Museum of Natural History: Where should it be?

I read the news and learnt that the Malaysian government is planning to set up a new museum.

This new museum will house Malaysia's numerous natural history under one roof.

This is a definitely a good thing. 

I can still recall how mesmerized I was, looking at all the strange looking animals on display at the Natural History Wing in Malaysia's National Museum; Muzium Negara.

I know that it would be wonderful if people can actually see those animals, alive and well in the wild, but lets face it.

Not many among us are willing to go into insect infested jungles to experience close encounters with wild creatures.

Static exhibits displayed in air conditioned buildings are the next best, realistic option that we can have.

This is a positive move that I readily support.

What I find intriguing is the spot that the government put forth to house our nation's natural treasures, PUTRAJAYA.

This choice of place is something that I can't agree with.

WHY on earth does this new museum has to be built in Putrajaya?

WHY can't we have the museum build somewhere nearer to it's present location, Muzium Negara?

Can't the government pick a better place to house our nation's natural treasures within the compound of Lake Gardens?

I personally believe that, locating the much anticipated Muzeum of Natural History within the grounds of Lake Gardens, nearer to Muzium Negara (and to other attractions, eg Muzium Kesenian Islam, etc) are much more practical and is so much more convenient for people to visit, if compared with far away Putrajaya.

And I don't think that I am alone in this.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Friday December 19, 2008

Better to site museum at Tasik Perdana area

THE Government’s effort to finally set up the Museum of Natural History is most commendable and long overdue.

Most of us can still remember the natural history section when we visited the old Muzium Negara in Kuala Lumpur. To some of us, this section was more fascinating than the others because of the exquisite collections.

Today, the newly refurbished and revamped exhibits at Muzium Negara are more streamlined to portray the early history till the present day of the country.

What does not seem right is that the proposed RM5mil Museum of Natural History will be sited in Putrajaya. Why at the seat of the government?

I am of the view that the present tourism and cultural belt or precinct around the Tasik Perdana area will be a more suitable choice.

If land or building is the stumbling block, perhaps the Civil Ser vice Museum at the fringe of the lake area can be swapped with the proposed Natural History Museum.

The Tasik Perdana area already boasts of many tourist attractions, including the Islamic Arts Museum, the Police Museum, the Tun Razak Memorial, Planetarium, the Historical Museum and, of course, our pride, the National Museum.

To include the Museum of Natural History in the area would not just be more convenient to tourists, it would also enrich the area.

Again, the proposed Museum of Natural History should have the best collections. Let’s hope it would not be just another tourism edifice.

ZARI MALAYSIANA,

Petaling Jaya.

To yoga or not?

Sometimes, I can't help but wonder why some people are just too emotional when it comes to discussions regarding matters of faith, ISLAM?

I know that we Muslims have to be careful whenever we talk about the faith.

I am well aware that we have to watch out so that we don't want get overboard with our own interpretations regarding certain issues concerning the faith for fear that it might leads us to become...MURTAD.

I acknowledged that there are certain boundaries that we must adhere to.

But, then again, if we, Muslims ourselves are not meant to discuss about certain issues pertaining to our own beliefs, than who does?

I am confident that the same people who condemned my 'liberal' views regarding Islam isn't going to sit still if there is, lets say, a certain Budhist starts talking about Islam and Allah.

In the end, WHO has the authority to talk for/about ISLAM?

Is it only the 'ulama' who have the rights to talk about/for Islam. If so, that can we (the non ulamas) question the decisions/issues that was raised by them?

My beloved country and my faith are under the world's microscope/limelight again.

And as usual, its always for the wrong reason.

The news on yoga ban issued by Malaysia's Fatwa Council was highlighted on the CNN.

Imagine, of all the other news that these foreign western media can highlight, they've deliberately chosen this one.

And, I can't stop myself from wondering, WHY.

 

Balik kampung? What do you think?

POLL RESULTS »

The exodus home during the festive holidays always results in bad traffic jams and just too many accidents. Are Malaysian highways and the authorities ill-equipped to handle the high volume of traffic?

Yes		66%
No		16%
Encourage use of public transport		7%
Travel only during off peak days and hours		10%

Hari Raya di perantauan

Its 1st Syawal.
Its the first day of Hari Raya....and I'm stuck in the office, staring blank at the contract draft, while my boss and other colleagues from work are golfing somewhere in the outskirts of Bangkok.

Arghhhh!!!!!!!
Life is unfair, I know.
But, I didn't know that sometimes, life too can suck, BIG TIME!
Urghhh...
(Serves me right though. My colleagues did asked me to tag along, but since I don't golf, I turned down their offer)

Well, I guess that is one of the downsides of living/working out of Malaysia.
You don't get the chance to celebrate major festivals with family members and best friends.

After having lived overseas for years, ( I did a quick count and realized that I've spent 12 years overseas, out of which I only managed to celebrate Hari Raya with folks back home like a couple of times, only!) I know that I should have been accustomed to the idea of celebrating Hari Raya A.L.O.N.E, but unfortunately, celebrating Eid in Tokyo and celebrating Eid here in Bangkok do have its differences.

If I were to celebrate Eid in Tokyo/Japan, I would most probably teamed up with the other Malaysian community living/working there, burning the midnight oil, cramped ourselves into our small houses, chatting away while at the same time, busy preparing delicious foods for 'Rumah Terbuka' (open house) on Hari Raya Eve.

                     

I really miss that 'excitement'.

The smell of 'ketupat segera' aka 'Ketupat plastik' boiling (in what seems like ages!) in the big copper pot on the gas stove.
The laughters of close friends preparing the ingredients for the 'lauk-pauk' that will be cooked next.
The Hari Raya songs coming out from the computer than the people downloaded from the Net a few days before the gathering.
The constant ringings of differing ring tunes, signaling the numerous Selamat Hari Raya calls and SMSs from families and friends back home to everyone's handphone.
A phone call from my mom, telling me that tomorrow's Hari Raya, when I've already heard the announce via the Net.
Happy Raya wishes and greetings via YM and IM.
And not to forget the endless E-Raya cards and Happy Raya wishes via email.


Unfortunately, none of those I mentioned above happened while I'm here in Bangkok.
Urghh...


Anyway, to all great friends out there, I'd like to wish you all a SELAMAT HARI RAYA AIDILFITRI.

Iftar in Tokyo

Last weekend, I was invited to a 'buka puasa' (Iftar) at a Malaysian sempai's (senior) house in Gyotoku, Chiba.

The weather was dreary. 

It was cold and heavy grey clouds were hanging low in the sky, as if it's going to rain anytime soon.
I don't really feel like going out in this chilly, gloomy fall weather.

It was the first time that sempai have asked me to come for a visit.

And, with my current work schedule changing every week, I don't think that I can afford the luxury of procrastinating sempai's offer to another time.

It should be then or never.

  

Gyoutoku was quite far from where I live, (about an hour and a half train ride) but the thought of 'kuih-muih' (traditional cakes), 'ayam masak lemak' (chicken cooked in spicy coconut gravy), 'nasi dagang', and a whole lot more home cooked Malay delicacies, somehow gave the strength to brave the outdoors and ventured into the unknown.
(FYI, that was my first time to his house)

I arrived at Gyotoku station about an hour before Iftar.
Sempai was already waiting for me at the pharmacy near the station.
He was standing with a grey 'mama chalee' (bicycle) by his side.
And perched at the bicycle's rear seat, looking grumpy was Mina-chan, his eldest daughter.

I approached them, we briefly exchanged 'hi's and then made our way slowly to his house which was about 10 minutes walk from the station. I've known sempai from my University years back in Kagoshima. He majored in Economics, while I studied Architecture. We've lost contact for some time when Sempai graduated and went back to Malaysia.
In Malaysia, he got married and settled down working as a lecturer attached to a Malaysian University.

He is now back in Japan, studying for his PhD at Waseda University, one of the more prestigious private university in Japan. He brought along his wife and two kids (a daughter and a son) to Tokyo. The wife, I later found out, was a bright, bubly, gentle lady.

I was ushered in and lo!, there are lots of goodies already arranged on the table.
My stomach grumbled at the mouth watering sight.




I soon learnt that I wasn't the only guest for the night. A few minutes later, the doorbell rang, and in minutes I found myself surrounded by small kids running about, housewives chattering along while preparing the food in the kitchen and laughing mens in the living room.
Ahh...the warmth of a big, Malay family.

                                                       

Although it was the first time I met them, we managed to get along effortlessly.
Soon I found myself laughing along with the men, teasing the housewives and running around the house, playing hide and seek with the kids.
By now, Mina-chan was grumpy no more.

When Maghrib approached, we did our Iftar with a date and then the guys perform Maghrib prayers while the women folk tends to the children. When the mens finished, the women than performed their Maghrib prayer while us men starts to busy ourselves, filling our empty stomachs with delicious foods and just letting the kids play for themselves. ;-)

I had 2 servings before I called it quit.

After that, I followed my sempai to a nearby masjid for Isyak and Tarawikh prayers.

(I was pleasantly surprised to know that theres a masjid nearby!)

The masjid was just a plain looking 3 story building. 

I entered the building and I can see that small prayer hall was almost filled up.

It was after all the last night for Tarawikh prayers.

I also noticed that most of the congregates were of Pakistan/Indian nationals. 

The enticing aroma of 'attar' lingers throughout the slightly cramped hall.

 

After we've performed our solat, I asked sempai where do the people here do their tithe (zakat fitrah) collection. Sempai pointed to several small wooden boxes lined at the back of the praying hall.

Me: Err, thats it? No akad or anything?

Sempai explained that the mosque follows the teachings of the Maliki sect where the paying of tithe without akad are permitted. The important thing is your 'niat'. 

Me: Hmm, 'benri'. (convenient)

So, I made my 'niat' and slotted in 1500 yen as tithe inside the wooden box.

I then made my way back to sempai's house for MORE food and drinks.

 

  

Jangan Pandang Belakang...for real!

I received a very disturbing phone call from a close friend after work, yesterday.

This friend of mine works in the financial industry.

He is a banker with a foreign bank. 

He is now in his mid 30s. He studied economics in a western university. 

Healthy, adventurous, goal oriented, sharp and always filled with positive attitude.

I consider his life as a very successful one.

I've secretly admired him and somehow considered him as my 'idol'.

It has been quite some time since I last heard from him. 

I thought that he was just busy with work, something that he is always complaining about.

(So buzy was he, that he just can't let his blackberry go! The blackberry seemed like it morphed

 into his palm)

 

Well, I learnt that my assumption wasn't completely wrong.

He was busy alright. 

But it wasn't because of work.

He confided in me that he was actually busy fighting for his peace of mind.

He claimed that he had been 'sick' for three weeks.

Knowing him, I know that he is not the kind of person that succumbs to sickness, easily. 

I sensed that something must be wrong. 

I just had to ask.

Me: What happened?

Him: I was 'sick' for 3 weeks. Am feeling a bit better now, though.

Me: Err, what kind of 'sickness', if you don't mind?

Him: Hmm...don't know if this makes sense to you. I was under some kind of black magic spell.You know, the kind that involves 'dukun' , 'pawang' (witch doctor) and stuff. 

Me: What?! 

Yes.

He said that it all started after he returned from a business trip to Indonesia.

He wasn't feeling sick, but he completely lost his appetite.

His weight has gone down tremendously, and because he's not eating properly, he doesn't have the same gusto to carry on working like before.

He suspects that it was the doing by someone who is jealous of the good relationship that he has with his Indonesian business partner. 

They wanted to weaken him, physically and mentally, so that he won't be able to continue doing business in Indonesia.

Wow! Imagine hearing THIS from a well educated man.

How are you supposed to react? 

What was I supposed to say?

Me: What made you so sure? 
Him: I didn't believe in all these, at first. But then, I figured that something wasn't right and I went to see the doctor. The doctor said that I was fine.
I didn't suspect anything, until one day I invited some friends over for dinner. 
One of them suddenly became hysterical! I was completely blown away! 
We then take him out; more like wrestled him out of the house, where he fainted.
Minutes later, when he's concious, he told me that he saw 'something' hiding in my shower room! 
Me: (Bulu roma meremang)
Him: My other friend than brought me to go and see a 'bomoh'.
 The bomoh said that the 'being' followed me back from Indonesia with the sole intention of inflicting harm to me. 
(there goes my 'hantu'-and-the-likes-won't-be-able-to-cross- over-water-bodies myth down the drain) 
 I asked the 'bomoh', that I've showered many times there since I returned, but why didn't 'it' bothers me, then?
The 'bomoh' told me that maybe its because of my will strength, 'it' couldn't inflict harm at once. Thus 'it' stayed on and made me loose my appetite in order to weaken me first.
My condition's improving, after the 'bomoh' managed to subdued 'it', but 'it' is still there.

Needless to say, I didn't sleep well that night.

                              

'Along, Alang, Angah, Teh, Usu?'

My family consists of 8 people.

Now, according to Japanese standard, a family of 8 can be considered big.

I have 6 siblings, (4 boys and 2 girls) and it so happens that I am the eldest.

Even so, I don't display any physical traits that might give give the slightest hint to my 'seniority' among my siblings.

Simply put, my younger brothers are more 'well built' and definitely looks more matured than I do!

I don't know what went wrong, but every time I show someone my family photos, I will always receive the same comment; "You're the eldest?! But your younger brothers look so much more 'older/matured' than you! "

And, every time I hear that, I am always at lost with words.

I mean seriously, what am I to say?

 

What am I to blame? Different genetic built? Don't think so.

That I use some special ointment (jamu) that helps keep my youthful looks? I don't even know what 'jamu' is!

I don't know, but I've secretly believe that I owe my youthful looks to my happy-go-lucky, hakuna matata spirit. 

But, thats not the point that I want to deliver.

Japanese factor

Now, if I'm born Japanese, life might be a little bit more easy.

No matter how you end up looking, people can easily figure out if you're the eldest, number 2, 3rd child and so forth.

How come? Well, its because that the Japanese have come up with a simple way of naming their child (boys only, though) by the order of one's birth.

Example, if you're a first born male in the family, most probably you'll be named 'Ichirou' （一郎） which means 'The eldest son'.

(If you're a baseball Major League fan, then I guess the name above should ring some bell)
'Jirou' （次郎）for son number two.
'Saburou' （三郎）if you're the third in line,  and 'Shirou'（四郎） if you're the fourth.

The fifth son will be called, 'Gorou' （五郎）. 
(Well, don't ask me what do they call son number six and more. I did asked once, but since not many japanese have many kids, even they can't tell)

Easy right?

Malay factor

In Malay custom, we don't name our child according to their birth order.

Naming a child is complicated. There are no 'fixed' rules that you can refer to.

But, Malay people don't use the actual name of a child within the family's everyday lives.

We usually substitute it with 'kinship term' (one of the forms of address when speaking to others, especially when speaking to family members and close, intimate friends) in our daily conversation.

Usually, the first born will be addressed as 'Along'.

It comes from the malay word, 'sulung' which literally means 'eldest'.
Then, if you're the youngest, you'll also be known as 'Usu' which comes from 'Bungsu'; which is 'youngest'.

Now, that much is clear to me and everyone that I interviewed.

But what do the Malays call their 2nd, 3rd, 4th born and so on?

I've heard some Malay families uses the kinship term Angah, Alang, Uda, Tam, Teh, Andak, etc to address family hierarchy, but I am not clear which one of these should come after 'Along'.

Another thing is where does these kinship terms comes from?

As mentioned earlier, I deduced that the term 'Along' derives from 'sulung', and 'Usu' comes from 'Bungsu', but what about the rest?  
I suspect the term 'Angah' comes from the word 'Tengah' which means 'the middle one' but most of the times, families use this kinship term after 'Along'; referring to number 2.
What does 'Alang' stands for?
How about 'Teh'? 'Tam'?

Can someone please help me clarify?

Tale from two countries

I was told that current Thai PM, Khun Samak, was forced to resign.

The news are as follows:

Thai PM, Cabinet forced to quit over cooking show

BANGKOK: Thailand’s prime minister was forced to resign Tuesday along with his Cabinet after the Constitutional Court ruled that he had broken a conflict-of-interest law by hosting TV cooking shows while in office.

Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej’s supporters immediately vowed to bring him back to power, leaving Thailand in a deep political crisis that has virtually paralysed the government, spooked the financial markets and scared away tourists.

Well, well...

The PM was told to quit by the court and its all over a cooking show.

Interesting.

Today, on the same paper, a different story unfolds in Malaysia;

Muhyiddin confirms Dr M returning to UMNO

KUALA LUMPUR: Umno vice-president Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin has confirmed that former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad is returning to the party.

He said that Dr Mahathir expressed his intention to return to Umno at a meeting last Saturday.

Hmm...

In Thai, a current PM was asked to quit from active politics.

In Malaysia, previous PM was asked to take an active part in the country's politics again.

'Bunga' jalanan

Seems like demonstrators are not the only group of people taking to the streets lately. 

Recently, I noticed a significant increase in the number of 'pelacur' lining the dark streets along the periphery of Lumpini Park and some dark alleys around the neighborhood. These 'bunga jalanan' will come out and 'bloom' when the park's gate is closed, every night. 

I thought that it was just me, but a casual chit chat with another long time Bangkok resident confirmed my suspicion/obervation. He also provide an interesting 'insight' into the whole phenomenon.

According to him, the increase in the number of 'pelacur' on the street is an indicator that the current Thai economy isn't doing well. It is apparent that the current political turmoil is actually driving tourists away from Thailand, thus depriving these 'pelacur' of their customers and in the end, forcing them to go to the streets. 

Hmm...

Tourism is big business in Thailand. A decline in tourist numbers is definitely a grave problem for many Thais. And with several countries issuing 'warnings' to their nationals to stay away from Thai at the moment, situations are getting more dire. 

With no eminent solution to the current turmoil (both parties turned down offers to bring the issues to the discussion table) and the army reluctant to take sides, this turmoil is set to continue on for some time.

The girls of Patpong knows this too well. 

And, they've started to take matters into their own hands.

Political differences aside, life, as usual must go on....

Lonely Sunday...

My boss decided to go golfing yesterday (Sunday) so I took the whole day to pamper myself.

I walked to Central World Shopping Center.
I had a 60 minutes facial treatment (THB 1299), and after that I went to the hair salon.
I colored my hair (to 'get rid' of those grey hairs; THB1500) and then had it cut short.(THB350)
The hair designer recommended a special hair treatment cream thats supposed to make my newly colored hair 'glow'. (THB1300)
I also went to catch a movie at the cinema, yesterday.
I spent a good 2 hours watching Wall-E. (THB120)
When I walk out from the theater, its already 6:40pm.
Its Iftar time!!!

I had a craving for fried chicken (hmm, wonder why?) and head straight to KFC for buka puasa yesterday.
Err, don't ask me if Thai's KFC is Halal or not.
I was told by another Muslim that it is. I've seen local Muslim Thais eating there.
I also noticed that some of the people who works there wears name tags with 'Ebrahem', 'Laila', written on it.
Those are Muslim names, right???

I also bought a 5 piece meal to take home for sahur.

I did all the activities mentioned above....ALONE!!!

Hmm, what a way to spend one's Sunday.

Its not supposed to be like this. I've planned to spend last weekend, strolling at Hua Hin; the beach area 3 hours drive from Bangkok. I was supposed to go there together with a friend from Bangkok.
We've made a deal. He drives and I'll provide the rest.
But unfortunately, he called me up on Saturday morning, saying that he was sick!
The heavy rain that ensued after that only helps dampen my weekend mode further.



That was when I decided to just keep to myself last weekend.
I switched off my phones, turned on the TV, and moped on my bed, 'rotting' all Saturday.
And on Sunday, I decided that I've had enough of my unkept bed, and decided to taste the outside air.

Being alone is nice...sometimes.

Tripple bummer morning!

I woke up at 6 am this morning.

Damn!

I forgot to take my sahur!!! I was planing to wake up at 3 am to eat light and drink lots of fluid before the next Iftar, but I guess I was just too exhausted to even bother. 

Urghh....what a bummer.

I opened my laptop and browsed through my emails.

There was an email from my boss. (kachou, in Japanese) 

Hmm...wonder what its about.

I opened it up, and the Subject reads: Death of Mizukami-san.

Double whammer!!

Mizukami-san was my kachou from my Toyama years!

We've traveled to Bangkok together. I recalled having once had a heated argument on our company's stance venturing into the overseas market in a cab in Bangkok.

He was one of the major players who believed that venturing oversea will do good for the company. I am a staunch believer of that ideals too. 

He took care of me until the time when I was transfered to Tokyo.

I just couldn't believe what I read!

The email said that  Mizukami san was diagnosed with brain tumor a year ago.

He then took leave for treatment, and later had a brain surgery.

He did come back to work after the surgery, but since the pain didn't persist, he took sick leave again and started frequenting the hospital for check ups and further treatment.

His death came as a shock to all of us at the company.

I scrolled down further, and I noticed an attachment to the email.

I opened it. 

It was a very formal document.

On it was small boxes asking for your name, employee number, and finally how much you're willing to 'contribute' for the grieving family.

Yes, its the all too familiar, Okouden.

That jolt me back from my melancholy.

Triple bummer!!!

Here in Japan, one's lives revolves around money.

You celebrate New Year, MONEY. You reached 20 years old, MONEY.You get married, MONEY. You die, also MONEY.

The adage Money makes the world goes round actually do mean something (actually, it means a lot!) in this part of the world. No can deny. 

Sigh. My stomach rumbles in protest....  

Corrections, please!

Today something 'strange' happened at the Rep office in Bangkok.

It was one of those laid back days...

Not much work, and I was just whiling my time, browsing the Internet.

It was after all, the 3rd day of Bangkok's Emergency Decree.

And since PM Samak declared this morning that he's not resigning, I and of course the rest of Thailand was anticipating that the current political turmoil will prolong; I've made it my priority to keep up with the latest news.

Suddenly, my Japanese boss; who was keeping himself busy all these time, writing reports on his latest business trip to Taiwan; came up besides me and ask how to pronounce a particular Kanji; Chinese character. 

I was surprised! A Japanese asking me, a foreigner how to pronounce a Kanji!

Wow! They really must have excellent trust in my Japanese language capabilities.

Anyway, I glanced at the Kanji he was showing, and unfortunately(?), I too don't know the pronounciation for it.  Well, good for him I guess since I am 'saving his face'.

Later on, I was reading through pages from a Japanese newspaper. I figured that I should try to further brush up on my Japanese reading while waiting for my boss to finish with his report. (Man, its been hours since he started, and he still haven't finished!) I came across another Japanese Kanji that I am not familiar with. Without any hesitation, I asked another Japanese coworker how to pronounce the word. He too said that he don't know how to pronounce the word. He plainly said later that the word I pointed out wasn't an 'everyday' word...whatever. 

Another few hours later, my boss declared that he's finished writing his report. He needed to submit his report to the CEO and he's like us (me and my other co-woker) to have a look at it before he submit the report.

I took the report and started reading. 

Surprised! Surprised! 

Frankly speaking, there was a lot of corrections and grammatical mistakes that I pointed out just to make the whole sentence, understandable. I can even write something better, looks more professional that my boss's.

As I was helping my boss, correcting his report, a fax from the Japanese Embassy came through. 

According to the fax, there'll be another demonstration of around a hundred Thai University students at Central World Shopping Complex scheduled to take place at 9am tomorrow morning. The demonstrators will then stage a march down to the Police HQ located nearby. We (the Japanese actually) are advised not to be around the area.

Hmm...

I think to myself that it seems like, not only my boss's report that needs some corrections. Thai politics are in need of some major 'corrections' of their own.

What a world!

Emergency Decree!

I arrived in Bangkok this afternoon to find out that the usually busy Suvarnabhumi airport was kind of 'different' than always. 

First, the usually packed arrival hall was virtually deserted. The pesky, loud, annoying taxi touts and people eagerly waiting for their loved ones to emerge, that usually blocked my view each time I got out to the arrival hall was nowhere to be seen! 

Secondly, the heavy presence of police personnel only helps to confirm my doubts that something is definitely wrong.

As the car speeds into town, I can see that theres less traffic on the road. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, considering the all too famous Bangkok gridlock, the smooth car-ride all the way to the hotel was definitely a welcomed change. Still, I am intrigued to find out.

I called up Lydia, a Malaysian friend working/living in Bangkok. She immediately told me that due to some violence that happened at Sanam Luang area between protesters to PM Samak and the police (or is it, the army?) a person was killed and PM Samak ordered an Emergency Decree at 7am this morning to keep things under control. Lydia told me to be careful, because things might get tense if the authorities couldn't keep things under control. She advised me to stay away from Sanam Luang area, where the protester's camp are located, and also to stock up on food as soon as I arrived in the hotel since nobody's not sure if things might get ugly or not. Kind Lydia also offered me a room at their service apartment in case things in the city (where I'm living and also where all the action is) gets worse. Well, lets hope that things'll not get that bad.

I arrived safe and sound at the hotel and proceed directly to the check in counter. The girls at the front desk asked me if I'm confirming my 10 days stay this time. Well, I asked them why, and they explained that some customers(tourists) opt to go back early due to the current political turmoils. Can't help but wonder how big the current political turmoils will bring to this beautiful kingdom that relies heavily on its Tourism Industry.   

As soon as I've settled down in my hotel room, I walked to the shopping complex nearby to start buying some provisions. Today was 2nd day of Ramadhan, and I also need to stock up on something for sahur, too. 

I noticed that, Emergency Decree or not, life on the streets of Bangkok still continues as usual. The hawkers are still busy preparing food, and the stalls are filled to the brim with customers as usual. People still throng to the shopping center for their groceries. If I wasn't at the airport today, theres no way of knowing that the country is in Emergency Decree!

Hmm....I just hope that Malaysia won't end up the same. 

I then made my way to the nearest spa for 2 hours of  blissful body scrub and oil massage.

Total relaxation. Within that 2 hours, I managed to stop thinking of all thats happening to the outside world.