not for me, thank you very much. I would happily go through life without watching a single one, without willingly inflicting such suffering upon myself.<br />
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Well, that’s what I thought until I saw the promo for The Good Doctor. <br />
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It looked very interesting, as most trailers do, but what caught my attention was the lead actor. There was something so familiar about him. Freddie Highmore.<br />
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I get very excited on unexpectedly seeing someone familiar onscreen. The excitement is directly proportional to how much I like someone and, often, the amount of time and energy spent in finding out who that someone is and where I've seen him/her before.</div>
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So, I figured that since they were airing the first two episodes of what seemed like an interesting show which happened to star someone I knew when he was "yea high", I had to check it out. Since it would be on TV, they’d probably censor some of the gory stuff with the careful precision of doctors cutting open patients. (I’m kidding, I know TV doesn’t care to be subtle about censoring)<br />
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Well, they did not edit out gory bits. But apart from that, the series is lovely. I'm not sure how different it is from other medical dramas - a gifted doctor who isn’t quite understood by most people shows up at a hospital and makes you wonder how many people who died there could have been saved if he'd been there before. There are some surgical procedures that are shown in excruciatingly graphic detail, but everything else is quite pleasant to watch, although it's often quite emotionally heavy. <br />
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There are lots of lovely characters, including gentle, kind Dr Glassman and sweet, spunky Dr Brown, but Shaun Murphy is quite possibly the most beautiful character I've seen on TV in a long time (or, quite possibly, ever). I may be a little biased since I already love Freddie Highmore, but he makes Murphy instantly likeable, and everything about him feels authentic. He reminds me of a high-functioning autistic student I had - the incredible elephant memory, the visualisation of places as maps, the attention to detail, the discomfort with physical contact, the repetition of words and phrases when upset, and so on.<br />
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Murphy is so adorable and simple he'll make you laugh and cry, often at the same time. I love that part in the pilot where he talks about wanting to make lots of money so he can buy a TV (and his TV is, in itself, pretty darn adorable). One of my favourite moments on the show so far is when he says he likes Hershey because "Lea is there". Hits you right in the feels. <br />
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The Good Doctor is moving but not depressing, and I love it (/him) enough to watch every single episode despite all the blood and gore. Kudos to the writers and everyone involved in making this. And thank you, Freddie Highmore. You're awesome. Here's to many more wonderful characters. Happy birthday.<br />
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Holy Mackerelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02730371190312162258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7632682645832156877.post-86033029122003141372017-10-26T23:19:00.002+05:302017-10-26T23:19:54.278+05:30Hanger Games<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Every once in a while, inspiration comes from the most unlikely sources, such as a trending hashtag you happen to see one day. This one behind this post was #DressAFilm<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH_FyQa_1Tl4hS5D7pFUnSjiJIVlXpAIFijXz2KtWJ2WRn0s2maOf3ibpTk-OPrn3p4a5iOwnxYvUZysnZK3fEG-s9c2CdUfm8FUz03Zhaaekw0K8apYTvb5SGRkqJ4E6icW0hivDVphA/s1600/ID26_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1247" data-original-width="1600" height="496" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH_FyQa_1Tl4hS5D7pFUnSjiJIVlXpAIFijXz2KtWJ2WRn0s2maOf3ibpTk-OPrn3p4a5iOwnxYvUZysnZK3fEG-s9c2CdUfm8FUz03Zhaaekw0K8apYTvb5SGRkqJ4E6icW0hivDVphA/s640/ID26_01.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZm_o6tkVBLb8w15PIDPUPe6pHtW1oSNAW2xPgeMN07pekwwvRrcX57ue0phwxqUCOQCDZmPXbK67FkDsbwTMqMovW9P0Z3V1VRmByFDdbR5zpckv6EqP3INV_R7qTk0QapErUkbfQGrg/s1600/ID26_02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1123" data-original-width="1600" height="448" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZm_o6tkVBLb8w15PIDPUPe6pHtW1oSNAW2xPgeMN07pekwwvRrcX57ue0phwxqUCOQCDZmPXbK67FkDsbwTMqMovW9P0Z3V1VRmByFDdbR5zpckv6EqP3INV_R7qTk0QapErUkbfQGrg/s640/ID26_02.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHaGIleyjmRiL_9B7tasQMoOFDGhEA34r4L_l4k9N7-qSrSEBrMtqNasK-POVkveSq5v0Xrryw2ObKuOJ8ZmmhrrOyhtCQeogGlrAmZDekqV-6ui3r8ZaX8jqg6KhFSvGKeEhhWBUV-vc/s1600/ID26_03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="986" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHaGIleyjmRiL_9B7tasQMoOFDGhEA34r4L_l4k9N7-qSrSEBrMtqNasK-POVkveSq5v0Xrryw2ObKuOJ8ZmmhrrOyhtCQeogGlrAmZDekqV-6ui3r8ZaX8jqg6KhFSvGKeEhhWBUV-vc/s640/ID26_03.jpg" width="393" /></a></div>
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Movies referenced here: Kill Bill, Scarface, The Hunger Games, Die Hard, Die Another Day, and How the West Was Won. Oh, and also Take the Lead (but that was accidental, so there isn't a dressed version of that here).</div>
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Holy Mackerelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02730371190312162258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7632682645832156877.post-41909033526742540822017-10-21T22:24:00.000+05:302017-10-21T22:33:43.027+05:30Sloth<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjABEeAoCn1h_UuQB_dUlwwTYCoFegawdh_7T-4h9XdMq-jaXJxxiEcIyBijDwGBPbCfooSdbGFM5eihSjizJJdB02UJ_Psa9K9bvFUbzY9L0L3CQW_CPprETQ7h0kVSaHjQF4Ez6Gt_JE/s1600/ID21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1173" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjABEeAoCn1h_UuQB_dUlwwTYCoFegawdh_7T-4h9XdMq-jaXJxxiEcIyBijDwGBPbCfooSdbGFM5eihSjizJJdB02UJ_Psa9K9bvFUbzY9L0L3CQW_CPprETQ7h0kVSaHjQF4Ez6Gt_JE/s640/ID21.jpg" width="467" /></a></div>
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I call this animal a sloth</div>
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Like "moth" or "goth" or "grapes of wrath"</div>
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But people also call it "sloth"</div>
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So which one is it? Is it both?</div>
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The latter sounds bizarre, although</div>
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It makes much sense as sloths are slow.</div>
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Also, if David Attenborough</div>
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Says it's a "sloth", it must be so.</div>
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But what if he just calls it "sloth"</div>
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Because that rhymes with Attenboroughth?</div>
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Holy Mackerelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02730371190312162258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7632682645832156877.post-74430624596593110252017-10-05T22:41:00.000+05:302017-10-06T12:27:28.137+05:30Aeroplane Etiquette<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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As anyone who has been on an aeroplane knows, it doesn't take more than one annoying co-passenger to ruin everyone's flight. There are some great posts on The Oatmeal highlighting several terrible things about planes, but I'd like to add a few more common problems (and possible solutions)</div>
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For instance, I don't spend much time thinking about horrible ways in which I might die when I'm not on a plane. And the most irritating cause of death would be a plane crash caused by some douche who simply HAS to make a call after the announcement to switch phones off is made. Of course, said idiots do not hang up until the plane takes off. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhh9adyEU7z9JiwdS7J7HkfTMWxyGRBTP2yOy7T-Fu2gOX2r7XBNGTT2so8xwgbYxyc0Y0bsDAen0Lf5dlwxGry0iaRIP3ChdYBpxErYY-_xssRrNKjdCIISig-fLkXwMIB9ScJROC6Sk/s1600/p01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1205" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhh9adyEU7z9JiwdS7J7HkfTMWxyGRBTP2yOy7T-Fu2gOX2r7XBNGTT2so8xwgbYxyc0Y0bsDAen0Lf5dlwxGry0iaRIP3ChdYBpxErYY-_xssRrNKjdCIISig-fLkXwMIB9ScJROC6Sk/s400/p01.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">They even act like people who ask them to hang up are being unreasonable. Because of course two minutes on a precious call is more important than the lives of all the people on the plane.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVg8aKJwqDYv6uJyJAh7E5x21VCC9eN1yvu092bGENUGqucvmJl0-Qlz7Pf5T8UxlUDbtl1n0axoqOwXc23lhBl1E-eZs0CbrfVGfxqrp3_ZGrJM11p2MtlUmQ1XNCa0g97U2ke5O1kDs/s1600/p02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="928" data-original-width="1600" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVg8aKJwqDYv6uJyJAh7E5x21VCC9eN1yvu092bGENUGqucvmJl0-Qlz7Pf5T8UxlUDbtl1n0axoqOwXc23lhBl1E-eZs0CbrfVGfxqrp3_ZGrJM11p2MtlUmQ1XNCa0g97U2ke5O1kDs/s400/p02.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Then there's the problem that's common to any closed space: the diffusion of sounds and odours. Like loud conversations, bawling babies, or, worst of all, stinky farts.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAnXDdcVpX0Ns10R3Bahfjt2h_LGep2G7tYxJ6mp9zr-i04q7MxoUGViYoW2SJixuycoTbMvS2UQRvZjaBhNAIQ3L81bJrM6vPv2LneOLmqBQMfx_8Kvc2ZHMVThReV04Yv0-4nsnx0Kw/s1600/p04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1038" data-original-width="1600" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAnXDdcVpX0Ns10R3Bahfjt2h_LGep2G7tYxJ6mp9zr-i04q7MxoUGViYoW2SJixuycoTbMvS2UQRvZjaBhNAIQ3L81bJrM6vPv2LneOLmqBQMfx_8Kvc2ZHMVThReV04Yv0-4nsnx0Kw/s400/p04.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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And by "medicine" I mean odours and noises, obviously.</div>
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Then there are people who stand up as soon as the plane touches the ground. It's especially annoying when this is done by people who aren't in the aisle seats because they try and squeeze past other passengers when the plane is already slightly wobbly. Seriously, when they say the luggage in the overhead cabins might have shifted, it doesn't mean your luggage is going to jump out the plane as soon as it's on the ground.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqbzVtB8CgkP_Kx8xiZeyh6UnLwTPFT9JayML-0PWon8XK0QR1IwJqmMlRE9EMaVKl8ik0OTlC6F0uQXhilovd9tAvAnkWO5u8KapDbCpio1n0C5lefTYao_WtD861-kwVWBfx0AavdWs/s1600/p05.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1423" data-original-width="1600" height="355" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqbzVtB8CgkP_Kx8xiZeyh6UnLwTPFT9JayML-0PWon8XK0QR1IwJqmMlRE9EMaVKl8ik0OTlC6F0uQXhilovd9tAvAnkWO5u8KapDbCpio1n0C5lefTYao_WtD861-kwVWBfx0AavdWs/s400/p05.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicJji84qMX1oV67-RGQq6ziGFQuGKcPSZLNVCfCCh9VL-ueyIBi177P-150nAJ3EGeCAEVT9xl4hEN88EMs2R0RYAfTPu5fYStZ8XQskI-OQoNKxWsBe5cx2RgvffZfkcq7mikaEJqVH0/s1600/p06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1064" data-original-width="844" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicJji84qMX1oV67-RGQq6ziGFQuGKcPSZLNVCfCCh9VL-ueyIBi177P-150nAJ3EGeCAEVT9xl4hEN88EMs2R0RYAfTPu5fYStZ8XQskI-OQoNKxWsBe5cx2RgvffZfkcq7mikaEJqVH0/s320/p06.jpg" width="253" /></a></div>
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There should be an accompanying announcement, such as "Passenger in Seat no. __ is anxious to get off the plane early. We are happy to oblige. Have a pleasant flight!"</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT4oss1hqKQjpkeUhEc9_k05KI1stUdThWvrfc6_3WvSO6K2jOSYwkcENNnJt06p2Mgnu6ygnt9STQkMv06XKMrRbma2dEgN8IU8oiEsEz5itX0C2XafDZl-XIPw-c4CS3DFWgUl5-IMg/s1600/p07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1205" data-original-width="1600" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT4oss1hqKQjpkeUhEc9_k05KI1stUdThWvrfc6_3WvSO6K2jOSYwkcENNnJt06p2Mgnu6ygnt9STQkMv06XKMrRbma2dEgN8IU8oiEsEz5itX0C2XafDZl-XIPw-c4CS3DFWgUl5-IMg/s400/p07.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I'm more than happy to have this as a solution for Problem #1 as well.</div>
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If you've been on several flights and haven't had an annoying person on the plane with you, you are one of the following: 1) incredibly fortunate 2) the annoying co-passenger </div>
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If you're option 2, I don't suppose you realise who you are or even care, but I'll say this anyway: please do try and ensure you're not the one making every other tired passenger's journey more uncomfortable than it already is.</div>
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Holy Mackerelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02730371190312162258noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7632682645832156877.post-1480299073653414322017-10-03T18:17:00.000+05:302017-10-03T18:17:06.030+05:30Dilemmas<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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It's important to know what your stance is on certain things. Then again, there are times when it's really hard to pick a side.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-LqfpF17nQN6pR3dUB76xRGPIjnbDwKYzwOZ0aVYrarwFB0F8cXthTZJQ_ncfzhos-Sssxq_pl_DM5mtbF9D9NETnHXURbVtBHp6wxRUyVEqba_UYGLfpLKV2Tgaua9yX7iTK-BFCstQ/s1600/DSC_7664.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1042" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-LqfpF17nQN6pR3dUB76xRGPIjnbDwKYzwOZ0aVYrarwFB0F8cXthTZJQ_ncfzhos-Sssxq_pl_DM5mtbF9D9NETnHXURbVtBHp6wxRUyVEqba_UYGLfpLKV2Tgaua9yX7iTK-BFCstQ/s640/DSC_7664.JPG" width="416" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxxueCNAmIZNmy6sKZGH6ZwZUIbBEY15z-5W02nSR2t-TeOuoRW-Wi2JcGLVUQ8D_13fRRAChhMUveBnT3sTGCCuwQ4ZuZ9n_jn46nzNcgKNofytbqsoLTpyrYkB9ihFylPvkdqfCfikQ/s1600/DSC_7665.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1017" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxxueCNAmIZNmy6sKZGH6ZwZUIbBEY15z-5W02nSR2t-TeOuoRW-Wi2JcGLVUQ8D_13fRRAChhMUveBnT3sTGCCuwQ4ZuZ9n_jn46nzNcgKNofytbqsoLTpyrYkB9ihFylPvkdqfCfikQ/s640/DSC_7665.JPG" width="406" /></a></div>
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Tough choices.</div>
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Holy Mackerelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02730371190312162258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7632682645832156877.post-56504546857284333982017-07-07T18:52:00.000+05:302017-07-07T20:30:41.071+05:30Symbolic Poetry<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Here's a poem inspired by my friend's idea of using 'p&a' instead of 'panda'. I could have used numbers and letter names too (well, I did use one number) but that would have been too easy. This took much longer to write than any of my other poems, but it was great fun, so no complaints.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcxREMMuHvIQqdjWpvLb3M7XF6xmNPVY9pw-rcZ84lE4WnO2PrbrEqwwiOTcH_0S0SEwxiKSBrLpZKZ0SNxs61J175RaFCxsCt3caAcRiItjPDgb6lbGIkhcOWokpV2KlzmbErK_yYdWg/s1600/Symbolic+poem.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1111" data-original-width="633" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcxREMMuHvIQqdjWpvLb3M7XF6xmNPVY9pw-rcZ84lE4WnO2PrbrEqwwiOTcH_0S0SEwxiKSBrLpZKZ0SNxs61J175RaFCxsCt3caAcRiItjPDgb6lbGIkhcOWokpV2KlzmbErK_yYdWg/s640/Symbolic+poem.png" width="364" /></a></div>
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I'm sure you know what these symbols are, but in case you're confused (since some of them can be called different names) here's what I meant:</div>
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<b>*</b> star <b>&</b> and <b>.</b> point <b>✓</b> check 𝛑 pi <b>#</b> hash <b>√</b> root <b>^</b> caret <b>@</b> at</div>
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<b>–</b> dash <b>:</b> colon <b>↔</b> line <b>></b> greater than <b>,</b> comma <b>=</b> equal</div>
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Holy Mackerelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02730371190312162258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7632682645832156877.post-58216260982345897132017-05-27T10:56:00.002+05:302017-05-27T17:01:40.903+05:30Everyday Poems<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
Here are some mundane things I tried to make interesting by writing them down as poems.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Haiku for the Weekend</b><br />
<br />
A haiku is like<br />
A weekend. Hardly begins<br />
And is then over.<br />
<br />
<b>Fruit Fly in Coffee</b> - limerick<br />
<br />
I thought to myself, "This fruit fly<br />
In my coffee will drown and die."<br />
But turns out that it<br />
Drank a little bit<br />
And became unnaturally high.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Fruit Fly in Coffee</b> - haiku<br />
<br />
I thought the fruit fly<br />
In my coffee would drown, but<br />
It just turned hyper.<br />
<br />
<b>Dairy-free "Ice Cream"</b> - limerick+haiku<br />
<br />
It seemed easy to make, so I<br />
Gave dairy-free ice cream a try,<br />
But I should have known<br />
From the name alone<br />
That it was a terrible lie.<br />
<br />
So then I ate some<br />
Ordinary ice cream from<br />
A shop. It was yum.<br />
<br />
<b>Street Pics</b> - haikus<br />
<br />
I took a photo<br />
of a pretty lane, and drew<br />
a picture of it,<br />
<br />
then took a photo<br />
of the picture so I could<br />
show it to some folks.<br />
<br />
A few days later,<br />
I came across the photo<br />
on my computer.<br />
<br />
I thought to myself,<br />
"Wow, my picture looks just like<br />
a photo. Yay me!"<br />
<br />
But turned out it was<br />
the original photo<br />
I was looking at.<br />
<br />
<b>Masquerade Glasses </b><br />
<br />
My friend is getting glasses.<b><br /></b><br />
We were discussing frames<br />
when suddenly, a brilliant<br />
idea to me came.<br />
<br />
Those masks in masquerade balls<br />
or ones sold at a fair<br />
could become frames for spectacles<br />
you regularly wear.<br />
<br />
They could use one-way mirrors<br />
so the wearer can see<br />
all of the world while hiding his<br />
or her identity.<br />
<br />
All those designs and colours!<br />
Oh, wouldn't that be fine!<br />
I'd have a dozen pairs, and I<br />
would wear them all the time.<br />
<br />
I'd made this as a decorative mask, but imagine it as a frame for glasses. Cool, right?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivZBJydqv6h4yQ_JB4bvSmeTPwU8YjVGeMHzkI_0MKVNK4lZwNFpfUCnQT6HISp03TDkG9KYeVgMAto-5zgslZu5kzrTCe3dlCITQlPCnbH1oStJFbsXM6eJbk0FQyadPfcc6Y1-EaMrM/s1600/DSC_5471+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1277" data-original-width="1600" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivZBJydqv6h4yQ_JB4bvSmeTPwU8YjVGeMHzkI_0MKVNK4lZwNFpfUCnQT6HISp03TDkG9KYeVgMAto-5zgslZu5kzrTCe3dlCITQlPCnbH1oStJFbsXM6eJbk0FQyadPfcc6Y1-EaMrM/s400/DSC_5471+-+Copy.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Until I have the time to design my own, here are a couple of images I'm borrowing from the mighty internet just to give you a clearer idea.<br />
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<a href="https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/d1/75/71/d17571fa52e52d866b08d986d082da7f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="400" src="https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/d1/75/71/d17571fa52e52d866b08d986d082da7f.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/cd/71/40/cd71400be5adae9d73dc17957d477603.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/cd/71/40/cd71400be5adae9d73dc17957d477603.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Holy Mackerelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02730371190312162258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7632682645832156877.post-90277193789924567332017-05-18T01:01:00.001+05:302017-05-18T02:14:09.143+05:30On Books<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
I've always loved reading, and I've always been happy to share my books with others. But borrowing from me comes with a set of rules:<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHTX1ZSnCEklwH0MgVkzaYw2v85mg3ByOi3aCdkZdBZgDW7lzP0GUYMLktrk6AoEXvwJV9Uuu5nvOVaozWNXxcUeyaV7Ng6b4RUGgpPJ53TRMTOJaPWeO4cVVhQ-QQY5n4JLJrcJtFic8/s1600/CoS.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHTX1ZSnCEklwH0MgVkzaYw2v85mg3ByOi3aCdkZdBZgDW7lzP0GUYMLktrk6AoEXvwJV9Uuu5nvOVaozWNXxcUeyaV7Ng6b4RUGgpPJ53TRMTOJaPWeO4cVVhQ-QQY5n4JLJrcJtFic8/s640/CoS.png" width="417" /></a></div>
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I've been this way since I was about ten (if not younger). No, I'm not kidding. Yes, I was serious about the sanctity of paperback spines even as a kid. It happened after I looked closely at an uncle's bookshelf and noticed that the books were in mint condition even though he'd read them all.<br />
<br />
Now there are some people who have this idea that "books should look like they've been read/ used". On the surface, this seems fine to me, since a book I've picked up looks the same after I've read it. I mean, all these books look read to me:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz6AHjsyr-LCpbLKg1oTrXv6yXCrziMTLyMp8gaXEAZ4rhDSXmymTonVY9Ykb-IYO5_MnG9LTWw9CzjfKtkkpBmf4eVh5PYJJJspruoO0jLYpVwKlW1aIKkLD3Q7wX04CQ1E0OwEc3eII/s1600/DSCN0235.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz6AHjsyr-LCpbLKg1oTrXv6yXCrziMTLyMp8gaXEAZ4rhDSXmymTonVY9Ykb-IYO5_MnG9LTWw9CzjfKtkkpBmf4eVh5PYJJJspruoO0jLYpVwKlW1aIKkLD3Q7wX04CQ1E0OwEc3eII/s400/DSCN0235.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Needed an excuse to put up a photo of the loveliest library I've ever been in.</div>
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But what these monsters mean is that books need to look like they've been mutilated and have gone through some kind of hell. What a ridiculous notion!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgERL3ph2bboUUWJkS_jvovSD9nzMa7pbhTjggiELB2JfMdl8ZNNWLzhwvBWyct7KV5JoF1tUBtksLrlBwZV4KhoASQUCvX_3OV1GTrRscHQdzcy_nM_t9s1IHLh6Nce5SCear68DtVGk/s1600/DeadBook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgERL3ph2bboUUWJkS_jvovSD9nzMa7pbhTjggiELB2JfMdl8ZNNWLzhwvBWyct7KV5JoF1tUBtksLrlBwZV4KhoASQUCvX_3OV1GTrRscHQdzcy_nM_t9s1IHLh6Nce5SCear68DtVGk/s400/DeadBook.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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One of the best things about Jess from Gilmore Girls (besides the fact that he's played by Milo Ventimiglia) is that he reads. Unfortunately, he seems to be on Team "Used"Books. He rolls up books to carry in his pocket. He creases the spines. He even writes in other people's books.<br />
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<a href="https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/8d/f4/7d/8df47d1505277f03b9bfd8f6dcfce0b1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/8d/f4/7d/8df47d1505277f03b9bfd8f6dcfce0b1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Come on, that's not how you're supposed to hold a book!!</div>
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<a href="https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/15/54/a1/1554a1f4e43662329bb2373cf5cb2697.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/15/54/a1/1554a1f4e43662329bb2373cf5cb2697.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Get a notebook! I didn't even make notes in my nicer textbooks in school. Sure, I drew all over my Little Miss Plump, but I was a wee kid and any blank space was a canvas.</div>
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I wonder if this ridiculous notion applies to other things they use. I always get a few kicks out of imagining these people mishandling their preciousss cellphones.<br />
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<a href="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CaiZXhkWAAAiau9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CaiZXhkWAAAiau9.jpg" width="298" /></a></div>
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Does this look used enough? Why don't you chip the edges a little more and throw it into a bucket of water so it looks more used?</div>
<br />
Please handle books with some respect, people. Don't scribble, tear, stretch, fold, add saliva, and so on. And please, PLEASE don't do this:<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3SwJ0g3EeageVRNqXIGG1E6JTKHkoHG3E_-dW-FVB1UVP69ZFtp-OYwxCzhqniJVPJUknYCdfm1-1kVWLSNa7rvQrAt0DzlitqPGi1DWI6IsW8LOvfRbqyocDS6qPsQv5eq25BmIabGk/s1600/open-book-10760530.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3SwJ0g3EeageVRNqXIGG1E6JTKHkoHG3E_-dW-FVB1UVP69ZFtp-OYwxCzhqniJVPJUknYCdfm1-1kVWLSNa7rvQrAt0DzlitqPGi1DWI6IsW8LOvfRbqyocDS6qPsQv5eq25BmIabGk/s400/open-book-10760530.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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You don't even need a bookmark; just use any smallish object with a flat surface, like a cellphone.</div>
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You can have your book (in a decent state) and read it too. It's really not that hard.</div>
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Holy Mackerelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02730371190312162258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7632682645832156877.post-82805458574748032182017-05-05T12:55:00.001+05:302017-05-05T19:37:36.747+05:30Film Genres<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Not quite sure what brought on this wave of craziness, but here we are. These are my alternate ways of remembering film genres. Who cares whether they're practical or not?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCISymJjCkjQtuDxC9TRHGxk-c1ZZkL-uPEYRLLUptp6RRJZHxYw1BqZediwpqjc6_Lw716VaBdEVj59jRnBCpnFhTVpsBwX0mVp0wrQLm-APw81dRb7XubC_nMN6878jF6u4E3H6WvBU/s1600/Mystery.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCISymJjCkjQtuDxC9TRHGxk-c1ZZkL-uPEYRLLUptp6RRJZHxYw1BqZediwpqjc6_Lw716VaBdEVj59jRnBCpnFhTVpsBwX0mVp0wrQLm-APw81dRb7XubC_nMN6878jF6u4E3H6WvBU/s640/Mystery.JPG" width="438" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: center;"> Miss Tree can be very mysterious.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGRQi6MsphHN0ZaK7x3_IcLsq12VALNGL_QiQKh0o1lWnXrHTn2dMQHYgqduVOj6M9NZ1tmqEZ9l5Ep0GHczypv-WBUfNy5M7QkJ3iqmaHg5IqJsjPC_lQFfrAnmdDLRjBaoG0agxxS54/s1600/Action.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGRQi6MsphHN0ZaK7x3_IcLsq12VALNGL_QiQKh0o1lWnXrHTn2dMQHYgqduVOj6M9NZ1tmqEZ9l5Ep0GHczypv-WBUfNy5M7QkJ3iqmaHg5IqJsjPC_lQFfrAnmdDLRjBaoG0agxxS54/s400/Action.JPG" width="325" /></a></div>
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Exclamation of disgust followed by active shunning.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM0aSPACWkyGd07_72JiEd_zRv_Dol_uB9F7BBCaS5Ev7woQr2c1wNK4zCgrGo1lOMbCxgIbk9HPRJS7tnribhIInXALhXQCGrtxlZh3l-2eFgvN8f8poXuvd6Y_TvjgQmcmYLYnhL3Y8/s1600/Biopic.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM0aSPACWkyGd07_72JiEd_zRv_Dol_uB9F7BBCaS5Ev7woQr2c1wNK4zCgrGo1lOMbCxgIbk9HPRJS7tnribhIInXALhXQCGrtxlZh3l-2eFgvN8f8poXuvd6Y_TvjgQmcmYLYnhL3Y8/s640/Biopic.JPG" width="424" /></a></div>
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Can't have high school biology without such pictures.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikCWD-iRMA7U-zo9cEiuaW00s5paBVbpGsGO2yPB-hXZV21Wfa-eOgThGQKN8ZMCECUBP55oFHVnYoKTESs3sset4bAMHcEJ8QTt_r0Zk2NIjpvQdr65D4dTaBSw5VdaSltIFc_T2E39U/s1600/Classic.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikCWD-iRMA7U-zo9cEiuaW00s5paBVbpGsGO2yPB-hXZV21Wfa-eOgThGQKN8ZMCECUBP55oFHVnYoKTESs3sset4bAMHcEJ8QTt_r0Zk2NIjpvQdr65D4dTaBSw5VdaSltIFc_T2E39U/s640/Classic.JPG" width="512" /></a></div>
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Classroom: place where germs thrive</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl7vbtV8Zwh3K4pqh0tUaK4qFXRWlURLNpn0A9vxNyadrF_cgJ8T7hpocaOMtUuKE0MhRlSTIP8QrLJImONTef_MS6VBmFcT_bVSfpU-hbqeDBVnZa-d6NyW2bBnjaeaa5WWsvLzTcNUU/s1600/Comedy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl7vbtV8Zwh3K4pqh0tUaK4qFXRWlURLNpn0A9vxNyadrF_cgJ8T7hpocaOMtUuKE0MhRlSTIP8QrLJImONTef_MS6VBmFcT_bVSfpU-hbqeDBVnZa-d6NyW2bBnjaeaa5WWsvLzTcNUU/s640/Comedy.JPG" width="444" /></a></div>
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Communist version of Eddy (from 'Ed, Edd, and Eddy')</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOjbL3Y8Au7s9D6y7gkBuRiL_U7K5rzur8HyvwhLpQ4KWQ6tAZ8-twVaEV-oO0tBt5kyB1lJ-2W258hT-Lb_atsxKmjXPuQVShk5qpV_l_I4y0VJAyG-thGMrNXtep4836W3nJwJg2i_E/s1600/Documentary.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOjbL3Y8Au7s9D6y7gkBuRiL_U7K5rzur8HyvwhLpQ4KWQ6tAZ8-twVaEV-oO0tBt5kyB1lJ-2W258hT-Lb_atsxKmjXPuQVShk5qpV_l_I4y0VJAyG-thGMrNXtep4836W3nJwJg2i_E/s400/Documentary.JPG" width="306" /></a></div>
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Almost like an alternate Rock, Paper, Scissors. Add one more plant and it could even be another Simon and Garfunkel song. (Plants are not drawn to scale, of course.)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPSxM9dGT0C3UEFwrp6nxh4CWcWAzMNoeLlTjna56YS74FKfbqPQQZ2ovoUXzPTs8wur41mq4thlQDPZxU6Sk9kYsjoGMay08Fjchs23Pp8sXfzklk8vRtun9UyUilvlXCEKjff_uXIxs/s1600/Drama.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPSxM9dGT0C3UEFwrp6nxh4CWcWAzMNoeLlTjna56YS74FKfbqPQQZ2ovoUXzPTs8wur41mq4thlQDPZxU6Sk9kYsjoGMay08Fjchs23Pp8sXfzklk8vRtun9UyUilvlXCEKjff_uXIxs/s400/Drama.JPG" width="302" /></a></div>
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The excitement over finding a cool dram.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzL3FxoGpAXnn3j25YS4H8dgN8VRnzqUuaSYtge6RDKOjfvru-Cg1xMvkCuXp2Wusygtxkj5btGaKil53CBVbMGgAhUDoAz_ULy7KQm9TIZUpde9hDZnRf-_7xljI8hctIlpkqLKKhkKs/s1600/Fantasy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzL3FxoGpAXnn3j25YS4H8dgN8VRnzqUuaSYtge6RDKOjfvru-Cg1xMvkCuXp2Wusygtxkj5btGaKil53CBVbMGgAhUDoAz_ULy7KQm9TIZUpde9hDZnRf-_7xljI8hctIlpkqLKKhkKs/s400/Fantasy.JPG" width="315" /></a></div>
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Coolest fan, get it? And that guy on the right is taking a picture so he has proof to show Queen that he saw the fan in real life, and it wasn't just fantasy.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUzyO7woOyQJKcXla-ilhZxrQq4b6wBU7jdIiDAMnEys9z5zmkBx0RwU_wnnQW_cFP3efsroQhmLhqutsY5ZvD-n9aK7d01YYlySZnebbyaod6GeGFFWLSBMQ69gOI96pXh0SiyBx8IaU/s1600/Horror.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUzyO7woOyQJKcXla-ilhZxrQq4b6wBU7jdIiDAMnEys9z5zmkBx0RwU_wnnQW_cFP3efsroQhmLhqutsY5ZvD-n9aK7d01YYlySZnebbyaod6GeGFFWLSBMQ69gOI96pXh0SiyBx8IaU/s640/Horror.JPG" width="464" /></a></div>
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It certainly would be a 'hora' if they dropped the person in the chair.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCGD0W9dUhd2Zkf36jGIyDCmbA31RPD5BgMHlMwrJ2Xo5heSrV4cRwojEEu-r0PzNJAgT0zqFCzFtezVfcwLAuFF5aKPyaPio1hHjddynwFyxsC0ugkbBRmApukcqwJDi23UH_GX0lDS4/s1600/Period.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCGD0W9dUhd2Zkf36jGIyDCmbA31RPD5BgMHlMwrJ2Xo5heSrV4cRwojEEu-r0PzNJAgT0zqFCzFtezVfcwLAuFF5aKPyaPio1hHjddynwFyxsC0ugkbBRmApukcqwJDi23UH_GX0lDS4/s400/Period.JPG" width="280" /></a></div>
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Difficult type of film to make, but easy to represent.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9N-2vhIieOGgA5uuquIkeff4ORGEXvotCoRbW3_FESEoUbTB-q6NqRdhm_fyk7Q2S76aoQS41PaRWJsCO3UYqOojRZFPlcU6qN9hsuDZNC-6P1MRxCywpyxtMfPdiIGHsuq8NBnVAELE/s1600/Silent.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9N-2vhIieOGgA5uuquIkeff4ORGEXvotCoRbW3_FESEoUbTB-q6NqRdhm_fyk7Q2S76aoQS41PaRWJsCO3UYqOojRZFPlcU6qN9hsuDZNC-6P1MRxCywpyxtMfPdiIGHsuq8NBnVAELE/s400/Silent.JPG" width="283" /></a></div>
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Lint can be so upsetting you don't even want to speak.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0w0JMpkbhPfUfGQBgrLfz7mKm-Q57fahJid2BR037C2e601hmFMV3rC4rK1_R_coXexvt1qBlyLdG7aOY9lKzrccupqsNPAeCSpgU2rmmXtrPx1kgFIuEJBzMnjoM6ggR8qP64Zaq084/s1600/Noir.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0w0JMpkbhPfUfGQBgrLfz7mKm-Q57fahJid2BR037C2e601hmFMV3rC4rK1_R_coXexvt1qBlyLdG7aOY9lKzrccupqsNPAeCSpgU2rmmXtrPx1kgFIuEJBzMnjoM6ggR8qP64Zaq084/s640/Noir.JPG" width="456" /></a></div>
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Note to self: if a pirate is shushing you, something must be very wrong.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaNT_BD0PJb3DOMjb7tMa2n4dOLo6U1UXQ_JDeEvu_kuaByDSTIlSw9CntXafcfZkyo8PNqC7W7gxLPrVBFsk_NcyOVzaFfSuSwXDxNyJ-8K0SuiFl2JfopBIezNgqKAd-jt1pdTp_ld0/s1600/Sci+fi.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaNT_BD0PJb3DOMjb7tMa2n4dOLo6U1UXQ_JDeEvu_kuaByDSTIlSw9CntXafcfZkyo8PNqC7W7gxLPrVBFsk_NcyOVzaFfSuSwXDxNyJ-8K0SuiFl2JfopBIezNgqKAd-jt1pdTp_ld0/s400/Sci+fi.JPG" width="260" /></a></div>
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This could be the name of a fraternity that loves sci-fi movies.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjro_xiwlw-o9AOUlc0IJ2FHLkieB7NCN1fhT0ueuqHgXOwgoKZPzq3tqtcfm_4XfeUwjmIhzByPhd1sCt2nucH5YVIR6DBiz9BDykiapHko_CatoUDmPxSzk6kl4CWzvIUCKj8R9_bIFc/s1600/Romance.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjro_xiwlw-o9AOUlc0IJ2FHLkieB7NCN1fhT0ueuqHgXOwgoKZPzq3tqtcfm_4XfeUwjmIhzByPhd1sCt2nucH5YVIR6DBiz9BDykiapHko_CatoUDmPxSzk6kl4CWzvIUCKj8R9_bIFc/s640/Romance.JPG" width="474" /></a></div>
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Excuse me if that phrase isn't correctly structured. I don't know Italian, so be happy it doesn't say "cannoli, Ventimiglia, regresa a mi, ciao"</div>
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Holy Mackerelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02730371190312162258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7632682645832156877.post-10702903477597714282017-05-03T15:23:00.003+05:302017-05-03T15:30:36.326+05:30Life and Ladders<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwHM5nQIbK2VlnQm7Lwpp3h4ZFZiRfX4Fr2UIu_vdeFqSdTsrg3QFhKp0fk5kPpD2nph5FDsXkUCWIs2jfIXwhvpCSjYgjsSyKLeAYCL0ns_b8AsRqQjLTWYw11bn2jPkgNNYhAHWEJPU/s1600/DSC_7583+%25281%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwHM5nQIbK2VlnQm7Lwpp3h4ZFZiRfX4Fr2UIu_vdeFqSdTsrg3QFhKp0fk5kPpD2nph5FDsXkUCWIs2jfIXwhvpCSjYgjsSyKLeAYCL0ns_b8AsRqQjLTWYw11bn2jPkgNNYhAHWEJPU/s640/DSC_7583+%25281%2529.JPG" width="321" /></a></div>
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For those of you who may find that hard to read (thanks to Blogger's uncooperative image sizing) here's the (Shel Silverstein-inspired?) poem:</div>
<br />A ladder isn’t just a ladder. <br /><br />Ladders also represent life <div>
The ups and downs, the joy and strife. <br /><br />The view from way up top is great, </div>
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But it’s hard work - and maybe fate?<br /><br />Don’t let the height make your head spin, </div>
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But don’t forget where you begin.<br /><br />It’s how you use your ladder, not </div>
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The kind of ladder that you’ve got.<br /><br />Some ladders are short, others tall, </div>
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Some have flat rungs so you don’t fall,<br /><br />And if you do fall, breathe, and then </div>
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Make sure you get back up again<br /><br />Unless you’ve fallen to your death. </div>
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Okay, I think I’ve caught my breath.<br /><br />I’ll now resume to climb in style </div>
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Up to the roof to fix that tile.</div>
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Holy Mackerelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02730371190312162258noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7632682645832156877.post-54011821047828279922017-04-19T22:56:00.000+05:302017-04-19T23:18:09.269+05:30Say What You Mean<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
As someone who usually takes things at face value, it is after much confusion and annoyance over the years that I've realized you often need to take what people say with a pinch of salt.<br />
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Of course, there are things you're naturally wary of, like advertisements or restaurant menus that seem too good to be true (because that's exactly what they are).<br />
Sometimes, it's mildly amusing, like when someone you follow has other "followers you know".<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7yrLNDt4sP6CjNI3ccviuQSqlWCSDi1UrMzJW1PG5NxQMpxedN39DA985XIIJMxDO3WeNYyRCIHqTnPC5uxGociHTpR8tZmfVv7Ye_BuLR81H8xAU4wE02RJEumD3ya6MM6gtmbO6Go4/s1600/amell.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7yrLNDt4sP6CjNI3ccviuQSqlWCSDi1UrMzJW1PG5NxQMpxedN39DA985XIIJMxDO3WeNYyRCIHqTnPC5uxGociHTpR8tZmfVv7Ye_BuLR81H8xAU4wE02RJEumD3ya6MM6gtmbO6Go4/s400/amell.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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How did they know Stephen Amell and I are best friends?</div>
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Sometimes, you quickly learn certain things are relative, such as <a href="https://oholymackerel.blogspot.in/2016/10/stronger-better.html" target="_blank">coffee strength</a> or distances:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_UQwopnppO4BCkv2eCDdG4k50puvaoD3_IvxMet52WPH7KpDmP2KBhFlrmKF_pzh98PEQ_TkR1bnJHXSMGKav2hf2pL_AG_Ns_gjTHwkTXo1Fj7SY60BTaO6rI5vgh3gOSJDPY3lRG3c/s1600/Untitled.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="66" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_UQwopnppO4BCkv2eCDdG4k50puvaoD3_IvxMet52WPH7KpDmP2KBhFlrmKF_pzh98PEQ_TkR1bnJHXSMGKav2hf2pL_AG_Ns_gjTHwkTXo1Fj7SY60BTaO6rI5vgh3gOSJDPY3lRG3c/s400/Untitled.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho0fwAdqz4l0Cevwx4YLTbOQOnQ5Y3Adyvb7uTDwYdkex9LLtqkWe8m5zrcHKpGDt7TDEhHImGR9oUhpszzHQTtx8BETLwGhLtDyZa9elBdRfUorbeuZboKQBvOhyphenhyphenXqISC0-48GN46O88/s1600/near.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho0fwAdqz4l0Cevwx4YLTbOQOnQ5Y3Adyvb7uTDwYdkex9LLtqkWe8m5zrcHKpGDt7TDEhHImGR9oUhpszzHQTtx8BETLwGhLtDyZa9elBdRfUorbeuZboKQBvOhyphenhyphenXqISC0-48GN46O88/s400/near.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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But at times you realize that many people's understanding of certain words and concepts are nowhere close to what you assume is the real meaning. For example:<br />
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<b>"I'm broke."</b><br />
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I suppose you could say that's relative too, but sometimes it's stretched a little too far.<br />
Let me elaborate.<br />
Fortunately, I've never been broke or claimed to be. So the closest I've been was probably in college when I was too lazy to go get money from the ATM.<br />
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Me: I only have ten rupees, so these are my dinner options:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYoN6ILM22vog6FzsC3_iHJ71tDTTJIt3CLwehpz2ZjB4K3kaMGIQ356t0363-H0QYhS3CyYNZO9FbFCoWAes2-utQY3iJIlvz2_uIPsviPTle75xRopFX5C0mYzeimnYWjbeHEaqMWb8/s1600/FOOD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYoN6ILM22vog6FzsC3_iHJ71tDTTJIt3CLwehpz2ZjB4K3kaMGIQ356t0363-H0QYhS3CyYNZO9FbFCoWAes2-utQY3iJIlvz2_uIPsviPTle75xRopFX5C0mYzeimnYWjbeHEaqMWb8/s400/FOOD.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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My roommate: I'M SO BROKE!</div>
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Next day:</div>
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Misinterpretation works both ways, though. Like this one time when she was trying to buy something online and asked:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi7Jz-Msbs3vtkX6N1h0YpNmA13PLwfdm11K4D89JKgKSsfVxk19v74Bo_-HqGWF07VcMzixUbZBIEir6l6v3KzYL2E8aIU_DXeJC6cwzm-iYb8sAAt8uIab_xWjk-aE-WCisczYuyF0c/s1600/COD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi7Jz-Msbs3vtkX6N1h0YpNmA13PLwfdm11K4D89JKgKSsfVxk19v74Bo_-HqGWF07VcMzixUbZBIEir6l6v3KzYL2E8aIU_DXeJC6cwzm-iYb8sAAt8uIab_xWjk-aE-WCisczYuyF0c/s320/COD.jpg" width="264" /></a></div>
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<b>"I promise..."</b><br />
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I take promises very, very seriously, so I tend to believe people when they give me their word on something. If I actually use the word "promise" I make sure to follow through, no matter what. My 8-year-olds will tell you that I even treat pinkie swears with the utmost respect.<br />
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So if you say you "promise" to do something and then don't, you shouldn't blame me for flying into an irrational rage.<br />
<u>Especially</u> if you try to brush it off (as many people do) with "promises are meant to be broken".<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibKAT5lo1rSyvXOx_q5mdnGxL0dhTqkFuRRt9GhmY517Xo5DwO8p_G2Vg5O97ByEORqFh1B2rQdCojYojn2oLFAO9Dfwhmdl6ThFkes4OBv5g4VpjXVdqKSUKYMBEUMn5EaIIccm09o88/s1600/insults.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="387" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibKAT5lo1rSyvXOx_q5mdnGxL0dhTqkFuRRt9GhmY517Xo5DwO8p_G2Vg5O97ByEORqFh1B2rQdCojYojn2oLFAO9Dfwhmdl6ThFkes4OBv5g4VpjXVdqKSUKYMBEUMn5EaIIccm09o88/s400/insults.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b>"Yes, I love reading."</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgIk9FUlScurdFCVFzlXwJvaQlkdtrz66YVWbSKTNEz_UbAe49XG3p_PrQrztyKj7xzcjjzoJpxpe_d8k70pjJDEuyJk1vz7esyX7VAtsDIG3Yhn-vM5rMtB9Onj8YqMge9eodrrKCnIs/s1600/read.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="342" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgIk9FUlScurdFCVFzlXwJvaQlkdtrz66YVWbSKTNEz_UbAe49XG3p_PrQrztyKj7xzcjjzoJpxpe_d8k70pjJDEuyJk1vz7esyX7VAtsDIG3Yhn-vM5rMtB9Onj8YqMge9eodrrKCnIs/s400/read.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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I know it's kind of mean and condescending, but well...</div>
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Also, I've noticed that there are some people who, after I've completely trashed Chetan Bhagat, say something along the lines of "Yeah, I don't like him either... but I liked Two States. That was actually a really fun book."<br />
It's almost always Two States that's mentioned in this kind of footnote. So either that IS better than his usual trash or (more likely) these people like his books and are just too embarrassed/polite to say so after I've expressed my intense aversion.<br />
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<br />
<b>"I didn't sleep last night."</b><br />
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There have been very, very few days in my life when it's happened, but when I say I haven't slept, it's because I haven't slept. At all. So the reactions I got were initially quite confusing. All conversations on sleep deprivation went something like this:<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
And then, I made a marvellous discovery.<br />
I found that people who said they hadn't slept really meant they'd slept very little (i.e. less than their usual quota). Most people I know say this when they've had four hours or less.<br />
SO, when I say "no sleep", they assume I've got about two-four hours, which explains their alarm when I talk of sleep time in minutes. <br />
<br />
My confusion is surely understandable. See, when I say I haven't slept at all, this is what my night is like:<br />
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<br />
The casual use of this hyperbole has resulted in me becoming cold, unsympathetic, and very impatient with such people.<br />
<br />
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<br />
I don't know how to end this post on a positive note, so I'll just leave this PSA here for everyone who knows me or other people like me:<br />
<br />
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Holy Mackerelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02730371190312162258noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7632682645832156877.post-56754766608555796782017-04-09T21:46:00.000+05:302017-04-09T21:54:31.645+05:30Sucky Summer Stuff<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
I may have written essays about summer being my favourite season back in school. This was mostly because "summer" was synonymous with "vacation", but (as I realize now on looking back) also because we had pleasant climate throughout the year. <br />
<br />
Who loves summer now, in 2017? Only two kinds of people, in my mind:<br />
1. Those who live in places so cold that summer means two layers of clothing instead of five<br />
2. Crazy people<br />
<br />
So here's a poem on some of those "ugh" summer moments. <br />
<br />
If somebody had said to me around ten years ago<br />
That we’d need A.C.s in this city, I’d have said “Oh, no,<br />
This place is naturally cool, it’s pleasant as can be.<br />
You must be crazy if you think that you need an A.C."<br />
<br />
But alas! Things have changed so fast. The once warm, friendly sun<br />
Now blazes down with great vengeance, and summers are no fun.<br />
It’s too hot in the afternoon, the mornings are too bright,<br />
It’s dry and irritating, and it’s even hot at night!<br />
<br />
'There must be some upside to this', you think, 'well, let me try<br />
To stand outside with my wet hair―see how fast it will dry.'<br />
But thirty seconds later you decide to go back in.<br />
You’d rather not turn into a sizzler with crispy skin.<br />
<br />
And inside isn’t always better. Maybe cooler, but<br />
Sometimes there’s no breeze, and, oh joy, there IS a power cut.<br />
So yes, at least you have some shade, but it’s not very nice<br />
When all your fans stop working and your fridge can make no ice.<br />
<br />
There is a way to cool oneself, you think as it gets hotter.<br />
You step into the shower and― oh no, you’re out of water!<br />
At least you weren’t brushing, pooping, or covered in soap.<br />
(Yes, that can happen, and all you can do is swear and mope.)<br />
<br />
But whenever I’m feeling brave enough to step outside,<br />
I look at all the world around me, and I realize <br />
I hate summer, but the thing that makes it REALLY sucky<br />
Is seeing all these other folk who aren’t half as lucky.</div>
Holy Mackerelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02730371190312162258noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7632682645832156877.post-28221725175997788112017-01-31T21:55:00.002+05:302017-02-02T18:29:46.072+05:30Just Keep Singin'<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
A few months ago, I heard something weird(er than usual) from the kids on the school bus.<br />
<br />
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<br />
Too shocked to actually say anything, I turned around and gave them a long stare which simply received a nonchalant "what?" So, still mortified, I just turned back around and continued to try and ignore them while conflicting thoughts raced through my head.<br />
<br />
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<br />
And then I remembered the 90's.<br />
I thought about the kind of pop music we'd hear all the time. A medley of the likes of Vengaboys, Aqua, Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, Boyzone, Spice Girls, 5ive, 98 Degrees, etc. in all their colourful mediocrity and annoyingly infectious glory. (I still remember the first English music video I ever saw: Hit Me Baby One More Time. I still remember how old I was, whose house I saw it in, and that flash of recognition once the music started.)<br />
<br />
Of course we sang these songs all the time, without knowing what they meant. For example, the song Genie in a Bottle has very different implications when you're 10 and when you're 20.<br />
Another popular song, especially for dance contests in school, was Vengaboys's Boom Boom Boom. The chorus goes something like this:<br />
<i>Boom boom boom boom\ </i><i>I want you in my room\ </i><i>Let's spend the night together\ </i><i>Together in my room</i><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
8-year-old brain interpretation: </div>
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*Another misunderstood Vengaboys song. As I realized only a few months ago, it's "going to Ibiza", not "going to eat pizza". Learn how to pronounce 'Ibiza', Vengaboys!</div>
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Adult (I say 'adult' optimistically) brain:</div>
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<br />
Often, we sang without even knowing the lyrics. This is from an actual conversation I had with a friend in my class.<br />
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<br />
We were very creative when it came to making up strange lyrics that sounded like the originals.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0FUGorAWXNoy_48wCkydX-FlsIaHdDqvKS-Vij0kpAsgKprdDXWJPSdqLeOoTb0xllnSog-qsz33BUAr6KOUmP7KlUgzGD6zejfj3zCpqZsTfvgQxixP056k2CoaI7one2c6-TevPB98/s1600/Pic03.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0FUGorAWXNoy_48wCkydX-FlsIaHdDqvKS-Vij0kpAsgKprdDXWJPSdqLeOoTb0xllnSog-qsz33BUAr6KOUmP7KlUgzGD6zejfj3zCpqZsTfvgQxixP056k2CoaI7one2c6-TevPB98/s320/Pic03.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
It was "pour some Dom Perignon and hit the lights out", but how in the world are pre-teens supposed to know that? Besides, if we'd known the actual lyrics, I bet our discussions would have revolved around who Dom Perignon was and how you could possibly pour... okay, never mind. Let's just move on to the next line.<br />
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<br />
At an age where love is such a vague, abstract concept, and when a phrase involves the word, you naturally assume it's... something like this?<br />
<br />
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<br />
Not that it mattered much. All we really cared about was singing it exactly like Blue did, especially the high Lee Ryan parts.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghhwrXRsKqIWQAr3CaVVhegiF-aEMOWPmEocssWR-3FWfIYwpddRVDcxnqiSv6nt4gRq2KLtrqaNTcJIk9-QGM4zIHD1UQZfnM-Fbktz0qm9G2Dw4Pc503UCQRtZkOoOzGEe1ASe-lzMc/s1600/Pic052.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghhwrXRsKqIWQAr3CaVVhegiF-aEMOWPmEocssWR-3FWfIYwpddRVDcxnqiSv6nt4gRq2KLtrqaNTcJIk9-QGM4zIHD1UQZfnM-Fbktz0qm9G2Dw4Pc503UCQRtZkOoOzGEe1ASe-lzMc/s320/Pic052.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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So maybe the kids singing Anaconda and such will look back a few years later and have parts of their childhood ruined. Beyond that, I don't know, either they'll be scarred for life or they'll get over it after a while, hopefully enough to be comfortable with it and maybe even enjoy it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinT0qJxhjsO3wzuzsVQv1bUBMY-h-B0DE9U1aN-lK1fxSOXZBujU6on7ijPS_wvp2K_w2fiDex0n1DNLH2LMen5cVsoi1Zg2kBwDV6VY6GRS_n5DlHFz4gQDqRBSnITeAt4ru86XE7sRc/s1600/Picture+-+Copy+%25283%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinT0qJxhjsO3wzuzsVQv1bUBMY-h-B0DE9U1aN-lK1fxSOXZBujU6on7ijPS_wvp2K_w2fiDex0n1DNLH2LMen5cVsoi1Zg2kBwDV6VY6GRS_n5DlHFz4gQDqRBSnITeAt4ru86XE7sRc/s400/Picture+-+Copy+%25283%2529.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKSVvKm1glXieCc9W0RuNmlfNiX5WVkRZtF5aOWrpRg8iQCfe0oYd9tgCXjio-CG02kjxoP_2lTsX6uZPwFzFCpTLI9s01AowEbNa83H78krXo-Y6VpLE-sbiInKhDgZnj5r2LtR5svW4/s1600/Picture+-+Copy+%25283%2529+-+Copy.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKSVvKm1glXieCc9W0RuNmlfNiX5WVkRZtF5aOWrpRg8iQCfe0oYd9tgCXjio-CG02kjxoP_2lTsX6uZPwFzFCpTLI9s01AowEbNa83H78krXo-Y6VpLE-sbiInKhDgZnj5r2LtR5svW4/s320/Picture+-+Copy+%25283%2529+-+Copy.jpeg" width="262" /></a></div>
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Holy Mackerelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02730371190312162258noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7632682645832156877.post-59173864880735198552016-12-31T19:26:00.002+05:302016-12-31T23:44:24.000+05:30Life's a Beach<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy6XM0wsz5AYsQ4ps9s2EGNRLqgtHIYP8H32aldC5mrEERBjHBQc-hwWW25UsEu75_cMjYzmuVRcMbW3-PSjospbUdhElid1p9ma0zbEZKqlGYZcHDaGzD7F-PmuW4x85MdM6U9zY_W0g/s1600/DSC_4063.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy6XM0wsz5AYsQ4ps9s2EGNRLqgtHIYP8H32aldC5mrEERBjHBQc-hwWW25UsEu75_cMjYzmuVRcMbW3-PSjospbUdhElid1p9ma0zbEZKqlGYZcHDaGzD7F-PmuW4x85MdM6U9zY_W0g/s640/DSC_4063.JPG" width="423" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seems appropriate for the title, if not for the actual post, which is a (strangely allegorical and philosophical) poem inspired by some time I spent with my friends on a beach. Made sense to me to put this up on NYE.</td></tr>
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Rough lines in the sand <br />
Very hastily drawn.<br />
Fill those boxes quickly <br />
For soon they’ll be gone.<br />
<br />
The sun’s slowly setting,<br />
So quick, make your mark.<br />
Let’s finish a few more rounds <br />
Before it’s dark.<br />
<br />
But also be careful <br />
Of spaces you choose <br />
For sometimes even the best players <br />
Will lose.<br />
<br />
But either way, <br />
What matters is that you play <br />
As well as you can <br />
Ere it’s all washed away<br />
<br />
So come on, just one more. <br />
The tide’s getting high. <br />
We no longer can see <br />
The sun in the sky <br />
<br />
We’ve made all the marks we could<br />
and had our fun, <br />
So let’s say goodbye now;<br />
Our time here is done.<br />
<br />
For on we must go...<br />
It's been pretty grand <br />
But we leave it all there <br />
In the sea and the sand.<br />
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Holy Mackerelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02730371190312162258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7632682645832156877.post-18379921400080087032016-10-04T18:50:00.000+05:302016-10-04T18:54:42.608+05:30Stronger = Better<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://overlymanlyman.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/theres-no-such-thing-as-strong-coffee-580x682.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://overlymanlyman.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/theres-no-such-thing-as-strong-coffee-580x682.jpg" height="320" width="272" /></a></div>
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This always makes me laugh.</div>
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Over the years, the general level of animosity towards espresso seems to have greatly diminished. It's still very much present, but I don't have these (previously very common) exchanges in cafes any more:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKGLdVf33nPnS9mqlrmDjMi7hhyTdyrCHZ_41is3FCY-mt0NbvF0PmLUZSMBS7DXXtS_YDjNU_w-ygvaiWvwRpkPvHqgEuomIQlWyaRAPcc9hffj2gh65KJNJJh6ZUqYz7BCUbOgcyQsU/s1600/coffee+-+Copy+%25282%2529.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKGLdVf33nPnS9mqlrmDjMi7hhyTdyrCHZ_41is3FCY-mt0NbvF0PmLUZSMBS7DXXtS_YDjNU_w-ygvaiWvwRpkPvHqgEuomIQlWyaRAPcc9hffj2gh65KJNJJh6ZUqYz7BCUbOgcyQsU/s400/coffee+-+Copy+%25282%2529.jpeg" width="340" /></a></div>
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I've really downplayed the average conversation length and waiter's confusion.</div>
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And after all that, this is how it was served:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixjNAIHSv-vqL2aLZk1LFnclaWgMQBOMTX9iWp3xZaxBOfTZAjaKr-KS5kDhWutfcDx9xvwmoMTORPo0XDMPY1a55I4hZi5pISWAS4x0D0zmDzuvnuYcfwuIt1CEWN8MX5vIQ1pfyNn0I/s1600/espresso.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixjNAIHSv-vqL2aLZk1LFnclaWgMQBOMTX9iWp3xZaxBOfTZAjaKr-KS5kDhWutfcDx9xvwmoMTORPo0XDMPY1a55I4hZi5pISWAS4x0D0zmDzuvnuYcfwuIt1CEWN8MX5vIQ1pfyNn0I/s320/espresso.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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I always drank the milk separately. I mean, you may not want it in your coffee, but if they're giving you milk, you might as well drink it.</div>
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Maybe one of the reasons I don't have to deal with all that now is because I don't order coffee at a cafe/restaurant any more. I just buy ground beans and make it at home, as strong as I like. None of that milk, sugar, and whipped cream nonsense.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0zmj-SWhpeGpgKtHsHtLDgdhq3zpJs_RFKQZZjBCa5bQniNH2dPXWP4uNOEMB6E23xsIhQ9YaLRsqsquedfzBSukwtNAQTOHrKK_XHm5xuPcNZlpcfsp30469Kg_xujLjzXCvqDEzZjA/s1600/SWIRLACCINO.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0zmj-SWhpeGpgKtHsHtLDgdhq3zpJs_RFKQZZjBCa5bQniNH2dPXWP4uNOEMB6E23xsIhQ9YaLRsqsquedfzBSukwtNAQTOHrKK_XHm5xuPcNZlpcfsp30469Kg_xujLjzXCvqDEzZjA/s400/SWIRLACCINO.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Why I love Gilmore Girls Reason #2: They really get coffee.</div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">Contrary to what some of my friends may think, there's more than just one reason why I love GG.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxB_gp-HViQGlh8U_lAmakp2DGK4YLOj3SK8Xycc4HJpMlgGFTLYAd4HFWHsxlkxPw4BU9X7YIQC20LxxxHk8dvqHGBPSZ-bXY9aE0KUZg57HBvGGOOrq_j10MgfFSy2PXQpkHo2koP2I/s1600/Howtomakecoffee.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxB_gp-HViQGlh8U_lAmakp2DGK4YLOj3SK8Xycc4HJpMlgGFTLYAd4HFWHsxlkxPw4BU9X7YIQC20LxxxHk8dvqHGBPSZ-bXY9aE0KUZg57HBvGGOOrq_j10MgfFSy2PXQpkHo2koP2I/s320/Howtomakecoffee.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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They seem to be making something close enough in coffee shops. One of my friends showed me this new coffee that sounds delicious and apparently isn't sold in a large cup because it's so strong. <a href="http://www.simplemost.com/coffee-drink-strong-starbucks-wont-sell-venti/?utm_content=inf_10_3489_2&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=partner&utm_campaign=wildhair&tse_id=INF_7aea8a70873011e689578914ded99bd5" target="_blank">Look!</a></div>
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Now I do know a couple of people who make good strong coffee, but I've come to accept that when most people say "strong", it's usually what I'd categorize as weaker than average.<br />
So when I have coffee made by someone else, it's pretty awkward when they ask me how it is. Sometimes I get away with a cheerful "it's coffee!" and a huge smile (before gulping it down so I don't have to suffer through it too long). But there are some who just have to keep asking.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHmBScWA50_zQFjHIUxOOGfzMeU8t8AlagHQbhA9nMKlmNRMEfUck6Zw6y9gj14QG2cy_6cnDHRiLLCpQJASywXjMreDSeJbG_nu0KxDg17uoriwmA6BrkmqlFnz7XPCwwD-L0kj3Lx14/s1600/Stronger.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHmBScWA50_zQFjHIUxOOGfzMeU8t8AlagHQbhA9nMKlmNRMEfUck6Zw6y9gj14QG2cy_6cnDHRiLLCpQJASywXjMreDSeJbG_nu0KxDg17uoriwmA6BrkmqlFnz7XPCwwD-L0kj3Lx14/s640/Stronger.png" width="315" /></a></div>
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*People must either think I'm bluffing or not understand how strong decoction can be</div>
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Then I watch their eyes grow wider in horror as I keep saying "maybe just a little more" until I stop because I don't want them to have a heart attack. And of course my coffee is still only almost-average strength.<br />
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Here's a relatively recent instance when I was particularly frustrated but couldn't say anything because this lady was so sweet:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKqhzcY46c1yrcFMabYj5IpFzsdolS8olw6-fD1_V_Fi5gdUz4ls3fmRyzSgz2jK8sgR6ZnyPNhqm9F4VPS4ThCOHW8Agnw3aJQbjldae3xRkcOoo6KH6LR7Zp7CuOK3zJRprrMFTp1m4/s1600/CR1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKqhzcY46c1yrcFMabYj5IpFzsdolS8olw6-fD1_V_Fi5gdUz4ls3fmRyzSgz2jK8sgR6ZnyPNhqm9F4VPS4ThCOHW8Agnw3aJQbjldae3xRkcOoo6KH6LR7Zp7CuOK3zJRprrMFTp1m4/s320/CR1.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfP-AEsPr72CMUrV0YWIn4Q_ZJohJ5JCPvhK4IIemfPHT6NRFta0BknUVrbj1QXy_fRxLUXsZhz0R-xdtFW4Xy17i9qqs3Pnh6k17k5ZSDyEv9XW6c6kQWsUnUTgHV5yJ34sbywubqQRM/s1600/CR2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfP-AEsPr72CMUrV0YWIn4Q_ZJohJ5JCPvhK4IIemfPHT6NRFta0BknUVrbj1QXy_fRxLUXsZhz0R-xdtFW4Xy17i9qqs3Pnh6k17k5ZSDyEv9XW6c6kQWsUnUTgHV5yJ34sbywubqQRM/s400/CR2.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXoYO0PmjSeLQkPSMoI8pX6MaYoLy_PQYdsykf_WWvXboPyMeqEc_J3KtiVGLpAgVA8m9-p6CbSl2Pg-nWddWm15dRe-HbPxyTjQRiu3STGhJ1plZRkP_J1pFm1Ygdha3eMkDv0BwssD0/s1600/CR3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXoYO0PmjSeLQkPSMoI8pX6MaYoLy_PQYdsykf_WWvXboPyMeqEc_J3KtiVGLpAgVA8m9-p6CbSl2Pg-nWddWm15dRe-HbPxyTjQRiu3STGhJ1plZRkP_J1pFm1Ygdha3eMkDv0BwssD0/s320/CR3.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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She then added the decoction with a tiny coffee spoon, so after a few spoons, I had to say</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxgA6ptpXAUSEPMNo2abruxDFy_UEeJ7hJlEG2XmfaV_xwe5XuyhSoEOseq3FOPJFDz2W8u17abiBiOU8lydN_pPJqg5Mv01JYVeoMfI3-cKZWMoAqdRQvWKCRgSkc_7LfUCeEebl8HEw/s1600/CR4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxgA6ptpXAUSEPMNo2abruxDFy_UEeJ7hJlEG2XmfaV_xwe5XuyhSoEOseq3FOPJFDz2W8u17abiBiOU8lydN_pPJqg5Mv01JYVeoMfI3-cKZWMoAqdRQvWKCRgSkc_7LfUCeEebl8HEw/s320/CR4.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
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when what I really wanted to say was:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA8XEff7QgXcZgriBMPjzk7hmKba7mSTZ4VkalBqOHsJxfCCzQ2YL_mj2dtCIXi9hLh1vsspa9YRAfo7kRrPFbGbPMkVb9h5aqbBOHhP5LI1B6ZVwDVyDO1VzUGvzLe_00KsNdrRh69Ag/s1600/CR5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA8XEff7QgXcZgriBMPjzk7hmKba7mSTZ4VkalBqOHsJxfCCzQ2YL_mj2dtCIXi9hLh1vsspa9YRAfo7kRrPFbGbPMkVb9h5aqbBOHhP5LI1B6ZVwDVyDO1VzUGvzLe_00KsNdrRh69Ag/s400/CR5.jpeg" width="326" /></a></div>
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And lastly, here are some words of wisdom from a 7-year-old student of mine: "If you drink coffee, then your brain goes mad". She's not entirely wrong.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPdYoRyY2cgPHvSY9_qcRGkt3KlfCpNAg5tfySa7tNNHJPyEyUfNxHMxpy9beDaBVvwWG5c7HMTcdR8jCpBkPciI-upF_f_5Eo8119_PCle2J3joqQ-XwG_wmES-6VSOIUu6C_xPgY9EQ/s1600/coffee.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPdYoRyY2cgPHvSY9_qcRGkt3KlfCpNAg5tfySa7tNNHJPyEyUfNxHMxpy9beDaBVvwWG5c7HMTcdR8jCpBkPciI-upF_f_5Eo8119_PCle2J3joqQ-XwG_wmES-6VSOIUu6C_xPgY9EQ/s400/coffee.png" width="333" /></a></div>
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Tea is for calm. Coffee is for crazy.</div>
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P.S. - <span style="text-align: center;">Why I love Gilmore Girls: Reason #1, in case you're wondering:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpNjDuj9aJW2y8J8EQNn5n2k2NfPx6z0e9pN8h_Ioa645R9Dmg5f44ptoZSipqtq4kEnYaOWBeCChjzqnmmW8czqUemWKhZwf7yoQ9ogcY5ixYnZWsM8AR-9QwFN-LR95gL_yJxsd_ssE/s1600/Jess+-+Copy.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpNjDuj9aJW2y8J8EQNn5n2k2NfPx6z0e9pN8h_Ioa645R9Dmg5f44ptoZSipqtq4kEnYaOWBeCChjzqnmmW8czqUemWKhZwf7yoQ9ogcY5ixYnZWsM8AR-9QwFN-LR95gL_yJxsd_ssE/s400/Jess+-+Copy.png" width="355" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://images.fanpop.com/images/image_uploads/Milo-In-Gilmore-Girls-milo-ventimiglia-778836_363_400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://images.fanpop.com/images/image_uploads/Milo-In-Gilmore-Girls-milo-ventimiglia-778836_363_400.jpg" height="400" width="362" /></a></div>
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"Really? You seriously thought you could write about Gilmore Girls without mentioning me?"</div>
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<a href="http://p1.pichost.me/i/3/1255585.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://p1.pichost.me/i/3/1255585.jpg" height="400" width="322" /></a></div>
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"I dare you to try again."</div>
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Fine, whatever. Milo Ventimiglia is awesome. I've not even watched any of the GG episodes he isn't in. And yes, he's a lot older now and looks different, but he's still hot. In fact, I'm about to go watch him on Ellen's show in a few minutes, so bye!</div>
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Holy Mackerelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02730371190312162258noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7632682645832156877.post-9205854526740514402016-09-29T21:09:00.004+05:302017-05-18T15:33:10.964+05:30Stupid Sayings<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Sometimes we say things without thinking about them simply because they've been said several times before. Luckily, once in a while, we realize that just because a phrase is used commonly doesn't mean it's true. Here are some examples:<br />
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<b>> What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.</b><br />
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Counter explanation from Modern Family's Manny:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNQ4BroM8-AB2d3KFzDls-LCshVZ3XtJl2coJMyppISybAg3Bx7aqv9k1YpUkbczErN_tOzKd1f3HKZ5lWUQ1v5keVfw3ug1PAdoVmToSJOwgEDKDx2LLZkLkLOfCe0k8R6FmbMO0nfrI/s1600/MannyTruthBeTold.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNQ4BroM8-AB2d3KFzDls-LCshVZ3XtJl2coJMyppISybAg3Bx7aqv9k1YpUkbczErN_tOzKd1f3HKZ5lWUQ1v5keVfw3ug1PAdoVmToSJOwgEDKDx2LLZkLkLOfCe0k8R6FmbMO0nfrI/s400/MannyTruthBeTold.png" width="392" /></a></div>
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Thanks, Manny! Sorry, Kelly Clarkson. I like that song, but it isn't true most of the time.<br />
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<b>> The road to hell is paved with good intentions...</b><br />
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...making it just like the road to heaven, yes?<br />
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<b>> Your day will go the way the corners of your mouth turn</b><br />
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Ideally, yes, but we don't live in Utopian conditions. Wait, scratch that. I just realized that this also implies that if, say, you're crying, your day will continue to be crappy. That's mean.<br />
It's much more likely that your day will depend on whether or not you had coffee in the morning.<br />
For example, you can't not be happy (or happi<b>er</b>, if you started off sad) on a regular day when you have this:<br />
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<a href="https://metrouk2.files.wordpress.com/2016/05/coffee-in-a-cone.jpg?w=748&h=520&crop=1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://metrouk2.files.wordpress.com/2016/05/coffee-in-a-cone.jpg?w=748&h=520&crop=1" width="400" /></a></div>
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I've been seeing many similar pictures lately. Dying to get hold of one of these!</div>
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<b>> If you love something, let it go. If it comes back to you, its yours forever. If it doesn’t, then it was never meant to be.</b><br />
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Reality check: nothing is really yours. Nothing at all. Think about that.</div>
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<u><br /></u><b>> Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.</b><br />
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Rebuttal:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmRA-7qZya-GUB7q8eMhiTUnXcoj9UqYMr2PxWt0rQOQeOIqBGr_6TU7U2Y_rg0UDszeWJ40iXQaEAqXaMMmfUgVPOgrr6_FIKu2bnh55yBwrpkjns3I7WDE_h9rjCYPhOOzUBJBjtMoE/s1600/Guac.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmRA-7qZya-GUB7q8eMhiTUnXcoj9UqYMr2PxWt0rQOQeOIqBGr_6TU7U2Y_rg0UDszeWJ40iXQaEAqXaMMmfUgVPOgrr6_FIKu2bnh55yBwrpkjns3I7WDE_h9rjCYPhOOzUBJBjtMoE/s400/Guac.jpeg" width="315" /></a></div>
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And a great fruit salad at that. Case closed.</div>
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<b>> He who laughs last laughs longest</b><br />
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Or maybe it seems that way because he started after everyone else. Literally taken, it's logical enough, but the implied meaning seems off. He who laughs last probably just takes longer to understand the joke. This is one of those sayings that ought to be taken at face value. And speaking of face value...<br />
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<b>> Beauty is skin deep.</b><br />
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I could say a lot about this, but Roald Dahl and Quentin Blake say it best:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw2tkpSdUOkEwiDxYftmMyEx_QHYqpspcxCIyMkDNU6yEwC1E5fXn3Tflv36597cWcWdZK2_aEuENQPKWRMZxhPiWG81724BNI1VqiskT07eXvEP_-xQPfhe3W5v7DHNBnb5O-MgOZJrg/s1600/DahlTwits.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw2tkpSdUOkEwiDxYftmMyEx_QHYqpspcxCIyMkDNU6yEwC1E5fXn3Tflv36597cWcWdZK2_aEuENQPKWRMZxhPiWG81724BNI1VqiskT07eXvEP_-xQPfhe3W5v7DHNBnb5O-MgOZJrg/s1600/DahlTwits.jpg" /></a></div>
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Seriously, this will never stop being relevant. It's something we ought to think about every day.<br />
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<b>> A rose by any other name would smell just as sweet.</b><br />
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It should, but I doubt it would. When I was little, mom sometimes spruced up leftover rice with vegetables and things, and a "risotto" or a "kedgeree" definitely tasted a lot better than, say, "leftovers" or even "fried rice".<br />
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So maybe a rose by any other name would <b>be </b>just as sweet-smelling. But would it actually <b>smell </b>just as sweet? Probably not.<br />
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<b>> Roses are red, violets are blue, etc.</b><br />
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Who made up this silly rhyme? And more importantly, why is it popular across so many generations? Besides, aren't violets called violets because they're violet? Blue-ish, maybe, but not blue.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw-03DUiRk98i_2JfHF66xsVvskrRU6BKTJ806-OXot9J4_nnNQruYWUNGllhuA2RphUF_0QcEfcsCHQxecJ7t1KdDQYOjLpZuHR20gbcNvEinR72yWU_4e6BrcQvDfUVAeqipFJYecwQ/s1600/Roses.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw-03DUiRk98i_2JfHF66xsVvskrRU6BKTJ806-OXot9J4_nnNQruYWUNGllhuA2RphUF_0QcEfcsCHQxecJ7t1KdDQYOjLpZuHR20gbcNvEinR72yWU_4e6BrcQvDfUVAeqipFJYecwQ/s400/Roses.png" width="333" /></a></div>
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Hope I've covered all the rose colours.</div>
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This is fun. I'm already getting carried away thinking of more stupid sayings I can point out flaws in. Going to dissect a few more very soon.</div>
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Holy Mackerelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02730371190312162258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7632682645832156877.post-62292119241188759072016-07-17T17:39:00.000+05:302016-07-17T17:58:37.736+05:30Video Games<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Of all the things I've ever tried to do, there's probably nothing I'm worse at than playing video games. I'm so bad at it that trying to play something is rather discouraging. It's also annoying to other people if it's a multiplayer game. The one time I <strike>played</strike> tried to play Halo, all I did was accidentally fall to my death several times before giving up.<br />
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However, I've found certain games I don't suck at too much. Right now it's Two Dots which works well for me because I only play until my lives run out (= a few minutes every day) and don't bother playing more than once a day. Also, it's clean, simple, and challenging. My mom saw me playing it once and has since been the closest thing you can be to addicted without actually playing.<br />
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So how do I decide whether or not I want to play a video game? Simple, really:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIN06sQV38j_XqIVYyuKBoHFyLqttXioYQNxHyEdik8fcEa9LowEWy3F21rWq8PEMVIu3xtKsC62OowcVtmeJHMyCc8soel_H-6t4PUbW7yGpq-1NH9X-sa2H5vceadPHU6Di4yO6Oey4/s1600/VideoGames01.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIN06sQV38j_XqIVYyuKBoHFyLqttXioYQNxHyEdik8fcEa9LowEWy3F21rWq8PEMVIu3xtKsC62OowcVtmeJHMyCc8soel_H-6t4PUbW7yGpq-1NH9X-sa2H5vceadPHU6Di4yO6Oey4/s400/VideoGames01.png" width="282" /></a></div>
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There's no way I can write about video games now without mentioning Pokemon Go. This was my reaction when I heard about it:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEDTMgmVnGcdSnfD5LyyVC6d2vS99ri96kibEUYZvTxksYVrqn1B3MbX8d-tDqZU-OpUQuNuWYC5HBrqveOTrE7lHmuGgeQrRCq_-us5bw3DqYeTlrSCXqQT0NMOI_0yYN86nXlIYcYjQ/s1600/VideoGames02.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEDTMgmVnGcdSnfD5LyyVC6d2vS99ri96kibEUYZvTxksYVrqn1B3MbX8d-tDqZU-OpUQuNuWYC5HBrqveOTrE7lHmuGgeQrRCq_-us5bw3DqYeTlrSCXqQT0NMOI_0yYN86nXlIYcYjQ/s320/VideoGames02.png" width="265" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3AEIwkcH58uMAC_rnysa0fCOf-n9pRiKNdO00iNxW7Wm_ZT81lqYaxZBvS-4d0fols982oluC-dK_13EqcE_MpMyXSocvOt4mMKHdqp00NoTr6b1XeoC8fdZVRdwtS9mNI3-swAvATR0/s1600/VideoGames03.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3AEIwkcH58uMAC_rnysa0fCOf-n9pRiKNdO00iNxW7Wm_ZT81lqYaxZBvS-4d0fols982oluC-dK_13EqcE_MpMyXSocvOt4mMKHdqp00NoTr6b1XeoC8fdZVRdwtS9mNI3-swAvATR0/s320/VideoGames03.png" width="291" /></a></div>
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I don't blame video games as much as people's lack of self-control for bizarre stuff they do for these games, but this is the most absurd VG-induced accident I've ever read about: "On Thursday two men in San Diego fell off a cliff after they climbed over a fence in an attempt to catch the animated characters." Really, guys?<br />
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You know what should become an augmented reality game? Temple Run. While most people complain about the roads in Bangalore, I like to make the most of it by pretending I'm in a game: swerve to avoid people and vehicles, jump over the potholes and loose pavement tiles, duck to avoid hanging wires, and so on. This city is already an obstacle course for pedestrians. Augmented reality Temple Run would work really well here. We'd learn to be careful on the roads while having fun, and we'd lose so much weight. Oh, and it could also be time-bound so we don't use vehicles and contribute to traffic jams to go to places that are within walking distance. And maybe with more people out walking, they'd be forced to fix our pavements.<br />
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Well, one can dream. Even if that never happens, I'll still have my obstacle courses and imagination.<br />
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Holy Mackerelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02730371190312162258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7632682645832156877.post-35833438374315859542016-07-11T21:41:00.000+05:302016-07-11T21:41:00.102+05:30Coffee and Tea<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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There used to be a time when I couldn't tell the difference between tea and coffee. It was many years ago, but still rather inexcusable, especially for someone whose parents make tea everyday. I blame the ignorance partially on the way most places disguise both drinks with a lot of milk and sugar and partially on the fact that I was young and stupid.<br />
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I don't have a story about my first cup of coffee; in fact, I don't even remember when and where I began drinking it, but I'm certain it was milk coffee with sugar. Once I was somehow able to tell it apart from tea, it wasn't long before I looked upon it with reverence. I'd grown up drinking milk while the grown-ups drank tea (without milk and sugar, of course) so coffee was quite the novelty. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioGl4us1CmPfIBeltMTqRkYWDemj8tw4jbFcMTogS1nxIRuhNx9Sic6VThncv_HgXGmwi_SHVKkTqi-MZpyClWRKdshwcmzG0YBNkAfLTMjQcUiVyVUdtjZg6v4TxR0eJLYgba7LZnj14/s1600/scan1+-+Copy.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="406" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioGl4us1CmPfIBeltMTqRkYWDemj8tw4jbFcMTogS1nxIRuhNx9Sic6VThncv_HgXGmwi_SHVKkTqi-MZpyClWRKdshwcmzG0YBNkAfLTMjQcUiVyVUdtjZg6v4TxR0eJLYgba7LZnj14/s640/scan1+-+Copy.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Coffee became my drink of choice, transmogrifying from sweet and milky to bitter and black. It wasn't long before I'd completely turned my back on tea. However, things change. For a while, coffee was the most fascinating thing in the world. But then something happened - so sneakily that I didn't even realize at first (or maybe I just didn't want to believe it). It may have simply been a period of bad coffee, but my body seemed to be rejecting it, so I turned to tea who was just waiting to step in and save the day(s).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqqpZx6Sp-DqzsBUPqIfztNI8huz22poQ0eiCJ7yTpYjmvrm7NC6g2_ShYCV7Sg_7FUIj6hyphenhyphenjCTVXBXwcF9dpd1KyS9dl0MDAcvxs0VV-PfLZw1L33iynea1hoETcAQVhb_KFZXlFt9_c/s1600/scan2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqqpZx6Sp-DqzsBUPqIfztNI8huz22poQ0eiCJ7yTpYjmvrm7NC6g2_ShYCV7Sg_7FUIj6hyphenhyphenjCTVXBXwcF9dpd1KyS9dl0MDAcvxs0VV-PfLZw1L33iynea1hoETcAQVhb_KFZXlFt9_c/s640/scan2.jpeg" width="496" /></a></div>
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That revelation might have been the effect of all the coffee in my system. I had a friend tell me once that there was "too much blood in your caffeine system". However, I was convinced that my Assamese roots were taking over and punishing me for straying from my natural path, so I decided to make up for lost time.<br />
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I found I really enjoyed tea. So much that I didn't even miss coffee for a while. Oh, and all you people hating on green tea must know this: green tea is NOT what you get in those awful tea bags people use because they're trying to lose weight. In fact, I'm not sure those have tea in them at all. I suspect it's tea-scented sawdust. Anyway, it's just tasteless marketing.<br />
Green tea is beautiful, and drinking it is a sublime experience. Try it. Can't guarantee you'll love it, especially if you're a sweet milk tea person, but I can promise it's fragrant and flavourful and not hate-worthy at all.<br />
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Most people are firm about their identities as tea drinkers or coffee drinkers, and both sides will try to convince you that their drink is undoubtedly better. If we're talking sweet and milky, I'm Switzerland - neutral because I dislike both. But if it's just a general coffee versus tea debate, I'll most likely side with the minority to balance it out a little.<br />
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Truth is, I need both. Strong coffee in the morning, light tea through the rest of the day. If I seem more excited at the mention of coffee, it's only because finding coffee the way I like it seems much easier here than finding good tea.<br />
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Coffee is infatuation. Tea is love. Both are wonderful.<br />
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Holy Mackerelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02730371190312162258noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7632682645832156877.post-75114744056994230552016-07-06T18:33:00.001+05:302016-07-06T18:33:14.621+05:30Water Colours<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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When I was little, I used to treat water colours like poster colours. As a result, I never quite appreciated them because they always felt like a weaker substitute for poster colours. But with increased exposure over the years, I know now that they are absolutely splendid if you know how to work with them.<br />
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The thing is, it's really hard. Blending colours on paper can be tricky. They dry quickly, so you have to work fast. You need to possess a very strong understanding of light and colour. There's a method to it: light shades first, darker shades later. One at a time. But quickly.<br />
And if you mess something up, there's almost no way you can fix it except to start all over again.<br />
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Through the years, I've been struggling to make a half-decent water colour painting, and my latest attempt was a few weeks ago. I walked into the art room in school, and there was this lovely bunch of leaves in a pot in the centre of the room.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiUESTsH-Uo0iUFTZKulutdOlKsTYv7Fc1pZTDf1qx-ctqoREBOm-bwjQOhDczGJCFkwQ-gYTPN98d3wiNgiuJOrdai1w-uyRXXxJQPjEdkd4goN2j81x-oQYEBcJ_5_WjpGZayS6bzfU/s1600/DSCN0079.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiUESTsH-Uo0iUFTZKulutdOlKsTYv7Fc1pZTDf1qx-ctqoREBOm-bwjQOhDczGJCFkwQ-gYTPN98d3wiNgiuJOrdai1w-uyRXXxJQPjEdkd4goN2j81x-oQYEBcJ_5_WjpGZayS6bzfU/s400/DSCN0079.JPG" width="295" /></a></div>
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Those black smudges are supposed to be sparkly fairy dust. Or just sparkly dust. I mention that because they suddenly seem a little like flies.</div>
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It was very exciting, and it seemed like the perfect opportunity to take another shot at a water colour painting.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHfl7mAXKWNH6VWFnTQaGkCu0BkKDq6JVeWIEMq18AUeACIA4z_c2d9LYNdu_xWVsYVFH0ya3QBFofjTT8YWrPteEECrsvUNLorJT-BJkqJpxHL6YS5fhTv3DINL8xDRMI4B4fr4ZLuD4/s1600/DSCN0080.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHfl7mAXKWNH6VWFnTQaGkCu0BkKDq6JVeWIEMq18AUeACIA4z_c2d9LYNdu_xWVsYVFH0ya3QBFofjTT8YWrPteEECrsvUNLorJT-BJkqJpxHL6YS5fhTv3DINL8xDRMI4B4fr4ZLuD4/s400/DSCN0080.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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But it wasn't to be. I sat there for what seemed like a really long time, trying to find a way to do justice to all the beautiful light on those leaves.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjg-6f-88rZPRnMrZecmwJWm64eJfHNo-GMWcpb5v_n1c7S2cB0jfC7alkrDzGcAQpWtyjb8vhrLZJTiZ1HxcJNvBywAq0Z3NTK7XJW2QuhUXfMOce37i__OEEZkc4d14mgr9-PfA19XE/s1600/DSCN0081.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjg-6f-88rZPRnMrZecmwJWm64eJfHNo-GMWcpb5v_n1c7S2cB0jfC7alkrDzGcAQpWtyjb8vhrLZJTiZ1HxcJNvBywAq0Z3NTK7XJW2QuhUXfMOce37i__OEEZkc4d14mgr9-PfA19XE/s400/DSCN0081.JPG" width="306" /></a></div>
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And a few failed attempts later...</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWTUr2QuQcoi6EFcFkUTG8GHIn0h5x3h4HV8bbAvuubOD9uKncYs3GiznXWUW3lZczcLOpxFddQUkka4oEg7MJIe690_YdrjRAxlUXtsZtDOrnaFSc3bIoQmtrdJPugJS_UX6o0n1ylgE/s1600/DSCN0082.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWTUr2QuQcoi6EFcFkUTG8GHIn0h5x3h4HV8bbAvuubOD9uKncYs3GiznXWUW3lZczcLOpxFddQUkka4oEg7MJIe690_YdrjRAxlUXtsZtDOrnaFSc3bIoQmtrdJPugJS_UX6o0n1ylgE/s400/DSCN0082.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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So yeah, it's going to be a while before I can produce something reasonably satisfactory in watercolour. Until then, pens and doodles it is. Oh, and oil pastels. I'm really loving those lately.</div>
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Holy Mackerelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02730371190312162258noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7632682645832156877.post-13245893276560197622016-06-06T21:39:00.000+05:302016-07-07T00:21:37.123+05:30Why Twitter Doesn't Suck<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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A few years ago, I'd put up <a href="http://oholymackerel.blogspot.in/2011/07/why-i-dislike-twitter-or-why-twitter.html">a post about how much I disliked Twitter</a>. For those of you who won't read it, which I'm assuming is most of you, especially now that I'm giving you this shortcut, these were my main reasons for the anti-Twitter rampage:<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>It was difficult to use and also sort of pointless.</li>
<li>It showed me lots of random posts by people doing mundane stuff. </li>
<li>It didn't allow for adequate expression due to the character limit, which in turn resulted in people tweeting multiple times an hour, which again leads to my previous point. </li>
<li>Every time I replied to someone, it showed up as a new tweet.</li>
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After trying it out for a while, I decided it wasn't for me and simply stopped using it.<br />
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Then, over these summer holidays, I watched Heroes for the first time (yes, I'm many years behind on lots of TV shows. I only just started watching Buffy recently, after finishing Heroes). I loved the show and wanted to find out where else I could see Milo Ventimiglia and Zachary Quinto. I figured I could also follow them on facebook, but Milo doesn't seem to have a facebook page (although there is a fan page with at least a couple of creepily obsessive fans).<br />
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After a few moments of perplexity over what to do next, I remembered this little thing called Twitter, and it turned out that he was on it. So I decided to give the site another chance, and I'm glad I did.<br />
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Ventimiglia tweets often enough to keep things interesting but not so much that it gets annoying.<br />
Also, get this: <u>he actually replies</u>! Especially when he's on a flight, apparently. There was this one time he was my entire news feed because he was replying to tweets for about 5 hours straight. Not that any of his followers were complaining, I'm sure. I mean, seriously, replying to so many people instead of taking a nap or something - how very nice of him!<br />
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<b>Stephen Amell and Neil Gaiman also use Twitter</b><br />
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We all know Neil Gaiman's got a wonderful way with words. His tweets are funny and entertaining, and since he's Gaiman, even when you see promotional tweets, you're not thinking "Oh god, stop!" Instead, you're probably thanking him for gracing you with information like where you can get signed copies of his books and so on.<br />
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Stephen Amell is someone I started following on facebook after watching Arrow, and while I didn't expect him to be exactly like the character he plays, I was pleasantly surprised to discover how funny he is. Recently, I saw that he posts more often on Twitter. One more reason for me to not give up on this site.<br />
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<b>The 140 character limit is actually rather fun</b><br />
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Of all the annoying traits Twitter possesses, this one was initially at the top of my list. However, with all the precis writing in school and flash fiction in college, I decided I was more than capable of turning it into a sort of challenge.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVjDWfgrqnvhsj104BNu7PjZ1g9RIv4t-HTxAvEXMEewz9wTjR1jfD0iy0Y77bAzEGqoRVzsUT3W2cvaV0_28L5WxuKxXLuDpsDjIoipxsqBPftPQTyDoSE0fuySnYqFVPIHIff7xNpnQ/s1600/FirstVersions_Twitter-founders.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVjDWfgrqnvhsj104BNu7PjZ1g9RIv4t-HTxAvEXMEewz9wTjR1jfD0iy0Y77bAzEGqoRVzsUT3W2cvaV0_28L5WxuKxXLuDpsDjIoipxsqBPftPQTyDoSE0fuySnYqFVPIHIff7xNpnQ/s1600/FirstVersions_Twitter-founders.png" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/d5/b9/2e/d5b92eaaf8712c78966fd71c8cc7a83b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/d5/b9/2e/d5b92eaaf8712c78966fd71c8cc7a83b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Oh wait, to Barney, the challenge would have been to use more than 140 characters. Hmm, I really didn't think that one through. Ah, whatever. Those pictures are staying right there.<br />
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This reminds me of how funny NPH's first few tweets were. Before he understood the character limit, sentences would just stop abruptly, often mid-word, if I remember right. I'd like to put up screenshots, but there's no way I'm scrolling to the very beginning of his page (especially with my aggravatingly slow internet).<br />
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Coming back to what I was saying before the NPH distraction, I swore to always use exactly 140 characters to make the most of every post. Even if I really didn't need to. I discovered it was fun and not so hard to do. Also, when I'd done it the first few times, no one seemed to care, and for a while I'd slipped into using fewer characters than I could (gasp!)<br />
But then I reminded myself that no one really cares what you do on twitter most of the time unless you're famous, and that there <b>was </b>one person who cared about sticking it to the character limit: me.<br />
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I've learnt that a 140 character tweet is called a twoosh. And that's the last time I'm using that word because it sounds incredibly stupid. Way stupider than "tweet".<br />
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<b>Quick scrolling</b><br />
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Since there's a character limit, even though people tweet often, posts are really short. This means you can quickly scroll down without wasting time on uninteresting things. I don't follow too many people, so a few seconds of scrolling shows me the entire day's new tweets.<br />
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<b>#Hashtags</b><br />
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Some hashtags are pretty crazy, and it's a lot of fun to see the different wacky things people have to say about them. #foodafilm and #dressamovie were a couple I really liked. Okay, they were the only ones I bothered to look at, but the point is, they were fun.<br />
That being said, some people really need to stop using hashtags with every other word. Unless it's in a parody like the one with Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/57dzaMaouXA/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/57dzaMaouXA?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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#funnyvideo #LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL</div>
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So, those are all the reasons why, although my problems with Twitter haven't disappeared and are still quite valid, I've reversed my general opinion of the site. I rather like it now.</div>
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Also, did I mention that Milo Ventimiglia uses Twitter and replies to lots of messages?<br />
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Holy Mackerelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02730371190312162258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7632682645832156877.post-31431955800522249742016-05-28T02:00:00.000+05:302016-06-17T00:43:11.387+05:30Fear Itself<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Fear rules us all. It
controls our lives. Sometimes it's in big, significant ways but more
often, it's in the little routines and habits we've internalized to a
point where we don't even realize how scared we are. Fear of being
caught for doing something, fear of the consequences of not doing something, fears based
on variables you can control... and those you can't.</div>
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People may say it's all
in the mind, but it can also take on tangible forms. (I mean actual
things, not the messed up stuff you see in horror movies). And what's
the scariest and most omnipotent of them all? </div>
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If you're thinking
spiders, you're wrong (unless you have arachnophobia, in which case I
totally empathize because I'm on a similar track). </div>
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It's cockroaches.
Particularly flying cockroaches.</div>
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The ones that can't fly
are not terrifying to me any more. Over the years, I've learnt to
suck it up and smack the damn hellspawn with a shoe. But if they can fly, that's a completely different story. It's a horrifying nightmare
straight out of hell. Nay, more like pure hell itself. Here's a comparison to show just how bad it is:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0cfonFu7upegqICrzdWpQVhl5oFqkKahLwtfWciWabqJkIaWob60DtcjFB6s2KJhjSOHiPG05G0lvDqpNLFXHYUPosWoH5bYDXDEN6eC7Rq_l-j1yKhi0Per_fHYkUSlQkXiKBc9vLjc/s1600/Roaches+smaller.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0cfonFu7upegqICrzdWpQVhl5oFqkKahLwtfWciWabqJkIaWob60DtcjFB6s2KJhjSOHiPG05G0lvDqpNLFXHYUPosWoH5bYDXDEN6eC7Rq_l-j1yKhi0Per_fHYkUSlQkXiKBc9vLjc/s1600/Roaches+smaller.jpg" /></a></div>
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Just like some people
don't cry when they're sad because they think it makes them look
weak, I try to be as brave as possible when faced by a flying
cockroach. I may not scream (too loudly) when I see one. This is mostly because I'm worried that people will call me a baby. And that
I'll then hit them for teasing me about a very real fear (but not
before they've killed the cockroach for me, obviously).</div>
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P.S. I may or may not
believe everything in the Bible, but I totally blame Noah for this. </div>
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Holy Mackerelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02730371190312162258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7632682645832156877.post-20459928581408474532016-05-22T17:11:00.000+05:302016-05-22T17:11:06.717+05:30Jungle Book Fever<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Watched The Jungle Book a couple of days ago and have been in fangirl mode ever since. Here's a TJB-inspired picture I made. Hopefully there'll be more soon.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7OwCq_iJBWvTlMtNLvUsQwqymsL6hnJW2pDsZAygonQnFD5tYfYOujELgBHVUOFPRhWhE59I3aHUy4thBXlLCvLHvYRl_BO-nhVfr43nbpT7jjb9gLtroiH8D9zg90mdHYTU7FX8zTyw/s1600/_UC18006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7OwCq_iJBWvTlMtNLvUsQwqymsL6hnJW2pDsZAygonQnFD5tYfYOujELgBHVUOFPRhWhE59I3aHUy4thBXlLCvLHvYRl_BO-nhVfr43nbpT7jjb9gLtroiH8D9zg90mdHYTU7FX8zTyw/s640/_UC18006.jpg" width="569" /></a></div>
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Also, Happy Earth Day!</div>
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UPDATE: It's been a month since I said I'd draw some more pictures, so here are a few I made today.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwOjHNwjZRwGddGNqRWlqciWtWQ8Vd5YNS6hiBwM0aRnLup7usgASoquJ2VQrFwqdkoL8v7x_rR3v_8kJ9iuYiFMekOZNqzxsXFaV7jsWd8ZaJyLdLGOMYCoBKYGo5uEiSDuLOs4uQ2D8/s1600/DSC_6771.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwOjHNwjZRwGddGNqRWlqciWtWQ8Vd5YNS6hiBwM0aRnLup7usgASoquJ2VQrFwqdkoL8v7x_rR3v_8kJ9iuYiFMekOZNqzxsXFaV7jsWd8ZaJyLdLGOMYCoBKYGo5uEiSDuLOs4uQ2D8/s640/DSC_6771.JPG" width="473" /></a></div>
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I'd had a very specific image of Kaa in my head for a long time. Unfortunately, when I tried to transfer that onto paper, it looked nothing like what I'd imagined.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLOZsoWX9xVTcCPk6ef4MX5UM7bhvePbWB5myEzhdwni40OWEHj23nqtOTjlsKCRMgbCl-ccjKlna_M2P2DTFCMmxX64WgtIfqGKeEjRTESsAi3iml38V-tRcqd5uSnBtBQkFO6CY_V0I/s1600/DSC_6795.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLOZsoWX9xVTcCPk6ef4MX5UM7bhvePbWB5myEzhdwni40OWEHj23nqtOTjlsKCRMgbCl-ccjKlna_M2P2DTFCMmxX64WgtIfqGKeEjRTESsAi3iml38V-tRcqd5uSnBtBQkFO6CY_V0I/s400/DSC_6795.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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I tried making a picture on my computer too (thank you, Clipart leaves and trees) but to my greatest dismay, both my attempts have ended up looking like they were drawn by 10 year olds. In fact, 10 year old me has made nicer pictures. But I absolutely deserve points for trying.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCsS7AMIqYkkEokrUu6SFa5oJYSDEWwGkl799CIszLgsL3fAEFyvFEwsutT3U4SutVPCA-wpuQ7_Pl7tordmf0ti_OWVDhyxMv6C649PiEELLxdo8rXqkLXG5ogxAPikmBT_BjE7G_m1M/s1600/Kaa.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCsS7AMIqYkkEokrUu6SFa5oJYSDEWwGkl799CIszLgsL3fAEFyvFEwsutT3U4SutVPCA-wpuQ7_Pl7tordmf0ti_OWVDhyxMv6C649PiEELLxdo8rXqkLXG5ogxAPikmBT_BjE7G_m1M/s400/Kaa.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI6B8bXnYkF4l0jYIMNiccgvsfZD2Yqzf7PlagrMmNGpFNp4idcrJDg7ki4V67C-6yNVw6OSqi568QdEdcKFM5krUF6GSY0znTzbVFEpK0YyCHLKW-obXEIU6CAeE5YLd-iEsrvT-17PI/s1600/DSC_6794.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI6B8bXnYkF4l0jYIMNiccgvsfZD2Yqzf7PlagrMmNGpFNp4idcrJDg7ki4V67C-6yNVw6OSqi568QdEdcKFM5krUF6GSY0znTzbVFEpK0YyCHLKW-obXEIU6CAeE5YLd-iEsrvT-17PI/s640/DSC_6794.JPG" width="452" /></a></div>
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Shere Khan. And the whole fire thing, you know.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQlQ9z5qm-fAVCx4rNrSrJXuNNhjdeRonnJfUGsENg0HOw11KqoGcgeuQrzmRS9o3zHudnaBKb1M4hQ-nMhgdQOFW94VHNSsMGXrDHO5EDvPfqAakwQnjpL3qO8FFBx_KDY6UOmbbTyP0/s1600/DSC_6792.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQlQ9z5qm-fAVCx4rNrSrJXuNNhjdeRonnJfUGsENg0HOw11KqoGcgeuQrzmRS9o3zHudnaBKb1M4hQ-nMhgdQOFW94VHNSsMGXrDHO5EDvPfqAakwQnjpL3qO8FFBx_KDY6UOmbbTyP0/s640/DSC_6792.JPG" width="500" /></a></div>
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And a brighter picture of the first one I drew.</div>
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I also wanted to draw Baloo and Bagheera, but after what happened with Kaa, I don't really feel like it right now. I might try some other time, though.<br />
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Holy Mackerelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02730371190312162258noreply@blogger.com2