Our gym is being renovated, as we mentioned a week or so ago.  Very annoying.  This weekend, though, took the cake.  They had a gigantic "opening party" that involved a very annoying man on a loudspeaker announcing when the next free prize giveaway was going to be and how anyone walking by was welcome to drop in for a free workout.  They did have a funny contest that involved people lifting medicine balls over their heads and keeping them there as long as possible, so perhaps it wasn’t a total loss.  And, the announcer was yelling "concentrate, focus power!" on the loudspeaker, which is exactly what Mr. Miyagi says to Daniel-san in Karate Kid Part 1 when he’s teaching him how to punch. 

Despite our troubles with the gym, we are very excited to have a friend coming to visit.  Lindsey is taking a full week off to make a whirlwind trip through Malaysia, and we are psyched.  We plan on travelling to Langkawi, an island getaway about an hour north of here close to the Thai border, and we also hope to finally get a chance to see Malacca.

On a final note, check out this website.  It gives all the flags in the world letter grades based on how aesthetically pleasing they are.  (Make sure to read the methodology part first.)  Part of what makes it funny is that the guy is funny, but also that someone spent so much time on it.