Forgive the unimaginative title of this article and just be sure to read the whole thing:
How a Bookmaker and a Whiz Kid Took On an Extortionist – and Won
DDoS – It’s like a valley full of bandits and their armed slave captives wildly firing small arms at heavily armored airship transports passing above, but today is Friday the 13th and not Crappy Analogy Day, so I will quit now while I’m ahead.
Ugly Association
I hereby dub these ugly-ass stock Alfa rims the “S&W Chief Specials.”
Warning Signs
Here’s a couple of interesting signs I found on the trip:
This is actually the best “slippery when wet” warning illustration I have ever seen. Seen outside a public restroom at a highway rest stop on the way to Mahasarakham.
Likewise, this is the best “Caution: Falling Durian” illustration I’ve ever seen. I came upon this sign in the middle of the jungle at the backside of a roadside fruit stand/cafe. Awesome.
Balance of Powers
To offset previous linkage to the Dark Darth Side, I hereby offer the musings of a certain L. Skywalker: I Miss Biggs
Even better than “scientific purposes”
It would logically follow that residents of Chiba Prefecture can look forward to cheap all-you-can-eat yakiniku this weekend.
The Ruins at Buri Ram
On the return trip from Nam’s hometown of Mahasarakham to Bangkok, we made our first stop at Buri Ram (the “City of Happiness”). It’s located in a quiet province which was an important district of the Khmer empire during the Angkor period, and contains numerous Khmer ruins. There are three of four very well-preserved Khmer temples, and we visited one at the Phanom Rung Sanctuary. It was built during the 12th century and is set on top of Phanom Rung Hill. According to the pamphlets I picked up at the museum, the sanctuary is dedicated to the God Shiva and symbolizes Mount Kailasa, the heavenly abode of Shiva.
Unfortunately, we did not make a full tour of the ruins and limited our excursion to an hour because it was ridiculously hot that day; the air was dead still and my brain went into meltdown. As such, I didn’t take any serious photos, which is good, because I suck at those anyway. Here are a few shots I took with one hand on the camera, and the other wiping sweat from my brow (click on photos to enlarge):
Nam taking a break on an ancient Khmer windowsill.
Taro kicking it on an ancient Khmer stoop.
That’s me practicing ninja jumps over ancient Khmer walls.
Me and my baby… in front of ancient Khmer ruins.
The Downside of Turing
All I was trying to do was sign up for a Yahoo Group… Can someone please tell me what code is hidden in this capcha? I’m all for anti-spam countermeasures, but this is ridiculous.
Request: Test my comments
An old friend left a comment on the post I left right before going on vacation. That’s my homegirl, Molly, who can be forgiven for living among the Cheese Nips (my affectionate and uber-PC nickname for Japanese-French friends) in Bordeaux for so long mainly because she kicks so much ass… Anyhow, I’m corresponding with her via e-mail now, and she mentioned that she couldn’t post the word “ass” in my comments.
I assume that something in her comment got caught in the blacklist I use to keep spammers from filling my comments with “EXXXPLODE HER W1TH YOUR PURPLE-WARR10R’S BEST FR13ND, V1AL1S” type of shit, but I don’t think it was due to the word “ass,” as she claims. Here’s where my request to you, loyal readers, comes in: PLEASE TRY POSTING OBSCENITIES IN THE COMMENTS OF THIS POST.
I’m guessing this may not be so hard for some of you. I myself will be posting a song to kick things off in a “slightly more interesting than average guttermouth” sort of way, but feel free to soil my online home with whatever dirtiness digs your fancy. If your comment happens to be rejected by my filter, please send it in full to me via e-mail (jATcosmicbuddhaDOTcom). OK? Peace; thx in advance. NOW FUCKING GET TO IT!
“Have chronic diarrhea? You may be a Jedi.”
And now for our first break from post-vacation vacationblogging, with the most hilarious rant I have seen in a galaxy far, far away:
I hates Lucas! I hates it forever!
It’s funny because it’s true, which also makes it sad… Like I said, a truly excellent rant.
*Warning: Contains spoilers of the new movie!
Disposable Lighters
The following has been transcribed from a crumpled paper napkin that I found the pocket of my jeans when doing laundry from the trip:
Disposable plastic lighters pass from hand to hand, borrowed, stolen, sometimes even purchased. You might think that you can tell a lot about a man from the color and type of disposable lighter he buys. For instance, the piezoelectric “clicker” type lighting action could very well be more appealing to lazy people than the old-school flint roller-type mechanism. Also, transparent plastic construction might be more suited for control freaks than solid colors since butane levels are always visible.
However, even though a red plastic Mini-Bic may very well indicate a proclivity for raunchy anal sex with French sailors, it may just be all that the liquor store had on the counter.
What was I doing at the time? People-watching in a musty cafe filled with disgusting Europeans (and by disgusting, I mean sweaty, hairy female underarm disgusting) and unbelievably obnoxious Americans. I couldn’t help but sneer a bit. Ah… it was truly an awesome trip. I simply refuse to accept that I am sitting at my desk at work again… That should get me through today, at least.