its been am eternity since i posted one here, kinda, more than a year maybe?
today i feel like moving to montreal.....
it seems like a good idea to me...
hmmmmmmm......

ok, i have been home for a week and without internet for a week. my life seems... different. haha my only vice
my modem broke when i was away, and i have been waiting for the dudes to come and fix it, monday hopefully. until then i am forced to beg borrow and steal signals from friends and neighbours.
i have been having great times since i have been back, i haven't even come into work (until right now, payday..)
its been nice. i did lots of stuff done at home, i feel so much better about living in my house now. yay good times!
last sat was good times at the redhouse film party, and lots of fun stuff coming up: art, music, dancing with friends, brunch with rad peeps, bent, queer boardgame night, blonde redhead, raffle party to name a few... oh, and buying tix to see justin fuckin' timberlake, ya, thats right... j mothafuckin t.......
so ya, i am at work, chillin, using the internet... oh, my beloved internet hahaha

ok i just arrived in hong kong aka the city of robots and crazy ladies!!!
earlier today i went shopping with my thai translator and my new thai best friend, pong. i love the whole gay connection worldwide, i always seem to meet so many new best friends everywhere i go!! i was cracking him up because the city we went to for shopping was near the beach, so there was a lot of tourists around, which translates into lots of old white guys with young thai girls. it was making me vomit a little actually.
i was cracking pong up with my witty banter about my viewings... umm, yup... i also told him a story of a text message conversation i had yesterday while i was working with a friend in vancouver. we were making plans to hang out when i get back, and he was saying how much he loves thailand. he also told me of his 2 girlfriends here, to which i replied, damn, i wish i had 2 girlfriends there, to which he replied... do you want their numbers? they are like sunday mornings - easy... i was laughing so much, which was not good because i had just finished a cutting demo, and was still onstage kinda teaching (aka lots of people watching me).. i told my translator pong that story though, and it nearly killed him too.. ok, defintely that story is best told instead of read, sorry...
i finally arrived in hong kong after a 1.5 hour delay on the tarmac in bangkok... i took a taxi to my hotel here in hong kong with the craziest lady taxi driver, she actually made my blood boil a little because she was sooo nuts, which is weird cuz i am always so calm. driving through the city i couldnt help but notice the symmetry and matching qualities of everything here, it looks like a robot city, its fascinating, but i know i need to leave soon though, too much sensory overload.. i am so happy i booked my hotel though, its a small boutique hotel with only a small amount of rooms (as opposed to giant corporate hotels), i love it!! it is very "wallpaper"-esque, so rad! my room is adorable!! very modern, but comfortable....
i am soooooo looking forward to being back in van tomorrow!! damn!!! i am already making the most fun plans!! thurs night is the fashion show fundraiser that my work is putting on, and fri is an anti-animal experimentation rally and then fun hang out sleepover times at the red house with my buddy coral, sat is a ladyfest meeting, then in the evening a superfun party i am djing! i even will get to sleep in and take naps randomly! sooo stoked!!

ok today was my last day teaching here in bangkok. at the end of my day there was a ceremony where i was presented with so many rad gifts!! really beautiful traditional thai dishes, scarves, trays, pictures..... so rad!!  it was cute, the 5 groups i taught each had a member come up and present me with something and they had to do a little speech before, they were so nervous and adorable!!!! i also had to  present them with certificates saying that they completed my training. i had to autograph over 100 of them.. damn, its hard to not feel a bit rockstarish haha, especially because i also posed for photos with everyone for almost 45 min.. damn!! the most adorable thing was when i was presenting their certificates to them, we posed for a photo, and so many of them were so nervous i could feel them trembling!!! soooo damn cute man!!!!! once again, i have such a rad job!! i feel so lucky that i can share my craft, the thing that comes so easily to me and i enjoy doing so much, with so many people and see how well they respond to my sharing and teaching. it is f-ing so amazing!!!
i think many of them have "professional crushes" on me, i could feel them watch absolutely everything i do... its so funny...
i am about to gout with a few of them dancing etc, i think it should be very entertaining!! oh, my life, hilarious!!

ok, things that are entertaining me here in bangkok:
- on mondays everyone wears a yellow shirt because it it the colour of the king's birthday, and as previously mentioned, people here LOVE the king, "long live the king!"
- i think i can say unofficially that i am a hairdressing superstar here, based on how and what people tell me and treat me, it totally cracks me up man!!! if i knew i wasn't such a geek it might go to my head... luckily i know that i am a total geek and these people just have no idea hahahhaha...
- the fact that EVERYONE wants photos with me, like in viet nam... hahahahahaa, again, very reminiscent of being in a wedding party with my permanent "nice smile" on
- how many people have been very politely telling me how "beautiful" i am , again, it could go to my head if i wasnt such a dork.... luckily they didnt see me host queer-aoke the other week, then they would have seen exactly what a geek i am hahaha
- how everyone notices here that i am always smiling and "so happy" - damn it, i am!! hahaha they think i am very "gentle lady" hahahahhaa
- the fact that i am eating pomello every day here
- the fact that vegetarian here actually means vegan.. YAY!!!! no thinking!!!!!
- the fact that i have 2 interpreters here, damn...
- the fact that i just changed my flight to leave in the evening so i can go to the giant lesportsac store (i am kinda embarrassed to admit this, but comeon, lesportsac!!!!)

today i saw a family of siamese kittens with their mummy cat, there were 3 of them. i seriously discussed adopting 2 of them to take home with me. they were sooooooo adorable, and they lived in the parking garage of the hotel where my seminars are, which made me want them even more... we also discussed the fact that since this is a buddhist  country, there is a no-kill policy on stray animals, most of them live in the temples. i loved hearing that! it would be great to hear someone coming and doing spays and neutering as well..... in an ideal world i guess...
i am teaching a series of master classes here, to 120 hairdressers, it is awesome! i am gonna post some pics to my myspace, since i am a new LJ user i just dont know how to do it here :(
i can't say enough how rad my job is... all day today i was thinking how all these haircuts that i created and am now teaching here will be cut all over thailand, so soon enough there will be many people wandering around with my creations on their heads... comeon, how f-ing cool is that!!!! i love that idea!!!!
oh i am so easily amused!!!
damn.....
soooooo funny...........
ps i am so excited to be home soon though, and just relax!!! and see peeps.... and eat more yummy food... and ride my bike..... and sleep....... and write music.........and see more peeps.... and dance........ and plan things......and generally be a total fool, like usual..... yay!! xoxo 4 more sleeps!!!!

i know i say this a lot, but I LOVE MY JOB!!!! it is totally ridiculous!!! today i worked my ass off preparing for a huge master class i am teaching the next 2 days here in bangkok., but what can i say, i love doing hair so its all good working my ass off.. i had such funny times with my new thai best friend, aka my translator pong. i am trying to extend my last day here in thailand so he can take me to the lesportsac store here!! damn!!!! i am such a sucker for lesportsac and it turns out it is made here!! he is also going to try to take me to the big vintage markets.. ridiculous!!! damn it, i need to come back here!! the hairdressers i am working with here are thai superstar hairdressers. turns out they handpicked me to come and train for them based on my credentials, yup, thats right, MY credentials.. hahaha i think they are trying to turn me in to a thai superstar hairdresser too.. they are also trying to find me a thai "kik" too, i won't repeat what that means, so unless you know thai, you will have to just keep wondering hahahaha
tonight i had a huge vegetarian feast with my colleagues here.. it was f-ing amazing!!!!!! they all want me to come back and visit and go on tour here doing shows all over thailand. i agreed with them cuz that would be sooooooo rad!!!! they sent me back to my hotel with my favourite fruit, pomello, which is kinda like a giant grapefruit/orange, sooo yummy, i am eating it as i LJ cuz i am a total geek.. we also had such funny "gay" talk over dinner this evening, such good times!!!
one more thing about my rad job, since i travel and work, i end up meeting such rad peeps all over the world which makes it easy to go visit them again... soooo awesome!!! ok i gotta get back to work putting together powerpoints for my master class tomorrow..... yup, still working....

so today was my first working day here in bangkok, and it was super good! the people i am training here are very responsive and funny. i am even kinda getting some of their jokes! i have the funniest interpretor here, he went to high school in the US and had a penchant for vintage gucci handbags and makes a killing off ebay selling them... he is so amusing! i am having lots of fun with him, or should i say "her." i was fed so much yummy veggie thai food too, specially prepared for me... it was amazing!! so excited for more tomorrow!
this evening i went out with a few of the hairdressers i trained today. they took me out dancing and stuff. before we went dancing they took me to get a thai massage. damn.... i need a thai masseuse around me at all times..... f-ing amazing!! damn....
we went to a local club after my massage. it was totally rad because a) i havent gone dancing since i began traveling for work, and i am a total dance fanatic b) the place they took me to played dancehall and a bit of hiphop for most of the night.... f-ing ridiculous!! how could i not dance for the entire time i was there?! they also played some hilarious thai top 4o that i watched the crowd sing and dance to, and they even threw in an aqua song, again, f-ing ridiculous!!! i once played in an aqua cover band, all "old-country" style - needless to say, i have a major softspot for aqua!!
so, basically, today was a rad f-ing day!!! again, this is my f-ing life!!!! for realz!!!!!!! i feel so lucky!!
tomorrow should prove to be another hilarious day too!!!
hahahaha, my life... love it!! xoxo

i know i say this every post, but seriously, i lead a ridiculous life!!!
today i flew into bangkok, which was relatively easy other than the fact i was very sleepy. i am not used to this whole being awake early thing, but being in a totally different timezone helps for sure.... it is f-ing hot here!! 35C!!!! damn!! it is interesting noticing all the small cultural details being in different countries back to back like this. i will admit i am easily entertained by all the big banners and shrines dedicated the the king here, "long live the king!" god, i can help but think of elvis hahaha.... but then i see these giant posters of the king here, and he is really just a small asian man in glasses wearing crazy robes... ya, i am easily amused.... the other thing that is entertaining to me is seeing the fashions here. i had a break and i went to the mall here (a really big one) and i was so amused by all the tacky shiny things EVERYWHERE!!! it started to suck me in and you should have seen the shoes i was actually picking up to almost try on, ya, shiny green and gold.... thank god my common sense prevailed and i quickly put them down. its hard to not be attracted to shiny things though hehe.....
i just got in from business dinner with the "chairman" of the company here, basically the big boss. he owns a bank here, ummm ya, let me repeat that, i just got in from a dinner with a dude who owns a BANK!!!! seriously, my life...... we ate in the private room at a really fancy restaurant. there was 7 of us, the business partners (2 hairdressers) the money (bank dude) right hand man (my personal chauffeur and general go-to guy) and 2 lady companions.. damn it was entertaining to witness... we also ate with the chef of the restaurant, who was from italy. my spidy senses were tingling cuz i think he was totally flirting with me. you know how italian men can be...i will admit i looked f-ing hot tonight (rad new dress) hahaha....anyway, luckily i was able to sneak out to go back to my hotel.. he was nice though, good conversation, and he was quite handsome, if i was into that kinda thing... hahaha
now i am back in my hotel procrastinating putting together my presentation for tomorrow... in the next few days i will be teaching for a mere 120 thai hairdressers, yup, again, my life..... the funny thing is that i get to sign "diplomas" once they graduate from my seminar... hahahaha, again, i am so easily amused!!! ok all the time i wonder how the f is this my life!! it is so amusing!!!! for realz!!! ok, i know how this is my life. i am a f-ing hard worker and i love what i do... seriously, i am getting paid to do this!! damn!!!
i do admit i miss my queer vancouver an awful lot, but i know i will be home in a week.... i think if i lived this kind of life all the time i would go crazy.. i need the d.i.y punk-ass thought-provoking bike riding grounding aspect of my vancouver peeps... thanks for being there to help balance me!! xoxoxo

ok seriously, i have the funniest job!!!!
i just finished a 3 hour show for hundreds of vietnamese hairdressers here in hanoi, but the thing that cracks me up is the tradition of having photos taken after the show with all of them, I SWEAR!! they all come running and i just have to stand and smile for what seems like an eternity!! it feels like i am at a wedding and i am part of the bridal party, except i have no idea what everyone around me is saying because they are speaking vietnamese.... every now and then i hear "ooohhh very beautiful" in their broken english. i think it is the only english phrase they really know.. soooo damn funny.. i swear this part of the job may go to my head hahaha (if i didnt remember how much of a geek i am though - seriously, what am i doing now, not basking in attention, i am livejournalling - GEEK!!) i should add the tradition is giving me flowers too, which is where the bridal party feeling comes in. hahahahaha so f-ing funny!!!!!!
i am now gonna relax, eat dinner with everyone, and then try covertly to find someone to take me dancing to a gay bar.. there has to be one here somewhere..... i don't have high hopes though, i keep getting asked if i have children.. how do you explain the whole gay thing to people that barely speak english (and are really only asking to be polite) and in a socialist country where they pray very regularly... anyway, i will try.... i feel like i need to dance or something!!!!

today i woke up in hanoi.. i got in really late last night.... it is quite different here than ho chi minh (which i found out is called that as a tribute to the emperor, ra ra socialist country kinda stuff, many people still call it saigon). hanoi is more "traditional" in appearance, because apparently it was never occupied during the war, so it is less westernized like saigon was. it is definitely pretty and stuff here, not that i have actually seen very much, since of course, i am still working like a mother fucker here. today i was thinking though as i worked, damn i have it pretty good. all day i get to work with beautiful people in beautiful lands, creating works of art on their heads. i love doing shows because the hair is definitely whatever i want to do, which is rad since i love doing hair!!! ( i am such a geek..) so as much as i complain about the overwork etc, i am having a rad time doing totally creative things, and i know i am a glutton for too much work in my life, so here i am!!!
i do miss all my peeps in van though, that is the hard thing with working overseas, i miss all my good buddies. especially because as of late i am really witnessing a real sense of connection with such like-minded people in the city, and i grow so much from those connections. ok, now i sound like a self-help book.. i should just end this here ;) i am off to run a bath and soak and not think about anything.... even though i probably will since it is what i do best ;)