ChiangMai/ChiangRai - Part 3

Continuation of travel log on Day 4 - Sun Kissed and Happy, with Day 5 for us wishing ChiangMai a fond farewell with a morning flight back to Malaysia.


The Music

ChiangMai/ChiangRai - Part 2

Continuation from the previous post:

A Mixed Bag


























The Stuff
























And of course, The Food!



Would you believe it, most of us actually gained weight during this trip. We opted to try local food instead of the touristy food places. The local tour guide which we engaged was more than willing to let us experience the local delights, with many a visit to various eateries and markets for us to satisfy our tastebuds. As a matter of fact, Dave, our tour guide likened us to starving Ethiopian children whilst we tried to fill our almost bottomless stomachs. I know for one, my pants definitely felt much tighter after the whole trip.

ChiangMai/ChiangRai - Part 1

It started quite a while back, when I was asked whether I wanted to visit ChiangMai and ChiangRai since AirAsia was doing some zero fare promotion. So, there I went with six others for a visit. Went on Palm Sunday and got back on Holy Thursday. I suppose I could write what we got up to during the trip, but will instead let the photos do the talking.



For those who really want to read about the trip, one of my travel mates wrote quite comprehensively, and the journal log may be found via:
a) Day 1 - Colours of ChiangMai,
b) Day 2 - Jumbo Erection, and
c) Day 2 - Heave Ho,
d) Day 3 - Phad Kebao Kedao.

Day 4 and Day 5, I guess will just have to wait a bit for GC to update her posts. Will probably post the links once available.

Most of the pictures taken here are from my handy digital camera. However, must acknowledge GC, YY and JK for a couple of their photos which I nicked. :)


The Place



























The People






..to be continued...

And They Crucified Him

A medical doctor provides a physical description:

The cross is placed on the ground and the exhausted man is quickly thrown backwards with his shoulders against the wood. The legionnaire feels for the depression at the front of the wrist. He drives a heavy, square wrought-ironnail through the wrist deep into the wood. Quickly he moves to the otherside and repeats the action, being careful not to pull the arms too tightly, but to allow some flex and movement. The cross is then lifted into place. The left foot is pressed backward against the right foot, and with both feet extended, toes down, a nail is driven through the arch of each, leaving the knees flexed. The victim is now crucified.

As he slowly sags down with more weight on the nails in the wrists, excruciating fiery pain shoots along the fingers and up the arms to explode in the brain -- the nails in the wrists are putting pressure on the median nerves. As he pushes himself upward to avoid this stretching torment, he places the full weight on the nail through his feet. Again he feels the searing agony of the nail tearing through the nerves between the bones of his feet.

As the arms fatigue, cramps sweep through his muscles, knotting them deep relentless, and throbbing pain. With these cramps comes the inability to push himself upward to breathe. Air can be drawn into the lungs but not exhaled. He fights to raise himself in order to get even one small breath.

Finally, carbon dioxide builds up in the lungs and in the blood stream, and the cramps partially subsided. Spasmodically, he is able to push himself upward to exhale and bring in life-giving oxygen.

Hours of limitless pain, cycles of twisting, joint-renting cramps, intermittent partial asphyxiation, searing pain as tissue is torn from his lacerated back as he moves up and down against rough timber. Then another agony begins: a deep, crushing pain deep in the chest as the pericardium slowly fills with serum and begins to compress the heart.

It is now almost over. The loss of tissue fluids has reached a critical level. The compressed heart is struggling to pump heavy, thick, sluggish blood into the tissues. The tortured lungs are making frantic effort to gasp in small gulps of air. He can feel the chill of death creeping through his tissues.

Finally, he allows his body to die.

All this the Bible records with the simple words,"and they crucified Him" (Mark 15:24).

Source: EMailMinistry

Of one "Give Me" and another

Was on the phone yesterday trying to get hold of a lawyer assigned to me, who was handling my strata title release. Didn't manage to speak to her, as her calls were screened by an assistant, but really, I sometimes wonder how business could be lost over some improper telephone etiquette:

Me: Hello, may I speak to Puan So and So
Puan's assistant: Who is on the line?
Me: Alex
Puan's assistant: From where?
Me: Great Eastern
Puan's assistant: Hang on.

(after about 5 seconds)

Puan's assistant: What is it regarding?
Me: I received a letter asking me to contact your office regarding the release of my strata title.
Puan's assistant: Give me your reference number.

At this point, I was "a bit" put off by the "give me". Whatever happened to "May I have..."? But duly complied after a moment's hesitation to not retort. Have to learn to be nice to people. The legal assistant may be having a terrible day and could be totally stressed out with work, and you never know, may be working under the tyranny of a similar minded boss as in "The Devil Wears Prada", but seriously, don't they teach these legal assistants some manners?

Come to think about it, the "give me" mentality is so prevalent in society, and is not confined to the likes of the legal offices. And before I get a hell lot of hullabaloo for my remarks, this is a general statement and I have met quite a lot of nice lawyers out there. :)

Why this post? Well, hearing that "Give Me" statement yesterday reminded of when I first became conscious of the tonality in which it may be said, as well as the possible implications (yes, sometimes I think too much and may be particularly sensitive). It brought to my mind during University days, when I was in queue waiting for food in the Hall of Residence, there was this Malaysian guy in front of me, and instead of saying to the lady dishing out the food, "Could I have...", he said, "Give me..". From then on, it struck me as to the profound effects of such statements made. Incidentally, that guy in front of me is now working as a lawyer.

Seriously though, I think it could be more of a cultural thing. I noticed that the Chinese say it a lot more, especially those who were educated in the Chinese language (and mother tongue is in Chinese – hmm, why not "father tongue" ah?). Could it be the brain power processing words, translating such mundane statements from Chinese to English, resulting in a harsher than desired sounding tone? Hmm...