Hiring: Travel Gnome

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So I got a new idea from a travel blogger... Most people have pictures of themselves taken with popular tourist landmarks as background --- and then, there's a small percentage of people who bring travel gnomes then take pictures of them with tourist landmarks as background. For those of you who love getting your pictures taken, this may be a weird idea. But for someone like me who's very uncomfortable being on the other side of a camera, it is simply brilliant.


The Travelling Gnome Prank started in the 1980s, take a garden gnome from someone's garden, take it to a trip and take pictures of it on tourist landmarks and  return it to the owner *with pictures.

L-R Kitty, Rhapsody and Croc

Now, I have no plans of stealing garden gnomes and anyway, I haven't seen any here in Vietnam. Some people use dolls, some people use makeup brushes and some people even use water dippers. I, on the other hand, will most probably go with the stuffed toy turned into travel gnome. After all, my little stuffed friends will probably enjoy camera time more than I ever did. Big question is, which one will it be? Not that I have a lot to choose from. I'm in Vietnam right now so here's what I have to work with. Actually, the ones on the first picture are out of the running, since they are too big to carry around for travelling, I just wanted to show them off. Haha. Anyway, second picture --- just popped Santa-cork in, he's not stuffed. Or maybe I should use Santa-cork because he can stand on his own? BBall Guy doesn't like being on camera (or looks it). Scrump and Stitch both have a nice color that'll probably look best on pictures. Hmmm... I guess I can try them out around Vung Tau and Saigon before I decide. Oh yeah, I have 2 beanie babies in one of my boxes at Thea's flat. I'll get them later and add their pics.

BBall Guy, Scrump, Santa-cork,Stitch

Read about travelling gnomes:
http://tinyurl.com/33tnur3
http://tinyurl.com/6pxlxu
http://tinyurl.com/2wzqm3f
http://tinyurl.com/6pxlxu



Here are pictures of travel gnomes that aren't gnomes...

A Not So Lazy Rainy Day

Lyn, my housemate, is celebrating her birthday today. I went out to buy cake for her this morning and it was a good thing, Dung, my other friend's Vietnamese boyfriend, accompanied me. You see, they usually layer their cakes with pineapple.... Pineapples taste good, but please, not on cake! He spoke with the girls at the bakeshops until we found two that had chocolate in it. One had orange frosting and the other had a thick layer of white frosting with a water buffalo on top. Dorky but I chose the one with the buffalo. Would've been stupid to avoid pineapple and go with orange frosting. :P

after candles were taken out

I went biking with Thea this afternoon. Talked for a bit over chocolate milk tea and kiwi milk tea (yeah weird, I know). Then we went around the city. It was nice to see the sights and relax while getting some exercise. It was raining a bit but it was fun. I miss my old bike, though. The handlebars on the one I have now is a bit lopsided so it's a b**ch to balance. On the upside, if I went biking everyday, my arm muscles would probably become more defined. Haha.

It's really pouring now... I usually think of rainy days as lazy days. But today-- even though I'm a bit tired from biking, I still want to go dancing tonight. It's been on my mind for days. I wonder if I can get them to go with me. I can go out alone but from previous experience, I'd rather not. People would always try to talk to me and they become more annoying when they find out I'm not Vietnamese. No fun at all. 

Oh well, we'll see. The night is still young after all.

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We didn't start eating till 920PM, and Tin, Thea and Lyn are supposed to be in school pretty early tomorrow morning. So... no dancing, will have to wait till Wednesday next week. Hmft. Anyway, had a lot of spaghetti, grilled squid and the cake wasn't that bad. It was chiffon layered with bits of chocolate and raisins with white frosting.

To Do: No Poo

Another "go green" idea.

I can't remember when it started but hair fall has been my problem for years. You'd think Chewbakka was around by the amount of hair you'd find lying around. There was a time that I was so scared of washing my hair or even touching it, for fear of losing even more hair. I've cut my hair, tried various shampoos and hair treatments, but it still hasn't gotten much better. So next thing is to go natural. Might as well shoot two birds with one stone. 

I've read that some people have junked shampoo and just rinse their hair with hot water. Others just use conditioner. I want to ease my hair into it by starting with one teaspoon of baking soda with one cup of water followed by an apple cider vinegar rinse (2 tablespoons in a cup of water).

Got the following from this site:

• Knead a few tablespoons of olive oil into your dry scalp and hair. Swathe your oiled-up curls with a shower cap and take a thirty minute breather... snooze, toss back a latte, whatever. Then just shampoo as usual to reveal a refurbished mane that even Fabio would envy.
• Every night, rub your scalp and massage your mane with a solution of 50/50 distilled white vinegar and water. This homemade "hair-product-residue-remover" leaves behind the glistening, polished locks you've always dreamed of.

Some tips:
• If your hair becomes frizzy, try using less baking soda or leaving it on for a shorter period of time. Adding honey may also help. 
• If your hair becomes greasy, try using less apple cider vinegar, switching to lemon or lime juice, leaving out the honey, and/or using a comb instead of a brush. Also, make sure you’re applying the apple cider vinegar just to the ends of your hair. 
• If your scalp itches, try the following essential oils; tea tree, lavender, rosemary. If your hair becomes dry, try a tiny bit of oil (any oil, I use olive) smoothed on bottom of hair.

Next thing to do is make a list of the stuff I need and hit the imported goods store... Will update later :D

My Fair Lady

Ladycup LOTOS

This is a picture of my menstrual cup with it's cotton baggie. After careful research and much deliberation, I took the plunge and ordered one from Ebay. I got it for $22 (USD), shipping to the Philippines included. I chose this particular brand because it's the smallest and squishiest. I used it for the first time this month. First time I tried it, it just wouldn't go in. I must have done all the folds I learned but it just wouldn't go in. So I left the bathroom, rested a bit and when I tried it again, voila, no trouble at all. It popped open without any prodding and only leaked a bit before I took it out. It wasn't that uncomfortable but I was annoyed by the stem so I cut a bit of it. I can't remember how long I left it in but the second time I used it, it got stuck in my vjj for hours. I was a bit worried but I read on the forum that sometimes it happens and the more I worry, the more stressed I'd be and I really wouldn't be able to take it out. Anyway, the second time it popped, it really hurt and I figured twice for my first time was enough. Boiled the cup and put it away. I think I only used 4 sanitary napkins for my whole cycle.... Still trying to gather courage to use a menstrual cup for the entirety of my next cycle. 

Maybe I should invest on cloth pads. 

P.S. I ordered some cloth pantyliners from Etsy for light days and backup for my menstrual cup. Really going to try to eliminate this disposable item from my list.

Throwing Away the Throwaway Lifestyle

I got into the concept of environmentalism when I was in college when I joined my school's environmental organization. There were some things that were easy for me to do but there were some that weren't. Until now, I'm still struggling with doing what needs doing without offending acquaintances or alienating friends and family.

In a little more than a month, I'll be living alone. Really alone, no housemates or friends around. I'm taking the time to inspect my lifestyle so I can be ready to make some changes. I want to escape from a throwaway lifestyle.

Step 1: Organize ALL my things. I've accumulated stuff and brought in a lot of things from home. I need to make sure that I'm not buying things I already have, or things I don't really need.

Step 2: Consider alternatives for disposable objects.
-menstrual cup and cloth pantiliners to replace sanitary napkins
-wet bags instead of ziploc bags
-reusable utensils and cups/mugs instead of plastic dinnerware
-recyclable toothbrush and razors
-cloth towels and wipes
-reusable bags instead of plastic bags

Step 3: Avoid creating trash.

Gotta be ready for the challenge. Wish me luck.

2008-2010

• February 2008 --> went to Vietnam, started working at NES (Natural English School)
• May 2008 --> from Thuy Van St., moved to 15 Tang
• late May - August 2008 --> substitute teacher at VT Kiddie Group
• December 2008 --> Christmas vacation in the Philippines,
• January 2009 --> went to Caramoan before going back to VN, holiday in Siem Reap, decided to come back to the Philippines
• February - April 2009 --> bum
• April 2009 --> packed my bags and went back to VN
• June 2009 --> N3 (NES kids branch) opening
• August 2009 --> Tito Joven died, emergency leave
• December 2009 --> first Christmas away from home, spent it with Gilda's family in Phnom Penh
• February 2010 --> 2-week trip to Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore with Ate
• April 2010 --> quit being manager of N3, became a part time teacher
• late June 2010 --> left for the Philippines for a much needed R&R, fix documents, etc.
• August 2010 --> back to Vietnam
• October 2010 --> CELTA at ILA Vietnam - HCM

...

Sometimes it amazes me how most everybody seems to be growing up and moving forward while I'm still stuck, stumbling and uncertain of what's next. A lot of my friends think I've got things figured out and because I don't have the responsibilities they do --- it means I'm doing what I want to be doing. But how do I do that when I don't even know what I want.

When I was back home in the Philippines, I got to talk with some friends and some of the stuff I heard scared me. My Neverland neighbor said that he's hanging on by a thread and might be growing up soon. Another said that he's with a job that pays the bills even though he doesn't really enjoy it anymore. More of my friends are getting married and/or having babies and sometimes I feel uncertain as to whether we're still on the same page. Some are contemplating making the big move abroad and living there for good. Yeah, I'm working abroad, but it's because it's convenient. While I'm here I can delay making the big decisions that need doing.

I like me. I like my life... being a little sister with the mentality of a little sister --- I can do what I want when I want to and if I don't know what to do I can run to someone ---- that kind of thinking. But until when can I do that?