小炒菜鍋媽媽

papa and sofia with new family member Joe Black, nickname Jo Jo.


sofia's day job as gardener.

Quoted from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loy_Krathong

Loy Krathong is held on the full moon of the 12th month in the traditional Thai lunar calendar. In the western calendar this usually falls in November.

"Loi" means "to float". "Krathong" is a raft about a handspan in diameter traditionally made from a section of banana tree trunk (although modern-day versions use specially made bread 'flowers' and may use styrofoam), decorated with elaborately-folded banana leaves, flowers, candles, incense sticks etc. During the night of the full moon, many people will release a small raft like this on a river. Governmental offices, corporations and other organizations also build much bigger and more elaborate rafts, and these are often judged in contests. In addition, fireworks and beauty contests take place during the festival.
Letting a Khom Fai float in to the air at the Loi Kratong festival in Mae Jo
Thousands of Khom Fai in Mae Jo

The festival probably originated in India as a Hindu festival similar to Deepavali as thanksgiving to the deity of the Ganges with floating lanterns for giving life throughout the year. According to the writings of H.M. King Rama IV in 1863, the originally Brahmanical festival was adapted by Buddhists in Thailand as a ceremony to honour the original Buddha, Siddhartha Guatama. Apart from venerating the Buddha with light (the candle on the raft), the act of floating away the candle raft is symbolic of letting go of all one's grudges, anger and defilements, so that one can start life afresh on a better foot. People will also cut their fingernails and hair and add them to the raft as a symbol of letting go of the bad parts of oneself. Many Thai believe that floating a krathong will create good luck, and they do it to honor and thank the Goddess of Water, Phra Mae Khongkha (พระแม่คงคา).

The beauty contests that accompany the festival are known as "Noppamas Queen Contests". According to legend, Noppamas was a consort of the Sukothai king Loethai (14th century) and she was the first to float decorated krathongs. The Loi Krathong festival is also associated with the start of vegetable carving.

The Thai tradition of Loy Kratong started off in Sukhothai, but is now celebrated throughout Thailand, with the festivities in Chiang Mai and Ayutthaya being particularly well known.

In Chiang Mai Loi Kratong is also known as "Yi Peng". Every year thousands of people assemble to float the banana-leaf krathong onto the waterways of the city, honouring the Goddess of Water. A multitude of Lanna-style sky lanterns (khom fai) are also launched into the air where they resemble large flocks of giant fluorescent jellyfish gracefully floating by through the skies. These are believed to help rid the locals of troubles and are also taken to decorate houses and streets.

Kelantan also has the same celebration, especially in the Tumpat area. The ministry in charge of tourism in Malaysia recognises it as an attraction for tourist. Many people visit the celebration each year.

Mila won first prize for her Halloween costume at kindergarten. The outfit was made the day before by our seamstresses. We are not into fancy dress parties or any parties at all, I just didn't know where to buy those costumes at last minute. I thought it would not take the seamstresses more than half a day but two of they were busy with it for a full day. The ladies were very proud that their work won the first prize. Even I was proud :-)

Guzuma told me the two dogs we have been feeding have owners already. They just come in for a snack...

Guzuma said she is going to find puppies, as she loves dogs herself, she is more than happy to help us take care of the dogs. After her family dog died, she has been too sad to get another one. I am hoping the dogs will warn us when they see snakes in the garden. I am not afraid of snakes but I do want to be warned if there's one nearby in case it is a cobra... I heard cobra can be found in houses too! But probably not in our house because we have so little furnitures there's nowhere for them to hide.

Madame and her brother

a target="_blank" href="http://www.wretch.cc/album/show.php?i=emeerhof&b=32764&f=1858161324.jpg?HV2B85xDfBO7BgX05gLP6CKNd2hZ10YLs6kDUw.YhFBRuWc1xIHCq56QvWEnPNb1yNDmMEs-">

we have been playing with the idea of getting pets, 2 dogs and 2 cats or 1 pig. But considering that we may still have to travel a lot it would be unfair for the animals. Besides that we are still too busy with the factory. So instead we feed some street dogs who wonder into our garden every now and then. We do not just feed every dog who comes in for a pee and free lunch. We feed the potential ones, the ones we think might one day stay after eating their food.
One day came the little black dog. We had fed her a few times before her brother came along too. I knew they were brother and sister because they look alike. They used to come with their mum but then the mother dog disappeared.

Yesterday I sacrificed the pork ribs I had bought for mila's favourite soup to give to the black dog and her brother. That was probably the best meal they have ever had. They lingered around for a long while, the black one even fell asleep.

I decided to call the little black dog "Madame"- "black dog" in Thai is "maa dam". No name for her brother yet.

Sofia seemed to enjoy drawing a lot. She was busy with it for good half an hour, nothing could distract her.




We got a handyman in to give a quotation for installing an electric box, 5000 Baht he said. Erik thought instinctively it was expensive. He rang our sewing machine supplier Wit for second opinion. Way,way, way too expensive, Wit said. Wit then contacted his electrician and got the price: 1000 Baht, everything included.

This is Thailand.

Many foreigners complain they get conned. But as far as I know, Thai get conned too, big time. Our landlord was conned 1 million Baht for the piece of land next to our house. The guy who looked after the land acted as owner, got the deposit and ran away.

It is a huge pity that some greedy MF's mess up people's life in this beautiful Land of Smile.

Now a contrast to this blood sucking handyman: yesterday Erik and I went to check out some bags at department store with Mila, after getting back at 6:00, Guzuma had already fed and given Sofia a bath. I told Guzuma that she could go home early without doing the last round of washing-up at 7.30 in the evening, because I thought she seemed to be tired the last few days. Of course she is tired, she works from eight in the morning to six in the afternoon, plus half an hour washing-up in the evening. We had to give her more hours because she wanted to earn more money. Otherwise she would get very badly paid ( or not even get paid ) dish-washing job at a restaurant in the evening. She had complained to me that her husband did some handy jobs and didn't get paid. A bad Thai, she said. She's from Karen hilltribe. I told her I didn't like the Karen hilltribe guy who painted our factory, he was lazy, cheeky , dishonest and did the job badly. Guzuma agreed with me. She didn't like the guy either.

While I was fixing something simple for dinner Erik said he wasn't feeling well. Guzuma heard this and came back 20 minutes afterwords after eating her dinner because she thought I needed help with the kids. This morning she came earlier because she thought Erik was still unwell and wanted to play witht the kids while I prepared breakfast. Although I am not religious but Guzuma is a Christian so I can say " God bless this kind woman!" , I feel so blessed to have her. What could I do without her?

Seamstress Gaan made a dress for Sofia.

Erik preparing fabrics for cutting. He is now the designer, patter-maker and pattern cutter, too many jobs I reckon.








Still working on Saturday

Mila and her girlfriend Cream- she's really called Cream in Thai- Nomkream. She's a little hilltribe girl living nearby. She comes to play and eat with Mila at weekends.

週六下午天氣又熱又黏，很想喝杯冰咖啡，小花和鄰居的小女孩正並躺著用我的i-pod看卡通：一隻小鴨子，一隻烏龜，一隻天竺鼠正在解救小貓小魚的故事。

請阿姐姑蘇媽看著孩子們，我和老花溜去附近喝杯咖啡，去去一小時就回來。

喝咖啡的地方不是什麼時髦的極簡咖啡廳，看起來到像是間警衛室，旁邊擺兩張木桌，幾把木椅子。老闆是位很友善的泰國女人，總是滿臉笑容。我們坐下來後，老闆娘的英國老公抱著九個月大的女兒過來聊天。我問他們可有保姆幫傭。他們答有是有，但是不合適，今天就要告知週一不必來上班了。

為什麼？

哎，教都教不會，還差點摔了寶貝女兒。

那兒找來的？

街上，緬甸籍，年齡十四歲，薪水三千八。

嗄，十四歲？三千八 ？我想起幾天前從我懷裡抱走老闆娘九個月大小北鼻的胖妹眉。

十四歲也還是個孩子啊，帶一個九個月大小北鼻，這這這成嗎？當然也有很早熟能幹的十四歲孩子，可是。。如果那個妹眉就是保母，我也了解為什麼才上班一禮拜老闆娘就打算辭掉她。

每次在泰國提到請人的經驗大家都有抱不完的怨。奇怪我們是祖上有德運氣太好了嗎？我們的保姆兼幫傭阿姐姑蘇媽不偷東西不偷懶還會拿東西來倒貼，兩個孩子愛她幾乎不下愛爸爸（當然最愛媽媽啦，哇哈哈）。我們的泰國助理雖然算不上精明能幹，但是那副直腸子正派不耍陰的性格很對我的胃。四個員工中規中矩。

其實剛來清邁創業的那幾個月我們的確被搞得灰頭土臉，從作生意一板一眼，規則龜毛多的荷蘭空降到隨興無章法的泰國，這轉的圈超過一百八十度。三個月中我大概每兩個星期抓一次狂，狼來了似地喊回家了不玩了。幸虧我三分鐘的熱度一過就又開始立志工廠開工賺大錢一定要去巴里島渡假住一晚三百美金的私人海灘villa。

那些初期的挫敗老實講很難避免，甚至是必經的。找員工我們也出槌過兩回，第一回是第一個泰國助理，上班後第三天就被我們開除。明明是很能幹聰明的漂亮小姐，英文極溜，但是犯了我們最大的禁忌：不誠實。她對外號稱認識我們多年，事實上才兩個星期。 除此之外另有跡象顯示此人不可用。可惜啊，這麼有潛力的女孩。不過這個請錯人的狗屎運倒是讓我們找到了完美的工廠和住家地點。但是負責的瑞典籍仲介竟然也是非正派之人，口口聲聲說自己被泰國人坑的很慘，他會盡力幫助我們。盡個屁啦，他想幫的是幫我們掏出荷包往他的銀行戶頭送。其實和這個人接洽時早覺得此人的話有漏洞，但是因為就是他點出我們泰國助理的謊言，偏頗了我們的警戒線。我們後來發現簽下的英文祖約竟然和泰文祖約不盡相同。還有他介紹自己的會計師跟我們獅子大開口，當我們是肥豬，幾個小時的諮詢 （ 她所提供的資料不但是錯誤的，我們還從曼谷最高擋最貴的律師事務所免費獲得類似的資料）竟然開出三萬元泰銖的帳單。老花說門都沒有，我付五千不拿拉倒。照行情給三千已經很慷慨，這些貪心的人渣放話，若不照付法院見。老花被惹毛了發狠話，敬酒不吃討罰酒，老子我寧願花十倍錢請律師給這些人渣教訓，一毛也不會給他們。

寫到這裡時間已經超過我鄉下人十點上床的時間，若不去睡，會被早起怪物寶寶小糯米整慘，只好待續啦。

十月又要回台北一趟。自從上回七月中從台北回來後小花開始跟媽媽說中文，雖然說得不溜。她三歲的小腦袋每天跟中英荷泰四個語打交道。

小糯米的第一個字當然是泰語－狗，跟中文的馬同音。以後她大概中泰文為主吧。不知道會不會跟爸爸說荷語。