Having read the newspapers today and saw the picture of “Rub Nong” which means welcome freshy in English kind of disturb me. It’s the culture that Thailand’s Universities established in order to create unity for the newcomers and current students. I think that some of the activities are very inappropriate and morally wrong… Take a look at this pict for example.

This picture was taken last year at one of the private university. It’s one of the activities aiming to “create the bond between Freshies and current students at university”

I never had a chance to join “Rub Nong” activity in Thailand as I spend most of my student years in Australia, Maybe… elaboration of Rub Nong might be a good way out and replace with “University’s Orientation” instead

Motorbike Taxi

I just read the recent post by Teazor, about motorbike taxi, I can totally related to it. Despite being a local in Bangkok, but I never ever had to ride the motorbike taxi before in my life until I started working. Call me mommy’s girl but my mom is totally opposed the idea of me on the bike.

Last week was the first time that I took the motorbike taxi from Sukhumvit to Silom. I had to take the tape back for the satelite feeding (that’s for the Soccer match between Japan and Korea DPR) I constantly told the driver to go slow, although he nodded but we made it to my office in the record time, and I swear.. my heart nearly stopped beating!
By the time I was asking for the price, I gave him 20 bahts more than what he asked, considering that I was safe after he tried to pass over the petrol Truck.

Thailand is always amazing, but for me, Bangkok is much more ….
Super Amazing Bangkok.

As a media, (who don’t really see the importance of the news at all) I just think that they need a little bit of scandals to boost the public interest up. Afterall, where would the pictures come from, if not from the comittee itself. I asked around amongst my friends and they all said the same thing. Maybe this is due to the fact that there are too many tickets leftovers?

Now that the committee doesn’t allow any TV media to follow them around, my friends from AP are resigned from this job. Bless them.

He probably never heard of it before, so after a long explanation in English, I had to do another translation in my broken Japanese…So 20 minutes of serious discussion he finally said..
“Why it’s a holiday?”

Well.. I don’t want go into details of the history of the ploughing day so I simply said, “Well, it is just a ceremony that symbolized the start of the sowing period, and because the King also involved in the ceremony, it’s believed to bring farmers good harvests”

He nodded simultaniously and went uuh and ahh.. as if he understood what I said, then went quiet for a while before saying

“But how come it’s a holiday?” he was really curious

That’s what I also don’t know. All I know is I deserve a holiday!

TOR CHITTINAND

Fifa has selected Thailand to host the World Cup Qualifying match between Japan and North Korea on June 8, according to secretary-general of the Football Association of Thailand (FAT), Worawi Makudi.

The match will be held at Rajamangala National Stadium.

Earlier Fifa had ordered North Korea to move the match to a third country as a punishment for crowd trouble at previous matches in Pyongyang.

Worawi said Fifa had faxed the FAT asking whether they would be willing to host the match and president of FAT, Vijitr Getkaew gave it the all clear.

However North Korea’s media yesterday called on Fifa to reverse its decision to move the match to a third country.

The North Korean sports daily Cheyuk Sinmun said the decision by the world football governing body was “unreasonable” and probably influenced by pressure from Japan, Asian champions and political enemies of North Korea.

North Korean players jostled the referee and fans threw chairs, bottles and other objects onto the pitch when their team lost to Iran 2-0 at home on March 30. Fifa also cited trouble at North Korea’s match against Bahrain on March 25.

The sports daily said it hoped Fifa would reexamine the case and “make a wise judgement for the sake of its authority.”

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Interesting huh? This news is confirmed by Worawi, I just called him this morning. I heard that the last match between N. Korea and Japan that was held in Pyong Yang was disturbed by the North Korean audiences, so this time they decided to put the match somewhere else

Phi Phi

I just came back from Phi Phi the other day and was so touched by the effort of people who work endlessly 6 days a week and there’s still so much more to do. There hasn’t been much help from the government and there’s not enough media exposure, which is a pity really.
I’m thinking of doing the fund raising amongst my friends and will give the money to people of the Island, this is the least we can do really.

Along the street of Silom, I looked through the car’s window and thought that the pavements look much better and neater when it rains, the street stalls suddenly lined up under the shelter and it left more rooms for people to walk (not that many people willing to walk through the heavy rain though)

Somehow heavy rain reminded me when there was a big flood in Bangkok when I was really young. I only remember that the water was as high as my knees and I had to walk a long way to get to the car (or the boat?) to get me to school. It was fun then, but when I come to think of it now if it ever happens again, I would be petrified with the germs that come with the water.

Heading to Phi Phi

Next week on Tuesday I’m heading off to Phi Phi with my crew, a reporter and a cameraman for three days. We are going to do a story on Post-Tsunami’s Phi Phi. I’m so looking forward to it as I had been talking to some interesting people who stay and do the volunteer work there. Can’t wait to see for myself.

It’s been more than four months since 26th December last year, but the process of cleaning up still carries on, I really admire the effort and the courage of those volunteers on Phi Phi island, (they are not even Thai by the way) who try to help and make Phi Phi as beautiful as it was before Tsunami has struck. On the otherhand, Thai government seems to be doing nothing much about it anymore, I talked to some officers yesterday and couldn’t get the right answer from them.

What I did all week after talking to Andrew Hewitt, head of the Tsunami Dive Project was calling up my friends both divers and non divers and encourage them to go to Phi Phi. This is one thing people can help, just to be there. So far few friends of mine will be going and they’ll try to ask around for some work, it’s a good way to spend their long weekend, Don’t you think?

Happy Labour Day Weekend Everyone