I’ve been warned not to go many places. It seems every city, especially in foreign countries (not the U.S.), a concerned citizen will warn me about the perils of some particular neighborhood.
It’s Too Dangerous
July 2nd, 2009 by charlesThe Perfect Day
July 2nd, 2009 by lukeI used to read nonfiction books exclusively with the belief that they could teach me about the real world and I completely dismissed the idea of fiction being a legit means of self education. While Pat was visiting me in Argentina, I was whining to him about this literary situation I had found myself in so he left a few books for me, one of which I enjoyed immensely. Titled “Nine Short Stories” by J.D. Salinger, the same guy who wrote Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory among other things. I read it all in a day as I was perched precariously on a rock ledge over-looking a serene lake in the Argentinian Andes. It gave me a new appreciation for story-telling and I decided to try a story of my own. Here goes… The Perfect Day.
Scars and Markings Part 1
June 26th, 2009 by lukeOver the years I have collected a good number of scars and markings on my body that all have a story to tell. I was reminded of these as someone was smacking my hand as I was picking the scab off of a recent futbol injury received from playing on artificial turf. That one will definitely change the color of my upper outside left shin. Who doesn’t love picking scabs. I especially love getting a really thick one and leaving it on my friends desks or inside their shoes to find later. So I wanted to highlight some of the war wounds I have received and due to the quantity, I am going ahead and calling this part 1 since I know I could not get all of them into one post.
10 Things I Hate About Fast Food Restaurants
June 22nd, 2009 by brian1. The Personal Touch.
I think the name FAST food is self explanatory. I’m not looking to make a new friend with the person taking my order. Why is it when I walk into a Baja Fresh and order the nachos grande, the guy at the front prints out a little receipt that says order number #34, and then asks for my name? Confused, I tell him Brian and he gets out a little pen and takes the time to write out my name on the store copy receipt. Then instead of using the efficient, mistake free number system, they call out my name in the middle of a crowded restaurant over a muffled pa system, and the name Brian starts to be mistaken for Ryan, Byron, Myran, Jennifer O’Brien, etc. Not to mention any other Brian’s. You don’t need to know my name and I don’t need to know yours. I’m Mr. Large nachos and a medium soda, and as far as I’m concerned the name on your tag can just say “dude” or “man”.
” Hey dude have they called 134 yet?”
” Not yet they’re on 131″
“Thanks man”
Turkish Football Experience
June 21st, 2009 by lukeI left Charles in Izmir for a three day galabant through two Greek islands called Chios and Samos. These islands were filled with extremely dangerous moped driving, investigative journalism sneaking around the coast guard finding wet back packs with Somalian photographs in it, drinking really cheap wine and eating pork which does not exist in Turkey, and generally good times. I landed back on Turkish soil and boarded an eleven hour night bus that would drop me off in Istanbul at 7am. The over night was not so bad minus the guy next to me who had no problem leaning his head on the crook of my shoulder. My first day in Istanbul was not as bad as it could have been thanks to Charles’ amazing friend Gizem who saved me from carrying my heavy backpack and also got us tickets to the final Galatasaray game that night.
Read the rest of this entry »
Ping Pong Show in Bangkok Thailand
June 19th, 2009 by lukeIn a previous blog about the worst night I have ever had, I briefly mentioned something about the ping pong show that I went to and I realize that might have sounded extremely sleazy to some of you. I think I have only been to 4 strip clubs in my time, and received only one lap dance which pretty much put me off paying for lap dances for the rest of time. But if the ping pong shows came to this part of the world, I would be gathering up my friends and telling them to dress up, put their goggles on, and get ready for a rager of a night. The sheer talent possessed by these girls is enough to make any one weep with joy. Here is how I wept…
Squinty eyes and crazy driving lives
June 18th, 2009 by ryneIt seems like it has almost become a cliche in its own self when people decide to write a blog about their vocations abroad. They all tend to cover the culture shock of how koreans choose to bow instead of shake hands or how Koreans choose to eat gimchi and rice for breakfast, rather than eggs and toast. But these things never really caught me off guard because its a battle of apples and oranges with no difference in logic except preference. The thing that really seems to be different is the driving laws in Korea.
Brian Pratt Wooo!
June 18th, 2009 by lukeI would like to introduce my next recruit for the blog, Brian Pratt. He stands high above the rest although I can only say this figuratively due to his lack of inches in the height department, but no matter. Brian and I became friends in high school and our group spent many an hour wasting time coming up with new ways to entertain ourselves such as ridiculous videos, bets, drinking games, girls, all night graduations, camping, etc. In our group of friends, Brian was by far the most creative of the lot and initially I only saw this in his humor and wit and outrageous Halloween costumes (maybe he will post some). But since my departure from Simi Valley all of 8+ years ago, I have come to understand the true talent that Brian holds and has been aggressively cultivating. Take a gander at http://brianprattwooo.blogspot.com/ to get an idea of what I am talking about. He is now applying this wonderful talent you can see above at his work in L.A. and from what I know, he enjoys it immensely.
I know Brian’s infectious and lovable self will come out in his writing and I am glad he has decided to contribute to the blog. His humor will compliment the current oddball collection of outlandish styles and probably bring a whole lot more class. Welcome Brian!
The Worst Night I have Ever Had
June 15th, 2009 by lukeAs I exited the plane doors in Bangkok Thailand, I realized I was probably the most unprepared I had ever been for any of my travels. I was armed with a small backpack that would last me two months, several stories from a few friends about places to go and how to get mugged and lose all my cash, and a Lonely Planet book ‘Southeast Asia on a Shoestring’ which is intended to get you around to all the countries in the region and thus only provides few details of each country and adds a few kilograms to any backpack. While in the customs line getting hassled for my passport and being sent to the back of the line for some reason I will never know, I befriended an English guy named Johnny who had reservations at a hostel somewhere so I followed him with his permission. My first few days in Thailand were in Bangkok and I thought I would be lazy and quote from my journal from the time of these days as it is not the intended story of this entry and then I will get to the point.
Read the rest of this entry »
Alvaro
June 13th, 2009 by charles
In the summer of 2004 two friends, Rick and Eric, and I stayed in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, for a month in a rented apartment (it was an academic trip, which i won’t get into). That month is describable by many adjectives: hot, intoxicated, sleepless, adventurous, mischievous, beachy, taco-filled, and…well now I’m just making up words. The apartment complex had a guard on duty at night, named Alvaro. Like most Mexicans I have met, Alvaro was an outgoing and congenial person. He was enthusiastic about our love of drink and, likely out of boredom, joined us at the apartment more than a working security guard should.
![[popup]](http://lukeollett.com/blog/wp-content/plugins/shout-stream/popup.png "[popup]")