"When one does not understand death, life can be very confusing."

It was a public holiday in my country, Thailand on Monday October 23^rd. After the long weekend finished during October 21^st-23^rd, I went to a resort in Nakorn Nayok, which is in the north of Bangkok about a 100 Km from my home. I left home at about 7 am to fill up my tank and my stomach, then drive to the destination.

Tuesday morning and after a long weekend, I went to a resort? Yes, that’s right sound good, ha? Actually I was joining a group for seminar. It is one of my public service. Actually it is something to do with a new-established Government organization that responsible for public safety that may caused from Natural Disasters. I share my experiences and knowledge from my expert areas which they are Communications and Management.

Before yesterday, I had not been there before. For those who did it from time to time, they will understand well it is a real good feeling when driving out from town in the morning. The soft Sun light, the green-yellow rice field, the rural people you passed by, these combination always give the calm and very relaxing. Seeing the places that I never noticed before, road-side restaurants, Buddha temples, the irrigation channels and water-gates along with the almost empty highway, these entire scenes brought me out from the real world that killing me each day from routine in downtown.

After a slow and relaxing journey for about three hours (most people can do it in just two or one and a half) I reached the place about 11 am. The first question I had got in mind was why they build it here, I meant the resort! The place is very nice in villa style with club-house and feature rooms, fountain and swimming pool. I notice from the environment that the place developed from rice field. I knew later that the total area is about 1,000 Rai (about 400 acre!) The landscape design and the good combination among the garden, ponds and the modern style building (I don’t know much about the architecture and style) given me the felling that this is a well-planned with high investment value. Sound like a good place to spend nights for vacation, right?  But question came to my mind because this place is far from every thing that supposes to be a vacation place. It far from tourist areas such preserve natural forest garden, far from the water falls, far from golf courses, or the night places, in fact the place surround with only villages and rice field. I got rid of the question from my head and give a careless answer to myself that the rich people always find reasons to spend money, and may be so as the owner of this place.

After check-in and waiting for the seminar to start at noon, I went down to a small home-style lobby. I was told that it is the place that I can find WiFi connection for

my notebook PC. I should get online to check my email. Surprisingly, the connection was perfect, I can get through my VPN with speed that not different from working in the office in Bangkok. (Well, but it is not a good idea for vacation people to come here and use Internet, I think.)

After awhile of working on email and chatting with people who came for the same purpose, we moved to a reception luncheon. I’m not a big eater but I should admit that the “duck noodle soup” was very good, seem as it prepared for your group only. The other dishes followed and again, I can’t resist myself from filled up my stomach. Actually, I always skip lunch, and you can guess now, the good lunch was trying to put me to sleep for the whole afternoon seminar programs!

I had a long schedule with programs that well prepared for groups-work and we’ve got a very good and productive result. The downside was, we finished the first-day program at about 9.30 pm, …my voluntary for public service force me work longer than the business that I get paid! I went to sleep about 11 pm after finished all business that should have been done.

I woke up (again…) this morning almost 6 am (the old-timer habit) and decided to went out for a walk. As explained, the perfect landscape and layout is very good and interesting to explore. Actually I was trying to find the cafeteria that prepared breakfast for us. I took a walk from my room for about five minutes through the wing that I stayed, to the fountains, to the WiFi lobby, through the pond-side walk way, and then I found the cafeteria. I reached the place at about 6.10 am. Guess what? …they were not ready to serve yet! I have no choice but to continue to explore the place and I feel grateful that I had a chance to walk.

Soon as I went out side again, I felt the fresh light breeze of the morning. Soft-yellow sunlight came out through top of the tree. Have you ever heard the birds sing? I just had this morning. Since I didn’t record the sound to show you, so you have to follow me. Let imagine that you are in a concert-hall or a theater with a good surround sound system. There was sound from the birds on the yard and walk way, the sound came from the other kind of bird that jumped on the roof of bungalows, the sound from the other groups that flied above your head….the sound’ ambient was very wide and continue with harmonizing as we are listening to a Symphony orchestra. Yes, a symphony orchestra, if you knew, this kind of music used at least 104 musical instruments to play. I couldn’t find the one that supposed to be a conductor, so I assumed myself as the one, there was only me walking there anyway. The sound of the birds echo all over the garden, circling around above my head, it was all the way I had walked through. This may be the answer to my question yesterday, I don’t know, but for me, this is worth every second spending in this place, even it was only about half an hour that I walked. I returned to the breakfast room and they was waiting for me, yummy!

Day by day I was in the routine of works and businesses. It took me far out from enjoying the nature as the one this morning. Sitting in a car that stuck in the morning traffic-jam can consider as locking me in a cell before get to punishment works of the prison. I almost forget the freedom and calm-relaxing feeling that came to me. Once in awhile, if I can return to such environment, I feel it may help cure me the wound of working pressure, as it did today.

The seminar went well and I glad that I can be a help. I wished them success in what they do. These people put a lot of effort into this work. Bringing good people from different palaces without dropping their ego will always cause problems and entropy. I’m glade that this sentence from me woke up many people. I hope they will not forget once they wake up (again…) tomorrow.

Happy you all!

k.phat

October 25, 2006

For the resort you can check the website:

Cholapruek Resort

http://www.clpresort.com/home_en.htm

I’m not often write, especially a blog, but today I decided to give it a try. I heard that blogging is an interesting hobby, so I am trying out myself. For me, blogging is just like the heart-broken people tell their sad story to other, or someone sharing their like or dislike in things, places, people or situations. Whatever it is the most important thing is, the people who read stories and return their comment in the blog. It’s two way communications via the text message. Although it isn’t real time exchanging but still can give some hope when the bloggers return to see their board and that is the fun…I guess.

People love to communicate, one way or another. That’s why the cell-phone business and the related so successful these day. The teens love chatting, either with their mouths or hands. They can speak on the phone for hours while chatting on keyboard with the other group. It was long before Internet boom, a group of people who love technology and communication get into a hobby called Amateur Radio or HAM. They went thought examination for a license to use radio to talk. They talked to other licensed HAM of cause; in country or international is depend on what class of license they obtained. The beauty of HAM is they contact and talk without knowing each other before. Some use their voice shouting to a microphone while some just prefer hitting a telegraph key that make sound Dit and Dah which can be translated in to messages (in their head), some hooked other equipment with a radio and send slow text message or still pictures. All these can’t compare to the lowest 56Kbps modem that access to the internet nowadays. Today HAM radio is dying, beside, they are expanding all the time. They also use internet to expand their contact territory. The some new HAM equipments can be connected to Internet and use as carrier to connect to the world. It is same as people using IRC, chat rooms, instant message, VoIP or video. In every disaster strike to a public place, Amateur Radio operator always play role or hero to help relaying information or even help establish emergency communication. Most of the public telecommunication services dies and the Amateur Radio is the only help. It’s not because of technology or black magic, it’s the people who love communicate invest and set up their own communication post or station without help from government. They are everywhere without noticed from the other, but they will come to stand in front roll once disaster strike. No matter what technology have been implemented, the important factor remain, the need for communicate among people. It is the driven force behind.

Well, this is my first blog here. I will return to see if someone give a comment, or share some thought or even give a grammar-lesson or missed spelling to me. If should be fun, so let see.

Happy you all.

k.phat