WordPress swallowed my pictures.

Seriously.  I don’t know what went wrong, but there was some sort of crazy malfunction.  If you happened to visit my blog within the last couple of days, you probably saw text spewed across the page with pictures everywhere and columns in completely random places.  The problem seems to have been fixed, but for some reason several of the pictures from my previous post are simply gone – but my captions remained, they just jumbled all together.  So in case the captions didn’t seem to make sense – and they shouldn’t have, if you were actually reading them – here are the missing pictures with their original captions.

From the Chinese Gardens in Singapore. We foolishly headed out during the hottest part of the day, and by 2pm we were all so drained and dehydrated that we spent the rest of the day lounging by the pool.

 

Nok is attacked by a wave while attempting to cast. She did manage to catch a few small fish and even a crab!

 

Hag enjoys the view from our old apartment. As you can, the surrounding hills and bay made for a beautiful view, but the horde of fishing boats and unsightly parking area below ensured we were almost always surrounded by noise.

 

Scroggins and Hagatha up in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G! By the way, I'm not sure what I'll do with Scroggins after I leave Thailand in August. If anyone is interested in taking care of him for 1-2 years, I'll pay all transportation costs.

Meet Mouthrot

My friend Mouthrot.

Mouthrot was one of the many giant Singapore cats that Nok and I befriended on our most recent trip to visit the ‘rents.  Mouthrot earned his name thanks to his sparse and strangely brown-colored teeth.  He also drooled steadily, which was disturbing considering the state of his mouth.  He enjoyed many a feast courtesy of Nok and me from the leftovers we carried from the nearby hawkers.

All in all, it was a pretty good trip.  It was my third trip to Singapore and Nok’s second, so we really didn’t have much left to see in the city.  We enjoyed our 3 1/2 weeks nonetheless, spending much of that time lounging by the pool and massacring the ‘rents in Sequence.  It should be noted that I am the undisputed Sequence King; whether I was teamed with Dad or Nok, my team always won.  I welcome any futile challenges to my reign.

It was  a little sad to return to Songkhla after such a great time in Singapore, particularly since I had SO much homework to do in the week left before my school started.  Thankfully, it is all finished and I am now enjoying the brief break between the Spring and Summer terms.  The Summer Term starts on Monday, but thankfully I have only three courses to take before my graduation in August!  Originally, I would have needed to take four courses.  However, after a few weeks of cramming and a special trip to Manila to visit the testing center, I was able to test out of the early US History credit that I was missing.

At this point I’m already applying for jobs and will likely be heading to UAE (Abu Dhabi) in August/September.  It is meant to be an extremely modern, well-developed country, and with a free apartment I should be able to save enough money for a return to the States within a year or two.  I know you thought you had gotten rid of me for good, but I’ll have the last laugh yet.

Now, for your enjoyment, random pictures of cats, Manila and Songkhla.

Good old Mouthrot. Note the droplets of drool leaking out of his foul-smelling mouth.From the Chinese Gardens in Singapore. We foolishly headed out during the hottest part of the day, and by 2pm we were all so drained and dehydrated that we spent the rest of the day lounging at the pool.

A picture of the cat I affectionately call "Crapface."

The view from my hotel in Manila. This was apparently the nicest, richest section of the entire country. It reminded me of the older, dirtier sections of Bangkok. The food was great, though.

Also from my hotel in Manila - my testing center was in this general direction. I know because I had to walk back when I couldn't find a taxi! It took over an hour of blind wandering - I was lucky I made it back.

A view of the Songkhla peninsula from the south. The white sandy beach seen here stretches for nearly 9 kilometers, lining the entire city before reaching the undeveloped, finger-like tip. You can also see "Rat" and "Cat" islands; Nok and I took a boat out to Rat Island last weekend and enjoyed a small hike through the jungle.

Nok runs away from a wave while fishing on a deserted stretch of beach south of Songkhla city.Nok is attacked by a wave while attempting to cast. She did manage to catch a few small fish and even a crab!Hag enjoys the view from our old apartment. As you can see, the surrounding hills and bay made for a beautiful view, but the horde of fishing boats and unsightly parking area below ensured we were almost always surrounded by noise.Scroggins and Hagatha up in a tree... By the way, I'm not sure what I'll do with Scroggins after I leave Thailand in August. If anyone is interested in watching him for 1-2 years, I'll pay for all transportation costs.