The weather has become very hot and stifling since last week. We are in the middle of hot season as April is the month when water throwing festival takes place for three days, from 13-15 April. This festival is known as Songkran which represents the old Thai New Year Days (3 days) according to the old lunar calendar. We had to adopt the Western calendar after World War II during the modernisation of Siam. The old name of the country was also changed to Thailand to imitate Western countries (England, Finland, Deutschland: ending with ‘land’).
I didn’t go out to join in the water throwing festival as I didn’t feel comfortable in crowded space with little room for safety. But most people and tourists went to some popular venues where water throwing coukd become frenzy shooting games with water pistols. Vendors could make lots of profits during Songkran festival. I preferred to stay still and lazy around doing nothing as all major shopping malls would host the festival with hundreds of people shooting water guns at each other.
(Source: https://www.prachachat.net/d-life/news-1793089)
In the past, the way we throw water at others was much more gentle and considerate. Nowadays the water game has become more like warring game, each side trying to score the most hits on the others. The power of water pistols was more damaging for soft tissues such as the eyes. The old way of celebration was very pleasant and people didn’t get drunk or cause nuisance during the festivals. The atmosphere became similar to going to a concert where the crowds got very hyped up with emotional release. So, I found this kind of situation quite dangerous and risky in case people got panic because of some rumours, an accident or a natural disaster. But I guessed the festivals were good for promoting tourism and the local economy.
All the roads in Bangkok have become very quiet during the Songkran holidays as most people returned to their homes in the various provinces. The wealthy city dwellers would usually go on holidays in Japan, Korea and Europe. All the train stations and airports would be full of crowds and long queues. So, I preferred to stay quiet and stay away from railway and bus stations. Then, I could try to catch up with my sleep and take it easy for a few days without feeling guilty.
I could look at the sky more frequently while having my late breakfast. The first day of Songkran, the sky was overcast and grey with the prospect of rain later on. The atmosphere in the city became much lighter with no traffic jams, no traffic noises and less micro dust the sky. So, the sky became much clearer and more beautiful during the week. Then big clouds started to appear on the blue sky. They seemed to enjoy floating in clear blue sky without heavy air pollution.
The horizon became clearer and I could see more skyscrapers far away. It’s incredible to see more newly built skyscrapers protruding among old ones. I wondered what all these crowded skyscrapers would do to the soft ground of the city. The investors seemed to be very confident that their projects would be in high demand and make them lots of money. The earthquakes in Burma on the 28th March had dented the sale of condominiums in Bangkok. Buyers became hesitant about buying units in high-rise condos as the unexpected earthquakes in Burma shook all the skyscrapers and buildings in Bangkok.
Slowly the news about cracks and bursting water pipes in some affected condominiums became widespread in social media. It seemed that new condos were more prone to construction weaknesses as there was the need to cut corners due to rising costs of materials. The worst news was the fact that over fifty government buildings became too dangerous for people to work in. This didn’t surprise me as we knew that corruptions were rampant in government building projects.
What surprised me was the fact that old buildings such as old schools and old condos didn’t have any crack from the effects of earthquakes. This reflected that older generation of builders were more honest and professional in their careers. I heard from security guards and other people that many new condos suffered from serious cracks and structural damages. An actress posted on her social media about her new and expensive condos with cracks in each room. A modern condo in upmarket area became dark at night as all residents had moved out for safety sake. I guessed there were more high buildings with bad effects of the earthquakes but the news was kept secret for fear of the loss of confidence.
I was very grateful to my old friend who introduced me to this old building project. It belonged to an old and prestigious Chinese business tycoon. This old Chinese family did manage to build a very solid building project with lots of care and attention. The result was that the chief engineer and the interior designer of this project each bought a unit and lived in the building. The majority of the rooms were bought by the relatives of this Chinese tycoon. My neighbour told me that this was one of the best construction project in this whole district.
Looking at the changing clouds and skyline full of skyscrapers, I realised that changes continued unabated. Things would change mite drastically in the near future. The unexpected strong earthquakes which shook Bangkok were important warnings. I had to stop my complacency and procrastination to make big changes in my lifestyle too. I had the feeling that I had very little time or window of opportunity left to move to a new phase in my life. I hope and pray that I would be able to maintain the stamina and steadfastness to accomplish my goals this time.
Wishing you peace, good health and prosperity.
Stay strong and cheerful.