Tuesday, March 01, 2005
I'll take the Ceramic Dog, Pat
Have any of you ever been stuck in a foreign country with change to spare that you cannot change at the currency window, and end up wandering through the duty free trying to spend every last penny, yen, etc.? Every time this happens to me I feel like the old Wheel of Fortune. For those of you that don't remember, after winning a round on WOF, Pat Sayjak guided you through a room of goodies (e.g., furniture, household items) that you had to buy with your winnings. But you had to spend as much as you could. Invariably, somebody would have to buy a $300 ceramic dalmation. Similarly, I have a pair of "souvenier" chopstiks that I bought on the way out of Narita. What am I going to do with them?
Last night, I didn't get in until 2 am Singapore time. Seemed dumb to get a hotel for only a couple of hours, plus the only way to get into town was a S$30 cab ride, so I just hung out at the airpot until 6 when the train started running. I will never get over this jet lag. Tomorrow, Malaysia!
Last night, I didn't get in until 2 am Singapore time. Seemed dumb to get a hotel for only a couple of hours, plus the only way to get into town was a S$30 cab ride, so I just hung out at the airpot until 6 when the train started running. I will never get over this jet lag. Tomorrow, Malaysia!
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I was thinking of buying my own chopsticks. If you get another pair, so thus you'll have a pair of pairs, I'll take them.
I've been experimenting cooking some Asian style cuisine. Hence the desire for my own chopsticks.
Btw, I totally remember that from Wheel of Fortune - I loved when they had to take the ceramic dog!
I've been experimenting cooking some Asian style cuisine. Hence the desire for my own chopsticks.
Btw, I totally remember that from Wheel of Fortune - I loved when they had to take the ceramic dog!
# posted by 
: 8:43 AM
: 8:43 AM
This is so random....just a few minutes after I posted, a colleague here at SJA told me one of our alums was just on Wheel of Fortune last night. You'll never guess who it was - your old OLA classmate, Caprina Vega.
# posted by : 9:17 AM
: 9:17 AM
Your Wheel of Fortune predicament happened to me a lot during my whirlwind tour of Europe. My leftover money never accounted to much (I was in college, traveling Let's Go style), so I always tried to keep a coin of each denomination for each country. Now I've got a random piggy bank at home that I couldn't recreate these days due to the EU. It may be corny, but it beats the ceramic dog!
# posted by : 11:39 AM
: 11:39 AM
A wise man once remarked that he brought his surplus foreign change home to pass out in the sad, jangling beverage cups of homeless men. Of course, this was a transaction that made everyone feel warm and fuzzy on the surface; it was only at the end of the day that the forlorn men realized they had won the ceramic dog.
On the other hand, I have jars full of these coins of the various realms. It's a nice reminder of your travels and travails, especially when the currency in question becomes obsolete.
On the other hand, I have jars full of these coins of the various realms. It's a nice reminder of your travels and travails, especially when the currency in question becomes obsolete.
# posted by : 1:13 PM
: 1:13 PM
When leaving Britain and Ireland, I tried to winnow my cash down to two pounds--just enough for a pint at the airport. (As an aside, that's what it was in regular pubs as well. Airport bars charging three times as much as regular bars seems to be a peculiarly American phenomenon.) I tried the same things with Euros, but it's tougher to gague beer prices in Italy. Drawbacks--no souvenier coins. With the Euro in place throughout most of Western Europe, the souvenier coin people now hold little bits of history. So I vote keep the change; it's lighter and travels better than the ceramic dog. And who knows, Asia may decide to pull a merger one day and then you'll have more obsolete currency to show to astonished grandchildren.
You know that WOF gift purchase scam was ended by the IRS when everyone acknowledged the price paid on the show, and subsequently reported to the feds had a terrible difference between the actual value of the goods.
So as an IRS professional, I ask you, "What do you pay for a brick of black tar heroin in Singapore?'
So as an IRS professional, I ask you, "What do you pay for a brick of black tar heroin in Singapore?'
Caprina Vega once saved me from drowning at "The Wave" at Geauga Lake. It was like 6th grade or something, and she had hit her growth spurt before me. I totally almost got sucked under by the water intake. Did she win any money on Wheel?
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