January 17, 2025

JIM MAAS BIRTHDAY PARTY

Jim Maas one of our favorite, sweetest, super great guy residents through his own Birthday Bash Dinner and Dance Party. About 80 of attended in our fancy dining room. The chef provided a nice steak dinner and Jim had Champagne flowing ! Fellow resident Paul Fishman approached me earlier in the day to help him execute a surprise for Jim. He wanted to borrow some stuff from me to give Jim a Marilyn Monroe type moment! I solicited a few other ladies to help me and we pulled together the dress, wig, sparkly sandals and my special touch, custom undies for Paul to flash Jim! Paul & I slipped out between dinner and cake and got him all dolled up. Jim had no idea! Paul later returned to dining room in his regular clothes and present Jim with the undies! Don't think I will see them be returned - just happy i got another use out of them after New Years Eve. I love putting my craft skills to use!

Stark beauty of desolate dunes
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TIOMAN ISLAND, MALAYSIA

By Pat Patrick • July 6, 2026
Fun day in the waters of Tioman Island, Malaysia snorkeling with friends. Life is good! It was nothing fancy, a boat & captain, who spoke minimal English and barely interacted with us, for roughly 7 hours. We started the outing spotting a group of dolphins and was quickly at anchor drop 1 of 6. The distances between the 6 snorkel spots was minimal, which gave us lots of time in the water (at least 45 minutes, at each spot) with an added stop for a lunch break at local restaurants. Even the restaurants were fast and efficient, definitely used to catering to the boat crowd.

HAPPY 4th of JULY from SE ASIA SEA!

By Pat Patrick • July 4, 2026
Wishing everyone a Happy 4th of July! Here on the Odyssey we celebrated in the SE Asia Sea on our way to Tioman Island, Malaysia . We have such a talented and dedicated group of residents here, they put together a fun hour of things to celebrate and embrace a lot of what we collectively love about the USA. Even our residents from other countries - Canada, England, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Germany , etc. joined in the fun! ( I lent my flag below for decorations)

BINTAN, INDONESIA - BUDDHIST TEMPLE

By Pat Patrick • July 2, 2026
Vihara Avalokiteshvara Graha or Guan Yin Temple is near 500 Lohan, so we also toured the grounds of this large Temple complex. It's dedicated to the Goddess of Mercy and is one the tallest brass statues of her in SE Asia. She is just over 55' tall, coated in 22 carat gold and is surrounded by scenic dragon fruit plantations. The tile work is intricate and textured with great details. The whole place is very tranquil and calming for meditation and prayer.