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Several weeks back, I had a visitor at work; I was the first to have spotted the Luna Moth near the entrance of my work place, Luna Moth from Latin meaning moon, a large mostly pale green American saturniid moth with long tails on the hind wings. It’s rare and I was fortunate enough to have seen one. One of my friends told me that it’s believed that your passed loved one has come to visit you, I often wonder how true this is.
Mother’s Day is around the corner, for some of us, they are no longer with us physically but will always be with us spiritually. It is very difficult for our family during this time of the year; this is the second Mother’s Day without our mom. We often buy plants or flowers for our mom during Mother’s Day, some of my sisters are still doing this. My younger sister bought a Chinese pear tree for her this year, I bought one before her passing, she wanted to plant one so that her grandchildren can enjoy the fruits, my younger sister was afraid that it might not bear fruits because this type of fruit tree needs two to cross pollinate, my dad planted the tree last weekend.
My third sister’s husband that lives in NYC bought roses for my mom last weekend for Mother’s day, my mom loved roses. My sister placed the vase in her bedroom and came back out to the living room, to her surprise; she found a clipped rose on the floor. This puzzled her because she arranged those roses herself; she went back to check on the roses and sure enough, one was clipped off from the vase. She asked her husband and he didn’t do it, and her little girl that is a year old was asleep at the time. We all believed that it was my mom trying to communicate to my sister, to tell her that she received her flower, thank you for her Mother’s Day gift.
Laos Water Buffalo, Southeast Asia, 1968, this was taken almost 40 years ago, photograph by Wilbur E. Garrett.
A herd of water buffalo charges down a dirt road in rural Laos. In Laos, one of the poorest countries in Southeast Asia, domesticated water buffalo are used for their meat, hides, and milk, and also for plowing and transportation.
(Photograph shot on assignment for, but not published in, “The Mekong: River of Terror and Hope,” December 1968, National Geographic magazine) Source.
In 1975 the communist took over Laos, hundreds of thousands of Laotians fled our homeland as refugees to our neighboring countries, one being Thailand, and then immigrated to various parts of the world. As I recalled while living at the Camp in Thailand before coming to the US, my parents and others had to answer a series of questions as to their profession whilst living in Laos, and of course as we all know that Laos is a predominately majority agriculture country therefore many are farmers. As farmers, one had to own water buffalo(es) for plowing the land for farming, and one of the questions that were asked was, ‘How many teeth does a water buffalo have on top and bottom?’ I think it doesn’t take a genius to answer this question, but it does take a real farmer because most of us don’t pay much attention to water buffaloes even when they’re smiling at us.
See what I’m talking about, of course those that lied about being farmers didn’t pass and this delayed their getting acceptance to the US, and other counties as well. Most people just assumed that water buffaloes have a full set of teeth on top and bottom, but the ones in Laos’s only have teeth on the bottom, please correct me if yours have teeth on top 
.
Gung Hay Fat Choy, Happy Chinese New Year…May Prosperity Be With You.
Chinese New Year is just a couple of days away; this year is February 7, 2008. It is the year of the Rat, the Rat is the first sign of the zodiac, as Rat people are creative problem solver, imaginative, hyperactive worker respected for its resourcefulness; intuitive with ability in acquiring and holding on to things it values. If you are curious about other animals, and see what your birth animal sign will bring in 2008, you can read Chinese animal predictions 2008 by Michael Hanna, a Feng Shui master.
According to Michael, Chinese astrology is not like western astrology. The whole idea of it is to be informed of what may come and how you can apply cures and enhancers to avoid potential problems and having the information in advance, you can avoid many of the problems that are forecasted. The information will also assist you to be prepared and to make informed decisions that may affect your wellbeing and endeavors. It is important that you know when and how to avoid the bad influences during the year… you will come across websites or other Practitioners who will predict all sorts of doom and gloom for a certain animal in any year, please take this with a pinch of salt and enjoy a great 2008.
I think what I miss most during this time of the year is Chinatown New York, when I lived there, I used to go see the parade, following them from store to store, firecrackers made lots of noise but it was loads of fun. I found some photos of Chinese New Year Parade 2006 in Chinatown New York taken by Emin New York that brought back many of my childhood memories growing up in NYC.
The photos from Laos reflect the serenity, the laid-back life style of the people, something that I remembered as a kid. Laos is predominately Buddhism, our Buddhist lifestyle is described as the daily living in simplicity, peace, gratitude, wisdom, and compassion, and when I see videos and photos from Laos, they clearly reflect and confirm the simplicity of life that Laos has to offer.
Of course, you hear different story from people that went back to visit, from relatives that live there, from those that came to visit, especially about young Lao girls, the accumulation of material wealth seems to be on the mind for most, and for some, sad to say that they are willing to farm on their little piece of land (yes, it means that they’d go into pr0stitution by choice), and some would choose the profession of Mia Noy (mistress) as Chinese people called it Ernai, a modern version of concubines, a new profession for women in China. Is this profession gradually inching up on Lao girls as well?
Photo by Waterdragonfly
I love Christmas lights display, when I first saw Christmas trees inside people’s home; it was somewhat shocking to me. I came to the US during this time of the year, December 8th to be exacted, and our sponsor, the Chinese Christian Church came to pick us up at JFK Airport, took us in the church van and drove us through the lighted streets in Brooklyn, as I watched in amazement that people actually placed lighted trees inside their home, I thought this was the normal practice, never realized at the time that it was just during Christmas season. For someone who came from a tropical forest Laos, I adjusted well to my new home of the concrete jungle of NYC.
Christmas season marked a new beginning for our family; I knew how much my mom loved Christmas lights. It was during this time, last year that she wanted to go outside to see the Christmas lights display in her neighborhood, but it was too cold and she was too ill to be able to sit in a moving vehicle. Even though she didn’t get to see the Christmas lights, but she knew how beautiful the night scenery was during this time of the year because we drove around in the past just to see the Christmas lights display.
As for those that loss their loved ones, any holiday season can be depressing, this I know too well. I was glad to receive a letter from the Funeral Home that served our family, I was pleased with them during the time of my mom’s funeral service as they clearly respected our tradition, but this is something beyond what we were expecting, the letter read:
“As this most special time of the year approaches, we have been thinking about you and your family and the other families we have served this year during the loss of loved ones. You are in our thoughts and prayers, because we know the holiday season can be a lonely time during your period of bereavement. To let you know that we care and understand, we have erected a Christmas tree at each of our funeral homes as a memorial to the loved ones who have left their families this year.”
My dad, sisters, and I went by to see the Christmas tree today; this was the first time I’ve been back since I picked up my mom’s ashes back in January. A lady that works there greeted us; she remembered our family.
This was the last day for the families to pick up the ornaments of their loss loved ones, surprisingly the Christmas tree still looked full with hand-painted ornaments with names on them, and there was one for my mom for us to take home. I think most people are busy during this time of the year, but surely the memory of their loss loved ones are still in their heart.
I don’t normally give gifts to my sisters, but this year I purchased additional hand painted ornaments with my mom’s name on one side, and in back have the year 2007 for my sisters. As for those that loss their loved ones, no matter how long time has passed, we still miss them dearly.
This is my first Thanksgiving without my mom, and of course, there will be no Thanksgiving celebration for us. I think it is harder on holidays for those that lost their love ones, as I know that many share my feeling.
My first year without Thanksgiving, but I am thankful to be here today. I’m thankful for my parents, especially my mom, I truly believe that her death has made me what I am today…a survivor. I came from a large family, and we celebrated Thanksgiving every year as long as I could remember, to us we celebrated our freedom, our new home in the US, and we also celebrated the true reason behind Thanksgiving, which is a traditional to give thanks at the conclusion of the harvest season.
This is my 1-year anniversary of blogging and I’m thankful for WordPress, to the wonderful people behind the scene who have made this possible for me to express myself, my ideas. My first song and post that I posted here was for my mom, she was ill at the time, it was NOK-KRA-DAD (Paper Crane) by Dan of D2B, a message sending out via song of paper cranes in hoping that it would heal her, it was my last hope…I played the song almost everyday.
Today, the song has a whole new meaning for me. It carries the message that was inscribed at a statue of Sadako holding a golden crane in Hiroshima Peace Park, which the children had made a wish which inscribed at the bottom of the statue and reads,
“This is our cry, This is our prayer, Peace in the world”
I’m thankful for my friends and family that have helped me through the rough times, I’m a lot stronger today and special thanks to them, and to my readers, without you I wouldn’t be here blogging today.
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone. 
As I was flipping through one of my new Thai magazines that I received in the mail the other day, I came across a photo of myself, well, not really me but even I couldn’t tell that she wasn’t me. It’s like a déjà vu moment; I must have that generic look or something. This happened to me more than once.
One time, it was several years back, I was at work, went into a kitchenette to get my morning coffee, and saw someone smiling at me, a perfect stranger, but yet something about him that looked familiar. I quickly smiled back, said hi, got my coffee and left. What stuck in my mind was his familiar smile; it’s almost the image of me looking at myself in the mirror, strange but so true. I found out through one of my co-workers that he’s Malaysian, never knew his name, but he’s out there looking very much like me, could easily pass as my twin brother.
Another time was when I was living in NYC; I was in my early 20s. My third sister told me that she ran into a Chinese girl that looked just like me, same height, face, and didn’t realize that it wasn’t me until she started talking to her, which she thought was me. It must have been that look of “Do I know you?” that made her realized that it wasn’t me. She told me about it later, I thought nothing of it, and maybe I’d run into her one day.
When we first came to the US, we were introduced to eating Ginkgo seeds, but at the time, we didn’t know what they were. We used to live near Brooklyn Botanical Garden, and my mom took us there almost every weekend because it was within walking distance from our apartment. There were rows of tall Ginkgo trees, and during the fall season, the leaves turn to a beautiful golden yellow color, the seeds mature and fall on the ground, about the size of your toe and round. We saw several Chinese people picking the fruits from the ground, the outer layer of the fruit was soft and mushy, which you can’t eat, we never tried, mainly because it stinks to high heaven, but the nut part of the seed you could eat. I hated picking those things because they were so stink, it’d leave the smell on your hand for a long time, we didn’t know about surgical gloves back then either.
Photo originally uploaded by: djgoldberg
It was last year, during Labor Day weekend, a week before 9/11 when I had a chance to revisit NYC. I grew up in NYC, went to school in Manhattan, and this trip meant coming to term with many things that I had been trying to avoid, such as, I had not seen my friends in 10 years, I had not visited ground zero since 9/11 event, I guess it was a trip of closure for me, we all need to make that trip in life, sooner or later.
We left Friday evening, and drove all night, my GI Joe sister who had been back dozens of time told us that the skyline was not the same, and her first time that she saw brought tears to her eyes. I stayed awake all night because I didn’t want to miss seeing NYC skyline, the view became clearer when we reached the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.
This story is very similar to my childhood growing up in Laos, and Thailand, time has changed and all was left were the happy thought and the familiar path of my memory lane.
This is translated article based on a real life story from Koosang Koosom Magazine, written by Boukeow in Thai Language, translated by Ginger.
The aroma of Pad Thai in the air, this was very typical in the afternoon after I got off from school, I’d recognize that it’s my mom Pad Thai that she’s selling every evening. After the school let us out, my friends and I would take a shortcut through the rice paddy fields to get home, it’s approximately 2 kilometers (1.24 miles). The aroma of my mom’s Pad Thai made us wanting to get home faster, so we could eat it while it’s still hot and yummy.
When we reached approximately 50 meters (0.03 mile) from our village; we’d often race to see who’d get there first. Some would falloff the walking path (Kunna) along the rice paddy field, then got up and raced as fast as we could, we could hear our laughter in the air, and it’s so much fun.
Past Thailand: “Transport old and new, Chiang Mai - 3-14-1959″ photo by Wally Higgins
Continued from Part I
This is a translated article from Koosang Koosom Magazine, written by Dek Doi Hongk 5 written in Thai Language, translated by Ginger.
Some days I would go to the farm with my parents to help out. I came from a family of farmers, and we raised fruit crops, such as mangoes, maakhram (tamarine), papaya, lynchee, lumyai (longan fruit), chumpoh (java apple), and the latest that my dad is planting are citrus trees which my dad has some help from his older brother.
My mom grew mostly vegetables, she organically grew hers, so she had many people that would come directly to our farm to buy and her prices are very reasonable, cheap you might even say. We never had to buy fruit or vegetables.
K Speaking! has tagged me, on 10 random facts about my mom, as some of you might have known that she passed away January of this year, we all miss her a great deal and this is very difficult for me to write about her.
1. My mom gave birth to 8 girls, all natural births by midwife in Laos, and she breast-fed all of us, if I sound a bit intelligent, I have her breast milk to thank for.
2. My mom had a classic beauty, dressed very stylish but yet very conservative. She made her own clothes, and was a seamstress in Laos, she worked at home while caring for all of us. She sewed school uniforms for all of us, and also our clothings while we were growing up.
3. When I got old enough to sew, about 10 years old, she made me sew my own clothes and had to wear them also, I hated it at the time, but now thinking back, I’ve her to thank for because now I can sew my own draperies, pillows, bed spreads, and many more.
This is a translated article from Koosang Koosom Magazine, written by Dek Doi Hongk 5 written in Thai Language, translated by Ginger.
I live in Mae Fah Luang of Mueang Chiang Rai, Thailand. I’m one of the hill tribes’ people. Our village is very small; we live on high land that is approximately 60 kilometers from Chiang Rai.
As for our village, my grandfather was one of the founders, during that time, they escaped the war from Laos, shortly after that people started to migrate and joined the village. Currently, there are about 200 families living in our village, we are Pow Yout, or also known as Mien.
It’s time to reflect, time for a new beginning, even for the Thai political arena, the court dissolved the party and banned Thaksin from politics for five years. Below are from Manager online written in Thai language and it read, “we’ve to thank ITV, because as soon as the verdict came out, the camera was capturing the night sky; what we saw was the dark cloud moving passed the full moon; that signify the bright future ahead, which was shielded by the dark shadow of evilness all these years.” I couldn’t have said it better myself, that was beautiful.
ต้องขอบคุณสถานีโทรทัศน์ทีไอทีวี ที่ทันทีที่ตุลาการรัฐธรรมนูญ อ่านคำวินิจฉัยให้ยุบพรรคไทยรักไทย กล้องของทีไอทีวีจับภาพไปบนท้องฟ้า เป็นภาพของเมฆดำที่เคลื่อนออกจากเงาของดวงจันทร์ เปรียบเหมือนความสว่างไสวที่ถูกเงามืดบดบังกำลังกลับคืนมา และความชั่วร้ายกำลังมลายไป
It has been 1 week since we launched the new Lao Planet – Lao Voices Online, so far we have 6 contributors which are DJ, Ginger, Padek, Salat, Sim, and Vienne, and out of these 6 are 3 active authors, I’m one of the authors, writing by the name of Ginger, Darly as DJ, and Padek (fermented fish or anchovies, some might say that the name fits him well, I think he might have earned this name from the old LP forum, who would have thought that he’d pick this name for himself), but don’t let the name Padek intimidates you because he is actually a very nice guy. The new Lao Planet has once again stood proudly, the sun always shines after the rain; I think Darly has done a superb job and handled the situation extremely well. I’m hoping that our old members wouldn’t be too shy and would decide to join us as contributors, remember that ‘Our Voice Must Be Heard’, don’t let a little shyness prevent you from expressing your voice, Lao Planet’s door is always open for you to voice your opinion.
When I was little, one of my favorite’s entertainments at night was looking at the moon, the stars, while listening to country music on the radio (I couldn’t believe that I used to listen to Thai country music, must be where I was living at the time); sounds romantic right? Well hold on to that thought because I was only about 7 or 8 years old at the time. As time has passed, the moon is still as beautiful to me as decades ago, time certainly didn’t change how I feel, but it did change the appearance of the moon, to me anyway. When I was little, the moon seemed a lot bigger, I’m not sure if it was because I was so little or it’s actually bigger in the country sky.
Every time I see the moon, I’m almost ashamed to admit that these thoughts came to mind. I think it might sound a bit childish and some might think it’s an idiotic way of thinking, but have you ever thought that there are over 6 billion people living in the world, fighting and competing for everything, complaining that there’s not enough this or that, but there’s only 1 moon, yet I’ve never once heard people complaining that there’s not enough to go around. Strange, this is the one thing that we don’t mind sharing, admiring its beauty and not once, want it all to ourselves.
A Mother’s Love
There are times when only a Mother’s love
Can understand our tears,
Can soothe our disappointments,
And calm all of our fears.
There are times when only a Mother’s love
Can share the joy we feel
When something we have dreamed about
Quite suddenly is real.
There are times when only a Mother’s faith
Can help us on life’s way
And inspire in us the confidence
We need from day to day.
For a Mother’s heart and a Mother’s faith
And a Mother’s steadfast love
Were fashioned by the Angels
And sent from God above.
Author: Michael Okahunle Adesanya
Happy Mother’s Day
For One More Day by Mitch Albom is a book I finished last night; One of my co-workers lend it to me because she thinks I’m a ghost freak and would absolutely love it, but I also wonder if she lend it to me because of my mom. The book is bittersweet and heart warming to read, this is part of the book:
Now, when I say I saw my dead mother, I mean just that. I saw her. She was standing by the dugout, wearing a lavender jacket, holding her pocketbook. She didn’t say a word. She just looked at me.
I tried to lift myself in her direction then fell back, a bolt of pain shooting through my muscles. My brain wanted to shout her name, but there was no sound from my throat.
I lowered my head and put my palms together. I pushed hard again, and this time I lifted myself halfway off the ground. I looked up.
She was gone.
For One More Day is the story of a mother and a son, and a relationship that covers a lifetime and beyond. It explores the question: What would you do if you could spend one more day with a lost loved one?
As a child, Charley “Chick” Benetto was told by his father, “You can be a mama’s boy or a daddy’s boy, but you can’t be both.” So he chooses his father, only to see the man disappear when Charley is on the verge of adolescence.
Decades later, Charley is a broken man. His life has been crumbled by alcohol and regret. He loses his job. He leaves his family. He hits bottom after discovering his only daughter has shut him out of her wedding. And he decides to take his own life.
He makes a midnight ride to his small hometown, with plans to do himself in. But upon failing even to do that, he staggers back to his old house, only to make an astonishing discovery. His mother — who died eight years earlier — is still living there, and welcomes him home as if nothing ever happened.
It has been over 2 months since my mom passed away, I often dreamed of her, and have so many stories to tell but every time I would sit down in front of my computer, my emotion gets the best of me. My sisters told me to write about the stories surrounding her death; true stories that we encountered; I can’t say that they would qualify as ghost story, strange phanominal, or mystery. Maybe someday, I’ll have the courage to share but as right now, it’s still seems like a nightmare to all of us, I hope you all will understand. [Edit: The story about my mom, Who's There?]
This is a story from Koosang Koosom, from a country girl, a bit backward but very interesting, written in Thai language, Photo by Peter Whittlesey.
The majority of manufacturer workers are from out of state, mostly from the Issan region of Thailand, which have very little education, but some have bachelor degree but still work as factory workers. As for my friends, and I, we’re from Issan region and don’t get pay a lot, average income are approximately a bit over 100 Baht per day ($3) depending on seniority, those that have been there longer would get paid more. I’ve been there for about 8 years, but I’m not bragging, I get pay almost 200 Baht per day ($6.12), if I have over time, then it’s plenty for me to cover my living expenses.
I was inspired to write about the topic ‘Foods From Nature’, after seeing all the vegetables and fishes from Darly’s post On The Border Grocery Shopping, at Laocuisine.net. I was born and raised in Champasak region, and I remembered my mom told me that many different types of food can be found in nature, whether it’s mushrooms, bamboo shoots, ant eggs, and various type of eatable flowers that grown in the wild, such as Dork Kaeh, Dork Ka Jewl, and leaves such as Pak Varn (sweet vegetable), or Pak Ka Dao (bitter taste), and the best part about them are that these are free from any type of pesticide, and really FREE because they are grown in the forest.
Most locals knew when these vegetables would come out and where to go to find them. It was funny when my mom said that somehow, your body knew when mushrooms were in season, you would have a craving for them, your mouth would start to salivate just thinking about them. Not to mention other types of wild vegetables and flowers that would take turn to sprout out all year long, there were always something to eat all year round. Then there were plenty in the water also, whether it’s cockles, snails, prawns, sao noi discos (dancing shrimp), frogs, and fishes. On land, there were plenty of eatable insects that were very popular among the locals, which I don’t find them very appetizing.
Even though this picture was painted at a different place and different time, but the feeling after looking at it brought back my childhood memory. When I was little, my sisters took us to the Mekong River to bath in the evening, by the time we finished it was dusk. This picture reminded me of looking from where I stood to the other side of the Mekong River. It’s very odd, different place, different time, but same feeling. The simplicity of the picture can make your imagination run wild, something that I can look at for a long, long time.
In the darkness of the night, you can see there were lights at several spots on the picture, the reflections of those lights on the water make me wonder what were on the other side, and what were the people doing. The huge body of water, the soft colors made me think that there might be a crescent or full moon above, but strangely, there’s no reflection on the water.
This art piece is called Nocturne: Blue and Silver – Cremorne Lights, it was painted by an American artist, James Abbott McNeil Whistler, 1872, oil on canvas.
My mom recently passed away. This is a eulogy that we wrote for her and my nephew gave the speech, he’s the fist boy (grandson) in the family.
Author: Ginger, Co-author: Youngest sister, Nephew
I am deeply saddened, but honored to be here today to say my final farewell to my grandmother (Ma tou). As the first of her seven grandchildren, I’m fortunate enough to share many years and memories with her. She help raised me when I was younger. She taught me the proper manners, put clothes on my back, put food in my stomach, and made me into the man I am today. I am very grateful for her love and kindness. She was my second mom, and I want her to know that I love her and miss her very much.
I would like to say a final farewell on behalf of my grandfather (Pou tou). ‘Ma tou’ was his life companion for 50 years. Not only that, but she was his best friend. If ever there was a problem, he could always count on her to be by his side. Through thick and thin, she was caring and supportive. She was truly a phenomenal wife. He wishes her well on her journey to heaven.
I would also like to say a final farewell on behalf of my mom and all of my aunts. ‘Ma tou’ was a remarkable woman. She did the finest job of raising eight beautiful, successful hard-working women. She devoted her life to teach, give guidance, and care for her family. We always came first in her heart as she is in our hearts right now. We would not be who we are today without her. How do you say goodbye and thank you to someone who gave so much of herself and asked for so little in return? All she ever wanted was for us to be happy.
Have you ever want to be a kid again? Actually we all can if we want to and it’s not that hard to do at all. Many psychologists called this Play Therapy, and this will help you control your emotion better. It also helps you to become more creative and more imaginative. Us adult tend to be too serious about everything, and if we can think like little kid, it will be great. I remember when I was little, I used to think that the sky is the limit, and anything is possible. This way of thinking also alleviates stress. If you don’t know what to play, I have some suggestions for you and if you can’t remember the rules, then just ask a kid, he/she can help you out.
Every time when I see a full moon, especially on the 12th month of the year (12th Luna month, sometimes fall on November), I can’t help but to think of Loi Krathong Festival in Thailand. I was only a kid then, but some of my childhood memories were so vivid that always bring a smile to my face. I used to live in Khampang Phet, Northern part of Thailand and Loi Krathong Festival was a big deal for our family.
Loi Krathong is a traditional Thai way of life, it is widely believed that these are offerings made to Mae Khongkha (mother of waters) either to please her in an expression of gratitude for providing life-sustaining water throughout the year, and to ask her for forgiveness for man’s carelessness in polluting the water that nourishes all life. Many also believe that by setting adrift the krathong, one symbolically casts away one’s grief, misery, and ill fortunes. Coins are also placed in the krathong as offerings. For the romantic at heart and young couples, Loi Krathong is the time to make wishes for happiness together and success in love.
I love this picture, very backward to some but very charming to me. I guess the old saying ‘Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder’ still holds true.
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