19 Mar 10 The Idea of India being Whittled Away

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The Idea of India being Whittled Away

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19 Jan 10 Hello From Sicily – Goodbye Vulcano, Dolphins, Tunas, And Hello Milazzo

The days on this sailing trip are so compressed and amazingly full of diverse experiences: waking yesterday in beautiful Lipari, followed by a driving tour of this, the largest Eolian island. Then our journey continued to Vulcano, where we had an intense Italian lesson, followed by a nourishing on-board dinner and candlelit evening of soulful music, provided by two of our shipmates. There are hardly words to describe the intense sensations that one experiences on a trip so outside of the norm.

Today was going to be our last day at sea, time was passing just so quickly. We got an early start this morning at about 8:30 am, and using the dingy, our trusted skipper Francesco ferried us on land from our location in the bay in front of Porto di Levante. The plan was to hike up the mountain of Vulcano to the “Gran Cratere” (the Great Crater) to see an active volcanco up close.

After a brief morning granita, the crushed ice drink that I had gotten so fond of, we all gathered and started our ascent to Vulcano. We started to climb along a pathway covered by black volcanic sand that turned into a hard brown rock closer to the top. The total ascent took only about an hour and was not extremely strenuous. The view got progressively better the higher we climbed, and from the top of Vulcano, all of the seven Eolian Islands can be seen.

This was my first exposure to a volcanic crater. Although over the last 6 months I had visited two other volcanoes: Mount Teide on the Spanish island of Tenerife, and Mount Etna, during my current trip to Sicily, I had not seen the crater of either one of these volcanic mountains. Vulcano’s Gran Cratere is indeed an interesting sight: a perfectly round indentation with a higher wall on the south side, surrounding the crater like a natural amphitheatre. Sulphur fumes emanate from fissures in the yellow-orange rock. Warnings advise you to stay away from the noxious fumes. I just caught a whiff of a sulphur cloud and it was so strong it almost took my breath away.

One of our travel mates, our shirtless Catholic priest Lorenzo, trekked up all the way to the back wall of the crater and waved to us from a couple of hundred meters away. Tourists of all shapes and sizes were starting to congregate at the top of Vulcano and we enjoyed the view from the top for about 20 minutes. Of course the descent was much faster than the ascent, it only took us about 20 minutes to get back down into the village of Porto di Levante.

We arranged to meet for an Italian lesson just shortly after noon and had about half an hour to explore the waterfront around Porto di Levante. The main feature in the area is a big volcanic rock right next to some sulphurous mud baths that are supposed to have healing properties, particularly for ailments such as rheumatism and arthritis. For about 2.50 Euro you can get access to the mud baths, and for about 1 Euro more you’ll even get a chance to use the shower in this fenced off area. We saw various tourists frolicking in the rather foul-smelling mud while for me personally the smell was a bit too much.

While our colleagues Lorenzo and Herbert were going to have their lesson on the sailboat in another location, us three ladies were going to study Italian with our teacher Franco on the outdoor terrace of a bar overlooking another bay on the island of Vulcano. I have really started to get into this outdoor language learning experience provided by Laboratorio Linguistico. It’s relaxed, yet intense and effective. We spent a couple of hours forming conditional sentences and abstract nouns from common verbs and adjectives. Overall I mused that two weeks ago I spoke no Italian, I had only been reading an Italian grammar book for the two months prior to coming to Sicily. Now I was speaking Italian semi-competently at intermediate level. I have become a huge fan of language study travel and of immersing myself in a foreign culture and language. And learning Italian on a sailboat so far ranks at the very top of my language learning adventures.

During our studies Claudia and I grabbed some fast food from the bar, some type of calzone and other quick Sicilian snacks and I could not resist the temptation of buying a cone of delicious ice cream. Along the way I admired the colourful works of art made of marzipan that were appetizingly displayed in their glass cases. Now there’s a another great concept: studying Italian with a delicious cone of nocciola e limone (hazelnut and lemon) gelato in your hand. Just make sure you don’t splatter the gelato all over the dictionary…

Well, all good things must come to an end, and by about 3:30 pm we met at the beach to get whisked back on the boat by our trusted skipper Francesco. Before we hopped into the dingy, our entire group performed a final rendition of “umm dari dari”, a song that music student Agnieszka had taught us a few days earlier. The men of our group provided the percussive background, producing sounds such as “ummm pffff psshh, ummm pfffff pssshh”, while Claudia and I provided a chorus of “umm dari dari dari, umm dari dari” that sounded like it would be appropriate somewhere in Saudi Arabia, in the company of a herd of camels. Agnieszka provided the leading melody with her brilliant soprano voice. What a fun and humorous ending to seven days at sea in the Eolian Islands. Our travel group certainly had come together very nicely…

Our last few hours on the boat had begun, we embarked on our voyage from Vulcano to the town of Milazzo located at the northeastern tip of Sicily, about 30 kilometers from the Straight of Messina. I thought our week long adventure would just peter out and come to an anti-climactic ending, but no, the goddess of travel had more adventures in store for us.

We were all in the back of the boat when Herbert, our experienced TV travel journalist, called us excitedly and said “Dolphins! Come on, see the dolphins”. Sure enough, we all scrambled to the front of the boat and there were four dolphins, swimming beside our boat, swimming ahead of us left and right, jumping out of the water, and generally playing with us. Herbert explained that they hear our voices, and being the curious, playful creatures that they are, they come say hello to accompany us for a while.

These four graceful grey creatures were beautiful, and all of us were in awe at this unexpected display. The dolphins swam and jumped alongside our boat for about 5, 7 minutes until they had enough and swam off in a westerly direction. I had caught everything on my camera and made several video clips and was still tickled pink about this experience. For some reason, dolphins always seem like they are smiling to me, and these four sleek water animals certainly appeared to be in a great mood.

I already thought the excitement was over, but no, the Mediterranean had even more surprises in store for us. We had been trailing fishing lines behind our boat and with all the excitement surrounding the dolphins we had basically forgotten about the fishing lines until our skipper shouted that we had made a catch. Sure enough, we saw him reeling in the line and a beautiful silver fish about 15 inches long was pulled on board. Francesco explained it was a tuna, cut the line and placed it on the floor at the rear of our boat.

I was fascinated by this, until the fish started flopping around in a panic and blood started spraying from its gills. That’s when my tender vegetarian soul said it had enough and I retreated to the front of the boat. I just couldn’t watch this fish flop around, spraying the whole back of the boat with its blood, trying to fight for its life. Our captain put it out of its misery, cut off its head and gutted it right there. I just caught a quick glimpse, but the dripping red innards of this poor tuna had me completely grossed out.

You might think that the excitement might be over now, what with the dolphins and the tuna capture, but no – the ritual repeated itself two more times: we caught two more tunas and I wisely stayed away from the decapitation and evisceration scene. At any rate, Francesco had caught three nice-size fish and said that he was going to bring them home as a special treat for his two year old son Davide.

A short while later at about 7:30 pm we arrived at the harbour of Portorosa, and Francesca and Davide, our skipper’s wife and son, were already waiting to welcome us. Davide’s excited two-year old calls “papa – papa” indicated that he had definitely missed his daddy. Francesca herself said that “papa” was indeed the first word that her son ever spoke. Our usually quiet captain himself was visibly elated to see his family almost after a week at sea.

Now it was time to get organized and unload. Francesco gave us a choice: we could either spend one more night on the boat, or we could unload the boat, drive back to the apartment which is located conveniently right above the Laboratorio Linguistico School, and go for dinner in Milazzo.

Well, this was a no-brainer. After almost a week on a nice, but rather crammed sailboat with a tiny cabinet that served as a toilet / shower facility, there was no question that all of us preferred going on land. Our first priority as a matter of fact, was to take a land-based shower, and Claudia, Herbert and I headed to the comfort station at the Portorosa Harbour to take a well-deserved, long awaited shower on terra firma. Strange, but after a week on a sailboat you start appreciating the little things in life, and a real shower and a toilet separate from the shower rank pretty high on the list …

Francesco and the rest of the gang had already started to unload the boat, and we quickly packed our stuff and help load all our luggage and the remaining food into Francesco’s car. By the time we had everything organized back at the apartment it was already about 10:30 pm, but that did not deter us from having one last joint dinner together.

Francesco and Franco packed us into their respective vehicles and drove us out to a restaurant at the tip of Capo Milazzo, the peninsula that protrudes about 6 km into the Tyrrhenian Sea from Milazzo. We had this entire establishment to ourselves, and another Sicilian feast was unfolding. Fish, wine and pasta arrived in large quantities while I enjoyed a vegetarian Sicilian pasta with pistachios. In addition, it was Agnieszka’s 23rd birthday today, so all of us got to celebrate, and a big hazelnut ice cream cake capped off the feast.

We all said goodbye at the end of the evening. Since Herbert was going to fly out tomorrow in the wee hours of the morning we would not have a chance to say our goodbyes in the morning any more. Seven days of adventures in the Eolian Islands had come to an end, and I think all of us experienced just a tinge of melancholy. The seven of us had made a great team on board: Claudia, the Lufthansa flight attendant from Germany & my wonderful cabin mate; Herbert, the knowledgeable TV travel journalist, also from Germany; Lorenzo from the US of Italian background and the coolest Catholic priest that I have ever met; our talented singer Agnieszka; and our two experts and teachers from Laboratorio Linguistico: Franco and Francesco, our skipper.

My first sailing trip had come to an end, but I still four days of discoveries left in Sicily. Tomorrow’s agenda will include Milazzo.

Susanne Pacher is the publisher of http://www.travelandtransitions.com, a web portal for unconventional travel & cross-cultural connections. Check out our brand new

Tags: Dolphins, From, Goodbye, Hello, Milazzo, Sicily, Tunas, Vulcano

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19 Jan 10 T900 -Amazing Low Price Multifunction Quadband TV Dual SIM Working Simultaneously Mobile Cell Phone from Chinese Mobile Phone Wholeseller Babikenshop

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Tags: Amazing, Babikenshop, Cell, Chinese, Dual, From, mobile, Multifunction, phone, price, Quadband, Simultaneously, T900, Wholeseller, Working

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19 Jan 10 Omega 3 Fatty Acids From Pharmaceutical Grade Fish Oil

Fish oil has been proven to be effective in the role of healthy lifestyles. You have probably heard on the news, or read in a magazine about how good fish oil can be for you. But what is it about fish oil and the makeup of fish oil that makes it good for us? What benefits does fish oil have for our bodies? These are some of the things that will be discussed in this article.

Fish oil has certainly gotten a great deal of attention all over the world as a beneficial addition of a healthy lifestyle. There have been studies done by experts all over the world on omega fatty acids from fish oil and what makes it so healthy for us and its benefits to our bodies.

EPA is otherwise known as eicosapentaenoic acid is mostly found in fish oil. EPA is an omega 3 fatty acid. Unfortunately, most people do not get enough omega 3 fatty acids in their diet. Omega fatty acids can be obtained from eating fish like salmon, cod liver, herring, and mackerel. Consumption of certain fish can be toxic in large amounts therefore fish oil supplements are used as an alternative.

DHA is otherwise known as docosahexaenoic acid and is also found in fish oil. DHA is an omega 3 fatty acid. Some studies have shown that omega 3 fatty acids have a good benefit to your brain and memory. It can help prevent or slow down the process of Alzheimer’s disease. Low levels of DHA have been associated with depression, Bipolar disorder, other mood disorders, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), schizophrenia, and anxiety disorders. Our brains are actually made up of mostly fat, which is why it is so important for us to consume natural and good fats such as EPA and DHA.

DHA and EPA are mostly found in fish we eat. The components in fish oil, EPA and DHA can be very beneficial to the body. Studies on EPA have shown that it can also help those with heart disease, help to lower bad cholesterol, skin conditions, and inflammation from arthritis, help balance moods, and increase better learning. There are so many benefits it is difficult to list them all. EPA and DHA can help you live a happier and healthier life mentally and physically.

With all of these benefits, why wouldn’t you be trying to increase your consumptions of omega 3 fatty acids? It is never too late to start getting more DHA and EPA into your body to help increase all of its good functions so you can live happier and healthier. Studies have already shown that omega 3 essential fatty acids have an improvement on all of the health problems listed above. There are studies going on right now, because these fatty acids are so important they might have some more scientific answers for other health problems.

Promoting and maintaining a state of wellness requires a dynamic balance of hormones known as eicosanoids. Eicosanoids are powerful cell regulators that help maintain virtually all body functions including the brain, the heart and the immune system. Daily supplementation with pharmaceutical grade fish oils rich in the long-chain omega-3 essential fatty acids, EPA and DHA, is critical for maintaining optimal eicosanoid balance throughout the body.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Lori Matthews studies health, nutrition and wellness. She enjoys writing articles on health for both people and pets. Please visit pharmaceutical grade fish oil supplements for more information.

Tags: Acids, Fatty, Fish, From, Grade, Omega, Pharmaceutical

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19 Jan 10 Experiences From the Flow (24): the Ex Returns! Part 2

“It was a weird dream.

I am in bed with Nueng. Her face is nestled into my shoulder and her arm is draped over my chest.

She looks like a sleeping angel – mine, my special, lovely angel.

I inhale deeply, smile, and silently thank God for all the joy she has brought into my life. I smell her hair and the sweet fragrance makes me feel loved, safe, and secure.

Like an experienced ground fighter, Nueng has strategically wrapped a leg behind and around one of mine. (Even in her sleep, she’s afraid of me leaving her.)

Then I hear it.

It sounds like…like…no, it can’t be!

It sounds like the voice of my ex-girlfriend! She’s coming up the stairs, calling out to me, AND I REALIZE THAT THIS IS NOT A DREAM!”

“Prosperity: The eternal flow of all that’s good in life…”

By Carl “J.C.” Pantejo, Copyright May 2008

(Author “My Friend Yu – The Prosperity Mentor,” Copyright August 2007. Pantejo – Y.N. Vurce Publishing.)

*Below is the twenty-fourth installment in a series of real life events experienced by the author. The only deviations from the truth may be the names of people and places. These stories are also incorporated in “My Friend Yu – the Prosperity Mentor: Book II,” Pantejo – Y.N. Vurce Publishing. Release Date: 2008.

- Dramas -

Upstairs, in my bedroom and half asleep, I hear someone slip a key into the front door. The door creaks open (I always seem to forget to oil the hinges of that thing). I assume the person I hear entering my townhouse is my sister coming home from the open market where she sells clothes and second-hand items.

But then the sound of a voice puts me on instant alert.

It’s the unmistakable, girlish voice of my Ex-girlfriend (Kai)!

“J.C.! J.C., tee rak (darling)! J.C? Tee rak, kid tueng yu khun maak maak (Darling, I missed you so much)!”

I close my eyes again and listen more intently, hoping that this was not happening, maybe just a bad dream.

But the footsteps on the stairs confirm the worst. They are definitely the awkward, “stutter-steps” of Kai. (She was never the most graceful of women).

To prevent constant stumbling, she basically stomped her way through life. It was always an amusing sight to see her walk in her favorite high-heeled shoes (kind of like watching a spinning top wobbling as it begins to slow down).

- Locked Doors, Open Doors -

I had forgotten about the spare house key I kept amongst the shoes in a shoe rack outside the front door. The Ex didn’t. She had used it to “quietly” enter my townhouse and “surprise” me with her return.

By this time, Nueng was awake and knew what was going on. She put a finger to my lips and whispered “Shhhh…Reo, reo (fast, quickly)!”

Nueng wanted me to exit the bedroom before Kai reached the top of the stairs and “accidentally” lock the door behind me. Even under the most extreme circumstances, Nueng was always level-headed.

Damn! Why didn’t I move out of this townhouse when I decided to cut all ties with the Ex?

I had permanently written Kai out of my life over six months ago.

Nueng and I should’ve found another place, a secret place no one knew of (meaning her ex-husband and my ex-girlfriends), to genuinely start anew.

- Who Cares? -

Nueng, my sweet and strong Nueng.

She was the most honest and caring woman I’ve met in Thailand. I remember when the running water had stopped in our townhouse and we were tired and grimy from spending the day outside.

Without a fuss, Nueng grabbed some empty, six-liter drinking water containers, hopped on my motorcycle, and sped off to fill them up at the drinking water machine.

Upon returning, she then dumped the water into the large, black rubbish bin we used to store water.

When I offered to help, she just sniff-kissed my neck and told me to “Abp narm, tee-rak (bathe now, darling),” then sped off to get more water.

In short, she cares. She REALLY cares.

And I knew that it was my laziness (and stupidity) that has put us in this current situation.

- Same, Same? -

I kissed Nueng, whispered “Rak khun kon deos (I love you, only you), and quickly pulled on some shorts. Exiting the bedroom, I entered the upstairs hallway; locking the bedroom door behind me.

Double-timing it to the top of the stairs, I saw Kai.

I intercepted her on the small landing half-way up the stairs. As I looked at her, I didn’t really know how to feel.

Definitely, I was in shock.

It was as though all the feelings of rage, confusion, and despair I’d experienced during my discovery of her lies and infidelity were being painfully resurrected again.

The acidic emotions were beginning to reach my stomach (via my throat and heart).

It was like the reflexive shock, gasp, and searing pain you get when you accidentally gulp down some burning, hot coffee.

Apparently, Kai didn’t notice any hints of my inner turmoil. I guess she assumed that my expressionless, lukewarm demeanor was another one of those mysterious (translated: stupid) “Farang (foreinger) Things.”

She smiles her trademark, dazzling smile and hands me a belated Christmas gift (a small stuffed toy).

Wrapping her arms around me, she kisses me; then buries her head into my shoulder and says, “Me-lee Klees-mah (her attempt at saying Merry Christmas in English), tee rak. Chan rak khun (I love you).”

Uncomfortably, I accepted her gift and returned her embrace – ALL THE WHILE THINKING OF NUENG HIDING IN MY BEDROOM!”

As I held Kai, my only thoughts were:

“Wow. I don’t remember Kai being this small before. She feels so fragile! Nueng is so different, better. No matter how hard I hug Nueng, she can always hug me back harder.”

Then situational awareness returned and I led Kai by the hand back down the stairs, saying that we need to talk outside.

My plan was to take her out on the front porch, sit down, and ask her why she returned.

Of course, I pretty much knew already. In my mind, the scenario had been firmly formed:

1.Her “suicidal” boyfriend probably ran out of money.

2.Profoundly wise to her “money management habits,” I knew that she most surely was broke too.

3.Her more convenient cash cows were now unavailable or unwilling to be scammed again.

4.She probably thought she could easily convince me to take her back (until she could find something/someone better – again).

It’s always the same with her. It’s always about the money!

- She Knows! -

We finally reached the first floor. But to my surprise, Kai ignored all my requests to go outside, picked up her suitcase and charged back up the stairs!

It was then that “I knew that she knew.”

I attempted to stop her at the landing, she shrugged me off. She was furious. Her eyes were on fire, shooting flaming daggers as she looked at me, the bedroom door, and the plastic bags packed with all her belongings through the open door of the spare bedroom!

I had never, ever, ever seen her so fierce.

Additionally, I have never physically fought with a woman (civilian woman, that is) in my life and I was not about to start now.

Resigned to my fate, I slumped down and squatted on the landing and watched the scenes unfold.

The next thing I hear is Kai’s suitcase dropped on the hallway floor, then bedroom doorknob being jiggled several times, and finally the sound of Kai trying to open the door (unsuccessfully) with every key on the spare ring of keys.

(I knew that there was no spare bedroom key on that ring.)

Then the real show began.

Arrghh! Whack! Mah hee-ah (very bad Thai word)!! Thump! Krai (Who)! Whack-whack-whack!

Kai was screaming, kicking, and hitting the bedroom door. I thought she was going to break the door down!

- Poor, Little Girl? -

But then suddenly it was quiet, a deafening kind of silence.

I walked up the remaining stair to find Kai in a fetal position by my bedroom door, sobbing. Her whole world was shattering and she looked like such a poor, sad, little orphan girl. I felt like the world’s greatest heel.

Gently, I scooped her up in my arms and started down the stairs again.

Carrying her, I remembered the many times I’d found her asleep in front of the T.V. and carried her to bed. But now, she felt so light, so little, and so vulnerable.

What am I doing? What am I thinking? This woman in my arms used me. She used me like she used all the other men. She put me through hell!

I need to maintain. Stay focused.

For all I know, this is just another one of her tricks.

Besides, I have not forgotten Nueng. Nueng has never lied to me. Nueng has never squeezed me for money. Nueng has never abandoned me. Nueng deserves a man that will do likewise. Nueng loves me and I love her.

Half way down the stairs, at the landing, Kai reached out for the wooden railing and held a firm grip on it. She wanted down and out of my arms. And she wanted down now!

I put her on her feet and tried to wipe the tears away from her eyes, but she turned away. It was obvious that she didn’t want me to touch her anymore.

I saw ultimate hate in her eyes as she took off the gold ring and silver school ring I’d given her last year and flung them onto the floor of the landing. They sounded like coins being dropped into a beggar’s cup.

Bless her heart. She didn’t pawn them. Later on, I found out why. She didn’t need to. She had pawned my expensive cell phone instead.

Then she reached into her purse, extracted her ATM cards – the ATM cards that used to have access to two of my bank accounts, but deactivated by now – and threw them down too.

Plunk, plunk. They landed like thick, kindergarten playing cards beside the rings.

Through all of this, I was actually starting to feel sorry for her. I tried to, but didn’t have the heart to look at her. I just kept my head and eyes down, staring at the rings and ATM cards.

They look so lonely down there.

To regain my composure (and resolve) I briefly shut my eyes and took in a deep breath.

- Round Two -

The next thing I felt is Kai’s face on my chest. She has me in a bear hug. She is weeping like an unloved, neglected baby. I feel her tears running down my stomach. With each crying convulsion she squeezes me tighter and tighter.

Jeez! This little girl’s stronger than she looks!

Releasing her hug on me, Kai reaches up and holds my face in her hands. I open my eyes to see Kai’s teary, red swollen eyes, runny nose, and trembling lips.

She was hysterical (shaking uncontrollably) and hyperventilating.

Struggling through quick, short inhales, she whimpered, “J.C. mai rak Kai (J.C. no love Kai)? [sob, sob] Tamai (Why)? [sob, sob] Tamai, tee rak (Why, darling)? Chan rak khun (I love you). [sob, sob] Kai love J.C! Chan rak khun. Chan rak khun! (I love you. I love you!).”

Coughing and sniffling, she leans into my body and hugs me tight again…

(Continued in “Experiences from The Flow [25]: The Ex Returns! Part 3.”)

Your Friend in this Intrepid Journey called Life,

Carl “J.C.” Pantejo

Thailand, heartbreak, return, ex-girlfriend, cry, love, same-same, money, girlfriend, surprise, lie, infidelity, tricks.

Note: If you want to read more about Asian and Western cultural differences, relationship advice, discovering unconditional love, exorcising past personal demons, Universal Laws, and the Illusive Secret of Happiness, please read the following articles:

“Experiences from ‘The Flow’: From Heartbreak to Happiness”

“Experiences from ‘The Flow’ (2): Coincidence or Synchronicity: FROM RELAPSE TO MIRACLES…”

“Experiences from ‘The Flow’ (3): LOST AND FOUND – Kindred Spirits and Mistakes made in Haste.”

“Experiences from ‘The Flow’ (4): LOST AND FOUND – Meant to Be?”

“Experiences from ‘The Flow’ (5): “The Stray”

“Experiences from ‘The Flow’ (6): “New Beginnings, Old Endings”

“Experiences from ‘The Flow’ (7) – Living Well? Farangs and Finance: The Myth”

“Experiences from ‘The Flow’ (8) Living Well? Farangs and Finance: The Reality, Stupidity, and Hard Knocks.”

“Experiences from ‘The Flow’ (9): New Girlfriend, New Life.”

“Experiences from ‘The Flow’ (10): Farangs and Asians – Polarized Views.”

“Experiences from ‘The Flow’ (11) – Farangs: In (or considering) a long-term Western/Asian Relationship? Read This Now!

“Experiences from ‘The Flow’ (12) – Farang: Square Peg, Round Hole? Compatibility Issues.”

“Experiences from ‘The Flow’ (13) – Farang: Compatibility Issues II”

“Experiences from ‘The Flow’ (14) – Farang: Tipping the Scales. Good or Bad?”

“Experiences from ‘The Flow’ (15) – Farang: Interpretation of Your Results.”

“Experiences from ‘The Flow’ (16) – Farang: Make Your Scale Sway or Walk Away.”

“Experiences from ‘The Flow’ (17) – Farang: Further Interpretation. Lopsided Scales.”

“Experiences from ‘The Flow’ (18): A Good Tilt with a Bar Girl?”

“Experiences from ‘The Flow’ (19): Another Good Tilt with a Bar Girl?”

“Experiences from ‘The Flow’ (20): The Good Tilt – Enhancing your Compatible Relationship.”

“Experiences from ‘The Flow’ (21): Farang: It’s Songkran. Hide your wallet! Part 1.”

“Experiences from ‘The Flow’ (22): Farang: It’s Songkran. Hide your wallet! Part 2.”

“Experiences from The Flow (23): The Ex Returns! Part 1.”

“Alternative Notions of Life, a Different Path: Guardian Angels and Universal Laws.”

“Alternative Notions of Life, a Different Path (2): Trying too hard?”

“Alternative Notions of Life, a Different Path (3): First, Be Effective.”

“Alternative Notions of Life, a Different Path (4): Intend. Be Certain.”

“Alternative Notions of Life, a Different Path (5): Why me or why not me? Your choice.”

“Alternative Notions of Life, a Different Path (6): Gratitude – What’s Your Perspective?”

“Alternative Notions of Life, a Different Path (7): Happiness – Are you looking in the Right Place?”

“How Dare She! Out of Desperation I Learned How to Forgive”

“Remember Who You Are!”

“Need to Heal Your Broken Heart? Read on. Overcome Heartbreak and Learn the Illusive Secret of Happiness.”

“Simple (and Priceless) Life Lessons from the Most Influential Prosperity Mentor in My Life – My Father”

And much more!

(By Carl “J.C.” Pantejo and published internet-wide, keyword: [title of article] or “Carl Pantejo”)

Enjoy them, my friend.

Pantejo@ynvurcepublishing.com

About the Author:

He is a retired U.S. Military veteran. Believing that school was too boring, he dropped out of High School early; only to earn an A.A., B.S., and MBA in less than 4 years much later in life ? while working full-time as a Navy/Marine Corps Medic. In spite of a fear of heights and deep water, he free-fall parachuted out of airplanes and performed diving ops in very deep, open ocean water. He went to Thailand 2 years ago for a week?s vacation, fell into a teaching job, and has never left!

Carl ?J.C.? Pantejo
Pantejo@ynvurcepublishing.com

Founder, Y.N. Vurce Publishing
http://www.ynvurcepublishing.com

Tags: Experiences, Flow, From, part-, Returns.

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19 Jan 10 The Benefits Of Creating A Residual Income From Home

Many people decided to pursue an additional source of income on a home based business in the Health and Wellness industry. They will learn about the best win-win opportunity to create a financial security for themselves and their families which is something vital in this time of era. This kind of professional career and business is taking off because they offer the following benefits:

1 Financial Freedom

It offers you another stream of income flowing into your life on an ongoing basis so that you can fulfill your desires such as having a new home or car, holidays and travel, children’s education, caring for aged parents, quality retirement, etc.

2 Time Freedom

Time to spend as you wish instead of working at a job or running a business from dawn till dusk for the best years of your life.

3 Good Health

Have vitality, good health and well-being.

If just one of the above components is missing, it will impact the quality of your life. For example, if you have plenty of time and money but poor health, you can’t enjoy life to its fullest. If you don’t have enough savings to go through your retirement, you may be prevented from being able to have and to do certain things in life.

Think about it. Can Life Be Better? What will you be doing differently today if time and money are of no object?

The Wealth Crisis

According to the latest statistics, the average Australian will be in retirement for at least 25 years. Yet, only 5% will be financially independent by age 65. The remaining 95% will be deceased, still working part-time to make ends meet or broke on the pension.

Fact: You will either be among the top 5% or the remaining 95%.

Many people are ill-prepared for retirement. Most underestimate the amount of savings they require to live comfortably in their golden years. As life expectancies continue to improve, and costs continue to rise, there is a real concern that the superannuation nest-egg alone will not be sufficient for most, in their old age, to maintain the lifestyle they are accustomed to.

There is a saying that by the time you can have your superannuation fund, its purchasing power has been reduced by inflation to about 20% of what you can buy today.

The solution is not to save more (although that’s a good piece of advice), but to earn multiple streams of income.

There are smarter ways to earn:

1. Leverage Your Income

There are many ways to earn money. You can work alone, or you can work with others as a team helping each other. Straight salary is linear income. It does not matter whether you are a doctor, dentist, lawyer, accountant, engineer, teacher, or whatever you get paid by the hour for only when you work. No work, no pay.

Worse still, nowadays, more and more high paying jobs will be performance-based. This means bonus which consists of a fair portion of the total remuneration is only payable if what you agreed to deliver has been delivered on time, not how many hours you spend on the job. As a result, long hours and stress are quite common.

Professionals and employees trade their own time and effort for money. But there is a limit to how much wealth one can accumulate this way.

The best way is to earn residual income which is income that keeps flowing to you even when you are not working like copyrights created by authors, pop artists and successful network marketers.

Most multi-millionaires use leveraging in one form or another to generate wealth. They understand that the combined time and effort of many people always offer a much bigger income potential than what one can earn alone.

2. Create A Residual Income Stream

Workers get paid each hour, each fortnight, or each month that they provide a service.

Smart people continue to earn into the future, based in part on initial efforts. This residual value gives them not only the money, but the time freedom to enjoy it too.

Despite prejudices and misinformation, the Health and Wellness network marketing industry has grown to over USD 100 billion in revenue. The ageing of baby boomers; X and Y Generation who place more emphasis on balanced lifestyle/family than that of their parents will lead to a boom in the health and wellness industry.

The so-called “baby boomer” generation is now in their forties to sixties. Many are at the height of their earning and spending power. They make up about one-third of the population and account for about two-thirds of spending. Thus, knowing which industries the baby boomers are supporting is a key to financial success.

Two of the most powerful economic trends of today are:

1)Health & Nutrition

Health and nutrition is one of the biggest economic trends of our time. According to Money Magazines, the nutrition industry is the mother of all trends.

“When I look forward to the year 2010, I see a clear one trillion dollar business just in the growth of the existing products and services in the wellness industry” Paul Zane Pilzer, World-renowned economist and trend-forecaster

Why is health & nutrition set for explosive growth?

People are more aware of the role supplementation plays in optimizing long-term health. Hence the number of people seeking quality products to maintain good health is growing rapidly.

2)Network/Relationship Marketing

Relationship marketing is growing in prominence. It is a degree level subject taught at some of the most reputable universities in the world today including Harvard University and the University of Southern California.

Two highly respected professionals, Dr Charles King and James Robinson have co-authored a book “The New Professionals and The Rise of Network Marketing as the Next Major Profession”, which provides valuable insights to this industry. Dr King is a Professor of Marketing at the University of Illinois and Mr. Robinson is former Senior Vice-President of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Why is Network Marketing set for explosive growth?

More and more companies are now turning to network marketing as a mean of distributing their products as advertising and traditional distribution channels are getting more expensive. The more effective marketing system to retain loyal customers is through relationship marketing. However, companies can’t do this by themselves. If they can do it, they don;t need you. Therefore, they need you to distribute their products through relationship network marketing.

A good network marketing company can provide ordinary people a legitimate home-based business that builds income with excellent leverage and residual value. The smart ones are joining companies in the Health and Nutrition industry, and the even smarter ones are joining the best companies in the Health and Nutrition industry’s companies that have good reputation in their products and are likely to be around for a long, long time. Some companies allow you to pass the legacy of your business to your benefactors.

Here are some points to consider on how to choose a good network marketing company:

1 A Company That Has An Unquestioned Devotion to Quality

At the end of the day, you get pay commissions only when sales are made. Thus, you would only want to get in a company that offers products which are formulated and manufactured to standards that exceed many nutritional products on the market and they work. Repeat sales is what give you leverage. So, you want your customers to buy the products month in month out and that only happen if the products work. Better still you see whether many doctors, health professionals and world class athletes that can trust their health to the products.

2 The company’s forward growth potential

What is the company’s strategic growth plan and its policies? It pays to join a company that pays you on sales volume generated worldwide in a single, seamless commission plan so that when different countries open, and others to come on-stream, it offers you to build business internationally.

3 A Global family that cares

Nowadays, people are drawn to a company’s dedication to a worthy cause and not just making profits for the stakeholders. For example, CEO of Usana Health Sciences, Dr Myron Wentz, has a passionate dream of “A world free from suffering, live life to its fullest” that leads him to establish the state-of-the-art Sanoviv Medical Institute in Baja, Mexico, as well as the Wentz medical Centre for children in Gaba, Uganda.

He also has a passion to help children in need. He has donated millions to the Children’s Hunger Fund since 2001. Through these donations, children in many poor areas of the world receive food, health and love.

4 A Pay Plan that builds real residual income

Many network marketing opportunities pay a lot to the fortunate few at the top of the hierarchy, and set high demands that the average person has little chance of attaining. Make sure to find the one that has the ‘best match’ for you that you can attain.

5 An enviable record of financial strength

Choose a company that will be there for many years to come knowing that the company has the resources to pay you true residual income. Otherwise all your hard work will go down the drain.

Health is Wealth

Nutritional supplement company provides your body with the nutrients required for optimum health.

Health is wealth to the sick. Thus, the cost of the products is insignificant when compared to the benefits it generally provides, including the following:

1. Improved health and well-being

2. Counteracting free-radicals in your body

3. Provide possible relief from an existing problem

4. Cash savings as you no longer need to consume other nutritional products and possibility reduce medications

5. Ability to work and earn an income more efficiently due to improved health and well-being.

Money is Wealth

The company provides you with an opportunity to become financially secure. All you need to do is introduce others to the company’s products.

With some initiative and effort you can generate an income stream to supplement or replace your salary from full-time employment. As the alternate health industry is growing rapidly, this means more and more people are taking preventative measures to protect their health.

In summary, you can’t lose even if you are not interested in a work at home business in a relationship marketing in the health industry. At worst, you will improve your own health and that of your loved ones. At best case scenario is that you will improve your own health and that of your loved ones and generate another stream of income for yourself while spreading health and wealth to others.

Jackie Khor is a leader in Network Marketing. She is best known for her down-to-earth, no-nonsense training. Get your FREE 10-Day email Boot Camp on at WorkAtHomeBusiness

Free videos on how to generate your own leads and set up business on the internet at Generate Your Own Free Leads

Tags: Benefits, Creating, From, Home, income, Residual

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19 Jan 10 Sourcing Wholesale Mobile Phones From China, How not to Get Stung

Outside of high gas prices and weakening global conditions any eBay traders and online vendors will have little cause for to complaint about the cell phone market.

The number of phones and mobile phone companies has soared in the last 12 months. Besides big-name players, like Nokia, Sony Ericsson and Motorola there are now many Chinese mobile phone manufacturers looking for their place in the international mobile communication market.

Wifi, Bluetooth, MP4 players, MP3 players, WAP capabilities, cameras, and docking ports for multiple SIM cards are all becoming common features on mobile phones with customers expecting more out of their phones than ever before.

Demand for branded and wholesale mobile phones is also strong with mobile phone use overtaking landline use in some parts of the world and consumers changing their phones every 15 months on average.

So how can you, as an online reseller tap into this profitable market, what is the best way to find a supplier and how do you source this new, profitable range of products?

It doesn’t matter if you’re considering stocking mobile phones through your online auction business or looking at expanding your range and taking on a different supplier. The process of sourcing mobile phones from makers of cellphones in China is exactly the same and simply finding the companies through a wholesale directory, business directory or online is just the first step.

When you find a potential supplier company which has a nice product that you want to sell in your store, or through your eBay listing you need to make sure they will act in a way that won’t loose you money or cost you your repuation as a vendor. Here are some hints that a company will be less than reliable:

It doesn’t have any contact details or the contact details turn out to be not working.
Their website is badly put together, has very few product photos, or stolen product photos and has little to no contact information
Many people have complained about them on dropshipping, e-commerce and wholesale forums or fraudwatch sites.
Promotional material they use looks suspiciously like materials from another wholesale dropship company
Their products are priced too high or too low

When looking at basic unlocked cellular phones (which have a 2G reception, SD card, basic accessories, a camera, Bluetooth functionality and WAP capabilities) you shouldn’t really be paying more than US$100.

But with more upmarket models of unlocked cell phone (which can have everything from WiFi to dual SIM cards to 3G connectivity and more high tech cameras) you can expect to pay between US$200-$300.

Doing market research on the wholesale mobile phones or unlocked phones you are thinking of stocking is also a worthwhile exercise. By checking to see if the features are in demand or that style of phone will sell well can potentially save you thousands in unsold stock or free up a product line for a more profitable item if you are dropshipping. It will also help you determine what price you should be paying, what price you can sell it for and the profit margins you can expect.

Once you have done your online research and found the phone looks OK on paper then its time to order a sample. This is much easier if you do it through a mobile shop in China which has no minimum order quantity, like Chinavasion but you may be required to order about three or four to test when buying phone through other vendors.

When testing a wholesale mobile phone it’s important to be as thorough as you can possibly be. Here are some things you might want to check:

The manual is in English and makes sense
The handpiece doesn’t click or creak when it is handled and doesn’t feel cheap
There aren’t any bubbles in the screen, its set in the right pace and there aren’t any black lines when you switch it on.
The battery takes a full charge, it lasts as long as the supplier suggests and doesn’t smell funny when it is being charged.
A component isn’t missing, and works as promised.
The phone’s speaker or microphone quality is clear and the buttons are easy to operate.

If the unlocked cellphone passes mustard then the next step is to put it on your stock lists.

By researching products before you buy them and testing them thoroughly before stocking them you will be able to ensure that everything that goes online will sell well, have good profit margins and keep your customers happy.

For Western quality wholesale mobile phones , at China prices visit http://www.chinavasion.com now.

Rose Li is the PR Manager for Chinavasion, China’s premier dropshipper for wholesale consumer electronics

Tags: China, From, mobile, Phones, Sourcing, Stung, Wholesale

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19 Jan 10 “experiences From ‘the Flow’ (19): Another Good Tilt With a Bar Girl?”

By Carl âJ.C.â Pantejo, Copyright March 2008

(Author âMy Friend Yu â The Prosperity Mentor,â Copyright August 2007. Pantejo – Y.N. Vurce Publishing.)

âProsperity: The eternal flow of all thatâs good in lifeâ¦â

*Below is the nineteenth episode based on a series of real life events experienced by the author. The only deviations from the truth may be the names of people and places. These stories are also incorporated in âMy Friend Yu â the Prosperity Mentor: Book II,â Pantejo – Y.N. Vurce Publishing. Release Date: 2008.

The naÃ¯ve customer (a person not savvy at âThe Gameâ of Thai bars) doesnât understand the following: The main thing a Bar Girl sees when a man comes into their bar is the amount of dollar signs he is capable of producing.

And, of course, Bar Girls are experts at helping customers part with their money!

This article is mainly for those fearless souls who, in spite of the discussions we had about Asian Bar Girl/Western Man Relationships in âExperiences from âThe Flowâ (18)…,â still insist on having a serious relationship with a Bar Girl.

- A Blissful State -

Congratulations.

You believe that you have found a partner that loves you and makes you happy. She is young, beautiful, sweet, and sexy – everything you could not find in your home country, right?

Sure, she is not perfect, especially in the language and finance areas; but when you weighed the Pluses against the Minuses on Your Scale, the Scale tilted toward Obvious Compatibility.

- Devilâs Advocate -

Okay, now I got to be the a$$hole, the party-pooper, the spoiler, etc.

But I do this with ultimate empathy, my friend.

I do this because I donât want you to end up as a statistic, one of the thousands of Farangs (Thai: foreigners) that think theyâve found the woman of their dreams, only to find out (in short order) that reality doesnât match their idealized notions of co-habitation with an Asian woman.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but believe me, what Iâve got to say may:

1. Save you a lot of heartache, headaches, and bankruptcy.

2. Help you maintain (or improve) your current blissful state for as long as possible.

3. Raise some questions whose answers, however distasteful, will make you a wiser Farang in Thailand.

- Questions -

Where did you meet your Thai girlfriend/wife?

In a bar?

I ask you this because the oleâ saying: âYou can take the girl out of the bar, but you canât take the bar out of the girl,â is a tried and true axiom.

The cruel fact is that there are only two times you can trust a Thai Bar Girl:

1) When she has just begun her career in the Bar Girl Profession and

2) When she is a bar-weary veteran, ready to retire.

All others are âin betweenâ (i.e., still on âactive duty,â practicing and perfecting their sex appeal, schemes, and routines).

A mid-career Bar Girl in âThe Gameâ is quite a sight to be seen, indeed.

She means to be a key player in âThe Gameâ and will do anything to get the most money, as fast as she can, from the âcustomer pool â menâ.

For these women, men are only regarded as: past customers, prospective customers, current cash cows, or merely toy/playthings that pay).

In their minds, men are definitely not: friends, lovers, non-paying boyfriends or husbands; in short, men are merely things, not real people with feelings, hopes, and desires).

Why is this so?

Although each Bar Girl is a unique individual, the following are common reasons. In part or parcel, these conditions contribute to their cut throat callousness – the âsharp teeth within their cute, beautiful smilesâ:

1. Professional Objectivity (staying focused on making money before she gets too old and âunmarketableâ).

2. Protection from scoundrels (yes, there are many bad men out there).

3. A lack of âgood men role modelsâ in their lives. That is, most of the men theyâve seen throughout their lives were usually uneducated, lazy, abusive, or unreliable, often disappearing for years to forever. This is common in the rural, poverty stricken areas âup countryâ â North Eastern Thailand.

4. Protection from being emotionally hurt. Since most foreigners come and go rapidly, itâs stupid for them to get emotionally attached.

5. The only support system they have is the Barâs social network of fellow Bar Girls, Mamasans, clean-up boys, and âkatoysâ (Thai: transsexuals). Leaving the bar scene means venturing into scary, uncharted waters without her usual friends.

6. Most are uneducated, not attending or finishing High School. What would they do and where would they go if they left the bar?

7. They have tried (or simply dislike) regular âdaytime jobsâ and were disillusioned with the hard work and low pay. The bar scene is all they know. It can be fun. Itâs easy â all one has to do is look pretty and entertain – AND definitely pays better.

Itâs a system that swallows up thousands of âfresh from the farmâ girls and spits out seasoned, âbar-testedâ veterans.

- True Love? -

A young serviceman friend of mine in Japan told me that the woman (an Asian woman) he met at a bar in the infamous âhonchâ area outside of Yokosuka U.S. Naval Base was truly in love with him.

He actually considered asking her to marry him.

And he wanted some advice from âa salty dogâ (meaning: me).

His naivety was painful to observe.

In him, I saw a young version of myself, full of all the right motives, but without the where-with-all that only comes from years of schlepping in and out of Asian bars.

My response to him?

âGo back there and tell her youâre out of money. Better yet, tell her that you want to move in with her, but you need to borrow money until payday. Good luck, son. Iâll talk to you next week.â

Of course, he was singing a totally different tune when I saw him a week later. He was very pissed-off and his comments about her were acidic, bordering on murderous.

I told him to chill out.

âDonâtâ take it personal. A girlâs gotâta eat. Think of it this way: Youâre mixing her business with your pleasure. If you really think itâs love, wait, wait, and wait! And for Godâs sake always know where your valuables are!â I said.

I donâtâ know whether my words sunk in (or not) because I havenât heard from him for over a decade now. I can only hope that my words prevented a few personal disasters.

Ah, Bar Girls. I could go on and on about them.

Theyâre amazing. Arenât they?

Theyâre terrible. Arenât they?

- Some Advice: Take it or Leave it, Your Choice -

Since only a fraction of one percent of Asian Bar Girl/Western Man relationships succeed (usually because she is either a rookie or a ready-to-retire veteran), I will be submitting a short list of things to ponder at the end of this article.

If you met your âcompatible partnerâ in a bar, I advise you to have a healthy paranoia.

Donât go buying a car for her. Or even worse, a house in her name! (As ridiculous as this may sound, it happens frequently in Thailand).

In short, donât go broke over her.

I have too many friends who have taken out unsecured, personal loans and maxed out their credit cards over Bar Girls whoâve long since disappeared.

In fact, I know of three individuals who came home from work to a barren house or apartment. No furniture, refrigerator, TV, stereo, clothes, dishes, etc.! Everything was gone! Nothing, I mean nothing was left! My friends literally had to borrow money for food and sheets!

Best advice?

Just wait and watch.

It might sound like a prison sentence to you, but waiting and watching not only protects you from being ransacked; it also gives you time to observe her true character – in every light.

How long?

A good rule of thumb, if she says sheâs new, is at least triple the time she âsaysâ sheâs been working in the bar. Of course, you may never know the true length of her Bar Girl career; so itâs a safe bet to assume whatever she tells you about it is a âlow-ballâ lie.

If sheâs a veteran, waiting at least 18-24 months is a conservative time span to consider.

Patience and wariness will prevent much of the emotional turmoil and financial catastrophes so commonly found among âexâ Asian Bar Girl/Western Man relationships.

Additionally, if she is (or looks) older than 20, look for the following hallmark signs of veteran Bar Girls:

1. Nocturnal living. Even after months with you, she canât get out of bed until 1:30-3:30PM. In fact, getting up early to see the sunlight gives her a raging headache. Also, she will display the demeanor of a vampire that has been violently disturbed from her cryptic slumber.

2. She is a total slob (worse than Oscar from âThe Odd Coupleâ) and canât cook â even a piece of toast â because sheâs too used to hotel cleaning staff, room service, restaurants, and 7-11 âcup noodlesâ.

3. She appears to have very few belongings. Why? They are strewn about her co-workers apartments or âexâ boyfriendâs places. Bar Girls are like gypsies; they are experts at making hasty get-aways.

4. Sheâs a spendthrift. Forget âlike water through her fingers,â âairâ is more like it! The cost of her âdaily needsâ easily surpass the normal, daily salary of any hardworking, college-educated, Thai worker.

5. In spite of no formal schooling (i.e., a university degree or night English classes at a Language School), she suspiciously speaks above-average English.

6. She disappears at a momentâs notice for hours and her explanation upon returning doesnât hold water (a blatant lie).

7. She can drink you under the table.

8. You find drug paraphernalia.

9. She always wants to include âher friendsâ in everything that you two do. In fact, she will always choose time with her Bar Girl comrades over any time alone with you. Her overdependence on (and lavish affection for) her girlfriends will have you wondering if she is actually a bi-sexual. (And I know what youâre thinking. No, she is not a bi-sexual who likes to share!).

10. Sheâs constantly on the phone at odd hours with her âfamily,â especially the male members of her âfamilyâ.

If the majority of the above items describe your current partner, she is probably not in the ânewbieâ Bar Girl category: and therefore, should not be trusted without a long (a very long) trial period.

Sorry to be so blunt; but I must humbly confess that Iâve âbeen there and done that, mateâ.

Again, when in doubt, wait, observe, and for Godâs sake, protect yourself.

Did you hear me?

I said, âWait. Observe. Then wait and observe some more.â

After that, you can make up your own mind based on your own real life, âhard-knocksâ experience.

Continued in âExperiences from âThe Flowâ (20): Maintaining and Improving your Good Tilt.â

âUntil next time, find âThe Flowâ and jump in!â

Your Friend in this Intrepid Journey called Life,

Carl âJ.C.â Pantejo

Farang, Asia, compatible, relationship, bar girl, sex, pluses, minuses, advice, wait, watch, scale, needs, desires.

Note: If you want to read more about Asian and Western cultural differences, finding unconditional love, exorcising past personal demons, and the Illusive Secret of Happiness, please read the following articles:

âExperiences from âThe Flowâ: From Heartbreak to Happinessâ

âExperiences from âThe Flowâ (2): Coincidence or Synchronicity: FROM RELAPSE TO MIRACLES…â

âExperiences from âThe Flowâ (3): LOST AND FOUND – Kindred Spirits and Mistakes made in Haste.â

âExperiences from âThe Flowâ (4): LOST AND FOUND â Meant to Be?â

âExperiences from âThe Flowâ (5): âThe Strayâ

âExperiences from âThe Flowâ (6): âNew Beginnings, Old Endingsâ

âExperiences from âThe Flowâ (7) – Living Well? Farangs and Finance: The Mythâ

âExperiences from âThe Flowâ (8) Living Well? Farangs and Finance: The Reality, Stupidity, and Hard Knocks.â

âExperiences from âThe Flowâ (9): New Girlfriend, New Life.â

âExperiences from âThe Flowâ (10): Farangs and Asians â Polarized Views.â

âExperiences from âThe Flowâ (11) – Farangs: In (or considering) a long-term Western/Asian Relationship? Read This Now!

âExperiences from âThe Flowâ (12) – Farang: Square Peg, Round Hole? Compatibility Issues.â

âExperiences from âThe Flowâ (13) – Farang: Compatibility Issues IIâ

âExperiences from âThe Flowâ (14) – Farang: Tipping the Scales. Good or Bad?â

âExperiences from âThe Flowâ (15) – Farang: Interpretation of Your Results.â

âExperiences from âThe Flowâ (16) – Farang: Make Your Scale Sway or Walk Away.â

âExperiences from âThe Flowâ (17) – Farang: Further Interpretation. Lopsided Scales.â

âExperiences from âThe Flowâ (18): A Good Tilt with a Bar Girl?â

âHow Dare She! Out of Desperation I Learned How to Forgiveâ

âRemember Who You Are!â

âNeed to Heal Your Broken Heart? Read on. Overcome Heartbreak and Learn the Illusive Secret of Happiness.â

(By Carl âJ.C.â Pantejo and published internet-wide, keyword: [title of article] or âCarl Pantejoâ)

Pantejo@ynvurcepublishing.com

About the Author:

He is a retired U.S. Military veteran. Believing that school was too boring, he dropped out of High School early; only to earn an A.A., B.S., and MBA in less than 4 years much later in life – while working full-time as a Navy/Marine Corps Medic. In spite of a fear of heights and deep water, he free-fall parachuted out of airplanes and performed diving ops in very deep, open ocean water. He went to Thailand 1 year ago for a week’s vacation, fell into a teaching job, and has never left!

Carl “J.C.” Pantejo
Pantejo@ynvurcepublishing.com

Founder, Y.N. Vurce Publishing
http://www.ynvurcepublishing.com

Tags: Another, Flow’, From, Girl”, Good, Tilt, ‘the, “experiences

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19 Jan 10 Experiences From the Flow (21) – Farang: It’s Songkran: Hide Your Wallet! Part 1

By Carl âJ.C.â Pantejo, Copyright April 2008

(Author âMy Friend Yu â The Prosperity Mentor,â Copyright August 2007. Pantejo – Y.N. Vurce Publishing.)

âProsperity: The eternal flow of all thatâs good in lifeâ¦â

*Below is the twentieth episode based on a series of real life events experienced by the author. The only deviations from the truth may be the names of people and places. These stories are also incorporated in âMy Friend Yu â the Prosperity Mentor: Book II,â Pantejo – Y.N. Vurce Publishing. Release Date: 2008.

This is my second Songkran in Thailand. And the same thing is happening. Ex-girlfriends, women who have contacted me once or twice in the whole previous year, call me up with stories of crisis and emergencies.

It started during Songkran 2007â¦

Three weeks before Songkran 2007, I broke up with my first ârealâ girlfriend in Thailand.

- Noot -

She told me her name was Noot when we met. Months after we broke up, I learned that wasnât her real name. We had been living together for about six months in an upper class condominium complex in Rangsit.

It was clean, had two aircon units, two balconies, a living room, a bedroom, a mini-mart and restaurant in the lobby, cable TV, internet cafÃ©, manicured grounds, a good security staff, washers/dryers, adequate parking, and friendly management.

And, of course, it was expensive.

While we lived together, I taught English at the nearby, prestigious government High School Monday through Friday. Monday through Thursday nights, I taught adult English classes at Future Park (in one of the many Language schools located throughout the mall). On Saturdays, I taught another adult English class at a local International school. The pay was too good to turn down.

Why was I working so much?

Three reasons.

First, I didnât want to spend any of my military pension while I was actually âlivingâ in Thailand. For vacation? Yes. While living here? No. I wanted to see if a foreigner could, indeed, live comfortably in Thailand with only the money earned in Thailand.

Second, I love teaching and the novelty of teaching English in Thailand had not worn off yet. Granted, the High School students were pretty lame and unmotivated, but the adult students were great to teach.

Lastly, as this was my first girlfriend in Thailand, I was totally unaware of how much support (and gifts) I was responsible for. Consequently, I gave her outrageous amounts of money and some very expensive gifts.

- The Beginning of the End -

At about the four month mark in our relationship, I was beginning to wonder if it was doomed. I was just beginning to learn Thai and she did not speak English (even at the rudimentary level).

The lack of communication was strike number one.

During the next two months, I noticed other things happening. She played the head games that Iâve come to realize are the norm for so many young girls in the LOS.

She was a spendthrift, totally reckless with the money I gave her. She spent enormous amounts of money on all things trendy and feminine. She never saved any money. I guess she thought I was a limitless ATM machine.

Her lack of money skills was strike number two.

She was also a slob. Oftentimes, after coming home from my THIRD job, I would end up cleaning the condo, washing the dishes, or doing laundry.

She spent endless hours on the phone while the TV was on, both aircon units blasting at max levels, and playing on her PSP.

Why did I ask her to move in? Well, she was beautiful, caring, and sexy. I suffered from the common Thailand Rookie Syndrome: I let myself get blinded by beauty and sex.

Of course, her nymphomania was cured soon after moving in. The sex became less and less as the months went by.

(Granted, when it [sex] did happen, it was great, but I had this nagging feeling that it just wasnât worth the rest of the bull$hi+.)

- Strike number three, sheâs out! -

As I grew more and more fatigued from overwork and irritated by her antics, she became more and more demanding. The dreaded Family Emergency and guilt trip stories became more frequent.

The last straw came when she and her female friend (from two floors up) were watching TV in the living room and it was approaching 1:00AM. Their chatter and the TVâs loud volume were keeping me awake in the bed room.

Why is silence so deafening to Thai people?

I politely asked her friend to leave and explained that I was working early and needed some sleep. The truth was that I also wanted some sanook, sanook.

After the visitor left, I turned off the TV. My girlfriend looked shocked, as if I had just shot her mother! She began pouting.

Looking at the blank TV screen for a minute, she let out a loud exhale. Then, while doing a pretty good âabout faceâ (for a civilian), she gave me a fake salute and went into the shower.

In spite of the sarcastic gesture about my military background, I thought, âGreat, sheâs getting ready for me.â

I waited for her to finish showering and wondered if I was, indeed, being too militaristic and controlling in our relationship. Even after five years of retirement from the U.S. Military, I still had vestiges of the lifestyle manifest now and then (usually when I was angry or stressed out).

But after assessing our live-in history, I brushed any thoughts of being a tyrant aside. I gave her much, much more freedom than most partners (Farang or Thai). I didnât pry into anything I considered none of my business â although, in hindsight, I should have!

I provided her with an âallowanceâ that was larger than all her friends in the same situation. In fact, her monthly expenses were more than the monthly expenses of two average-sized, middle class Thai families put together!

I was always respectful, responsible, and affectionate.

All I asked from her was companionship when I was home, friendship (i.e., to have fun together â anywhere: at home, at restaurants, malls, cinemas, etc.), partnership in daily living (meaning: to share in the housework and daily errands), a little financial responsibility (e.g., no squandering of money), and a healthy, regular sex life.

What did she do while I was working so much? I donât know. All I know is that the longer we stayed together, the more I felt that she was not willing to do (or possibly, not capable of performing) the most routine tasks. It was disappointing and frustrating.

I heard the shower stop.

Anticipating a nice romp in the sack, my mood changed instantly. She was always one of the best women in bed that Iâve ever met.

The combination of her young, curvaceous body; smooth, fair skin; shiny, jet black hair that cascaded down her back; exotic face; and angelic smile, was hard to beat.

I had never seen a woman with such a full, firm bust and butt, on an otherwise fat-free body, before. Her waist-to-hip ratio blew my mind. I have always described her bust as âunbelievably Hide-n-Seekableâ and her waist as âtiny, just three palms wideâ to my Farang friends.

As the bathroom door opened, I saw her step out with a towel wrapped around her waist. Her upper body was fully exposed and still glistening from the shower water. The cool air from the air conditioner had the desired effect (pencil erasers standing at rigid attention â Woo-Hoo! Thank you God.). The light behind her produced a full-body halo that made her look like an angel sent from above â just for me! Jeez! She was so beautiful!

I leapt off the bed, grabbed a bath towel and hung it on myself (guys, you know what I mean). Doing a âdrive-byâ sniff kiss on her neck, I skipped into the bathroom like a little kid.

True to convention, it was now my turn to bathe. I had already showered. But, for the girlfriendâs peace of mind and comfort level, I quickly showered again.

But when I came back to bed, she didnât acknowledge my presence, rolled further away, and pretended to fall asleep.

I was having none of this! I pulled her to me and said I wanted some. She acquiesced, but instead of the usual raucous, loud, playful, and raunchy sex â the unbridled sex that made me feel decades younger when we met, she did the starfish routine on me. Uncharacteristically, she lay there motionless â like a beached starfish. I was so pissed-off that I didnât even finish!

Thinking things over, maybe I was asking too much from her, especially after throwing her friend out of the condo?

Oh well, I decided to forget it and try to go to sleep. I moved to kiss her goodnight, but she copped an attitude and turned away.

Mai bpen arai (whatever, no problem), I whispered â to her and to myself.

But I could not go to sleep. The totally lopsidedness of the relationship was making me feel like a fool. I couldnât see any way to turn this lose/win relationship into a win/win.

- Tossing and Turning -

I thought about all the things that I had been trying to forget. I thought about her extended trips home (supposedly to Cambodia). I thought about all the money I was throwing away on her. I thought about her late night calls to her âbrother.â I thought about our continual state of miscommunication. I thought about her sloppiness. I thought about her attitudinal changes about me and about sex. I thought about being tired all the time from my multiple jobs. I thought about how she threw away money on stupid things and on her friends. Then I thought about how little I asked of her.

How dare she cop an attitude on me!

At 4:00AM, after tossing and turning for almost three hours, I sprung out of bed, grabbed a large, black (clean) trash bag, and began to throw her clothes in it.

Apparently, the girlfriend was not asleep either. Without a word, she got up, took the trash bag from me, and continued packing her clothes. I went to the balcony and watched her pack her belongings while I smoked outside.

She called and woke up her friend. Ten minutes later, both of them were packing up the soon-to-be exâs remaining knick knacks, toiletries, and stuffed animals. She packed up the PSP and her Nokia N72 cell phone (gifts I bought her for her birthday). Then she picked up the Sony camcorder I bought for the both of us for Christmas, put it down, and looked at me. I nodded a âyesâ and she quickly packed the camcorder into her brand name, oversized shoulder bag too.

Then, without a fuss, they left. Amazing.

It was about 5:15AM – too late/early to go to sleep. I had to get up at 6:00AM anyway. So, I just made a cup of coffee, smoked, and thought about what had just happened.

I knew it would be rough. I was so used to her being around. I knew I would miss her, but I couldnât live like this. Iâd had enough. It was for the best. And with that thought, I actually felt relieved.

The next day, she and her friend came down to my room. She motioned that she left her toothbrush in the bathroom and immediately stepped in and went to go get it. I watched her. She went into the bathroom for maybe three seconds. For the next ten minutes she poked around the rest of the condo, supposedly looking for her toothbrush.

I knew what she was doing. She was looking for another woman (or evidence of another woman). She couldnât believe that a man would break-up with her just to be alone. In her mind, it JUST HAD to be another woman.

Search unsuccessful, she started to leave my condo sullen. Clearly, she had prepared herself for a cat fight and now there was no one to fight.

I touched her shoulder and said âKao tot na kraap, tee rak (Sorry, darling). Lar gone (Good bye). Choke dee (Take care).â

Saying, âMai bpen arai,â she left with her friend.

(Continued in âExperiences from âThe Flowâ (21): Farang: Itâs Songkran. Hide your wallet! Part 2.â – They NEVER go away for goodâ¦)

âUntil next time, find âThe Flowâ and jump in!â

Your Friend in this Intrepid Journey called Life,

Carl âJ.C.â Pantejo

Farang, Thailand, Songkran, call, SMS, girlfriend, ex, sexy, cruelty.

Note: If you want to read more about Asian and Western cultural differences, finding unconditional love, exorcising past personal demons, Universal Laws, and the Illusive Secret of Happiness, please read the following articles: