Back to SG and (fast fast) back to work!

Just a quick post.  Just came back from Thailand this early morning at 1200AM and now back in office slaving.  It will be another few sleepless nights for the next few days as I need some time to adjust to the fast pace lifestyle here.  Sometimes I wonder why Singapore can't slow down a bit.  Why can't we learn from our surrounding neighbours to slow down a bit.  Do we need to chase for the top all the time?  And some sikohlar (scholar) argue that if we slow down a bit, we are actually getting lazy?? (Our gahment likes to stress this all the time).  So now I'm back in office and still clearing my email (got moren than 10k...)while I took a break to jot this down.  2009 is going to end soon and 2010 will be around the corner.  Hopefully the year will ends well... 

Still have errands to run.  Need to collect my lens, send my slides for development, pp my photos, scan my daughter's photos and ....... I need more TIME!!! :P

Loy Loy Krathong Redux 2009 version

Think I explained about this festival before in 2006 over here and here

This year the event was on 2nd Nov (every year is different as it follows the buddhist calender).  This year since my mum was around.  We spent more time on this festival rather than the usual.  We went to the market to buy the materials necessary for making the Krathong and spent a day making them.  Those smaller one were made for the kids. 

Its also a happy occassion too as my mother in law and my sister in law came too.  Girl girl very happy got her 2 cousins to come celebrate with her :) .  On 2nd Nov night, we took the car out and placed all the Krathong in the boot of the car and head off to the nearest river canal at Meung Daeng.  Less than a 5 min ride in car, we reached the place and it was filled with people.  I was smart enough of not bringing my DSLR as I had no more hands holding the Krathong and catching my girl's hands.  I scared she run away and get lost in the crowd. 

After saying a small prayer, we set the Krathong off and we proceed to the funfair just next to the river.  Nothing special just normal rides as usual.  You can see more photos here taken with my Fuji FD30 compact. 

Chinese New Year in Thailand

I've chatted with a local Chinese friend recently about the Chinese New Year celebration over here. He told me that although it was not an official public holiday in Thailand, it used to be big in Thailand. People in Bangkok will stop work for at least 3 to 5 days and the bosses (mostly Chinese) would give red packets to their employees or treat them to dinner.

After the 1997 financial crisis, most of the smaller companies were wiped out (mostly owned by Chinese) and post 97, there were an aggressive takeover of companies from investors abroad. Mostly from the US or Europe. Especially the Ma Ma shops (convinient stores) being killed by the Hypermarts (Tesco, Carrefour, Big C etc). So nowadays, Chinese New Year celebration is not as vibrant as it used to be.

Still, the Chinese here will still purchase some decorations and visit relatives and eat their reunion dinner. Small celebration is better then all the hoo-haas we have in Singapore. And the best part is I have not heard one single lame Chinese New Year song on TV or store (even one own by Chinese). Yeah!!!

Interesting game....

I think its human nature that people like to gamble. Over here, legal and illegal gambling are easily found. Cross over to Tachilek Myanmar and you could head to a very grand Casino (heard from wife that its pretty big) just around the corner (Many Thais crossed over to get to high roll in that Casino). Wife was helping her cousin looking for a job and found him one. Bloody hell, as a runner(seller) for a bookie. The game they play is not lottery or 3D(they have it here same as Malaysia). Not sure exactly the name of the game. The Burmese play it too and they called it simply Sam Sip Hok (36). The Thais called it Pat Thong Si.

Basically, the game involves the picture shown on the right (click on it to see a bigger version). You could see a man wearing a costume with lots of animals on it. Total of 36 animals. And then beside the picture is a chart which kinds of say which animal is a partner of the other. Example, 1(monkey) is a partner of 18 (Gold fish). The chart is sometime important and I will explain later.

To play, the bookie or boss will pick a number at his house in a secret room. No one even his own wife knows about it. He will come out of the room and tell a story to his runners, normally about 4 to 6 sentences. This story is actually a clue to what number is going to open today. So the runners get the story and spread it to his audience. Who would place their bets from the runner. The odds is actually 1:30. So if you buy 10baht, you will 300baht. The min bet is 1baht and no limits on the max (heard some hardcore buy few thousand baht per day). So everyday there is 2 bets, one in the day and one at night. First results is revealed in the evening at 4pm, while the second at 10pm.

Wife got lucky a few times and managed win a few hundred. hehehe... So far I asked for the translation for the story and found out that the sentences are not that direct, it could mean more than 10 animals sometimes(which means if you buy all 10, even if you strike, the returns might not be that great). Some are quite obvious until you are scared to make the bet. So its a psychological game from the bookies also. The chart I mentioned before is sometime important and the story might have clues like "friends" "wife" "partner" and etc..

By the way, you can see Chinese characters in the picture as the bookie is a bloody Thai Chinese :P. And a lot of Chinese are playing. And of course, this is illegal in Thailand but seems like the bookie got some real good "connections". Heard that his best friend is the Police Chief of Chiang Rai Province.

Mid Autumn Festival in Thailand

The typical Chinese family here do celebrate 中秋节 (Mid Autumn Festival) which is on the 15th, 9th 8th month of the Lunar Calendar. Today is the day and I am kind of surprised the number of Chinese family here in Maesai. (Quite a lot actually). At night, they all take out a table and place it outside their house. On the table are offerings like fruits, sweets, cakes and of course, moon cakes.

The moon cake they eat here are black red bean paste type and its more towards the salty side. And the size of the moon cake also quite funny.. Very large.. I'll try to get a photo but I saw one family bought one that is as large as a table (about 80cm in diameter leh). Basically their process very simple. Offer the food and light some candles and joss sticks. Then they proceed to devour the stuff on the table lor (quite typical Chinese Bai Bai) hehe..

Kids here don't carry lantern leh. But they have those that you could light up and set it float into the air (like in Loy Krathong). They also start selling crackers (Yeah!!!) So of course in the evening, we went to the main street and bought some and release them at the rice field near our house. All the kids around us joined us with screaming fun.. hehe..

No pictures as too busy playing with fire crackers hehe.. since I will be missing Loy Krathong this year (sianz)...