Untitled - Tuesday March 18, 2008

I woke up late this morning. Why? Because I stayed up late reading. I recently became very engrossed in a book and have been reading it as I walk to and from places. This became too rare of occurrence even though I walk nearly 2 hours a day. Becoming increasingly obsessed with the book, I decided that I would simply finish the last 250 pages last night. If you know me well, you know that it takes a lot for me to actually sit down and read; I have an impatience of sorts when it comes to reading. Perhaps this is why I initially began reading it while walking places. While walking, I would walk quickly; I wouldn't wait for the red man not walking to change to the green man walking. While reading this book, I walked slowly; I didn't mind waiting for the little green indicator that it was safe to walk. The book: A Million Little Pieces. The author: James Frey. I know the controversy, and I don't care. The book is damn good.

I'm taking guitar lessons. My teacher does not speak one word of English. It has been quite an interesting experience. He's the sweetest old man, and I wish I could talk to him.

I began to read a book that I bought when I was in the Thailand airport during a layover to Myanmar. I had started it during my trip to Burma, but it got put on hold. The book: Sex Slaves: the trafficking of women in Asia. The author: Louise Brown. I am not nearly as impressed by the writing style of the book but am deeply impacted by its words. On the way home, I stopped reading, partially out of dislike of the writing style and partially out of disgust for the concept. "60% of [Thai] families sending daughters to brothels were not forced to do so because of acute poverty. Instead they were motivated by the desire to own consumer goods like televisions and videos. There is competition among families to acquire household items (55 Brown)."

Wonjyokyojae. The term means: a girl who prostitutes herself into a relationship with an older man in order to gain material items in exchange. Noraebang tomi. The term means: a woman who is paid to privately sing for men; that's not all she is paid to do. Many times, these women are housewives. Where did I learn these terms? My Korean tutor and I had a conversation after my lesson.

I saw a man peeing today on a fence as I walked home from my Korean tutoring session. It didn't phase me at all.

I also scared an old man while walking home. It's warm now, and I have started wearing flipflops. Most people think I'm crazy; my MC friends would understand. How did I scare this old man? I tripped on my flipflop; he didn't realize I was behind him until that.