Whoever said you couldn't buy your own Valentines Day Spa gift....

So. Here's the deal. I may think that some things are over-the-top when it comes to our wonderful holiday celebrating romantic love, however, I definitely appreciate parts of it. These parts mainly come in the form of SPA DISCOUNTS! Example: here on my little island in the ferry terminal (of all places...) is a spa called the Lembah Imbian. In honor of Valentines day, if you buy a 100 Ringgit-30 USD voucher (gift certificate) you can get a free back massage. Ok, I know that you are supposed to buy them for your significant other or something, but as mine is 30 hours worth of plane flights away, I think it is entirely acceptable for me to get one for myself. Then I get to take advantage of the voucher and the free massage at the same time. I fail to see how this is anything other than a win-win situation. Also, I am influencing the minds of my single or in-a-relationship-but-practically-single-by-way-of-distance female friends at work in order to get them to voin me in this venture. Currently there are one or two people who are eyeing it positively. I will update you on my success!

I have been pretty tired for the past couple of days but am not quite sure why. I would attribute this to my excellent work ethic and the 150 percent effort I have been making at the office, but I don't want to be struck by lightning or to have my nose grow multiple inches. I think I will blame the rice and rice noodles instead. People in America would take 1.5 hr lunches every day too if they had to eat rice for their main course.

I am still questing for yarn on the island. In general I am getting dumbfounded looks and requests for the spelling and use in a sentence, but there have been a couple of people who have an idea. I am going to follow a lead at the "mall" tonight and see if it turns out to be successful.  If not, there is another place whose name no one seems to remember that they SWEAR it should be at. I am skeptical of their confidence. They also told me that they had ketchup and oven thermometers here and these things are not generally true (at least to my knowledge).

We have our 2nd new, Western store on the island! It is a super super small GNC, but whenever I see it I think of James and smile a little bit to myself. I might take a picture of it and post it in a couple of days. Oh! It is also right next to the Body Shop, the two most Western retail stores on the island are keeping each other company. So adorable :)

I have found books from America in a store here which was also an exciting moment. I did end up paying about 15/20 dollars for each paperback, but I think it is a purchase worth making. I miss having something to do in the evenings besides run, play tetris, and watch one of the 4 different versions of Top Model that they play circularly on one of the few English speaking channels. I just finished Michael Crichton's final book, "Pirate Latitudes" which was not his best, but definitely a distracting read. Now I am re-reading a book I initially finished about 2 years ago, "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo." Enjoying it much more the second time around!

I contacted a lady named Josie this afternoon. She is the wife of an ex-pat who is working for SLB in Labuan. She meets with a group of 12 to 15 women/wives of oil field workers every Thursday morning and I've been invited to join them. I figure I will just be late on that day and then work a little later. It will be SO worth it to get to meet and spend time with women from countries that aren't in Asia. I will casually drop the word "yarn" into conversation at some point, just so I can see the looks of recognition on their faces :)

Well, it is almost time to head home from work. I think today is an inside-workout sort of day as the sky looks like it is about and hour to two hours from releasing some more torrential rain.  Woohoo !!!! I really love the rain here.

Hope you are having a non-precipatory day.

Love,

Becca