Bendy Straws.

 Here's my pic of the tree of life! Got to go there! It was great fun. It really is the only remarkable foliage as far as the eye can see. Amazing! There were some guys there that we were afraid were going to ask if they wanted to wash our car (Guys are always doing that in Bahrain and its unnerving at first) At least they aren't like American bums, they actually do something in return for some monetary help. Anyways, if you ever get the chance I recommend you make it a picnic day cause otherwise you get there and there's not much else to do but stare at it. Then you can sit there and eat you're food while the two Arabs sit off in their plastic chairs and awkwardly make sure you don't steal any rocks. I want to go back and sketch some of it one day. One day...

 This is a throwback to when I went diving at Manatee Springs. Floods are Cah-razy!

 Here are some trees we got to walk thru that I love. Also love Sis Draper ^^They are one of my favorite trees and I  loved it!

We also went diving in this too. That's a nice layer of throwable foliage that was great fun to dive in. No alligators to be found tho :)

As to Bahrain the most exciting thing that has happened (since all I've really been doing is paperwork) is that a Skyscraper caught fire. Don't know why and I of course hope everyone got out alright, but it was cool to witness. Even the crane caught on fire.

Notable: The skyline in Bahrain often has more cranes than buildings haha. They are always building, which is good for the economy one can suppose.

Went to an American restaurant today TGI Fridays and, let me tell you, American restaurants are different abroad haha. This on all the waiters wore ridiculous hats (a pokemon hat, gaudy jester hats, an angry birds hat) and vests covered in buttons. I've never seen that before so yeah. I am determined to get McDonald's delivered to me in the near future. It's shocking they don't have it in America amiright!

Also all the straws are bendy straws. Who knows why but this is something I can get used to.


There's merchants and peddlers aplenty. While they continue to bug others, they only heckle me once, I respond in Arabic, and I keep walking and hear no more from them. I can only assume I shock them that I know Arabic and it amuses me greatly.


That's about it right now. I'll try to get more pictures but I keep forgetting to take my ipod with me to take them haha. Til next time!

Final Fantasy Pictures

 Yay some FFXIV pictures! This first one features a dungeon with a cool seal that we have to find a magical key to. Way pretty. Gotta appreciate programmers!

 Here I am with one of my online friends. We are the same race. I'm taller :D

 Here's me on my chocobo! I finally got it! And it's awesome and I love it! Or maybe it was the rental one...idk.

 Here's a person with a unicorn mount and its both weird and awesome at the same time haha

 An awesome pic of me healing people.

 Here's a party I was in, I like taking pics of them!

 I got a carbuncle! It's adorable!

 Here's a rare sight! A sleeping chocobo!

 Ok, here I am and I KNOW it's my chocobo! I named it Pips after the horse in wot that Mat rides :D

 Two rare mounts in one pic! You get the one on the right at the endgame I've been told. The unicorn you get from doing the conjurer quests, which I'm doing atm :)

 Another party pic!

 Me and my bro ^^ I love it! We play together a bit every day.

 This was a funny pic, like 8 carbuncles in the same spot haha.

 I saw this cool statue in the distance. Once again, programmers man!

 That monster in the distance looks like a feral furby. Just saying.

 Another party!

 My chocobo in his new duds!

 My new Coeurl mount! So cute! It lopes as it runs! :D

Another picture! Someone told me how to take all the user interface stuff off so now I'll have better pics! :D

Bahrain beginnings

I am in a literal real life Kingdom and that is weird to me. Weird to me that kings still exist. That they might still rule a country. I mean, that's what the Arab Spring is all about, getting psudo-democracies but still.

The best thing is that as soon as I stepped off the plane, it smelled like Redondo Beach, but 20 degrees hotter...ok more like 50 but lets be optimistic here.

What else, what else...I have already shocked a room of 10+ ppl by informing them that I do not drink alcohol, but they were cool about it. It's still amusing to note.

Food-wise I have already had schwarma (and will prob it eat everyday) and this little fruit below called a mangoteen. You just eat the white part and it is magical. I love it! It's like $5 for 6 of them tho!

 

In other exciting news, about 2 ish years ago I saw an article in the newspaper saying that as a promo these mailboxes (below) of R2D2 were being put up all over the states. I NEVER FOUND ONE AND BELIEVE YOU ME I LOOKED. BUT THERE'S ONE HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Believe you me it will be getting all of my letters back to the states haha

Misc.

 I needed to share this from ifunny. Absolutely priceless and I wish I had invented it.





AHHH. New glasses :) I was going to an old person look, thought I'd try it out for a bit and
prob get new glasses in 3 months ahha






And here's some cool fruit configurations that the people at the cafeteria put together. They have chops!

FFXIV

Final Fantasy XIV comes out tomorrow (for pre-order) I'm super excited and I'll play til my little heart drops! I highly recommend it. Here are some screen shots.

 This is Qwerty Sobriquet. She's going to be my main character :D And I'm super excited cause 1) She's really tall and 2) She's a race that I think will be less played so I'll be unique!

The name comes from Charles Dickens. The ol' english word sobriquet means 'nickname' or 'alias' and I like it for it's irony. Qwerty is just creative. Simple, obvious, and so much so that no one else thinks to use it as a character name. Priceless!

 Look at the height difference! It is HILARIOUS when the short characters have to look up whilst talking to me.

The NA beta went down for a day so I played on a Japanese server and found this group...sitting. This is my other character that I'll be using :) He's a male miqu'ote just like everyone else plays but they are just so cute I couldn't resist!

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times

It is one of the most singular experiences in this day and age to inform someone, particularly a someone in the military, that I do not have pre-marital sex. It is probably one of the most rewarding faces they make in the whole world.

Also don't play the game "Name the book based on the famous first line" with people who don't read as much as you. It just makes you realize you read probably too much. That or memorize the first sentences in books too often.

I found myself defending/explaining my commitment to not watching rated R films about 4 times in the past 3 days. I hope it seems at least reasonable. Faith isn't always reason, but faith is a reason. All the same it also brought to question the fact that I read rated R books but not the movies? I mean I just read Lone Survivor and that would def be rated R if they portrayed it right...but I mean any movie could be rated R if you portrayed it right. OR YOU COULD BE LIKE INDIANA JONES AND JUST PORTRAY MOVIES BETTER SO I COULD SEE COOL MOVIES LIKE DJANGO WITHOUT IT BEING RATED R. But then some of the material is worthy of being rated R; Saving Private Ryan, The King's Speech, Schindler's List. I have a list of rated R movies I would watch, that I want to. Oh well. Life is rated R if not worse and I'm just going to show this vote of faith and believe the prophet knows what he's talking about. And I think intense books are different cause you just don't have to imagine what you don't feel like imagining I guess...

I gave a few verbal lashings lately. It's impressive when I'm that articulate. One was about a guy messing with my very hard to make bun. I'm starting to grow my hair out and I have to wear it a certain way for work and this guy was messing up my hair! It takes forever! So I gave him the what for! Honestly!


I've had to say 'To each his own' a lot too. I really do love my life and I love my friends here and all the friends I've left behind. But today I was talking with two guys who were bragging that they each had committed adultery by literally banging some guys wife and I was awestruck. Awestuck that I was the sole owner of the opinion that this was not something to be bragged about. And I just...no no no I am not judging the people whose opinions differ than mine. I sincerely believe to each his own but I was just...it's sometimes hard not being validated in the opinions you hold so dear such as fidelity and honor. So many people believe they doesn't exist anymore and I just feel like I silently hold my hand up in the corner saying yes they do! Yes they do.

So I guess this is an update on philosophical life rather than what I've really been up to. Not much I tell you what! FFXIV COME OUT TOMORROW THO SO I'MMA BE PLAYING THAT.

HEY YOU GUUUUYYYYYSSSSS!!!!

It's been a hot minute so I thought I'd update. I leave for Bahrain soon and that's exciting. Need to pull together some odds and ends then I'm off. 

I started Terry Prachet's 'Going Postal' and it's grand. How do you describe the Pratchett man? Well I had to do it aplenty this week. It's like reading a fantasy book making fun of fantasy books and real life poignantly and decidedly accurate. It's marvelous. I have read his 'Small Gods' and that one has a dear place in my heart. I loved it. If you want to jump into his Discworld, I suggest you start there.

Yesterday I got third place out of 7 (whoot top loser!) in an 'Olympics' specifically geared for marines. It was 4 marine and 3 sailor females that participated against each other and I have to say I did ok. I did great on the first 3 events and wretched at the last 4. I just can't climb a rope, run, or carry weights for long distances. However that didn't stop me from trying and now my boss' expect more of me at the next exercise get together to say the least. This is not good haha.

Also saw the movie '42' today. Top notch movie. I also introduced a few people to 'The Goonies' and am glad for it.

Oh. And I pick up my new glasses Monday :)

Final Fantasy Crossing

 Here is a potential character for when I start playing Final Fantasy XIV next week. I am super excited to be playing it and I will def share screen shots in the future. I highly recommend it for I have played it and the mechanics of the game are smooth like cream. I can't wait :)

In more Animal Crossing News

 Have I shared this yet? I have collected a whole set! And I am so much so excited that I have begun a museum section on the second floor for them. Working on the power ranger suits  at the moment :) It's riviting.

 Here we see me showing off my crown. It is 1,200,000 bells with the Wealthy Ordinance in place and I finally got it! More on that to come...

 Here we have me doing some mayor duties whilst wearing my crown. Shouldn't my villagers be worried that their mayor has start to wear a crown? I would if I was a little animal creature.

 Here we have me competing with Island peoples. It's fun, I try to take pictures of all the people I meet :) He had the bear suit which was particularly memorable.

 I've begun to run out of public works projects in my town, new ones at least, and my townsfolk rarely recommend new ones. So I've taken to putting up lamppost. 3 so far. However one townsperson just recommended a wind turbine so I'll probably start doing lots of those. 1 down as of today!

 Every Sunday in August are fireworks shows! Neat huh? Here's us clapping together :D

 A firework I designed. Some fantasia ones aught to come next I think.

 Me shooting off some leftover fireworks

 One of my towns people got sick D: But I gaves him medicine. I love Zucker, a great octopus if I do say so myself.

 This was a first for me haha. 4 peeps! However it lasted for a few seconds before only 2 of us went on a tour :( sad day!

 I got this flower clock :/ I don't particularly like it but got it cause it was one of the aforementioned things I had left on my list to build. I like originality in my projects I guess.

 Went to the dream world and saw this nice set up of a chair and bamboo! I'll get some one day!

 Another noteable island aquaintance

 This is a VERY notable island aquaintance. I liked the skirt this girl was wearing (and now that my char is wearing) so she gave it to me! I thought a kind deed aught to be punished so I gave her my entire clothes set and we swapped it entire! :D It amused me greatly and I made someones day by giving them a piece work 1mil bells :D I can re-buy it so it was no great sacrifice really.

 Water fountain I made. I think its really creepy because of THIS town.

 In a island tour I was participating in my aquaintance and me fell into holes right next to each other, not premediated at all! It was picture worthy :D

 Visiting in the dream world I met this WONDERFUL FLAMINGO WITH FLAMINGO FURNITURE. I geeked out a bit.

 Funny photo cause my character's name is Cheshire in the rabbit's face haha.

 Rock star here. I've had her same hairstyle before so I thought she was cool and noteworthy.

 One of my favorite town members and me on a fairy tale bench :D

 Me at my aquarium. Between shark week and me being scuba qualified I like going here every so often and looking at the fake fishies.

 Cool arch in a dream world again :D

 Me watching my golden apple television.

 A villager I want :(

 Ok, Kapp'n likes to sing songs on the way to the island and he always sings about love/his wife to me. And it's adorable :)

Well if you've read this far then you know I have been playing far too much animal crossing. Tomorrow I shall endeavor to fast from them haha. It's just not healthy. Plus I need to look up things to do in Bahrain.