No A/C, 1 Meal for the Day & 18 hours of sleep

Song for the day : Switchfoot "Only Hope"

After a really traumatizing first day, I had a lot of time to reflect and think about a lot of things that is going on in my head. I think the heat is really causing me to be disoriented and unable to function. We don't have A/C and it is over 35 degrees here! I was lying down in my bed sprawled out on my back just starring up at the ceilling and I can feel sweat dripping all over my body. There really is no point to shower because as soon as you step out of the shower, your sweating. I guess the only point in taking a shower is to get rid of your smell. The other night Reena and I were at the computers checking our emails and I was like 'Dang what's that smell???? Then we came to a conclusion that it was me! I never thought I would smell so bad like this....EVER! I like to think the reason why I smelled bad was because I was straddling the scooter taxi man. He was all sweaty and his back was gross. As much as I would like to not touch him and straddle his back, I have to unless I want to fall off the scooter and die! Despite my nasty odour and our ill communication I was still able to receive a marriage proposal from Ong Bok 2. I said he should marry a Thai woman because there are so many pretty ones here and he said that the Thai women don't like Thai men!

Yesterday was a really chill and non productive day. We went to the mall around noon where Reena and I seperated. She had to meet up with Justin to discuss "business" so I went to explore the mall by myself. EVERYTHING is sooooo cheap. You can buy nice laptops for only $400. Really nice, small ones that you do not see in Canada. I wanted to buy one but the keyboard and the operating system was in Thai. They had a Dunkin Donuts and you can buy a donut and coffee for 49 Baht which is about $1.10 and I bought 3 scoops of gelatto for 79 baht...that was a bit of a splurge. A lot of the store clerks thought I was Thai so when they speak to me and I was like "HUH?!" they were like Your not Thai? and I said No. Many think I am Thai so Justin said it is a good thing because we blend in so we won't be prime targets for muggings. We do dress differently and our mannerism is different so they can tell we are not from around the area but as long as we don't talk too loud they won't bother us. I bought this cute Lacoste tshirt for $3 and Reena said it is fake. I thought it was real because they have the tags and everything but Reena claims they make the tags down to the T as well. If they are real they are most likely stolen.

Around 3pm we hooked up and ate at this restaurant where I decided to go all out! I ate Duck with rice and dim sum and 3 glasses of Orange Fanta. The meal was $2. It's a good thing we splurged because that was our one and only meal for the day. I knew it was cheap in Thailand but I didn't think it was THIS cheap. I guess there is an upside to this place. What I hate about going all out with food, is that I feel bad because I see so many poor people and little kids on the street. When I was sitting on a bench enjoying my gelatto, there was this little girl who was about 5 years old who was watching me eat. It made me feel guilty. Her clothes and face were dirty and she was sitting down watching her mother while she worked handing out flyers to people who rudely pushed the flyers away. I was like can't they just take the damn flyer and throw it out later? I noticed a mafia looking man across the street watching. I think maybe it is the woman's boss watching to see if she really is handing out the flyers to people. I wanted to drop some money beside the little girl, but I was thinking if I do, the maffia man might just take it from her. I wanted to go back in the mall and buy chocolate and a cold drink for the girl but I had to leave and meet up with Reena.

It started to rain like crazy and I freaked out because the rain was so strong that it made a really loud and thunderous sound, like someone breaking in! I never knew it could rain so hard like that. Supposedly it is monsoon season where rains are really heavy. Luckily for us we don't get hit as much and if we do it is only for a short time. I felt like running out to cool off but was too damn lazy to move. I decided to take a nap as soon as we got home around 4pm, as we were going to have a long night at the Market and Beach Road to befriend some hookers. For Reena's volunteer gig she has to try to befriend hookers so she can eventually get them off the streets.

My little nap turned into a really long sleep as I woke up around midnight to the sounds of our neighbor having sex with some Australian man. It's like we go to bed hearing it and wake up hearing it. Reena said in a way it is gross what these foreign men are doing but in a way it is good because they are providing money to the women to support their famillies. I know it is the way of life here in Pattaya and I guess it is quick and easy money, but I am still against it and think it is so wrong.

On Monday we may go to Chiang Rai for a few days to visit the slums and meet up with some of the poorest people in Thailand. It would be nice to see and help many of them there. It is 12 hours North of Pattaya by car/bus. It'll be my birthday so it'll be nice to actually give to others for a change rather than to receive! To all my bratty cousins...you should really think about that rather than always think of yourselves! I really do hope you come here one day....hopefully ASAP so you can appreciate all the things you have and what your parents do for you! I am still bothered by the time I was talking about how Christmas is now too commercial and all people think about are gifts, gifts and more gifts that we forget about the real meaning of Christmas and how it should be about celebrating the birth of Christ. You guys replied by saying it was all POOR PEOPLE TALK! I don't mean to sound preachy or mean but for real, you don't know how lucky you are.

So I have a little dilemma regarding Chiang Rai. It's like stay in Pattaya and be alone for my birthday in a snake free area or go to Chiang Rai with Reena, Justin and Ratahna and be face to face with my BIGGEST fear ever...SNAKES! I have a really bad phobia of snakes and worms. I am sure all who know me well can attest that my fear is beyond normal. My sister would have to give me piggy back rides to the bus stop up until we were in highschool because I was afraid of the worms on the street! I can't even go through the IKEA children's section alone because of those damn plush snakes. Just thinking about snakes give me the shivers and I feel short of breath! I should have gone to Hypnotherapy before coming here! So now I am not sure what to do. Being alone on my birthday would be rather depressing but the thought of being surrounded by snakes is making me panic right now! So with that all said and done, I think I am going to turn to my 30 cent ice cream to calm down.