Why is Hatyai called Hatyai?

Hi friends,

How are you? I hope you are fine.

I should have gone to Hatyai, my hometown during long holidays, but the train ticket was fully booked.

As I am thinking of Hatyai, I read about its history on the Internet so I would like to introduce some information to you.

Do you know why Hatyai is called Hatyai, which means the city of big beach? (Despite the fact that no big beach left now)

I have wondered for a long time as well. I have got the answer and here is it:

Long time ago, there was a very big white beach along the U Ta Pao canal. This beach was able to serve 50 boats to park on. Most people dug out the sand from the beach to use for their house construction, and a large amount of sand here seemed not to be used all. Therefore, people in the past called Hatyai by its name.

In the meantime, some people said the name of Hatyai was originated from the tree of Ma Hatyai, or in Thai “ต้นมะหาดใหญ่’. As people in the south always shorten the words, they called the village of Ma Hat Yai as Hatyai.

Note: For your information, in the past the U Ta Pao canal was used as the important water transportation between Songkhla to Kedah State, Malaysia. (Now, there is no big area of beach left.) It was said that Hatyai has been founded for almost 100 years. It was developed from a village, then Amphur and now a metropolitan.

Again, time for lunch now and I am thinking of a Dim Sum food shop in Hatyai!

 Happy weekend

Thanks for the information on http://www.songkhlahealth.org/paper/1182 , http://th.wikipedia.org/wiki/อำเภอหาดใหญ่

and http://th.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20071109092356AAxEXeS

Retirement Planning

Last year, my company invited an officer from the Stock Exchange of Thailand to give a lecture on Retirement Planning. Now I'm gonna tell you briefly about his lecture that I think is useful to your guys.

Have you start saving for your retirement yet? Some of you might think that I'm only 30 year old, there is still plenty of time to save the money. This idea is not good. You should start thinking about how to live your life after your retirement. Don't wait until you are 40 or 50 cause it will be too late. After you retire, you will have no job and no income so how will you pay for food and other expenses such as personnel expenses, health expenses and travelling expenses.

Now, you might wonder how much money do you have to save for your retirement. There is a formula for calculating the money you should have before you retire.

the money you should have at your retirement =
70% of your annual current expenses x the numbers of years you expect to live after retirement

If you plan to live until you are hundred year old, you will need to save more money.

Anyway, when you retire, some of you may get the money from pension fund or coporate welfare fund but the money you get from your company isn't enough for you to live your life conveniently after your retirement. So you should save the money by yourself too.

Please remember, the earlier you save, the more money you will have.

Let's Cook Chinese Fried Rice

Yesterday, I bought a box of sausage fried rice from a take-away shop in my village. Its taste is very good, not too sweet and salty. I really like it because it is not added Monosodium glutamate and garlic.

This fried rice makes me think of Chinese fried rice cooked by my Taiwanese friend, Hsiu Mei, pronounced as “Sho Mei”.

Once she came to my house, I asked her to cook Chinese fried rice. She wondered why I wanted to try such common food. I said to her that it was not common food for me, but it was so special dish!

Next, I asked her if she wanted any special ingredients. She said “just some salt, cooking oil, day-old rice, chopped onion and carrot and one egg.”

I kept asking her again “Why do you want only some salt? Why is it not soya sauce?”

She said “Just some salt is enough. If you want to make the rice dark colour, it is o.k. to add a little bit of soya sauce.”

Then, Hsiu Mei started cooking Chinese fried rice.

-          She boiled some chopped carrot until it was cooked, but not too soft. Then, she drained it, and set it aside.

-          For some chopped onion, she boiled it in the other pot and did the same process as the chopped carrot.

-          Next, she put some cooking oil into a pan and heated the oil for 2 minutes, then scrambled the egg and separated it into the pan.

-          Later, she added some day-old rice and  a teaspoon of salt.

-          The rice was stirred thoroughly and rubbed to get rid of the clumps.

-          Some chopped onion and carrot was topped onto the rice.

-          She stirred the all thing together.

-          Finished!

She told some tips to me that the onion and carrot needed to be boiled in order to maintain its flavour, and both would have nicer smell than cooking them in the oil. She said it was o.k. to add some meat.

Furthermore,  the other of my Chinese friend, Xiang, told me that peanut oil (groundnut oil) was good for cooking fried rice. She recommended me to use a wok instead of a frying pan.

Also, May, my friend from Hong Kong, said Chinese fried rice should not be added some Spring green leaves (Pak Ka Na or ผักคะน้า) and tomato because these would make the rice wet.

Try cooking Chinese fried rice on your own and enjoy.

Have a good week!

A funny story

Today I have a funny story I would like to share. I receive this one as forwarded mail and it made me smile.

A salesman of Coca-Cola returned from his assignment to China.   A friend asked,  "Why weren't you successful with the Chinese?"

The salesman explained, "When I got posted, I was very confident that I would make a good sales pitch. But I had a problem. I didn't know how to speak Mandarin. So I planned to convey the message through three posters. 

   

First poster: A man lying in the hot desert sand totally exhausted and fainting.
Second poster: The man is drinking Coca-Cola.
Third poster: Our man is now totally refreshed.

And then these posters were pasted all over the place.   "Terrific! That should have worked!" said the friend.   "The hell it should have!" said the salesman.
"No one told me they read from right to left!"         

Ha Ha Ha. I hope this story wasn't real. If you read from right to left, it can be interpreted that drinking Coke makes you eshausted. So no Chinese would drink Coke anymore. This story teaches us that cross cultural communication is very important. If you want to communicate with someone outside your culture, you have to learn and study their cultures very well, otherwise you might make some mistakes like this salesman in the story. This can apply to translation as well because translation is a form of communication. This is why translators have to understand the cultures of  their source languages and their readers. Otherwise, they might mistranslate the texts and make the readers misunderstant the text.

Oh my dear!

Hi friends,

How is your weekend? Hope it is good.

I would like to tell you that I did something bad yesterday. What a shame!

Yesterday evening, while I was walking around my yard, I saw something in green clinging to my jasmine twig. Then, I was scared of it. I thought that it might be a green snake, but it wasn’t. It was a 3 inch-green caterpillar! (it looks like a caterpillar of Unif Green Tea)

Do you know how I managed it? I covered my hand with a plastic bag. Then, I tried to pick that caterpillar out. Unfortunately, its body was sticky so I pressed it quite hard. Later, some parts of its skin came off to my hand. Oh pity caterpillar!

I think I was silly that time (because I pressed it).  Next, I came up with an idea—just cut the twig off so that the caterpillar would not be pressed!

Yes, I did so and I carried that jasmine twig to leave the caterpillar on the little yard in front of my house.

I feel guilty about this. I am not sure if it is still alive. I will be sad If it dies.

I will not  harm a caterpillar anymore because it can develop into a beautiful butterfly.

I hope it is safe now.

Have a good week! Bye

why yakult is so small ?

  
Most of people might have the question about why yakult is too small? same as me i had been thought about this as well.Today i already find out for that question now!!!


So why is the Yakult bottle so small?

According to data from Yakult's companies in Malaysia and Australia, the cultured milk drink only comes in small bottles to avoid contamination. In other countries, Yakult is sold in 65-ml and 100-ml bottles.

"A smaller bottle is more hygienic. A larger bottle that is not finished might be kept open, thus a bigger risk of infection with other bacteria," Yakult Malaysia said.

"Opening and closing a larger bottle on numerous occasions can result in a decrease in the number of live probiotic bacteria due to the introduction of various air-borne bacteria. This is undesirable because bacteria have the potential to compromise the quality of Yakult," Yakult Australia said.

Yakult has long claimed that each serving of their probiotic drinks contains billions of Lactobacillus casei Shirota strain, which is said to be one of the strongest strains of beneficial bacteria.

One small bottle is enough to keep people healthy each day so there's no need to sell Yakult in bigger servings, the two companies said.

"If Yakult were provided in a larger bottle, people may drink more than needed, and while this is not harmful at all, it can be more expensive," Yakult Australia said

health land

                                                                                    

 Hi!!!Guy for this week I think everybody will get stress from their work, homework and etc. so today I recommended the place that help you to release your stress and feel relax. It is the one place that I always go there when I feel stress. And I believe that some people already knew it. It called “HEALTH LAND”but if you want to Aromatherapy so you need to reserve it before you go especially , on weekend.  The name ‘Health Land' is not new to health conscious people. As a matter of fact,Health Land was originally built around the concept of a health centre comprising a supermarket selling organic and healthy food, vegetarian restaurant, drug store, herbal garden, library, massage and meditation room, and seminar corner for those who wanted to discuss health matters. It was later turned into a complete spa service centre under the name ‘Health Land Spa & Massage'. Srinakarin is the first branch, followed by Sathorn, Pinklao, Pattaya, Ekamai, Chaeng Wattana, Asoke and Rama2.

Health Land Srinakarin                  Tel: 66-2-748-8135-9

        Health Land Pinklao                       Tel: 66-2-882-4888

        Health Land Ekamai                      Tel: 66-2-392-2233

        Health Land Change Wattana         Tel: 66-2-573-3355

        Health Land Asoke                        Tel: 66-2-261-110

        Health Land Rama 2                     Tel: 66-2-451-1155

        Health Land Pattaya                      Tel: 66-3-837-1437-7 

  

Kon Kra Dok insect

Hi friends,

How are you? I hope you are fine.

Last week I wrote about crispy snack. This week I am going to write about a kind of poisonous insect living on damp grass. People call it as “Mang Kon Kra Dok” (แมงก้นกระดก). I am sorry I have no idea how to call it in English.

I am always allergic to Mang Kon Kra Dok. When it bites me, my skin gets itchy and then redness. It makes me have severe skin irritation. To treat my bitten skin, I apply some insect bites cream. Although the cream makes me free from irritation or itchiness, the bites become scars for a long time!

Below is a photo of Mang Kon Kra Dok . This insect is beautiful, but you should not trust its beauty because you must be allegic to it. Please believe me. Its body is very thin so it can get through your mosquito-window net. Or, it can hide under your pillow or your blanket, then it smells of you and probably bites your face and ankles.

Once it bit my faces, it left me disgusting wounds. Somebody asked me if I had been slapped.

I recommend that you should have some insect bites cream at home, just in case you get bitten.

Enjoy your good weekend!

Thank you the photo of Mang Kon Kra Dok from the comment 4 on http://topicstock.pantip.com/isolate/topicstock/2011/07/M10876678/M10876678.html

Hello Weekend,

Did you ever eat oatmeal ? Oatmeal is a healthy food and great for you and your family. For me, I usually eat oatmeal in everyday, it very convenient to eat with milk or yogurt and fresh fruits in every morning. Start your day with the high nutritious food that is a good choice. Oatmeal provides a lot of fiber, vitamin a and calcium. Fiber in oatmeal can absorb waste things and toxin of intestine systems. Moreover, consuming oatmeal in everyday will reduce the risk of heart attack because oatmeal is the best source of Omega 3,6.

Bye Bye

Hi ! everybody,

Longtime no see in the blog, today is Friday the 13^th, known by many as the unluckiest day of the year. It's very interesting story and I want to know about Friday the13^th 's history. so I search for an information about this and I will share it to you all.

The origin of fears surrounding Friday the 13^th is unclear. There is reportedly no written evidence of Friday the 13^th superstition before the 19^th century, but superstitions surrounding the number 13 date back to at least 1700 BC.

In the ancient Babylon's Code of Hammurabi, dating to about 1772 BC, the number 13 is omitted in the list of laws.

There has also been a longstanding myth that if 13 people dine together, one will die within a year. The myth comes from both the Last Supper, when Jesus dined with the 12 Apostles prior to his death, and a popular Norse myth, in which 11 close friends of the god Odin dine together only to have the 12-person party crashed by a 13^th person, Loki, the god of evil and turmoil.

In fact, the number 13 has been considered cursed across the world for thousands of years. The number 12 is historically considered the number of completeness, while its older cousin, 13, has been seen as an outlier. There are 12 months of the year, 12 gods of Olympus, 12 hours of the clock, 12 tribes of Israel, 12 Apostles of Jesus, 12 Descendants of Muhammad Imams, among many incidences of the pattern historically.

In 1881, an organization was started called The Thirteen Club in an attempt to improve the number's reputation. The 13 members walked under ladders and spilled salt at the first meeting in an attempt to dissuade any negative associations with the number.

Despite these efforts, the number 13 continues to have an unlucky association today. Thirteen is so disliked that many cities do not have a 13^th Street or a 13^th Avenue, many high-rise buildings avoid having a 13^th floor, some hospitals avoid labeling rooms with the number 13 and many airports will not have a gate 13.

Friday has also long been considered an unlucky day.  One theory hypothesizes that Friday has been considered unlucky because Jesus was crucified on a Friday according to Christian Scripture and tradition. Another states that the superstition regarding Friday comes from Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales," published in the 14^th century, where Friday is considered a day of misfortune and ill luck. In numerous publications in the 17^th century, Friday the 13^th was outlined as an unlucky day to take a trip, to begin a new project or to have a major life change (such as a birth, a marriage, among other events).

The first recorded reference in English of Friday the 13^th is in Henry Sutherland Edwards' 1869 biography of Gioachino Rissini, where Edwards writes: "Rossini was surrounded to the last by admiring and affectionate friends; Why Friday the 13th Is Unlucky."

Nathaniel Lachenmeyer, author of "Thirteen: the story of the world's most popular superstition," however, suggests in his book that because references to "Friday the 13^th" were nonexistent before 1907, the popularity of the superstition must come from the publication of Thomas W. Lawson's popular novel, "Friday, the Thirteenth." In the novel, a stock broker takes advantage of the superstition to create a Wall Street panic on Friday the 13^th.

Thank you the information form:

http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/281404/20120113/friday-13th-history-origins-myths-superstitions-unlucky.htm

Suanluang Rama IX

Suanluang Rama IX is located in Pravet, Bangkok. Several people go there to do exercise and some people go there to relax. This garden is for those who love clean air and would like to escape from air pollution in Bangkok because there are many shady trees and also various kinds of flower which are very beautiful. Beside, there is a large pond with a lot of fish inside.You can buy fish food and give food to fish and also dove birds. There are many spaces of car park which are free of charge, so it makes people more convenient. Even though there are crowd there, it is not crowded at all because the garden area is very large.

Thank you for pictures from google.com 

 

Dear all,
Good Morning Sunday. I wish everyone happy with your family on your weekend. Today I have a healthy tips about honey to share with everyone.

1. A person who have a oily skin I recommend you mix a honey 1 table spoon with oatmeal and apply it on your face and leave it for 30 minutes and rinse it with warm water. It can reduce the acne and make your face smooth and nourish.

2. Honey 2 table spoons and lime juice mix it well in the warm water and drink it in every morning. It can detox and flush up your waste things and toxin.

3. Honey with beer, pour a beer in a cup and mix it well with honey then apply it with your hair and leave it for 1 hour for this recipe will make your hair nourish and shin

Malay food

I would like to introduce Malay food which is very famous in Malaysia. The first one is Nasik Lemak. Malaysian people eat this recipe in any time; breakfast, lunch, and dinner and it is considered the national dish. You will see this recipe almost all restaurants in Malaysia. This recipe is included with the following ingredients;

1 cup rice
3 screwpine (or pandan) leaves
salt to taste
1 grated coconut

The second is Satay Penut Sauce. There are many ingredients;
350g chicken breast (can also use lamb or beef)
2 tbl spoon turmeric powder (kurkuma)
1/3 tea spoon ketumbar (corriander)
1 stalk lemon grass
3 chillies
3 shallots
2 candlenuts
1/2 piece roasted shrimp paste (trassi)
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/3 tea spoon jintan manis (aniseed)
1/3 tea spoon jintan putih (cumin seed)
sugar, salt and pepper to taste

When you have a chance to travel in Malaysia, you can test both recipes.
Moreover, these recipes are available in some restaurants in Songkhla province and three southern provinces; Pattani, Narathiwat, and Yala as well.

Reference: http://www.malaysiasite.nl/recipe5.htm

Kai Pan (Crispy Seaweed)

Dear all,

How are you? Hope you are fine.

At 08.30 a.m., Friday, I watched a TV programme on TPBS channel “Asean Focus”, presented by a Japanese man—Hiro Sano. Or, most people call him Khun Hiro. He is good looking and he speaks Thai very well.

The programme was about Asean food. Khun Hiro visited Brunei and Laos to try famous food. Unfortunately, I did not remember the Brunei food he recommended, but I learnt about one type of Lao food he discovered at a local market.

This food is called in Lao “Kai Pan” (ไคแผ่น)—crispy seaweed. It is the same type as Japanese seaweed sold in our country. Let’s imagine of a crispy sheet of seaweed topped with white sesame. Khun Hiro bought one bag of Kai Pan. It cost kip 20,000. I think its net weight was around 1 Kg.

Later, he dropped in a Kai Pan shop to see how the seller made the Kai Pan recipe.

It was so easy. The seller (who was the lady) brought a sheet of dry Kai Pan topped with white sesame to soak in a bowl of tamarind juice. Then, the Kai Pan was set aside. Next, she poured some oil into a pan. She heated a pan and fried the Kai Pan. When it was served, Khun Hiro tried it. He said it was crispy and yummy.

Learning from the programme, the Kai Pan is a kind of seaweed growing in the shallow river, which is clean and free from pollution. The Laotians use a fishing net (or known in Thai “Sa Wing”) to catch the Kai Pan. Then, the fresh bunch of the Kai Pan is exposed on the boulder. Next, the Kai Pan is beaten by a round-bamboo stick to keep it flat. Last, it is exposed again.

As Nong Air said last week, Asean Economic Community will be established in 2015. I hope Thailand will import lots of food from Asean group.

Thank you for the helpful information from TPBS channel “Asean Focus” broadcasted on Friday 6^th July 2012.

กราบเรียนทุกท่าน
จากการเขียนโพสต์ล่าสุด ข้าพเจ้าต้องกราบขออภัยที่โพสต์ข้อความที่พาดพิงถึงสถานที่ทำงานและผู้เกี่ยวข้อง ข้าพเจ้าต้องกราบขออภัยมา ณ.ที่นี้ด้วย