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Your February 2017 postcard from Norm

2/1/2017

7 Comments

 
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Happy February, y'all! With all of the craziness in the world today (and the heated arguments on Facebook thanks to a certain U.S. politician who will remain nameless!) I figured we all could use a little laughter. So I'm dedicating this postcard to content that will make you smile and laugh (I hope!). Enjoy and check out the bottom photo with the guy jogging in his drawers (I never thought I'd type that) for a chance to win a $20 Starbucks gift card!

Happy February and hahahahaha!

Your buddy,

Norm  :-)

The science behind smiling and laughing

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When was the last time you laughed?
 
I mean REALLY busted up and fell out uncontrollably; jaw hurting; snorting out of your nose; almost peeing your pants; like you were drunk with your best friend-laughed? It felt pretty good, didn't it? Well, that's no accident, as there are actually scientifically-proven benefits to smiling and laughing, both physically, mentally and emotionally, and, of course, socially.
 
"Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy." -Thich Nhat Hanh
 

The health benefits of smiling and laughing:
 
Smiling and laughing release the feel-good neurotransmitters dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins, flooding our bodies with messages that manifest in health benefits.

​To read more go here.

The craziest, funniest, and least fashionable t-shirts you'll see in Asia

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The line between fashion and outright insanity is pretty thin in Asia.
 
In some places like Japan, Hong Kong and Shanghai, fashion, design, and technology are years ahead of what we currently have in the United States. While in other locales, like Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, and just about everywhere else in Southeast Asia, their choice of garments ranges from genius...to outright ludicrous. But no matter where they're from, young Asians love to emulate U.S. culture - including the quintessential American printed t-shirt.
 
Of course it makes no difference if they even understand the writing on the clothes they wear, or if the messages are highly offensive - just having English letters on an American-style t-shirt is usually enough to classify them as cool. 
 
So to celebrate the circus of hilarity that is daily life in the Far East, here are the funniest and LEAST fashionable t-shirts (and sweatshirts) you'll see in Asia:

​To see them all go here.

How do people laugh around the world? We "hahaha" but they "jajaja," "555" and "MDR"

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In English and many western languages, we express laughter in writing as “Hahahaha," which is onomatopoeia for the actual sound of laughter. But around the world, many cultures and countries describe their laughter differently. But though our chuckles, giggles, and hysterics may be foreign, the joyful sentiment is the same for all human beings! 
 
Here are some examples of how people express laughter in writing around the world:
 
Read how people laugh around the world here.

The funniest sh*t you'll see in Southeast Asia

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There is NO place on earth that will make you laugh like in Southeast Asia, where the wild, hilarious, and downright bizarre are a daily occurrence. From Cambodia to Laos, Vietnam to Myanmar, and Thailand to the Philippines, the intersection of cultures, necessity born from dire poverty, and the spirit to enjoy life to the fullest provides grand comedy.
 
Over the last couple years I started collecting some of the social media posts that made me hahaha (or '555' as they say in Thailand) - many of them by my friends - as well some photos I took myself. Remember that we are laughing AT them, not WITH them (wait - did I get that wrong?) as you enjoy the funniest shit you'll see in Southeast Asia. - See more at:
 
See the funniest S#*t in Southeast Asia here.

​The top 9 reasons why this is perfectly acceptable
(Give me another good reason and win a $20 Starbucks gift card!)
 

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I was walking down the street in Thailand one day, minding my business, and I saw this man jogging.

Not one quick to judge someone as a drug user, I came up with nine perfectly good explanations for why someone would wear their tighty-whitey red underwear in public while jogging. You can read them here.

I'd love to hear your reason why this is perfectly acceptable!

You can email me, post on social media, or leave a comment on this blog.

On February 10th I'll pick the best one and the winner will get a $20 Starbucks gift card.




7 Comments
Marcus
2/1/2017 05:18:16 pm

He is having a hallucinatory dream?

Reply
Hot lady from the mountain ?
2/2/2017 07:40:24 am

He was in a rush and super keen to get fit he forgot to put his pants on! Well at least he isnt running in flipflops like asians do.

Reply
Chris polimeni
2/2/2017 12:50:24 pm

Bold reds are all the rage for 2017

Reply
Michelle Gamble link
2/2/2017 03:43:53 pm

What? It's not a Speedo? Oh wait! There is no swimming pool either.

Reply
judd
2/2/2017 06:58:06 pm

Great post card n. Cheers Norm.
Always puts a smile on my face. 555 the answer to your question about the guy wearing the red underwear is easy.
Russian !!
His Russian . Im surprised his not running with hi popeye cap .I guess that would be to unexceptable . 5555

Reply
Cheryl Morton
2/4/2017 06:57:31 am

He's very frugal and decided to get a sweat in his already worn underwear to save laundry load!

Reply
Ken
3/15/2017 04:30:48 am

I just wish us Americans leave our prudish anti-male body shaming attitude at home. We circumcise our sons for Chrissakes and here we are pointing fingers at a half naked man?

Reply



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    Norm Schriever

    Norm Schriever is a best-selling author, expat, cultural mad scientist, and enemy of the comfort zone. He travels the globe, telling the stories of the people he finds, and hopes to make the world a little bit better place with his words.   

    Norm is a professional blogger, digital marketer for smart brands around the world,  and writes for the Huffington Post, Hotels.com, and others.

    Check out South of Normal his Amazon.com best-selling book about life as an expat in Tamarindo, Costa Rica.

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