Maybe you should just get a sign that says " TOURIST "

DSC06574, originally uploaded by dumplingrrl.

We're heading up to Chiang Mai for a few days since the Mr. will be in town for some business. Don't you love the hat Mari picked out for the occasion? Oh, ok ok. It's a dorky hat that looks so adorably dorky on her, and we picked it out, not her poor thing. Anyways, it'll be my first time traveling with her and I'm a bit nervous but I'm also excited to be seeing the Mr, again after he's been away for over 2 months.

Hey Mr. we miss you!!

Mother tongue.

I've begun to notice that my ability to read or write Thai is slowly deteriorating. It may be because I use written Thai so little in my everyday life. It's pretty strange to think that I might be losing my own language. I can speak it just fine but if I read I feel like I have to try a bit harder to understand than I would if it were in English.

Thai was my first language but when I was 6-7 I moved to NY for 4 years and subsequently forgot almost everything. I had to re-learn it when we moved back, I was about 11 then. It's a really hard language to learn because it's a tonal language and I had a very hard time training my ears to here the tones again. And don't even get me started on the god damn spelling! We have letters that are actually silent. Then why the hell do we put them there!? Because it's always been there. (And that says a whole lot about how the education system treats outdated things here.)

Yeesh. Just thinking about how hard it was to learn it the second time round is going to scare me enough to brush up on my skills.

Your little white face is my moon.

Mari laughed for the first time yesterday. A really loud 'Huh huh huh'sound. It was just wonderful. I will tell you, there is no sound in the world like a baby's first laugh, I can't describe it and I am just so lucky to have heard it. She was quite surprised by the sound herself and looked quite bewildered for a second or so.

This is now one of my favourite memories.

All this AND I cook!

I'm soo tired. I saw something on the news the other day about a Japanese man who died from over-work. Well, now I know the Mr. isn't the only Japanese work-a-holic. If I suddenly disappear you all can be sure that I had a heart attack from trying to match his pace.

When that happens please have a nap in my memory.

Behind the wheels.

It turns out moving a whole vehicle isn't so hard. I still can't believe how easy it is to move a whole car. I mean, it's sort of like the driving dreams I used to have where I feel like I'm moving the car by sheer force of will :S Anyway, I got in to the driver's seat and my friend K sat clutching the hand brakes while I drove in circles round a vacant lot v e r y s l o o o w l y y y. . . And a few old men sat watching from next to the parking lot no doubt betting on when the chic will drive right in to the nearby garbage pile or one of the HUGE moving trucks parked nearby.

I was forbidden from stepping on the accelerater.

Hm.... All in all, twas pretty much fun.

Gotta go feed the munchkin. Good night all.

Mari doesn't like you.

DSC06448, originally uploaded by dumplingrrl.

I just love her mushy little face on this one. The Mr. has requested that I update more often. Yes, honey. Sorry for slacking off :P I've been thinking about trying to post more anyway..

Random stuff that's been going on:

-I'm about to learn how to drive. Up until now I didn't think I needed to drive, but getting around Thailand by taxi pisses me the fuck off. So I guess I better learn to do it myself. (as always)

-Some kids think it's fun to light firecrackers around our house to get our dog to bark. And ring our doorbell constantly. They're just kids but are really annoying and it makes me feel petty and mean for hating on them. I know I should be a kinder/better person now that I'm a mom, but I'm not. I want to hunt them down and punch their oily little pre-teen faces in.

-Mari on the other hand, is just melting my heart. She's almost 6 kilos now. She always wakes up in the best little mood. She'll smile and laugh. But she insists on staying on my arms all. day. long. Mom says I've throughly spoilt her. Oh well, she'll be a baby for only such a short while. I don't mind holding her at all. It all seems to go by so fast, she's already trying to turn over on her own!

I'd write more, but I gotta save something for my next post, eh?