Christmas is such a time of mixed feelings for me. At once I’m happy about spending lots of time with family, and giving gifts because I love to give gifts. But it can also be a downer because it reinforces how lonely I can feel and reminds me of the trail of failed relationships in my past. This year was no different than usual, really. So, I spent quite a bit of time alternating between feeling warm and happy and feeling nostalgic and depressed.

On the whole, it wasn’t a bad time though. I got some nice presents, including a brand new suitcase for my travels, and a Frommer’s guide to Thailand. Thank you Danie for the Zen garden and Yoda. :hug: I bought myself a nice present too. I just happened to be near a jewelery store that was going out of business, and they were selling off their watches. I bought this Seiko for 60% off. Those who know me know I have a fetish for cool watches, so this was a great chance for me to get a cheap upgrade. 😛

I spent plenty of time with Dad and my little sister Jadine, who is back from Vancouver for a week. It’s amazing how much more you appreciate someone’s time when you haven’t seen them for a while. It was cool to hang out with Jadine. I’m glad we’re both adults now and can interact on equal footing.

I also spent lots of time with Tan. He’s going to be in Thailand at the same time as me, and we should have a few weeks to hang out together. We’ll have cell phones while we’re there so I can travel separately, but still meet up with him throughout the month. It was sobering to think about the devastation to the region caused by tsunamis today. It’s also a bit scary to realize that if I was in Thailand right now, as was my original plan when I was thinking of my Thailand trip, there’s a good chance I’d be injured or even dead. But I’m determined to take it in stride. The trip is going to be so fun. I’m planning on getting my scuba certification while diving in coral reefs off the cost of some remote islands in the Andaman Sea. I’m also going to hike in the mountains in the northern regions and meet those people with the long, stretched necks. I also want to visit the countryside of the east. I’m going to ride motorcycles. 😀 I’ll probably also take some small trips out to Saigon in Vietnam, and possibly Hong Kong too. I’m going to photograph Buddhist temples at sunrise, and Bangkok at night.

I

am

so

stoked.

:bounce: