Remember Those Days: Little Buddha

Today, July 8th, is Buddhist Lent Day or Vassa. Being quite a good Buddhist as I am, I think I have to talk about it a little bit.

Vassa, also called Rains Retreat, is the traditional retreat during the rainy season lasting for three lunar months from July to October. During this time Buddhist monks remain in a single place, generally in their temples. In some monasteries, monks dedicate the Vassa to intensive meditation. During Vassa, many Buddhist lay people reinvigorate their spiritual training and adopt more ascetic practices, such as giving up meat, alcohol, or smoking… (from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vassa)

Being not the good Buddhist as I previously claimed, let’s talk Buddhism in an entertaining way. How about a movie? This movie was released in 1993 and directed by Bernardo Bertolucci. It’s called Little Buddha. The film intertwined two precious stories together: a pursuit of reincarnation of Lama and the story of Lord Buddha himself. The flick is my precious memory as well.

Why I consider it as one of my good memories ?

The answer is so simple. The first time I watched Little Buddha was like an outing to me. We an elementary students could go out of school in the restricted time and paraded on buses to a theater. It was a fresh and fun activity for children. And both quality doubles when I’d shared this experience with the whole class of my friends. I’m still impressed with the movie and even have the DVD at home. But that wasn’t the point. The most important message conveyed in the movie is the great teaching of Lord Buddha. Unfortunately, I realize about this value when I grew much older. That’s fine. At least, the movie sooner or later makes me realize about something.

So I leave you now on the beautiful movie from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTbVVbDpGzM&feature=related

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTbVVbDpGzM&feature=related]

Remember Those Days: Nang Klang Plaeng (Open-air Cinema)

Hear a reel’s rolling? See a flash of light to that silver screen?

Today I take you back in time to meet one of my hidden drawer of memories when I was still a little child. It’s the time beyond this digital age. The time when EDGE or 3G didn’t exist. The time when color TV was just released to market and we were crazy about it like Blackberry. It’s the classical time of Nang Klang Plaeng or open-air cinema.

In the old days, when the festive seasons like songkran or other community ceremonies, rolled around in suburb area where I was born and raised, one activity often held is the open-air cinema. The show is usually free for public as it was a treat by a host of each ceremony. It was always held at night when the wether is perfect for being out under the sky.

I think our Nang Klang Plaeng can be compared to your drive-through movie. They are the show that gathers lots of people together outdoor in the same place just to watch the same movie, except that Nang Klang Plaeng normally took place in a rice field after harvest or somebody’s unused land. Plus, while you were having popcorn in your hands, we could have some grilled meat balls or rolled squid.

I still remember that I went to this kind of show a couple of times with my family. The picture is clear in my head. Taking with us was blankets, sheets, and small pillows, we took the best area we could find. My brother was on my left and my mum and dad were in the back. The blanket was the most effective weapon to fight back my fear of ghost in the movie by means of covering myself with it.

As EGV, IMAX or whatever brands fulfilled our desire for entertainment, it’s hard to find the open-air cinema, except in the rural Thailand. I’m now far and far from it, no direct experience with it anymore as I move to BKK. But everytime I look back to those days, I can hear the rolling voice of the reel and the smell of meat balls and the harsh feeling of grass beneath me.

Don't Let Jealousy Get the Best of You

When the red and yellow teams get diminished from the limelight. We now have another talk of the town: the panda team and the elephant team. Some people stirs thing up when it seems like the two panda Chuang Chuang and Linhui and their unnamed baby steal all the attention. The elephant lovers then come up with a mocking idea. Elephants're disguised as pandas! Ouch! That hurts!



Thanks for photo from matichon online