Photos-Bugs and Feet

Fried Eatable Bugs on the Bangkok Streets! I haven't try them yet but the day If I have to, I will. Some told me they are good with Beer. Photos by Laura Coates also. I had fun with the visiting of Rashell, Laura and Jackie. I might meet them in Italy in Summer of 2009, on the way back to Florida. The last two photos were taking while we were having foot massage. The big feet were belong to Robins and the small foot was belong to
Laura, I believe!!

Bangkok is a place for tourist aslo a place for bugs and foot massage!

Photos- Grand Palace, Bangkok, Thailand

Grand Palace is one of the place that you must see in Bangkok. It is beautiful! Royal family use this palace for Royal religious ceremony or events.

My friend, Laura Coates from Las Vegas took these photos when she was here in July, 2008.

Gem Business

I got my AG degree form AIGS (Asia Institute of Gemological Sciences), and diamond, colour stones and designer diploma from GIA ( Gemology Institute of America). I totally fall in love with Gems and Jewellery. Beside my BSc and my French Diploma this is the one that I feel, it is me!

Most of my classmates are now in jewellery business. We had 1 Franch, 3 Singaporeans, 2 Iranian, 2 Burmese, some Americans and some Indians. We had such a good time together and also such a painful time to learn Chemistry with my late 30 age.

Today I had lunch with Cary and Tong... Cary is from Hawaii and Tong is from Thailand. His father is the CEO of International Gem and Jewellery Trade Show in Thailand. Tong become part time teacher of Gem Institute and Cary went into serious business. Tong is the best in our class, he was born in Gem Family. His father owns gem shop with a factory.

I mostly take order or show in my house or buy and sell. Gem Business is like this...... To sell a one million baht Ruby, it take me may be 15 minutes talk and done with it. But sometime for me to sell 3000 Baht, I have to talk 3 days because picky and difficult customers. My best customers are Taiwanese, they know what they want and have some knowledge of gems.

Anyway back to Lunch. We had a long talking lunch though! Cary told us one of his bad experiences which I thought What a real bad customer that he had!!

2 Years ago, Cary sold a pair of earring to a lady from Washington DC State . After 8 months she called up Cary and told him that she never wear the earring and she doesn't like them any more. She said, she wanted to change another kind of earring. Here Cary, out of his good heart, he did changed for her. Then nearly a year later she called up Cary again and said, she did not want the earring any more. She did gave it back to Cary with another deal. She wants Cary to buy a gold bracelet from Bangkok. Again Cary did ! Cary sold it to her with prize tag at 600US$.

After a little over 2 years, one morning in Thailand, Cary got a called from the woman with very upset and angry voice. she said that "I am in Bangkok and I want back my money 600US$ because I just found out that my bracelet was value only 300US$. You have to come and see me at the hotel with 600 US$ right now."

Tong and I laughed so much when Cary told us his problem with the woman. Of course Cary was so pissed! Cary's customer need to go back to school too. When we were school, We learned that Gem from Bangkok to New York is 300% up due to many reasons. The woman forgot that she has to spend air ticket, hotel fee, her food and her times to get the bracelet if she wanted to buy by herself in Bangkok all the way from Washington DC State! She needs to do some calculation.

This is the one story of many stories! I had a Burmese friend who got cheated. His Burmese Ruby is 6 carets, unheated. A beautiful rare natural Burmese Ruby! He wanted to sell at 60,000 us$. Ok this is another long story.

Anyway good to see my friends.

The feeling of liver recipient

Every time when I pray for my liver donor, I feel some kind of feeling which I do not know exactly to put in writing. In this blog, I will try to share my feeling as much as I can in writting down. Even I am the one recipient, I feel sad. I am sad because I do have 13 year old son and my donor is 15 year old boy. I am sad because the life of the boy whose liver I received was cut short in a horrible way and being a mother, I know how she feels. Sometime I am thinking, if this is my son how could I deal with looseing such a dear part of my life.

Then I pray for that the doners parents can somehow cope with this loss. I know how painful the loss must have been for the parents because I know how I wanted to live so bad for my son when my doctor told me "You have liver cancer!". My mind was full of questions...Who's going to take care of my son? Who's going to take him to the church? Who's going to arrange his boarding shcool room? How's he going to handle of my dead?.... My mind was unrest.

I want to share the following...

Time to time I went to visit Mr and Mrs Bharvaney who lost their son in 9/11. One day of my visit..this is Mrs. Bhavaney told me..............

"Helen, The loss of my son is the most painful. There is not a day that I am not thinking about him. I have a friend who lived above of my condo. When she lost her son, I went to see her often and gave my best comfort to her. I just do my best out of my goodness but I really do not know how she feel until my own son die! I feel my world aroud me was gone. I see nothing and everything is gone"...

I feel very sorry for her. I learn one thing in my life.. How great the love of a proper mother has on her child when the day I become a mother myself! One mother can't say to another mother, " My love to my child is greater than your love of to your child!" They all equal.

As my second year of liver transplant is approaching, I think alot of my liver donor parent. As I mentioned my last blog that I haven't met them yet. If you ask me "Do I want to?"...my answer is "Yes....very much!" and I am looking that day will come before I go. I want them to see me how well I am doing with their very thoughtful present.

I want to share the following article to all of you and to the donor and recipents.

Robin, Donor mother,Tennessee

As Mother's Day draws near, I feel a sense of dread coming over me. May 13, 2001 will be 2 years since the death of my youngest son, Blake. On May 12th, Blake (15-years-old) and my older son Bryce (17-years-old) were involved in a car accident on the way to a high school soccer game.

It was a devastating time for our community and especially for our family. That evening at the hospital, we were in shock when we were told that Blake was brain dead and would not survive. Bryce was still in intensive care and was scheduled for surgery later that night. The hospital was filled with teenagers, parents and our family. The love and support all of them gave us at the time was very comforting. It was proof that Blake had touched so many lives during his short 15 years and that Bryce would have the help he needed from all of us to recover.

When asked about organ donation, we just did not know what to do. We were not educated about organ donation and had never spoken with Blake about it. After discussing this decision with our family, we knew that we had to say yes! In life Blake was such a giving person, we knew that it would have been his choice to give in order to help others. He gave his family and friends love, laughter, friendship and joy, and we knew he would want to give someone else the opportunity to have a better life.

We have recently been in contact with one recipient, and we know that Blake's other two recipients are doing fine. That gives us some comfort in knowing that a miracle has come from our tragedy.

For the past year and a half I have been involved with our local donor service to help educate the public about organ donation, especially teenagers and their parents. Making organ donation a topic about LIFE not death is very important. Blake would have died from his injuries from the accident no matter what, but others are LIVING because of his donation.

In closing, I just want to encourage everyone that has been touched in some way by organ donation, recipient or donor family, to share their story with others. By sharing my story, I may be saving the life of a friend or family member in the future if they are ever in need of an organ transplant. I may even be saving my life or yours. Plus, how would I be able to ask someone else to say YES to donating their loved one's organs if we had not said yes ourselves?

P.S. Bryce has recovered from his injuries but our whole family is still dealing with the loss of a wonderful young man. I am so very thankful for Bryce and his sister Tricia every day.

Normal Liver

Me and my son are going to our summer house at Northern part of Thailand, next week for 10 days! My grand ma ma is staying there. This morning, I went to the hospital for my blood test to know hows my Prograf level and Immune level are. Also how's my liver is doing.

My Prograf level is 7.6 (normal is 5-10) and my immune level is 273 (I need to infuse around 70), Which is I can still going for another 2 months. The nurse called and said "All normal and you can go for holiday!"...I thank the Lord for it. I really do. As a believer I pray ...

Dear God,

Thank you so much for let this liver stay with me. Thank you for let this medicine work in me. Thank you for this wonderful 2 year with Shan and Robins. Lord, I pray that please have mercy on all of the cancer patients and donor families. I believe in you and trust in you.

In Christ name, Amen.

On 30th Oct 2008, I have been living with this new liver for exactly 2 year also on that day somebody lost their love one, my liver boy. I haven't meet the family yet and this is my will, I wish I could give a hug to the parent and say, "thank you for the very consider presents". I did sent 2 letters to the family but no reply yet. The liver transplant team explained to me that some take much longer than other. In this Christmas, I will send a nother letter.

When my day come, I believe and very much looking for that I will give a hug to my liver boy and will say to him.. "Thank you son!" at right in front of my Holy God.

Photos-Hill tribes from Burma

Me as a Shan girl



Hill tribes people from Mogok,
RubyLand!

Lishu girl

Yao Ladies







Akha lady


A very happy Karen woman



A long neck Padaung lady

Betel nut stain teeth Akha
woman.

Ass@#$%

In Advance, I will say sorry to all my this blog reader. Normally I USED dirty only for joking! (lately very rare). But this time let me use it in seriously please. Oh yes I am not perfect, sincerely I admitted it that when I am angry, I can come out some dirty...but the degree of angry have to be over 180 though.

I really do not like people use F@#$ that f@#$ that all the time. Well, somebody mouth I can't do nothing for that. OK may I call these some of AIG Execs, they are Ass@#$ or still Ass@#$%ing. Look at the article, I bet some of you already knew by now.

Here they were heading to resort and spa, using my money and your money, after bail out. What a sicko people. I think the size of their brain must be smaller than their testicles. How could they do that? Ethical human being won't do such thing. That's why I said "someone must check the numbers of all these idiots companies saying ...what ever!" ( We, me and my husband just talking about that a week ago)...I really wanted to know, Who's idea is that, "wow....let's go celebrate?" ha?

The Congressman Waxman said "disturbing"...But in my shan language, also to avoid this kind of problems again, "They deserve to cut off their balls."... ( I love to see Michael Moors do the documentary on this story, he is good at mocking, he is a mocker!!).

Well ...enough!


WEDNESDAY 8 OCTOBER 2008

After Bailout, AIG Execs Head to California Resort
Tuesday 07 October 2008

by: Brian Ross and Tom Shine, ABC News

Shortly after the US government commited $85 billion to bail out AIG, company executives went for a week-long retreat at St. Regis Resort, Monarch Beach, California. (Photo: anaheimoc.org)
Rescued by taxpayers, $440,000 for retreat including "pedicures, manicures."
Less than a week after the federal government committed $85 billion to bail out AIG, executives of the giant AIG insurance company headed for a week-long retreat at a luxury resort and spa, the St. Regis Resort in Monarch Beach, California, Congressional investigators revealed today.

"Rooms at this resort can cost over $1,000 a night," Congressman Henry Waxman (D-CA) said this morning as his committee continued its investigation of Wall Street and its CEOs.

AIG documents obtained by Waxman's investigators show the company paid more than $440,000 for the retreat, including nearly $200,000 for rooms, $150,000 for meals and $23,000 in spa charges.

"Their getting their pedicures and their manicures and the American people are paying for that," said Cong. Elijah Cummings (D-MD).
"This unbridled greed," said Cong. Mark Souder (R-IN), "it's an insensitivity to how people are spending our dollars."

Appearing before the committee, Martin Sullivan, the AIG CEO until June, said the company was overwhelmed by a "financial global tsunami," and that "no simple or single cause" was to blame.
"I am heartbroken at what has happened," Sullivan said.

Robert Willumstad, the CEO from June to September, 2008, maintained AIG was a victim of a "crisis in confidence" and an "unprecedented global catastrophe." "Through the first week of September we were confident AIG could weather the crisis," Willumstad testified. He said the federal government offered its $85 million bail out on the afternoon it prepared for bankruptcy. Willumstad said the Federal Reserve demanded he resign, and will turn down his AIG retirement package of several million dollars.
But Congressional investigators raised question of "mismanagement" and whether AIG executives sought to "cook the books" and hide negative information from outside auditors.

On Dec. 5, 2007, Waxman said, CEO Sullivan told investors, "We are confident in our marks and the reasonableness of our valuation methods."
Documents obtained by the committee show that one week earlier, auditors Pricewaterhouse Cooper had "raise their concerns with Mr. Sullivan&informing him that PWC believed that AIG could have a material weakness relating to the risk management of these areas."

In March, 2008, the Office of Thrift Supervision wrote AIG, "We are concerned that the corporate oversight of AIG Financial Products&lacks critical elements of independence, transparency, and granularity."
Asked about the letter by the committee, the SEC's former chief accountant, Lynn Turner, said the letter reflects "a serious problem from the top down of management, that can bring an organization down."

Former AIG CEO Sullivan said accounting rules required AIG to mark down the value of its holdings, even though it had no plans to sell them, the "mark to market" provision.
AIG had to sell at "fire sale prices," he told skeptical members of Congress. "Suddenly a company with a trillion dollars in assets" was in trouble, said Sullivan.
Waxman questioned both former CEOs about a former AIG auditor who claimed he had been blocked from reviewing the books of a London-based division that has since been blamed for a large share of the company's downfall.
Former CEO Willumstad, chairman of the AIG board at the time, said "I honestly don't remember" the concerns raised by the former auditor.
"I find that very disturbing," said Congressman Waxman.

Waxman also said there is evidence the two men changed the bonus schedule once the company began to post losses, so that executives under the "Senior Partners Plan" would continue to make multi-million dollar salaries.
"Mr. Sullivan and the other top executives should have had their bonuses slashed due to poor performance," said Waxman.
Sullivan said it was "substantially reduced" by the board in 2007 due to poor performance.
Sullivan was given a $15 million "golden parachute" payment after being replaced as CEO in June.