What is Loi Kratong?

Loi Kratong is a Thai festival that is held on the full moon of the 12th month of the Thai Calendar. Since last night the moon was full and now is the 12th month, we (Nan, Rose, Jean, Leon and I) celebrated.

Full moon over Chao Phraya River

To celebrate, we took a sky train from Chongnonsi station to Saphan Thaksin. There were so many people on Saphan Thaksin and we had to queue for ferry to Memorial Bridge (Saphan Poot). The ferry was sardine packed, but we got a good view of the busy rivers with the decorated boats.

Busy Memorial Bridge Pier

Rama VIII Bridge from Suan Santichaiprakarn Park

We stopped at the Memorial Bridge pier, and walked across and back of the bridge with view of Wat Arun on the background.

Wat Arun from Memorial Bridge

From the bridge, we took a 40 baht tuk tuk to infamous Khao San Road. We walked through the road with banana roti, spring rolls and fruits in hand. Nice place for people-watching activities.

Lively Khao San Road

We walked from Khao San Road to Soi Rambuttri to Phra Arthit Road to Suan Santichaiprakarn Park. This is the happening place for Loi Kratong festival with people, food and live music.

Brightly lighted Suan Santichaiprakarn Park

According to Nan and Rose, my 'expert' on all things Thai, the Loi Kratong festival is to thank the river for providing water and to ask for the river forgiveness for throwing rubbish into them. The accuracy of this information is arguable.

'Loi' mean float. 'Kratong' mean decorated raft. Kratong was made of banana tree trunk and decorated with flowers, incense sticks and candles. Some of them were made of Styrofoam and flour.

Kratong on sale

We selected and bought four flour made kratongs for fishes to eat them. We lighted the candles and put some coins for good luck.

Our kratongs with candles and coins

We queued and passed our kratongs to the kratong guys. Kratong guys have long pole where he put the kratongs at the end of it, lower it down to the river and let the kratongs float in the river.

Kratong guy with long pole

We sit here for a while watching people cerebrating and enjoying the festivity.

The flight of a Lantern

We end the celebration with a trip to Bangkok Chinatown in Yaowarat Road for some sweet desserts.

Chinatown own durian and bo loi nam king

All I can say is "Loi Kratong's rock".

In Memoriam: Jeremy Yap

My colleague, Jeremy Yap, passed away this morning Monday Nov 12, 2007 at 2.00am.

We have been working, on and off, since year 2001. A few weeks ago I was informed that he is not well and need to have heart operation. We have planned to visit him when I went back to Malaysia last weekend, but it was not meant to happen.

We are not close, but I was surprised by his passing as he looks healthy all this time. You can never tell about people from the outside. My condolences go out to his families and friends.

A funny thing happened on the way to the forum

While reading this blog please remember that:
Forum is airport
Funnier is dangerous
Hate is hate.

What I really hate? I hate to do my claim and I have not submitted my claim since July this year. I also hate the waiting time in the forum. I will wait until last possible moment to get to the forum to ensure I will have as little waiting time as possible. Today, I have to do both with flight scheduled at 9.00pm.

My fake cats watching me do my claims while my real cats in the boarding.

I spent 6 hours from 11.00am to 5.00pm submitting my claims. 2 hours searching for receipts, 1 hour on denial that I have to submit my claim, 1 hour swearing to myself for not doing it sooner like yesterday and 2 hours actual keying-in the claim in the system.

After that I cleaned up the claim's war zone, showered and prepared to leave the house for my mom place. I managed to get out from the door at 5.40pm. On the way, I had to detour to my colleague house to drop my claim forms so that it can be submitted to finance. By the time I get to my mom house it was already 6.15pm.

Since I did not have lunch and the airline food will be S.U.C.K., I ate at my mom place while helping with my sister with her final year thesis. Since the time taken to get to the forum from my mom house is about 45 to 60 minutes (depending on the speed), I was planning to leave the house at 7.00pm. That time will enable me to get to the forum by 8pm for the 9pm flight's check in. That way I don't have to wait long for the flight. As usual, plan and actual is two different things. By the time I began my journey, it was already 7.15pm.

So, I have too and was speeding with my sisters and my mom in the car to the forum. I was doing well at 120km to 140km until about 10 minutes to the forum when the car starts pulling to the left. What is the worst that can happen while you speeding? Flat tire. Front left tire. That was what happens. Fortunately the car did not flip on high speed. Lucky us.

Here I was, late for my flight and stranded on the highway. What could make it funnier? There is no spare tire in the car. The spare tire was used to replace the front right tire when it goes flat 2 days ago.

What to do now? The sensible things. Call my brother to bring another tire from my sister car, get a taxi to the forum and ditch my mom and my sisters in the middle of highway. That was what I did and I managed to get to the forum with barely enough time for check in.

Wise cat say what?

For those who wonder, my brother saved the day and got my mom, sisters and car back home safely. What is funniest? My brother and sister got stung on the face by caterpillars while changing the tire. Right now their faces are swollen.

What a day. Good nite.

Drained

The Secret

Jatukam Oh!! Jatukam

Last Thursday when I walked out from the meeting room that was our office for the last 7 months, I was surprised to see so many people standing outside the door. My busy body-ness instinct kicked in and I have to find out why.....why.....why....

There was an altar, a table, two buckets of water on the floor and 3 guys in white on the middle of the people. The 3 guys in white than proceeding to presides a prayer with 7 other while the rest looked on.


After the prayer, they poured some kind of liquid into 2 glasses and the leader of the 3 guys dipped matches into a glass and the matches flamed. Then he dipped a chicken leg into the glass and the skin of the chicken burned. I was told that the liquid was a skin burning acid.


With a Jatukam in his palm, the leader of the 3 guys dipped a finger into the glass. When he pulled out his finger, one of the assistance wiped his finger with a tissue and the tissue burned. His finger was fine. Then, one by one, the 7 others follow suit sticking their finger into the glass with a Jatukam in their palm. Their fingers were also fine and work as finger does after that.


Their fingers were protected by the Jatukam amulet, a magical talisman that among other things has the power to protect the holder/wearer. A popular amulet in Thailand with many power variations includes instant wealth, health, love or whatever you want.

I was told that the Bank will get some people to produce the amulet and give it to their customer for protection. There is another Thai Bank that is giving away condom to their customer. Condom = Protection = Jatukam? Interesting.

The World Pass Under The Wing

I flew last Friday and I got the check-in officer to decide on the sitting arrangement which was on aisle of the wings. Since it was on the aisle, I was spared the view of the engine and safely on the strongest part of the plane... what a relief. But....

On the way back to Bangkok, I was seated between the wings and the end of the plane with a bunch of noisy tour groups. The weakest part of the plane? I don't want to know anymore. What I knew was I can see the world pass under the wing from my seat.

The wing while taxing to the KLIA's runway with UPS and Malaysia Airline on the queue.
The wing over foggy Malaysia.

The wing over cloudy Thailand.
The wing over Bangkok with the River Chau Phraya.
The wing while approaching Suvarnabhumi Airport.

The wing on landing.

The wing taxing in for parking.

No more wing - airport perspective with the noisy tour groups at the vanishing point.
Happy touring.

About A Movie : Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

I spent my Saturday and Sunday with sleep, TV, food (when permitted) and more sleep. I did not even step out from the apartment today, except to go to Jean's apartment and feed her guppies. At least there is a species happy to see me.

I watched a few movies as well this weekend. Four Brothers, Spiderman 3, Wild Hog, The Lake House and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. All are good movies, but even James Franco with all his greatness could not persuades me to choose Spidey as the best movie I watch this weekend.

Instead that award goes to an overlooked movie of 2005, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. Not just because two of my favourite leading man, Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer, is in the film; or because the amount of profanity words being used; or the number of dead bodies pilling up through out the movie. Simply just because the movie is damn good. I don't know how to explain as I am not a fucking film critic. All I can say is if you are into black comedy movie, this one definitely is for you.

Doraemon say what?

Neighbourhood Watch

This is an update to my previous blogs on July 22, 2007 and August 19, 2007 about a neighbourhood Thai house. There were some development happening on that piece of land. Check this out

Cannot wait to see what will happen next.

Put put and Mok

Furball

Stop

and walk to the park

Chatuchak Park. 5 minutes away from the office.

read a book

A love story for a light reading.

watch the trees grow

observe people passed by

smell the flower

Not this one.

but don't pick them

or you will be in trouble.

Prison Cow

Too Close For Comfort

I flew back to Bangkok tonight on Thai Airways' Boeing 777-200 plane.

Previously whenever I flew, I tend to sit at the tail end of the flight. I prefer the back seat as I read somewhere that by sitting at the end of the plane will provide higher chance of survival during plane crash. Sitting near the wings is also safe as that is the strongest section of a plane. Problem is that is also where the fuel tank is and with plane most of the time will blow up in flame during crash, sitting next to fuel tank not going to help with survival. Most people that survive plane crash will die from burn or smoke inhalation.

Recently I began to sit on the middle of the place because the plane usually seats the tour group people at the back of the plane. After a few awkward incidences with tour group people, I gave up my safest heaven in the plane and move up to the front. That was where I was when I flew tonight and when I looked out from the window, I saw...


The Roll Royce left engine of the plane and its make me a little petrified. Should I move back to the back of the plane on the next flight and face the tour group people? Or should I sit in front and face the engines? I have two weeks before my next trip to ponder on this point.

About A Movie : Bangkok Love Story

It is a cliché to blog about a movie but I will execute it anyway.

It is started when I saw this stimulating movie ads photo all over Bangkok. After a week of being bombasted by the advertisement, Nan, Rose and I went and watched the movie tonight in Central World Plaza. This is the first time I sat through the entire Thai movie.

The movie English title is Bangkok Love Story. The Thai title is Pe-arn which mean friend. It is a movie about 'brotherly love'. The cinematography is impressive and the music is excellent. The story line is a little gloomy for me but the actors are just muy bueno :)). All in all it is a good movie. Check out this blog for the full detail review.

Cow say moo.

Been There : Khao Yai

Khao Yai (Big mountains) is

lonely roads

blue-green mountains

diverse flora

cool clean flowing streams

untamed creatures

domesticated beasts (not exactly in Khao Yai)

and I was in heaven.....
of leeches ;)

New Record

As blog no 10 of September, this is the most blog I ever did in a month. The last record was 9 blogs last month. 10 was also the number of blogs I did for the whole of 2006. To celebrate this occasion I presented to you, this:

Location is not an option when rest is crucial.

Stormy Day

Storm brewing
Bangkok crying
Crying for you
Unfortunate 88

Thunder howling
Howling for you
The lost souls
Unfortunate 88

Lightning flashes
The last goodbye
Goodbye love
Unfortunate 88
+ 1

(for the 88 victims of One-Two-GO that went down in Phuket on Sep 17, 2007)

Let It Shine, Let It Shine

This is for all my friends that currently stuck head-down in man-made shit hole.

Shine
(Take That - Beautiful World)

You, you're such a big star to me
You're everything I wanna be
But you're stuck in a hole and I want you to get out
I don't know what there is to see
But I know it's time for you to leave
We're all just pushing along
Trying to figure it out, out, out

All your anticipation pulls you down
When you can have it all, you can have it all

So come on, so come on, get it on
Don't know what you're waiting for
Your time is coming don't be late, hey hey
So come on
See the light on your face
Let it shine
Just let it shine
Let it shine

Stop being so hard on yourself
It's not good for your health
I know that you can change
So clear your head and come around
You only have to open your eyes
You might just get a big surprise
And it may feel good and you might want to smile, smile, smile

Don't you let your demons pull you down
'Cause you can have it all, you can have it all

So come on, so come on, get it on
Don't know what you're waiting for
Your time is coming don't be late, hey hey
So come on
See the light on your face
Let it shine
Just let it shine
Let it shine

Hey let me know you
You're all that matters to me
Hey let me show you
You're all that matters to me

So come on, so come on, get it on
Don't know what you're waiting for
Your time is coming don't be late, hey hey
So come on
See the light on your face
Let it shine
Just let it shine
Let it shine

Hey let me know you
You're all that matters to me
Hey let me show you
You're all that matters to me

Hey let me love you
You're all that matters to me
Hey so come on yeah
Shine all your light over me...
(Gay guy can sing)

Those friends that stuck in real man-made or nature-made hole, select one of these options:
1. What the hell are you doing in that hole in the first place?
2. Climb out
3. Scream for help
4. Call the fire department
5. Just go back to sleep, this is a dream
6. This is not a dream? You are royally fuck (pardon my French)
7. Drink paraquat (Thanks Sharon)

p.s. This list is still on going. Share your option with me.