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Friday, 18 December 2009

  • Currently
    2009, Year of Us : 3rd Mini Album [Digipack] [S.M. Entertainment] [Korea 2009]
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    A Look Back, as well as some goals.

    My first semester as in University is finished!
    Wow. It has been a bumpy ride. I'm still trying to find that balance between work and play. After exams (last one finished this Wednesday!) my brain felt as though it had been put through a blender, then thrown in front of a herd of elephants and trampled beyond recognition.

    Haha, don't get me wrong, I loved it. It was great being able to study things I had an interest in (rather than Math, Science etc.). However, I think I may have pushed myself a little to hard from the beginning which resulted in me feeling extremely exhausted by the end. It did help me realize what sort of things I enjoy, rather than loathe. For example:

    What I Enjoyed:
    • Chinese was amazing. Small class, friendly teacher, lots of chance to practice. I have grown quite fond of the language.
    • The reading material for University English. Not my professor so much, but the books were amazing. I highly recommend "Cereus Blooms at Night."

    Loathed Entirely:
    • I will not be continuing in Linguistics. (At least not enough to minor in it. I'll take a few more courses.) The field was not exactly what I expected it to be.
    • I had no luck rekindling my love of Japanese (the one I lost in Thailand). I aced the class, it makes complete sense, but it doesn't make me happy. So I won't be continuing in it (at least not now).
    • Symbolic Logic is the antichrist. 

    So as a result of all this. I've changed my major to solely Chinese rather than a combined major in Chinese and Japanese. I have changed my minor to Human Geography instead of Linguistics. This will probably change about a million times before I finish, but I like having some sort of an idea of what I am working towards. I have also decided to take up Korean. For now it is just self study, if I have room I will enroll next year.

    Goals for the coming year:

    1. Get my Chinese to a basic conversational level. Use my Mandarin speaking friends as a resource. Learn some slang! Get my tones right. Vastly increase my vocabulary through digital flashcards and Chinesepod.com.
    2. PRACTICE THAI. I have forgotten so much, even though I talk to Sun so often. I need to focus on tones (I've gotten lazy) and proper spelling. I also need to start specializing if I ever want to become a translator. I want to be able to power through newspaper articles and keep up with Newscasts by the end of the year.
    3. No huge goals for Korean, it's going to be kept as my FUN language. I want to be able to read Hangul comfortably, not for understanding - more for pronunciation. Learn how to use a Korean dictionary functionally.
    4. Start my study resources early so I don't end up cramming for exams! I will bring my laptop every day and make flashcards during the lecture.
    5. FORCE MYSELF TO HAVE A SOCIAL LIFE.
    6. Practice writing! My grammar needs to be at a University/Professional level and I need to develop my own style of writing. Businesses won't hire me as a translator if I don't even have a good command of my native language!
    7. Be a better boyfriend and friend. I need to start worrying about others feelings, rather than just my own. 
    8. Get involved in a club or something.
    9. GET A NEW DAMN JOB.
    PS. I'm running with the torch on January 22nd everyone! Edgewater BC, 9:00AM!

Thursday, 09 July 2009

  • New Beginnings : Quick Look at Week One

    Alright.

    So it looks like my "NEW BLOG UPDATE DAILY + PICTURES!" idea is not going to work. The "internet connection" at Sun's apartment works in 30 second intervals for a period of fifteen minutes before giving up and dying completely. I finally resorted to an internet cafe (which is where I'm updating you from now). I'm currently sitting at what may be the oldest computer I've ever seen in my life. The keyboard is yellowed and the letters are barely visible. Sun said there was a 10 baht/hour place near his apartment - but Chiang Mai is a mazelike city and I have trouble finding anything besides Tapae Gate and Wat Prasing. I forgot my phone and the map Sun lent me at the apartment.. so.. this place will have to do. It's only 30/h not too horrible.

    I've decided that all I can really do for now is give you a summary of what I've done so far. When I get a more stable connection and a little more free time I'll backtrack and give some details along with photos.

    I arrived in Bangkok at around 10:30PM on July 1st. After customs and baggage claim chaos I finally met up with Pivra at around 11:30PM. We left the airport and proceeded to his car. Initially I had planned on spending the night at a hotel in BKK but we decided it would be more fun to drive around the city until 6:00AM when I would then buy a train ticket to Chiang Mai. I'll give full detail later - but the night basically consisted of:

    • My first 200 Baht being spent bribing a police officer after Pivra ran a red light (HILLARIOUS)
    • Being stopped at a police checkpoint and being asked to exit the vehicle (I maintained composure but was mortified. I had no idea what was happening and thought that we'd done something wrong. Hahaha)
    • My first meal in Thailand being McDonalds. HAHAHHA
    • Lots of Spanish Music
    • Really strong coffee at Foodland along with a hilltribe cigar made of leaves
    • Scoffing at drunken foreigners and Amy Winehouse lookalikes
    • Getting completely lost in the maze of Bangkok Soi's and swearing at the Rama (is it #9?) Bridge

    All in all it was a beautiful night. Strangest arrival ever - but so hillarious.

    After my escapade in Bangkok I then hopped onto a train to Chiang Mai. I sat beside a nice woman from Prae who was very interested in me - and would probably have asked me to marry her and take her to Canada until she found out that I was a mere child of only 19. The train ride was really horrible. After my 20+ hour journey from Canada, 12 more hours on a train was not appreciated by my back and behind. To top it all off - the train stopped only two cities away from Chiang Mai and then began travelling BACKWARDS.

    "Sorry everyone, there seems to have been an accident further ahead - we are taking you back to Lampang where you will then catch a bus to Chiang Mai."

    This added an extra 4 hours. What a party.
    (If I am sounding bitter - I am NOT AT ALL. I find my entire first week quite hysterical.)

    Okay. So. Long journey - but I finally made it to Chiang Mai. Sun and I were quiet and awkward for the first few hours but we eventually got comfortable with seeing each other face to face again.

    Quick update of my first week:

    • Went to a parade for "Kaopansah" Buddhist Holiday in which the monks enter the temple for a period of three months.
    • Travelled to Doi Suthep and Bubhing Palace
    • Went up North to Chiang Rai and Mae Sai to visit Sun's family
    • Gave merit at a temple on Doi Dtoong

    Pictures and stories to come soon!
    Wish me luck.
    TO ALL MY EX-EXCHANGE FRIENDS - I WISH YOU WERE HERE!
    SEE YOU SOON BRITT AND JESSICA!


Friday, 03 July 2009

  • Currently
    Modal Soul
    By Nujabes
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    New Beginnings : Departures Cont.

    It’s 5:19AM and I’m sitting in front of gate 64 in Edmonton International Airport. While I am significantly less nervous about the logistics of this trip - I am still quite anxious about seeing all my old friends again. Alex Chu works wonders on my nerves though, and I plan on listening to him until my laptop battery dies.

        Customs was no problem. However I didn’t realize that the route to the screening area was directly behind the check-in desk - so goodbyes with my family were quite brief. (A quick wave was all I could do). So now I wait. A near 20 hour trip to Bangkok - including time spent in airports - followed by a 12 hour train ride to Chiang Mai… I’m hoping my excitement is enough to get me through the long hours ahead.

        I suppose I’ll read a book or something now. Not much to write about yet!


        **

        So it’s about 17 hours later and I’m now in Tokyo Narita International Airport. The flight wasn’t too bad - but now that I’ve been through the whole air travel thing a few times - the novelty is slowly wearing off. The in flight entertainment wasn’t very good - and I slept through dinner. My lower back feels like it has been kicked in. I am still kind of sleepy. I’m hoping I’ll be able to stay awake in Bangkok until 8:30AM when I catch my train.

    I did meet a nice woman from California on my flight to Tokyo though. She is also heading to Thailand. She's keeping me company while we wait for our next flight.

     

        I have about an hour and a half before my flight to Bangkok boards. I decided to swap Alex Chu for Nujabes, I felt that it better suited the mood (it is Japan after all!). It’s nice and cloudy outside - just like it was in Hong Kong on my first trip to Thailand. I wish I did have more time in Japan though, I would have loved to leave the airport and wander around - even if only for a few hours. While I do love Thailand - I never completely lost my interest in Japan (even though I did lose most of the language.)

        There is a group of Thai teenagers buzzing around the terminal. It’s nice to hear the language in real life once again. Conversations with Sun have been pretty much my only way of keeping my Thai Language skills up.



Tuesday, 30 June 2009

  • Currently
    Kafka on the Shore
    By Haruki Murakami
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    New Beginnings #1 : Departures

    Get ready for some more interesting blog entries over the next two months!
    I leave for Thailand tomorrow morning at  6:35AM. It's nice to see how much I've changed from last years departure. Last year I was probably more nervous than I've ever been, unable to sleep or sit still for the entire day before my departure. Now, I'm sitting calmly in my bedroom - double checking things are packed, Lula's "เวลาจะช่วยอะไร" playing softly in the background - extremely excited for what is in store for me upon arrival.

    I arrive in BKK at around midnight - and rather that wasting money on a hotel room which will be used for only a few hours - my good friend Pivra has offered to drive me around the city until I catch my train to Chiang Mai at 8:30 in the morning. I'll make sure to get some good pictures!

    I attended a Rotary meeting this evening. It was another bittersweet occasion, as Rotary gatherings usually are. I received a ton of good wishes and pats on the back. However,  it was unfortunately also Scarlett's - the inbound student from France - last meeting tonight. She returns to her home country on Friday. She gave a great goodbye presentation and managed to keep herself from getting too hysterical. Seeing her mix of emotions only brings back memories of my exchange year. I hope my return to Thailand served as a reminder to everyone in my club of just how much of an impact this program has on the lives of those who are a part of it. I hope it also shows Scarlett that returning to Canada is not impossible! (We are all looking forward to seeing her again.)

    Anyways. I better finish off packing, and maybe get an hour or two of sleep!
    I'll update again once I arrive.

    Wish me luck!

Saturday, 20 June 2009

  • 10 days.

    It's 1:00AM and I got off an 8 hour shift a little while ago, yet something is keeping me awake.
    I'm too thinky to sleep right now.
    Thinkity Thinkity.

    So, High school is finished - at least in terms of classes (two exams left!)
    I'm looking forward to starting my future as an adult! While some feel completely overwhelmed at the idea of grade school ending - I am ready to move on. The puzzle pieces of my future have slowly been falling into place over the last few months. I know what I want to study, and the direction I want to go in terms of a career. I know the types of people I want in my life, and also those I don't. I have goals set as well. It's a nice feeling. I'm quite excited.

    My recent trip to visit best friend - Alexa Dolsky - was an eye opening one. Vancouver just so happens to be one of those missing pieces. Regardless of whether or not I decide to transfer to UBC during University - I will be moving to Vancouver after my studies have finished. No questions. It's a beautiful city - like Bangkok without a layer of grime on everything. There are countless career opportunities for me there - whether it be as a translator, or as a flight attendant at their airport. It has the perfect balance between nature and city - so it appeals to my likes, as well as Sunnykungjimbobs. I will end up in Thailand at some point, but Vancouver seems to be just the place I was looking for in terms of that "transition from 'sortof adult' to 'mature man'"

    Ah, I am liking life at the moment. Let us just hope my plane doesn't explode like that French one did.
    I return to Edmonton with four days to get back into the swing of things, and then I have University orientation. My friends assure me it is a colossal waste of time, but I'm extremely excited nonetheless. Free stuff, beer gardens, clubs to join. Sign me up!

    Okay, So to sum that all up. I have goals. I'm happy. Next order of business!

    THAILAND! I leave in 10 freaking days, how bizarre. I'm seeing Britt and Jessica again? WHAT? I can hardly register that. I'm so excited I can hardly form sentences. There are definetely some things I will do differently on this trip. Rather than ignoring my camera - I am going to take pictures of EVERY FREAKING THING I SEE. I want to have five million albums, as opposed to the five photos I shot my first time in Thailand. I'm going to make sure to write down contact information of my teachers, and keep it somewhere where it won't get lost! My poor Thai teachers must think I've forgotten about them. I'm also going to try and blog more often - I know I promise this often - but when I'm back in Thailand I'm sure I'll have much more to write about. I'm going to go for a walk EVERY night, even if it's alone. I want to soak in as much as I can. I'm going to eat at a different resturant every night and spend as little time in Siam Paragon/MBK/Central World as possible. I'm going to look up free concerts to go to! (SLUR, SCRUBB (MADDIE I MISS YOU!<3), TATTOO COLOUR, ETC.). I'm going to stock up on Thai Grammar books, as well as some dictionaries. I'M GOING TO LEARN SOME OF THE NORTHERN DIALECT - AND REMEMBER IT. I'm going to eat bugs, and frog at some point. I'll take advantage of every opportunity. I'll find some better souvenirs (hopefully be able to fit them in my tiny bags). I'm hitting up 7-11, TESCO EXPRESS, Kaosan Road. Playing the BUS GAME! Going to see AMA. . .

    There are plenty of more things I'm sure.

    Alright. Bedtime? I think so.


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Jamorn

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    • Name: Jon
    • Location: Krung Thep, Thailand
    • Birthday: 5/28/1990
    • Gender: Male
    • Member Since: 10/6/2007

About Me

  • Chinese Language and Literature Major at University of Alberta. Ex-exchange student (Rotary International 2007-2008 in BKK!)

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