Unofficial Christ's Hospital Forum

Ajarn Philip wrote:The PM has just got back from Peru or somewhere and went on TV an hour ago, probably to say 'get stuffed'.

Well, that's apparently exactly what he said. To add to the confusion there is a fairly new pro-Government anti-People's Alliance for Democracy group called the DAAD, the Democratic Alliance Against Dictatorship...

So they're all democrats.

That's comforting.

More seriously, in my judgement it is very unlikely that this conflict will spread from the Bangkok political arena across the nation, and most unlikely that westerners will become a target (although many have been seriously inconvenienced by the airport occupation). In the extremely unlikely event that that looks likely, we'll be getting married in a hurry and heading south to Malaysia...


If it wasn't for the airport business, I'd say don't cancel your holiday.

A bizarre glimpse.

Last night for a few hours Jupiter and Venus (so I'm told) were aligned as two large yellow dots above a crescent moon. It looked just like a 'smiley'

So cher Philippe how does Thailand celebrate Xmas this year? Anything special for the Christmas thread?

This Christmas I will mostly be... working! You'll be either delighted or horrified to know that the supermarkets here (especially Tesco "Lotus") play the same awful canned Christmas twaddle as everywhere else in the world. Mind you, the pretty girls in their Santa costumes do compensate to some degree. What particularly irritates me is when I'm passing the frozen food section and find myself humming along with Bing bl**dy Crosby. Christmas for me is mostly memories of my own childhood and then memories of my children's childhood. There is no Christmas holiday here (fair enough), but a very long New Year weekend, which invariably becomes a week.

I live in a touristy ex-pat town, so in terms of Christmas food everything you could conceivably want is available somewhere. I'll be having a traditional(-ish) Christmas Dinner (I say '-ish' as there will be a lot of non-Brit influence, so there might be some little discrepancies I'll have to live with... ) with about a dozen others. No carol singing with lanterns and Victorian costumes, unfortunately.

I'd love just a few days of snow.

Philip, if you are thinking of Bing and Bowie singing "Little Drummer Boy", one of the offerings we have this year is that same song by Terry wogan and Aled Jones, for the Cildren in Nee Charidee. It's not sooo bad actually.

"Iiiii'm dreaming of a whiiiiiite Christmas...."

Aren't we all, Bing?

Please God, NO.

midget wrote:Please God, NO.

Did you mean the song, Maggie, or the snow?

I really do dream of a white Christmas!

Dream on, Philip, just so long as we don't actually get snow. With dodgy feet and knees, I'm scared to go out in snow, so maybe I'll allow it just for Christmas day, when I have no intention of going outside.

Sounds like you could do with a Christmas holiday in Thailand, Maggie! Especially now, as the recent (exaggerated) troubles have caused tourism to fall through the floor - everything should be dirt cheap!

I can only dream of snow here. There was a story in the Bangkok Post the other day about a group of small villages in the mountains in this province complaining because they weren't allowed electricity (because it's a military restricted zone, but don't ask me why that's relevant...). Temperatures dropped to 10 degrees centigrade at night, would you believe, and people are suffering terribly from the extreme cold. Mind you, I'm not sure what difference electricity would make, as I don't think there's such a thing as an electric heater in this country. No heaters in cars, either, but aircon is a standard fixture.

Ajarn Philip wrote:Another glimpse. Today is 'Loi Kratong'. I always assumed that this was a Buddhist festival, and as far as most people here are concerned it is, but Buddhism, like many other religions, has many 'schisms' and variations... if you're lucky enough to be here at this time of year and take part, you should consider yourself very fortunate.

I think I posted something about this last year, so I won't bore you with all the details, but if you're interested, there is info on Wikipedia here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loy_Krathong

Did anybody see the Top Gear Vietnam Challenge? Apart from the fun laddish activities ( ) when I saw lights floating down a river - how gorgeous it looked - all those twinkling shimmering reflections - I remembered this post from Philip.

I was so struck by the beauty of the country. And the bay, where the team finished the challenge at the floating bar!

Plus the wonders of the shop where they had their suits made to measure. A custom made suit for £70 ready the next day! Shoes made to measure! The foot massage lady!

It all looked so lovely.

*sighs*

Yes Angela - I saw all but the first 10 minutes.

What a truly beautiful country Vietnam is.

Well, I was dragged to a wedding shop (for want of a better phrase...) the other day. Mrs Ajarn looked absolutely stunning in her dress (yes, yes, but I didn't know I was supposed to look at it and give my approval - adapt and survive...). My outfit (I hesitate to mention that it appears to be made of erm... creamy-gold... silk... ) is obviously not very well tailored as it makes me look as though I've put on quite a bit of weight in the last few years. It has a mandarin collar which is a smidge tighter than I'd like, but I'm assured I won't have to wear it for more than about 3-4 hours... The upside is that it has (if I say so mayself) a rather fetching red and gold over-the-shoulder sash that is most... becoming. I will have to think about some decent shoes at some point, as I really don't think flipflops or sandals will cut the mustard.

Angela, although there was no tea and biscuits, it was actually a very pleasant (and blessedly brief - she only tried on two outfits, though to be fair she'd been there before with a friend) experience. The lady spoke no English and was therefore delighted (and astonished) by my fumbling efforts in Thai. Speaking of which, the Thai word for 'diet' is 'di-et'. I'm pretty sure I heard it mentioned in a rapid-fire conversation between Mrs Wedding Shop and Mrs Ajarn, followed by much raucous laughter. Of course, I was probably just imagining things...

The bad news is that it is customary to give gifts to all wedding guests . The good news is that it is also customary that these gifts are cheesy and extremely cheap. Needless to say, however cheap the gifts, I'm scrutinising the guest list most carefully. Sheesh, they're getting a free lunch then a sunset dinner at sea, and free entertainment (I was lucky enough recently to become friends with a young couple (he Israeli, she Scottish) of singer/musicians, who have agreed to 'do their stuff' on the boat) - what more do they want??

OK, so that's the development on the wedding front. Don't expect another for some time.

One other little 'glimpse' for you. Mrs Ajarn has developed a habit of placing the occasional item on top of the fridge. Nothing very unusual about that, you might think. Mrs A, however, maybe 5' in her socks, can't actually see the top of the fridge, so anything that is put there is instantly forgotten about.

I tend to open the fridge (this is the one with the ice in - we need two here, but that may just be because I drink too much) in the evening, after Mrs A has retired, and that's when I see these occasional bits and pieces. I mentioned it to her once or twice, but there's an odd 'loss of face' issue here that should never be overlooked, so now I simply put them on the dining table. It's taken me 51 years to learn some of the most basic strategy in Mars-Venus relationships. If I knew then what I know now... Of course, it helps that Mrs A is undoubtedly the sweetest, kindest and most thoughtful person I've ever had the pleasure to know.

Ajarn Philip wrote: My outfit (I hesitate to mention that it appears to be made of erm... creamy-gold... silk... ) is obviously not very well tailored as it makes me look as though I've put on quite a bit of weight in the last few years. It has a mandarin collar which is a smidge tighter than I'd like, but I'm assured I won't have to wear it for more than about 3-4 hours... The upside is that it has (if I say so mayself) a rather fetching red and gold over-the-shoulder sash that is most... becoming. I will have to think about some decent shoes at some point, as I really don't think flipflops or sandals will cut the mustard.

The bad news is that it is customary to give gifts to all wedding guests . The good news is that it is also customary that these gifts are cheesy and extremely cheap. Needless to say, however cheap the gifts, I'm scrutinising the guest list most carefully.

One other little 'glimpse' for you. Mrs Ajarn has developed a habit of placing the occasional item on top of the fridge. Nothing very unusual about that, you might think. Mrs A, however, maybe 5' in her socks, can't actually see the top of the fridge, so anything that is put there is instantly forgotten about.

an odd 'loss of face' issue here that should never be overlooked, so now I simply put them on the dining table. It's taken me 51 years to learn some of the most basic strategy in Mars-Venus relationships. If I knew then what I know now... Of course, it helps that Mrs A is undoubtedly the sweetest, kindest and most thoughtful person I've ever had the pleasure to know.

I read this, emitting little shrieks of laughter and excitement. Superb! Is your wedding outfit a creamy-gold silk suit, or some sort of robe?

If it's possible, I really think it's advisable to get the mandarin collar altered. You don't want to be feeling strangulated for your wedding - even if you're wearing the collar for only a few hours, they are crucial hours! The red and gold over-the shoulder sash sounds wonderful! Goodness, you will look splendid! And now I've seen, on the telly, a Far Eastern shoemaker at work (deeply, deeply challenged by the mangled and distorted feet of Jeremy Clarkson - yerghh!) I shall be imagining you reclining in a comfy chair whilst a dusky beauty expertly applies her measuring gadgets to your bridegroomly toes.

Then (I'm getting thoroughly over-excited now) you may well be arranging those pre-ceremony massage, moisturing and grooming male salon appointments - think of the bliss of it in Thailand! Speaking as one who has been gripped by the bridegroom-preparation-rituals articles in Brides Mag, UK, there is much devoted attention to detail ahead of you!

Ooh, ooh, I can't wait for more details. Presents for all the wedding guests, however, sounds a bit of a nightmare! Do they give you presents?

The future Mrs Ajarn sounds so adorable!

I wish I could experience some of this Mars-Venus tolerant interaction. When I think of the loss-of-face humiliation I've endured over the years (resigned voice) because I have a tendency to wail and wring my hands over appliances that I can't get to work.... that I haven't actually switched on or even plugged in...

More Just A Glimpse, please! It makes my day.

Angela Woodford wrote:
1. I read this, emitting little shrieks of laughter and excitement. Superb! Is your wedding outfit a creamy-gold silk suit, or some sort of robe?

2. Then (I'm getting thoroughly over-excited now) you may well be arranging those pre-ceremony massage, moisturing and grooming male salon appointments - think of the bliss of it in Thailand! Speaking as one who has been gripped by the bridegroom-preparation-rituals articles in Brides Mag, UK, there is much devoted attention to detail ahead of you!

3. Ooh, ooh, I can't wait for more details. Presents for all the wedding guests, however, sounds a bit of a nightmare! Do they give you presents?

I did say there wouldn't be another update for quite some time, Angela, but since you ask so nicely, I will make a brief exception just for you. No little shrieks, though, if you please. "Forum decorum, ad hoc padulorum".

1. It's a suit (jacket and trousers), but with a mandarin collar I don't have to worry about shirts and ties.

2. You're thinking of the stag night...

3. They get cheap, mass-produced, heart-shaped, saccharine, totally useless trinkets. They give cash - lots of it. (That's the general idea, anyway - I'm trying to make sure all non-Thai guests are aware of the need to comply with local customs and traditions.)