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I hope that the introduction post of May the Force be With You will give you a little insight that Animistic beliefs are still widely practiced in Laos. As for our neighboring country Thailand, they also share this belief because Buddhism in Thailand is also closely tied to animist beliefs and belief in ancestral spirits. I found an interesting article from Koosang Koosom Magazine written by the mother of Nong Mou-Nong Mot from Maha Sarakham, Thailand that I like to share, this story will make you think twice before making a wish. This article is written in Thai language, translated by Nye.
Erawan Shrine Photographs by Kiteion
Photo source
Going back to 1990 (Thai year 2533), my husband and I were working in Krung Thep at the time, I was 3 months pregnant with my first child, my husband was ecstatic and so he went to visit the Erawan Shrine at the 4-intersection of Ratchaprasong to ask for a son. Then the day of my delivery came and we had a son just like he asked, my husband and I were very happy. We went back to give offering to Thunthou Phra Phrom Erawan (Erawan Statue), we did everything that we promised if our wish were granted. But one thing that we didn‘t do was to bring our son to pay respect to Thuntou Phra Phrom Erawan, not even once.
This was because my sons were raised by my parents in another town, they were good kids, easy to raise and I had 2 sons, the oldest was born in 1990 (2533), and the second in 1992 (2535), this one we didn’t ask for. Then in 1998 (2541), we moved back home since the boys were getting older and about time that we lived as a family. I kept thinking that I want to bring my sons to pay respect to Thunthou Phra Phrom Erawan, especially my oldest son, but since I was busy working, trying to make ends meet, and could never find the time.
During school breaks, my sons would help us at the clothing store in town to earn extra income, I worked there as a head cashier, and would get off work at 8 pm, and it’s considered late in the rural area, we did this for several years. My sons were good kids, they helped with household chores, including helping out in the rice paddy. I taught them not to forget their roots, the trade that has been passed down for many generations, we’d help each other farming during our day off, and hired out the things that we couldn’t do ourselves. Who said that having a son the mother has to do all the work, I say not true at all because ever since they were in the 5th and 6th grade, I didn’t have to wash dishes, nor clean the house because my sons did it all, they felt sorry for their mom that I had to work so late.
I was very happy and proud of my sons, but my happiness short-lived because in 2008 (2551), my oldest son had a late class and wouldn’t get out until 7 pm, he called to ask if he could stay at his friend’s dorm, I didn’t mind and only asked him not to disappoint his mom. He promised that he wouldn’t, and that was the last time that we spoke.
This is a translated article based on a real life story from Koosang Koosom Magazine, written by Mr. Nhandom from Lampang in Thai Language, translated by Nye.
[Definition: “Nung” in Thai and Lao language has two meanings, one being the DVD movies, or another as dried Buffalo skin, the usage of the word “Nung” can be confusing, the meaning depends on how it’s being used.]
I live in San Diego California, and have a friend that’s a young lady from Laos, her name is Vankeo. At the end of 2008 (Thai year 2551) Vankeo had to return to Laos after only been living in America for 2 years because her father became very ill, he was diagnosed with the last stage of cancer. She had so many obstacles prior to returning home, and the worst part was the plane ticket.
She bought her plane ticket from a Lao tour company that she saw their commercial on Lao TV broadcast from California. On the day of her traveling, she arrived at the airport but couldn’t check in because the last name on her plane ticket and her passport didn’t match. It’s true that she lacked the experience, and the tour company didn’t help her any.
At the end, she had to return the plane ticket without any refund and had to purchase another ticket from another company, which this time the owners of the Thai restaurant that she works for had helped made the arrangement to purchase the plane ticket for her, even then, her travel was delayed for 4-5 days and she missed her only chance that she couldn’t turn back the time. Her father passed away while she was on the airplane, but if she were to travel the day of her first booked ticket, then she would have enough time to say her final goodbye. She didn’t want anyone to make the same mistake as her and be the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th…case because when she returned to her birthplace this time, she thought that she would get to see her father for the last time. But things happened, she took care of her business then returned back to America.
Vankeo arrived at the Los Angeles International Airport with 2 briefcases, she went through the immigration check point with much difficulty since she is very petite and traveled by herself, even though she was 27 years old, but she looks 19-20. They checked her luggage, but no one knew what had happened to her that day until she returned to her home in San Diego. She then came back to work the following day.
This is not a ghost story, but a real life story of a headless chicken who had the will to live for another 18 months after his head got cut off, he made it on the Guinness book of world records.
“I’ve been running around like a chicken with it’s head cut off” is the line that I used a lot lately, but no more after reading this story. Mike, the chicken with his head cut off lived in the US during the mid 40s, and here I read about him in Koosang Koosom Magazine written in Thai language.
When I first read about it, I couldn’t believe of how can a chicken with his head cut off continued to live for another 18 months, that’s crazy. I had seen a chicken with its head cut off when I was little living in Thailand, and it would dance around for a couple of minutes and I guess that’s where the above term came from.
This story is very inspiring to me, physical handicap is not an obstacle, but mental handicap is most definitely is, and please get help if you think you have a mental handicap. But then again, crazy people don’t think that they are crazy, and more likely it is you that they think are crazy.
This is a true story from miketheheadlesschicken.org, and photos from LIFE: September 10th, 1945 finds a strapping (but tender) five and a half month old Wyandotte rooster pecking through the dust of Fruita, Colorado. The unsuspecting bird had never looked so delicious as he did that, now famous, day. Clara Olsen was planning on featuring the plump chicken in the evening meal. Husband Lloyd Olsen was sent out, on a very routine mission, to prepare the designated fryer for the pan. Nothing about this task turned out to be routine. Lloyd knew his Mother in Law would be dining with them and would savor the neck. He positioned his ax precisely, estimating just the right tolerances, to leave a generous neck bone. “It was as important to Suck-Up to your Mother in Law in the 40’s as it is today.” A skillful blow was executed and the chicken staggered around like most freshly terminated poultry.
It seems like I’m going backward with my photos, I took these photos first. We got to Biltmore Estate around noon time and found a place for our picnic. Apparently we weren’t the only one, and there were several that were there before us.
Seeing these Canadian geese made me think of the story that my mom told us when we were little, it’s a real life story of a man in her village of Sakon Nakhon Province in Thailand. She said that there was a man from her village that sat by the pond gazing at a herd of ducks, he was just hanging out and relaxing by the pond. He was then approached by a Chinese man, and he asked if the ducks belong to him. The man from the village said yes, and offered to sell the ducks to the Chinese man. The Chinese man then bargained and they finally settled on a price and the Chinese man paid for the ducks, the man from the village left and went home happy as a lark.
The Chinese man took the spot of the village man, he continued to sit there gazing at his newly purchased ducks, very proud of himself that he had gotten such a great deal on them. Then that evening, the ducks flew away, left him with nothing, and couldn’t get his money back because he didn’t know where the man live. I’m sure lesson learned for the Chinese man.
Have you ever been in a place or situation that it’s so tense and the air is so thick that you could cut it with a knife? I’ve been there and living it. I think many people don’t think before they speak, or maybe we just don’t see it coming, but as for me, I have to say that I am thinking more than I speak this day.
This made me think of a book that I read in December of last year, it’s called the Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni. It’s over 200 pages, and I read it in one sitting because it’s that good. The book is about a lady by the name of Kathryn Peterson who took a job as Decision Tech’s CEO, she faces the ultimate leadership crisis and has to unite a team that is in such disarray that it threatens to bring down the entire company. This book defines the dysfunctions of a team, but I think it can also be applied to any relationship, not just work related.
The first dysfunction is absence of trust. Trust is the foundation of real teamwork, and so the first dysfunction is a failure on the part of team members to understand and open up to one another, great teams do not hold back with one another, they are not afraid to air their dirty laundry, they admit their mistakes, their weaknesses, and their concerns without fear of reprisal, and the only way to do that is to overcome our need for invulnerability.
The second dysfunction is fear of conflict, if we don’t trust one another then we aren’t going to engage in open, constructive, ideological conflict, and we’ll just continue to preserve a sense of artificial harmony. The conflict here is not the same as passive, sarcastic comments, and false harmony is a result of people holding back their opinions and honest concerns, and I agreed with the book that I’d trade that false kind of harmony any day for a team’s willingness to argue effectively about an issue and then walk away with no collateral damage.
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