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What the...?! XIII

You Should Rule Mercury

Close to sun, Mercury has very long days - and is rarely visible to the rest of the solar system. You are perfect to rule Mercury, because you live for the present - and can truly enjoy a day that goes on forever. Like Mercury, you are quick and elusive. Your wit is outstanding, and you can win any verbal sparring match. Some people see you as superficial, but in truth, you just play many roles and have many interests. A great manipulator, you usually get what you want from people. And they're happy to give it to you.

What Planet Should You Rule?

What the...?! XII

What Edward Means

E is for Entertaining D is for Dignified W is for Worldly A is for Adventurous R is for Rare D is for Dramatic

What Does Your Name Mean?

What the...?! XII

Your Personality Profile

You are funky, outdoorsy, and down to earth. While you may not be a total hippie... You're definitely one of the most free spirited people around. You are very impulsive - every day is a new adventure. However, you do put some thought behind all your actions. Still, you do tend to shock and offend people from time to time!

The World's Shortest Personality Test

What the...?! XI

You Follow Your Heart

You're romantic, sentimental, and emotional. You tend to fall in (and out of) love very quickly. Some may call you fickle, but you can't help where your emotions take you. You've definitely broken a few hearts, but you're not a heartbreaker by nature. Your intentions are always good, even if they change with the wind

Do You Follow Your Head or Your Heart?

What the...?! X

Your Aura is Orange

You're a bit of a loner, but you're never lonely. You know how to entertain yourself. Whether you're trying an extreme sport or a new weird food, you always live on the edge. The purpose of your life: testing limits - both physical and mental... and then telling people about it. Famous oranges include: Timothy Leary, David Blaine, Tony Hawk, Carey Hart Careers for you to try: Snowboarder, Circus Performer, Undercover Agent

What Color Is Your Aura?

What the...?! IX

Your Element Is Air

You dislike conflict, and you've been able to rise above the angst of the world. And when things don't go your way, you know they'll blow over quickly. Easygoing, you tend to find joy from the simple things in life. You roll with the punches, and as a result, your life is light and cheerful. You find it easy to adapt to most situations, and you're an open person. With you, what you see is what you get... and people love that!

What's Your Element?

What the...?! VIII

The Keys to Your Heart

You are attracted to good manners and elegance. In love, you feel the most alive when everything is uncertain, one moment heaven... the next moment hell. You'd like to your lover to think you are optimistic and happy. You would be forced to break up with someone who was ruthless, cold-blooded, and sarcastic. Your ideal relationship is open. Both of you can talk about everything... no secrets. Your risk of cheating is zero. You care about society and morality. You would never break a commitment. You think of marriage something you've always wanted... though you haven't really thought about it. In this moment, you think of love as something you don't need. You just feel like flirting around and playing right now.

What Are The Keys To Your Heart?

What the...?! VII

You Would Choose Love

Money may buy a little happiness, but not the happiness of true love. You rather have a true soulmate than a private jet. And while many people may claim they would choose love too... You're one of the few who would really do it.

Would You Choose Love or Money?

What the...?! VI

The True You

You want your girlfriend or boyfriend to dress well and take care of him / herself. With respect to money, you save for a rainy day. You think good luck is something you won't attain - you expect bad luck. The hidden side of your personality tends to be methodical in your ways - with trouble adapting to the rules of society. You have a tendency to overdo things, but basically you value your friendships highly. When it comes to finding a romantic partner, you will search and search until you find your perfect match.

Who's The True You?

Man, how true is that...

What The...?! V

What Your Hands Say About You

You are artistic, intuitive, and inspired. You have good people skills. Flexible and broad minded, you can fit in to any situation. There's no telling where your life will take you. Consistent and reliable, you like to count on structure and routine in your life. Your emotions tend to be nervous and potent. Your energy - both positive and negative - deeply impacts your life.

What Do Your Hands Say About You?

What the...?! IV

Your Life is Rated PG-13

Your life isn't totally scandalous, but you definitely don't shy away from adult themes!

What is Your Life Rated?

What the...?! III

You Are a Centaur

In general, you are a very cautious and reserved person. However, you are also warm hearted, and you enjoy helping others in practical ways. You are a great teacher, and you are really good at helping people get their lives in order. You are very intuitive, and you go with your gut. You make good decisions easily.

What Mythological Creature Are You?

What The...?! II

What Your Bathroom Habits Say About You

You are a very considerate person, but that doesn't mean you let people walk all over you. You spend a lot on clothes, and you tend to be a very dresser. However, it's hard for you to throw away trendy clothes when they go out of style. You are a little shy and easily embarrassed. You often wonder if you are normal. In relationships, you are practical and realistic. You have a romantic side, but you only let it out when it's appropriate.

What Do Your Bathroom Habits Say About You?

What the...?! (Let's start counting again)

Your Love Is Represented By a Red Rose

You love passionately and fully, without any reservations. And while romantic love comes easily for you, you also love many people platonically. You are a true romantic, and you always can see the best in people.

What Rose Represents Your Love?

Same same, but different

Writer same same

Topic different

www.samesamebutnotsame.blogspot.com

Hangin' by the B....

Having finished reading Thai Girl by Andrew Hicks two weeks ago, which took me about a month, a major feat for my reading speed, I was left with a lingering feeling of loss and a 'what's next...' syndrome, thanks in no small way to the unresolved ending of the book. Thanks, Andrew! You took me for a wild ride, hit the brakes in the middle of nowhere, got off the bus with the engine still running and ran off to who knows where.

One thing's for sure, though. This is not your typical love story where the guy ALWAYS gets the girl in the end, however much they twist and contort the plot that leads up to that ending. No Mills-and-Boons-book-jackets kind of humping anywhere in the book, but lots of dialogues between the two main characters during massage sessions about the female lead's life, and in the process, giving us more than a glimpse into the life of the Thais of different parts, particularly the plight of village girls who were sent out to work in the cities. You can find the synopsis of the book, as well as other information by clicking on the heading. There's no need for me to repeat what has been done to death already, i.e. book reviews and synopses, available everywhere else with a Google search.

Of course, there are the expected expose on subjects like poverty and sex tourism in Thailand, as seen through the eyes of the people the main character, Ben, met during his adventure in Thailand. Beneath that layer, however, as I discovered, lies an understated, silent narrative about reaching for something within our sight but not within our grasp, of frustration and a certain sense of helplessness. Oh, how frustrating Ben must have felt in his pursuit of Fon, the charming and innocent but strong-willed masseuse who works on a beach resort. Then there's the tension of how certain trades are seen as a taboo in society in general, yet accepted as a mean to avert the highly undesirable effects of poverty. The girls who ply them are often cast in an unholy duality of being the financial pillars of their poor families and the stereotypical sex-off-the-shelf, much to their resignation and that of the people dear to them. One of the many backlashes of such 'sacrifices' is, according to what Fon told Ben, that being seen around a farang alone raises the suspicion that the girl in question is a bar girl (typically from Pattaya, so implies Fon), or someone who's tagging along the farang for the money.

On the flip side, would that imply that a foreigner scooting around a Thai girl is necessarily a sex tourist of some sort? Could there not be a more benign relationship between a Thai girl and a non-Thai man? With this comes also the eternal struggle between supply and demand, each trying to make the other the root of all their following evils. You will discover, weaved in the story, many of these really grey tales snaking across what's not wrong, what's justifiable and what's tolerated like a tuk-tuk driver through the Bangkok streets, with nary a judgment being made. Most probably because no one has the answer.

Hey, perhaps Andrew Hicks didn't intend to make such a bellyhoo of a philosophical statement in his book. Maybe it's more borne out of the empathy I had for Ben through real experiences in Thailand. Perhaps it's also a reflection of the way life is, that there are simply no answers to certain things that challenge our thirst for a justification in whatever befall us. Who knows?

Oh, yeah. You will get to learn a few Thai words along the way.