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Interests, Pastimes & Hobbies

Monday, October 26, 2009

Would you like to be a Thai Monk?

It was 6am in the morning as I went downstairs to buy stuffs. Surprisingly, there seemed to be more people than usual near the entrance to my apartment. "You guys're here to receive me?" I couldn't help wondering as I stepped out with dignity. To my dismay, they just walked pass me engrossed with things on hand. How sad.. These green shirts ( yea, neither the supporters of the red nor yellow shirts) were putting up a couch and a coffee table which I was not sure came from where at the pavement.

Fifteen minutes later as I returned to the same spot, a Buddhist monk was seen sitting on it.


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That's how high the position of a monk in the Thai society. Even older ladies came near upon seeing the monk to donate and worship. People say the Thais has the highest respect for their King, and secondly the monks, as they are closest to God. (this last phrase is what I reckon myself).

Thursday, October 22, 2009

What happened to HOME?


It's been weeks and I finally returned home, to my family. Back to the comfort of home, to be among family members, to talk, to sulk, to rant, to listen, to eat, to comment and to gossip. To my surprise as I stepped out of car, I found a pile of sand in the garden and strangers around.



"Mom? Mom?" I called out. *Silence*


Mom normally sits at the living room or in the kitchen but she was nowhere around today. *barking sound* The dogs were rolling gleefully at the sand dune.


"Moooaammm?? Where are you???" Still no sound.


"Since when my project work follows me home?" I wondered. Construction at work and now my home too?? No... Why must I see dust everywhere I go?



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"Mom?"



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"You up here?"




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"Hellooo?"


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"Ello?"





1 day
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2 days
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3 days

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1 week


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2 weeks

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1 month


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2 months



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3 months


Finally last week, the next day after returning from a 3 weeks' working trip to Bangkok.

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From originally yellowish white??



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Wow, I'm living in Disneyland!









Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Non-Baking Days

Yo, I miss baking! Everyone seems to be baking and proudly posting pics of their masterpiece at FB. I miss baking!! I like baking!! I like savouring my masterpiece!! But haha! I don't bake well. No, it should be others haven't learnt how to appreciate my food. What's wrong with reducing the butter and sugar. I have neither see the texture difference in anyway nor do I see any difference to the taste. What's wrong with the sponge cake or the chiffon cake I baked? The coffee taste was so tempting though the cake didn't rise as high as commercial's. What's wrong with the bread I baked? It was proofed just right though not as soft and aromatic. No matter what, I miss baking!!! I wanna bake!


After searching high and low, at last I spotted my oven at the living room

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Me : There, what are you doing right here in the living room?!
Oven : What do you think, huh?
Me : And what happened to you?? Where have you been playing?
Oven : What do you think huh, master? I should be the one asking!!





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Fan+book+table: Don't you care bout us? We're just as dusty!!!




Next: What actually happened?

Prev: Inspiration from a Casual Chat in the Plane

Friday, October 16, 2009

Casual Chat in the Plane

Just returned from a working trip to Bangkok today after spending 3 weeks there. This time I sat among a group of loud people which just couldn't sit still at their seats in the airbus. These people even went around taking pictures. "Hey kid, sit down please!! You're not even the size of the kid to think the slim air steward can pass around you!" I just felt like saying. There were several time the flash hit me when they took pics of the 2 ladies next to me. What the....

The air steward just took away my trash and I continued to look down. "He said you're very good, read a lot." I looked up surprised with the English words among the loudness of Thai. I was having with me the 'Go Travel' mag as well as The Star and Bangkok Daily.

A little casual chat led me to know she's a frequent traveller to KL with the group. The lady sitting next to her was her mom and they're on the way to their PJ office. "You know FusionExcel?" She asked holding out her pendant. Yes, I do. Why not? I've been seeing demo of this from my very own bro and everywhere he goes he spread the news as if Jesus was born yesterday. It seems like it works miracle curing intricate long term diseases, repairing body systems with their enegized water, reduce radiation effect from heavy cellphone users, etc.

So, this Khun Rattana was telling, it's an opportunity to make big bugs, sorry bucks. Pointing to a guy in front of me,"That guy, now he earns THB 20 mil a month. He used to earn THB5mil but that one not good, Fusion Excel is the best business opportunity. Good system *smile*, good product *smile*, can help people *smile*, very good *smile, smile smile*." "You should try"


Maybe, maybe it's good. Else I wouldn't have listen to your business plans on how by extending your downline, you earn so and so. What am I talking? Isn't this a get rich scam? No? What is it then? But, there're so many out there speaking about this. Fusion Excel Ambassadors include Yuan YuFang, Malik Noor and Shalin Zulkifli. Don't you want a way out from your current life? Don't you want flexibility? Flexibility for what's currently in mind like fellow blogger Haan and Jack are doing. Don't you want a supportive working environment? Don't you want $$$?

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Bridging The Asian Giants

Whenever I'm up here in Bangkok, I have the access to Channel News Asia (CNA) on TV in the comfort of the serviced apartment. It's a total opposite to home whereby over here I get 24 hrs news updates with a press on the remote. For example just a few days, ago I got to know about the train derailment at Hua Hin, Thailand and Stephen Gately's demissal 2 days back. I checked if somebody has shouted it out at FB about him but nope, there wasn't. How updated I was! *vanity sets in*


During the weekends especially, CNA also features Japan Travel Series as well as Food Hunting Series at Taiwan or Korea. What engages me as well is this series called 'Bridging The Asian Giants'. Every episode features an Indian expat in China as well as a Chinese expat in India. It never fails to fascinate me how an Indian blends into a total opposite culture even though he obviously stands out among the local from his outlook. The expats were either single or married with family staying in China with them or they'd gotten themselves a Chinese wife. It's just so cool listening to them speaking Mandarin and even Cantonese so well. Most of them has an established business in China and has been proudly calling China their home. The series also shared scenes of his gatherings with his in laws. One of the previous episode I watched was saying the Indian daughter never could stay long whenever they returned to India for holidays as she missed her school and friends in China so much.


I'm not sure if you notice it. Apparently, China in terms of people, they are fair, yea, but when the shooting shifted to India, everthing looks gloomy(just my honest opinion). They were trying to give a feel of the sights of India before drifting to the storyline but somehow to me, I can immediately take the hint that we're now in India even before they say it. Even before an Indian comes into the scene. It could be a cultural or preference of the Indian for dark colours, I guess, especially in house furnitures, paints as well as the interior and lighting of shops. The same goes, it also never failed to impress me on the Indian influence reflected on the Chinese expats. When they spoke, they shook their heads. Yes, they looked every bit a Chinese but they spoke English with heavy Tamil slang. As they spoke, they shook their head and gestured with their hands the way the Indians do. One of them I watched the other day was a business lady running a Chinese restaurant in India. Besides that, she also ran a saloon and the Indian locals liked her magic fingers on their hair very much. They called here 'Auntie'. "I come to Auntie every once a month. She cut very nice hair. We all here call her Auntie." How cool that sounds! The way this 'Auntie' spoke of the friendly Indians she's known for years, her home in India, her familiarity of the Indian way of doing things, way of life, her proficiency in Tamil as she went about with her daily activities in the market and shop really is so cool. People are going around blending into each others' community very well. It's not just in Malaysia where your older generations have been here and living together before you were born. It's a mainland Chinese, an individual, that is, having settled down in a country totally different to hers and staying there for years. Having had good Indian friends myself haven't made me openly acceptable to this idea at this moment. Thus, I really salute her!


Another Chinese expat teaches in a Chinese school in India. This school's mainly attended by the young Chinese children in India. Other times, this Chinese expat also gave Mandarin lessons to Indian adults wishing to venture into China. It seems that everyone wants to learn Mandarin and my Mandarin reading and wriitng skills is just a 'half pail of water' (pan tong shui). It means I don't know it well.

Monday, October 12, 2009

Thai Crop Hairstyle

It seems that my earlier post featuring the Thai crop hairstyle is among the most visited post. I'm not sure if my sketch was good enough on illustrating my point. Anyhow here you go, shot when I was hanging out at the mall earlier this evening.

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I'm not sure if they call it cropped hairstyle in English coz it's just my term for it due to the cluster of hair in the middle, where it's longer than the side and back part.



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Another example here. I presume it's a school requirement on hairstyles, or to be exact hair length among primary and secondary school kids?


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The father will kill me if he caught me stealthily taking their pics, not once but twice. Sorry, I just want to feature the hairstyle. "Pee.. seah jai mak mak ka. "

Pee - addressing someone senior
seah jai - sorry
mak mak - a lot, a lot
ka - polite ending for females speakers in Thai conversation

Friday, October 2, 2009

Blog's Not Abandoned

I can't think of anything to write here anymore!! What's happening! I'm resuming reading others but I just can't get myself started to talk something interesting. I wonder if one should talk spontaneously or write only when there's something worth writing. Think that depends on the nature of your blog. Some blogs are meant as diaries(just like this single post) and some talk on niche subjects. Anyhow, I direct this under my 'Living' Label.


Just let me take a break but I promise I'll return. Too much time spent following others at FB. lolz. I'm arriving near my limit on my FOC Flickr photos storage. What do I do? New account? Anything gonna happen to my published pics? I'm not sure, thus gotta find out.
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