Daily Archives: June 3, 2005

“Impossible I’mpossible”

As the beginning of the year at school, except trying to adapt with new friends from different classes, promising to ourselves to be more hard working, or even losing some weigths we gained from holiday coz meeting friends again and getting ‘hey, you look a bit plumper, don’t you?” as a greeting in the mornings is not something pleasant to hear.. Moreover, we also need new students leaders!

This morning, most of buildings in my school had elections going on. In some (perhaps most) schools in Thailand consist of 5 or 7 parties approximately but my school, we have buildings seperating us instead; one building’s got one color..we use this thingy for some competitions in school like sports day. There were three contestants who wanted to be the president of my building. The first two are guys and the other one’s a girl, Nok, from my class. I was asked to help presenting her in each class since yesterday and two more periods this morning. I used to be student’s committee’s presenter last year..that’s why ‘speaking’ duty was mine ~ I love talking and she’s my friend so how could I deny?!

At every class, I also spoke something after Nok expressing her intention for this position. I said same types of things to each class; “Hi, I’m Bow from class 79, I used to be a school’s presenter last year and my friend, Om standing next to me used to be a students’ committee, too. We all, including those who are standing by the door, are going to be Nok’s team of working and supporting this building to be the best!” Then it was time to say something touchy but I called it some “Joke” ..In virtue of my buildings contained of different programs, art-maths, art-french, sci-com, sci-quality, sci-management and even sci-inter :p (that’s what they call themselves-they used to study sci-maths last year then changed their minds to study art-maths program instead) so I gotta say various stuff.

Sci-com >> “I know you study specifically about computer and although I study art and maths mostly but I do know computers, too. Well, I love chatting just like you guys :p Anyway, computer, whenever it’s error or crashed, it can always be restarted easily ~ but this decision, if you already made it wrong.. it’s already done..cannot restart it all over again”

Sci-Quality+Management>>”Please take a look closely to the word quality and management which relating directly to you all. You see, “U” in quality and “A” in management? If without “U” voting for Nok then the quality and management grade A like Nok just said will not appear”

And last one to art-maths, art-French and sci-inter>> “You’re all art. You study languages specifically so I’m sure you all know these two words,

“Success” and “Impossible”

First, impossible means won’t be able to happen or work out, right? So what we’re asking you here is | (1) vote from you to put here between the I and the M ..from anything “IMPOSSIBLE”, then it’ll be “I’M POSSIBLE” then

and last word, SUCCESS, if you lack of trust in Nok and our team.. there’ll be no success going on around here because S”U”CCESS without U is something else ..not success”

Then after school, Nok won.. She’s going to be this year’s Silapa Building’s president!! Congrats Nok!! We’re in the last year ..and gotta prepare for entrance exam..which is so so hard so am not sure if we can really do it the best like we wished to or not but what I strongly believe in right now is like what I kept saying to others.. IMPOSSIBLE CAN RELLY BE I’MPOSSIBLE so easily..

In brief, it’s really real to you all, too. To anyone who’s feeling like giving up or giving in something for example, learning Thai, studying to get some important scholarships, wanting to be a professional journalists, wanting to be the best in something for someone and ourselves etc. I assure my word

Impossible can be changed to I’m possible..anytime we want!!

Thai Tours Pt. Two

Yesterday I left off as Bo and I were beginning our tour of the Smithsonians many museusms here in DC. You may be asking yourself why would that be something to blog about on a blog page devoted to Thailand? Other than the fact that Bo is Thai 😛 Well actually dear reader you would be surprised just how much of Thailand you can find in the Smithsonian 🙂

From the number of Thai people that I have worked with in the business division of the museums to Thai artists and exhibits there is alot to find here you just have to know where to look. Bo and I started at the Museum of American History, mainly because there is just so much cool stuff to see!

Once we got through the lines of security, Bo waiting on me while I got my ever present book bag of Thai books and homework hand checked, we got a free museum guide and planned what to see. I told Bo whatever he wanted to see I’d show him. I should mention that all of the Smithsonian museums are free and open to the public except for the added security you have to go through each time now since 9/11. There is so much stuff crammed into this museum that is it like a maze to try and find it all.

I explained this to Bo and he said “Oh it’s Amazing?”
“Well yes but it’s like one big maze here”
“Really AMAZING!”
“No, that’s not guite what I mean 🙂 It’s a maze”
“?”
I was almost to the point of digging out my Beckers Thai-English dictionary when mai bpen rai saved the day! Later on looking at the layout for the Science in America exhibit I showed Bo that it was layed out as a Maze. Ping. Light bulb! “ooooh!” (which btw the word for ‘maze’ is taang kot kiao ทางคดเคี้ย&#3623

One of the really cool things we checked out were several exhibits like Within These Walls an actual 200 year old house built in Massachusetts. The house was taken apart piece by piece and rebuilt inside the museum so you can see how 5 different American families lived throughout our history.

Something Bo really liked was that many exhibits are interactive with dials and levers and things to pull and smell or open to show more about a certain exhibit or period of history. He was like a kid in a candy store finding stuff he wanted to photograph. I wish I had asked him to download all his pics in my computer so I could use them for this blog. All the pics you will see in this series on the museums are stock photos I found on the internet.

Walking through the main entrance hall we stopped to watch a live drama presentation by singers and actors. They were talking about what it was like 40 years ago protesting for civil rights when black people were discriminated against in America and suffered a lot to gain egual rights like the right to vote. They showed picket signs saying ‘we shall overcome’ and one woman becan to sing an emotional gospel song.

Bo was taking pictures and I asked him if he had ever heard American gospel music before. He hadn’t but he commented how it made him feel very tingly inside. Amazing how music can reach and touch people of different cultures, races and languages the same. The presentation was also at the foot of a very special exhibit in the museum. Towering above us and hanging as a backdrop was the actual three stories tall American Flag that was hung on the side of the Pentagon after the attack on September 11th. The other really cool exhibit was on the third floor and all about the Presidents and history of the Presidency of the United States.

Did you know that as far back as 1833 Presidents such as Andrew Jackson, Franklin Pierce, James Buchanan and Abraham Lincoln all received Royal Gifts from high ranking members of the Thai Court (like the Bunnak family), Prince Mongkut (later HM King Mongkut, Rama IV) and his brother Phra Pin Klao (later the Second King.)

The first official American contact with Thailand (then Siam) came in the Reign of King Nang Klao, Rama III (r.1824-1851) On a mission to negotiate a treaty of friendship and commerce this was the beginning of the exchange of gifts of state between Thailand and America in which we sent in return a steady supply of scientific books and equipment from Western missionaries requested by the King and important members of the court. This was a good opportunity for the scholarly royalty and nobility of Thailand to improve their knowleadge of Western science and culture.

Now I would love to tell you that all this information is on display at the Smithsonian. In fact you can see a display of some of the actual royal gifts in the Natural History Museum but to be honest I got all this information from one of the books in my collection “Treasure of Two Nations: Thai Royal Gifts to the United States of America” by Lisa McQuail. This is a book I bought from Asia Books in Bangkok that was actually published by the Smithsonian! It was published for the asian cultural history program and is actually one of two books I have on Thailand published by the Smithsonian.

One of the Royal Gifts also included two gorgeous swords given to President Lincoln and as I was telling Bo about that I swear he was rolling his eyes a bit “yeah I KNOW you like swords” On the Metro that day on the way headed to the museums Bo and I met a kid who had a Kendo sword used in the Japanese art of combat. I told Bo afterwards how I wanted to get a real Thai sword, or Daab, to display on my wall. I have a friend in Thailand that makes armor to re-enact Thai battles and can have a Thai sword made for me. I’m sure Bo thinks I am such a geek maybe haha.

Seeing all we wanted to see we decided to move on to our next target the Museum of Natural History! I’m really trying to keep my blogs in fairly bite sized portions 😉 so that and more to come tomorrow. My apologies if maybe I’m too long on the history lectures this time and too short on the humor 😛

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Shop for Charity

Siamese Pixie Store

If you remember my Durian post, you may remember my talking about making my online store into a fundraising store.

Alas, the Siamese Pixie Store re-opens. Well, sort of. I have a few departments of the store opened, and am still working on the rest.

The Thai Redcross Society is the first charity of choice to benefit from Siamese Pixie Store because it is one organization that will affect a wide range of people. And also, I’m partial to the TRS because it is one of the Crown Princess Maja Chakri Sirindhorn’s supported organization. Whatever project she puts her hands on will always get my support.

The rule with CafePress is that they will only send a check to me when I reach $25 in sales. Once we reach that amount, I will make an online donation straight to the TRS. All the “customers” will be notified. And then we’ll move on to another organization.

At this point, I have -$8 balance as a result of a returned item a few years ago. Once I clear that, then we’re off with raising money!

So come on by the Siamese Pixie Store today, and keep returning down the road to see new items!