I'm writing this about two weeks post-surgery. I hope it's useful to some.

Read previous entry here.

Morning came, and with my ablutions done I went to the reception, having gotten impatient in waiting for Jano. On the way down the elevator I saw a man who looked like he was Thai, dressed in semi-formal garb with long sleeved striped polo and slacks. “Konnichiwa,” he said to me, thinking I was Japanese. Hmm, who was that guy? I just smiled since it’s not that uncommon I get mistaken for a Korean or Japanese in my early 20s. Must be my orange hair, eyeliner, and semi-pigtails. Mostly my fashion sense is a mix of Hong Kong and Japanese style, and a little young for my actual age of 28, but that’s just how I am. Being a managing partner of our own multimedia firm and marketing communications lead in my day job gives me certain liberties in my fashion sense. Getting to the reception area at the 3rd floor of the hospital, I quickly got registered and found out that my surgery date had been bumped up by one day, so instead of two days later I was having it the next day. Yay! But that also means we have one remaining day to finish our project.

I'm already 14 days post-surgery, but I thought I might as well post from the day I left my country and arrived in Bangkok. It might be of interest to some.

S Day Minus 2 - Oh my GGG–! PANIC MODE!
"Damn it, why haven't you started packing?" I screamed at Z, my boyfriend and partner of three years.

"I’ll be fine. Some shorts, shirts–it’ll be quick," he shrugged nonchalantly. "How many clips to go?"

Much to my surprise, I have a new kitty; the runt of the litter. She is yellow, with white tufts of hair. She has what look sort of like pixie wings just behind her front shoulders; hence the name Pixie. At 10 weeks old she is so tiny! She's sleeping inside my top right now, under my pull over dress, but over my T shirt, that says,"Run Like A Girl". Right now, I am fantasizing about being preggers. :) I am carrying the baby reall high right now. It will be months until I deliver her.

A couple of nights ago, I was talking at work about my lack of tolerance for alcohol, and said I had only tried it twice.

So I went to write my narrative (for my secret shop today), and out came this instead....

Where are good places to go and what do I need to know, and how much should it cost?

I finally figured out my life, I have all the answers, its so simple that it was easily overlooked and I could just shoot myself for not realizing it early. Unbeknownst to me, I am starring in my own sitcom. Of course I don't hear the laugh track or the theme music because I live this sitcom pre-edit (and with as much as I am cursing lately, it certainly needs to be edited unless I am airing on HBO or Comedy Central). This has to be the truth, because nothing else can possible explain the bizarre, asinine situations I find myself in.

Well, I picked up my daughter today, and she was all excited about learning how to make a cake in her cooking class.

I said, "If only you were as pumped about learning multiplication"

Life is what happens in between making plans and actualising them. Families are collections of random lunatics the universe throws together because they share some genetic material, friends are people we like.

My daughter got married last week, she went with her partner to New York and they got spliced in Central park. I've seen some photos and it looked really nice. It also means I've not seen either of my children get married. They did it for all sorts of reasons, the trip to New York, but part of it, rightly or wrongly, I suspect is to avoid having to explain me.

Well, last night I managed to have a serious brain fart that's going to have me eating crow for a while.

so anyway …

so anyway …

Sometimes, I get ideas in my head and I say to myself, I say "Keith," Keith is the name I was given at birth and the one I generally go by outside of online (otherwise known as real life), "this is brilliant and sure to work. Your problems will be solved and you can go on to whatever next big thing is on the horizon."

So, a few months ago, I hatched a plan. I saw how it was suppose to play out, and, like most things, I planned to see it through.

Well, last night I got to work a little early, and there was a teen girl who works as a cashier on the evening shift in the back on a break who decided completely out of the blue that I was just the right person to ask for advice about a boy at school.

I listened, and thought, and then gave her my advice:

Be yourself.

Be awesome, be real, be smart, be goofy, be nerdy, be super feminine or a tomboy when the mood strikes you.

Dont try and impress him.Try and impress yourself.

Dont be afraid to take the first move but be prepared that he could reject you.

Be okay with that.

Got a couple of compliments last night at work on my pretty new earrings, and I didnt do what I used to do - deflect them, instead I just thanked the people making them.

Its nice to be complimented, but its even nicer to be able to take a compliment and not immediately think of reasons why it cant be true.

Another step forward, I think.

So it's been a week and a day since my last blog. It's been an eventful one.

I became estranged from my family on Dec 23, 2004. I don't know whose Idea it was but recently I wrote a letter to my youngest daughter and her husband refused to take delivery, saying she did not want it. I took the loss of the family very hard and some of you will recall that I was hospitalized a half dozen times, tried suicide twice and spent 3 years on some very heavy psych drugs.

The last two years have been the happiest days of my life, until I wrote that letter.

I almost died the other day, or, in the very least, got seriously injured. That might account something for my pissy mood and the feeling that I am just moments away from yet another calamity.

Just posted this on facebook where my sister-in-law follows my post:

If you are one of the people who are either conflicted or opposed to my transition, I'd like to tell you a few things.

First, Bless you.

You could have easily decided to just cut me out, have nothing more to do with me, but you're sticking around, and that's an amazing thing.

I'm going to assume you care, or you'd be gone, so let me try to explain the biggest thing about this transition.

I'm a better person for doing this.

Snap, crackle and pop may be good sounds to hear in your breakfast cereal, but not so much when its your body making it.

Yesterday, I noticed that my left shoulder makes some ugly noises when I try and rotate the arm, and things only seemed to spread from there.

First it went to my neck, actually causing me pain when I tried to stretch at work, and then my knees started doing it too, almost blinding me with pain.

Thank God for painkillers, but I'd prefer to have not too many days like that if there is a better choice.

Ah, well.

Well, last night we had a new manager (dont know it this is a permanent thing or temporary) and I managed to make a good impression with my speed, my flexibility,, and my willingness to jump in wherever needed.

Then this afternoon I overslept and had to really hurry to get to pick up Sam on time and not ONCE did I berate myself, which would be the norm before. Instead I just did my best, and she was there just before I got there and everything was fine.

I think I'm starting to get some traction, and its all due to liking the person I see in the mirror, both physically and otherwise.

So I went in to see my GP for some allergy relief (yes your teenaged son is allergic to grass not just a type of grass, all grass.) and he said he needed to get an update on all my particulars. Break here for background info.

Most Hispanic males are short. I on the other hand tipped the chart at 5’10” upper scale of height for my ethnic group. Hello all you shorties down there. That was the height on my license at sixteen that was the height I had always been right, right. Back to the doctors office.

Went out for coffee with a friend yesterday, and caught sight of a pretty woman while outside looking in.

Then realized, the pretty woman was me.

I looked good.

When the heck did that happen? When did I start looking so good?

I've even noticed my walk is more feminine now, and its not like I spend a lot of time practising. It just ... happened.

I dont think I've ever been happier, and it wouldn't have happened without the amazing support I've recieved from "team Dorothy."

Thank you. Thanks and beyond thanks.