My friend's birthday

My friend's birthday is February 29th. Only the leap year has 29 days in February, that's why I forgot sending birthday card to my friend this year, but got a present before. I was wondering when I shoud send message with a present on time, then, I wrote " sorry ! I forgot sending birthday wishes on time,'cause this year was different,,,,,,,, Oh what was I about to say? Happy missing birthday!" My friend looks young for his real age and very unique, because he gets age every four years, reasonable? Amazing!

A quiue at immigration office in Thailand

I've never heard the 'queue'before coming toThailand. When I visited the immigration office for the first time for the extension of visa, the officer at the front desk told me,"you need queue! rudely, I asked her politely, "excuse me, what does queu mean?", then she pointed the long line. I understood by her finger. If I had not lived in Thailand (more than one year) or visited the immigration office in Thailand (maybe a tourist, who cares about tourists that are filling your wallet?), I wouldn't have learned the 'queue'. I really thank her.

The queues at immigration offices in Thailand are of people waiting for annual extentions of stay, a 90 day-reporting, re-entry permits, etc. None of these apply to Japan and probably not to other countries mentioned. Amazing!

Once you've got a visa to visit Japan, you can stay for several months or years depending on your visa, and you never have to go to on a 'boder run'.

In Thailand, you can never stay more than 90 days without either leaving the country or reporting your address to near the immigration office in the district where you live , and you must go to the immigration office to renew your 'permission to stay' every 12 months.

Also, even if you have permission to stay for 12 months, you have to go to the immigration office and pay 1,000 baht for the privilege of coming back to Thailand if you want to leave for any reason.

Is it any wonder there are queues at the immigration office? Will it in no way hurt Thailand's reputation?

Amazing Thailand!

King's birthday

I was invited a party in celebration of Bhutanese king's 29th birthday held in Bhutanese Embassy. As I had a class in the afternoon, I left my place with my six Bhutanese class mates at 8:30 am, arrived there at 9:30.

As it's getting hotter and hotter recently, sitting on the grass chatting with very friendly people was as if I felt in an oven. But I met nice people, and have delicious food and nice talks. They competed darts with 2 groups before alunch, it's a national game, inspite of heat outside. But I enjoyed Bhutanese food a lot,I think Thai food is spacy but Bhutanese food is hot, and had a first time to have a butter tea, it's hot green tea, made with salt, milk and butter. It lookes like chocolate milk, but it doesn't tast like it. They brewed many times with rice and dishes, like Japanese people brew' miso-soup'.

As I know that some tribes live in the high-attitude vallyes think butter is a delicacy, but i didn't know the Bhutanese had the same food custom, but I could't enjoy their miso-souplike them.

Having milk green butter tea with rice is amazing!

Three cups of Tea

I knew that the Indian movie 'Slumdog Millionaire' got a Oscar award yesterday by Bangkok Post. Now I'm just start reading the book 'Three cups of Tea' written by Greg Morthenson, he's American, and a crimer. The stroy is about how Gred built a school for childern in Pakistan. I'm learning Bilungual Eucation in the Master's degree, and listened to five direcotors from five private schools their school managemets in a class. They told their school's policies, mottos, curriculums, facilities. Most of schoosl have a beatuful building, like a palace, only one has a very simple but a large playgrond.
Every child should have the right and privilege to have an education, but Gred wrote in his book, there was no school in the place where he got lost and wandered in to a village when he was climbing on the top of the K2, he was treated kindly and got to know the people. He saw childern sitting on the ground outside without books and paper and pen writing out their multipication with sticks dipped in mud. He said " I will build a school, I promise."Sending money there is easy but he visited there himself with money. What's is education, Bilingual education?
I could'nt hear 'our school provide not only education but hope for the fure', from five people.Yes, childern are oue hope. I'm in the diffefent culture and learned learning language is learning the different culture, in turn can learn about my culture and problem. With the first cup of tea you are a stranger, with the second cup of tea a friend, with the third cupp of tea, you are family. Amazing!

My favorite song

One of my favorite songs is Anne Murray's 'You Needed Me'. When I listened to it for the first time, I was so impressed her tender voice, even though it' a broken-hearted song. I didn't know she was a Canadian and it was released 30 years ago, this is amazing! Since then, 'You Needed Me' is always with me, while taking a shower, before studying, when I'm bad in mood..... her voice heals me. Hear's the lyrics: I cried a tear, you wiped it dry, I was confused you cleared my mind, I sold my soul, you brought it back for me, and held me up and gave me dignity, somehow you needed me....You gave me the strength,to stand alone agin, to face the world,,,,, You held my hand, when it was cold, when I was lost, you took me home, you gave me hope..... You needed me. Yes I'm writing brog humming this song, because it's always with me.