Parade here.. parade there..

They're having parades, competitions and shows at both ends of town.
Heard the marching drums before I left the house.

By the time we reached the other end of town, traffic was at a standstill to let the parade pass by.

From 090206 S.BAC Sport Day 06/02/09

School sport day, I'd change the name to "make your dreams come alive."

Costumes, make-up and hours of practice and everyone changes identity.
Some are dressed as members of the royal court.
Others are cheerleaders, sports celebrities, still others outdo any Vegas Act.

And then of course there are those boys in drag.  The lady boys.
This is a moment when they can dress and act their feminine fantasy.

From 090206 S.BAC Sport Day 06/02/09

Visiting dignitaries are important to these events, adding purpose.
Just wish their speeches were shorter.  The kids are facing the sun and squinting.  
You can tell they'd rather go on with the show.
Football, cheerleading competitions, trophies to win...

From 090206 S.BAC Sport Day 06/02/09

Tush watchers day (Feb 14)

     Valentine was a priest of the third century. The story goes that he was jailed  and awaiting execution for "christian activities."  He sent a final love letter.  And thus the ritual of sending valentines began many years later.

     Before christianity it was  a celebration to honor the goddess Juno.  Greek patron of marriage.  Cupid (alias) EROS with an arrow is part of this ritual.

     A feast was held, girls names were placed in a container, and the boys picked a name.  Boy and girl then remained 'paired' for the remainder of the festival.

     More recently, Christianity has distanced itself from the festival. Known as Saint Valentines day until recent times, they took away the saint making it Valentines day.  Probably because old traditions are making a comeback, an embarrassment to some.  In modern times on valentines day, police all over the world make a special effort.  They check out motel and hotel rooms,searching  for underage 'paired' valentine celebrations.

Look at a drawing of a heart, depicting love and affection.  Doesn't even come close to what a real heart looks like....

Happy derrière watchers day

Thai Time

Invitation to lunch: 

• Please come to lunch at 11:30.
  

I dress casually, t-shirt and jeans.  It's saturday!

• I arrive at noon.
  

School teachers are in catering mode. Just setting up.
Nothing to eat or drink is in sight.
A trip to the nearest Ma and Pa store. Sangsom and coke. Hey it's saturday!

• Promptly at 2 p.m. luncheon guests arrive. 

I took a taste of a salad with ginger. 10 star fire engine Thai chili. 
I had to drink a lot... Sangsom and coke. Hey it's saturday!

There were other less spicy meals on the table.
Conversation was enlightening. Some things to consider about students learning English.
Identical to my own experience with the Thai language.

Here it Comes... Hot, hotter than usual

February brings with it spring like weather, 

with a continuous warming trend.


This summer will be slightly hotter, increased rainfall - Bangkok Post

Previous articles
August 2008

• Heaviest rains in decades
  

November 2008

• Temperatures dropping below thirty year average

Pure money speculation

Conversation

"The Thai Baht is the strongest currency in the world right now !!"
"I don't think so."

I had to do some research.

The most obvious pattern I discovered:
All articles written regarding currency strengths had bylines (written by). 

• That's makes these articles opinions rather than facts.
  

The next obvious pattern was time and location of these opinions

▪ May 2008 "Shekel the worlds strongest currency, (guess where the writer is from)
▪ 2004 Australian dollar strongest, (guess where the writer is from)
▪ 2007 Kuwaiti dinar, Maltese lira (ditto)
▪ Euro, etc. (ditto)


The Thai Baht has remained strong, but is not the strongest currency.

Most recent opinions still claim the U.S. dollar as the strongest, with Japan in second.

Dollar is still the strongest currency,January 12, 2009 by...
There are those predictions that the U.S. dollar will soon take a dive of historic proportions.
We haven't seen the bottom of the money pit, so no one can tell how much deeper things are going to get.

Global (Currency) Warming Forecast

Increased drought.

Increased rain and floods.

Melting ice caps.

Earthquakes and tsunamis more likely.

That's my opinion on the matter.  What's yours? 

Still the Best Thai Dining Experience

Family Celebrations

Family members, each with their own specialty, prepare courses of the meals.
Mats are placed on the floor, tables are placed on the sidewalk.

Nothing too elaborate, just comfortable, laid back, and pleasant.
The costs ot such gatherings are less than any restaurant dining experience.
The only difference is someone has to do the catering.

.

The meal can take two to three hours...

...and is a mix of conversation, eating, drinking and camaraderie.

This family gathering had dual celebrations:

• A younger 'son A' is leaving for active army duty. He's becoming a soldier

• It's Ning's birthday
  

Even family pets help out during these events.

Here they are sorting through the shoe selection.


A windy breeze made the early evening hours quite pleasant.
As the evening progressed the breeze became somewhat chilly and helped in closing the gathering.

Visa Service Companies Unnecessary Expense

That according to the Royal Danish Embassy in Bangkok, which is warning against visa fraud.

S-BAC Teacher Converence

Make sure you wear a yellow shirt and preferably no blue jeans please.
Those were my instructions for mandatory attendance of teachers at school.
It's one of those visits by government officials to take a head count of the teachers.

So I arrived at 9 a.m. I stuck out like a sore thumb wearing yellow.
All teachers were wearing blue blazers except 'you know who.'

Students were lined up the full length of the school road.
It felt more like a pass in revue at a military parade.





My classroom (the only air conditioned room at the school) was transformed into a meeting room.
All teachers were packed into the room and the speeches began.



I attended for twenty minutes.
Not understanding a word they said, with the exception of mentioning my name,
I excused myself and stepped outside and mingled with the students



Well it wasn't really mingling.
I walked a mob of students followed, waiting for the inevitable...
Throwing of money. (20 baht bills totaling 2,000)
Please come back tomorrow.

090128 Capacity Crowd at Toon Bar Opening

I had stopped by earlier in the day.   It looked like they still had too much to do to be ready for a grand opening celebration. The bar top paint job was still tacky.

But they pulled it off. By opening time everything was in perfect order.
The Thai contractor and his labor force deserves praise for a job well done.

By opening time a sizable crowd was starting their second round of drinks.
Joey, even though not an official employee of the establishment, was pressed into waiter duty because of his language skills and the fact that he knew almost everyone by name. He loved it.

Extra tables had to be brought in due to the capacity crowds.

The food: Nothing but praise !! Thai food fit for western taste.
Normally spicy Thai dishes had the 'heat' toned down to a pleasant zing rather than major intestinal blaze.

One patron had the gall to complain that the chicken was cold, then he refilled his plate with more chicken.
Chili con-carne was one of the many western food choices of the evening.

Early evening live entertainment made you want to sit up close and listen.
Really fine talent !

By nine p.m. I counted some 60 heads in the crowd (staff included).

Early evening temperatures were still quite balmy, but began to cool down rapidly later in the evening.

I had three drinks and Joey had...  My tab was 860 Baht.  Oh yes, Joey had invited a friend, who brought a friend.