tBlog -

Ro Sak Khru Kha (Wait for a Minute)

Do people get this a lot in Thailand? I called a supposed to be an International Nation wide center the day before yesterday and spoke politely asking if the other person at the end of the line could speak English since the first thing I heard was a very sweet sawatdee ka (Thai greeting). Then with my limited Thai, I understood the next answer was ro sek khru na ka (wait for a minute). Then I heard a tetris ringtone for about 3 minutes and I patiently waited. Tetris ringtone stopped and I expected a "hello ma dam how can I help you?" respond but all I heard was a hung up noise at the other end.

...............okay...what was that supposed to mean???

So I redialed the same number and heard the connected sign ringtone on the phone but nobody was answering at the other side of haven! Not giving up I tried another number but was smacked back with another connected sign followed by a disconnected tone.

Then I decided to call another branch of this center and after a few minutes heard another familiar accent "sawatdee ka bla bla bla..." and again replied the greetings and asked if that person speaks English. Again I got a "roo sak khru" and heard another tetris tone on. Waited, waited and finally a guy answered..."hello ma dam (for madam, read the 'a's as the 'a' in 'car')wat is your problem?" *cough* Ehem...excuse me? My problem Sir?? Hehe...So I told him that I needed certain information about so and so. Then he spoke a little and again put my ear on tetris lullaby! I waited for about 3 minutes and heard another woman went to the phone and said "hello ma dam, you speak English?" Ggggrhh! At this moment I just don't know who has a problem, me or the other end. As soon as I answered "Yes," instead of putting me on tetris lullaby, she put me on on-going conversations (the one that she talks to anybody and that anybody talks to somebody and that somebody talks to everybody and that everybody shut up). Then after I figured that they had figured, then the other line says "ro sak khru" for the last time and past the phone to a supposedly the best English speaker around.

Such equestrian apparel frustrations as trivial as making and answering a telephone call in Thailand has been causing a lot of misunderstandings and confusions every minute here. Why can't big company like such hire a bilingual and solve the lengthy drama once and for all? Or the drama is sugar to them?

06.22.09 (12:18 am) [edit]

Hobbit's Cookies

Hobbit husband was in the mood of baking cookies today and believe it or not, he was successful at doing the "women's thing"--multitask! One second he was at the dining table lining up his cookies to put into the oven and another second inside the kitchen frying his kim chi rice! Ahh, seldom see him being so in the mood of doing two things together at the same time! His cookies are yummylicious since he learned his lessons with a few trays of burnt cookies sometime ago but before you think that I am one lucky wife, maybe not so in terms of eating. I just couldn't stop munching until I realized that one layer of my tummy fats started to dangle around my waist! I didn't only eat Hobbit's cookies but before that I drank a full bowl of ginseng chicken soup and ate a full plate of rice at breakfast and lunch! I have lost about a kg during the holiday last week but now I am again right on track to buntalness (being chubby)! Note, skinny people don't get fat easily but they get bad fats known as flabs all at the wrong places on their body. No matter what, thanks be to God that I still LOVE to EAT. Ohhhh, I guess our home alarm systems are not functioning well. Someone just pressed the bell and the doorbell shrieked!!!

06.16.09 (9:51 pm) [edit]

Summer School Work

It was the first day of summer school today and I woke up with excitement and anxiety of not knowing what to expect at work. As I was getting ready I wonder why I felt extremely good this morning. Well, one thing for sure was that I was actually relief that I could take a break from teaching for 2 months and actually do office job that I have been longing to go back to since college days! I reached school at 7am not knowing they had morning worship at 6:50am and headed straight to the office only to be welcomed by a box of Chinese books that has newly arrived from China (clever, we pay US money in the US and they ship books with low quality from China!). So the first thing I actually got my hands on to was inventory. Later, I went to my supposedly "boss" and ask if I came to the right place and he said yes BUT...he has no work for me the whole summer!!! Ahh..I was about to have the kind of feeling where you say "okay, so what's next?" or "what???" but he quickly did a quick assignment and asked me to work at the front desk helping the receptionists. Wow! That seat over there was definitely a hot one and no one was approved on their application and suddenly I came along without applying for the job and now was able to enjoy that hot seat for a month period?? At the end of the day today, I sat at one of the school's gazebos and reflected on what I did at work today...Hey, I thought I actually enjoyed work! Now, if only I could speak more Thai....

06.15.09 (11:34 pm) [edit]

4th Day Sitting Pretty

I'm bored at home today. It could be due to my holiday is coming to an end and I have this idea last night that today I better do nothing and just relax and chill. Nevertheless, I got bored and in fact too bored that I just have to do something. So I walked to the refrigerator and cut the lemon pie I made the previous day and shared it with the maid who came yesterday. She refused to eat the pie saying that she is full but I insisted that she takes it with her. She politely "wai"ed and thank me and continued her daily chores. Then I did some other silly stuff like starring at my piano for several minutes before playing it and before long I found myself in the study admiring some of my stuff collections and automatically did some spring cleaning. While on my computer fiddling with the seat lifts, food and cooking suddenly came to mind and I hurried to the kitchen, cooked rice and prepared some chinese dishes for dinner --minced chicken with red capsicum, dried mushroom and chinese wolfberry!

06.11.09 (7:30 pm) [edit]

Friends like Wine

http://www.lovingwhisper.com" src="http://www.lovingwhisper.com/media/5795-old-wine.jpg" /

Forsake not an old friend; for the new is not comparable to him: a new friend is as new wine; when it is old, thou shalt drink it with pleasure. ~Ecclesiasticus

06.11.09 (7:06 pm) [edit]

Bambi Yard Sale

Yup, you junky enthusiast can go check out this awesome Yard sale that is happening on June 13 this Saturday at 10am to 1pm. I would like to go but the timing just won't let me. :(

By the way, click on the image for more information.

06.08.09 (11:05 am) [edit]

Fold and Unfold Game is Fun

Why do people say to you

"Did you gain weight?"

"Kaki besar, jalan macam itik!"

"Suck in."

"Kau gumuk-gumuk sudah oh!"

Are they implying and being straight forward that I am getting bigger or that I am big?

But I am not BIG. BIG is like papa hippo, and I am just the wife.

I am just big.

The fact that I am no longer young-young yet still have lots of adrenaline rush, no longer score active metabolism rate yet still yearns to exercise regularly just gives people the picture that I grow easily now than any days in the past.

Also no mesothelioma prasan that I am big because I noticed my sized 24 jeans could no longer hold buttons together, the tighs area is just waiting for the right time to rip, my mini skirts suddenly had to hold extra folds of lunoks they call it, causing the zippers to get stuck on one side and wouldn't stick to the other line, and I just knew it for another fact that I can't stop playing the fold and unfold inside my wardrobe!

But...

Besar pun besarlah!

06.05.09 (12:54 am) [edit]