donna

the REALLY dumb thing is that i live on a small island on the beach. when the alarm goes off, the trucks all go screaming along the road telling everyone who lives inland about the tsunami, but us people on the beach only hear about it when our concerned friends ring us!

I went to an isaan wedding a few months ago. I can only tell you what I saw and how I have interpreted these events.

The bride stayed at home whilst the local lady boys came over and made her up. Her dress was cream and gold and was hired from the local shop for about 800Baht.

Once she was ready and suitably covered in about half an inch of make-up, the signal was sent to the house up the road where the groom was waiting with his family.

They formed a procession up the road and carried some banana leaves and candles with them. Once they reached the brides home, the groom had his feet washed and made his way inside.

About 60 people crammed inside the home and the local village head and shaman (I am assuming anyway) were there and they said some prayers for the couple (who, I might add, were 15 and 19 years old!). Strings were tied around the couples wrists by eveyone there and photos were taken. The drunk older lady there kept on pushing the couples heads together when people popped money into either the bride or grooms mouths. (Needless to say they were very embarrassed about this).

A cow was slaughtered and this beast was brought to the home the night before the wedding. One family member had to stay up all night to watch the meat so that the local dogs wouldn't eat it. Needless to say he was legless in the morning because of all the lao khao he consumed to stop him from being bored.

After the ceremony, the couple walked upstairs into the specially prepared bedroom. This room was completely decked out in pink! Pink sheets, pink blankets, pink mosquito net and pink curtains. The couple had to pose with their families for photos.

When all that was done, the guests hoed into the slaughtered cow (about 80% of this was consumed raw) and drank lots of lao khao, beer, red fanta and coke.

Karaoke was sung, kids cried, old ladies were drunk and I (as always) got stuck talking to the drunkest man in the village who looked like he was dancing, but he was really only going to get another beer.

All up, it was a fun wedding. Good luck.

Ive always got my legs waxed, but to do it myself is unbearable to think of. I am more than happy to pay a lovely girl to do the dirty work.

Inevitably, the girl I usually see in Bangkok asks me "Donna, you want me to take it all off?". I nearly died when she asked me.

whats good about men?

hmm...let me see...

they can usually get the lid off the sauce bottle?

(after it's bee loosened up by the woman I would say)

Thanks, gents, for all your help. I have Nero 6.0.0.19. I don't have the plug in.

I suspect that I just 'wrote' it to the DVD, not made a DVD movie. That's where I am going wrong. I think I will either get the plug in, or buy the Pinnacle software. Their demo looks impressive, and it APPEARS to be not TOO hard to use. (We'll see).

Another question on the Movie Maker software, what format to music files need to be in in order to import them into the movie? I can't seem to import files straight from an audio CD onto the movie.

Thanks again.

Thanks Bangbuathong.

I have Windows Moviemaker 2.1 already, but am having trouble with actually creating the DVD. I can put the movie onto my PC, edit it and add titles etc. But when I come to writing it to DVD, I am having trouble.

I have tried using Nero, but it only plays on a PC, not on a regular DVD player.

Am I just being a bit thick and not realising that there is a really easy way to do this within the Moviemaker software?

Does anyone know of an easy software that I can buy which will enable me to take a video from a camera, put it onto my PC where I can edit it by adding music etc?

I have Windows Movie Maker, and whilst this is OK for still photos, adding effects etc, I am having trouble with the type of format for music to be put on the CD. Does anyone know what format the music files need to be in?

Or, is there a simple, idiot proof software that I can simply load and play with?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

....Consult your family doctor on this before you leave and take the bloody pills !

I've been here over three years and never taken an anti-malaria pill. Where exactly is it prevalent in Thailand?

I have had it 3 times already and it could have come from a number of places. Khao Sok is renowned for it, with about 20 cases a year. Nasty.

Around the northern areas where trekking is popular, there is a risk also.

As I have been here for over 6 years now, I didn't feel the need to take anti-malarials, as they are an anti-biotic and the long term effects aren't very nice.

But, I can tell you this for free. Having Malaria made me want to die. It sucked. And gets worse every time.

I've not had any dangerous experiences as such, but a girlfriend of mine gets cabs from the airport often. She has had about 5 drivers doze off whilst driving on the top deck of the toll road! She has to whack them in the shoulder to wake them up. One of them had the gall to tell her that it was 'bpep diao' and that she shouldn't worry!

Crazy.

[These hours do not apply to transactions in wholesale quantities.

Just exactly how much do I have to drink in order for it to be regarded as wholesale ??

I think I saw a sign in Big C saying 10 litres.

I had to do it twice! My first krathong started heading towards an inflatable runabout, and I was afraid that the candle and incense would pop it! The owner soon came by and reversed his boat right over my krathong!

The second one was much more successful and floated off into Phang Nga Bay with the candle ablaze and incence burning gently.

Happy Loy Krathong everyone. May you all have lots of luck and success in the coming year.

Thanks Meadish. I appreciate your help. Will pass it on to my client.

Donna.

Can someone please tell me how to say "Allergic to Sesame Seeds" in Thai? I have a guest coming who cannot eat them. Although I know that these are not all that common in Thailand, I would still like to be able to tell them how to say it in Thai.

Thanks.

I know of a couple staying in the resort I'm working in and they both graduated two years ago.

At age 71!

Hunters and Collectors. Living in Large Rooms and Lounges.

Hunners!

I, too, emailed Shayne about this position.

No reply.

The only reason I can think of is that he was inundated with applicants, but it is a little unprofessional to not even respond to those who took the time to apply.

Lordsux, please, please get to a hospital sooner than Monday. If you are having respiratory problems now, it may indicate something more serious. I dont want to scare you but PLEASE go to a doctor as soon as you can. I had a friend in a similar situation after a blow to the head and it was very serious.

I am sorry to hear about your problem here, and wish you a quick recovery. Revenge is often a good thought, but the reality of it isnt as much fun as the thought. Live your life well and move on from it.

Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle,

and the life of the candle will not be shortened.

Happiness never decreases by being shared.

Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile,

but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy.

Thich Nhat Hanh

"People with opinions just go around bothering one another"

Buddha

People in the West are always getting ready to live.

Chinese Proverb

"Like a fine flower, beautiful to look at but without scent, fine words are

fruitless in a man who does not act in accordance with them.

Gautama Buddha"

"Whether one believes in a religion or not, and whether one believes in rebirth or not, there isn't anyone who doesn't appreciate kindness and compassion."

His Holiness The XIV Dalai Lama

My advice is not to inquire why or whither, but just enjoy your ice cream while it's on your plate

Thorton Wilder.

I have been here for just over 6 years. And I've gotta say that since being here, I am so UNstressed its not funny! At home I worked in IT as a project manager. I came here and worked in tourism, and love it.

At the moment I am in the middle of moving house, and this is meant to be one of the most stressful time of ones life. But I'm not really fussed about it. I have picked up 'mai bpen rai' pretty well, and know that it will all happen when it is meant to happen.

I think that most people get stressed at certain times of their lives, and being over here can be a lonely place if you don't have supportive friends here. Some days I just don't want to see anyone, and this week I watched a movie that made me cry, and I cried for about 2 hours over it! But I'm over it now. I think its pretty normal for people to have a bit of a sook every now and then.

As for life being full of suffering, maybe it is. But its how you deal with that suffering that matters. Some people drink, which may lead to more suffering in the long run. Some people exercise. Some do drugs. Some eat. Some surround themselves with friends.

It doesn't really matter HOW you deal with it, as long as you do.

And another one I just remembered. In my old job, in one trip I had one guide called POO, a boat driver called BUM and another boat driver called FART!

I have a cousin called Laurie NUTT. He married a girl called Hazel. And, yes, she DID take his name! True story.

Once seen in:

Chiang Rai night market: "Big Crap"

Fern Restaurant in Mae Hong Son: "Fried Aborigine with Basil" (Out of sheer interest, I ordered this to see what I would get. Aubergine!)

Opposite my apartment block there is an ad for a new massage place down the road saying "Food Massage"

Why is Toilet Paper ALWAYS on the table but NEVER in the Toilet?

From what Ive been told, a hot bath is the LAST thing you should do for sunburn. Your skin is burnt because it is essentially cooking. You need to stop that 'cooking' by cooling yourself down. The best way to do this is to get in a cool bath. Drink LOTS of water. Your body pumps water to the skin to help it cool down, and in cases of extreme burns, your kidneys work overtime by trying to process too little water.

from a person with a very non-tanning complexion - its probably too late but a really hot bath as soon as you had arrived home and smooth the burnt area with really ripe tomato.

So, if a Thai man can have a Mia Noi, can his wife have a Saami Noi?

Fair call I say.