Around some time last year I took up the care of these plants i.e. duly water them 2x a day, spray with fertilizer once a week. Sometimes when we were out of town I was unable to take care of them. That was when God stepped in with His heavenly rain- chocked full of nitrogen and rich with nutrients.

In this last month we have seen some of the plants begin to bud and flower. What a joy it is for me- even though I am such a hardcore flat-dweller and would be the last person to like plants! These orchids teach me such a precious lesson- God takes care of us better than anyone possibly can.

At any rate I highly recommend all new visitors to Khon Kaen to visit this place- trust me, it’s rewarding to be in the place! Located by the lake Buen Kaen Nakorn.

The Issan name is a real mouthful

Entrance to the musuem

Scaled-down model of Khon Kaen in the past

Life-sized wax figure (slightly scary)

The full "Hod Song" display

Early 1900s photos of Khon Kaen dwellers

The local shaman cures the sick

Seeking to change bad luck/ retain good luck via the shaman

A herb physician

Praying to the deity for blessings on the harvest

Early beginnings of the city

Offerings+ lucky elephant= double auspicions?

Shrine at the entrance to village

Example of city pillar (the ribbons indicate reverence and worship)

Madam Tussards' section- Shop and herb seller

Early Protestant missionary presence in KK

Chinese merchants who brought their way of living over

Shopfront cum house

Very Peranakan cabinet

Room with a view

Ol' skool wall decor

View of the room

Ceremony for monks to confess their sins, supported by locals

Get good kharma by listening to the story of Buddha's enlightenment for 1 entire day!

1st day of Songkran- time to pay homage to the dead and cleanse images of Buddha

Buddhist Lent- monks stay in the monastery for 3 mths to avoid damaging crops

Binding of soul ties- criteria is for both to be born in same year and month

Scaled model of Khon Kaen (near the lake)

Old road sign

More recent version of road sign (with Roman letters)

Well, in the biblical understanding, heart is the centre of our being. It’s not a muscle, but a symbol for the very centre of our being. Now the beautiful thing about the heart is that the heart is the place we are mostly ourselves. It’s like the core of our being, it’s the spiritual centre of our being. Solitude and silence, for instance, are ways to get to the heart,because the heart is the place where God speaks to us, where we hear the voice who calls us the beloved. This is precisely in the most intimate place.

In the famous story, Elijah was standing in front of the cave. God was not in the storm, God was not in the fire and not in the earthquake, but God was in that soft little voice (1 Kings 19). That soft little voice we have to hear, speaks to the heart. Prayer and solitude are ways to listen to the voice that speaks to our heart, in the centre of our being. One of the most amazing things about that concept is that if you enter deeper and deeper into that place, you not only meet God there, but you meet the whole world there.

If you give your whole heart and your whole mind and your whole strength to God, then you discover your neighbour there. ‘Love God with all your heart, all your mind, all your soul, and your neighbour as yourself’ (Mark 12:30-31). That means that in the total embrace of God’s love, that is where you find many of us. If I go into my heart and meet God there, I always meet the world there. When God speaks in my heart, my heart becomes as wide as the world. It becomes like the marketplace of the world.

A lot of people think about prayer or solitude as withdrawing from the world into a private space, but that’s not at all the case. The contemplative life, this mystical life, shows that the deeper you enter into the solitude and the deeper you come into the heart, the more in the world you are. That’s precisely the basis in the world. Therefore I’ve never personally believed in contemplation as filling up your batteries so you can go back into the world. I think of contemplation as precisely where you go into the world. Solitude and prayer bring you into a spiritual communion with the whole people.

I don’t know if you’ve ever seen one of these big wagon-wheels. They have a hub with all these spokes, but quite often we remain on the rim of the wheel. Prayer is to go to the hub. That’s solitude, that’s the heart. Prayer is going to your heart, but it’s also going to the heart of the world and all the spokes get together right there. It is not that you lose contact, in fact you are more connected with people when you’re in the heart than when you run around on the edges.

Spiritually speaking, that is what intercessory prayer is all about. It is to enter into the heart of God and be there in communion not only with God, but also with humanity. My deepest conviction is that communion with God and solidarity with all of humanity always go together. You cannot live in communion with God without living in solidarity with people; it is essentially the same. That’s why every mystic is an activist in that sense, because mystical people are not people who sit there and contemplate. Teresa of Avila ran around founding one monastery after another. John of the Cross was a very active person, and Thomas Merton, a very busy guy.

With mystics and mysticism, the point is that when you come to the heart of God, you touch God’s communion with all people. You will know how you are being sent into the world. You are sent into the world and that’s what you have to do. I can sit here and say, ‘Should I go to Somalia, or to Bosnia?’ ‘Should I go to Florida to help with the storm or whatever?’ No, I have to sit here and stay here. Don’t try running around, because it is very clear I can’t.

This is my vocation. Then I have to ask, ‘How does God call me to something new?’ It might well be that that’s not always the case. It might be that something happens in the world that I’m called to respond to in a new way. I have to, but it has to come from the heart, it has to come from God. Otherwise it becomes a set-up for burn-out, because I’m doing it in order to prove something to myself or to the world, or do good, or do something well. Then I am going to be bitter and disappointed.

We received word from the immigration office that our visa has been denied. Thankfully there’s a grace period for us to get ready to leave the country- a total of seven days.

In effect, this means we have to get out of Thailand before Sept 22nd.

What should have been a devastating piece of news  for us however had a very mild effect on us.

I believe that the Lord had prepared us in advance for this.

You see, almost two weeks ago Vince’s visa was rejected the first time round. That totally sent us into a frenzy, calling around for friends and connections who could help. Friends were informed so that they could pray for us.

The prayers were heard and answered; three days after the visa fell through, Vince received news to stay put in the country and even possible release of the visa.

Looking back, I realise that nothing outside of God’s will comes to pass. If it’s not meant for you, it just won’t happen.

It’s like watching a Thai lakorn (soap opera). Whether the good guy listening behind the door for the baddie’s plans will be able to escape or get badly hurt- the outcome was decided right from the written script. There’s no point clenching your fists in anticipation or worrying your heart out for the hero.

In a lakorn, the leading actress always drinks OJ. The two above must be taking some blended cocktail drinks...

So back to the visa story. Yes we waited for two weeks and its denial is official. For this I thank the Lord. Now finally we can get back to waiting on Him and embarking on the new route that He has in store for us.

Sit tight for the next chapter in our visa story!

Farang cannot know!

by thompson on Thu Sep 02, 2010 11:05 am

The general Thai view is that some farangs may know a lot about Thai politics, culture, way of life and so on, but they will never be able to reach the core of Thai-ness.

In retrospect, the traditional elite have always viewed themselves as being caught in the dilemma of whether to wipe out the threatening farang culture or to welcome its modernity.

This Post Bag reader reply is worth a read:

Contrary to the premise of the article about the impossibility of farangs to comprehend Thailand (“Farang cannot know – even if they do understand,” Bangkok Post, Aug 31), Thais often have to turn to farangs living on the other side of the world to learn about their own country, as we have seen in many high-profile corruption cases as well as in the identification of other social ills, particularly in the areas of human rights and human trafficking.

Thais are often uniquely incapable of learning about their own country, being too deeply entangled in the characteristics of Thai-ness that prevent them from seeking the truth. They are hampered by superstition, the importance of image over substance and of social harmony over truth, a natural tolerance of social ills, and a willingness to smooth things over instead of addressing ugly problems head on.

Farangs are an asset to Thailand in many ways, including their objective view of Thai society that exposes obvious truths that are often invisible to Thais.

CHA-AM JAMAL

And this is a very nice remake of an old song by the actress and it features scenes from the movie too

Just last week I was all in a flurry trying to get the right dress that would be appropriate for a traditional Thai wedding. However I found it hard-going with my minimal budget and the limited choices in this city of Khon Kaen.

A friend of mine suggested over FB to make my own- a suggestion which I dismissed and brushed away. Until I went dress-shopping in BKK and realised that decent eveningwear cost approx THBT5,000 upwards.

So this is where I am right now- gearing up for yet another Thai wedding in a few months and deciding to get into dressmaking

Read this funny post and identified with the truth behind it.

People do think you can mend all things the moment you own a sewing machine. I myself have had 3 weird suggestions thrown at me!

Excerpt from the Selfish Seamstress blog:

Dear Selfish Seamstress,

First of all, I love your blog.

Second, the real reason I’m emailing you – I had a “what would selfish
seamstress do?” moment and had to share it.

I work in a restaurant and my next-door neighbor happens to be a co-worker.  He thinks we’re friends while I view him as simply someone I work with.  He works the opposite shift I do so I rarely ever see him (I work early AM and he works afternoon/evenings) but one morning I come in to work and he is still there.  He makes some awkward chit-chat and then brings up how his chef pants are too long for him.  I’m in the zone and trying to plan out my day, which has had a wrench thrown into it by someone still being in the kitchen when I’m supposed to have it to myself.  I say something like “That sucks,” and go about my business. (Side note: whenever my chef pants are a little too long I simply roll the waistband over once and ta da, problem solved.  Why this option has never occurred to him, I have no idea…)

Then the following exchange took place.

Lame-o guy: “So, you have a sewing machine, right?”
Me: “Yes.”
LG: “Can you hem pants?”
Me: “Yes, but I don’t like to do it.”
LG: “Oh, well would you hem my pants?”

(At this point he’s been all up in my business for about an hour and I
desperately want him to leave me in peace.  Which route to take?  Say yes in
hopes that he’ll leave or say no and be a complete bitch and hope that he’ll get
the hint and leave?

Me: (WWSSD?)  ”What’s in it for me?”
LG: “I dunno, whatever you want I guess.” (Said with a slight sexual induendo)
Me: “Oh well when you put it that way, no I will not hem your pants.”
LG: “What!?  Why not?”
Me: “You have nothing I want and I already said that I don’t like hemming
pants.  Now please go home and leave me to work in peace.”
LG: “Why do you hate me?”
Me: “Find someone else to do your hemming.”

-end of conversation-

So in conclusion I would like to thank you for teaching me your selfish ways.
Seriously, without your blog on my mind I probably would have just said yes and done it begrudgingly.  Now I have the power of selfishness on my side and I can spend my time sewing stuff for me and don’t have to dread hemming LG’s pants.

Thanks again!
-Rachel