School Break

JM im front of the computer doing his favorite pastime, playing computer games.

Parable of the Two Sons

A man had two sons. He came to the first and said, 'Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.' He said in reply, 'I will not,' but afterwards he changed his mind and went. The man came to the other son and gave the same order. He said in reply, 'Yes, sir,' but did not go. Which of the two did his father's will?" They answered, "The first."

Matthew 21:29-31

Bedtime Blessings

Heavenly Father, Bless John Michael and keep him in Your love. Grant him a good rest tonight, And send Your angels to protect him. In the Name of the Father, And the + Son, And of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Chinatown

Bangkok's chinatown in heavy traffic due to the Chinese Lent or vegetarian festival.

At the Gas Station

Filling the tank with a gun on the left hand ?

Weekend Shopping

JM doing his routine weekend shopping at one of the hypermarts here in Bangkok.

Installation of New CCD Altar Servers

JM seated near his dad during CCD mass this morning.

JM with Fr. Michael Picharn after the altar server's installation ceremony.

JM with other newly installed CCD altar servers in a group photo.

A Student's Prayer

Creator of all things, true source of light and wisdom, origin of all being, graciously let a ray of your light penetrate the darkness of my understanding.

Take from me the double darkness in which I have been born, an obscurity of sin and ignorance.

Give me a keen understanding, a retentive memory, and the ability to grasp things correctly and fundamentally.

Grant me the talent of being exact in my explanations and the ability to express myself with thoroughness and charm.

Point out the beginning, direct the progress, and help in the completion.

I ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

- Saint Thomas Aquinas

A Teacher's Prayer

I want to teach my students how-- To live this life on earth, To face its struggles and its strife, And to improve their worth.

Not just the lesson in a book, Or how the rivers flow, But to choose the proper path, Wherever they may go.

To understand eternal truth, And know right from wrong, And gather all the beauty of A flower and a song,

For if I help the world to grow, In wisdom and grace, Then I feel that I have won, And I have filled my place.

And so I ask your guidance, God That I may do my part, For character and confidence, And happiness of heart.

- James Metcalfe

Altar Servers Training

JM poses near the life size statue of the Holy Family.

JM in a group photo with other new altar severs after the training.

JM listening to a talk by the CCD Spiritual Director.

Trip to the Airport

I'm planning to leave Thailand at the end of this month visit my sick mom, so we decided to take a tour of the huge Bangkok International Airport.

The airport control tower.

Road leading to the new Bangkok International Airport.

One Hot Sunday Afternoon

JM playing with the camera lens during our weekend trip.

A long drive to the park one hot Sunday afternoon.

An old bridge, an old tree at the park of the royalty.

Giant bottle cap lotus leaves on the pond.

A sala or Thai rest house.

JM dwarfed by giant columns at the French garden.

JM relaxing outside the French garden.

Beautiful and unique cactus flowers.

The dome shaped structure above serves as a greenhouse for catus plants.

The building at the background houses a gallery of the Thai royal family.

Dead Sea Scrolls

The Dead Sea Scrolls, the most examined and sought after documents on earth, will be made available to all on the Internet. Interesting. Click here for the complete article.

Beautiful Harvest

Bountiful harvest this time of the year. And the prices are really, really low ! Orchids, anyone ?

Is It Christmas Yet ?

Looking like one of Santa's elves, he's definitely anticipating Christmas !

Rare Sight

It's been ages since I last saw a scene like this, here in Bangkok. In one of our weekend trips to the park, we saw this rare scene and lots of butterflies kissing flowers. My son who grew up here in the city has not seen so many varieties of butterflies in his life. Is it because the city has now become a jungle of concrete ? or residents have taken nature for granted ? It's a pity that he doesn't see enough of nature in his daily life. We'll definitely be taking him to more nature trips on weekends and holidays.

I Remember

JM at 2 weeks, 5 days old.

Photo taken on his baptismal day, April 12, 1998

Faces of Thailand

Thai spirit house.

Thai style architecture with tree branches and white clouds at the background.

Entrance to a bridge shaded with nipa palms.

(JM and dad at the background)

In Love of Nature

Searching for turtles and salamanders.

Photo taken at Putamonthon Park, Nakhon Pathom, Thailand (August 24, 2008)

Peter the Rock

“Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter,and upon this rock I will build my church,and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven;and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

Matthew 16:17-19

Queenship of Mary

THE MAGNIFICAT

"My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Savior for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed: the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm, he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the might from their thrones, and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel for he has remembered his promise of mercy, the promise he made to our fathers, to Abraham and his children for ever."

Nature Trip

The beginning of the long trek to the woods to look for salamanders and giant lizards.

Palm trees thriving in salt water.

Feeling tired after a long walk in the heat of the sun.

Feast of the Assumption

'See the beauty of the daughter of Jerusalem, who ascended to heaven like the rising sun at dawn.'

- Benedictus antiphon from Daily Office

Jesus on Water

Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened;and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught Peter,and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” After they got into the boat, the wind died down. Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying,“Truly, you are the Son of God.”

Matthew 14:29-33

Weekend Market

JM cooling off with coconut ice cream after a long walk at the weekend market.

Looking around and playing at the same time was fun, the humidity made him stop for a moment to find a way to cool and quench his thirst.

JM looking at giant aquarium fishes. The idea of bringing one home sounds interesting to him, but I won't allow. Nobody has the time to take care of a pet.

Olympic Mascots

Want to see the cute Olympic mascots ? Click here

Yellow Bulbs and Purples

Blooming purple orchids give an exotic look to our mini garden. Beautiful !

Last year , we planted a medicinal plant that was just a few centimeters high. That plant has now grown into a young tree. Although we've never used its leaves for any medicinal purpose, we are now enjoying its flowers, hanging beneath multiple sepals and looking like yellow christmas lights in bright sun. The nice thing about this plant is that it bears flowers daily, lots and lots of it, giving our mini garden a holiday look.

Morning View

A view of Bangkok one early and quiet Sunday morning.

Photo taken on August 3, 2008 at the Memorial Bridge, Bangkok