Cute commercial

Gertie sent me this video and I nearly fell over laughing. I am sure a few parents out there appreciate it:)

An interesting article from the Post

KITE RUNNER BANNED IN AFGANISTAN

Ugh, is there a cinema in Afganistan? Last I heard, 90% of the country didn't have electricity. WTF? Bizzare news.

2007 Round Up

So another year has passed. I feel old because the year disappeared on me. My elders tell me that time goes by quickly when you get old. This is not good for a procrastinator.

Anyway, here are some highlights of 2007!!!

KP's Birthday with Gertie in Port Douglas, Queensland



















Mossman Gorge, Port Douglas, QLD














Casey's Birthday at New Farm Park in Brisbane














Chinese New Year with Wei Loong














Mornington Peninsula vineyard; Melbourne, Victoria














Wine tasting Katia style














Moreton Island sand dunes (10 stories tall!) Moreton Island, Queensland














Angkor Wat sunset; Siem Reap, Cambodia












Cambodian friends!














Todd, Katia and Tobey on Day 1 of trek to summit of Mt. Kinabalu; Borneo, Malaysia
















Summit of Mt. Kinabalu in the FREEZING rain! (Note: We started in tropical rainforest)















Day 8 of our 10 day bike tour of New Zealand. Crossing of 45th parallel close to Cromwell. New Zealand, South Island.














Lake Tekapo (glacial lake) on Christmas Day in New Zealand.











Milford Sound cruise for New Year's Eve; Fjordland National Park, Milford Sound, New Zealand.














New Years Day 2008! Milford Sound.

Long time no see

I have turned into the kind of blogger I hate the most, someone who does not update their blog! However, I have a good excuse...I have been in the jungles of Borneo followed by a romp of the Cambodian countryside. Can't help it...I like to spoil myself:) I am in Cambodia at the moment trying to get some work done but my busy social calendar is making that difficult. This is a town where there is lots to do and great ways to procrastinate:(

As soon as I get home i will be sure to post some pics of our amazing adventures.

Busy busy busy

We have had a very busy few weeks. Todd's mom came for a 2 week visit and we did a lot of sightseeing. Todd and Mary went up to Port Douglas and the GBR for a little R and R. I stayed behind and defended the fort:( We did embark on numerous little day trips in and around Brisbane. There is really so much to see in this area of Queensland and it was nice to have a reason to go exploring.

Todd and I just celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary on Friday. We went on a yoga retreat to Murwillumbah with his yoga studio. It was the second time we had gone and we had such a lovely and relaxing time. I spent plenty of time by the pool, eating, walking, eating some more, and stretching. Murwillumbah is on the NSW-QLD border in one of the most breathtaking areas of Australia. Lucky for us, it is only 1.5 hours from our house. Picture undulating green hills full of sheep and cattle. Everything is bright green and lush. Ahhh, say it with me "Gorgeous!"

I am now in super panic mode. I leave next week for India for my conference followed by a trip to Borneo and then on to Cambodia for a month. I expect to be back in Brisbane sometime in mid-December. Needless to say I have a lot to do before I leave. Anyhow, enjoy the pictures...I must get to work!





Todd and Mom at GBR














Todd and Kids at Glasshouse Mountains














Waterfall at Springbrook National Park













Kookaburra chill'n














Can you spot the koala?















Posing in the Brisbane Botanical Gardens by Mt.Cootha














Tagalooma Wrecks off of Moreton Island, Brisbane. The Brisbane City Council sunk these dredging vessels in the 60's to create an artificial reef. The area is full of colorful fish, dolphins, and dugongs (relative of the manatee). We did some snorkeling.















Moreton Island















Todd on Moreton Island beach














Katia coming down one big ass sand dune! It is 10 stories high!!!














Dolphins racing our boat, so cool!

New Picture

My friend Ian took this picture of me back in July. I wonder if the monk and I are looking at the same beast???

More Cambodia pics

I have decided that I have WAY TOO MANY Cambodia pictures. Therefore I will devote 2008 to visiting more SE Asian countries. I have my eye on Laos and Burma (Myanmar). I think Burma will early next year with my friend David but Laos evades me. I have no idea when I will have the time to fit it in! Plus Lisa wants to meet up somewhere "different" for her spring break. Perhaps Kiribati, outter islands of Japan, Manado, I just don't know! God help me when I get a job. I will be so miserable:(


Some Wat in the middle of nowhere




















Bai! Or rice to the white folk.














Typical house in the countryside














Hashers! Those crazy people:)

What I will never become

A mother who hangs out with her baby and other "mommies" at the mall during lunch time. They drive me CRAZY and crowd the Starbucks!

and I am home again...

So nice to be home! I am relaxing to Thelonius Monk and trying to procrastinate a little longer. My trip was a success and I want the high to last, but I know that reality is going to set in soon enough. I had a reality check the other day when I realized that in order to gradute in Dec 2008 my dissertation needs to be submitted by Oct 13 2008. That gives me about one year to write up my thoughts. Folks, I have A LOT of thoughts. However, I have much planned for the rest of the year so I think I will start Jan sometime. I will be out of the country starting Oct 2nd and not coming back until Jan 3rd so the idea of starting something only to put it on hold seems foolish.

Anyway, here are some pictures of my last trip.

Women in my focus group














local kids















me on my hash run



















common running obstacle
















My friend Ian and I next to our ghetto broke down tuk-tuk














Favorite pic from the zoo

More updates

Well...let's see...what have I been doing? Actually, best to ask "what haven't I done?" I am exhausted from all the work. Seriously, I want to go home and rest. The data collection is really in full swing but the days are long and the heat is punishing. I spend most of my time hiding from the sun or wiping my face. Seriously, Cambodians DO NOT SWEAT. It is the most amazing thing to me.

I have been engaging in some runs with the Phnom Pehn Hash House Harriers. The runs have quenched my appetite for rice paddies. If I see another rice paddy I will vomit. They are so lovely though and the kids LOVE to chase us through the fields. Cambodians are FAST! My social calendar has also never been more full. That could explain a lot of the late mornings:/ I have also enjoyed hanging out with my friend Ian, from England, who makes PP so much better! It is really the people around the place and not the place itself. Actually, PP is a dump and few people would argue with me. However, I have had a better time socially here then in the US or Australia but the living is hard.

I did receive good news that my abstract for the 4th Annual Conference on Reproductive Health and Sexuality in South Asia was accepted for a 30 min oral presentation! I am super excited and this will be the largest (and most significant) presentation yet. It is in Hyderbad, India in October. All I need now is $$$ to go...but I am working on that.

I will post pics when I get home. I am working off my very old lap top and I am afraid that if I hiccup the thing will stop working. Come on baby, hold together for a few more weeks!

It looks like I will head home next week, which is good. I miss my boy, dogs and bed!

Cambodia...again

Well I am back and playing researcher again. Pretending is a lot of fun:)

I have not written much b/c I am BUSY most of the time. Here is the update:

In Phnom Penh until mid August. I am house sitting in the lap of luxury. I have a cleaner, a security guard and a gardener. My friend Ian from the UK is also living with me!!! Yeah for friends in Cambodia. This house is so huge that it feels eerily empty with just me, so it is nice to have some company. I also have internet which means I can surf anytime and bother my friends with endless Skype calls that cost about $0.021 a minute. Super cool! I am sold on Skype plus it is the only way to make an international phone call, so I don't have much choice in the matter.

Let's see what else...I joined my local sports club (rubbing elbows with Khmer high society) and my little yoga studio down the road. I even went to the Phnom Tamao zoo. We broke down in our tuk-tuk about 20km from PP and were stuck for an hour until the carburetor got fixed. That was not good. Too bad having all these neat things doesn't enhance my research. On the contrary, I have so many other fun things to do that my research...is well...slow. To even make matters worse I was asked to go on a 5 day trek around the Mekong Delta which is hard to say no to. I will be very pissed at myself if after a month I have done nothing:(

I miss everyone and will posts some pictures soon.

Happy Birthday Cappers

My big girl is 3 (21 in dog years)! Happy Birthday to my baby!

Why I do not practice yoga at home...

Casey preparing my mat for me

If I wriggle in this way maybe she will see me


Ok maybe I will try this way

Please mom just touch me!!!!

Good video

At first I really didn't know what the message would be. However, you quickly catch on.

Why girls are EVIL!

Procrastination

I am the QUEEN of it! I have decided to stay home and "write" today...hah, what a joke. What "writing at home" really means is: trip to the coffee shop, food shopping, walk with the dogs, cutting my toe nails, cleaning the mold from around the sink faucet and washing dirty dish towels. All this and it is only noon. Tommorrow, I am going back to my office. I will never get anything accomplished if I work from home!

Two more years!

Tai Shan is going to stay until 2009! That is the best news in the world. I am going to spend plenty of quality time catching up with him in May. I have the biggest smile on my face...HURRAY for the National Zoo!!!

He is now 1.5 years old and 125 lb. They just inseminated his mom, Mei, so perhaps a sibling is on the way! I will have to move back to DC if that is the case:)

Recent happenings in Bris-Vegas

My friend Stephen "Gidget" came to visit from Melbourne. I met him in '98 at James Cook University in Townsville. By the way mom, are you jealous of Todd's t-shirt?














Todd, Greter, and Katia at a b-day party at the Story Bridge Hotel. CHOICE view!















"Moooommmmmm....dad is hurting me with clean water and soap!!!!"

Another sad week

Violence in this world is never ending. Now a tragedy that struck close to home. We all know what I am talking about. I was reading through the names and info about the victims and they all grew up next to me. Many of them went to my high school and lived down the road. So very very very sad. My heart goes out to all of the students and parents.

Go Hokies!!!!

curious photos

I am holding a contest! $5 USD to the person who can tell me what is going on in these two photos.

Photo 1. Cambodia: I took this picture of the car next to me. I am looking down at the driver. What is so fucked up about this picture?
















Photo 2. A night out on the town in Cambodia. What is that white stuff on my dress? Before you say cocaine...draw a line on a map from Colombia to Cambodia and ask yourself how likely that is.