Only in Thailand...

...is somebody more shocked that 'Banana' is a girl's name, than that it is a name at all!!

What am I beholding?

I was pleased to get this shot of young novice monks gazing out the window of the observatory tower, their eyes falling upon the local temple, in all its glittery array. I just wished I had my proper camera with me instead of just my phone, to get a better picture, I was only thinking about what would make a good photo...a snapshot of Thai life.

But looking at it again now it drives my thoughts deeper than artistic questions of lighting and composition. I am forced to challenge myself about what I am gazing on. This is something I seem to have to go back to over and over again.

When I start to gaze on the glittery man-made things in this life, or the black clouds that gather, or my fragile, broken self, instead of lifting my eyes up to the all glorious, majestic, wonderful, mighty God, I am no different to those novice-monks in the picture - looking to things that have no power to save. And I know when I have slipped into that pattern because the joy goes. I eat and am not satisfied, I drink and am still thirsty. I choose to drink from broken cisterns instead of the living water from God that wells up to eternal life. My eyes become glazed and I sit in darkness, drowsy and empty. I talk often about the battle to 'behold the light'. Jesus is THE Light. If I am not looking at Him where am I looking?

May I have ever increasing desire, discipline, conviction and capacity to behold the Almighty LORD of the heavens and the earth. Over all rulers and powers and authorities. May I keep doing so until that day when with the multitude, I will fall before His throne and cry:

"Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!" - Revelation 7:12

Thai Cultural Lessons #4 [Milk and Oil - unrelated to each other!]

Something which I am thankful for is that these days you can buy 'real' milk for your tea in Thailand. Something which makes me smile every time I buy it in 7/11 is that they give you a straw with your milk! Clearly adding milk to tea hasn't made it into Thai culture.


On a different note, this is the oil aisle in Big C:


Slightly more oil than you would find in an average Tesco in the UK!!

So many different types!

Thai Cultural Lessons #3 [Song Thaews - part 2]!!

So, I already wrote about my favourite form of transport - the Song Thaew here.

I think song thaew drivers like to try and personalise their vehicles - hence I have recently seen some interesting 'buzzer pulling things' (things that you pull to sound a buzzer and indicate you want to get off!)


Monkey!


Knitted smiley people!


Knitted smiley people with monks!

Something else interesting about Song Thaews is that if you're a student or a school kid the price is cheaper...but only if you look neat enough! If you look too scuffy you have to pay 10 baht like the grown ups!