Sao Lao

There are always new posters popping up at the train station. I saw this sign on April 02, 2008 while waiting for a train to Leiden Centraal Station. It was perfect timing since the news coverage a day or two before was about the melting of the ice in the North Pole and the movement to save the Polar Bears.

Thai TV 7 entertainment show interviewed Alexandra Bounxouei about her role in Ray Rai Louk Sao Pa Thai lakorn. Her character is Ray Rai, which is different than Champa, the previous role played by Alexandra in Pleng Ruk Rim Fang Khong. Ray Rai is brash and not proper and sweet like Champa but very fun for Alexandra to play this character.

We’ve been having a few foggy days since last Wednesday. A couple of nights ago we were getting a record low temperature at night time. I was wearing three sweaters and hiding under a thick blanket, trying to stay warm and fighting the flu. I have to confess that I was not made for cold weather. Of all the places on this earth I was born in the warm weather of Laos. There must have been a reason for me to be born there. I’m seriously thinking about moving back to Laos. The weather is great, well not during the rainy months. The food and the warm hospitality of the people will make up for the humid and rainy days.

Can you just imagine me blogging from Laos?

I woke up this morning and saw Dallas’ post in the chatbox at Laovoices.com about the shooting at Northern Illinois in De Kalb. According to the news report, 6 people have died in the shooting (5 students and including the gunman). I have been to NIU in the spring of 2005 for the First International Conference on Lao Studies. It’s a small and quiet town and a place that I couldn’t imagine an incident like this could take place there. The timing of the event on Valentine’s Day has given us a hint on the state of mind of the gunman. What kind of a world are we living in? You are not even safe in your own classroom. My heart goes out to the friends and families of the deceased students.

BBC News coverage of the shooting.

Part 1

Part 2

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I went out to do some grocery shopping on Thursday afternoon at the China town in Rotterdam. There was nothing going on as far as I can see. At my favorite Chinese grocery store there were a few people promoting Western Union using a bicycle taxi all, Chinese style. The girl told me they do this every Chinese New Year and asked me if I want my picture taken. She also asked if she could take some pictures of me using her camera. I didn’t protest and she asked me where I came from. She thought I was Chinese and told me that there is not that many people that came from Laos in this country. As far as I know I am the only Lao person walking around Rotterdam for the time being.

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I started to blog on January 14, 2006. The original site was Darly.net but was later changed to this site last year. I can’t believe that it has been two years since my first posting. Since I was in Laos around this time last year I lose track of the one year anniversary or birthday of my blog site.

I still have plenty to do before all the lost posts are restored. I’m just taking it one day at a time. After all this is just a hobby. Thanks for your visit. Let’s hope around this time next year, I can make a toss from Laos.

I spent my first New Year’s Eve celebration in the Netherlands with Johan. Rather than hanging out with his family I thought it would be a good idea to have our own little party and eating the Lao way. I set up a Lao fondue or Sien Dart with fish as a theme. Strangely the night started off with Dudok, the best apple pie in the Netherlands and a cup of cappuccino. That gave me enough energy to prepare the food to last until midnight.

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I received another care package from my aunt in Vientiane a few days before Christmas. All I wanted was a CD with photos from Houay Laou Elementary school and Sao Lao Magazine that I have been waiting for the last couple of months. My aunt was not able to find the magazine at the Morning Market or at a book shop. She sent my cousin to the book store at the National University of Laos because there might be a few issues left. In the end my cousin was not able to find an issue and bought me instead Sokdee magazine and an old issue of Sayo Laos magazine (from October 2006).

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Happy New Year to all my readers. May 2008 bring you good health and prosperity.

Happy Xmas (War Is Over) music by John Lennon with wise words from Mahatma Gandhi at the end “An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.”

Merry Christmas to all.