The Thai Neighbor

I never knew what my friend advised could so be very true. Lesson learned is that before doing anything, ask Thai if can, ask a few of them if can. As I had previously wrote in my blog Buying a Condo in Bangkok, a Thai will buy condominiums only of above 4 million to be soaked in high-so if all possible. For one reason I encounter now, an inconsiderate neighbor who makes me smell like a walking “tam-sang” (zhe-cha in Hokkien) stall everyday. My clothes hang to dry, the fabrics they absorbed the smell, my perfume is now called “pad-pid” (friend chili) on some days and “ka-tiaum” (garlic) on others.

Many farmers in this vast kingdom inherited their land from the generations before. Being forever living with the ducks, geese and buffalos, opportunities comes once a while knocking on their hut. An offer to buy their piece, normally from the smarter Bangkokians who take advantage of the situation. Show a lump of cash to the uneducated country bump (under the value of land, maybe way under), bump never seen so much money before. Bump takes offer, and buys anything within reach in Bangkok. Bump changes lifestyle from low-so to high-so (compared to his neighbors) in an instant. Bump also bring big family of bumps and all sorts of up-country behaviors into our civilization. How to then maintain the lifestyle after, I don’t think they really care. Come first find work later, steal beg borrow whatever. Darn I hate this.

We live in condo, we live in commune. Any condo folk should know that when living in such close proximity, we must live with extra consideration for our neighbors. If you want to turn your house into your up-country shack where you cook up a storm every morning, then install a darn kitchen air purifier.

To all you folks out there who cook in condo, go HomePro buy that air purifier. To all you expat folks going to buy a condo in Bangkok, if have money buy THB$10 million condo. Don’t buy THB$1 million ones. As I write my blog now, he cooks at his balcony, my perfume today will be “nam-pla” (fish sauce).

Orphan It, A Convenient Technique

Yet another interesting encounter with the strangeness of this beautiful Kingdom, the beautiful people, the beautiful culture. Beautiful couples get together, made beautiful love and end up with beautiful kid. Unable to care for the kid within their beautifully busy working lives, they send the kid to the neighboring baby sitter in the beautiful countryside for the weekend. Then they beautifully disappear without returning. A beautiful plan indeed.

The aunty I met had taken the child in as one of her own. She did not want to send the kid away. The kind hearted gets taken advantaged of. The ugly people who hatched the beautiful plan profits. Beautiful Thailand, it happens everyday.

i Road Bully

I accidentally cut into her lane driving the long roads till brain dead without signaling in advanced. The big black Chevrolet pulled up beside me and signaled me to stop. I walked up to her window and she handed me a Buddhist sutra. The mid forties kind faced woman said, young man must heart cool cool, don’t drive with heart hot hot, dangerous, read Buddhist sutra, make heart cool cool, make good man. This, the most surprising road experience ever encountered, only in Thailand I suppose.

Why go the Mob?

On my work trips occasionally having casual talks with the factory people, now I know one reason why they go for mobs. The factory workers claimed if the prime minister was overthrown (he did), their participation in the mob was a success and they felt proud that they had did something for the country. Else, being just another local folk, what can they do to contribute to society? They were not paid they claimed. They just wanted to do something which resulted in something that’s all.