Tender Musings

I miss Christmas in the Philippines. I remember stores and houses decorated with festive ornaments and Christmas carols being played all day long. Everyone would be talking about Christmas events and parties they'll be attending. Children would count down the days and their excitement heightens as Christmas draws closer. Shoppers would crowd the malls and every store would have their own Christmas promotion to invite customers in. It's definitely an exciting time for everyone. For me, Christmas will be a little bit different this year. Being away from my family and living in a Buddhist country, it's definitely not the same Christmas compared to what I have at home. However, I know that Christmas is still Christmas no matter where I am. Watching the Christmas Devotional was a wonderful reminder of the reason for this season.  "Finding the real joy of Christmas comes not in the hurrying and the scurrying to get more done. We find the real joy of Christmas when

One benefit of being a part of the ASEAN community is the opportunity to travel to different countries without needing a visa. Example, Filipinos who travel to Thailand are issued a visa on arrival valid for 30 days (which is plenty of time to travel around the country). However, for those who intend to stay longer, a visa is needed to stay legally. For those who are already in Thailand, like myself, I need to leave the country and then apply for my visa. Since I live in Ubon Ratchathani, the closest exit would be Laos. There are 2 options. One is in Chongmek and the other is in Savannaketh. Crossing the border at Chongmek. I've been to both exits and they have their advantages. Chongmek is quick and easy. You'll get a 15-days permit to stay in Thailand after you cross the border to Laos and back to Thailand. It's quite exciting to go to a different country by foot. Going to Savannaketh would take a little bit of preparation because you have to stay there for a

Contrary to western culture, Father's Day in Thailand is celebrated on December 5. That's because Father's Day here is set on the King's birthday.The same applies to Mother's Day which is celebrated on the Queen's birthday in the month of August. To celebrate the occasion, we all went to a floating restaurant. The venue was quite popular for both locals and foreigners. Although the place was a bit far from were we lived, we had so much fun during our drive there. We were on the back of a truck watching the scenery as we drove for about an hour and a half. It was exciting. We finally arrived at the place and it was beautiful. There weren't many customers at first, but people started coming about noon. Some were just there for the food while others swam and enjoyed water games. While waiting for our meal, they bought GIANT ANTS for appetizer. I tried it and it tasted salty. Aside from the food, it was the company that made it a lot of fun. I