Haven't heard from our good friend Taike since he moved to Laos to be with Nok, Mapanoy and the rest of their family.

Catch your breath (LOL) dude and give us an update.

Know little guy is "flyin' high" with Daddy home.

Wish I were there, too,


Russ (grandpa) Lay

Hi Russ,

We're all doing fine, thank you.

What joy it is being around Mapanoy. He's a handful but I wouldn't want it any other way. Is fluent in both Lao and English now.

Nok, Mapanoy and myself were invited to have lunch at Monk Noy's mother's. He asked me to forward his regards to you and Chas and wished both of you would've been there.

We had a long chat after Mapanoy and Nok went home. He has a big test coming up but feels secure that he'll do fine.

Nothing else going on. Well, the weather's great. Sunny ever day and it's only now that it's starting to get hot and humid. Another month and it'll be an oven again!

Oh, before I forget, Mapanoy celebrated his 4th birthday (Jan 20), followed by me (Jan 25 - a bit older but not wiser). January 25 also happened to be our 5th wedding anniversary.

Taike

ps: am i the only one that prefers the original lay-out of SZ?

Well the actual layout really hasn't changed that much. What color scheme did you decide to use?

Hey, buddy. If you go to the general arranger section, you can show "daDude" a 9 minute real-time bit of "grandpa". It's under a post from DonM asking for opinions about an "old Dude" (ME)!

He can have a good laugh!

So glad you guys are back together!


Russ

Taike, so good to hear from you and know that everything went smoothly with the move. I'll be in touch via this new private message deal (Ian and I have already had some nice exchanges this way and it's great - Nigel has provided a great facility for us). My regards to your family and to Monk Noy. I was waiting for you to get settled but I fully intend to renew our little arrangement. I'll be in touch. BTW, my artwork is framed and hangs with pride in my home. I'll send a picture, promise.

chas

I'm so pleased this new PM feature has worked out so well for you.

And it's always great to hear from you, Chas. I know I wouldn't be around weren't it for you, Russ, Bill and Ray.

I've met several times with Monk Noy. It's only a short walk to the temple and I pass there whenever I go to the local market.

While Monk Noy (and all other monks and novices) are allowed to visit their family (they're free to do so anytime they wish), they're not allowed to touch (hug) their mother, sister(s) or any other female family members. They also have to take their meals separately from the family, so while I was having lunch with his mother, uncle and brother-in-law in the yard, Monk Noy and a fellow monk were having theirs inside.

I learned something new during our talk. Monk's blankets have to be the color of their robes which is either orange or brownish golden. Interesting tidbit I didn't know about.

I'll send some pics of Monk Noy.

I'm tutoring a boy and a girl (siblings) and that's about it for now. They used to be my students during my previous stay in Laos. They've sure grown up a lot since.

When Mapanoy's in school I am usually in the yard burning stuff. I'm some kind of an arsonist, always burning stuff. Ha! Love it!

At 4pm, I ride my bike to Mapanoy's KG and pick him up. As soon as we get home I have to endure an hour or so of Thomas the Train Engine, answer the same questions over and over (Who made this? Do robots have eyes? Who said that? Are they people? Does Sabaidee (Lao greeting) have eyes? etc.) Hey, I'm not complaining! I'm loving it! To a degree...ahum!

Most days I ride my bicycle to Vientiane City and hang out at the Mekong where I watch what's going on in Thailand. Can't see much but that doesn't matter. Then I just pedal around and get to know the city. Doesn't take long as it's very small.

Good to know that you like the paintings and find them worthy enough to grace your walls. I think Russ has them in his office or studio. Can't quite recall where.

Chas, it's very kind of you to wish to keep on doing your great deed. Like Monk Noy said: "Your (you, Russ and I) contributions enable me to have an education and a future. It's a gift that can't be repaid other than by succeeding." The credit is all yours and Russ' even though I know that's not why you guys do it. Still, it means a lot to both Monk Noy, his mother, family and myself.

That Russ sure can play! You at the keys of your Red Baron and him picking his guitar has to be the perfect combination.

Settling in for me usually takes like 5 minutes, no matter where I am. Oh, and it's kinda nice to be greeted by other villagers (quite a few know me by name). It's something I missed while in Taiwan. Only problem is, Lao people LOVE to drink beer in GREAT quantities and I hate the stuff. Still, it's not nice to repeatedly turn their invitations down. I secretly wish the government raises the price of one lang (12 large bottles) from US$9 to US$90. I'll feel a lot safer then. I only enjoy the first sip as it's refreshing but the rest tastes horrible. That goes for all beers. Really, what's there to like about beer?

I'll sure make use of the private message deal.

Love your avatar! Give'em hell!

Taike

ps: Nigel, did some fiddling and all seems fine now. Still miss the red and green, though. It went so well with the decor.

Did you try the ubbthreads-sz color scheme? While it is not quite the same it is very much a similar type of color scheme which is why I created it.

Thanks, Nigel. That's more like it.
I had no idea that ubbthreads-sz was a color scheme. Shows you how computer literate I am. Does that mean I'm not a nerd?

Regards

Taike

Hi Taike, good to hear you are enjoying life with the family. I am sure they will have a laugh at that old geyser playing the geetar and trying to sing some of the great songs.
We are having all sorts of weather in Oz at the moment, recent floods north, south, west, biggest cyclone ever in size. Sydney has had 7 days over 30deg in the city and mostly 40deg where I am. Too hot for golf and anything else, but the aircon is working non-stop.
Also good to see you posting as I thought your earlier posts suggested that you would be taking leave from this "den of desperates".
See Ya !!

Ray

Hi Ray,

Russ' playing ability didn't surprise me one bit. Just had no idea he had a good voice as well. And we already know that Chas is a real good hummer.

Hey, you can always go for a swim. Ha! Ha! I have no idea how my aunt's faring down in Queensland. Probably floated to the Great Barrier Reef and ended up as shark fodder. Cruel me... but I've never even met the woman!

The humidity kicked in yesterday and it's only the beginning. But I don't complain because I get sunshine most of the year, trees stay green, flowers and butterflies (love them) all year round. Who needs four seasons when one's all you need!

Since I've left Taiwan, no more typhoons (called hurricanes in the Western Hemisphere) and most likely no more earthquakes. Didn't mind those tremors, though. I survived two major quakes. Something to boast to my grandkids about. Ha! Ha!

Once things get quiet in the Bar there's not much incentive for me to hang around. I mean, I know it's an arranger forum and all, but I'm more interested in talking about other stuff. One-topic conversations bore me as they're usually of a repetitious nature.

Have you moved into your new premises yet?

Taike

Hi Taike,
Yes, moved in on 10 Dec. and i've been busier than a three legged frog in a snake pit.
Making good progress with the things I need to do, and more time for golf soon, as it's right outside my back door, (literally).
Heat is bad enough but I cannot come to terms with humidity as I age, so I sit in the air-con house and try to improve my music skills or watch sport on TV and wait for autumn!!!!
See Ya.
By the way, what do all those letters and numbers mean?
Ray

Hi Ray,

It's called Pinyin: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinyin (saves me from having to explain it ).

The numbers (1-2-3-4) represent the tones:
http://people.wku.edu/shizhen.gao/Chinese101/pinyin/tones.htm
http://sina.echineselearning.com/english/chinese-four-tones.html

It's not as complicated as it sounds like. Of course, 30 years in Taiwan makes me say that although I've met countless expats who barely know two words after 10 years living on the island.

I'm currently trying to enroll in the Lao Language Course at the National University of Laos, commonly referred to as Dongdok. I may have to wait a bit as the semester has already started.

Taike