Granny and I are home alone. Has it come to this? I am babysitting granny while Chalerm is upcountry.
Chalerm is in Xburi to attend the ceremony 8am Sunday when his friend is ordaining as a monk. A nice letter in Thai arrived announcing the event. Chalerm showed me the letter and asked how much I wanted to give. Give? Are people supposed to give money when someone takes a vow of poverty and anti-materialism? All a monk is to own is a robe, a rice bowl and sandals.
I replied rather grumpy that I didn’t know the chap and that Chalerm could give something if he felt like it.
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The uber-frog is in town. President Chirac of France. He has been on TV all day. Why is the French head of state in Thailand for the first time ever? To test if the Thais have forgiven them trying to colonise the country several times, or for stealing Laos and Cambodia from the Siamese kings?
Nah, it must be something else. Maybe it is selling Airbus planes to Thaksin.
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Peace is restored in The Mansion after Valentine’s Day. To Chalerm’s defence must be said that he still was a bit ill that day, recovering from granny’s voodoo cooking. He slept till 6pm and only got out of bed to go with me to see Brokeback Mountain. He had planned weeks ahead that we should see that movie on Valentine’s Day. So he certainly had not forgotten the day. He understood that the lack of card or any symbolic gift had hurt me, and made up for it.
Chalerm said Valentine’s Day is one day. Did I think he only loved me one day a year? That was sweetly said in a way.
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Today I went to Maboonkrong to look for a digital camera and see what they would give for some trade-in I have. I didn’t get as far as getting a quote. I was enjoying a soup with Farang N when Chalerm called, demanding that I come home ASAP and give him the small Minolta digicam. I knew he was going upcountry to that ceremony but I didn’t know he was leaving Saturday afternoon.
We argued a bit about that, with I saying that he could come to MBK and get it if it was so urgent. But in the event I gave in and took a taxi home. Chalerm was waiting at home, hugging me, bringing me water, getting me sweets from the 7-Eleven and pampering me for the effort. Then he left.
I am thinking of buying a Minolta 5D. This is an un-prudent investment, buying a brand that has only six weeks left in business! Sony is taking over their camera factory. But the Minolta 5D has just the features I want so to h*** with the resale value.
Buy one while you can
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I could not buy the camera today even if I had the time. When I went to Bangkok Bank to get cash advance from my credit card I discovered they now are open only Monday to Friday. Maybe I can get it from an ATM tomorrow. But then I have to dig up the PIN code.
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As I reported to Farang N I ran into three gay boys from a certain upscale school yesterday near my home. Farang N used to teach there. There is no mistaking their uniform. There is no mistaking their rich kid attitude either, so maybe I did well not getting involved with them. For a moment I thought about asking them to come for tea and cookies. But how they reeked of… eh… something… maybe sluttiness is the word.
February 19th, 2006 at 8:14 am
Slutty private school gay boys … you’d have to hold me back !
February 19th, 2006 at 12:22 pm
If I see them again I will have them for High Tea and give you a blow by blow account.
February 19th, 2006 at 5:32 pm
Silom wrote:
“I replied rather grumpy that I didn’t know the chap and that Chalerm could give something if he felt like it.”
One of the hardest things to come to terms with in Thailand is the “assumed” financial “responsibility” of someone supposedly wealthy (read “farang”) to one’s significant other’s Thai family and friends. Also very gauche is the “show off” mentality, of ostentatiously parading all the money given on family occasions (weddings, funerals, monkhood, etc).
By refusing to give Chalerm any money, you have possibly denied him - rightly IMHO - an opporutunity to gain significant “face” in his village.
My bf wants me to buy him a car. He lives within two minutes walk of his office. He gets one day off a week. Why does he need a car I ask ? He can’t answer. I know why - “face”, and to show off to his friends.
February 19th, 2006 at 7:01 pm
It is strange how the Buddhist principle of anti-materialism and not to be concerned about wealth doesn’t seem to trickle down to the population.
In Western culture (well, maybe less so in America) showing off is considered vulgar. Wealth should be hinted, not put on display.
The going rate for such gifts upcountry is 100 B. That covers weddings and funerals too.
February 20th, 2006 at 2:20 am
Off topic . . . but what’s up with Konica/Minolta?
Going out of business??
I just bought a K/M laser printer and it’s a gem. Now they’re toast? Or is it just the camera division.
Cheers … Smiles
February 20th, 2006 at 6:49 am
Hi Smiles
Konica-Minolta is not bust, they are just leaving the camera business. The copy division is not affected.
The camera division is sold to Sony, who hopefully will do a decent job developing the SLR range.
http://www.dpreview.com/news/0601/06011901konicaminoltaout.asp
February 20th, 2006 at 5:05 pm
1 How can anti-materialism “trickle down” to the masses when the “unusually rich elite” flaunt wealth every which way? 2 You seem to pander to the whims of Chalerm so much; indeed, if he wanted to use your camera up country, and he is so fond of you as you say, what was stopping him from coming to see you at MBK instead of you having to rush back?
February 20th, 2006 at 7:34 pm
1. Exactly.
2. I tried to get him come to MBK. But his bus (mini-van actually) was leaving from the Silom area and he could not have made it to MBK and back in time.