From under a nearby awning I studied Guanyin, wondering: Should I bother taking a photo in such a deluge? At that moment a flower-stem of a girl in a smart rain poncho, a traditional skirt provided, I guessed, by attendants at the entrance, and dollar-store flip-flops, approached the statue, admiring her up close for a long minute or so. By the time the girl lowered her hood to reveal a delicate Asian face and, oddly, pink-rimmed sunglasses of zero utility on such a day, I had been joined under the awning by a man who was, I right away surmised, her unhappy father. His features, accentuated by the polish of rain, were definitely Chinese; she, at a guess, has a Western mother.
What happened next gave me more cheer than any experience so far in this awful city. While we both watched, the teenager dropped into the lotus position, ignoring the puddle, closer to a pond, into which her buttocks sank. I gave a slight cry of shock but, on turning to her father, noted that he merely shrugged and, to my private disgust, lit a cigarette, his lighter the kind of tinselly silver object beloved by grown men and cats. She settled into her own striking and surprising variation on the vitarka mud?, the fingers of her left hand resting in the palm of her right—the less common dharmachakra mudr?, or turning the wheel of Dharma. Imagine my surprise at her knowledge of this position, an admiration undiminished by her parent’s snide comment, when I expressed that surprise out loud, that she had likely learned the pose from watching Pokémon or Sailor Moon. I doubted it very much but, wishing no further contact with him, kept my thoughts to myself.
Instead, after several minutes of silent concern that the girl might catch her death, I braved the downpour and crossed to where she sat, face-to-face with her protector. Without a word I removed a garland of beads from the one deity and draped them over another. She smiled up at me, transmitting as much through eyes whose brightness could come only from within. It was dazzling, although I wish I had not detected something else on her features—worry, upset, perhaps fear. Our only exchange was banal, but that hardly mattered, given the profundity of her gesture and, I hoped, my humble recognition of it. “My sister has a tattoo,” she seemed to say, the rain obscuring her true meaning. “Mind is devoid of mind,” I answered. “The nature of mind is clear light”—the second sutra of the Dharma, which I was pleased to have recalled.
Guanyin is alive and well in Bangkok!
“Look after her, foolish man,” I should have said to the sulking dad. But I didn’t; the hostility and suppressed violence of men unnerves me, ties my tongue in knots. But the serene Buddha will be her guardian, I know.
For further inspiration please read my book This Lady Is a Buddha. Go to www.thisladyisabuddha.com and www.shebuddhawithin.com
Read more: http://www.asianrover.com/travelblogs/shebuddhawithin
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Tags: Asia, attractions in Bangkok, attractions in Thailand, blog, Bangkok temples, wat pho, Thai massage, Guanyin, Buddhism, tattoos, American cigarettes
Comment on the original post at She Buddha Within
From: MonkWunsen
RosemarieE—Hate to burst your anti-Apple bubble, but this Buddhist sage is none other than Randy Munk, of Baltimore, Maryland. Munk-Monk—get it, truth seeker? Wunsen is “thin noodle” in Thai, claims my online dictionary, and the jibber-jabber on my blog—check it out, fo sho, at monkwunsen.net—is a ruse to draw the spirit nutters and digital luddites into the cold light of the Apple screen. Job—Steve Jobs—complete!
www.facebook.com/davidwu11867
David Wu
Tuesday December 23
SilomBoysNightOut
Sorry, ladies—only cure for Cool Kwok’s post-marriage blues is a ramble through Nana Plaza. (No lowlow Patpong for us gentlemen liu-mang.) Direct line from Obsession to Temptations to top-floor Cascades. And after midnight, all stairways, up or down, lead to Planet Lolita! David, Boon, Pepsi—you know what I’m talking about … Jacob may be feverish from all day puddle-splashing and staying stubbornly off-grid—his phone is good for a haha—but the rest of you gangstas should chime in. Put on your PL caps and start liking this link.
10:03 pm
Tag . Add Location . Edit
Like. Comment. Stop Notifications. Share. Edit
Lily Chan, Mint Wattana, Gun Boonliang, JR Chu, and 27 others like this.
Aroon Mookjai
loving our boys night out, JR. Good that we steer clear of Euro-slob joints and salaryman infests. But Nana Plaza is so much katoey! Watch your wallets
Tue at 11:17 pm . Like
David Wu
i can’t even tell sometimes … Pepsi, educate an innocent?
Tue at 11:18 pm . Like
Aroon Mookjai
pre-ops, not so hard. Post-op, check for Adam’s apple. If She has one, She once was a prick—like rest of us
Tue at 11:20 pm . Like
Gun Boonliang
can have operation for that too
Tue at 11:20 pm . Like
Aroon Mookjai
truly. Other way—ask her to make a fist. Real females no can do
Tue at 11:20 pm . Like
Mint Wattana
was going to leave disgusting chatter for bad baby boys only. But this fist thing—wha?
Tue at 11:26 pm . Like
Aroon Mookjai
try it, Mint
Tue at 11:26 pm . Like
Lily Chan
make sense to me. Original sin, all men. Same with violence
Tue at 11:27 pm . Like
JR Chu
come again?
Tue at 11:28 pm . Like
Lily Chan
any of you horn-dogs watching over Jacob? He should be back in the hotel with his daughter. She in bad way
Tue at 11:29 pm . Like
Mint Wattana
no can make fist! Must be all girl, lol
Tue at 11:30 pm . Like
JR Chu
greetings from Planet Lolita. Got my eyes on the Kwok-man, Lily, just like you. At the bar, he ask—“Is this one real?” She is
Wed at 00:40 am . Like
Aroon Mookjai
pl all real pussy, all juicy girl. Youngest, and best, in Nana. Not cheap
Wed at 00:40 am . Like
David Wu
how not cheap, Pepsi?
Wed at 00:41 am . Like
Aroon Mookjai
Short-term 1500 baht, long-term 2500. Plus 800 barfine and 400 short-stay hotel. Plus 200 tuk-tuk home
Wed at 00:41 am . Like
Gun Boonliang
like last time, why we talking on JR’s Facebook??
Wed at 00:50 am . Like
JR Chu
too loud in here, wha. Only spitting at each other
Wed at 00:51 am . Like
Mint Wattana
you guys are terrible! I serious now. Sprog of Kwok feeling very blue—what teen says no to shopping spree, like she did this afternoon, with other gal paying??—and lonely for her mom. Her name is Gloria, yes?
Wed at 00:54 am . Like
Aroon Mookjai
go to bed, Mint. Empty bed, I bet. Anyway, isn’t mom a total bitch?
Wed at 00:54 am . Like
Lily Chan
Gloria, who is Gloria? Jacob’s ex—almost—is named Leah Mc-Big-Mac or something … And wish I believe JR that he watching over our sad friend!
Wed at 1:10 am . Like
JR Chu
Lily, here is true thing—I watching Cool Kwok watch very pretty, very naked girl dance. She watching him right back. Sorry, lol
Wed at 1:10 am . Like
Lily Chan
asshole too, JR? Like Pepsi
Wed at 1:10 am . Like
David Wu
nuff, Lily. Offline, Silomboys, and angry ladies. Too much danger. Too much on record
Wed at 1:11 am . Like
Places
David Wu was at Planet Lolita and 3 other places
[MAPS]
www.facebook.com/David.Wu11867
Benz
<
br /> MESSAGES EDIT
20—-12-24 2:16 AM
My eye on him, Mink.
Chinese guy? He wasted!
Easier to do. And get paid.
Careful he not Triad. Those ones mean.
Soft soft—look at face!
He sure looking at you.
2000, easy. Flat screen for grandma.
I buy scooter for brother. He crash and break his arm. Too bad not his brain.
Pretty boy stumble over now. Mr Money!
2000, plus tuk-tuk. Good deal for a Benz.
Bye-bye.
BB, juicy girl.
TEXT MESSAGE SEND
www.facebook.com/tim.jodpur.2
Chris Leahy
Dude! Where you at?
10:24 pm
Tim Jodpur
Late night in Connect cafe in Bangkok. Some fish-stinky street near the Excelsior hotel. Me and a hundred gamers. Too rainy out there for much else.
10:24 pm
Chris Leahy
Anyone beating the meat to gonzo porn?
10:24 pm
Tim Jodpur
They give you the boot if they catch you streaming filth. Mostly gaming, and Skyping, and Facebook. Cute girl in red poncho next to me trying to Skype, I think. No reply.
10:24 pm
Chris Leahy
Would you do Poncho Girl on the cyber-cafe floor?
10:25 pm
Tim Jodpur With the security cameras in this place? And she’s jailbait. Beautiful face and skin, though, probably why she wears her hair so buzz. Also, I think she’s crying.
10:25 pm
Chuck Hayes
If she’s Thai, it’s blow job heaven. Chinese girls let you nail them, but stop before it gets nasty. For gonzo, go with Filipino. They’re desperate.
10:25 pm
Tim Jodpur
Dude …
10:25 pm
Chuck Hayes
I’m just saying. Any chance of snapping the poncho princess and uploading it for us losers stuck here in Canuckistan? I’ll carry the laptop straight to the john and get it on!
10:25 pm
Chris Leahy
Chuck’s a waste of DNA, but I wouldn’t mind a glimpse of this girl either. Cool upload to Tumblr?
10:27 pm
Tim Jodpur
Why not? She’s the only thing worth shooting in this cyber pit. Let me see if I can’t aim without her … Fuck, she made me! Hey!
10:27 pm
Chris Leahy
Dude?
10:27 pm
Tim Jodpur
Weird—she freaked out at the iPhone and bolted from her chair like I was going to pop her cherry. The look on her face …
10:27 pm
Chuck Hayes
Crazy ass bitch. Lots of THOSE in Asia, too.
10:27 pm
Tim Jodpur
Chuck, seriously, fuck off back to PlayStation 2. Such a loser.
10:28 pm
Date: Tuesday, 23 Dec 20—, 11:01 a.m.
Subject: contact!
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
You bet I’m relieved to get your email! Still on line in bleary B-kok? Better to Skype, sure, but not this morning – I’m late as is for some pretend Xmas shopping with a couple of other Asian refugees in res. How about tomorrow at 3:30 p.m., your time, assuming you can give our wastrel father the slip again. Some of us are clubbing tonight, last chance for a holiday frolic, but I should be back in my room by then. (Up to the Kwok mansion in Richmond Hill in the aft for a fun-free Christmas eve with the Confucians.)
What, you’re still worried about ME? How very sweet. How very SeeSaw. But who’s the teen having to negotiate Cool Kwok’s druggie party-animal “friends”? Boy do I remember those Asiatrashsters. The guys all reek of trust-fund cologne and the girls all have bad Daddy issues. Mint Wattana wants to dress you up? Only if you’re into pole-dancing, à la early Britney Spears … And hey, can’t be right what Lawyer Leah said – you forgot your meds in Honkers? She lost her mind over it, wanted to call the hotel, get Dr. Call-Me-Alex to email a new prescription to Bangkok. I said no worries, you probably decided you’d last a week, tops, in Thailand, and so stashed drugs accordingly? …??? … She’s already regretting her decision to confiscate your digital appendages. Forgot one thing –SeeSaw can’t contact Mary, Tai Long Wan, but Leah also can’t contact Xixi, Excelsior hotel! Serves her right, I suppose. And Tampax – did you bring some along? If not, don’t buy the domestic variety. Just don’t.
I’m JBF again, baby sis, but a totally different sort. Greg DID just fuck me by turning out to be a complete a–hole … Did you know he called me stumpy? (And yeah, sorry, he shared the wet T-shirt shot of Mary with his buddies, who then horn-dogged it onto the Net. Lifted the photo right off my screen when I was out of my room. And his apology? “I thought you’d be cool with it, China Girl!”) Such a prick. He has one, ergo is one, etc. I definitely gave it to him too easily, he’s so gorgeous, and he kept wanting and expecting more … Why am I so insecure about everything? And why have I been like this since I was that fourteen-year-old the parentals decided they had to keep such a judgmental eye on? Okay, there was a party in another dorm room last night, vodka shots, but I really do feel like talking straight and having a good cry … Certain stuff about myself I like – my eyes, my mouth, the fact that I have breasts at all – but most I don’t. Wish I was tall, like you, and had your legs, and hair, and the anorexia vibe that guys think is sexy, which is sick. I’m pretty sure people are mocking me non-stop, and have way more self-loathing than self-love. Are all girls this messed up? Greg says I’m a control freak, and a bossy bitch. Had I been, a–hole, you wouldn’t have gotten as far, and as fast, as you did … I was cutting myself at your age. Did you know that? I kept it secret. Cool Kwok and Lawyer Leah sure didn’t know, and still don’t. Just to feel it. To remind myself how worthless I was. And I AM a bitch, too, or can be – domineering, selfish, and better with a knife than any guy. And now I have this tattoo! What am I going to do with it? Sometimes I–
22:37 usage terminated by staff, guest288888884
(translated from )
Hotel Excelsior Security Log
Date: 23/12/20—
Reporting: 24:00
Employee: Som Kasemsarn, #488
Light activity at front gate due to bad weather, waters climbing over curb. At 23:16 p.m., female in poncho observed talking with Klong Toey beggar girl wearing plastic bag for rain and no shoes. Older female gives Klong Toey girl her poncho and flip-flops, then approaches guard booth. Employee #488, fearing lobby solicitation, keeps her from entering hotel grounds. In English, she claims to be guest. Employee #488, following protocol, walks her to lobby where assistant manager, IW, first asks why she is barefoot, and then confirms her registration, with parent, in Room 1214. In Thai, #488 assures IW that he made no accusation of solicitation directly; #488 not even familiar with those words in English. Girl accepts glass of orange juice and towel to dry hair. IW then escorts her to room, saying maybe she will contact police about matter. Employee #488 apologizes to guest at elevator for misunderstanding. Sign off
Tweets
Mick Roddick @aussieboy609 4h
Sukhumvit prowler doing lobby walk of shame in pre-sunrise! Good on you mate! Planet Lolita cap tells the tawdry tale
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Sis
MESSAGES EDIT
20—-12-24 1:48 PM
Yo! Check out the floppy hat on that … wait a sec. Isn’t it …
Skinny girl from other day! Where’s her creepy dad?
Maybe he hates swimming, haha
Should we talk to her?
She’s wearing earbuds
So? You wear them to dinner sometimes
Still stressed out, by her face Ya, like who comes to pool alone and just sits?
Asian chicks are always freaked
Watch. I’ll give her the wave
T
he what?
Asian-chick wave … Remember last time? Look, she smiles!
Pretty. Rad haircut too
Pretty. Should we …?
Nah. She got Girl In Trouble written all over
Watch some Walking Dead instead?
Why not? This town sucks for Xmas holiday
Hohoho, not!
Unless you ARE a ho!
Sad, lol
TEXT MESSAGE SEND
(translated from )
Hotel Excelsior Security Log
Date: 24/12/20—
Reporting: 15:44
Employee: Isra Wongsawat, #102
At 14:18 hotel receives call from Royal Thai Police, follow up to incident at airport involving guests Kwok Ka-Shing and daughter (Room 1214, check in: 23/12). Inquiry of general nature, but IW, #102, feels it professional duty to explain unusual situation that is unfolding. Twice earlier, Kiet Suttikul, head of security (#28), asked by maid service to knock on door of 1214, make sure Mr. Kwok and child are okay. Both times, Mr. Kwok told #28 from behind door to come back later.
At 14:54, after consultation with police, #28 and #102 proceed to room again. Mr. Kwok opens door only after threat. Says he is exhausted from late night. (Security footage, 01-60804-XXT, confirms his return to Excelsior at 4:19 this a.m.) Employee #28 ask whereabouts of his daughter. Mr. Kwok says she is at pool or in games room, and says hotel assured him of her safety. “I told her not to leave the hotel,” he says. In Thai, #28 informs #102 that security footage also shows daughter, identified as Kwok Xixi, departing hotel grounds last night at 21:40 and returning at 23:29. Decision made not to mention it to father until speaking again with Royal Thai Police.
Planet Lolita Page 16
