i like thanksgiving [so have a happy one].

ok, so not 100% accurate/appropriate for Thanksgiving, but you get the idea...i'm the OTHER kind of indian (turbans, not teepees).

i find myself remiss that for my favorite holiday, i sit here typing this from work (as our South Asian offices don't get the day[s] off). interestingly enough, my colleagues in Japan get Friday off as it is "Labour Thanksgiving Day" (kinro kansha no hi) - a national holiday for honoring labour (reeeaaalll original guys).

but let's bring it back to me, and what i love about Thanksgiving. it's all about sitting around with your family and friends, eating, catching up, and doing alot of nothing (or in my case, reading comics). you can't beat that with a [drum]stick. it's also the one holiday that can NOT be commercialized (like so many other holidays).

though i guess one could qualify "black Friday" as part of Thanksgiving break since it's the day after, but technically the day after Thanksgiving is the start of the Christmas season in the US, so i'll lump it in with Santa, Frosty, and the rest (it should be noted that Christmas decorations/sales started in Singapore several weeks ago, which is an odd site given the tropical climate, but i guess shopping IS one of their two national pastimes here).

so what am i thankful for? how lucky i've been.
...and it's just that, plain and coincidental luck, with a little bit of effort*. further:
-i like what i do (and i've fooled people into thinking i'm doing a good job :)
-i've got a NICE setup, being in a fascinating part of the world
-with someone i love being around (+puts up with me).

more importantly though, i've grown closer to my family** over the past several years (i was a real jerk for awhile), and i continue to have and grow a close group of friends i care about, and i know care about me (almost like an extended family).

oh, and the Singapore library has a really sweet collection of comic books for my reading leisure.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone.
(even you crazed savages i currently inhabit the other side of the world with).

*but mostly luck.
**as we speak, my dad is on a flight here, so he gets to spend Thanksgiving w/ the gracious hosts of Singapore air, so i know he will be well fed (and taken care of). we'll spend the weekend in Malaysian Borneo, but not before i finally write-up last weekend's trip to Bali...