Entries this day: Dao_=_Stella Massage Rak_Yen Zzzz_club_with_DJ

Dao = Stella

10:16am ICT Saturday 29 May 2010 (day 14675)

I just met Stella, whose Thai name is Dao, because dao in Thai means stella in French. She's from France, but has been away from France for a while, longer than I've been out of Texas.

She's also attending Sunshine Massage School, and asked if she can practice on me after breakfast. Showertime now and then we'll go to the school, where I've not been for over a week.

Massage

3:42pm ICT Saturday 29 May 2010 (day 14675)

Stella gave me a 2.75 hour massage. Great and lovely, with just a few suggestions I gave her during and afterward, over tea and reiki for her right ankle.

Rak Yen

3:44pm ICT Saturday 29 May 2010 (day 14675)

Rak Yen owns the vegetarian place that Christine and I enjoyed a few times during our class two+three weeks ago. I went in there today and chatted with Rak Yen, got her picture with Johnny, got her son's email address so I can send the pic, signed their guest book, and practiced reading a few Thai characters.

Zzzz club with DJ

2:30am ICT Sunday 30 May 2010 (day 14676)

DJ and I have chatted long conversations about programming, websites, cool news / tech items, etc. Tonight we went to get some foodage, and then he was like, "you wanna get a couple drinks?" so I figured hey, and we went. Walked to a place called 1991, which was desolate, but we sang a karaoke song, "Black Superman," a song about Muhammed Ali.

He was like, "this place is dead," so we headed to a place he had been before. We arrived and I recognized it as the place I had seen before and was like, "well, I ain't going there," but now there I was.

Our hostess brought us to three vinyl covered love seats arranged in a U shape around a coffee table, and facing a big TV on which karaoke/videos could be shown. DJ was like, "last time I was here, they brought out a line of girls, half of whom were wearing black dresses, and half of whom were wearing red dresses. The red dress girls would laugh and chat, but that's it, and the black dress girls were willing to do what you like."

They brought out about 12 girls/women from whom we could each choose a couch partner. DJ let me choose first, and I was like "eeeep!" but then figured hey, and was like, "who speaks English?" to our hostess and she asked them in Thai and I chose the one girl from the innocent side who raised her hand.

Language colonialism, true. Helping me feel a bit more comfortable in a totally uncomfortable situation, true.

I had chosen Tian, whose name includes these characters, เง, but I can't figure out how to get the chars I want. And I'm not totally sure I know which ones I want.

We sang lots of songs, drank lots of bevvies (I stayed with OJ and then cola), and enjoyed some paid platonic partying.

Tian jokingly said she was a ladyboy, the term used for transvestite, I think. I was like, "whatevs" cause she didn't have the voice, shape, or texture. When she kept saying it, I was like, well there goes your tip, cause it started spooking me out. I know its effect was all in my head, but still. Real enough for me.

We left after a couple hours; I paid 1000 baht, and DJ (who drank a lot more than me) paid 2600 baht. (*) He actually covered the whole thing when they brought the bill, and only when I asked how much it was he goes, "you can pay whatever it was worth to you; I know I drank a lot more than you, but you can pay just one baht if you want." Nice.

(*) Dat's like $108. Woulda cost way more than that in Japan, I'm sure. Not sure if I'll go out like that again, but maybe.