Daily Archives: May 22, 2005

Thank you, BTS security!

A few days ago was still in my first week of this semester so I hang around Siam Square (popular square for Bkk’s people especially teenagers to spend time and money at due to heaps of entertainment) for a while because I felt like I didn’t wanna go back home yet although I knew it with all my heart, my mind, my soul and even every hair pore in my skin told me that it was time for me to start preparing myself for the big coming exam to enter the university .. but I still obeyed my quiet darker side (C’mon it’s still the first week) :p

At one moment, I realized it was nearly getting dark and I could sense my mum worrying about me somehow so I got on the skytrain as usual in order to go home which was going to be a long long way ahead. That day, as the first days of school’s start, there were ‘welcoming juniors’ activities after school but I didn’t enjoy it much coz it was juniors’ time.. My friends and I, as seniors, already did it last year. Then a couple of juniors came in (ran in actually because of hearing the ‘beep beep beep’ sound, which usually makes people run crazily to get on the train just in time, from the train’s driver) and stood next to me. I heard them talking about activities in the evening and I was eager to know about it so I put my bags (bag on the back and school handbag) down on the floor (while observing other people, if you have experienced getting on the BTS sky train, you would know what I mean :p staring at one another) behind me and started to listen.

They talked about how self-confident juniors were but none at all from freshmen, how funny things happened and how problems occured. I felt it touching my heart and my memories inside since then.. last two years, I was in the position of being welcomed then last year, I got a chance to welcome my own freshmen..now, it’s my last year here ~ I’m leaving my beloved school real soon. I wondered how fast time passed..well, I guess one old saying is true, “Time of happiness always pass us by too soon but when being sad or desperate, it seems to stay with us forever”. I didn’t want to think of the last day, tears.. hugs ~ and words like goodbyes, I would be too sad to easily imagine. But I can see I haven’t started reading books, maybe I will fail, perhaps I can’t attend any universities.. well, that would be great, I could stick around here in my school for one more year! It seemed to be a pretty good idea then I went back conciously and told myself whiningly, “Wake up Bow! You’ve gone crazy” :p

Soon, the conversation was over and I finally heard “Next station, Onnut, terminal station, thank you!” 🙂 I sent my messages through the wind telling mum “I’m coming!”, got my bag and got out of the train hurriedly because it was already dark. I got down the stairs ..slowly then waited (and also breathed heaps of CO) for the bus.. 10 min, 20 min, 30 min.. at 32nd min, the bus came! I got on it and discovered loads of tuna(ppl) in the tin(bus) ~ I gotta stand people different smell who stood so close around me and stand without knowing when I could get a seat and knowingly percepted that I might not get any seat at all till I got home .. I searched for money in my pocket and found exact 11bht as a bus fee 🙂 I smiled cuz I knew money keepers love coins and exact amount of fee ..then I grabbed the pole next to me and ‘WHY MY HANDS ARE SO EMPTY?!” “ARENT THEY TOO EMPTY?!” – – “THIS’ ODD!” ..”Oh, my Buddha, I forgot my school handbag(containing of two new maths books, mp3 player and my own purse)!!”

I got out of the bus at the next stop and walked back with the darkness surrounded to the sky train station ~ praying all the way back there .. I ran up the escalator directly to the nearest security ~ There it was! My very own darling baggy ~ !! I signed and confirmed my name for it 🙂 I got it back at last!!! Felt so relieved.. wouldn’t be any happier to get anything..just one thing good in a day full of bad luck like that (it started since the cats and dogs rain in the morning which caused flood everywhere in my village that I didn’t know how to get out of the house)..

I used to be annoyed of those securities ~ because I always got out of the train at the last station and I could get a seat just one station before Onnut..always, so when I arrived, I wanted to sit a little more..at least one more second would be great ~ as soon as the doors opened, security came in to check if there’s anyone or anything left and I always got bundled off ‘gogo!! last station!’ – -” but after this happened, I have changed my feelings to be in love with these securities lol!!!

Although there are accidents happening from BTS or MRT sometimes because machines don’t have thoughts and authentic brains .. but I’m now sure that there’s at least one thing I can truly rely on and that is caring system caused by real human beings who are technically our planet earth’s friends 🙂 ~

Don’t worry if you forget or lose or anything sth on the transportations “up there” here in Thailand because they’ll be responsible for it and will try the hardest to get it back to us 🙂

PS. I get nothing for presenting this, by the way :p

Kroissant at Siam Jusco, Laksi

At Siam Jusco, Laksi, in Chaengwattana Road, there used to be a lovely tea and pastry shop called Kroissant. It was situated at the entrance on the left side of the shopping complex. The décor was modern with small circular tables and steel chairs. You could enter the tea house through a swinging glass door.

There were many varieties of tea. Jasmine tea had a very strong flavour. My favourite used to be apple tea and cherry tea. Cherry tea especially reminded one of cherry blossoms and cherry orchards.

Kroissant also served exquisite cakes and pastries. Once I encountered my instructor Mr. Park (from South Korea) there along with his wife. Needless to say that my bills that day were paid for by the affectionate couple.

When I revisited the place in 2002, August, Kroissant had moved out. I hope it continues to function from some other premises. Good products and services should be supported so that they do not go out of the market.

Wisakha Puja Day

Today is the most important day in the Buddhist year. It marks the birth, enlightenment and death of the Buddha. On this day, good Buddhists go to the temple early in the morning to make merit. Then they return in the evening to take part in a candle-lit procession. I thought I would take this opportunity today to talk more about making merit. I have told you before how to make merit properly. But, this time I want to talk about how to get better results from your merit making.

Levels of Making Merit

First I want to refer to a survey carried out a number of years ago where people were asked to place ten items in the correct order of what they thought would give them the most merit:

1. Becoming a monk
2. Contributing enough money for the construction of a monastery
3. Having a son ordained as a monk
4. Making excursions to Buddhist shrines throughout Thailand
5. Contributing towards the repair of a monastery
6. Giving food daily to the monks and giving food on holy days
7. Becoming a novice
8. Attending a temple on all holy days and obeying the eight precepts on these days
9. Obeying the five precepts at all times

Source: Monks and Magic by B.J. Terwiel

The Alms, the Monk and the Donor

The result of making merit depends on the qualifications of the three components. These are the receiver, the alms and the donor. The result of making merit would depend very much on how the alms-receiver is. If we offer alms to a monk, the purer and more observant the monk is, the more merit we will receive.

If we give food as an alms to animals, in terms of merit, we will receive very little. The reasons is that an animal is in a lower position than human beings. The animals cannot observe religious precepts. Buddhists believe that observing precepts is moral training or a purification process. For the same reason, if we give alms to those people who do not have the 5 precepts in mind, for example mischievious people, we will receive very little merit, but more than offering to animals.

We will gain more merit if the receiver observes the 5 precepts (refrain from killing, stealing, from sexual misconduct, from lying and from taking intoxicants). We would then gain even more merit if they observed 8 or 10 precepts. And of course even more if it was a monk who observes his 227 precepts completely.

But, we also have to be aware that the alms we offer is clean. For example, if you offer something that doesn’t belong to you. If you are immoral as well and the monk doesn’t observe properly all 227 precepts, then you won’t receive merit. Only if you are morally clean and have good intentions, and so is the monk who observes his religious precepts perfectly, then this alms-giving will result in a full and perfect merit.

Main Source: How to get Good Results from Making Merit

Merits from Alms Giving

I will finish with what Thai people believe will happen to them if they offer certain kinds of things to the monks:

* If you offer rice or any stable food, you will be happy and healthy all through your life
* If you offer clothing, in your next life, you won’t have a problem with clothing and will also have beautiful skin
* If you offer candles, flashlight and incense sticks you will have beautiful and bright eyes. Also, in your next life you will not need glasses
* If you offer a Buddha image, in your following life you will be as beautiful as that image
* If you offer religious books or donate text books and learning materials for school children, you will be intelligent in your next life
* If you offer soap, skin lotion or cleansing facilities, you will have nice and beautiful skin
* If you donate money and materials for constructing buildings in the monastery, you will have a big and beautiful house in your next life
* If you build bathrooms and toilets for the monastery and help to build public hospitals, you will have a healthy and happy life
* If you offer toothpicks, toothbrushes and toothpaste, you will have beautiful and strong teeth
* If you donate blood, kidney or other part of your body, you will have a fit body and vigorous health in your future lives.

Source: How to get Good Results from Making Merit