Bangkok // the reclining buddha

the reclining buddha is one of the most famous buddha images in Thailand. it is located inside of the Wat Pho temple complex, and included in the 100 baht [$3 US] admission fee. in fact, most people visit Wat Pho with the sole intention of viewing the reclining buddha.

the statue is HUGE [15 meters high and almost 50 meters long] and I had quite a difficult time getting a picture that would show you the entire statue but was not blocked by the many many tourists milling around us trying to do the same.

the statue is housed in a building that felt a little bit like a coffin to me. the tourists enter the door by the buddha's head and walk all the way around, getting a 360 view of the statue. there is not a lot of extra space, due to large crowds and plenty of shrines, donation buckets, and ornate decoration.

I tend to get a little claustrophobic when I am jammed into a busy and enclosed space, but I think it's definitely worth seeing if you are in the area. I mean, how often do you have the chance to see a golden statue nearly half a length of a football field?

fun fact: when you Google "reclining," the term "reclining buddha" comes up fifth after sofas, chairs, loveseats, and sectionals.

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weekly wishes #2

ok, kids. let's talk weekly wishes. and me looking awkward for the "selfie" photo theme. [or maybe we'll skip that last part.]

last week's wishes were: get outside every day, set up a weekly schedule, and unpack my last suitcase. I think I'm two and a half out of three... I made it outside every day, and three days even went running. saturday I was outside practically the entire day. check. the suitcase was unpacked, the closet was organized, and everything put away. double check. where I ran into problems was the whole schedule thing. I made a schedule. so there's half a check... but it's really a really general schedule. it kindof goes like this: do something you have to do, then do something you want to do. rest if you need it. repeat. I'm not sure if that counts as a schedule, but I've done well at keeping the balance so far and if it works I'll stick with it.

so for this week... my goals are pretty basic.

1. I want to finish and post a font download. I've been playing around with a few ideas lately. they're all just scribble-ish handwritten fonts, but hopefully you guys will enjoy them as much as the "skinny caps" font I posted last year.

2. organize the bookshelf in my office. or at least start. and hang up my 52 weeks project photos from the summer. they are definitely still sitting in a pile on my desk right now.

3. watch Hocus Pocus. because Halloween is this week. and Hocus Pocus is the best Halloween movie. ever. of all time. 

happy monday, and hope you all had a fantabulous weekend [I did!] 

xo

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life in Taiwan: strange but true

as I'm currently adjusting to culture shock: the sequel, I thought it would be fun to share a few of the things here in Taiwan that seem a little strange. every culture is unique [and that's a good thing!] but here's a bit of what makes my American brain think "that's... different."

Taiwan sells a billion flavors of Oreos. or, nine. which is close to a billion. to be honest I never checked the cookie aisle when I was in the states [thanks, gluten intolerance!] so maybe this is normal there too now. but it still seems strange to me. my childhood memories are of regular and double stuffed... blueberry ice cream Oreo just seems wrong.

your receipt is also a lottery ticket. not anything like mega millions or powerball, but still potentially $20 US. for the first few months we just threw them away without knowing, but now we try to tuck them in the charity donation bins we find all over. [and yes, we DO have Starbucks here. thank goodness.]

random theatre performances. I was driving home from running errands the other day and found this set up in the edge of the street. [and by found, I mean I almost drove into these people as I came around a curve.] according to a friend of a friend, these people are entertaining ghosts to keep them from being upset. they find music and theatre calming, apparently. there's a lot of construction going on around our school campus, and since it used to be a graveyard the ghosts are not happy they had to move. this definitely seems strange to me, but if it keeps the ghosts happy then I'm ok with it.

we have special flavors of Doritos. I haven't had a Dorito since college. but I'm pretty sure even now the US doesn't have flavors like American hot wings, American sausage and spicy grilled mix. [other common potato chip flavors in Taiwan are seaweed, roasted chicken, seafood platter, swiss cheese, butter, salsa, and lemon.]

things get lost in translation. many signs are in English as well as Chinese, but I don't think the translators always truly understand English. this is a billboard for a new high class apartment building. one that's really tall and has a great view, I would assume. but my American side was a little creeped when I first spotted this.

almost, but not quite. the stationary store has a HUGE selections of pens and markers [and a ton of other things] but they don't sell Sharpies. whyyyy? I had to import some back with me from the states. they sell imitation Sharpies here, of course, but if you are a Sharpie fan you know that nothing is like the real thing. [I will admit, however, that the stationary store is awesome and one of my favorite things about Taiwan. even if there are no Sharpies.]

and finally: cockroaches. they are just a fact of life here in Taiwan. you will have cockroaches in your house. it's only a matter of how often, how many, and how big.

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