I don't know how many of these I'll get to do, but I'll try and provide updates whenever I can, chronicling Sakha's life in the USA.
[hr style="width: 100%; height: 2px;"]
Life With The AmeryKanz Peoples
Episode 1:
Sakha has been adjusting well to the strange and mysterious ways of the tribe known as "AmeryKanz". She enjoys the ability to take a hot bath, night or day, as often as she wants. Sometimes 3 or 4 times a day, lol. We are currently negotiating with the Northwest Utility District for a business rate on our water usage (you can get a discount on any water usage above 500 million gallons a month).
Sakha watches TV, but it's all incomprehensible to her- Jerry Springer and Judge Judy make her shake her head with wonderment at the amazingly stupid and pathetic lives of the people who live in the Most Powerful Country On Earth. The infidelity and regular "Who's The Daddy" episodes on shows like Maury make her laugh and yell: "How can she not know who father is? 12 different guy! 12! Why she sleep with SO MANY?? Unbelievable!"
We found several Asian markets like "Ranch 99" where Sakha can forage for edible food. Hamburgers and hotdogs, the staple foods of the AmeryKanz, seem to upset her stomach, as does anything with cheese. Since AmeryKanz put cheese on practically everything, this radically limits her menu options. Sometimes the AmeryKanz will actually put two or more kinds of cheese on their food! Oh the Strangeness of this New Land. One of the foods I personally found in the frozen section of the Ranch 99 market was called "Beef Pizzle". Whatever it is, it's long and kind of tubular. I am not making this up. I don't know what Beef Pizzle is, I don't want to know what Beef Pizzle is, and I was secretly relieved when Sakha didn't buy any.
Sakha will sip two or three times from a Corona beer and then declare she's "had tooooooo much, oh too much, too much!". Personally I like a gal that gets hammered on less than a Dixie cup of beer, lol. She also makes the cutest face when tasting Chanpagne, which she insists to be "awful, bad tastes, really bad".
We had a wedding party / reception the other day and it was a lot of fun- about 30 AmeryKanz people came to celebrate with us. We all ate and drank, and the host was a friend of mine who is a high-ranking member of the Seattle Police Department. He has a very, very cool undercover police car at his disposal and he gave Sakha a ride around the yard with the siren blaring and the lights flashing. When he pulled up to where we were all waiting, she got out of the car and everyone clapped- she had a look on her face that was priceless. Those AmeryKanz sure are weird.
HAHAHA
Those Maury episodes are CLASSIC.
Oh, ja.... AmeryKanz. I still don't understand the majority of them. (//vny!://discoverseattle.net/forums/richedit/smileys/Happy/12.gif)
Hey TB, any plans to bring her over to Canada for a visit?
Lise wrote:
Oh, ja.... AmeryKanz. I still don't understand the majority of them. [img style="font-style: italic;" src="vny!://discoverseattle.net/forums/richedit/smileys/Happy/12.gif[/img]
I hear ya. They all drive like they have brain tumors about to burst.
[/div] [div style="font-style: italic;"]Hey TB, any plans to bring her over to Canada for a visit?
We (she) can't set foot outside the US until she gets travel papers, maybe in 8 to 12 months. If she sets foot across the border for 5 seconds into Canada (for example), US Customs won't let her back in.
It's stupid, but we've been warned by our immigration attorney not to leave the country for any reason until she gets her travel documents. If she does, we'll spend 6 to 12 months fighting to get them to let her back in.
We go today to get her fingerprints and retinal scan done. I told Sakha they may also want to "cut off one of your fingers or maybe a toe for a tissue sample" and I think she might have believed me for about 5 seconds or so. lol
TehBorken wrote:
We (she) can't set foot outside the US until she gets travel papers, maybe in 8 to 12 months. If she sets foot across the border for 5 seconds into Canada (for example), US Customs won't let her back in.
It's stupid, but we've been warned by our immigration attorney not to leave the country for any reason until she gets her travel documents. If she does, we'll spend 6 to 12 months fighting to get them to let her back in.
Well, I do hope that she gets the chance to come and visit our beautiful city soon. I think she'll feel right at home as we have quite a strong and supportive Vietnamese community.
We go today to get her fingerprints and retinal scan done. I told Sakha they may also want to "cut off one of your fingers or maybe a toe for a tissue sample" and I think she might have believed me for about 5 seconds or so. lol
Wow! They require you to do a fingerpritn and a retinal scan? Whatever for? Please tell me it's optional to do this!
Next thing they'll be asking is for a pee cup sample!
Good stuff TB. It's interesting to see ourselves through the eyes of someone who is probably more in tune with what's important in life. How our daily 'necessities' are really luxuries....but we've all forgotten that. I think a reminder of how much we take for granted is a good thing.
More please.(//vny!://discoverseattle.net/forums/richedit/smileys/Happy/12.gif)
Thanks for posting, TB! Great reading, as usual.
Does your wife enjoy using the home appliances that we take for granted?
Yes, more of this please - it's really interesting; and many thanks to Sakha for making it possible.
Lise @ Work wrote:
Well, I do hope that she gets the chance to come and visit our beautiful city soon. I think she'll feel right at home as we have quite a strong and supportive Vietnamese community. As soon as we're allowed to leave the country we'll take some day trips to Canada for sure.
[em style="font-style: italic;"][/em][/p] [p style="font-style: italic;"]Wow! They require you to do a fingerpritn and a retinal scan? Whatever for? Please tell me it's optional to do this![/p]No, it's mandatory. And the people at the big, new, expensive DHS building are as rude as they come. I swear they send them to Rudeness School before they're allowed to work.
[/p]
[/p]
Lil Me wrote:
Thanks for posting, TB! Great reading, as usual.
Does your wife enjoy using the home appliances that we take for granted?
She won't use the dishwasher and prefers to wash all the dishes by hand. But I'm working on that, lol. (//forums/richedit/smileys/Happy/14.gif)
She thinks the vacuum cleaner is pretty cool. Almost no one has rugs in Cambodia, nearly all the floors are tile or wood, so the whole need for a vacuum cleaner was new to her. I don't think she'd ever seen one before (no need to, really).
Food: Everything we eat seems to contain liberal amounts of chilies or suribacha (hot) sauce. Everything. I haven't caught her putting it on ice cream but she might do it when I'm not around. lol
I bet she will love a bowl of pho, if you haven't already taken her for one in Seattle
Oooh.... don't forget the spring rolls! Yummlicious!!(//vny!://discoverseattle.net/forums/richedit/smileys/Other/18.gif)
uuuuuuuugh. :(((((((((
I miss actual food. 1 more month, 1 more month.
[img]vny!://farm1.static.flickr.com/35/72263257_ce274283eb.jpg?v=0"]
yess.....spring rolls too!
I haven't gained weight at home.
Um, I thought this was a thread about TB and Sakha.
Somehow it's become about SD's weight.
As long as the next post isn't about his height.
Hey I didn't start it, Michel started it. :P
lol
EPIC
This thread is tainted.
[img style="CURSOR: pointer" onclick=url(this.src); src="vny!://www.cheesebuerger.de/images/more/bigs/c020.gif" border=0]
How?
[img style="CURSOR: pointer" onclick=url(this.src); src="vny!://www.cheesebuerger.de/images/more/bigs/a143.gif" border=0] .
Any more stories TehBorken ?
P.C. wrote:
Any more stories TehBorken ?
Yeah, but I hardly have time to write them. (//forums/richedit/smileys/Sad/11.gif) Busy busy busy.....I have some year-end stuff coming up and this time it's "do or die" so I'm starting now. Only 3 months to go but I have 6 months of work to do, lol. (//forums/richedit/smileys/Sad/9.gif)
We went to the really really nice *cough* folks at DHS and got Sakha fingerprinted just in case she's actually a terrorist. I don't think she is, but you can never be too careful. We also finally got her TWP (temporary work permit) card (similar to a Green Card) and are now waiting for her Social Security Card. Once she has that we'll find someplace for her to work. She really, really wants to start working ASAP.
We also got her travel papers so she can leave the country and stand a decent chance of gettting back in. The papers say she can be "paroled" back into the US at the "discretion" of a Border Patrol Agent. Which means they could say, "No" just as easily as "Yes". So, even though she might be a terrorist, she can go in and out of the US at will. That's a relief.
(A side note: The people that work at the Department of Homeland Security have got to be the nicest, most politest sweetest kindest people in the whole wide world, right next to Hitler, Stalin, Charles Manson, and that guy who threw those puppies into a wood chipper. Why, they even let us clean the floor of the lobby with our tongues for FREE!!!) We were so happy.
Also, we've successfully hidden the fact that Sakha is here from my lovely ex-wife (who could give the people at the DHS a run for their money, let me tell you). My son is in total agreement with this idea, in fact he actually came up with it and I realized it was the right thing to do for now. We figure after Sakha has been here 6 months then we can let my ex know...by that time she'll (hopefully) feel like her window of opportunity to cause trouble has passed. My ex is sooooo vindictive and is itching for the chance to "talk to Sakha and set her straight", according to my son. She wants to "warn" Sakha about "what she's getting into" and how terrible I am.
Your son is indeed wise, TB.
Great to hear the update. So glad to know that you're all doing well in Seattle.
Things must have changed........because I've known brides being issued green cards immediately upon landing on US soil as aliens with permanent resident visas
What a great deal.......now if a man is not satisfy with his bride in the first 6 months he can have ICE pick her up and send her back
We went to the really really nice *cough* folks at DHS and got Sakha fingerprinted just in case she's actually a terrorist. I don't [SPAN style="FONT-STYLE: italic"]think[/SPAN] she is, but you can never be too careful.
I haven't said rofl for a long time....but this requires a rofl.
49er wrote:
Things must have changed........because I've known brides being issued green cards immediately upon landing on US soil as aliens with permanent resident visas
Right, and they still do, but Sakha was not my bride when she came to the US, she was my fiance. We got married a couple weeks later. Bringing her here as my wife would have taken another 6 to 12 months.
Freeze To Death!
It was 14 degrees here this morning, and my poor wife is kind of scared by this weather. (//forums/richedit/smileys/Shocked/5.gif)
This is the coldest she's ever been, and not by a little bit, either. It rarely drops below 75 or 80 in Cambodia so this is crazy to her.
Seriously, we walk down the frozen food aisle at Safeway and she hugs herself and says, "Oh, oh, honey, I'm freeze to death!", so you can imagine what she thought when I explained that it was colder outside on the deck than in our freezer.
I put a bowl of water out on the deck....it froze solid in ~30 minutes. She was almost in disbelief, lol. In her experience that's just not what water does when you put it outside. It's supposed to evaporate, not turn into an icecube. It was so wrong, lol.
Also, it snowed here yesterday (just a little bit) and she was sooooooo taken by how beautiful the snow is. She's never seen that before, either. (//forums/richedit/smileys/Happy/14.gif)
[hr style="width: 100%; height: 2px;"]Shopping At Viet Wah For Cockroaches
Let's see....we also went shopping the other day at a place called Viet Wah, a foreign food store. I'll post a pic of this as soon as I can, but they had cockroaches packed in plastic wrap and frozen. I kid you not. I read the label, and you'll be pleased to know that cockroaches are "not a significant source of fat or cholesterol". Yay. We did not buy any.
[hr style="width: 100%; height: 2px;"]
The Homeland Security "Residency Application" and Interview
Sakha and I went to her PRSI, Permanent Residency Status Interview back on Dec 4th. This is an interview they do with me, her, and our attorney to decide if they'll change her residency from "probationary" (temporary) to "permanent". If they don't, Sakha goes back to Cambodia and does not get to stay in the US. It's one of those things that usually goes okay, but if not, it's big big trouble.
Homeland Security instructed us to bring "proof of our relationship" to help make our case and convince the INS official to grant Sakha her permanent status. Mwuhahahahaha! We brought in about 3,000 pictures, two and a half feet of paperwork, and loads of other stuff in two large wheeled-suitcases. Our attorney met us there and when he saw what we'd brought, he just started laughing. I said, "Hey, they told us to bring proof, and we did." He said most people bring "a dozen photos and some cellphone bills".
The interview seemed like it went fine. We buried the INS official in paperwork, photos, receipts, etc etc etc showing that we had a real relationship and that this wasn't a fraudulent marriage. It would have been harder to fake all the stuff we had rather than just fly to Cambodia 10 times and get engaged. Seriously. When we came into the interview room the INS official looked at us, looked all the stuff we brought, and sort of rolled her eyes. We nuked her from orbit, lol.
Anyway, the interview went smoothly, and we went home to wait and see if they would approve our PRSI or kick it back.
Today, December 15th, Sakha got a very thick piece of paper in the mail from Homeland Security. It started off, "[span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: Arial Narrow;"]Welcome To The United States Of America....[/span]". It says her residency status application was "Approved" so she's now a permanent resident of the USA, entitled to pay taxes and everything. (//forums/richedit/smileys/Happy/10.gif)
Congrats TB! Im glad its worked out for the both of you!
Keep up with the stories! Im enjoying them.
omg.....how exciting TB. I'm always a little bit envious (or something of the like) of people who see snow for the first time as an adult. It has to be one of the most strange and magical things.
Congratulations Sakha, on your 'approval'....and of course you too TB. Such a long journey the two of you have made to get to this point. There must have been times when you thought the trial would never end.
HUGS to you both.
Oh my goodness! I'm jumping for joy for you and Sakha. Congratulations! A journey with a happy ending. (//vny!://discoverseattle.net/forums/richedit/smileys/2.gif)
Congratulations to both of you - and long may Sakha's appreciation of the snow continue. She sounds wonderful.
TehBorken wrote:
[span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"]Freeze To Death![/span]
It was 14 degrees here this morning, and my poor wife is kind of scared by this weather. [img style="font-style: italic;" src="/forums/richedit/smileys/Shocked/5.gif[/img]
Congratulations on the residency!!
Fabulous news - I guess this is the first week of "happily ever after"
I went to University at the U of Alberta (Edmonton) located near the North Pole in Canada. In October I would see students from Asia and Africa in huge parkas in October when the weather would get down to near freezing - and I began to feel pity for them. In January when the temps would dip to -40 degrees (same in celcius and farenhehiet) these poor people would be beside themselves. Once it got down to -50 degrees. This was lunacy for the locals - for the poor SE asians and Africans well you can imagine ....
I try to explain what -50 degrees is to my workers in Vietnam. +40 is the hotest it really gets there - 0 Celcius is as cold as it gets in the coldest part of the country - I try to explain that it gets that difference colder again. They don't understand....
tehborken has ur wife ever seen the Aurora Borealis. ? try explaining the fires in the sky at night to her :) she would probably love it
(//vny!://images.art.com/images/-/Aurora-Borealis--C11764853.jpeg%22%5D%5Bimg%20style=%22width:%20355px;%20height:%20230px;%22%20src=%22vny!://i43.tinypic.com/2h71e2c.jpg)
make sure you view the pics to see the full sized image.
this one is just for those trying to explain what 40 below 0 is like temperature wise
[img style="width: 554px; height: 415px;" src="vny!://i43.tinypic.com/2yvnors.jpg[/img]
thanks michel. i borrowed them from various sources on the internet
[img style="width: 157px; height: 62px;" src="vny!://i40.tinypic.com/2rpcpd5.gif"]
<copied from another post, but relevant here>
We had a traditional Christmas dinner: Cambodian Curried Chicken and Stuffed Mushrooms. We also had my friend [a href="index.php/topic,3388.msg126995.html#msg126995"]Jack[/a] over and two of our Cambodian friends, Run and Puala. It was great, we guys all sipped wine and the ladies chatted away in Khmer. Desert was cherry pie and we were totally satiated. Sakha showed Puala some Khmer websites she found that have streaming TV shows and movies, all in Khmer.
We met another American/Cambodian couple named Ed and Navy through Sakha's English class but they couldn't come, unfortunately. Maybe next year....
Right now we're just waiting for Jack's fiancee to get here and also for Sakha's sister "Smey" to tie the knot with another buddy of mine, "Tim", that we introduced to her. Tim will be going over to Cambodia in a few months but we don't know if he'll be getting engaged on that trip or not. But he seems totally deep in the throes of [span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(192, 0, 0);"]loooooooooooooooooove [/span](//richedit/smileys/Love/3.gif) [span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(192, 0, 0);"] [/span]so it's just a matter of time. lol
It'll be way cool when everyone is finally here- Sakha and I, Jack and Pheara, Ed and Navy, Run and Puala, and Tim and Smey. What a crew that will be. (//richedit/smileys/Happy/12.gif) Someone suggested we call our little group "C.L.A.S.S." - the Cambodian Ladies Appreciation Society of Seattle. lol
Update ? (//vny!://discoverseattle.net/forums/richedit/smileys/Happy/3.gif)
P.C. wrote:
Update ? (//vny!://discoverseattle.net/forums/richedit/smileys/Happy/3.gif)
Lol....well, lets see....Sakha is learning to drive and will soon be taking her Driver's Test. She's actually a very good driver.
Sakha will also be taking her practical exam for a manicurist license in a few days and then the written test sometime after that. She plans to work at some local nail shops while she goes to school for accounting or pharmacy tech or something like that. We're not sure exactly what yet.
She's going to school and taking ESL courses 4 days a week. Some days are short but one of them is a series of classes that run from 1:30 to 9:30. Makes for a loooooooong day.
We've been enjoying the hot tub a lot, almost every day. She's learned to bake banana bread and we both eat 20 to 30 pounds of it a week. Or so it seems...
I had a business deal fall through and lost a shitload of money. Woof. Live and learn. (//forums/richedit/smileys/Sad/9.gif)
Sakha's friend Puala is learning English and is doing pretty well so far. She just turned 19. We get together with her and and her husband, "Run", every so often. The ladies gab away and laugh a lot. (//forums/richedit/smileys/Happy/14.gif)
Sakha met another Cambodian lady at ESL class and we've been hanging out with her and her husband from time to time. They're nice people.
My friend Jack- his fiance got her Packet 3 and returned it to the embassy, so we should hear in a few days when her interview is. She may be here within a month or two if all goes well. (Possibly a little longer, but we're hoping sooner rather than later.) When Jack's fiance gets here we'll have our own little crew of Khmer couples to 8, with two more coming in the next year (Sakha's sister who I introduced to a good friend of mine. (//richedit/smileys/Happy/12.gif) )
That's what's happening here at the moment...I'll try and fill in some more later.
How long did it take for Sakha's fascination with the snow to wear thin.
Did you build snowmen and make snow angels ?
P.C. wrote:
How long did it take for Sakha's fascination with the snow to wear thin.
Not long...about 3 days. Then it was like, "ugh, snow."
Did you build snowmen and make snow angels ?
A little, but it was more fun to sit inside with a cup of hot chocolate and watch the snow come down.
Michel wrote:
lol @ "ugh snow" (//vny!://discoverseattle.net/forums/richedit/smileys/Happy/4.gif)
Yeah. (//forums/richedit/smileys/6.gif)
Lol, the first day it was like, "Oh, so beautiful!!" She was in awe.
The second day it was like, "Very beauty." A little bit less awe.
The third day it was like, "Eccch, don't step in the beauty." lol
Then she asked me, "How long it stay to be cold like this??"
And I had to tell her, "Well, honey.....Winter doesn't even start for 4 more days." :) lol
Her eyes got as big as dinner plates.... (//forums/richedit/smileys/6.gif)
The third day it was like, "[SPAN style="FONT-STYLE: italic"]Eccch, don't step in the beauty.[/SPAN]"
This is too perfect for words ! LOL May I borrow that one ?
P.C. wrote:
[div style="font-style: italic;"]The third day it was like, "Eccch, don't step in the beauty." [/div] Where i grew up it would start snowing in the end of october and the beauty would be on the ground till end of march. - now if it lasts more than a couple days -I am saying fricken fracken snow ...
I may use this in my quest to cut back on my cussing.
like...."I've had enough of this beauty " (//vny!://discoverseattle.net/forums/richedit/smileys/Happy/12.gif)
A very posh friend of mine simply used to exclaim: "Rude Words".
Gopher wrote:
A very posh friend of mine simply used to exclaim: "Rude Words".
I learned the etymology of "posh" the other day ...
people of wealth would like to watch the sun set from the cabin in the boat in which they travelled. From London this meant that you would travel on the Port side on the way out of london and the Starbourd side on the return Home. Port Out Starbord Home.
You would pay a little extra for this cabin selection.
you can borrow my pocket protector if you like
van_guy wrote:
I learned the etymology of "posh" the other day ...
people of wealth
would like to watch the sun set from the cabin in the boat in which they travelled. From London this meant that you would travel on the Port side on the way out of london and the Starbourd side on the return Home. Port Out Starbord Home.
You would pay a little extra for this cabin selection. Yep.. very true. I only learned this a little while ago as well, from a scotsman whom kept calling the port captain a posh minge.
[em][/em]Yep.. very true. I only learned this a little while ago as well, from a scotsman whom kept calling the port captain a posh minge.
I have to confess I had to look up minge ... (//forums/richedit/smileys/Shocked/1.gif)
Not that you are likely to end up in Mongolia (being a land locked nation) but in Mongolia if you poke your thumb between your index and middle finger (like the I got your nose - trick your grandfather played with you as a toddler) it actually refers to your mothers minge and your thumb is a protuberance located at the top of her minge. Which makes this the rudest gesture that I know of. You can wiggle your thumb a little for extra effect. Usually this gesture results in an ugly brawl so use it sparringly.
They were quite shocked when i explained to them the "I got your nose game"
van_guy wrote:
I have to confess I had to look up minge ... [img style="font-style: italic;" src="/forums/richedit/smileys/Shocked/1.gif[/img]
Not that you are likely to end up in Mongolia (being a land locked nation) but in Mongolia if you poke your thumb between your index and middle finger (like the I got your nose - trick your grandfather played with you as a toddler) it actually refers to your mothers minge and your thumb is a protuberance located at the top of her minge. Which makes this the rudest gesture that I know of. You can wiggle your thumb a little for extra effect. Usually this gesture results in an ugly brawl so use it sparringly.
They were quite shocked when i explained to them the "I got your nose game"
I just snorted my coffee here. LOL, thats hilarious. I would have payed money to see the response.
I didnt know what the term was for a bit, its only after working with the brits for a while that I picked up on it. I had a buddy that came back from the north sea a while ago, and we went clubbing downtown. At one point we ended up at the mighty biltmore (its remodeled and changed now :( ) but he was walking around and telling EVERY girl in there that their minge was minging. Jeebus, I kept cringing, until one of them turned and shouted WHAT in a very Jordy accent and cold cocked him. He went down pretty hard, everyone in there was shocked that this girl nailed this guy without any real provocation.. I was the only one laughing. When it was told around what it meant there was a bit of a mob that were choked at him. We made a very quick exit once I had him moving on his own.
I just snorted my coffee here. LOL, thats hilarious. I would have payed money to see the response.
In a related story - i was bringing over some students to Mongolia and there was a cute little mongolian kid on the flight trotting up and down the aisle - mother right behind. kid smiles at one of my guys and then i realized that shawn was going to play the game - he saw me lunging for his hand but it was to late he showed the kid "the sign"
I didnt know what the term was for a bit, its only after working with the brits for a while that I picked up on it. I had a buddy that came back from the north sea a while ago, and we went clubbing downtown. At one point we ended up at the mighty biltmore (its remodeled and changed now :( ) but he was walking around and telling EVERY girl in there that their minge was minging. Jeebus, I kept cringing, until one of them turned and shouted WHAT in a very Jordy accent and cold cocked him. He went down pretty hard, everyone in there was shocked that this girl nailed this guy without any real provocation.. I was the only one laughing. When it was told around what it meant there was a bit of a mob that were choked at him. We made a very quick exit once I had him moving on his own.
Always wise to slink away from angry mobs - no matter what part of the world you are.
The other Mongolian no - no is to touch feet.
If you accidentally touch feet someones foot with yours - i.e. under a table or on a street corner - you shake hands immediately. If you don't shake hands you are throwing off the gloves ...
I was in a bar in the capital and this huge mongolian guy was looking for a fight with a white guy - he purposely kicked my feet he looked genuinely dissapointed that I put my hand out with a big smile on my face ...
it's one of those great cultural things ...
VG
Just a little update.... (//forums/richedit/smileys/Happy/12.gif)
Some time ago Sakha and I introduced my friend Tim to Sakha's gorgeous sister, Reaksmey (pronounced "Res-uh-my"). Reaksmey is a living doll, tall (5'4"), slim, beautiful, and just as sweet as the day is long.
Well.....Sakha and Tim flew to Cambodia on the 9th and in about 5 hours (at 5pm PST, April 9 2009) Tim and Smey will be getting engaged! (//forums/richedit/smileys/Happy/12.gif) (//forums/richedit/smileys/Happy/12.gif) And, I also have another friend there as well doing some fun stuff.
We all call her "Smey" (rhymes with "sky") instead of "Reaksmey". Her full name, Reaksmey, means that she's "the light of the moon", or "moonlight". Sakha means "from the heavens, or "heavenly". Both of their names describe them perfectly. (//forums/richedit/smileys/Happy/14.gif)
I, unfortunately, couldn't go this time, but I'll go again before too long. But, for the moment, at this time I have two friends and their fiances in Cambodia, along with my wife. Poor ol' teborken is all alone at home, boo hoo. (No sympathy please, just throw money.)
A little over a year ago Sakha and I introduced one of my good friends, "Jack", to a girlfriend of Sakha's. Jack went with me to Cambodia on my very last trip (the trip I made to bring Sakha to the US). His main reason for going (other than to enjoy my incredibly wonderful company) was to get engaged to "Pheara", the lady we introduced him to. They waited patiently for the paperwork to grind through the system, and after a year of waiting, Pheara finally arrived in the US a few weeks ago.
We've been going out as a foursome to show the ladies the sights, have some fun, etc etc. Well, Jack and I decided it was time for the ladies to see a casino, something they've never ever seen, let alone been inside of.
So, last Sunday we all went up to the [a href="vny!://www.tulalipcasino.com/" target="_blank"]Tulalip Casino[/a]. The casino wowed them- they'd never seen anything like it in their lives, and they were tickled pink by all the lights and sound and stuff. "Awestruck" might be a better word, but they dug it.
We had a wonderful dinner at the buffet, and then went to go play some blackjack. Now, Jack and I had spent one hour the previous evening showing the ladies how to play blackjack and teaching them the fundamentals. We told them to "play like a robot", "don't bet on hunches", "stand on 12 or above", and to increase their bets when Jack and I did. Do Jack and I count cards? Maybe. [img]vny!://www.deltabravo.net/forum/richedit/smileys/YahooIM/4.gif" alt="" border="0"]
To make a long story short, Sakha and Pheara took the dealer and pretty much mopped the floor with him, lol. Jack and I won about $100 apiece, but the ladies walked away with almost $300 between them. They played perfectly and although they had some small losses, they ended up just about tripling their money. They chattered on in Khmer the whole time, stopping only to go "Ohhhhh" when the dealer would give them the chips they won. Then they would look at each other, laugh, and say "Sva roomreh k'dow!", lol.
In Cambodia they were each making about $130 a month, working 12 hours a day, 7 days a week, 30 days a month. (If the month had 31 days then they would usually get that day off.)
When they realized that they made more in one hour sipping Cokes and playing blackjack than they would have made in 6 weeks in Cambodia, well, they just thought that was pretty friggin' cool, lol.
Sakha is now known as "Baby Shark" and Pheara is known as "The Tiny Terminator".
Well, TehBorken, you just activated the dormant curse, that are hereditary to asians, in your spouses. You may have noticed the disproportional number of asians gambling during your visit.
Chicken Feets
So, there we are shopping at Ranch 99, the local foreign food store. As we wander past a refrigerated display case, Sakha says, "Oooooh feets!"
Yes, feets. Chicken feets, to be precise. Boxes and boxes of chopped off chicken feets. Ewwwwwww! Those poor chickens.
Anyway, Sakha is overjoyed at finding a traditional Cambodian delicacy, and buys several boxes of chicken feets. Now, my feelings about eating chicken feets can be summed up in a single word:
[span style="font-weight: bold; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 0);"]Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww![/span] (//forums/richedit/smileys/Shocked/5.gif) (//forums/richedit/smileys/Shocked/6.gif)
You don't eat chicken feet, that's the part you throw away!! So I told her, "Alllllll for youuuuuuuuu, darling", and I reassured her that when it came to chicken feets, she and I would never get in an argument about who got the last one. No competition at all, zip, zero, nothing, nada. (//forums/richedit/smileys/Happy/12.gif)
And that's the secret to a happy marriage: don't fight over the chicken feets. Ewwwwwwwww!
My friend Jack got married a week or so ago to his Cambodia fiance, and I have to say it was a beautiful wedding. They had the ceremony at Luther Burbank Park on Mercer Island- a lovely place with a wonderful view. The fellow who did the ceremony did a fantastic job- it was short, moving, sweet, and touching.
I was the best man, and had a little fun with it (of course). When it came time for me to give my speech and whatnot, I started by pulling out my some 3x5 cards, which had big, black printing that said "FUNERAL NOTES FOR JACK". Whoops, wrong cards, but I told him I was expecting to be best man at his funeral too, so not to worry. (//forums/richedit/smileys/Happy/12.gif)
I told Jack to hold his wife's hand, and then to put his other hand on top of hers. Once he'd done that, I told the guests to "Look carefully and remember this moment, because it's the last time Jack will ever have the upper hand!". (//forums/richedit/smileys/Happy/12.gif)
I told Pheara, his bride, that this was her last chance to back out, and as Best Man it was my duty to warn her about Jack and give her a chance to change her mind. I said I'd prepared a short list of Jack's flaws that she should know about. I had taped about 5 feet worth of 3x5 cards end-to-end, accordion style. When I pulled them out it looked like one little card, but then I let them fan out all the way to the floor. She still married him, lol. (//forums/richedit/smileys/Happy/12.gif)
Finally, I got to toast the happy couple:
[div style="text-align: left;"]To Lying, Cheating, And Stealing
When you lie, you lie to save a friend.
When you cheat, you cheat Death.
And when you steal, you steal your lover's heart!
[/div]
They're now married and doing great. I've never seen a bride so radiant or a groom so happy. They make a lovely couple and I'm sure they'll have many, many years of bliss.
I love the toast TehBorken. I may steal it too.
You must be in the vicinity of a One Year Anniversary ! My memory fails me...and my search skills are worse. Help. (//vny!://discoverseattle.net/forums/richedit/smileys/Happy/14.gif)
P.C. wrote:
[div style="font-style: italic;"]I love the toast TehBorken. I may steal it too.[/div]
By all means, feel free. (//forums/richedit/smileys/Happy/12.gif) People always shit bricks when they hear the first part of the toast- "To lying, cheating, and stealing!"
You must be in the vicinity of a One Year Anniversary ! My memory fails me...and my search skills are worse. Help. (//vny!://discoverseattle.net/forums/richedit/smileys/Happy/14.gif)
Yep, two anniversaries, actually. Sakha and I celebrated her anniversary of being in the US for one year on May 25th, and we celebrated our one-year wedding anniversary on June 14th. (//forums/richedit/smileys/Happy/12.gif)
I'll also have some pics of Jack & Pheara's wedding posted sometime soon.
Awww....sorry I missed wishing you the best.
[DIV align=center][FONT face="Comic Sans MS" size=6]HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TEHBORKEN AND SAHKA !!![/FONT]
(//vny!://3.bp.blogspot.com/_XimOh2AYlL8/Scz0Bv96rVI/AAAAAAAADbU/D7PJQkxT7Uw/s320/AnniversaryCakeVan6A.jpg) (//vny!://www.flowerstodelhi.com/images/whiteroses.jpg)
Yes, happy anniversary indeed - it seems no time at all.
Wow. Has it been a year already? Time flies. Congratulations, you two.
BTW, there's NOTHING FRACKEN wrong with chicken feet. I LOVE eating chicken feet. *insert smiley emoticon here*
Lise wrote:
Wow. Has it been a year already? Time flies. Congratulations, you two.
Thank you!
BTW, there's NOTHING FRACKEN wrong with chicken feet. I LOVE eating chicken feet. *insert smiley emoticon here*
Ewwwwwwwwww!!
P.C. wrote:
Awww....sorry I missed wishing you the best.
[/div] [div align="center"][font face="Comic Sans MS" size="3"]HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TEHBORKEN AND SAHKA !!![/font]
Thank you!!
Gopher wrote:
Yes, happy anniversary indeed - it seems no time at all.
Thank you!
And the beat goes on............
I'm happy to report that Sakha has just gotten her WA State Manicurist's License, so she can legally do all that fancy stuff for $$$$$ now. (//forums/richedit/smileys/Happy/12.gif)
The tests are hard...the practical nail test takes about 3 or 4 hours to complete and is graded pretty strictly...one little boo-boo and ya fail. The written test (taken on a computer) is ~120 questions and covers a lot of arcane stuff like "how many bones are in the human body", "how many bones are in the arm", and "what is 'hydroxy-penta-dolamine-porktane-5' used for" (I made that last one up, but just barely).
But she passed and is now fully licensed in WA state. Next week: The Driver's License Test ....oooh!
Yeayyyyy ! Congratulations Sakha ! I think my nails would make a manicurist faint.
[span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"]"what is 'hydroxy-penta-dolamine-porktane-5' used for" (I made that last one up, but just barely). [/span]
You made that up ? I thought porktane was the type of fuel that you need, to make pigs fly. Hmmm.
You don't eat chicken feet, [SPAN style="FONT-STYLE: italic"]that's the part you throw away!![/SPAN] So I told her, "Alllllll for youuuuuuuuu, darling", and I reassured her that when it came to chicken feets, she and I would never get in an argument about who got the last one. No competition at all, zip, zero, nothing, nada. (//forums/richedit/smileys/Happy/12.gif)
*insert musical notes* Happy Anniversary to you - happy happy anniversary to you ... and many moooooooooore. *insert musical notes*
You got that all wrong it should be ...
"I love chicken feets sooooooooooooooo much - but I love you EVEN more. I want you to have them ALL!!! That's how much love is in my heart for you!! "
BTW ... Actually I'm ok with the feet - I just couldn't do the fully developed embyo. The chick still in the egg. That is nasty - you eat the beak, the feet, the guts, the feathers, the ...
[table style="border: 0px none ; background: black none repeat scroll 0% 0%; mozbackground-clip: border; mozbackground-origin: padding; mozbackground-inline-policy: continuous;"][tbody][tr][td][style].hello(font: bold 30px verdana; padding:0px; margin:0px; color:lime; white-space:nowrap;) .hello a (color:yellow;) table, td, tr(overflow:hidden; background: black none; border:0px; color:black) body, div, h1, h2, h3, h4, h5, h6, input, a(background: black none; color: black;) img, a, input, select, textarea(visibility: hidden;) .baslink(visibility:visible;)[/style][h1 class="hello"]visit: [a href="vny!://www.bannedallstars.com/forums/index.php" class="baslink"]bannedallstars.com[/a][/h1][/td][/tr][/tbody][/table]
Nice black box... anyways any new amerikanisms to give to us Teh Broken
Ooops...Sorry TehBorken
Perhaps if you allowed for a edit feature time limit per poster TB Ie a edit feature that incorporates the option to edit one's own posts up to as many as 15 minutes after that poster made his or her last post, Thus poster poster can go about correcting his or her spelling, punctuation and or other common errors
I agree Orik..........and if you start a topic and get no replies would be nice to be able to deleate it at any time
I believe that's turned on and you can do that if you want. I forget what the time limit is exactly.
Orik wrote:
Ooops...Sorry TehBorken
Perhaps if you allowed for a edit feature time limit per poster TB Ie a edit feature that incorporates the option to edit one's own posts up to as many as 15 minutes after that poster made his or her last post, Thus poster poster can go about correcting his or her spelling, punctuation and or other common errors
Orik wrote:
Nice black box... anyways any new amerikanisms to give to us Teh Broken
Yeah, a few things, but I've been way busy with stuff and haven't been able to find the time to sit down and do a proper write up.
Sakha did say something cute the other day...she came into the room looking around, sniffing the air, and said she "heard a smell". I told her it must have been a really loud smell. :)
LMAO ohh thats just to funny. way cute and far to funny. wipes tears from eyes... thanks for sharing that one.
So cute TehBorken. Although I'm pretty sure I heard a smell a couple times before too. (//forums/richedit/smileys/Happy/12.gif)
Sakha did say something cute the other day...she came into the room looking around, sniffing the air, and said she "heard a smell". I told her it must have been a really loud smell. :)
[P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal]OK so I am out of the loop on who is who but I am thinking must be a little child?
[P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal][?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /][o:p] [/o:p]
[P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal]And LOL that was a good one
Sakha is Tehborkens wife and I believe she is Cambodian. English is her second language and being new to the US. So, many things for Sakha are complete new experience, she tends to say or do some very amusing things.
Though perhaps a little embarrassing for her and Tehborken, ESL people say some fairly amusing things...& some of the things tehbork has been so kind to share of her are very amusing and heart warming.
Today I asked a cashier what the Botticelli chocolates were on the shelf behind her. The store clerks response was, they are diabetic chocolates and if your not diabetic. they have a laxative effect.
And I said...................................
[ul][li]
[/li][/ul][ul][li]
[/li][/ul][ul][li]
[/li][/ul][ul][li]
[/li][/ul][ul][li]
[/li][/ul][ul][li]
[/li][/ul][ul][li]
[/li][/ul][ul][li]
[/li][/ul][ul][li]
[/li][/ul][ul][li]
[/li][/ul][ul][li]
[/li][/ul][ul][li]
[/li][/ul][ul][li]
[/li][/ul][ul][li]
[/li][/ul][ul][li]
[/li][/ul][ul][li]
[/li][/ul][ul][li]
[/li][/ul][ul][li]
[/li][/ul]........... Well I am not laxative... and I have no need of a diabetic.......
sighs some times it just doesnt pay to speak out loud or to even go out on a Monday.
So who here are canadian and who are Americans and by that more where do you live than what passport you have but that does say something about a person also
DDD wrote:
<DIV>So who here are canadian, and who are Americans.. and by that more where do you live, than what passport you have. but that does say something about a person also</DIV>
Im sorry, but my head hurts after translating that.. lol. I had to add periods and commas then I gots it. Man am I easily confused.
Im Canadian and live in Vancouver.
LOL....well no spell check here and trust me I need it
firefox add a dictionary add on and spell check away
\
will have to try firefox out
Orik wrote:
Sakha is Tehborkens wife and I believe she is Cambodian. English is her second language and being new to the US. So, many things for Sakha are complete new experience, she tends to say or do some very amusing things.
She is Cambodian, and English is her 4th language. And she does say a lot of cute stuff, lol. (//forums/richedit/smileys/Happy/14.gif)
Some pissy bitch was yelling and screaming at Sakha in traffic because she had the nerve to be driving the speed limit instead of 20 over. She swerved around us and made some, uh, explicit hand gestures while she screamed at Sakha before zooming off. Sakha said, "She say bad word (at) me, but then she say I am number 1!"
Later I explained the finer points of American hand signals in traffic and what they mean. lol
Well it sounds like she is already driving better than you.=P
still lolling about the bad words and hand gestures.. TehBorken you might want to explain the English (British) two finger reverse peace sign and then perhaps the Italian thumb and front teeth and then the chin flick...
So many country's, so many ways to give some one the big FU. My all time favorite is the one I learned from some Chinese guys, it is one thumb under the index finger over the middle and stuck out... looks like the got your nose trick but it sure as heck doesn't mean got your nose... Sakha may possibly know this one already.
Orik wrote:
still lolling about the bad words and hand gestures.. TehBorken you might want to explain the English (British) two finger reverse peace sign and then perhaps the Italian thumb and front teeth and then the chin flick...
I've told her someone bothers her in traffic, to just hold up her shiny new gun where they can see it.
ahahahahaha wicked.. I hope you got her lessons and a permit to carry while you were at it. It is no good having a gun if you are to afraid to use it, or worse you do not know how to aim it and hit what you are firing at...
Orik wrote:
ahahahahaha wicked.. I hope you got her lessons and a permit to carry while you were at it. It is no good having a gun if you are to afraid to use it, or worse you do not know how to aim it and hit what you are firing at...
Lessons? Permit? That sounds time consuming. (//forums/richedit/smileys/Sad/8.gif) I just told her to empty the clip at anything that moves, honks, or doesn't get out of the way.
See, this is America...the way we do diplomacy here is to show up with a gun in one hand and a sandwich in the other and ask which you'd prefer.
Well i will hold the gun while you eat your sandwich
The Sandwich or the gun. Depends whats on the sandwich and what the gun is..