The store that knows my name

Well this is a sad sad blog on so many levels.  You can take the girl out of the mall, but you can't take the shopaholic out of the girl.  

So on days when I find myself really tired and I need to get out, but I don't want to get out, I just get on the #5 bus with my friendly bus driver and go for a ride.  Today was one of those such days.  I had taught school all day, did my plans for Monday and new I needed two things:  a nap and food.  A nap came first and thankfully due to five foreigner boys outside my window and their national friend playing war, there was no need for an alarm clock.  Plus the fact that their friend..Yuangyuang (sp) sounds like he is dying when he makes gun noises.  Seriously, I've never heard anything like it.  He is either dying of just trying to be like everyone else and hack up a loogie.??  Hmmm... 

So anyway, I'm napping when I'm awoken by the sound of boys playing war and one boy dying although it's oblivious to him.  So at this point I'm pretty hungry and here is where my ordeal always starts.  You have a couple of choices.  Scrounge through the fridge and cabinets for something, anything, which is basically nothing or go out and eat at a restaurant.  Now most of you at this point are thinking, seriously Whit, what's the big deal just go out.  Hmmmm easier said than done my friend.  First you've got to find a place that you know actually serves something you can eat.  Let's just say you don't want to try out a new place by yourself with no language and no means to ask or understand if what you are about to it is dog or pork. 

 So you muster up the courage to go out of your apartment, walk past a dozen or so people as they stare and point to finally get to one of three places in town you know is relatively safe.  Now you have another choice...oh the choices.  Order the one thing you know how to say; fried rice or point to something on your menu and go with a shot in the dark.  Sometimes this will turn out well and you think, "hmmm I need to put a star or a smiley by that one, that was pretty good." Other times you're thinking, "cross that one off, what was that I just ate?"

So today I ate fried rice, just didn't have the courage to try a new dish tonight.  And then I made myself get on the #5 bus to try out some more culture and language.  With nowhere to specifically go I mean what's a girl to do.  Hmmm, "I know, I know pick me!"  SHOP!!!    

In the area of shopping, most things here are really quite disgusting.  There is ugly, then there's C ugly, and C ugliest.  Which will usually include neon orange or green, purple, ugly blues or occasionally a semi normal red paired with an ugly piece of furniture.  Trust me I've been to all the furniture stores!  There is this one little store called "Life Elements" and they have some really ugly lamps and furniture that look like grandma's lamp threw up; due to the massive amounts of lace, but then they have some semi normal/cute things.  So for this store I'm a sucker.  The sad part is that this little store in the middle of all these other stores knows my name.  No not my bus #5 name (Ting boo dong), my real name.  Which means one thing and one thing only....I've been in there too much. They know my name!  I'm probably one of their top customers and I've only lived here for a week or so.  So sad.  

So that's my story.  When I don't have anything to do, I'll end up on bus #5 and swing my the Life Elements store because I think oh, I'll just look.  Ya right.  You can take the girl away from the mall, but you can't take the shopaholic out of the girl.