What they told you about the scary border, its true.

So I have to get out from Thailand because my visa is expiring. The best, cheapest and easiest way, one staff told me, is to act like Gamblers and hop into the Bus specially for Gamblers to go to the Casinos at the Cambodian Borders. Yeah, 9 Casinos are there right after the immigration office.

Well, when I said best, cheapest and easiest, you can imagine the disadvantages of that. People from around the world will flow in to get stamps from the officer just to stay longer in Thailand for example. It is not the safest place to start off with.

First Incident was the bus. Getting up the bus is easy, but they have to charge double the price because I am not Thai. " We will have to explain to the officer, " They said. Thai price- 100Baht, Me- 200Baht. It wasn't exactly rip off since its so cheap still. So I didn't mind it.

3 hours later, I arrived at the border.

It wasn't at all the border I was imagining in my head. It was more of like a market place with full of locals(Cambodians) wandering around, muddy, with kids carrying babies, begging.
The signs were not really clear that it is a border instead of a market. Once in a while, English words popped out and say " Foreigners, turn here", then it got lost again.

Getting from the departure hall is easy, but in the Cambodian borders, things were starting to get messy. I have locals following me and tell me that they are showing me the way to the immigration office. But what really happened is they will lead me to a room where all the officers are chatting and eating, and then occasionally looked up at me.

"500 baht", they said, " Then you can leave here at no time".

I have read from the internet that it is totally free for Malaysians to get stamps and we don't even need a visa to stay in their country. So I refused , saying that I have no money, and then I walked further down the road, still one person is following me.

Still no English plates. I guessed I looked lost, that is why this guy is ' trying to help', only to asked for tips at the end. Then the prices started to decrease as I walked further down the road. 300, 200, but I still refused to do that.

Finally, I met with two kind Malaysians who has been working in Minburi, Thailand for a while. I felt relieved right after hearing them speaking Hokkien, the chinese dialect that I am familiar with. Immediately I asked for rectification in Chinese. They said the officers will always do that if we tell them I am only here for the day, since we are "taking advantage" of them.

The officers, having my passport, waiting for my payment, got the clue that I understand after I talked to these two men. So , he just quickly returned my passport without any word.

I walked myself back to the Bus. Again they charged me for 200 Baht, which I have expected. Then, I thought I will be going home comfortably. How stupid, borders are always full of surprise and adventure!

One officer went up the bus and checked our passports. Turns out that one Cambodian has sneaked in to our bus. Aiks! More questioning and checking for the rest of the hour before the bus can really continue the journey.

All these , including the dramas, took me 10 hours to get back to Bangkok. I am still thankful I guess, because , it is still the cheapest, fastest, easiest way to get out and in from a country.

the River Cruise

pic 0: vanessa and the kids on the boat

pic 1: the kids getting the plants out from the river

pic 2: me and Bird, notice my new hairstyle!

pic 3: from near, Sai chun, Misty and fook on the paddle boat at Lumphini Park

pic 4: the Grand palace from the river cruise

Another trip to the Chao Phraya River within 7 days, thanks to Vanessa generosity. This time, I suggested to bring my fellow house mates (Jodie called them outcast of Mercy 2) Bird( a boy with autism), Sai Chun ( is getting blind) and Fook ( has weak IQ).

Fook has never been on the boat trip, he is new to the Mercy family, hence he has been elated the whole time, he named and shouted every thing he saw from the trip; Sai Chun vision is getting worse, so he has to depend on Misty’s Camera screen to see the beautiful scenery along the river; while Bird has longed for freedom for sometime now, most of the summer holiday, he spent time with himself, sitting at a corner of the house, talking with his imaginary friend or studying the pictures from the outdated baby magazines.

Chao Phraya River was filled with floating plants. None of us knew where those plants come from. According to the boat driver, they were floated in from Ayutthaya due to heavy rainstorm. Even the cyclone in Burma has something to do with these plants too I guess. So it is no wonder the boat is so much slower, avoiding ‘traffic’ of leaves, the kids didn’t even get to play with the water.

I am not gonna "ooooo" and "aaaaaa" about the whole departing from the hi-class Oriental hotel and the pretty delicious picnics, for me, the nicest part is to see Bird , Fook and Sai Chun having some time out. After saying good bye to Vanessa, Misty, Jodie and I brought them to the Lumphini Park. Once again, we sat on the paddling boats, taking pictures while the boys were in action, bumping into each other, seeing the greenery, feeding the fish etc.

Vanessa is an international photographer who has been visiting Mercy for five years. She has been taking pictures of the Mercy kids and produced a book called ‘Slaughterhouse Angels’. Faces that I known by heart will be published throughout the world and all profits will go to Mercy Centre. Funny thing is the kids don’t even know how famous they will be in the next few months.

I seemed to do a great job translating English to Thai throughout this trip. Applause!!!

"I am not a perfect person... "there goes my ringtone(click)

I am not a perfect person...there's many things I wish I never do....

Since high school graduation, this song has embedded in my head, reminding me how fragile is human and they will never be perfect. We are facing a journey in a place that is called "society" and that place is never as beautiful as high school's life.

Thinking back the stories I have heard and experienced the past few days, there is no reason for me to be sad about life, but celebrate every moment, every mistakes, every conflict that I am facing...

My dear friend Ju liang, is still facing the task that is given by God and looking forward to life after his winding road ( www.forgiven-by-grace.blogspot.com) . Ever since meeting him last August, I have always prayed for his recovery from a sickness that rarely hit a teenage like him. I lost touch for a moment when I didn't receive reply from him via SMS during his 21st birthday, which is on the same day as my sister, only to find out that he is receiving treatment in Singapore . What a relief!

My blind little friend, Nong Pae, has started school in a school for blind. For one month, I have missed seeing her walking around with her wheel supporter in Mercy 6. As I finally approached her last Wednesday, I was really worried that she might not remember me.

"Nong Pae, do you remember me? How are you?"

Two minutes passed by, and finally, I found a grin from her sleepy face. She continued to be so happy and elated, and she showed me skills that she could finally do by her own. She could get up and get down from her bed by herself, eat her meal by herself, touch the right part of body as we say it and is all excited for her new school !

I met two new friends from the AID hospice too. One was a he, she now calls herself Nancy, an outgoing person who loves to meet people from different culture. His arrival in the ward is what connects the volunteers to all other patients. Through her, we see other patients as individual and friends that we will be starting to care in the future. Ma ma, on the other hand, is a 51-year-old women who is a hard worker her whole life. From nail pedicure to sewing and making up for the opera performers, she raised her 32-year-old son independently. Who would thought her partner of 7 years was cheating her and gave her the virus?

Congratulations to my dear cousin Ian, who got a full scholarship to Singapore, and my dear sister , who is preparing for Canada!

Jealousy, insecurity, disrespectful, culturaly justifiable attitudes, Please leave me alone!

Rain drops keep falling on my head

Weird weather, right after the hottest Songkran festival, now comes the Rain.

The Rain Storm reminded how little I heard thunder and seen lightning in Bangkok. Not to mention what kind of impact does it bring to the slum communities.

Slum houses are fragile. Leakage, electricity, stability problems occur during the rainy season.

While I was enjoying the night of rhythms with the rain, I heard news that one grandmother has passed away protecting her grandchild from a tree that has smashed into their wooden house. She was found dead hugging the crying child.

Street vendors, who form a large majority in the slums, will have trouble hiding from the rain. Business will be affected.

Nowhere to go to , people have to hide in their little box...I am just making all the problems up by myself, I am sure there is more.....

Water war!(click)

What could be more lucky to celebrate the Songkran Festival ( Thai’s New Year) in Chiang Mai? The most famous spot for tourism during this period, you see people rushing in from all around Thailand, including the foreigners, getting ready for action. “A chance to get hold of all the best looking boys in Thailand!” commented a girl friend.

• First, you had a choice, land or at the back of the truck, then you choose your tools. For land, you just need to find a spot along the busy road next to the Klong (river that was filtered, cleaned specially by the government) , and buy a 20 baht bucket with the string;
• For the back of the truck, you need to get a driver( to stop for water refilling and who is not tempted to play) , then a big bucket of water or ice water, and small pails.
• Procedure: you grab the string and throw the bucket into the Klong as fast as you can, fill up the bucket and start splashing on whoever you see( well, you usually look for the good-looking ones, or handsome foreigners!). For maximum effect, wear a sexier top, or light color shirts and shorts that can instantly revealed your body shape!
• Well, the actual meaning of the Songklan is of course not to soaked into a water war, but more like a new beginning, washing away all the bad lucks or wrong doings and start new. At the beginning of the day, a trip to a temple to ask for forgiveness and make donations (make merit) is a must!
• It is a day to loose all your guards towards people, a day to only allow happy emotions flow in, a day to give the biggest smile to a person worth giving, even you have not seen him or her before, the only effort to grab his or her attention is just as simple as a water war!

Another New Year?!(click)

• The initial plan was to visit Yushan in Naan one week before she returns to Singapore, turns out that there are third parties who were doing the same! Flew in from the familiar part of the north hemisphere, Somlak made her connections with Game’s and Mee’s parents, and surprised me and Yushan with a RCN gathering in the middle of the Naan jungle!

• Yushan’s volunteering work is very different than mine; it was more on the development and preservations on the environment. For the first time, I found out complicated process of agriculture and also how people avoid long hours of work by just burning the remaining of the plants after harvesting.

• Took ten hours or more to reach Naan, the province very north of Thailand, ( read a good book: Mister Pip) then the very next day, Game’s father brought us south to the Sukhothai Province, the oldest city/kingdom of Thailand, or so it was speculated.

• Besides taking all the MTV shots with the Historical Park of Sukhothai, acknowledge by the World Heritage of UNESCO, we had endless conversation in the car, during meals, in the park; I only got to know Somlak so much more besides the fact that she was the House Mentor of Finland House, not to mention all the juicy memories she has about all the Finland House members back to the time beyond my existence there!

• The most beautiful golden Buddha in Pisanulok, the province next to Shukhothai, stood right infront of me- it was believed that the god has sent a craftsman from heaven to make this golden statue and he disappeared once it was done! I wish I could have a longer glimpse on it for we had to catch a train which was scheduled half an hour later, only to find out that it has been delayed for 4 hours~!

• An actual road trip. I hopped in my colleague’s car half way in Kam Peng Phet from Sukhothai and there I was, taking on a road trip, stopping in every province along the way to see the most-talk-about-temples, food stalls, fruit stalls, and local snacks. Hey, that’s what Thailand is made out of- temples and food!

• Wat Rong Khun, an outstanding temple designed by the contemporary artist, which related me directly to the Sagrada de Familia in Barcelona. A pleasant surprise in Chiang Rai. How come it has not gotten as much attention as the Cathedral?

• On the other hand, Bangkok has turned into a strange city. A city so quiet and slow. The smooth traffic and the unfamiliar accent from the ticket collectors all showed signs of the huge change of crowd. The city was abandoned for home, and the outskirts find job slots to fill in during the peak period of traveling, half of the city is gone.

• One place to another takes only half of the regular timing, and the ticket collector’s friendly outskirt’s accent reexamined the distance between the attitudes of the Bangkok citizens. This temporary friendliness of the city only last for a few days, and it’s a bit annoying, because you know the familiar smoky, nosy, noisy Bangkok will be back again.

Meeting the 'Cownadians'

Being the only Malaysian among the Thai is sort of like adapting. But being Malaysian in a group of Canadian is another story.

Saturday was the day when I have met the largest group of Canadian gathering in one place, Bangkok. I think it was the same situation for Jodie and Misty too.

From initially the connection from Jodie where her neighbor’s nephew is working in the Canadian embassy, we ended up mingling with all the diplomats who has been traveling half the globe and have tones of different cultural experiences.

Listening to their story is like one of those career talks that you can imagine what is like to be in their working field. Dangers, negotiations, bureaucracies, decisions…Especially when Chuck, a Lebanon born Canadian described his facing of the Tsunami attacks and how he walked on the beach to identify corpses and dying Canadians back to their country.

Singapore, Japan, South Korean, Pakistan,

Friends who have been colleagues in different countries gathered to celebrate the fellow colleague’s birthday. A party which was not exactly how I imagine, there were more talking than dancing or loud music, and all three of us ended up thirsty and leg soured.

I have always been interested in a work where traveling is a requirement, to face the different challenges and also to solve problems which I may never handle before. Then there is a problem of identifying the term “Home” and “Settling down”. What if you have a spouse and children, how will they adapt to your work and situation? Will they have to quit their job and follow along or you will commit into a long distance relationship?

We chatted about all those problems and questions that just popped up in my head, and of course about those funny encounters when you meet the locals. But that night, neither of us are locals.