That whole "you don't use what you learned in school" thing may have been a bit premature. I am whipping through my old books/notes... from classes I loathed. BUT today was extra-nice because I received a special delivery at lunch, wrapped in purple...


He's halfway around the world, but planned to have flowers sent to me. I was so surprised that I rechecked the "To" address multiple times. Yup, they were for me. They came with a "hahaha" kind of note. !

My favorites... the lilies will be the last to bloom!


Categories: Love, Funny

So I got my first international phonecall from Stinky this morning and it was so nice hearing from him. In case you are wondering, he is having a hell of a time. He is staying at the house that his uncle built. It's a 5 story building adorned with marble, granite... the works. Last night, his brother, cousins, and he went out to a night club which he told me was the best club he had ever been to. Imagine that. Vietnam... country with the best dance club he had ever been to. He said that although it was high security, the bouncers shook your hands as you walked into the club past metal detectors. It was a trance/techno/house club. I was soooo jealous. I asked him if he danced with anyone and he said, "myself" lol.

Plus he told me that his mom keeps telling him to behave himself because he has ME. I'm not worried to begin with but it's nice to know that Mrs. N has my back and I have a pair of eyes over there, hehe. And if there was ever any other woman who could keep D in line, it's Mrs. N.

Categorized: Love, Funny

November is almost gone. It flew... felt like Halloween was just here. I guess it flew since I spent a week of it in Germany. D spent a week in Detroit and a couple days in New York. (He brought me back a teddy bear which I named Yorkie- from NY, and the classic "I ♥ Vietnam on Thanksgiving Day. Yep, I missed the biggest bar night of the year and that is ok. After drinking every night the week before, I could use a little detox. My boss gave me Wednesday off because I worked long hours with him overseas. So we spent it together.

On Wednesday evening, we were Lansing-bound. In talking to his brother earlier, we had planned on going to Preston's for the biggest bar night of the year for some inside "high school humor", but considering the younger Nguyen did not pack yet, I just spent time with the family on their all-nighter to prepare 8 bags of luggage. I bought D Lost Season 1 for his flight, but he was insistant on watching it with me so we watched. And reluctantly, I am hooked. Grrr. Anyway, we were so tired from all the traveling so we passed out sometime during the 3rd CD.

D and I went to bed while his family pulled the all nighter. The alarms rang at 5:45AM. I woke up and tried to help the family get everything together. Finally, I made a trip to the airport with D so that he could check in first. Soon after, the rest of the group got to the airport. After waiting for awhile, he came out to take his dad's truck back to their house. He locked everything up, then we bought McDonald's for everyone and relaxed a little bit at the airport.

The flight was fortunately (for me) delayed so that I could be selfish and spend a little more time with him. Of course, time doesn't wait for anyone so after hugs and kisses from my second family, they lined up at security and I stood there until they disappeared. It was really cute. His mother yelled "Bye Thao" down the escalator after security. Her voice rang through the airport. It was so adorable. Immediately, I missed him.

Thanksgiving was not full of holiday cheer for me. It seems that most of the holidays were kinda bittersweet this year. I reluctantly drove to my mother's where I spent Thanksgiving watching old reruns and lounging on the sofa while the adulta gambled and drank. I went to bed early while the party was still going since I wanted to wake up at 5AM for the after-Thanksgiving shopping event. Shopping was disappointing this year. No big sales. I bought stuff for myself, but couldn't find much for other people. I had a quick lunch with my mom and then drove back to Grand Rapids which was another mistake. Instead of getting a bit of peace and quiet, I got quite the opposite. PLUS I left Yorkie at my mom's and that was saddening.

Already, I wish I just drove out to GH to just be there by myself. It's not that I don't love this house. I do. I found it and made it my own, but I've outgrown it. It's amazing to think about how you just outgrow things and people, but it happens. All the time I spend at his place just shows me how much more comfortable I am in a place with someone who cleans, cooks, organizes, and works fulltime like me. I'm passed this stupid college ordeal. I don't need to get wasted with aimless people to prove anything to anyone. I am about to start grad school and that's even more different. I will be taking classes with people who work full time and barely will have time for myself. I don't want to be taking care of other things, I want to look out for number 1. I will be on my own in January and that is a relief. I will be paying a small mortgage to relocate myself immediately downtown, but the privacy, view, and security alone is worth it. I don't know how I am going to manage the move, starting grad courses, and getting lasik, but as I do for everything, I'll manage.

So what was I thankful for this Thanksgiving? As retarded and girlish as it sounds... I am thankful for the trials and tribulations of my relationship. I am thankful for having found him. We have learned a lot from each other, increasingly in these past couple of weeks. Nothing has come to us easy. With so few degrees of separation, we were bound to meet, but I never realized it could be anything like this. I am thankful for finding someone I can trust 100%. I wish the same could be said inversely. I am thankful that I chose to be selfish to be with him now for it was a catalyst for so many things...

I am thankful for finding a great job and being able to put myself through school. I am thankful that I am not a financial burden to my mother. I am thankful that I am much closer to my sister even though it cost us a mutual relationship with someone else. We were already close, but damn. I wish things didn't have to be that way, but they are. Because of the shit that has ensued, I spent Thanksgiving apart from my family. I briefly got to see my sister after saying bye at the airport. I hope that people out there aren't taking their families for granted. Much of my heartache right now has evolved from losing faith. I am taking a lesson from this for my own family in the future.

Details. I love and miss him much. These three weeks will fly, but damned if I ever thought I would ever feel like this about anyone. Ever. When he comes back, we will *hopefully* celebrate our first xmas, first new years, and first year together, before I get back on the school horse and work like hell to fight stress and a heightened schedule.

Categorized: Love, Holidays, Thoughts, Family

My last day in Germany was fortunately, Saturday. I finally got to sleep in a bit since we didn't have to work. We checked out of the hotel outside of Ahlen and headed to Munster to go shopping. It was a short drive. As soon as I got out of the Opal, I started snapping pictures. My main shopping consisted of presents for the family. Here are some photos of the city:



Then we drove out to Koln to see the Dom, in which the construction of this enormous cathedral started in 1248. It was spectacular.

After wandering around Koln for awhile, i.e. shopping, we jumped back into the car to check into the hotel in Frankfurt. The plans included finding an Indian restaurant for our last night in Germany. I hopped onto their elaborate train station and after 3 trains, we got to the "Taj Mahal" where I had a mango colada and lamb tikka. SOOOO GOOD! I was an idiot, however, and realized that not drinking water all week would inevitably lead to dehydration. Duh!

What I noticed at restaurants in Germany was that they do not bring out water like they do in the states. If you order water and do not specify "normal", they'll bring out sparkling mineral water. So without that automatic delivery of normal water, my body was unhappy. You have to pay for water too! The American dollar is weaker there so to spend about $2 for water just seems ridiculous. Because of this dehydration, in addition to the constant alcohol consumption every night, I needed to head to bed after dinner that night. My boss stayed up at the hotel bar to have his nightcap with some Germans. I went up to my hotel room after a long trip back from that awesome restaurant. I had to do some strategic packing because I did not plan for shopping space. After that and making an international call to the butthead, I passed out.

I woke up to the hotel's wake up call, finished getting ready and then ran down for a delicious gourmet complimentary breakfast. The goal was to check out by 8:20AM. I checked out fine. After not seeing my boss at 8:30AM, I gave him a ring to find that he had fallen back asleep. Oops! Good thing I called. It was relieving to at least be staying in the airport Sheraton hotel though. I made it onto my flight after long lines at security.

The flight back sucked because it was a full ride and I was seated in a trap by the window... guarded by a relatively large man with a snoring problem. Just because you are big and you need more space, does not mean that you can take the whole armrest and fall undelicately into my seat. Asshole. Ugh. He got up to go to the bathroom finally and I stole back my armrest for the last half of the flight. That's right, biatch. Then when we got to customs in the US, it was back to the lines at DET.

My boss was sitting many rows ahead of me so he was able to get out early. So he was able to steal a short customs line. I hopped right in but our plans were foiled. There was a middle eastern man in line ahead of us by 2 people. When he got to the window... our line stopped moving. That must SUCK! To be profiled like that... our once fast-moving line was now not moving for what ended up to be 20 minutes. When I got to the line, it took 2 seconds!

Well, I made it home safely on Sunday at about 6PM. I drove straight to Donny's. He was in New York for a meeting so I recovered from jet lag in peace and quiet. I am spending the week out in GH because he is flying to Vietnam for three weeks on Thanksgiving Day. So Jealous!!! We have been pretty booked all month travelling and working so it's been a bit stressful. Fortunately, we have a few days to just hang out. I got Wednesday off since I worked late all last week in Germany. What a month this has been!!

Categorized: Work, Trips

Day Two Today was all work. We started at approximately 9AM. I am learning a lot about international business and product design in general. It was a 10 hour day interrupted by a quick lunch from this tasty Italian place with all the kinds of pizza you would want. I had spaghetti. Italian spaghetti in Germany that reminded me of an Asian soup dish. Don't ask. Anyway, after work, I walked around downtown Ahlen with my boss so that I could decide on what shopping to do on Saturday. We had dinner at the Art Hotel (gorgeous)! I had a REALLY GOOD BIER with my soup... Czechloslavakian Budweiser Budvar, no association to Anheuser-Busch. It's pictured on the right. It was quite yummy. (I brought some back with me!) The hotel and restaurant was very aesthetic... next time, that's where I'll stay. (It was booked.)

I ended up having a few more night caps with the boss at our hotel before finishing up with conference calls and sleepy time. By the way...


That sucked!!! Downtown Ahlen is small, so they do not take credit cards. The companies charge them 3% to run credit, so it makes sense, but it sucks for the traveller. I am not used to counting money!

Day Three I woke up feeling sick! Work work work again. It was a full day. After work, I went to the train station downtown to watch some of the trains. There is a train in Germany called the I.C.E. train that my boss wanted to show to me. It travels at approximately 175mph. Unfortunately, I didn't see one during the wait, but I saw some pretty speedy ones pass by. After that, we met his friends at a cafe to have some drinks. Then it was off to the local Spanish restaurant, Las Tapas. DELICIOUS. I don't know why I don't go out for tapas more often, but it was fun. My boss's friend brought his 17 year old son, so I was able to ask a lot of naive American questions about what's happening in Germany. I learned first that you can start drinking when you are 16, but only mixed beers. Yes, mixed beer. He was drinking beer and banana. That was quite odd. So I tried beer and coke later. It's a little too sweet for my taste.

After 18, they are allowed to start drinking "normal" beer and cocktails, etc. He told me that there is a club made completely of ice and that the average clubbing crowd is in their late 20s, not early 20s like in the US. They were telling me that if I went, I would be one of the younger persons there. Interesting. I ate like a queen that night, it was fantastic. So if you're ever in Ahlen, Germany and are craving some Spanish Tapas... go to Las Tapas. Oh yea... the Germans are so into their beer that they typically serve the beer in the matching glass, on the matching coaster, and with a matching "drop catcher". It's a doily looking thing that they place around the bottom of the glass to catch condensation. Basically, it prevents you from drooling all over yourself so that you can enjoy a pleasant beer experience.

Day Four Finally, after a long work week, it was Friday. We went into work a little later, but stayed late as usual. Dinner plans for that night was an Italian place called, Giovanni's, where the owner especially made sure that a fish called "Sole" was caught for my boss. I had that for dinner with garlic pasta and it was delicious. The appetizer was an antipasta and some very tender duck. I had white wine from Italy called Giva di Giva, along with some "Alster" (beer mixed with lemonade), grappa (incredibly strong shot that they served as a drink - 80 to 100 proof), beer, expresso... I could keep going. I learned a lot about Germany from the people that night. They were travelled Germans who have been to the states. I asked them what the country's opinions are of the US and didn't get a positive response. Much of what they said maid sense. After getting asked dumb questions about how impoverished they are from the locals in the US, they can easily assume that most Americans are naive and unworldly. I have to agree with that. Then they moved to the fact that the news they see about the US is always focused on the Bush administration. Most of America doesn't even approve of Bush, I can't even begin to fathom how the rest of the world feels. After some good times at dinner, we went to Leo's to drink some more and to play pool. That was a nice long night. I managed to take a "gift" for myself of a grappa glass. I definitely stayed full. After getting back to the hotel, I talked to D again for a bit and then went to bed. We luckily did not have to work on Saturday so we made plans to stop by Munster, Koln, and end up at the last hotel in Frankfurt for our last night in Germany!

Categorized: Work, Trips

Well, kids... I made it through my first day in Germany. It's pretty easy since my boss has been here over a dozen times. I flew out of Grand Rapids at 3PM on Monday on a connect to Detroit. That ride was miserable because it was too short to relax. We barely had a layover at Detroit before we boarded to Frankfurt, Germany. Want to know what's awesome? Me... a female... totally exhausted from the hop across Michigan... wandering into the men's bathroom at DET. I didn't just peek and run out... I walked by 5 men before one told me that it was the men's room. Awesome! Hell, I was so groggy, I just said that I was making sure they paid attention. A little boy in the restroom was quoted saying, "She didn't read the sign, Daddy!" At least I entertained a few relieved men.

The flight from Detroit to Germany was much better. We had individual screens so I chose to watch Tokyo Drift and Pirates of the Carribean II during the first half of the eight hour flight. I always did enjoy flying international. The white wine during snack time and dinner time helped me relax even more. With the 6 hour time difference, I landed this morning at 7AM. After another 3 hour drive on the infamous Audobon, my boss and I are staying in a quaint little German town called Ahlen. I napped and worked until about 7:30PM, so let's just say that business trips are more business than you would imagine. Even so, I am getting used to the bikes, German signs, saying danke, and little German cars. The countryside is gorgeous. I can't even describe how... pictures won't even do it justice. I never picked Germany to visit, but how many people get to pick up and go? I found out that if my flight on Sunday was for a bit later, we would have hopped on the train to Paris! Oh well, maybe next time .

P.S. All the toilets have two flush buttons... "Stinky" and "Not so stinky".


Categorized: Work, Trips, Funny

Katie showed me this site that shows the election results by county. Take a look.

Yep, the reddest county on the west side is where I currently work. I live in the county adjacent to in on the left, which is still kinda red. This explains a lot about the area, not like I was ever surprised. Katie was pointing out the UP. I actually had no clue which way the north swung, so that was informative. I didn't vote. (Booooo, I know, slap me on the wrist... or wherever you want to slap me. I'll leave that to your discretion.) Trust me, I tried to vote. I received my absentee ballot on Monday after work and somehow it was supposed to get back to the east side by the end of the election. I didn't even think I would have to send in an absentee because I changed my address to GR. I just happened to miss the deadline by ONE DAY. My vote would have counted more out here anyway.

Anyways, I found out today that I will be working in Germany next week!!!!! My flight leaves Monday and I won't be back until the following Sunday. This is my first trip to Europe. Reluctantly, it's for work, but I'm sure I'll get a chance to explore a bit. I'm excited! I got my passport last year for a possible trip to Asia. It's not another Asia stamp, but now I get a European one!! This weekend will be hectic. Tonight, I am double dating with batman and his lady when D gets back from business out east. Tentatively, we are revisiting Bar Devani and then going out. Then on Saturday, I have to buy the power adapters and pack. Note to self: Self, don't blow up a company laptop and my hair dryer. D and I are going out to GH to meet up with friends that night. Then on Sunday, he leaves for New York and I finish packing for Germany. I'm sprucing up on my German. Ich würde ein Bier bitte mögen.

We're both gone for the week, but on Thanksgiving, he's gone to Vietnam for 3 weeks. Soooo, there is a lot going on here. More exciting news in the life of Thao: This was "benefits week" so I changed my benefits for next year to incorporate my Lasik Eye Surgury. Woooot! (Adulthood continued to make everything more exciting. I.e. everything is now more exciting.) I have the appointment in January right now, but since I'm moving and starting grad school, that will most likely change. The surgury for both eyes will cost me approximately $3K. After the procedure, I will not have the excuse that I didn't see you at the bar anymore. It will thenm be acceptable for you to give me shit when I don't say "hi".

Enough of this rant. Time to look up Germany. Ich werde Sie später sehen. (For all I know, that could mean "Put the cat in your pants", but I'll be the tourist and trust the translater via Internet.)

Categorized: Work, Trips

Holy Crap. Is McDonald's trying to kill me and my wallet? They came out with a gimmick that I've been wondering about for awhile.

"Why don't fast food chains sell good special coffees like mochas and cappicinos?"
Well, I can't take the credit of them actually doing this for coffee-fanatics like me, but I can dream. McDonald's has specialty coffees and I tried a medium mocha today. Delicious. Pricey for fast food, but cheaper than Starbucks and conveniently accessible at a fast food drive-thru near you. Ugh... now I'm really going to have to resist the urge to see Ronald McDonald every morning on my way to work. Nice going McD's.

P.S. That picture was taken from my phone. Why not my digital you ask? BECAUSE IT'S BROKEN! So if anyone wants to buy me a sleek, slim, point and shoot, please feel free to let me know!.

Categorized: Product

Plugs: Alyssa for exchanging links with me!

Yay for me. I finally updated this site. The last version didn't last too long. I'm not sure how long this one will last, but I like it... for now. I lost the butterfly that appeared in all of my themes. I may make some side sites with it, but not now. I am getting a messageboard set up and redoing my portal site. Basically, I'll be more active...until I feel like another hiatus. Having this website to dink around with has definitely been a relaxer for the past what... 4 years now? Too bad I didn't keep it updated enough to have a real total of visitors, etc. I did, however, update the way I posted my older pictures.

Anyway, electricity is a funny thing. So is the internet. Why do I say this, you ask? Well, the internet connection just went down at work. This means that all work has stopped. Everyone is standing around waiting for someone (who? I'm not sure) to get the bug fixed. My phone went offline and the files that I need to work with are also offline since they are saved to a server. Sooo, everyone is just chatting about the weekend, their events, their moms.

no Internet = no work
This got me thinking about electricity. Remember that Northeast blackout that had everyone running around like chickens with their heads chopped off? Americans are so powerless without access to these "unnecessary" utilities. Yeah yeah, you're like "I NEED POWER AND INTERNET!" What did they do before electricity? What about before the internet? Oh geez, I don't even want to think about it. This past weekend, I took a hiatus and you know what I ended up doing? I messed with my computer practically the whole weekend to get version 8 uploaded! I swear if terr0rists really wanted to get people all up in a mess, all they'd have to do is pull the plug to our electricity. Our society is fueled by it.

...

Geez. The internet finally came back after an hour. My coworkers and I shared random thoughts and unrelated stories during the wait. It's not the best way to start Monday. I get to leave early today for my Lasik Eye Exam. I wanna see if I am a candidate for it so maybe within the next couple of years I can deposit into my FSA and finally get it done. Anyone out there get it done?

Categorized: Site, Work

I'm updating my site with a new version so everything looks a lil outta funk right now. BRB!

Categorized: Site