luck be a lady tonight

a short post on last night happenings...overall, i had a totally unproductive day but got picked up to go eat 'jim joom' at this thai buffet after poo got off work. jim joom is northern thai suki where you basically pick whatever you want to eat and throw it in this ceramic/clay pot filled with soup on a burner. this thai buffet was ginormous and in addition to all the fixings that come with jim joom (seafood, meats, veggies, etc) there were snacks (like steamed buns, shu mai, cold salads, etc), a large grill where you could grill your own meats and whatnot, and this dessert bar with ice cream, thai dessert (including shaved ice with additions like beans, corn, tup tim krob, etc), and a toast bar. toast is really big in thailand with some little cafes specializing only in milk (all flavors) and toast. there are yummy spreads to put on your toast here, lots of them of thai fruit and also other things that im not sure how to explain in english.

anyway, jim joom was fun because there was live music and it was in an outdoor setting with an aluminum roof top. even funner (yah, i know, funner isnt a real word, but i like it just the same) was that a mahout came with his elephant and stood outside. the elephant was really happy and kept dancing, and kids would go out and buy sugar cane or bananas to feed it. poo fed the elephant and then told me that the elephant was 4 months pregnant and it's good luck if you walk under a pregnant elephant's belly three times. i thought to myself, 'self, you can always use some good luck', so went to the elephant, wai'd to it (traditional thai greeting of respect), and walked under her belly and around her in a circle three times while the mahout (elephant caretaker) recited a blessing. afterwards, i paid the donation of 59 baht with 60 baht and got a lucky baht coin (like a penny) in return which im supposed to keep with me and not spend. pretty kickass, if you ask me. not everyday you get to walk under a pregnant elephant.

right now im at the hospital in the id staff room and am thinking about going on afternoon rounds with poo and her resident tong (poo later told me not to come with her, so im just hanging out in the id room). this morning i had a short discussion with dr. kuanchai about maybe doing something with the adult hiv+ cohort they are following at the university hospital here (about 1000 patients) - dr. kuanchai says no one has done anything about adherence or quality of life, so that would be something to look into (i could also use my thai skills and administer the questionnaire myself while pts were waiting in opd (outpatient) clinic). anyway, i need to think about it more and look up some past literature and stuff, which i will do immediately after i finish this entry...which may be now. :)