A little nutty but whatever...

Hello to everyone on the other side of the world. I would just like to remind everyone that it is my 25th birthday on Saturday and if you don't send me anything I will understand. I have heard from a few people that there is a global economic crisis going on right now, so I realize "times are tough!"
Two weeks ago I had to make a visa run to get a 30-day extension on my passport. I decided to go to Singapore since it is close and cheap...or so I thought. The flight there was cheap, but everything else was not. Til and I took the late flight and did not get in until about midnight. When it is midnight, the subways shut down as well as the public bus lines. Great...now I have to spend extra money on a taxi. Well, we ended up meeting a couple who are missionaries in Chiang Mai and we all agreed on a place to stay and split a cab. We stayed at this place called "Backpacker's Inn" because it was late and we only needed a place to sleep for a few hours. Til and I stayed in this room with no blankets or air conditioning and two people we didn't know (not the two we split the cab with). I will never forget the look on Til's face when we entered out sleeping quarters for the evening. He noticed four beds, the belongings of two other individuals, and gave me a look and a little smirk that asked, "What the ....?" I couldn't help but laugh and the only response I could muster was, "WELCOME TO SINGAPORE!" We found hotel accomadation the next day, saw some sights, and on Sunday went to Joseph Prince's church before our flight left (I do have to give credit to my mother. She is the one who turned me on to Pastor Prince and I told her that I would go see him while I was in Singapore. I told myself that I was going to keep a mental tally of how many times she REMINDED me to make sure I go and see him. She only told me once...and that was a week before I left...to "remember to go see Joseph Prince." So, mom I am very proud of you.). Overall, Singapore is the CLEANEST place I have ever been. Spitting results in a fine (if caught), as well as littering. I would feel comfortable eating off the sidewalk (just to give you a better understanding of the cleanliness). However, it isn't too exciting. The food is bland (but I credit that to eating Thai food all the time) and it is EXPENSIVE.
Moving to a different topic, I was recently in Chiang Mai this past weekend. I found a cheap ticket and got the opportunity to fly out of the old international airport (Don Muang) instead of Suvarnabhumi. I left my apartment about two hours before my flight left because I knew traffic there would be horrible. I told the driver where I needed to go and he nodded that he would take me there (in Thailand, if taxis don't want to take you where you need to go, they will just shake their head and drive off). When we got into one of the many traffic jams he would say, "Don Muang. Noo Gooood! Suvarnabhumi Goood." I figured out that was all the English he knew and/or could understand. Knowing this information, and knowing that I would be riding with this gentleman for a decent period of time, I was going to ammuse myself (I know it sounds bad, but get your head out of the gutter!!). So, whenever he would repeat these words, I would tell him what I always told Rick when he was having a stressful day, "I know buddy, TIMES ARE TOUGH! You have six cars, a great house, three businesses, a 40-foot boat, and a wife that loves you. Times are tough." He would then respond by saying, "Mai kaao jai (I don't understand). Don Muang Noo Gooood. Suvarnabhumi Gooood." I would then continue speaking in English and telling long stories of about my grandfather. I think he was happy when he finally dropped me off because once I paid him he drove off before I could shut the door. I am still laughing about it five days later.
I finally get to Chiang Mai and had a great time. I love that city and enjoy myself whenever I am up there. On the 14th, Jom, two of here friends, and I went to this restaurant in the mountains that looked over the city. The establishment was beautiful, the view awesome, the food was perfect, and they even had live music. By live music I mean four men with instruments going from table to table singing random songs (some in Thai, most in English). When I finally spotted the singing group it was when they were playing "Country Road" by John Denver (why Thai people like this song still boggles my mind). I noticed they were wearing cowboy hats. Being that it was dark, their tan skin made them look Mexican, which I thought was funny. We eventually got our food and about half-way through our meal, the "Mexican Cowboys" made their was to our table. Out of all the songs to sing, they chose "Before the Last Teardrop Falls" by Freddie Fender. Now, when I was bartending at The Frog, my CCD ladies would come in every Wednesday night, have some drinks, chat, and listen to music. One of the artists they ALWAYS played was Freddie Fender. After three years I grew a strong dislike for Freddie Fender. With this being said, you can imagine the irony when they started to play this song. When it was over (THANK GOD) I had to have a laugh and remind myself that God has a wonderful sense of humor. Well, that is it for now. Until next time, always remember that CCD ladies (or "my ladies of the cloth" as I called them) will never let you forget about them.