Again, I'm off my typical topic to talk briefly about the U.S. Presidential race.
A lot of Republicans are seeing red, although not the kind of red you see on an election map. No, they are furious that Senator McCain is the front runner for their party's nomination. Led by the right side of the radio dial, they deride Senator McCain as less than a true conservative and have attempted to label him with the "M" word, moderate.
Two big issues seem to be his stands on immigration and taxes. Senator McCain supported a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants. I understand that this angers many Republican voters, but Senator McCain's position was the same as or very close to President Bush's, the Conservative in Chief.
Conservatives also have complained that Senator McCain broke rank with conservative principles by opposing tax cuts that did not have offsetting spending reductions. I am at a bit of a loss though how promoting spending cuts is no longer considered a conservative principle. Does anyone believe that the U.S. budget is so lean that there is no spending that we could do without?
So what is an angry conservative to do about this interloper? Well, one option is to vote in the primary for another candidate, like Governor Huckabee. Some angry elephants have gone further, and pledged that if McCain is the nominee, they will punish the Republicans and vote for Senator Clinton (or perhaps Obama). They claim that since McCain is really a Democrat in Republican clothing, they might as well vote for the real McCoy. It has been said that McCain is no better than Clinton when it comes to upholding conservative principles.
Now I certainly don't want to get in the way of a good temper tantrum, but when my conservative brethren stop holding their breath and jumping up and down, they might want to consider the numbers 82, 8 and 9. These are the lifetime ratings of Senator McCain, Senator Obama and Senator Clinton from the American Conservative Union (ACU), an organization that has rated Congress members on conservative principles since the 70's. A perfect conservative score is 100, while a 0 indicates a liberal pinko commie :D. So while Senator McCain votes for "conservative" principles eight out of ten times, Senators Clinton and Obama do so about one in ten times. Now while I never finished my first semester PhD statistics course at Boston College, I do seem to remember from some where that 8 of 10 is a lot higher than 1 of 10.
Another interesting number is three, which pundits predict will be the number of Supreme Court nominees that the next President will have the opportunity to appoint. I'm sure the appointments of a would-be President Hillary Clinton would be very much in line with Rush Limbaugh and Glen Beck's audience. Well, maybe not, but it would give them a lot to complain about, and when it comes down to it, isn't that the most important thing?
A few other comments…
The other day I saw a friend of mine who is a big Hillary supporter pulled over to the side of the road filling her gas tank with a plastic red jug. She saw me and yelled “Don’t you say a word!” I just smiled and couldn’t help but wonder if her predicament was a metaphor for Hillary Clinton’s campaign. As Obama wins primary after primary, I can’t help but wonder if she running out of gas?
I am an admirer of President Ronald Reagan. I think he was an excellent president, the right man at the right time. While some might think the righting of the economy and the destruction of the Soviet Union were inevitable, I think that they would have occurred much later, if at all, under a second Carter or first Mondale presidency.
Despite my admiration for President Reagan, I found the constant invoking of his mantle by Republican candidates this season not only annoying, but bordering on idolatry. Am I the only one that finds the near worship of a human being by members of a party that claims so many fervently religious members ironic?
The whole Reagan mantra thing kind of reminds me of an old game show I watched called the Liar’s Club. They would have 3 guests, who would all say they were the same person. The contestants would get to ask them questions, and then had to guess which guest was telling the truth. At the end they would say “Would the real [Joe Blow] please stand up” at which time Joe Blow would stand. If the candidates were playing it, when they said “Would the real heir to President Reagan’s mantra please stand up”, the candidates would all jump to their feet, point at each other and yell “he’s a moderate” or “he didn’t support Reagan until 1978, he’s a Johnny-come-lately”.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Friday, February 8, 2008
Karaoke
Thai people have an irrational love of karaoke. While I don't know if there are as many karaoke bars as massage parlors here, there are certainly a lot of them.
I must confess that I am not a fan of karaoke. I certainly don't want to sing karaoke myself, and listening to others express their inner Whitney Houston is not one of my favorite pass times.
My own voice is hardly melodic. One of the few times that I have sang in public was during my senior class play many years ago. As the villian Judd Fry in the musical Oklahoma, I had one solo song, and a duo with the lead Curly. Roger Heck (interestingly, there were 55 people in my freshman class and two of them were named Roger Heck), who played Curly had a much nicer voice than I. After the show the director told me that during our duo, she slightly turned my microphone down so that his voice would be more prominent.
A lot of the karaoke establishments here are more than just bars; they might be accurately described as a karaoke restaurant. Tim had a dinner for her company employees last night at one such establishment. The place was an outdoor restaurant and bar with a number of private karaoke rooms. Our party was in a room that held about fifty or sixty patrons and sported a large screen TV hooked up to a karaoke system. The wait staff would bring the food and dishes into the main room. As we had the kids with us, we left early and they hadn't started singing yet.
Lest you think that I've not heard the sweet crooning of a number of would be Thai idols, let me assure you that I have. At my brother-in-law's birthday party, at least eight or nine people made their way up to the stage to demonstrate their talents. While some had decent voices, a few of them on par with American Idol contestant William Hung.
My most bizarre karaoke experience came the other morning day when I was out shopping. I stopped by an IT mall to try to find some paper and cartridge for my Kodak printer. At approximately 11:00 a.m., I was walking through the food court when I heard some really bad singing over the speak system. I looked over and saw a small stage in the corner of food court on which a middle age Thai man was singing karaoke while a couple of patrons looked on.
At first I laughed wondering why someone would sing karaoke in a nearly empty food court in the late morning. Then I thought about it, if I ever have the overwhelming compulsion to sing karaoke, I guess I’d rather do it in front of a few people who I might never see again.
I must confess that I am not a fan of karaoke. I certainly don't want to sing karaoke myself, and listening to others express their inner Whitney Houston is not one of my favorite pass times.
My own voice is hardly melodic. One of the few times that I have sang in public was during my senior class play many years ago. As the villian Judd Fry in the musical Oklahoma, I had one solo song, and a duo with the lead Curly. Roger Heck (interestingly, there were 55 people in my freshman class and two of them were named Roger Heck), who played Curly had a much nicer voice than I. After the show the director told me that during our duo, she slightly turned my microphone down so that his voice would be more prominent.
A lot of the karaoke establishments here are more than just bars; they might be accurately described as a karaoke restaurant. Tim had a dinner for her company employees last night at one such establishment. The place was an outdoor restaurant and bar with a number of private karaoke rooms. Our party was in a room that held about fifty or sixty patrons and sported a large screen TV hooked up to a karaoke system. The wait staff would bring the food and dishes into the main room. As we had the kids with us, we left early and they hadn't started singing yet.
Lest you think that I've not heard the sweet crooning of a number of would be Thai idols, let me assure you that I have. At my brother-in-law's birthday party, at least eight or nine people made their way up to the stage to demonstrate their talents. While some had decent voices, a few of them on par with American Idol contestant William Hung.
My most bizarre karaoke experience came the other morning day when I was out shopping. I stopped by an IT mall to try to find some paper and cartridge for my Kodak printer. At approximately 11:00 a.m., I was walking through the food court when I heard some really bad singing over the speak system. I looked over and saw a small stage in the corner of food court on which a middle age Thai man was singing karaoke while a couple of patrons looked on.
At first I laughed wondering why someone would sing karaoke in a nearly empty food court in the late morning. Then I thought about it, if I ever have the overwhelming compulsion to sing karaoke, I guess I’d rather do it in front of a few people who I might never see again.
School Days
Tim and I had the chance to go to school today to see the kids. Jacob's class put together a movie for the parents. Well, Ms. Souza (his teacher) did the video production, and the kids were the stars. It was a lot of fun.
I'm amazed at how comfortable that Jacob is in speaking in front of people. He really knows how to use tone and to project his voice when he speaks. I really admire his confidence. We signed him up for an after school drama program so he can further develop this skill.
On Monday, Nalin's teacher Ms. Willis returns back from her three month maternity leave. Today there was a "farewell" party for Ms. Stacey, who ably filled in during Ms. Willis' absence.
I've read to Nalin's class a few times, chaperoned a field trip and see the kids most every day when I pick up Nalin. When I've read the past few times, I brought a puppet with me.
Dermit is an orange frog puppet whose cousin is a famous Muppet that I'm sure you've heard of before. Dermit is a bit cynical and frequently makes sarcastic and other "witty" comments while I talk to the kids. He has brought them cookies (which he claims have flies in them). In a lot of ways, Dermit is like the real me, while I am playing nice in front of the kids. Well, one difference is that Dermit has a much higher voice than I, so I just love talking in Dermit's voice for an extended period of time. In any case, the kids know Dermit pretty well, and are very fond of him.
So at 1:30 about 7 or 8 parents go into the classroom to surprise Ms. Stacey. Of course I've brought Dermit along, but I've got him in my backpack because I don't want to detract from Ms. Stacey's moment. When the kids see me, I hear someone say Dermit is here. In less than a minute, twenty-one first graders are chanting "Dermit, Dermit". I felt a bit bad because I really didn't want Dermit (or me) to be the center of attention. The other parents were a bit puzzled at what the kids were talking about.
The kids had to wait a bit for Dermit to actually make an appearance. Poor Dermit had to undergo the constant grabbing of six and seven year old hands, while I fended off the "can I have Dermit" pleas. The party was nice, and the kids really enjoyed eating the cake, cookies, chicken, and other treats brought in by the parents.
I'm amazed at how comfortable that Jacob is in speaking in front of people. He really knows how to use tone and to project his voice when he speaks. I really admire his confidence. We signed him up for an after school drama program so he can further develop this skill.
On Monday, Nalin's teacher Ms. Willis returns back from her three month maternity leave. Today there was a "farewell" party for Ms. Stacey, who ably filled in during Ms. Willis' absence.
I've read to Nalin's class a few times, chaperoned a field trip and see the kids most every day when I pick up Nalin. When I've read the past few times, I brought a puppet with me.
Dermit is an orange frog puppet whose cousin is a famous Muppet that I'm sure you've heard of before. Dermit is a bit cynical and frequently makes sarcastic and other "witty" comments while I talk to the kids. He has brought them cookies (which he claims have flies in them). In a lot of ways, Dermit is like the real me, while I am playing nice in front of the kids. Well, one difference is that Dermit has a much higher voice than I, so I just love talking in Dermit's voice for an extended period of time. In any case, the kids know Dermit pretty well, and are very fond of him.
So at 1:30 about 7 or 8 parents go into the classroom to surprise Ms. Stacey. Of course I've brought Dermit along, but I've got him in my backpack because I don't want to detract from Ms. Stacey's moment. When the kids see me, I hear someone say Dermit is here. In less than a minute, twenty-one first graders are chanting "Dermit, Dermit". I felt a bit bad because I really didn't want Dermit (or me) to be the center of attention. The other parents were a bit puzzled at what the kids were talking about.
The kids had to wait a bit for Dermit to actually make an appearance. Poor Dermit had to undergo the constant grabbing of six and seven year old hands, while I fended off the "can I have Dermit" pleas. The party was nice, and the kids really enjoyed eating the cake, cookies, chicken, and other treats brought in by the parents.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Brief Update
A little fishy
On Sunday, Tim and I bought an aquarium and some fish for the kids. We stopped at some large outdoor market. The market is organized by products, and their was a fairly large section of fish and aquarium vendors.
We bought fresh water fish, as we have heard that they are easier to care for. Unfortunately, we have lost an average of a fish a day since we got them. May have to pull the rest and try to clean the tank.
Everybody Bang Sai
Yesterday Nalin's class took a field trip to Bang Sai and I was a chaperone. I ended up with 5 kids, 3 boys and 2 girls. I was the only one so fortunate to get more than four kids and two boys.
Overall the trip was okay. Bang Sai is an area with some crafts, and a really impoverished aquarium and aviary. The thing the kids liked the most was being able to spend the 100 baht they were allowed to bring in one of the many shops.
Service with a Smile
Today, Jacob and Nalin started their tennis lessons. They have an instructor for one hour per week, and the cost is only 700 baht per session. That's about $23 U.S.
The kids had an absolute blast. The instructor was recommended by one of Jacob's friend's mom, and he is very good. He makes learning fun for the kids. Nalin was asking if she could come back tomorrow. I wanted to have two lessons per week, but his schedule was too full. Some pictures are here.
On Sunday, Tim and I bought an aquarium and some fish for the kids. We stopped at some large outdoor market. The market is organized by products, and their was a fairly large section of fish and aquarium vendors.
We bought fresh water fish, as we have heard that they are easier to care for. Unfortunately, we have lost an average of a fish a day since we got them. May have to pull the rest and try to clean the tank.
Everybody Bang Sai
Yesterday Nalin's class took a field trip to Bang Sai and I was a chaperone. I ended up with 5 kids, 3 boys and 2 girls. I was the only one so fortunate to get more than four kids and two boys.
Overall the trip was okay. Bang Sai is an area with some crafts, and a really impoverished aquarium and aviary. The thing the kids liked the most was being able to spend the 100 baht they were allowed to bring in one of the many shops.
Service with a Smile
Today, Jacob and Nalin started their tennis lessons. They have an instructor for one hour per week, and the cost is only 700 baht per session. That's about $23 U.S.
The kids had an absolute blast. The instructor was recommended by one of Jacob's friend's mom, and he is very good. He makes learning fun for the kids. Nalin was asking if she could come back tomorrow. I wanted to have two lessons per week, but his schedule was too full. Some pictures are here.
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Birthday Party
Last night we went to Top's birthday party. They hosted it at the Radison, and there were probably more than 100 guests. The fortune teller group of which he is a member put together the party. There were three photographers plus some people working a film camera. My pictures are here. Unfortunately, my flash died which limitted the quality of my snaps.
They had a buffet with Chinsese food, which was pretty decent. There was a lot of entertainment. They had four or five acts including traditional Thai dancers, acrobats in monkey suits (from the epic story Kohn story), as well as some male dancers dressed as females. These were not katoeys who were trying to pass themselves off as female, rather they were a comedic act and made very, very, very unattractive women. It was actually a pretty funny show.
I can't remember if I've mentioned before that Thai people love karaoke. There aren't as many karaoke bars as massage shops, but there are a lot of them. The reason that I mention it is that after the real entertainment, guests came on stage and sang karokee. Some were decent, others average, and some bad. Tim gathered the kids and had them go on stage and sing happy birthday. At that point, all the guests started filing out and the singing ended. Tim voiced my sentiment when she said that we should have sent the kids up earlier.
Overall we had a good time. It was a pretty big celebration for a 41st birthday, but I guess Top is the CEO of a pretty decent sized company. Its funny, I've known Top for almost twenty years now, since the Thomas More College days. In fact, although I didn't know him well, I probably saw him around campus before I met Tim (she started two years after him). He's always been a good guy, and I'm glad to have him as a brother-in-law.
They had a buffet with Chinsese food, which was pretty decent. There was a lot of entertainment. They had four or five acts including traditional Thai dancers, acrobats in monkey suits (from the epic story Kohn story), as well as some male dancers dressed as females. These were not katoeys who were trying to pass themselves off as female, rather they were a comedic act and made very, very, very unattractive women. It was actually a pretty funny show.
I can't remember if I've mentioned before that Thai people love karaoke. There aren't as many karaoke bars as massage shops, but there are a lot of them. The reason that I mention it is that after the real entertainment, guests came on stage and sang karokee. Some were decent, others average, and some bad. Tim gathered the kids and had them go on stage and sing happy birthday. At that point, all the guests started filing out and the singing ended. Tim voiced my sentiment when she said that we should have sent the kids up earlier.
Overall we had a good time. It was a pretty big celebration for a 41st birthday, but I guess Top is the CEO of a pretty decent sized company. Its funny, I've known Top for almost twenty years now, since the Thomas More College days. In fact, although I didn't know him well, I probably saw him around campus before I met Tim (she started two years after him). He's always been a good guy, and I'm glad to have him as a brother-in-law.
Internet Disruptions
As you may have heard on the news, three cables connecting Europe to South Asia have been mysteriously severed. At first, I didn't know that Thailand was impacted, as most news reported that it mainly impacted India and the Middle East.
I had noticed over the last few days that my download speed was very slow. I'd run the adsl test in Thailand, and my speed was usually just under 2 mbps, but when accessing some sites in the U.S., it was 10% of that. After doing a little digging, I found out that they are rerouting a lot of the traffic impacted by the severed cables through what it described as Thailand's already inadequate infrastructure.
The good news is that the cable is supposed to be repaired in a week.
I had noticed over the last few days that my download speed was very slow. I'd run the adsl test in Thailand, and my speed was usually just under 2 mbps, but when accessing some sites in the U.S., it was 10% of that. After doing a little digging, I found out that they are rerouting a lot of the traffic impacted by the severed cables through what it described as Thailand's already inadequate infrastructure.
The good news is that the cable is supposed to be repaired in a week.
Friday, February 1, 2008
New Tripod
I went shopping yesterday and bought a new tripod. I didn't get a dirt cheap tripod, as I'm trying to pick up pieces of gear that will last me a while. Still, I didn't go crazy and spend several hundred dollars on one.
Speaking of Birthdays...
Not only is today Tim's brother Top's birthday (see previous post), but February 1st is also my brother Eric's birthday.
Happy birthday Eric! Happy birthday Top.
Happy birthday Eric! Happy birthday Top.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
A Wedding, Birthday and a Funeral
Last night, Tim and I attended the funeral of one of our neighbors. Neither of us had actually met him, but we both knew his wife. She is the real estate agent who rented us the house in which we are living. She is a very nice woman, and we are deeply sorry for her loss.
Tim hit traffic on her way home from work, so we were a few minutes late to the temple. We sat on blue plastic chairs outside the temple. The temple had sliding glass doors all around it, so you could see in from the outside. It had been hot and muggy all day, so I was prepared to sweat profusely in my long sleeve black shirt and black pants. Thai's wear all black to funerals, although a while shirt is permitted with a suit. I was pleasantly surprised that there was a very nice breeze blowing the entire time, making it very comfortable.
Most of the ceremony involved the head monk giving a ceremony. His voice was very monotone, and of course he was speaking in Thai. Coupled with the pleasant weather, the monotone monologue in a language I do not speak make the perfect conditions for falling asleep. Fortunately, I was able to resist this temptation.
The ceremony was done in less than an hour, which Tim explained was pretty short. She also told me that instead of long monologues, a lot of funerals involved a lot of chanting. They did do a little chanting, and I have to admit, its almost hypnotic. The chanting is fascinating, even though I don't understand the words. Perhaps not understanding the words makes it more "mystic".
Another difference from most Thai funerals was the presence of a lot of foreigners. There are a lot of Westerners in our neighborhood who knew the widow and her husband. We even saw one of Nalin's teachers there.
Today is a bit happier occassion, as my brother-in-law Top is celebrating his 41st birthday. The group in which he belongs, headed by the fortune teller, is throwing him a party. I think I'll keep myself busy tonight by taking my camera and taking pictures.
I still remember the last party that I was at for Top some ten plus years ago. It was the final day of their wedding celebration, and they hosted 800 or so guests at a nice Bangkok Hotel. During part of the celebration, Tim and I stood with Top, Tam and the rest of the family greeting guests. I would smile and say "sa wa dee kab". Unlike the other people in line, I really didn't engage in a lot of small talk, as then I spoke even less Thai than I do now. Most of my time was spent smiling. By the end of the evening, I had smiled so much that my jaw hurt.
Tim hit traffic on her way home from work, so we were a few minutes late to the temple. We sat on blue plastic chairs outside the temple. The temple had sliding glass doors all around it, so you could see in from the outside. It had been hot and muggy all day, so I was prepared to sweat profusely in my long sleeve black shirt and black pants. Thai's wear all black to funerals, although a while shirt is permitted with a suit. I was pleasantly surprised that there was a very nice breeze blowing the entire time, making it very comfortable.
Most of the ceremony involved the head monk giving a ceremony. His voice was very monotone, and of course he was speaking in Thai. Coupled with the pleasant weather, the monotone monologue in a language I do not speak make the perfect conditions for falling asleep. Fortunately, I was able to resist this temptation.
The ceremony was done in less than an hour, which Tim explained was pretty short. She also told me that instead of long monologues, a lot of funerals involved a lot of chanting. They did do a little chanting, and I have to admit, its almost hypnotic. The chanting is fascinating, even though I don't understand the words. Perhaps not understanding the words makes it more "mystic".
Another difference from most Thai funerals was the presence of a lot of foreigners. There are a lot of Westerners in our neighborhood who knew the widow and her husband. We even saw one of Nalin's teachers there.
Today is a bit happier occassion, as my brother-in-law Top is celebrating his 41st birthday. The group in which he belongs, headed by the fortune teller, is throwing him a party. I think I'll keep myself busy tonight by taking my camera and taking pictures.
I still remember the last party that I was at for Top some ten plus years ago. It was the final day of their wedding celebration, and they hosted 800 or so guests at a nice Bangkok Hotel. During part of the celebration, Tim and I stood with Top, Tam and the rest of the family greeting guests. I would smile and say "sa wa dee kab". Unlike the other people in line, I really didn't engage in a lot of small talk, as then I spoke even less Thai than I do now. Most of my time was spent smiling. By the end of the evening, I had smiled so much that my jaw hurt.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Raining
It rained today. This is the first day that it has rained in about three months. Don't worry about droughts, we'll make up for it in the rainy season.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Wat Phra Kaew & Grand Palace
Today I went and took photographs at Wat Phra Kaew and the Grand Palace. You can see the pictures here. Wat is the Thai word for temple.
If you come and visit Thailand, these places are virtual must visits. The architecture and statues in the temple and palace are really interesting to behold. Interestingly, a visit to the temple can enlighten sight seers on how Thais treat foreigners differently than Thai citizens.
One difference is the entrance costs. The entrance fee for the wat and palace was 250 baht for foreigners. Thais are admitted for free. My wife's Vietnamese friend managed to beat the system by walking through the Thai line. She kept silent and the guards didn't notice that she wasn't Thai. I might have tried that but I'm not sure that the machine gun equipped guards that I saw upon entering would have thought my prank a delightful lark.
The dress code is also slightly different for foreigners and Thais. All men must wear long pants and all women either long pants or a skirt. Foreigners, however, are required to wear closed toed shoes, while Thais are not.
There is also a Thai only exit to the temple. While foreigners must exit through the main gate, there is an exit for Thais in another part of the temple.
You probably won't find this in any travel guides, but there is another things that Thais can do that foreigners cannot, and that is enter the temple in a car. Ten years ago, Tim and I came to Thailand for her brother Top's wedding. I'll write about it in more detail in another entry, but part of the ceremony involved taking a donation to the Wat Phra Kaew.
Tim and I had accompanied Top and Tham to the temple to make their offering. People normally do not drive into the temple, but as they were making a donation of goods they were given permission. When we reached the entrance, the guard spotted me in the back seat. He stopped the car and made me get out. To enter the temple, I was required to pay the entrance fee and enter with the rest of the tourists. I'm still not sure if it was the fact that a falang entering the temple in a Mercedes somehow profaned the holiness of the place, or they just wanted to make sure they got the 250 baht entrance fee.
On our way out, I ducked down in the backseat so the guard didn't see me. I really didn't want to have to walk all the way around to the main exit.
While the difference in treatment may not conform to Western ideals of equal treatment, they actually serve a good purpose. While 250 baht (around $8) is not a lot by Western standards, it can be more than half a days pay for a lot of Thais. Charging Thais 250 baht would effectively prevent a great many Thais from being able to visit and worship at this temple. That would truly be unfair. I'm not sure about the shoes, but its possible that a lot of poorer Thais don't have an Imelda Marcos trailer full of shoes attached to their one room home. As far as the separate exit, perhaps that's a bit gratuitous, but its really not a big deal.
If you come and visit Thailand, these places are virtual must visits. The architecture and statues in the temple and palace are really interesting to behold. Interestingly, a visit to the temple can enlighten sight seers on how Thais treat foreigners differently than Thai citizens.
One difference is the entrance costs. The entrance fee for the wat and palace was 250 baht for foreigners. Thais are admitted for free. My wife's Vietnamese friend managed to beat the system by walking through the Thai line. She kept silent and the guards didn't notice that she wasn't Thai. I might have tried that but I'm not sure that the machine gun equipped guards that I saw upon entering would have thought my prank a delightful lark.
The dress code is also slightly different for foreigners and Thais. All men must wear long pants and all women either long pants or a skirt. Foreigners, however, are required to wear closed toed shoes, while Thais are not.
There is also a Thai only exit to the temple. While foreigners must exit through the main gate, there is an exit for Thais in another part of the temple.
You probably won't find this in any travel guides, but there is another things that Thais can do that foreigners cannot, and that is enter the temple in a car. Ten years ago, Tim and I came to Thailand for her brother Top's wedding. I'll write about it in more detail in another entry, but part of the ceremony involved taking a donation to the Wat Phra Kaew.
Tim and I had accompanied Top and Tham to the temple to make their offering. People normally do not drive into the temple, but as they were making a donation of goods they were given permission. When we reached the entrance, the guard spotted me in the back seat. He stopped the car and made me get out. To enter the temple, I was required to pay the entrance fee and enter with the rest of the tourists. I'm still not sure if it was the fact that a falang entering the temple in a Mercedes somehow profaned the holiness of the place, or they just wanted to make sure they got the 250 baht entrance fee.
On our way out, I ducked down in the backseat so the guard didn't see me. I really didn't want to have to walk all the way around to the main exit.
While the difference in treatment may not conform to Western ideals of equal treatment, they actually serve a good purpose. While 250 baht (around $8) is not a lot by Western standards, it can be more than half a days pay for a lot of Thais. Charging Thais 250 baht would effectively prevent a great many Thais from being able to visit and worship at this temple. That would truly be unfair. I'm not sure about the shoes, but its possible that a lot of poorer Thais don't have an Imelda Marcos trailer full of shoes attached to their one room home. As far as the separate exit, perhaps that's a bit gratuitous, but its really not a big deal.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Victory...sort of
Yesterday was the Cub Scout Pinewood Derby. For those of you not in the know, the Pinewood Derby involves scouts (or their over ambitious fathers) making a car out of a block of wood that are raced against each otheer.
Jacob placed second in his den and received a trophy. He was very excited.
Here is a picture of his car
Friday, January 25, 2008
Aleena's Day
Today was Aleena's Olympic day at school. The pictures are here.
It was pretty fun. Aleena's best friend is a girl named Makala. Her teacher told us that ever since Makala started attending Magic Years in November, the two became fast friends.
Aleena's class competed in quite a few games. One involved parents dragging the kids in a laundry basket hooked up to a rope. There was also a tug of war at the end with all the kids.
The best part of the day were the races. They paired up the kids in her class and had them race around the field. Perhaps not surprisingly, Aleena and Makala were paired together. When the race started, the started running slowly next to each other, each turning their heads and giggling. After the first turn, the two stopped any pretense of running, and started walking together while holding hands. Everyone watched and laughed as the two meandered their way to the finish line.
The two legged race was also cute. Once again the two were paired together in the first "heat". They strolled around the cone at a nice leisurely pace, finishing after some of the participants in the second heat. While they didn't win the race, I'm pretty sure that no-one had more fun.
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