I was warned by my parents and other family members not to leave the house. 'Its best to stay indoors and let things be', said my concern mother. 'Wait till the chaos calm down in couple of days', warned my aunt.
The street are filled with people and as history dictates, many will die.
Being a restless soul I am and a true believer in getting involve. I could no longer contain myself from what was happening in the streets. Living in downtown Silom area did not help to ease my desire to gather up courage and friends to push through the roaring crowds. A hothead!, my mother always calls me. It didn't help that the temperature and humidity outside was pushing a hundred. For two days I waited patiently in my condo. Refusing to watch the news for what was going on outside to curbed the urges. I loss! On the third day, I gave in.
Fumbling around my condo, searching through boxes and cabinets to find what was in normal time, a contraband. I found it! My old and trustworthy automatic weapon of choice. Waiting for my friends to arrive was the hardest part as I am fully suited and ready for action. I simply can't let history pass without my involvement!
I was expecting over ten people to join me. Only four shows up with enough courage. A strong team of five, but only two guns. Well, we have to make due of what we have. Others can help us look out for possible danger.
It took us a while to reach out destination. Already I can see a mad-crowd of thousands hollowing, chanting and psyching themselves up. I command my team for possible threats and checked their weapons.
Loaded, pumped and ready to shoot! The first threats we encounter had a much bigger and more powerful weapon than we do. From the distant, a direct hit in my right-hand guard. He dropped for cover leaving me exposed. Amid the chaos, our team got lost and danger everywhere we look.
"Songkran" means to move or change with roots from Sanskrit. This is what we, as well as people of Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia, Sibsongpanna State in China and Srilanka considered New Year. Thai fixed the date of 13 -15 April of every year. Others varies according the sun position change to Aries. Until 1940, Thai new year calender began on April 1.
Traditionally, the first of the three days are for welcoming the new year. People will rest and clean their house. The second day is when the water comes in. People will pour fragrant water on the hand of Buddha images and their revered elders and ask for blessings. The last is Payawan Day, the beginning day of New Year. People will make merit for their happiness. All teenagers will water each other for believes that it will remove bad things. Traditionally, this is the only day that they will meet and play as well as make merit at temples.
That was then, now, it is just war! Water, preferably cold with powder, buckets, water gun and trucks filled with water tanks roaming the streets is the charm of Songkran. So be it, this is what we come to. In Bangkok, most popular places to have fun and ease the political tensions are Kaosarn road, Silom road and if you fancy good music with your water, make your way to RCA.
Amid the political uncertainty and fear of terrorist bombs, the government limited the water playing to 3 days out of the 5 days holidays. Kaosarn road was close at the early hours of seven pm. Which is stupid. So people make their way to Silom road, which was packed more than usual. I frequent these two area every year and decided to make my way down to RCA's Route 66.
I must say that I truly enjoyed it! The music was great. There was even a place for you to rinse off. The whole place was packed and at first, I admit that I fear drunk-fights. To my surprise, people were very much at ease! Everyone was nice and courteous. Everyone just wanted to have fun! And fun it was!
Mind you it took us a good hour to push through the crowds to the entrance. There was also cover charge of 250baht for male and 150 for the ladies. The cover can be use as cash to buy any thing inside. If you want to give it a try next year, I recommend you go there early. Bring your own water as it cost a bit more to buy there. You will eventually have to as it will run out very fast! Say around four or five PM and you can party till the wee-hours. Don't forget to load up your gun on your way out! Oh, take a taxi!
For 2007. my crew took a good beating. It was a new team for us and coordination was poor at best. As we rant on our excuses, we look forward to next year when we will be more trained and prepare for another civil war!
Happy New Year everyone!
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Songkran!
According to the Ministry of Culture:
Songkran is the traditional Thai New Year festival since the former time. It is a celebration that embraces goodwill, love, compassion, and thankfulness, using water as the means of expression.
The word Songkran derives from Sanskrit meaning to move or step forward. The first day of Songkran takes place when the sun moves from Pisces into Aries, which marks the New Year's Day according to the Brahmin solar system.
Songkran Festival
The festival of Songkran falls on the 13th, 14th, and 15 th of April every year. The first day is known as Maha Songkran or the grand Songkran. The Thai government has declared Songkran festival as extended public holidays to enable the people to return to their hometown for family reunions, merit-making and reuniting with others in their community.
April 13 th is also declared the Day of the Senior or Elderly by the government. The occasion marks the appreciation for the senior population for their years of contribution to the family and country.
The 14 th of April is designated as Family Day to celebrate family love and togetherness.
The importance of Songkran Festival
Songkran is regarded as one of the most important traditions in Thailand because it encompasses the three major values in the Thai way of life which are:
Value of family: Songkran is the time when family members come together to show appreciation, love and respect as well as making merit and paying homage to their ancestors.
Value of society: Through active participation and interaction with each other, Songkran brings the people in the community together to enhance goodwill and unity in the society.
Value of religion: Making merit by offering food to monks, going to the temples and attending Buddhist sermons are auspicious activities done during Songkran .
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
The 10 Best Accidental Discoveries
The 10 Best Accidental Discoveries!
1. Viagra
Men being treated for erectile dysfunction should salute the working stiffs of Merthyr Tydfil, the Welsh hamlet where, in 1992 trials, the gravity-defying side effects of a new angina drug first popped up. Previously, the blue-collar town was known for producing a different kind of iron.
2. LSD
Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann took the world's first acid hit in 1943, when he touched a smidge of lysergic acid diethylamide, a chemical he had researched for inducing childbirth. He later tried a bigger dose and made another discovery: the bad trip.
3. X-rays
Several 19th-century scientists toyed with the penetrating rays emitted when electrons strike a metal target. But the x-ray wasn't discovered until 1895, when German egghead Wilhelm Röntgen tried sticking various objects in front of the radiation - and saw the bones of his hand projected on a wall.
4. Penicillin
Scottish scientist Alexander Fleming was researching the flu in 1928 when he noticed that a blue-green mold had infected one of his petri dishes - and killed the staphylococcus bacteria growing in it. All hail sloppy lab work!
5. Artificial sweeteners
Speaking of botched lab jobs, three leading pseudo-sugars reached human lips only because scientists forgot to wash their hands. Cyclamate (1937) and aspartame (1965) are byproducts of medical research, and saccharin (1879) appeared during a project on coal tar derivatives. Yummy.
6. Microwave ovens
Microwave emitters (or magnetrons) powered Allied radar in WWII. The leap from detecting Nazis to nuking nachos came in 1946, after a magnetron melted a candy bar in Raytheon engineer Percy Spencer's pocket.
7. Brandy
Medieval wine merchants used to boil the H20 out of wine so their delicate cargo would keep better and take up less space at sea. Before long, some intrepid soul - our money's on a sailor - decided to bypass the reconstitution stage, and brandy was born. Pass the Courvoisier!
8. Vulcanized rubber
Rubber rots badly and smells worse, unless it's vulcanized. Ancient Mesoamericans had their own version of the process, but Charles Goodyear rediscovered it in 1839 when he unintentionally (well, at least according to most accounts) dropped a rubber-sulfur compound onto a hot stove.
9. Silly Putty
In the early 1940s, General Electric scientist James Wright was working on artificial rubber for the war effort when he mixed boric acid and silicon oil. V-J Day didn't come any sooner, but comic strip image-stretching practically became a national pastime.
10. Potato chips
Chef George Crum concocted the perfect sandwich complement in 1853 when - to spite a customer who complained that his fries were cut too thick - he sliced a potato paper-thin and fried it to a crisp. Needless to say, the diner couldn't eat just one.
Cheers!
1. Viagra
Men being treated for erectile dysfunction should salute the working stiffs of Merthyr Tydfil, the Welsh hamlet where, in 1992 trials, the gravity-defying side effects of a new angina drug first popped up. Previously, the blue-collar town was known for producing a different kind of iron.
2. LSD
Swiss chemist Albert Hofmann took the world's first acid hit in 1943, when he touched a smidge of lysergic acid diethylamide, a chemical he had researched for inducing childbirth. He later tried a bigger dose and made another discovery: the bad trip.
3. X-rays
Several 19th-century scientists toyed with the penetrating rays emitted when electrons strike a metal target. But the x-ray wasn't discovered until 1895, when German egghead Wilhelm Röntgen tried sticking various objects in front of the radiation - and saw the bones of his hand projected on a wall.
4. Penicillin
Scottish scientist Alexander Fleming was researching the flu in 1928 when he noticed that a blue-green mold had infected one of his petri dishes - and killed the staphylococcus bacteria growing in it. All hail sloppy lab work!
5. Artificial sweeteners
Speaking of botched lab jobs, three leading pseudo-sugars reached human lips only because scientists forgot to wash their hands. Cyclamate (1937) and aspartame (1965) are byproducts of medical research, and saccharin (1879) appeared during a project on coal tar derivatives. Yummy.
6. Microwave ovens
Microwave emitters (or magnetrons) powered Allied radar in WWII. The leap from detecting Nazis to nuking nachos came in 1946, after a magnetron melted a candy bar in Raytheon engineer Percy Spencer's pocket.
7. Brandy
Medieval wine merchants used to boil the H20 out of wine so their delicate cargo would keep better and take up less space at sea. Before long, some intrepid soul - our money's on a sailor - decided to bypass the reconstitution stage, and brandy was born. Pass the Courvoisier!
8. Vulcanized rubber
Rubber rots badly and smells worse, unless it's vulcanized. Ancient Mesoamericans had their own version of the process, but Charles Goodyear rediscovered it in 1839 when he unintentionally (well, at least according to most accounts) dropped a rubber-sulfur compound onto a hot stove.
9. Silly Putty
In the early 1940s, General Electric scientist James Wright was working on artificial rubber for the war effort when he mixed boric acid and silicon oil. V-J Day didn't come any sooner, but comic strip image-stretching practically became a national pastime.
10. Potato chips
Chef George Crum concocted the perfect sandwich complement in 1853 when - to spite a customer who complained that his fries were cut too thick - he sliced a potato paper-thin and fried it to a crisp. Needless to say, the diner couldn't eat just one.
Cheers!
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Hello and welcome!
The beginning
Greetings dear friends. I thought about creating a blog for a long time. First I thought, well, everybody has one so should I. But its not good enough reason to waste my free time. Then I thought, a blog can be a place for me to express my opinion about politics and other matter. Well, some time I just don't care about other matters and mainly just politics. But I already have a political website (www.thinkcentreasia.com), so that was still not a good enough reason to be bother.
Then came the September 19th, 2006
As I am writing this, I am of course, out of work. We are encouraged to slowdown our political activities by several so called 'laws' passed by the military junta. Actually, it was just an announcement. But as most of you who know me, I tend not to keep my opinion(s) to myself. This often lead to many mishaps, but so what.
So this blog will be a place for me to vent my 'direct' opinion(s) on many things. I realized there may be higher chance of a tsunami hitting Pattaya than people visiting and actually reading my blog, again, so what. (Actually, a tsunami hitting Pattaya would not be a bad idea.) With my freer time, I found there are more things in life that annoy me more than how this country is being run!
Topics of discussions
So here, we can talk about politics, of course. I will also talk about formula 1 racing, which is my favorite sports alongside basketball and football (American style). I can see many faces already when I mention formula 1. Many of you do not consider it a sport, well I will write about that and why its fun, intelligent and interesting sport.
Also, there will be comments on the nightlife, food and vacation spots which I don't take enough or much less deserve to. Lots of night time scene in Bangkok and now with different type of government, the pub stays open much longer! So let's talk about that! Bangkok has tons of excellent restaurant around town and out of. I will share with you what I think are good, bad and downright nasty. Lastly, some of the place I've visited which may be interesting to you if you plans to visit there. Many beaches and vacation spots in Thailand that I enjoy and don't and I will share with you what I think of them.
Couple more things I may throw in is my hobby of growing slipper orchids. A really challenging hobby that require a lot of knowledge and patience and patience and patience. I enjoy movies and good television programs and I know many of my friends enjoy the same things. What we will not talk about is how many time Paris Hilton and Brittney Spears flash us in the last year or so or why is Paradon not good enough for Natalie Glebova.
Well enough for the intro. Cheers!
Greetings dear friends. I thought about creating a blog for a long time. First I thought, well, everybody has one so should I. But its not good enough reason to waste my free time. Then I thought, a blog can be a place for me to express my opinion about politics and other matter. Well, some time I just don't care about other matters and mainly just politics. But I already have a political website (www.thinkcentreasia.com), so that was still not a good enough reason to be bother.
Then came the September 19th, 2006
As I am writing this, I am of course, out of work. We are encouraged to slowdown our political activities by several so called 'laws' passed by the military junta. Actually, it was just an announcement. But as most of you who know me, I tend not to keep my opinion(s) to myself. This often lead to many mishaps, but so what.
So this blog will be a place for me to vent my 'direct' opinion(s) on many things. I realized there may be higher chance of a tsunami hitting Pattaya than people visiting and actually reading my blog, again, so what. (Actually, a tsunami hitting Pattaya would not be a bad idea.) With my freer time, I found there are more things in life that annoy me more than how this country is being run!
Topics of discussions
So here, we can talk about politics, of course. I will also talk about formula 1 racing, which is my favorite sports alongside basketball and football (American style). I can see many faces already when I mention formula 1. Many of you do not consider it a sport, well I will write about that and why its fun, intelligent and interesting sport.
Also, there will be comments on the nightlife, food and vacation spots which I don't take enough or much less deserve to. Lots of night time scene in Bangkok and now with different type of government, the pub stays open much longer! So let's talk about that! Bangkok has tons of excellent restaurant around town and out of. I will share with you what I think are good, bad and downright nasty. Lastly, some of the place I've visited which may be interesting to you if you plans to visit there. Many beaches and vacation spots in Thailand that I enjoy and don't and I will share with you what I think of them.
Couple more things I may throw in is my hobby of growing slipper orchids. A really challenging hobby that require a lot of knowledge and patience and patience and patience. I enjoy movies and good television programs and I know many of my friends enjoy the same things. What we will not talk about is how many time Paris Hilton and Brittney Spears flash us in the last year or so or why is Paradon not good enough for Natalie Glebova.
Well enough for the intro. Cheers!
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