Thriving - LifeStyles with Love!

By Sheba Suphannahong

Thriving - LifeStyles with Love!
A collection of short stories for inspiration.

"Wonderful little Pepper-Uppers."
Each saga is shaped as a photo-essay and most need only a few minutes to read.

A different way to get a glimpse into the every-day life in Thailand - a travelogue.

These are a few of the people that have left particularly large impressions. Knowing them has provided inspiration, energy and verve; perhaps through this book, others will also benefit.

Each novella shines a light on some events that stands out over the years. This is not an endeavor to bestow the title of "angel" upon anyone; rather it offers a look into everyday life. Thriving - LifeStyles with Love includes people living in meager situations as well as University Professors, techies, owners of family enterprises, and many more. It is their generosity of spirit, which cuts across all social levels and professions (also contributing much to a better life and society) that makes them so special.

A popular expression in Thailand goes like this (phonetic translation into English):
Kon Thai ben khon jai dee!
Thai people have a kind heart!

These stories delight and shine a light on the benefits from these kind-hearts.

• Language: English
• Publisher: eBookIt.com
• Release date: Apr 26, 2016
• ISBN: 9781456623661

Book preview

review.

Introduction

Thriving – LifeStyles with Love!

A collection of short stories for inspiration.

Thriving – LifeStyles with Love tags along with a wide variety of people in their every-day life. Decency is a theme running through each saga, and it’s good to observe how it all contributes to a better society.

Each saga is shaped like a photo-essay; providing background information about Thailand, places and even current events – an opportunity to view life through the lives of the locals.

A different way to get a glimpse into the every-day life of a few people in Thailand.

Synopsis of people and subjects:

• The Thai House – decades of Love

• Tsche SeeSunt – the hidden artist

• Professor Saran - That which matters most

• An Apple with a Core of Gold

• Crossing the Chao Phraya River into another world

• The Crew on Khlong SaenSaep

• Apirom: Blowin’ in the Wind!

• Three Artists (three-generations) in Chiang Rai

• Phu Yai in the Jungle OutPost

• Long days at the school for Khun Kru Aeow

• The Jungle OutPost and the Pearl

• Alchemy - using nature in the Jungle Outpost

• Khun Bear is a Diamond in the Rough!

• The day Khun Pee saved Simon’s life!

• The Fairy / Pee SomHarn lives near my home

• Street-vendors: a vital component

• The Sky-Lab driver on the Mekong

• Dearest Pia, pursue the things you love

• Bangkok Tree Surgeon

• Khun Chana makes Environment top priority

• Sampran Riverside; the Sampran Model and a balanced society

Addendum: The Man Who Planted Trees

These are the people that grace the pages of Thriving – LifeStyles with Love.

The cover is a picture of a boat-driver on the Chao Phraya River;

his saga Crossing The Chao Phraya River into another world.

The Thai House – decades of Love

Here we are in 2005 – the Fargrajang family in their traditional Thai House -

Pip, Plu, Pla and Pang.

As beautiful as these ladies are – they become even more attractive once you know their story! Assuming that you want to know more … well, first we need a short introduction to Pip’s parents.

Suk (father) and Choi (mother) were born into a very different world. Generations of their families had been rice farmers on this land, located on a khlong/canal similar to that in the picture below. The Kingdom of Siam was a feudal state up until 1932, therefore, all the land belonged to the Royal Household / King and everyone simply worked for the person above them. Most people did not even have family-names up until 1913!

For example, Suk, Pip’s Father, was the Phu-Yai in their community. Like a village chief, he held responsibility for his neighborhood – and, of course, he had to report to the person above him. All people/families were an intricate part of their community and there were few opportunities for change or advancement. It was an age in which social hierarchy was considered a reflection of the divine order of the universe.

There was much political turmoil throughout the IndoChina Peninsula between 1850 and 1930, especially due to the threat of European colonialism with the French on the East (Laos & Cambodia) and the British on the West (in Burma). Siam/ Thailand remained the only country on the IndoChina Peninsula that did not endure colonialism, mainly due to the deft manoeuvring of King Rama 4th and King Rama 5th - and the Royal Household.

However, in 1932 there was a peaceful revolution within the Royal Household and everyone agreed that a form of democracy should be introduced to the people. In 1933, Dr Pridi Phanomyong, one foremost leaders of this wrote: After 700 years of feudalism in Siam … this change of administration is not merely a coup d’etat but an economic revolution. This brought dramatic change for the people and it has not always been an easy path. Just imagine, the majority of the people had never, even chosen a Phu-Yai / Village chief (responsibility for governance had never been a part of their life) and now they were asked to choose competent persons for a national government! There have been numerous coup d’etat since that time; however, most agree, the goal within each coup has been to find the right path so that everyone can benefit from good governance.

One can only try to imagine the dramatic changes that Pip’s parents, Phu-Yai Suk and Mae Choi, as well as their children, encountered at that time and throughout their lives.

As the government moved towards democracy, private ownership of land was introduced. In the case of the rice-farming villages, the Phu-Yai was of great importance and Pip’s parents were asked to assume much responsibility in teaching the people about the changes.

Phu-Yai Suk, Pip’s father, had to administer this ever-changing new governance-structure to his community and also work the fields to grow rice, the same as generations of his family before him; however, Phu-Yai Suk had to keep his balance - with a foot in both worlds!

In the picture above, Phu-Yai Suk and his wife Mae Choi are participating in the opening of their grand-daughter’s restaurant in 2004; many generations of their family had grown rice on this same land. For over 50 years of their lives, there were NO roads in their region. The boats on the khlong/canal were the only mode of transport.

Along with the changes, Phu-Yai Suk and Mae Choi raised their children and assured that they received education so that they would have careers within this "new-system". Therefore, the children of Phu-Yai Suk and Mae Choi were the first generation to pursue careers outside the family rice-fields. Today they are all successful in their chosen professions:

• Pok - became a policeman

• Chet - is a banker

• Daeng – has a career in the Grand Palace (former Palace of the King)

• Pip - worked at The Navy Club (today she is Phu Yai at the Thai House).

Now let’s move on to 1975 – when Pip was young, single and working at the Navy Club. She would take the long-tail boat into Bangkok each day (as mentioned, NO roads from her community into Bangkok at that time). Pip’s family lived about 27 kilometers north-west of the Grand Palace, Bangkok – their community is called BangYai in the district of Nonthaburi.

Pip met Khun PaiBoone in Bangkok – they fell in love and recognized the pioneer spirit in each other. Paiboone's family is from Lopburi (northern part of central Thailand). He was the only one in his family that pursued a career in tourism and he developed his English language skills by working as hotel receptionist.

With the English language and his skills in hospitality services, he was among the first people in Thailand to help foreign visitors.

When Pip took PaiBoone up the Khlong Bangkok Noi to her home to meet her parents – PaiBoone was in amazement to discover this exotic-world that was relatively close to Bangkok – and yet, so different from his family and community.

Pip and PaiBoone married and this seemed to unleash even more adventure spirit in both of them (Pip also loved exploration). Therefore Pip and Boone opened a tour company and they were the one of the first to offer trekking and river rafting into Kanjanaburi jungle next to Myanmar border. Since the tourism industry was not yet developed, they just simply took people into the wilderness, for a few days camping. They would collect needed food from the jungle and Pip